As usual, SPOILERS for Star Trek Prodigy Season 2 under the cut.
Okay, hear me out. I might be super delulu here, but I think J/C were either at the very beginning of a relationship or about to start one before the events of Prodigy. What I assume is Beyer's mirror (or at least inspired by it) is a big clue for that, along with him literally giving her his family heirloom before his departure in a very intimate way - grasping her hand with both of his. Adding to that is the original storyboard scene where their hug was supposed to be a lot more personal and romantically coded (which supports this theory), but was changed due to (what I assume) the setting they were in; it wouldn't have been appropriate.
Now that they're back, the reason we didn't get a grand confession or anything like that is because it wasn't needed - they had already done that before the events of Prodigy and simply continued where they left off.
My first big clue for this is the hand-holding scene in the mess hall. To me, it looked like she was trying something new and wanted to see how he felt about it, and he encouraged her (if you notice, he does a little nod). She looks slightly embarrassed, frisky, but confident at the same time. This is probably how they are when no one's watching and they're not on duty (even tho they were watched by Dal and Gwyn and I thank them for their POV)
Going back to Beyerverse, they also ended up together the night before his departure for a mission he was supposed to be on for a year, which fits this as well. I'm not saying the same events occurred, just that the parallel is there, and the mirror is also there, so it makes sense to assume.
This scene is going to be debated forever about what it was. Initially, it looks like she's straightening his uniform, and if we go that route, why did she need to straighten it in the first place? He was already in uniform in the scene above which comes prior to it. I imagine you can see where I'm going with this. If they shared either a kiss or a hug, there would be a "need" for her to fix his uniform. What seems a bit strange™ is how long her right hand lingers on his shoulder before it makes that 'straightening' movement. It lingers a bit too long. You could argue the hand animation was waiting for the camera to get into position, but technicalities should never come before storytelling and hints and Prodigy's writers have proven they write things with intent.
And then you have this brief moment where we clearly see she's leaning back, removing herself from his personal space, which absolutely didn't need to be there. In the shot above, the camera stays on his face for a while before cutting to this shot below, meaning it was intentionally shown that she was in his personal space even if it was for a split second.
The conversation afterward was quite formal, but they needed to fall back into formality because they were about to have a debrief with Jellico. Another hint in this scene is their conversation about how he isn't her number one anymore and how they aren't on the 'old Voyager'. She then comments how nothing stays the same forever and briefly glances in his direction. This can be read as having a double meaning: their Voyager relationship won't stay the same forever either and will evolve, just like Voyager. Janeway then says she's looking forward to what comes next.
They apologise for being late for the debrief with Jellico... 👀
The Indiana scene where she said she wasn't expecting to see him can be read as because he was supposed to be on a mission somewhere with Voy-A, but got called back due to the Mars attack and arrived earlier than she expected. She didn't know about the Mars attack, so it fits. If they were just friends, it would make sense for him to call her and tell her what happened because I'm sure she'd pick up a call from him if not Starfleet. But he came there physically to tell her what has happened, and that must be for a reason. They are okay with him popping in unannounced. He could have called her and the outcome would've been the same, but he came in person.
I will die on the hill that when she turned towards him, right after the cut happened, he said, 'I ... need you.' It's a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, but his lips part just before the cut as if to say something that we just didn't get to hear.
If Prodigy taught us anything, it's that there are things happening after the cut, as shown in the Protostar christening scene, which ended up having an even deeper personal connotation than what was shown in S1 when Janeway was replaying the scene in the holodeck.
There are more things to be explored, and I eventually will, so I hope this brought some positivity to any disappointed J/C fan.
A/N: Hello, hello! See, I kept my promise and didn’t let you guys wait months for this part! Most of this was written when I had a few drinks, so if you’d like to complain to anyone you’ll have to wait until tipsy me shows up. Sober me is not responsible for whatever this is. As always, I hope you’ll enjoy the turmoil and horrors I’m putting these two through. Have fun!! <3
TRIGGER WARNING: there are some unpleasant things in this chapter. I’m being evasive because I don’t want to spoil the whole thing. Read at your own risk!
