XVIII.
Cora tightens her grip on the metal rung above her head of the ladder, squeezing so tight that she sees her knuckles being to turn white and she starts to lose feeling in them. She pauses for a moment, glancing to her side and down to the extremely far down ground, suddenly feeling very light-headed when she realises how high up they are and how long they've been going higher and higher. She closes her eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath, fixing her eyes upwards instead and on the bottom of Scott's feet that she can see above her and a little way ahead.
Cora wasn't scared of heights, but there were heights and then there was what Scott had currently talked her into. They'd taken the elevator to the top of Recruit Accommodation Tower Six to level 250, gone out of a blocked exit onto the roof, and then he'd started climbing the rest of the way to the top up a maintenance ladder. On top of that, it was getting late and dark.
"Scott," Cora calls up, watching him pause his climbing and glance down at her. "When you said to trust you, this isn't exactly what I had in mind." She adds. "Not for a date." She huffs, feeling her stomach lurch when she watches him take hold of the edges of the ladder and lean back to see her more closely. "Be careful!" Cora shouts and sees him smile, he'd obviously done this before and had no fear.
"Trust me." Scott laughs making Cora sigh and shake her head lightly. "This will be worth it." Scott adds and she sees him grin before shrugging the backpack that he has on his back higher onto his shoulders.
"We're so high." Cora shouts and she notices that he has stopped climbing and is beginning to come back down towards her. "If we die, Scott Ryder, I'll never forgive you." Cora laughs and she hears him do the same. She lets her eyes move to the massive drop below them again and then upwards and realises they don't have much further to go, but that everything below them is looking very small.
"I said you could go first." Scott chuckles as she watches his feet come to stop on the rung above her head. "Want to swap places?" He asks and she watches him look down at her again.
"How would we even do that?" Cora mumbles, motioning with her hand to the very narrow ladder but quickly putting both hands onto it when she feels it wobble beneath her. "Would it mean I wouldn't have to keep watching you dangling yourself off of the edge?" Cora laughs and she hears him chuckle.
"I'll move around you." Scott begins and she sees him make a move to change places with her. "I promise Cora, we're safe." He smiles making her huff lightly. She was safe, she could warp out of danger but he was a stupid handsome man that had talked her into this, and him falling was an incredibly real concern right now.
Cora closes her eyes for a moment, not wanting to watch how he planned to get lower down the ladder than her. She opens one eye to peak when she feels him step onto the edge of the ladder, holding it with both hands and letting his feet slide down the metal until he's below her and steps back onto the ladder.
"Scott." Cora smiles and glances down at him when he grins at her and climbs another rung so they are almost overlapping. "Please don't do that again." She laughs lightly. "Are we even allowed up here?" Cora laughs.
"Why else would there be a ladder?" Scott chuckles. "It will be worth it." Scott grins and nods again, she feels his hand on her calf and he gives her a gentle squeeze when she begins climbing again, actually feeling better knowing he is there behind her. At least if she fell he'd have a chance of catching her.
"So you keep saying." Cora sighs as she takes hold of the next rung beneath her palms, pressing her boots onto the next one and pulling herself up. "This better be the best date ever." Cora laughs and she feels him close below her.
Cora looks up and realises that there isn't much of a climb left at all, and as they get higher they are almost at the very top of the station and only the roof is above them. She lets herself look around her and can see that they are now above every other building on Theia, and down on the ground the lights are starting to come on as it gets darker and she is sure that has happened while they've been climbing. Cora glances up ahead of her, realising that the reason it is getting louder as they climb, is that they have the sound of the conditioners and systems above their heads. She notices the environment field is just above them that provides the station with a constant temperature, humidity, and conditions.
"Not much further." She hears Scott shout up from below her, having to raise his voice to be heard over the increased noise. Cora can hear the rhythmic sound their boots make against each rung, making Cora wonder if anyone could hear what a noise they were making. "We are just about to pass through the field, so it's going to get noisy okay?" Scott shouts and she nods.
"Scott?" Cora shouts, leaning her head to the side so she knows he has heard her. "How many times have you done this?" She shouts again and watches him shake his head and hold his hand to his ear, not able to hear her very well.
"Keep going." Scott shouts as they continue to climb, Cora starting to feel the ache in her arms as they do. "Just a little more." Scott shouts and she nods again, not looking down at him this time but focusing on her arms and feet.
Cora pushes on, setting her hands and feet steady and strong with each rung she does until she notices that the field is right above them. She feels her ears begin to ache the closer they get, showing her deafening it is now from the fast-spinning of fans, the ear-splitting electrical buzz, and the thunderous rush of water.
She lifts her hand to the next rung, making sure her feet are ready to drive her up and through the field. Cora pushes herself onto the next rung, her head popping up on the other side of the field, and she suddenly wonders if she's gone deaf, as it is instantly completely silent.
