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missjanjie · 5 years ago

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Branjie Fic | How Wonderful Life Is (While You’re in the World)

Title: How Wonderful Life Is (While You’re in the World) Summary: This is an epilogue/sequel to tiny dancer, because an extra dose was necessary. Word Count: ~1.7k Relationship: Branjie (Brooke Lynn Hytes/Vanessa Vanjie Mateo) Rating: T

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“I thought you’d be a little more excited by now,” A’keria observed. “You only graduate college once.”

Vanessa shrugged, setting the glue stick down. They’d been spending the day decorating their caps, but her heart just wasn’t in it. And that was because her heart was doing ballet in France. “I just miss her.”

“Come on, this was supposed to be a fun distraction,” Blair gently chimed in, resting her hand on her shoulder. “Brooke would want you to enjoy yourself, right?”

“Fuck, you make it sound like she’s dead,” she groaned and rest her head against the table. “How am I supposed to do this shit for another two months?” They were only two weeks into the ten-week engagement, and she already decided she couldn’t handle it.

A’keria pinched the bridge of her nose. “No, you just a drama queen. Aren’t you visiting her next month anyway? Bitching and moaning like you ain’t about to go to fucking France.”

Vanessa pushed herself up off the table, only to slump into her chair. “Y’all just don’t get it. We haven’t spent more than a few weeks apart in four years. I got separation anxiety!” Her cheeks flushed red, she was still embarrassed - she was self aware enough to know she was being childish and maybe a bit self-centered, but she couldn’t help herself; next to her mom, Brooke Lynn was the most important person in her life.

Blair nodded sympathetically. “Aw, honey, we understand. Why don’t we pick this up tomorrow? You should go give her a call before it gets too late over there. Go ahead, we’ll clean up here.”

A’keria arched her brow. “We will?”

“Yes,” she glared

Vanessa wasn’t paying attention to the bickering going on between her friends. Once Blair had given her the go-ahead to leave, she was gathering her things and heading right out the door. She glanced at her phone on the way out - it was about ten at night in Brooke’s side of the world, if she remembered correctly.

And lucky for her, Brooke Lynn was still awake and willing to Skype by the time she returned to their apartment.

“You’ve got glitter all over your face,” Brooke observed with a soft chuckle. “What sort of fun have you been getting up to over there?”

“None, I promise,” she retorted flatly. “We was decorating our caps but I just wasn’t feeling it. It’s kinda tacky at this point anyway,” she added, pulling dried glue off of her fingertips and flicking it away.

She pouted sympathetically. “Poor baby,” she cooed. “I think you should decorate it, though. It’s not like you to ever blend in.”

A slight smile twitched at the corners of her lips. “Yeah, maybe,” she shrugged. “How’s shit over there?”

“I mean, it’s hard to complain about this place,” she admitted with a soft laugh. “The only thing it’s missing is my beautiful girlfriend,” she cooed, batting her lashes.

Vanessa chuckled softly, looking down and pushing her hair off of her shoulders. “So, you ain’t gonna leave me for some fancy French bitch then?” She did her best to play it off as a lighthearted joke, but even after all this time, there was a nagging sense of doubt somewhere inside her that worried one day Brooke would wake up and realize she could do better.

Brooke scoffed and shook her head. “As if anyone in this entire continent could hold a candle to you. I’m offended at the mere suggestion, Vanj.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ve just been missing you.”

“I miss you too, but you’ll be here before you know it, and you’ll have a shiny new degree to be proud of.”

She looked back at her half-decorated cap on the dresser. “Still kinda hard to believe.” On paper, it had looked like all the odds had been stacked against Vanessa from the get-go. No one ever truly believed that she had the intelligence and determination to earn a college degree. Hell, when she had finished her first year, people around her had been surprised.

Except for Brooke.

“No it’s not,” she replied without a moment’s hesitation. “You busted your ass from the moment I met you, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that tries as hard as you. You, my dear, are a force to be reckoned with.”

“Guess it’s hard to argue now that you got proof,” Vanessa conceded, “I just wish you was gonna be here for it.”