Life without Larissa had been excruciatingly painful, you’d found out. Not just for the money part. Every time you’d close your eyes you’d see her blue eyes filled with sadness. You betrayed her.
She would move on, you’d tell yourself. She was a wonderful woman, in every way possible. Surely she would move on. And you would have to move on too.
The first couple of weeks were easy. You used Larissa’s cheque to pay your tuition, which had lifted a huge weight off your shoulders. But then… Then you had found yourself in need of more. Wether it was more money or more Larissa, you didn’t want to think about it. And so you were back on that goddamn app, Secret Benefits.
Women’s profiles were scarce. You’d opened your conversation with Larissa only to find out that she hadn’t been active in weeks, not since the two of you had started seeing each other, which only made you feel even more guilty.
You swallowed thickly and scrolled through the endless men’s profiles on the apps. Married men looking for some fun away from their duties at home, rich men just looking for some fun without any fuss. Nothing you really wanted to be a part of, to be honest.
And then you’d stumbled on Alan’s profile. Alan was in his fifties, he had a doctorate in Egyptology and was looking for “someone to spend some time with” as he had put it. And so you’d send him a message.
You’d talked for a few days, which allowed you to find out more about Alan’s work. He’d often travel to Egypt for some excavations or whenever he was needed over there. It seemed like a fun job, being around mummies and thousands of years old artefacts. He seemed genuinely nice, really. He was polite and respectful which you appreciated.
“I think I would like to meet you.” He’d said after a few days of chatting with you.
“That sounds like a good idea. Do you have anything in mind ?”
“How about Friday night? 7 pm at the Velvet Vesper?” He offered.
“Never been there before, but it sounds lovely. I’ll be there.”
And that’s how you had found yourself trying on outfit after outfit on a Friday night. What would Alan like? A dress seemed like a good idea. You’d searched the bar’s name online and it was obvious that it was a place where only wealthy people would hang out. A dress then. Not something too fancy, but still.
You eventually settled for the Simone Rocha dress that Larissa had bought you for your first date. How you missed her. You missed the way she’d pick your outfits and your food. You very much doubted Alan would do that.
One last look in the mirror and a deep breath later you were sitting in an Uber on your way to the bar. You had booked the Uber yourself, not Alan. Larissa would have done it, you thought. Larissa would have taken care of everything.
You were lost in your thoughts when the driver cleared his throat and you realised you’d arrived at your destination.
The Velvet Vesper was located in an old beautiful Haussmann building, something that looked like it belonged to Paris more than Jericho. Alan was nowhere to be seen and the two of you hadn’t talked about meeting outside or inside, so you eventually walked in after waiting for a few minutes.
It was a fairly nice place, with dim lighting and velvet sofas all around the room. It also had an impressive wall of whiskey bottles, you noted as you walked past the bar, and it was eerily calm. Most people seemed to be speaking to each other softly, creating a low hum that echoed on the high ceiling alongside the faint jazz music that was playing. It was very different from the bar you worked at, you’d usually come home from your shift with a migraine that would last for hours.
You suddenly heard your name being called, making you spin around only to be met by a man waving at you.
“Alan!” You smiled and joined the older man at his table, sitting down on the velvet armchair in front of his.
“You look lovely.” He said looking down at your dress.
“Thank you, it’s really nice to meet you. I’ve never been here before, it’s very cozy.”
“Isn’t it ?” Alan smirked as he looked around the place. “What will you be drinking ?”
Larissa would have picked for you.
“A margarita would be nice.”
“Ha, you’re a fancy girl aren’t you ?” The man chuckled and gestured for a waitress to come over, ordering a margarita and a glass of brandy for himself.
There was a long moment of silence then, which you tried to fill by saying something, anything, but inevitably failed to do so.
“So, you’re a student ?”
