This is the opening scene (probably lol) from my Big Bang. Idk I felt bad for posting the snippet from 50/30 and ignoring this one. Part of this has been posted before but not all of it
The Stars Look Very Different Today
The blaring of his phone at top volume yanks Harry out of a deep sleep. After the shock of his instant wake up, Harry finds his phone and silences it. He stares up at the ceiling, wishing he could go back to sleep. Of course, he wound up at some ancient, grimy motel. From what he remembers of the bar last night, the guy who rented the room was only in town for a day or two. Would be better if he could remember more of the fucking than just wet heat and friction, but at least he’s not hungover.
The repeated texts from Liam finally get him moving. Harry shoves his feet into his boots and walks outside to greet the early dawn. It’s hazy and stifling hot and the dust seems to infiltrate his every pore. He’s still buttoning his flannel over his bare chest when he straddles his bike, with no time to search for his t-shirt, according to Liam’s series of urgent and more and more urgent texts. And he wonders again why he does this—going outside the Protectorate, just for a lay.
Though he did catch a glimpse of the Summer Triangle the previous night, despite the heavy, constant clouds, thanks to the new helmet he designed. Vega shone bright, and he got a crick in his neck staring up at the sky until he spotted Deneb and Altair.
He slams his helmet down, kicks his bike into gear and takes off down the road. When he hits the highway, he turns left and returns Liam’s call, listening to the buzzing ring through the headset in his helmet.
“How far out are you?” Liam asks, all business, even at six o’clock in the morning.
“Twenty.” Harry checks the speedometer and fuel gauge. “Fifteen if it’s really an emergency.”
“Depends what you think of as an emergency?”
“Please tell me it’s a ship full of puppies and kittens.”
Liam snorts into his headset and Harry rolls his eyes. “It’s never puppies and kittens, H.”
“What is it then?” Even though he has an inkling, he wants to be sure.
“How far out are you?” Liam asks again, confirming Harry’s suspicions.
“Ten.” Harry swerves, leaning hard to the left, and shoots around the abandoned eighteen-wheeler taking up half the highway, speeding towards the towering walls of the Protectorate.
He parks his bike in the garage at the storage facility by the gate, steps into the decontamination chamber, strips out of his clothes, sends them through the laundry shoot, and is squeaky clean and dressed again in the royal blue tunic, black trousers, and black boots of his uniform.
Once he ties his hair up in a bun, he checks his phone, and hurries to the nearest tube, only not falling because he grabs the bar before his feet hit the floor. He hangs on until he reaches the bottom, swinging out onto the pathway by the hanger.
Liam meets him at the door. “Eleven minutes.”
“Close enough,” Harry says and follows him inside. “What’s it look like?” The holographic screen behind Liam turns on and Harry rolls his eyes. “The drama. Where’s the ship?”
“Don’t know.” Liam shrugs and points at the screen. “One of your specialties, H.”
Harry groans and pushes his chair over next to Liam’s. “I’m… Fuck. Okay, we’re probably looking at a decade, give or take a few years.”
“My first long trip,” Liam says, hardly containing his grin. It’s understandable that he’s excited, but Harry wonders what he’ll think when they return to Earth and everything’s changed.
“What’d Admiral King say?” Harry asks. Liam presses his lips into a thin line, so Harry continues, “Let me guess: ‘If he wants to go get ’em, go get ’em. But I ain’t payin’ for it.’”
“They’re taking advantage of you.”
“You really think they’d let the ship just rot away in space?”
Harry nods once. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
The tension in the air is palpable. The last time Harry had to travel out of the galaxy was long before Liam came to work with him. And while it’s part of the job, he’s never been okay with it. For him, it’s a choice. For the men and women who’ve been assigned to work with him, it’s not. Not really. Because they don’t know what they’re getting into. His only consolation is that he’s usually able to convince them to resign after one long trip. Which means he’ll be saying goodbye to Liam when they return to earth, however many years off that may be.
