talos1engineerâ:
red-right-eyeâ:
Above all⌠it has to be Morganâs choice. Thatâs the way it is, with something so strongly affecting someone. As much as Mikhaila thinks they should get it out of the way, Morgan has to be willing. If it were a conversation about her father, Mikhaila would have to be willing. It is the way of things, and she knows this, and she squeezes Morganâs hand a little too tightly, then looks back up at the stars.
âOkay,â she says, quiet. âBut⌠soon. Weâve put it off long enough, I think. Itâs⌠important that we⌠address it.â It, as if it isnât Morganâs entire state of being. Words are inadequate- she feels ashamed, still, moreso perhaps, but she tucks it away, saves it.
Later, alone in bed, the dark pressing down on her, sheâll pull it out, turn it over, like flipping an hourglass and watching the grains of sand stream through. Sheâll let her head fill with self-recriminations, curl around her anger and anxiety and grief until it drags her under, until she could choke on it.
For now, she lifts Morganâs hand and ghosts her lips over their knuckles, and she says, âFor now, though⌠you should kiss me,â and she looks over at them, expression steady, even. Morgan could never resist the challenge of trying to take her apart, make her shake to pieces against or over or under them- she hopes thatâs one thing that hasnât changed.
âSoon,â Morgan agrees. âYes, youâre right. Itâs - strange, Mika. Iâm still trying to come to terms with it all. But we have the luxury of time, here. We might as well take advantage.â
They feel Mikhaliaâs hand squeeze tight around their own, and smile faintly in the darkness. Later. There was something pleasant, in being able to put things off. Another unfamiliar concept. On Talos - even before Talos - there was only ever now. Jumping from one thing to the next, what had to be done now, now, creating contingencies, always trying to anticipate what would happen before it did. Even pondering regrets or existential angst had to be done on your feet, in the midst of dealing with the consequences.
It was an exciting way to live, but conducive to scientific discovery, not to relationships. In this unfamiliar place, there was another unfamiliarity: Time, and space, and calm. Instinctively, Morgan was compelled to shatter that calm, to uncover what was actionable, reveal the crisis and lay bare the mechanics beneath it all. But another part of them is discovering how to live in it, to rest when waters were still. However temporarily or artificially that might be.
Because, Morgan thinks, of Mikhalia. If she wasnât here, they would have nothing to slow down for.
âOh? Should I?â Morganâs smile curls into a teasing grin. Although theyâve never quite admitted it, they like it when Mika makes demands of them, goads them into action. Itâs something they so rarely tolerate from anyone else. They slide their hand free of Mikaâs grasp to place it against her cheek, drawing her closer.
âRight here?â they murmur, affecting a scandalized whisper. âRight now?â
They donât wait for an answer but press their lips to Mikaâs, in a passionate but chaste kiss. Let her deepen it, let her open their mouth with hers. There will be time enough.