“Yes, I study economics. And you’re an Egyptologist, right? I had this phase when I was younger, I was obsessed with ancient Egypt and the mythology.”
“Really?!” A smile stretched across the man’s face and he took a sip of alcohol before starting to tell you more about his last trip to Egypt.
It felt nice, having someone sharing things about their personal life with you. Larissa was very discreet about hers, almost as if she had wanted to keep you out of it. You shouldn’t be thinking about Larissa.
“Another margarita ?” Alan offered, snapping you out of your thoughts.
You looked down at the empty glass in your hand and nodded. You had stopped listening to him about ten minutes ago, somewhere between a trip on the Nile and a mummy identification. It’s not that it was boring, but your mind simply wouldn’t stop wandering back to Larissa.
You excused yourself and got on your feet, asking your waitress for the way to the bathroom and locking the door behind yourself once you were in.
It’s not that it wasn’t going well, but Alan just wasn’t a good match for you. You weren’t sure if “being a good match” meant anything when all you were supposed to do was spend time with him and get paid for it, but still. You didn’t feel that spark. Not like you’d felt it with Lari-
“Enough!” You quietly scolded yourself looking at your reflection in the mirror.
You needed to move on. No more Larissa.
“No more Larissa.” You mumbled as you walked out of the toilet.
You sat back down in front of the older man and pushed a smile. Another margarita had been placed on your side of the table and a glass of brandy on his.
Alan started talking again, something about him thinking he might be on the right path to find out the location of Cleopatra’s tomb. You almost laughed hearing this. As if.
You took a large sip of alcohol, crossing and uncrossing your legs as you tried your best to look interested in whatever your companion was jibbering about - which proved to be increasingly difficult the more you sipped on your drink.
“I think I need some fresh air,” you eventually interrupted him as you placed your glass down. Your head was spinning and it felt like the walls were closing in on you.
“Are you alright, darling ?” You heard Alan say. He was on his feet in a second, wrapping his arm around your midsection. “Let me help, we’ll go outside for a minute.”
The cold wind hitting your face didn’t help as much as you’d hoped it would. If anything it only made you feel more dizzy. Alan’s arm left your back and a moment later a blazer was placed on your shoulders.
“Are you feeling alright ?” The man’s voice echoed through your head as you tried to take a step away from him.
“N-no,” You shook your head. No was an understatement. How much alcohol had they put into that damn margarita?!
“Come, I’ll take care of you.” Alan said, wrapping his arm around your back once more.
You weren’t sure what that meant, whether he’d take you home or anywhere where you could rest. You had hope, really, that he was a nice man. That was until your back was pressed against what you assumed to be a brick wall and a body - which you assumed to be Alan’s - was pressed against yours.
Fuck off, you tried to say but all that came out of your mouth was a loud growl.
“Come on, don’t make this harder than it has to be!” The asshole groaned and pressed his lips against your jaw.
A sudden nausea surged in your stomach and you thought it’d be nice to be sick right there and then. Surely that would deter him. You could barely keep your eyes open, fainting was probably more likely than throwing up.
Don’t faint. Don’t faint. Don’t faint. The small voice in your head kept repeating. Do not fucking faint!
You could feel hands groping up and down your body, pushing up your dress as a tongue was shoved inside your mouth.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
A voice. Not Alan’s. A stranger’s voice. A man from what you could tell.
A strong hand had gripped Alan’s shoulder, pulling him away from you.
“What the-?!” Alan half turned to look at the man behind him. He was tall, at least half a foot taller than Alan.
“I said, leave the lady alone or I’ll smash every tooth in your head.” The voice said calmly, too calmly.
Alan completely let go of you then, muttering something about how sluts shouldn’t be surprised to be treated like this before disappearing out of the alley.
“Are you alright ?” The man asked, taking off his woollen coat and placing it on your shoulders.
Your lack of answer and half-closed eyes told him everything he needed to know.