Brooke sighed sadly. “I do too, baby. But I promise, Nina’s going to be there livestreaming the whole thing to me.”

It wasn’t the same, but there was no point in belaboring the issue - it wasn’t going to change anything and they both would only feel worse. “You right, I know. Imma let you get to bed, talk to you tomorrow.”

“Alright, love you,” she blew a kiss at the screen.

“Love you too,” she smiled fondly and ended the call.

However, when Brooke Lynn closed her laptop, she didn’t leave it sitting on her desk. Instead, she packed it into its case and put it in with her luggage. She flopped down on her bed for a moment, she’s not an actress and lying to Vanessa was harder than any course she’d taken during her master’s program, especially seeing the sadness in her expression - it was physically painful, but she knew it would pay off.

The alarm went off on her phone moments later and she made her way to the front of the apartment building to wait for a taxi. “L'aéroport, s'il vous plaît,” her diction had improved, but her French was still remedial.

But she got there just fine and landed in JFK around midnight. She took the train back into Manhattan, then took a cab to Nina’s apartment. “Thanks for waiting up for me,” she whispered as she slipped inside and carefully closed the door behind her.

“No problem, but you definitely owe me,” Nina chuckled and grabbed her a bottle of water. “Now, tell me again why you’re waiting until her party to show up?”

Brooke took a swig from the bottle and set it down on the table. “Because the graduation ceremony is going to be too busy. Besides, the party is going to be all about her, it’ll be the perfect moment for, you know…”

Nina nodded in understanding. “She’s going to be so excited to see you. I can already hear it; ‘Brooke Lynn! You’re here!’” She imitated Vanessa’s distinct way of speaking, getting her friend to laugh and hopefully alleviating the nerves she knew were still lingering.

------

Vanessa ran to her family, one hand clutching her diploma and the other holding her cap steady on her head. “Y’all seeing this shit? I’m a fuckin’ graduate!” She beamed brightly as her family surrounded her with affection and praise, the reality that she had actually survived college - something even she didn’t anticipate for herself.

“Come on sweetheart, it’s time to celebrate,” her mother cooed, leading her into the car so they could relocate to the venue.

They had reserved a private party room at one of Vanessa’s favorite restaurants. It had already been decorated with balloons and congratulatory banners as family and friends began filing in.

“Aw, you guys! This is so nice of y’all,” Vanessa beamed as she looked around the room.

“Actually,” Nina started, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet with a giddy expression. “We have a little surprise for you.” She glanced over her shoulder, her smile brightening even more.

The room was silent, aside from some confused murmuring, until the sound of heels clacking against the hardwood floor got louder and louder until Brooke Lynn was standing in the doorway.

Vanessa’s eyes went wide and began to well with tears. “Brooke Lynn!”

“Hi, baby,” Brooke had barely gotten the phrase out before Vanessa launched herself at her. She caught her in a tight embrace, picking her up and spinning her around.

“I can’t believe you’re here! What about your show?”

She shrugged as she set her down. “The understudy agreed to do a couple shows so I could surprise my girlfriend,” she kissed her sweetly and ruffled her hair. “It’s so good to see you.”

Even after she was set down, Vanessa was still hugging her tight. “I’m so happy you’re here, oh my god,” she tilted her head up to blink away tears.

Brooke stroked her fingers through her hair, humming softly. Then she took a step back, swallowing thickly. “I… um… I actually have one more surprise for you.”

“You’re not pregnant, are you?”

She laughed awkwardly and shook her head. “No, this is just… something I’ve wanted to do since… honestly, since our first Thanksgiving together. I’ve been ready but… I finally think we’re ready,” she haphazardly rifled through her purse, her legs trembled as she got down on one knee.

The Mateo family had already erupted in excitement, scrambling for their phones and enthusiastically chattering in Spanish. Vanessa was the only quiet one, biting down on her knuckles as she was already starting to cry.

“Vanessa--”

“Yes!” “Let me finish!” Brooke giggled softly, then collected herself as quickly as she could, opening the box up. “Vanessa, I’ve loved you from the moment I met you, regardless of how stubborn I was about it in the beginning. But over these past four years, my love for you has only grown exponentially. And that’s why I want to ask you… will you marry me?” There was a beat of silence. “You can answer now.”