"It's.." Cora shouts out loud, almost not expecting to hear her voice. "So quiet." She whispers when she realises that there is no noise from the field, no noise from the station, and not even the always present hum of the mass effect shields and engines. Cora feels a lump form in her throat, feeling a wave of emotion hit her when she realises that she has never in her life heard complete silence, and Scott has gifted it to her.
"Almost there." Scott shouts below her, she quickly moves up when she notices he is still below the field and getting his ears battered by the noise. She glances below her and sees that he pokes his head through the field, and smiles at her when he notices her watching him.
Cora quickly climbs the last few rungs, seeing the ledge above her is so close now and the excitement of what she is feeling spurring her on. She lets her fingers come into contact with the edge of the roof, pulling herself up and over it and climbing to her feet. She looks around her and sees that they are now at the very highest spot on the station, and if she stood on her tiptoes she could run her fingers across the black metal ceiling.
Cora notices that there is nothing but the expanse of the top of the tower and that it is almost completely dark, so she activates her light and begins trailing it over the roof. She hears Scott puffing a little as he pulls himself over the edge too, and she watches him stand and look at her and smile, he activates the light on his Omni too which gives them another small beam to see by.
"Good job." Scott smiles and she watches him shake his arms and legs to loosen them up after their climb. "I'm sorry about the climb." Scott sighs lightly and she watches him slide the bag off of his arms and lower it to the floor. "So, what do you think?" He asks and Cora notices he is looking at her, a worried expression on his face.
"Scott.." Cora sighs, feeling the lump still in her throat and still not believing her ears when she can hear nothing but her words, and their breathing. "I've never heard silence before." Cora whispers and she sees him nod and smile.
"That's why I wanted you to hear it for yourself." Scott begins and she watches him lower his eyes to his boots for a moment. "I know it was stupid dragging you up here." He smiles and she can't help but smile too, thinking how incredible he was to have shown her this.
"This is the best thing you could have ever given me." Cora mumbles and steps closer to him. "It's quiet, and it's dark." She adds and quickly throws her arms around Scott, which she notices almost knocks him off balance until he wraps his around her body. "I never thought I'd find this here." She whispers and hears him sigh.
"I'm glad you like it." She hears the smile in his voice and him hold her tighter. "I thought it would be the perfect spot for our date." Scott adds and she feels him loosen his hold on her and lift his hands to her face. "Plus, it's nice to be able to focus on just you." Scott whispers and dips his head to kiss her gently.
"I agree." Cora sighs quietly when she feels his eyes on her and she places her hands on his chest. "How did you even find this place?" Cora asks and feels him lower his hands to her shoulders and she takes another moment to look around them.
"It was something I used to do when I was a kid." Scott grins. "Find the tallest thing and climb it." He nods making Cora laugh lightly. "But, I have something else for you too." He mumbles and she feels him unwrap his arms from around her and place them on her face.
"More?" Cora giggles when he laughs. "I haven't done anything to deserve all of this." Cora whispers and watches him shake his head lightly, and his fingers rub her cheek.
"We're not going to have many chances for things like this for a while." Scott smiles making her nod in agreement. "So, let's take advantage of it now and let me show you how much I love you." He adds and she feels him press his mouth against hers. "Close your eyes." Scott whispers and moves his lips to her ear. "Stay here." He whispers.
Cora closes her eyes tightly, hearing Scott move away from her and what sounds like him picking up the bag he had climbed up here with. She hears the sound of the zip, and what she assumes is him unpacking the bag onto the floor of the tower roof and going through the contents. She hears him moving around, making quite a lot of noise as he does, which makes her smile when she realises this is the first time she's heard just him and not the station around them.
"What are you doing?" Cora laughs lightly when she hears him walk past her, and then like he's moving something. "Are you ready?" She asks and hears the sound of his boots as he steps towards her.
"I think so." Cora hears Scott's voice, clear and no longer covered by the hum of shields and engines. She feels him close to her so lifts her hands in front of her to find him. "Okay, keep your eyes closed and take my hand." Scott whispers and she feels his hand wrap around hers.
"Where is the edge?" Cora giggles and hears Scott laugh.
"Nowhere near here. Trust me." Scott replies and she feels him slip his fingers through hers and begin to guide her across the roof slowly, letting her follow him close so she knows she is safe.
Cora holds his hand tight as he draws her close to him, the toe of her boots sometimes coming into contact with the heel of his. She feels him bring them both to a stop, and that he lets go of her hand and places both of his on her hips. Cora can feel him close the distance between them, and she feels her body tingle as he slides his hands down her arms. She giggles when she feels him press her against him and she can feel him move his mouth to her ear, his breath warm on her skin.