“Listen,” he said. “I very much doubt that you’ll trust me after what just happened to you, but I won’t hurt you. I’ll carry you to my car, alright ? I can see you’re struggling, you can just close your eyes.”
After that, all you remember is an arm being placed behind your knees and another one behind your back as you were lifted off the ground by a man whose scent was strangely familiar.
And then everything went black. For god knows how long.
“Careful,” You heard someone say as you blinked your eyes open and tried to sit up. “I think you should stay lying down.”
You were back in your flat. You could tell by the pictures of your friends hanging on the walls above your head.
“You’ve been out for a couple of hours, I didn’t want to leave you alone.” The voice came again from the kitchen. The man opened a cupboard and pulled a mug out as if he’d been there before. “Tea might help.” He said, pouring boiling water on the tea bag inside the mug.
“Who are you ?” You managed to push out of your dry throat.
“It doesn’t matter.” The man said as he placed the cup of tea down on the table and carefully helped you sit up.
You were able to take a proper look at him then. He was in his forties or looked like it. White hair, blue eyes. He was a stranger and yet seemed oddly familiar.
“What were you doing out there ? Did you know that man ?”
“No,” you muttered and took a few sips of tea, relishing in the warmth it brought to your body. “It was my first time meeting him. We’d been chatting online.”
“Wasn’t he a bit old for you ?” The man asked, taking a seat on the sofa across from you.
“I wasn’t exactly looking for a relationship.” You said, hoping you wouldn’t have to further explain yourself.
“Ha, I see.” He gave a nod and rubbed his hands together.
“Thank you for helping me.”
“Of course, anyone would have done it.” The man shrugged.
There was a moment of silence which he eventually broke by clearing his throat.
“Well, I’m not telling you what to do but maybe you should stay away from this kind of meetings for a while.”
“Yeah,” you looked down at your feet and sipped on the tea again. “I don’t think I’d ever be able to find a match, anyway.”
“Why’s that ?” He suddenly looked interested, leaning forward a little.
“There is someone. Was, there was someone. We were… Seeing each other. Not romantically, I mean-“ You took a deep breath. “It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, that’s what I meant.”
“I see. I suppose something happened since you were looking for something new.”
“I fucking messed up, that’s what happened.” You chuckled sadly and placed the mug down before pulling your knees against your chest. “I went into this telling myself I wasn’t looking for a relationship. We had agreed on no intercourse. I would spend time with her and she’d help me financially, that was the agreement.”
“How did it end ?” He asked.
“I used her. I knew she was attracted to me and I used that to get money out of her. The thing is, I think she was more than just attracted to me, you know ?” You said, looking up and meeting the man’s blue eyes. “And I didn’t realise that until it was too late. If I had known, I wouldn’t have done what I did. I’m not cruel.”
“Well, I’m not sure exactly what you did to her but have you tried getting in touch with her ?”
“No, I could never.” You admitted. “She said I’d never see her again. And I just feel too much guilt and shame. I could never.”
“That’s a shame.” The man pushed a small smile and got on his feet to pick up the empty cup from the table. “You should try and get some sleep, you need to evacuate whatever it is that he slipped in your drink.”
You gave a nod and lay back down, pulling on the blanket that was bunched up at your feet. You heard the kitchen tap running and the sound of dishes being washed. And then nothing.
When you woke up the next morning, you could barely remember what had happened the previous night. You blinked a few times, taking in the rays of sunshine that were coming in through your open curtains.
Something was off.
You’d gone to the bar to meet Alan, had a few drinks and then… Flashes of what had happened came rushing back to you, making you shiver. You were fine. You were fine. And it was only thanks to that mysterious man.
Something was off.
You slowly sat up and groaned as your head immediately started throbbing. You would have to call the bar and let them know you wouldn’t be able to work that night.
Getting out of the couch took you great effort but your mouth was awfully dry and your bladder awfully full and you needed to take care of at least one of these things.
Slowly you walked to the kitchen, the thought of a cold glass of water nearly making you drool.