“Yes!” It was somewhere between a scream and a sob, Vanessa hardly knew what to do with herself, so she just threw her arms around Brooke and cried into the crook of her neck until she had pulled herself together enough to slide the ring onto her finger. “Damn, look at this rock!” She exclaimed to distract herself and everyone else from how much of a mess she was.

“This bitch really got a diploma and a wife on the same day,” A’keria remarked to Blair with a laugh. “But I’ll be damned if there ain’t anyone that deserves it more.”

As the newly-engaged couple embraced, the energy that surrounded them made it clear that everyone shared those sentiments. Brooke Lynn and Vanessa had been through a lot since the day they met in Katya’s dance class, but it was all worth it to lead up to this moment.

#branjie #branjie fic #rpdr rpf

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artificialqueens · 5 years ago

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How Wonderful Life Is (While You're in the World) Branjie - Joley

ao3 link

“I thought you’d be a little more excited by now,” A’keria observed. “You only graduate college once.”

“Come on, this was supposed to be a fun distraction,” Blair gently chimed in, resting her hand on her shoulder. “Brooke would want you to enjoy yourself, right?”

A’keria pinched the bridge of her nose. “No, you just a drama queen. Aren’t you visiting her next month anyway? Bitching and moaning like you ain’t about to go to fucking France.”

Blair nodded sympathetically. “Aw, honey, we understand. Why don’t we pick this up tomorrow? You should go give her a call before it gets too late over there. Go ahead, we’ll clean up here.”

A’keria arched her brow. “We will?”

“Yes,” she glared

And lucky for her, Brooke Lynn was still awake and willing to Skype by the time she returned to their apartment.

“You’ve got glitter all over your face,” Brooke observed with a soft chuckle. “What sort of fun have you been getting up to over there?”

She pouted sympathetically. “Poor baby,” she cooed. “I think you should decorate it, though. It’s not like you to ever blend in.”

A slight smile twitched at the corners of her lips. “Yeah, maybe,” she shrugged. “How’s shit over there?”

“I mean, it’s hard to complain about this place,” she admitted with a soft laugh. “The only thing it’s missing is my beautiful girlfriend,” she cooed, batting her lashes.

Brooke scoffed and shook her head. “As if anyone in this entire continent could hold a candle to you. I’m offended at the mere suggestion, Vanj.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ve just been missing you.”

“I miss you too, but you’ll be here before you know it, and you’ll have a shiny new degree to be proud of.”

Except for Brooke.

“Guess it’s hard to argue now that you got proof,” Vanessa conceded, “I just wish you was gonna be here for it.”

Brooke sighed sadly. “I do too, baby. But I promise, Nina’s going to be there livestreaming the whole thing to me.”

“Alright, love you,” she blew a kiss at the screen.

“Love you too,” she smiled fondly and ended the call.

“No problem, but you definitely owe me,” Nina chuckled and grabbed her a bottle of water. “Now, tell me again why you’re waiting until her party to show up?”

——

“Come on sweetheart, it’s time to celebrate,” her mother cooed, leading her into the car so they could relocate to the venue.

They had reserved a private party room at one of Vanessa’s favorite restaurants. It had already been decorated with balloons and congratulatory banners as family and friends began filing in.

“Aw, you guys! This is so nice of y’all,” Vanessa beamed as she looked around the room.

The room was silent, aside from some confused murmuring, until the sound of heels clacking against the hardwood floor got louder and louder until Brooke Lynn was standing in the doorway.

Vanessa’s eyes went wide and began to well with tears. “Brooke Lynn!”

“Hi, baby,” Brooke had barely gotten the phrase out before Vanessa launched herself at her. She caught her in a tight embrace, picking her up and spinning her around.

“I can’t believe you’re here! What about your show?”

She shrugged as she set her down. “The understudy agreed to do a couple shows so I could surprise my girlfriend,” she kissed her sweetly and ruffled her hair. “It’s so good to see you.”

Even after she was set down, Vanessa was still hugging her tight. “I’m so happy you’re here, oh my god,” she tilted her head up to blink away tears.

