Post 30 - Come Away With Me

Posted on Sun Apr 4th, 2021 @ 7:32am by Captain Björn Kodak & Andrew Munro

Mission: The Waiting Game
Location: Hrymonii Sands, Risa
Timeline: Mission Day 73, 1923 Hours

[Hrymonii Sands]
[The Planet Risa]
[Mission Day 73, 1923 Hours]

As the last of Risa's suns set off the coast, the glowing orange orb only just touched the sparkling horizon of the ocean. Its light splayed across the rolling waters, carried ashore by the gentle waves that lapped at the sands of Hrymonii. The world was wreathed there in the dying embers of day. Feathered wisps of cloud caught and bounced the various shades of tangerine and lavender that feuded across the sky. And, in the distance, the darkened silhouette of mountainous Delfino stood out in stark contrast with the fiery sky behind it. The small shapes of submerged surfers -- holding onto their boards and enjoying the view out on the sea itself -- dotted the midfield, their bodies rising and falling as the tides writhed.

On the beach itself, the backsides and heels of two burly men dug themselves into the moist sand at the water's edge. They'd spent the day on Hrymonii Sands, enjoying the freedom of being naked on the beach. No suits, no modesty, no worrying about other people and what they might think. Just enjoying each other's company amidst the lazy in-and-outflux of people coming and going from Hrymonii. They'd swum some, though the waves on this particular beach were more surging than some of the calmer tides Björn and Andrew had visited in the month they'd spent together. Mostly, the men had just relaxed, laying back and soaking up the warmth of the Risiian suns.

After a full day enjoying the naked beach, the pair now sat quietly, side-by-side, watching that last sun dip ever further beneath the horizon. With the coming of each new wave ashore, the tide seemed to inch its way further inland. Soon enough, the two men would either need to move or be drawn out to sea themselves. But that was for later. Right then, Björn sat with his his knees up, hunched forward to rest his arms across the frame of his furry legs. The Chameloid's toes wriggled themselves deeply down into the wet grains, anchoring the man in position -- for the time being, at least. Turning to the handsome man beside him -- face aflame in the wash of sunfire -- Björn offered a wistful smile.

"Do you ever get tired of all this, Andrew?" Björn asked softly, a heaviness settling across his face. "Does it maybe become just another thing you get used to here, as common and unremarkable as a coffee cup or a PADD?" he wondered aloud, eyes returning to the sinking sun.

Andrew pondered the question as he gazed at the way the fading light from the suns picked out the handsome features of Björn's face. Sharing a sunset on the beach always invoked memories of their first date together and had given Andrew a new appreciation of them. "Not tired of them as such," Andrew replied. "More like taking them for granted. I have to admit, seeing all this through your eyes over the past month has taught me to stop and appreciate them more."

Andrew turned his gaze to the horizon. It was remarkably beautiful, but he wondered if he'd appreciate it as much if it weren't for the company. A slight feeling of anxiety had manifested and he was having trouble putting it out of his mind. Perhaps it was the question, or maybe the way it was asked, but something was troubling Björn. He shifted position so that he was now laying on his side, facing his ruminating companion.

"What's troubling you?" Andrew hadn't meant to sound concerned, but his growing anxiety altered the tone before he realized.

"Sometimes I swear you're part Betazoid," Björn lightly chuckled, eyeing his companion as the fading sunlight played across Andrew's beautiful, pudgy body. The man had an uncanny sense for how the Chameloid was feeling at times; like Andrew could somehow sense the emotions playing out behind the closed doors of Björn's mind. Some might find that kind of insight uncanny or even annoying but, for Björn, Andrew's nature gave him permission to just be, in whatever form or emotion that manifested.

Eyes returning to the horizon, Björn repositioned himself as well, tucking his legs beneath him. And with the gentle guiding of the Chameloid's right hand, Andrew's head was soon in Björn's lap, the rest of the man's body laid out on his back. It was a position they'd assumed a few times in the near 40 days they'd known each other: Andrew looking up at him contemplatively as Björn stared into the distance, a hand affectionately playing with the soft strands of hair on the man's chest. The position was their "Serious Talk" pose, it seemed.