And then you finally registered it, what your brain had been trying to tell you for the past few minutes. Someone was sitting at your table, hands wrapped around a fuming cup of tea.
“Larissa ?” It left your lips barely audibly when your eyes met hers.
The woman pressed her lips together in a thin line before giving a nod.
A/N: Hello, hello! Finally posting the fic I shared an excerpt of a while ago. This is an AU where Larissa is a college history professor and reader an ex student of hers. Everyone is of age, Larissa didn’t know reader as a minor, etc etc. LOOSELY inspired by real life events. 🫡
Have fun! <3
“I don’t want to bother you, Miss Weems.”
“Nonsense!” Larissa had smiled, dismissing your worry with a wave of her hand. “I’m offering. It’s pouring, I’m not letting you go home on your own. You’ll be soaked to the bone!”
And that’s how it all started. On a rainy Tuesday night nearly a month ago. Larissa had dropped you off at home any time she could ever since, whether it was pouring outside or not.
You didn’t really think much of it at first. Larissa had been your history professor the previous year. She’d always seemed detached. Not that she wasn’t a great professor - she was an excellent one - but she always kept her distance from her students. She was one hell of a woman. One that no one would want to mess with.
Again, you hadn’t really thought much of it at first. Not until something else had somehow developed between the two of you. Or at least it had on your side. Friendship, perhaps. That’s what you tried to convince yourself of. Friendship. But friends didn’t look at each other the way you had started to.
You never thought of Larissa as a funny woman. If anything she would have been considered a stern one by most people. And yet she always went out of her way to make you laugh whenever it was just the two of you in her car.
And then there had been a friendly hug one day. Some stupid crap, as you’d put it, had happened and you had stayed quiet through the whole ride back home which had alerted Larissa.
“You don’t have to tell me anything, I know how much silence can be comforting sometimes. But still, if you wish to share…” Her voice had been sweet like honey, like she really cared. And you had just spilt everything out. The anxiety, the anger, the sadness about everything and anything. You had spilt your guts out on the pristine interior of her Chevrolet. And she had listened. She had stayed quiet, nodding when necessary. And when you’d been done spitting it all out, Larissa had pulled you into her arms. And how right it felt, to be gently squeezed into her warm embrace.
Everything had changed from that moment, like you had somehow opened Pandora’s box. The couple of weeks that followed only deepened what had sparked inside you that night.
Larissa stopped the car, a heavy silence instantly falling between the two of you. The tension, you thought, could have been cut with a knife. You could almost feel it under your fingertips.
The woman’s hand moved to rest on your leg, right above your knee. She gave it a gentle squeeze, her thumb rubbing at your skin. A soothing gesture. You wondered if perhaps you should return it.
Still, that heavy silence.
“Can I kiss you ?”
A beat.
Larissa’s silence was enough of an answer to you but still, you watched as her tongue darted out to wet her crimson lips before she spoke.
“No,” She said. And before you could ask why, like she knew you would, Larissa went on. “And I’m not saying that I don’t want to. But if I kiss you, there is no turning back. If I kiss you, I won’t be able to stop. And I can’t.”
“Why not?”
Larissa almost let a chuckle out. Almost. She knew you like the back of her hand.
“Because this-“ She said, gesturing her hand between the two of you. “This is already way past what we should do.”
“What we’re allowed to do, you mean.”
“Yes.” She nodded. “What we’re allowed to do.”
“And yet we’re still doing it.”
You were right and Larissa knew it. But still, as long as she didn’t kiss you it hadn’t gone too far.
Desire was a funny thing - Larissa had found that out quite a long time ago. But she couldn’t let herself be tempted by you. She was twice your age, you had been under her authority, you were still a student even if not hers anymore, you-
“I think I should go.”
The silence had stretched for too long and you needed to swallow the rejection you’d just faced. Well, it wasn’t really rejection, right? Larissa wanted it, but you simply couldn’t. She wanted it, right? Or maybe she didn’t and this was her way of gently pushing you away.