Brooke stroked her fingers through her hair, humming softly. Then she took a step back, swallowing thickly. “I… um… I actually have one more surprise for you.”

“You’re not pregnant, are you?”

“Vanessa–”

“Yes!”

“Let me finish!” Brooke giggled softly, then collected herself as quickly as she could, opening the box up. “Vanessa, I’ve loved you from the moment I met you, regardless of how stubborn I was about it in the beginning. But over these past four years, my love for you has only grown exponentially. And that’s why I want to ask you… will you marry me?” There was a beat of silence. “You can answer now.”

“This bitch really got a diploma and a wife on the same day,” A’keria remarked to Blair with a laugh. “But I’ll be damned if there ain’t anyone that deserves it more.”

#rpdr fanfiction #brooke lynn hytes #vanessa vanjie mateo #branjie #lesbian au #how wonderful life is while you're in the world #joley

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ziskandra · 7 years ago

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PRIORITY OPS: REPOPULATING HELEUS (Ch. 8)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 in which an anniversary is celebrated and sara comes to a resolution. ao3 link.

8. No Place Like It

Eos might not be as warm as Elaaden, but the weather would never approach what Liam might consider temperate. The population in Prodromos had trebled since its initial settlement, and the prefabs were fit to bursting. Temporary shelters had to be constructed, rings of tents surrounding the outpost proper.

Prodromos’s popularity was unsurprising, to say the least. It was one of the most hospitable of the worlds the Initiative had set roots on so far, in terms of both weather and safety. After their rocky start in Heleus, people, of all races, gravitated towards stability.

Liam was in his element. This was, after all, what he had come here to do. It felt good and right to finally be making some sort of measurable difference. He only wished that Sara could be here with him. He missed the feel of her hand within his own and mornings waking up next to her were beginning to feel like a distant memory.

They would be reunited soon, but not soon enough. He was being selfish, he knew, but it was simple, really. He missed her.

He was on his break, a fine sheen of sweat glistening on his brow as he hunkered down underneath one of the sporadic trees littering the landscape to flick through the messages on his omnitool. The ‘tool worked well enough for instant communication with anyone in Prodromos or any of the other burgeoning Eos settlements, but it couldn’t exactly traverse the galaxy yet. It was a shame, because all he really wanted to be able to do while he had his lunch was talk to Sara.

Shit. He really was making a fool of himself, wasn’t he? It was nice to have a moment to himself nonetheless, the chatter of people working together and shuttles coming and going fading into the distance as he checked the messages he could read without a physical terminal.

Scott: Liam! Sending this now even though it won’t come through til we’re in range. Looking forward to making a new start in Prodromos. Gil’s coming with me today. Finally going to meet his friend Jill. Heard she doesn’t have long to go now ’til she pops. I’m a bit nervous, actually! Shh, don’t tell anyone.

Thanks again for everything you’ve done for me. You’ll be seeing a lot more of me in the future, I hope you won’t regret it.

Hahaha, of course you won’t. I’m delightful.

Liam smiled to himself, his fingers almost tapping out a message in response before he glanced over at the landing pad which he could barely make out in the distance. There was a shuttle landing now, and it could be the one Scott and Gil were riding in on or it might be coming a bit later. Either way, if Scott’s message had made its way onto Liam’s omnitool, the pair couldn’t be too far away now. He could save his thanks for later.

Scott might think himself indebted to Liam, but if you asked him, it was the other way around, really. Not only had Scott been an excellent source of support in his own right, always popping up when one needed him without even having to be asked, having some of Sara’s family around seemed to make her more comfortable, more at peace with their current situation.

Not for the first time, he felt a pang of guilt for drawing Scott away from Meridian. But that was an issue to be addressed later. And it would be: he had a whole list of things he was working on improving. It was just who he was. Lately, the list was largely taken up with attending to Sara’s happiness.

But that was just who he was, as well.

Having Scott around also meant having more insight into who Sara had been before Heleus, before Andromeda, before the Initiative, a subject that Sara herself was resolutely tight-lipped about. Not because she didn’t like talking about her past, she’d assured Liam during one too-tense moment where her walls had been drawn higher than intended, but because she just couldn’t afford herself the luxury of dwelling upon it.