"Open your eyes." Scott whispers and she does, opening them slowly and looking past him and to what he has made for her.
"Oh, Scott." Cora whispers, letting her eyes move around the cell-powered candles that he has set up all over the ground, that flicker and bounce off the low ceiling above them. "This is lovely." Cora adds and notices the blanket he has spread on the floor as she turns off her light so all they have is the candles.
"Go ahead and lay down." Scott begins giving her a large smile. "I promise it's for mostly innocent purposes." He adds nodding towards the blanket, making Cora giggle.
Cora steps away from him and walks towards the blanket, she leans down to unbuckle her boots and uses her toes to remove them, placing them beside the blanket. She lowers herself onto it, fixing her eyes on him as she does and watching the orange flicker of light on his face. She sees Scott grin again before he begins unbuckling his boots and pulling them off, leaving them next to hers.
"Lay down?" Cora asks and sees him nod and that he sits down on the blanket beside her. "Okay, but no funny business Mr Ryder." Cora giggles lightly and leans back until she is laying out flat, the blanket soft beneath her and her eyes fixed on the dark above her.
"Alright," Scott whispers and she glances at him, watching him lifting a box from out of his bag and placing it between them and above her head. "Now for the best bit." She hears the smile in his voice and turns her attention to the darkness above her.
Cora hears him fiddling with the box for a moment more before he is satisfied it's ready, she feels him shuffle across the blanket until he is next to her and she can feel him warm against her side. She takes a moment to look at him and watches him lay down at her side, his own eyes staring ahead until she sees that he lifts his wrist and swipes his fingers over the menu which causes the box behind them to spring to life. Cora returns her eyes straight up when she sees the ceiling is now covered in thousands of stars, swirling galaxies, turning planets, and gorgeous colours.
"It's so beautiful," Cora whispers as she watches the scene above them move, letting her eyes follow a shooting star and then to a bright red galaxy. "Where is this?" She asks and glances to Scott who she sees is watching her.
"This is where you grew up, Cora," Scott whispers and she feels his hand next to hers, and that he lets his fingertips move against hers until she takes hold of it. "These are the stars that you spent all of those years watching." He smiles.
"I've never seen it before." Cora whispers and turns to look at him, suddenly feeling tears forming in her eyes when she looks at the place she'd had to call home for the majority of her life. "Not like this." She sees Scott give her a small smile and nod.
"Even though it was difficult for you." Scott smiles. "They'll always be part of you. They were still beautiful." He whispers and she sees his eyes on her. "Just like you." He sighs.
Cora sighs when he lifts his arm to move it around her shoulders, drawing her against his side and letting her rest her head against his shoulder. She feels his hand stroking her arm as she lifts her hand to rest on his chest, letting her eyes watch the place she'd hated so much spin, move, and turn like a beautiful dancer. Cora watches Scott raise his hand and he begins trailing his finger through it, and it moves and reacts to his fingertips.
"Let's try another one." Scott whispers and she sees him make another selection from his Omni, one that she does recognise when the Milky Way galaxy fills the space above them. "This is where I grew up." Scott continues and she can see constellations that she recognises, and is sure she can even see where the Citadel is. "Give it a go." Scott whispers and she feels him press a soft kiss against the top of her head.
"Okay." Cora laughs and lifts her hand from his chest and begins moving the stars, pushing the planets away with her fingertips, and swirling the galaxies faster with a twirl of her hand. "I feel so powerful." Cora giggles and she feels him laugh beneath her cheek.
"You are so powerful, more than you could ever know." Scott begins and she can hear the sound of love in his voice. "So now that we've visited where our lives started." Scott mumbles and she watches him select the next one.
"That's here." Cora begins and she watches the current location of the Theia station appear above them, surrounded by a few stars and planets but much smaller than the previous two.
"Got it in one." Scott laughs lightly and she watches as he flicks his fingers towards them to draw this part of the galaxy to where they lay. "This is where our lives collided with each other." Scott whispers and she feels him place his hand over hers on his chest and lean his head against hers.
"Collided is right." Cora smiles and she cuddles closer to him, feeling him hold her against his side. "Like an inevitable collision of two stars." Cora giggles when she hears him laugh.
"I like to think we were inevitable too." Scott begins and she hears him sigh when she lifts her head from his shoulder and looks into his face. "Sometimes it's nice to forget everything we've been taught about science and mathematics." Scott nods. "I'm starting to feel like this is down to something bigger than that." Scott grins making her smile.
"You really are something special, Scott Ryder." Cora whispers and sees him smile again before she moves her hand to the back of his head and draws him into a kiss.