"I received a communique today," Björn finally spoke up, the sun now a quarter beneath the horizon. "Starfleet is sending us a new ship. The USS-Sojourner. It's a small ship but she's fast and very powerful. Certainly more Delta Quadrant-ready than the Adelphi ever was." There'd been a time when it'd been difficult to talk about his previous ship. Andrew had been patient, though, and when Björn had been ready, he'd opened up about his guilt -- his fear that he'd been a failure. But if Starfleet was sending another vessel, perhaps that failure wasn't as deep as Björn had feared.

"She'll be here in a couple of weeks," the Chameloid continued, the flaring of cascading skyfire awash in his eyes. "Which means a couple of weeks is all we have left," Björn let out a sigh. The expelled breath sounded heavy and sad as the man's hand ceased its trailing across Andrew's furry chest. Stilled, the appendage simply rested there, Björn's thoughts too convoluted for even subconscious affection, it seemed. "I'm very sorry about that," he rasped in time with the waves, the sunlight catching on the increased moisture coating his eyes.

The growing anxiety was now a knot in Andrew's stomach. Deep down, he knew that this day would come but it had taken so long that he'd become comfortable denying that fact. He noticed the glistening moisture in Björn's eyes and suddenly felt incredibly guilty too. He wouldn't trade the last five weeks for anything, but they had consequences, and those were now hurting the man he cared about. Words escaped him for a moment.

"It's about time they got you a new ship," Andrew joked whilst forcing a smile. He intended it to sound supportive and to lighten the mood a little, but knew he was just refusing to acknowledge how either of them felt about it. His head was still in Björn's lap, and the closeness was helping, but he could feel tears coalescing in his own eyes at the thought of losing his companion.

After five weeks, Björn had established a pretty good read on Andrew. Both as a romantic partner and just in terms of how the man tended to operate. Björn could sense that Andrew was simply trying to lighten the mood, which was working to some degree. The Chameloid did chuckle at the remark; he found meaning, as well, in the statement as a supportive one.

Weeks prior, Björn remembered how awful he'd felt about the Adelphi coming home with its tail tucked between its legs. It'd been difficult to admit such to Andrew but his joke was a welcome reminder that Björn's thinking was (and in some ways continued to be) wrong-headed. Looking down at the man, he offered a wan smile, finding comfort in the fact that Andrew, too, was emotional in this moment.

"We'll just hope I don't get this one bashed to high heavens, hmm?" Björn smirked, now attempting to add some levity of his own. "Seems like the Admirals maybe shared your thinking, though. The Sojo," as he'd mentally begun calling the vessel for short, "is a Rhode Island-class ship. Rolled off the assembly lines not too long ago, in fact. A modern vessel specifically outfitted for the kind of things we're going to run into out there," Björn ruminated, his eyes drifting back to the horizon. "So at least we'll be more ready for whatever's going to come our way..."

"It sounds like a vote of confidence to me," Andrew agreed. Swirling amongst the emotions in his head, there was definitely relief. "At least I'll know that if you're heading back there, it's with the best." He didn't specify what exactly he meant by 'best', leaving it open to cover both the ship and the people. Although the words were positive, he couldn't mask the sadness in his tone.

As the men talked, the sinking sun had become half-submerged under the horizon. Björn remembered wondering as a child why the sun didn't simply vaporize all the water at sunset every night. Chuckling at his past self, he shook his head and just sat in the silence of the heavy moment for a bit, unsure of what to do or say next. As he felt the strong, warm, and beautiful man cradled in lap, though, the beginnings of a thought tickled in the back of the Chameloid's brain.

"You know," Björn began trepidatiously, "they uh...do have a lot of interesting flora and fauna in the Delta Quadrant." He chuckled then, nervously and in a tone that said 'This is probably the silliest idea I've ever put out there.' "You could come see plants, animals, and weather patterns no human eyes have ever looked upon," Björn quietly conveyed. "And since the ship is so small, you could uh...bunk with me?" he chuckled again, looking back down at Andrew's face in his lap. He expected to see a face that definitively said You're fucking crazy staring up at him.