(You’re more than just the Pathfinder to me, Liam had assured her, and Sara had looked at him with tired, exhausted eyes. Yeah, to you. God, that must have been months ago.)

Earlier in the month, before Liam had left for his current round of work in Prodromos, Scott had, over drinks, let slip the date of his upcoming birthday, and by extension, Sara’s. Ever since, Liam’s gears had been turning in his head. He knew what he had to do. A party. He was going to throw her a party. And since he’d always been terrible at getting people physical presents, he’d decided what he’d do instead was to get all of their friends to come. Now, it was simply a matter of awaiting people's RSVPs, but he wouldn’t be able to that until he was back at his terminal. He wasn’t anticipating any more messages from the local guests; most of them, he’d extended an invitation to in person.

But he was getting ahead of himself again. There was still plenty of time to plan the party. No, what he wanted, needed, to do was put his finishing touches on tonight’s plans. Sara would be here by the time he knocked off, and he wasn’t sure if she remembered it, but today marked a year to the day that they’d taken their leap together, over the outskirts of Prodromos, and Liam had launched himself headfirst into the reality of what it meant to be to love Sara Ryder. Had finally struck up the courage to admit the words to her.

Today seemed as good a day as any to celebrate their anniversary.

His break would be over soon. Before returning to work, he pulled up one of his favourite images on his omni-tool. It was of Sara, of course, a still from one of the multitude of interviews she’d done after the battle. This one had delved into more intimate subject matter than the others, and when Sara had been asked about whether she had a special someone, she’d scoffed at first. After all, she’d kissed Liam right on the livestream. It wasn’t like they’d been discreet.

Then she’d looked up at the camera and smiled one of her bashful smiles. I do, she’d confirmed, and I couldn’t have done any of this without him. He still remembered how he’d felt the first time he’d seen the video. Yeah, sure, it hadn’t been anything he hadn’t heard before. Sara had always assured him of how instrumental he was to her well-being, even when he doubted it himself. Especially when he doubted himself. But it was one thing to be told directly, and another entirely to have the sentiment expressed to the entire galaxy.

Whenever he looked at the picture, he was reminded of how much they meant to each other. Some days, more than others, he needed the reminder.

Sometimes, he just wanted to see her smile.

Soon enough, he’d be able to see it in person.

***

Liam was a bundle of nervous energy as he hovered around the landing zone. He’d never been very good at waiting, all things considered, and his impatience was getting the better of him. There wasn’t anything he could do to make Sara’s shuttle arrive any faster, and it was frustrating as hell. He tried to distract himself with thoughts of the evening ahead, mind running over the plans he’d made, but that didn’t help any. What if she didn’t like it? What if she thought it was stupid?

He wasn’t aware of how much he was pacing, and how little attention he was paying to his surroundings, until he was startled out of his reverie by a hand at his shoulder. He whirled on the spot to identify the source of contact. When he did, he almost leapt out of his skin with elation.

Sara. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest in a crushing hug, hands mapping her back like he couldn’t believe she was real. Once he realised just how how tightly he was holding her, he half-expected her to squirm out of his grip. Instead, she merely rested her hands on his waist, his shirt thin enough her fingertips felt like hot pricks of heat against his skin. It had only been a number of weeks since they’d last been together, but it had still been too long. He rested his chin atop her head, breathed her in. “Surprise,” she whispered into their embrace, the warmth of her breath skirting against his throat. He could feel his hands grow clammy, his heart beating erratically in his chest. It was incredible, honestly, that she still made him feel this way after they’d been dating for this long. Part of him hoped she still made him feel like this for the rest of their life, but he’d take what he could get. “I managed to catch an earlier shuttle,” she told him, still clutching onto his shirt like her life depended on it. “Flew in with Gil and Scott, actually, and thought I’d take the time to see what Prodromos has been up to since I was here last. And I know it’s not as exciting as whatever you've got planned, but I thought I might try and sneak up on you.” Liam snorted. “Because you’re so boring and predictable the rest of the time.”