Cora places her hands on Scott's shoulders and pushes him onto his back, following his mouth with hers until she is laying over him and can continue to kiss him. She feels Scott wrap his arm around her and move it to her waist when they break their kiss, making her smile when he lifts the other to her face and strokes his fingertips against her cheek.
"I haven't finished my presentation." Scott chuckles and nods to the stars moving above them. "But I guess it can wait.." He huffs making her smile and lean towards him again when he captures her mouth with his and slides his fingers into her hair at the base of her neck, she sighs against his mouth when they continue to kiss gently and slowly as if they have all of the time in the world.
"I wish I could just kiss you forever." Cora sighs against his lips and she feels them curve into a smile, and that he places a final kiss against her mouth.
"You don't think you'd get bored?" Scott whispers and she sees him grin and bite his bottom lip, his eyes on her and his hand on her cheek. Cora shakes her head lightly and kisses him again, just to prove her point.
"Never." Cora giggles when she feels him wrap both of his arms around her and hug her tightly against him. She smiles when he lets her settle back into his arms again, returning her head to his chest. "All I can hear is you." Cora whispers as she moves her ear closer to his heart, hearing it beating steadily beneath her.
"I know." Scott replies and she can hear he is still grinning. "It freaked me out the first time I came up here.." Scott continues. "It's almost like you forget what everything sounds like, without that constant noise in your head." He adds making Cora nod, but she'd never heard anything without it. She'd spent her entire life like this. "It's so nice to just hear nothing." He smiles.
"What's next on our tour of the stars." Cora whispers and she feels his chest move beneath her cheek as she laughs lightly.
"Ah now, this you'll like." Scott replies and she watches him lift his arm to select the next part of his star show and flick it to the roof above them. Cora's eyes widen when she sees a bright and large amount of stars fill it and she can see some planets, and some beautiful purple, red, and blue stretch across the dark sky.
"Where is this?" Cora asks, fixing her eyes on it and not recognising where they are now. "I've never seen anything like it." She whispers when her eyes follow a shooting star and she watches Scott briefly swirl the purple with his finger until it moves around the planets.
"Let's get a view you might recognise." Scott begins and she watches him grasp the scene in his hand like he is holding a ball, and he spins it so that the whole sky rotates and Cora finally spots Habitat 7, their new homeworld.
"Habitat 7." Cora whispers and she hears Scott sigh lightly. "I've spent forever staring at that planet." She adds and Scott chuckles beneath her. "I wonder why I didn't recognise it." She sighs when she watches Scott zoom into their new home, turning the planet lightly as she had seen Alec do so many times when they'd been planning the mission.
"Because we've been looking at it all wrong." Scott nods. "Always looking at it as the goal, right?" He adds and it makes her nod lightly. "Well, this.." He adds and spins the view again and she can see the first set of stars were from the perspective of someone actually on the planet.
"Is that what we'll see when we get there?" Cora whispers and she leans up on her elbow so she can look at Scott, and up at the sky above them. "I guess it's so easy to focus on that, and not what happens next." Cora nods and she sees Scott do the same.
"Soon this will be us, laying outside together beneath a different set of stars." Scott nods and she feels him take hold of her hand in his and directs her hand and finger through the sky, letting them spin the planets and touch the stars, each one twinkling brighter when they do. Cora watches him rotate the sky again, and zoom in close to Habitat 7.
"I think I can see our house." Cora giggles as she lets him trace the pretend sky above them with her finger until he lets her continue on her own, so she draws the planet closer to them. "I think it's here." She points before she pushes the colours around it.
"Yeah, that's it." Scott grins beside her. "It's got a gym and a hot tub." He laughs making her fix her eyes on him. "And take a look at your garden, the flowers are gorgeous that you've planted. Look at the roses, Cora." Scott smiles when she looks at him and she follows with her eyes to where he is pointing. "I think I can see us." Scott grins and she feels his eyes on her.
"Are we exploring the galaxies together?" Cora smiles and rests her head against his. "Or have we started a family?" She whispers and sees him smile and his eyes meet hers.
"Yeah, we have a family." Scott nods and she notices he smiles when he thinks about it. "We have a son and a daughter." He grins making her giggle. "We get to explore and travel, and we take them with us. It's such an amazing way for them to grow up." He smiles. "But, we always come home." Scott whispers and leans closer to kiss her softly.
"That sounds like an amazing life." Cora sighs and kisses him again. "I can't wait." She nods. "Do we look happy?" Cora asks and rests her forehead against his, lifting her hand to his cheek and feeling him nod before she kisses him hard which she notices surprises him.
"We look so happy." Scott whispers, making her smile and pull him into another kiss. "Let me show you." Cora sighs when she feels him lay her onto her back again, covering her with his body when she begins to slowly unzip and remove his hoodie. She giggles when she feels his hands slip beneath her own.