There was amusement etched across the Chameloid's own face, as if he were half-joking, but those damned eyes of his gave him away: it was clear that part of him, at least, hoped Andrew would consider the idea with some degree of seriousness.

"Is that ...possible?" Andrew looked up with genuine surprise. The anxiety and dread he'd been suppressing gave way to hope tinged with fear and uncertainty. Risa had been a safe place for him after he lost his previous assignment on Bajor when what he’d hoped would become a relationship, became a scandal instead. That kind of thing just didn’t happen on Risa. It occurred to him that he hadn’t moved forwards in the four years that he’d been there. The work, although necessary, was quite straightforward and he’d occupied his free time going between parties and events with tourists. In all that time, he hadn’t made any significant connections, but the one he now had with Björn also served to highlight what he had been missing.

"I mean..." Björn looked shocked to even be discussing the topic for real, "yes...?" Was Andrew really considering the idea as a possibility? They'd talked about his work on Risa plenty of times over the many weeks they'd spent together. While the biologist hadn't seemed disatisfied with his work, Björn did get the impression from time-to-time that it wasn't the most interesting of assignments. Could that be driving the man's sudden interest in schlepping off to the Delta Quadrant?

"It'd take some doing, I think," the Chameloid intoned, his thoughts drifting into the procedural parts of his brain. "One of the perks of being a Captain is that you carry some weight in the Federation. And not that I am by any means trying to rush things," Björn held up his hands in a staying gesture, "but I think I could convince the Powers That Be to let me bring my partner along. I mean," he paused, staring thoughtfully down at Andrew, "if you feel the same way I do about us?" For such a commanding man as Björn was, when it came to matters of the heart, there was some uncertainty there.

"Andrew," the Chameloid said, reaching down to affectionately cusp the man's bearded cheek, "these last several weeks have been some of the most incredible times of my whole life. When I'm with you, I feel...well, I feel everything," Björn stressed excitedly. "I'm not at all saying you should leave your life here. I mean, you're obviously welcome to come with me, else I wouldn't have mentioned it," he said softly. "But whether you stay here or go," Björn looked deeply into his lover's eyes, his own growing moist again, "you should know that I love you. And 75,000 light years won't keep me away from being with you, whether it's here -- when I can -- or out there. If you want that?" Björn wondered uncertainly.

"I love you too," Andrew whispered. Björn's eyes had an enigmatic quality that just seemed to pull him in and hold him there. They were so expressive that the words almost seemed superfluous.

I love you, too, Björn heard echoing in his mind, the effused emotion mixing in Andrew's eyes with the light of the fading sun. He softly stroked the man's beard in response, content to just sit there in the warmth of their mutually admitted feelings for each other. With a contented sigh, Björn released a great deal of tension he didn't realize he'd been feeling. "I'm glad you feel the same way about me, handsome," he said, a hitch in his voice.

Meanwhile, the sky had turned mostly lavender with just the slightest wisps of tangerine glowing where the sun had now almost completely disappeared beneath the horizon. Staring out across the water, Björn reflected on how he'd been so afraid that, by the time the sun had set, so, too, would their relationship have. But as that verdant, final flash of sunset flared -- that blink-and-you-miss-it optical phenomenon where the dispersion of sunlight cut through mirage -- Björn realized the moment he feared had come and gone but Andrew was still there. Andrew hadn't run at the usage of the "L word" and had, in fact, used it in return. That made Björn immensely happy.

"My life here before I met you..." Andrew began again after those quiet few moments watching the sun disappear together, "I don't know if I can go back to that after having so much more." A melancholy expression took over Andrew's face as he imagined going about his daily routine, waiting months or possibly years for his beloved to return. Every tourist seeking jamahron and every couple smiling and laughing on the beach would be a daily reminder of what he was missing.

"So...yes, I do feel the same way about us," Andrew said earnestly, "and I want to be wherever you are."