Sara laughed in response, finally breaking away from Liam’s hold and shoving her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket. No armour. It was strange but nice to see her this way away from Meridian. They’d worked hard on making Prodromos safe and liveable. It was good to start seeing results. “Honestly? It feels that way, sometimes. Meetings upon meetings upon meetings and attempts on my life have been few and far between. Haven’t even died once since we secured Meridian and I’m getting a bit bored. Would be nice to have the opportunity to jump off something tall again but…” she trailed off, pulling a face. “…when I spoke to Mayor Bradley earlier he warned me off any future mating flights. Mating flights, ugh. We weren’t that bad, were we?” He felt his face heat up at the question, more than able to recall the events of that day in perfect detail. While it was stupid to have worried that Sara might’ve forgotten, he was glad to hear she cherished it all the same. “Oh, I don’t know,” he said, leaning in conspiratorially towards her, “I think we might’ve kissed in the sand.” Colour rose high in Sara’s cheeks. Did she used to get embarrassed this easily? She didn’t back down, however, instead folding her hands across her chest, Liam’s gaze following the movement a little more closely than it should. “Yeah, just a bit,” she teased. “Okay,” Liam conceded, “maybe there was some heavy petting.” Sara scoffed before reaching out to grasp Liam by the wrist. “And more, if I’d let you have your way. God, that was ages ago. I can’t believe it’s been that long since I was here last.” “You’ve never been back?” “Nope. A year, on the dot.” She glanced up slyly at him. “Happy anniversary, I guess? I assumed that’s what this was all about.” Liam’s disappointment must have been evident on his features because Sara immediately moved her hands to his shoulders in a gesture of comfort. “Hey, hey, I’m glad someone remembered to count forward. I only figured it out by looking back.” She blanched a little, possibly uncomfortable with the self-disclosure that had occurred even in the short, simple observation. Slipping her hand down his arm, towards his elbow, she gave it a light tug. “I can’t wait to see where we’re going. Come on!” Liam stumbled after Sara, boots dragging in the sand as he hastily rearranging their arms so they were interlocked and he could properly lead. “Well, it’s not got quite the amount of adrenaline-pumping action you’re after, but I hope you’ll like it all the same.” “We probably should hold off on giving Bradley another heart attack,” she agreed, swinging their arms at the same beat as the skip in her step. “He’s got enough on his plate.”

“Aw,” Liam countered, “I don’t think Augie really minds.” “I’d rather not find out,” Sara insisted. “How does he put up with you?” “I ask myself the same question,” Liam answered honestly. “Bit rich, coming from you, by the way.” “What, you take romantic walks at sunset with him, too? And here I thought I was special.”

It was romantic. Really, it was unfair how much the sky looked like something straight out of a vid. It was a stroke of luck, really. Liam could swear the orange streaks of light had seemed less vivid the night before, the sun smaller, world duller.

Then again, it was all a matter of perception. Something to do with the eyeballs, probably, or maybe just because everything seemed more beautiful with Sara in the picture. He came to a sudden stop, Sara falling into step beside him, brow furrowed. “What’s here?” He moved in to kiss her, capturing her lips in a swift but chaste kiss. “Sorry,” he said, taking a step back. “Couldn’t help myself.” She shook her head, a smile slowly spreading across her face. Disentangling their arms, she cupped his face with one hand, fingers running over the stubble she found there. “Neither can I,” she admitted before pulling him down for another kiss.

This time, he wasn’t so eager to break away.

It had been a while since Sara had initiated this much physical affection and Liam intended to savour every moment of it. She moulded her body to his and he marvelled in the way the curves and contours of their bodies fitted together perfectly. In their relative solitude, Prodromos little more than blinking lights in the distance, Liam grew bolder, letting his hands drop from their natural resting place on the small of Sara’s back to drift lower, lower, and squeeze.