“I will see you tomorrow. Have a good night.” Larissa’s hand left your knee and you immediately missed its warmth against your flesh.
“Night.” You said before getting out of the car and getting inside of your flat as quickly as you possibly could.
You avoided Larissa like the plague the next day and even thought about leaving early so you could walk home but she had opened her car door as soon as you’d stepped into the parking lot. The ride had been excruciatingly awkward with Larissa trying to fill the silence with anything that came to her mind.
Eventually, she parked outside your flat, watching you pick at an invisible lint on your jeans.
“I’m sorry for making things awkward between us.” You said barely audibly, keeping your eyes down.
“Look at me,” Larissa started. When you kept your head down, her fingers grabbed your chin and forced you to look at her. “You didn’t make anything awkward.”
You almost didn’t hear what she was saying, the pressure of her fingertips on your skin making your brain freeze.
Your mouth fell open and Larissa watched as the tip of your tongue darted out to wet your lips. She swallowed thickly, unsuccessfully trying to ignore the images that had been conjured into her mind.
“Gods…” She whispered before slowly turning your head to the side.
Kissing was out of line, but maybe… She wasn’t thinking straight. Larissa wasn’t thinking straight, she obviously wasn’t or she wouldn’t have latched onto your neck the instant that followed.
You couldn’t help the moan that escaped you, something between surprise and pleasure. The surprise only lasted for a second before you grabbed the back of Larissa’s head and pulled her impossibly closer.
“Let me kiss you-“ you pleaded, voice hoarse as the woman’s mouth continued its assault on your neck.
“I can’t-“ Larissa whispered between two kisses, making you snap out of your trance. You felt like you’d go berserk any second.
“You can’t blur the line and expect me not to cross it.” You blurted out as you pulled away from her. “You can’t drive me home and flirt with me and put your hands on me only to act surprised when I want to kiss you.”
Larissa’s hand that had been on your neck stayed still in the air when you pulled away. Guilt filled the woman’s body, making her stomach suddenly feel heavy.
“I won’t ask again,” you eventually said when the silence had stretched out for too long. “I might be foolish, but not foolish enough to keep begging.”
Larissa didn’t know what to say, she only blankly stared at you, lips half open as if she was searching for something - anything - to answer.
You shook your head a little and your hand grabbed onto the door handle, you’d had enough. You had already opened the car door when the woman’s hand wrapped around your bicep to hold you back.
“Larissa,” you sighed as you turned to face her. Before you could add anything else, the woman pulled you closer and crashed her lips against yours.
Larissa’s kisses were just like she was. Demanding and yet loving. It felt like the world had stopped spinning and you’d been propelled against the windshield at an incredible speed.
God, she was kissing you.
And so you kissed her back, with all you had. And whenever one of you would pull back to catch their breath, the other one was quick to steal another kiss from their lips. You kissed and kissed and kissed again. You kissed until the windows were all fogged up. Until your lungs began to burn and your head spun from the lack of oxygen. And even then you didn’t stop kissing.
“Do you want to come inside? For a drink?” You asked when she eventually pulled away.
“Don’t push your luck.” She chuckled softly, her lips plumped from your gentle biting.
“I offered a drink, not a quickie.” You rolled your eyes and watched as Larissa’s mouth shut closed. No doubt her cheeks had turned pink but you couldn’t tell in the darkness of the car.
“Next time. Whenever you and I don’t have classes the next day.” She smiled.
You gave a small nod and froze for a second. Were you allowed to kiss her again? Before you could give it a second thought you cupped Larissa’s cheek and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
“I will see you tomorrow.” She whispered as you pulled away.
You nodded again and took a last look at her before getting out of the car.
You weren’t sure what all of this implied, you thought as you turned the key inside your door lock. What it meant for the future. What it even meant for tomorrow. All you were sure of was that Larissa Weems had kissed you and you had kissed her.
amandla
titsay
theartofmadeline
vaporwave
gummygunk
turnnoffyourmind
romaincrisis