Andrew's thoughts drifted to the crew, many of which he'd met since Björn had moved to the Grant Delphinium. They were all very friendly, but he wondered if that would last if he tagged along. After all, short holiday romances were common on Risa and so they could be forgiven for thinking that they'd never see him again. "How do you think the crew would feel about it?" Andrew mused aloud. "I mean, if we're together, wouldn't that make things a little awkward for them professionally?"

Björn spied the moment of melancholy; Andrew's features had become heavier, his eyes just as expressive as the Chameloid's own as the twilight reflected in them. The expression made him fear there was a giant But coming after Andrew had said he wanted to stay together. But it turned out Andrew wasn't saying "No" after all...merely expressing concerns about the potential logistics of their life together.

"Well," Björn began, the sky darkening further, "they've all had a chance to meet you so far. At least, the ones here on Risa at the moment," the Chameloid clarified. "You seemed to make a wonderful impression at our dinner party. And some have expressed to me how much they love that we're together. I think they like seeing me so happy. And on top of that," he reached out, grabbing a handful of the man's torso with affection, "they've enjoyed having you around so much. So socially at least," Björn shrugged, "I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"Professionally though?" This Björn gave some thought to, putting his "Captain" hat back on. "There might be some growing pains from having a civilian scientist onboard. Debbie's a civilian but she runs a diner, so it's...different?" he asked rhetorically, already knowing such. "As a biologist, I imagine you might be called on at times to partner on certain research efforts. You might have to share a lab at times, depending on the ship's mission-spec needs. But I think people would adjust, Andrew. To you...and you, to them," Björn nodded slowly. "I think it'd be far more awkward if you were an officer under my command. Thankfully, you're just a boy under it," he tickled gently.

Andrew chuckled, but it was from genuine amusement rather than nervous tension. Björn's words had been reassuring and he felt his muscles relax as the anxiety and the cloud of suppressed concerns that had been swirling in his mind began to dissipate. They had been occupying his mind so much that he'd forgotten where he was and hadn't noticed the light changing. He focused his attention on the feeling of Björn's skin touching his, basking in the warmth coming from it, and took a moment to just appreciate the sight of the large hairy chest and handsome face filling his field of view. Framed by the dark sky, the hairs of Björn's chest and beard shimmered in the twilight as the sea breeze passed through them. The eyes that often gave so much away, seemed to reflect the reassurance that he was feeling. There was a way forward, and they both wanted to pursue it.

"In that case, count me in...Sir," Andrew smiled up at Björn, a smile that had more than a little hint of a grin in it.

Did...that really just happen? Björn wondered, face alight -- for the millionth time -- with adoration and appreciation for the man who was looking up at him in the semi-darkness. All day, the Chameloid had been dreading that this would be he and Andrew's last day together. He'd spent so much time trying to summon the nerve to talk about things: during the picnic he'd laid out for lunch, while swimming off the shore surrounded by other nudists in the water, and then while watching the suns begin their downward trajectories into the sea. It'd taken the literal sunset to metaphor the sundowning of the relationship to spark Björn into finally speaking up.

But in the span of that sunset, everything had changed. Andrew wanted to come with him now and, though it all felt a bit fast, Björn reminded himself that they'd seen each other nearly every day for hours and hours at a time. Where many couples spent months slowly dating, having a dinner here or some drinks there, the huge amount of time Andrew had devoted to spending with him had naturally accelerated things in comparison. Even so, shipping out together would be taking a big risk... But the things worth having are the things you risk the most for, Björn thought to himself.

"Alright then," the Chameloid nodded with finality, smiling back at Andrew. "We've some time yet...which is good because, I imagine, we're both going to need that time to accomplish some things. I'll contact Starfleet Command to clear the idea. Once they sign off, we can then approach the Federation Science Council about a change in your assignment, young man," Björn smirked down at Andrew, happier by far than he'd probably ever been about anything else in his whole life.


=/\= A joint post by... =/\=

Captain Björn Kodak
Commanding Officer, Unassigned

and

Doctor Andrew Munro
Biologist, Federation Science Council