He drunk her in like a man parched, every caress of her tongue against his lips rejuvenating him. When they eventually, reluctantly, had to pull apart for air, he barely moved, their noses brushing as he fought to regulate his breathing. He felt like he had run a marathon. He felt like he’d won a marathon. “I think we were going somewhere before we got distracted,” Sara whispered, her thumb tracing a line down his cheekbone. His hands were still on her arse. But their dinner wouldn’t wait forever. Scott had helped him set up earlier, and had volunteered to keep an eye on the food until a pre-arranged time. If they left it too long, it might be lost to the local wildlife and while it wouldn’t ruin the night, Sara (and not to mention Scott) would never let him live it down.

It occurred to him then that Scott had known, the whole time, that Sara had arrived early, and yet had not let slip a single thing. The little shit. Liam didn’t have it in him to be properly mad, though. Mostly, he was just impressed.

“Yeah,” he answered, finally pulling away and immediately regretting the lack of contact between them. “It’s not too far away from here. Hope you’re not averse to some climbing.” “Climbing!” Sara exclaimed, “And you said we wouldn’t get to do anything exciting.” “Hey, that’s not what I said.” “Details, details,” she answered with a wave of a hand. There was now a five-minute climb, give or take, between them and their dinner, and Sara looked up at the wall of rock with a grin on her face. “Race you?” Liam asked. “How did you know?” she replied, not waiting a single second more before latching herself at the wall. Well, Liam would allow her to have the head-start. He did have longer arms, after all.

He was closing in on the finish line when there was a flash of blue next to him and Sara propelled herself to the top of the outcropping with a helping hand from her biotics. Liam wasn’t far behind her, and grumbled as he pulled himself up.

At least Sara looked pleased with herself. “You cheated,” he complained in playful accusation.

Sara shrugged. “You were too slow.” A sudden thought occurred to Liam. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you use your biotics outside of battle.” She averted her gaze quickly, suddenly becoming quite fascinated by some nearby shrubbery. “I don’t, usually. But you know me. Ultra-competitive. Always have to win.” Liam merely nodded, not wanting to push Sara further than she was willing to go. Her redirected attention meant that she soon found their supplies: Scott really had done a number on getting it set up since Liam had to leave. The picnic rug was already set out, a nice touch that Liam hadn’t thought of himself, a traditional red-and-white checkered pattern that made Sara roll her eyes, even as she sat down cross-legged upon it. “This is so cliche,” she complained, propping open the basket nearby to retrieve the cutlery in a series of motions that were almost automatic. She seemed to remember herself removing the plates, sitting back and waiting for Liam to make himself comfortable, the last lingering remnants of sunlight illuminating her face with a golden glow as she beamed up at him. “But you really know how to keep your promises. I love it. Love you.” “I love you too,” Liam murmured in response, placing a hand on Sara’s knee. “Thought about getting a skywriter to leave a message up there, a little nod, you know, but then Augie really would get mad, and I have to work here.” Another thought occurred to him at the mention of work. “You didn't tell me how your meeting went.” In fact, Sara hadn’t mentioned anything about her role as Pathfinder, or even about the Initiative since she’d got here. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked. Fortunately, Sara merely groaned and rolled her eyes, lifting one of the champagne glasses she’d retrieved from the basket. Liam remembered those glasses. They were the ones that Suvi had made shortly after the battle. “I’m going to need a drink before I start getting into my day.” Liam was more than happy to oblige.

***

The rundown was: Tann was still a jerk, and as a consequence, Hayjer had been unable to attend the meeting Sara had called. She’d already rescheduled it, but was frustrated all the same. ‘I’m just trying to get shit done, but keep getting tied up by bureaucracy.’ In turn, Liam had updated her on Prodromos’s progress; Sara had been surprised but proud when she’d learnt that the outpost was almost self-sufficient. Most of the food in their picnic had been sourced locally; Sara’s favourite had been tomatoes. Prodromos’s population now had a grand total of five infants, with Gil’s son soon to be the sixth. ‘He must be ecstatic,’ Sara had noted, even though her face had dropped as she’d said the words. ‘God, I haven’t spoken to him in ages.’ It took all of Liam’s willpower not to spoil the next surprise. He wasn’t as close to Gil as he was to some of the others, but he figured that would change now Scott and Gil were dating. He looked forward to getting to know him better. Bellies full, the champagne bottle near-empty and the sun disappeared over the horizon, Sara nestled herself into the crook of Liam’s shoulder as they lay down on the rug together, legs lazily intertwined. Sara slipped her hands underneath Liam’s shirt and when he flinched she argued it was to keep her hands warm. “Thanks again for this,” Sara murmured. “For everything.” “Don’t mention it,” he said, with as much of a shrug he could manage in their current position. “I care about you. I want you to be happy.” Sara stilled, her fingers resting against his chest where before they’d been tapping away absent-mindedly. “I guess that’s what I’m not used to.” Liam frowned. “Scott,” he countered. Sara exhaled heavily through her nose. “Okay. But he’s not nearly as handsome.” “Ouch. Don't let him hear you say that.”

“His ego could do with some deflating,” she scoffed, but the words seemed to trouble her, as she quickly followed with, “That’s not fair. I guess I was always a bit jealous of him.” “Wait, you?” Liam asked, shifting over to look at Sara with all the surprise that the statement justified, head propped on chin. By all accounts, by both twins, Sara had always been the over-achiever.

“Yeah, me,” Sara replied, not quite meeting Liam’s eyes again. “Scott always made friends easily, and I just kind of followed him around. Scott’s more laid back, more casual. People took time to warm up to me. We had all the same friends growing up, and I didn’t make many new ones in the Alliance, which was probably for the best. I’d have just lost them anyway.” Whether she meant due to her father's dishonourable discharge or the journey to Andromeda, Liam wasn’t certain. At the end of the day, the two were related anyway.

“Liam,” Sara started hesitantly, so different to her usual tone that the hairs on the back of Liam’s neck immediately stood on end. “Can I ask you something?” “Of course. Anything.” Her fingers resumed their rhythm against his chest. “How do you sleep at night knowing that everyone you know from … before is gone?” “Not as well as I’d like.” Then again, she’d already known that. Truth be told, Liam still wasn't sure he could give an answer the proper gravity it deserved. “All right. I walked right into that one. I’m not… questioning your judgement or anything. I know why you came here. I know what you’ve set out to do. And I admire it. But I couldn’t have done it. I wasn't even as close to my family as you were, but I couldn't have left them behind. Sometimes,” she continued, a small, sad smile forming on her face, “I’m worried that I'm becoming more like my dad than I ever wanted.” “Hey, don’t say that.” The past month or two since Sara had discovered the truth about her mother’s death had weighed heavily on her, and she'd always clouded over whenever her father was mentioned, even in passing.

Then again, he remembered Scott saying something along those lines, back when Sara had disappeared for her Havarl expedition: always took after Dad, for the better or the worse. Liam still wasn’t, and never would be, in a position to make his own evaluation. He just had never known it’d been a fear of Sara’s. He drew her close into his chest again and held her against her chest. She breathed in deeply, shakily. “Another question. What's the most useful thing your parents ever taught you?” Liam’s mind flashed back to those days of being bullied in school, acting out, getting angry. When he got home, Mum would be angry, too, at least until she remembered to calm down. If anyone ever asked Liam which of his parents he took after more, it was definitely Mum. It was Dad who had sat him down and worked through things with him in a way he could understand. Helped him learn how he could figure out what made people tick. Made it easier to reach out, make friends, without pissing people off. And most importantly… “To never, ever give up,” he answered. “Funny,” Sara answered, corner of her mouth curling upwards. “Mine taught me the same thing.” They laughed in unison, Sara sitting upwards and slipping her hand out from his shirt. “I’d like to hear more about them, if you want to talk about them.” “I’d like that,” Liam admitted. “I can trade you stupid stories about Dad,” she answered with a smirk. “Not your mum?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Sara’s smile softened, but this time, she held his gaze. “I hope she’ll be able to tell you those for yourself.”

There was determination in her eyes, a resolution to a question that Liam did not know. But he didn’t have to. Her happiness was enough. Her smile was enough. He was happy, so happy, he was going to burst. Instead, he said, “Let’s get this packed up before it gets too dark. And, Sara?” “Yeah?” she answered, already moving. “I love you.”

#rydam #liam kosta #ryder #mass effect #mass effect andromeda #nat fic: repopulating heleus #asha fic

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