Dust in the Wind

Posted on 02 Feb 2022 @ 7:46pm by Petty Officer 1st Class Gabriel Stark & Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen
Edited on on 15 Feb 2022 @ 7:50pm

2,457 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: Regula I - Level 16, Docking Port
Timeline: MD 04, 1400 hrs

[ON]

Vansen smiled as he stood in the airlock, looking at Stark before he moved closer. His hand carefully went to his shoulder, then up to his neck, his eyes on where his hands were going. Then he briefly met Gabriel's eyes. "What does the display say?" he asked, going back to check the seals on the EVA suit. He had been genuine with offering taking Gabriel outside on the station and had arranged the time, which really just meant an airlock and some Operations person to know where they were and keep an eye on their life-signs, and two EVA suits.

He had already put on his own and checked the seals, as well as the pressure and O2 showing up on the display. But he wanted to make sure Gabriel's was fine. Even if he was sure that the other man was capable of doing it himself.

"That I'm good to go," Gabriel assured, glancing to him with a soft chuckle. He'd been pleasantly surprised when he'd stuck to his offer. Although, he knew Constantin liked every excuse he could get to go out. "Any tips from the expert?"

Vansen smiled behind the helmet and raised his left hand to make a fist. "When we are out there, we have the safety strap on the outside. You also have magnetic boots and there's the pack as well in case the strap snaps. We will be okay though...you ready?" he walked over to the panel, looking at him.

"Always," Gabriel chuckled, moving behind him to let Vansen take the lead. In truth, this wasn't something he'd done much. He was more used to having his boots on the ground and a rifle in his hands.

Vansen nodded, going over the mental check list. They were both tethered inside and they could choose to keep the other door open or tether to the outside hull instead. Once the airlock had depressurised and the outer airlock was opened, they would go outside. He nodded and hit the button, watching Gabriel closely. Once the airlock had the same pressure as the cold vacuum, he opened the outer hatch and went to Gabriel. "Follow me..." he said and made his way to the hatch and outside, floating in space.

Gabriel followed with trust, his breath hitching slightly at that first weightless moment. He lifted an arm out on instinct, as if to balance himself, his heart racing as he adjusted.

Constantin smiled as he floated before he used a brief burst of his pack to get beside the airlock, to the grips there. He offered his hand to Gabriel. "Take my hand...and when you do, get your feet flat on the hull and activate the magnetic boots," he instructed. He wanted first for Gabriel to get used to being outside...then he could get used to floating. And the best way to get used was to change the planet-bound perspective. In space, there was no up or down. Except where you decided it was.

Gabriel gripped the gloved hand tightly, using it to pull himself next to him. He engaged the boots, laughing as he swayed, locking his knees to steady himself. "It's been longer than I realised..."

Constantin nodded, smiling as he held him before he looked ahead. He led him with him, walking slowly, the click of his magnetic boots coming with every step. Once away from the catch he turned Gabriel with him, to look at the stars. "Just look at that..." he said softly. "Worth it, right?"

"Totally," Gabriel whispered, looking out with awe. He reached out, taking a hold of his hand the best he could in the gloves, taking in the vast beauty. "It should feel immense and empty," he shook his head with a chuckle.

Constantin smiled and moved closer, watching the stars reflecting in Gabriel's visor before he looked out. "To some it does. I...find it beautiful in it. It's not empty, it is just that we are so small in it all."

"I love that," Gabriel admitted with a smile, shaking his head as he looked out. "Nothing really matters out here. And it's so bloody quiet."

"Turn off your mike," Constantin said and smiled, turning his own off. He turned Gabriel to face him and put their helmets close, so they touched. He searched his eyes, the smile fading. "Can you hear me?" he asked, aloud. At times it worked, depending on the suits, the vibrations going through the helmet alongside the visual clue of watching lips move.

Gabriel watched with surprise, laughing softly at the strange sensation. He nodded, reaching to touch the side of Constantin's helmet with awe.

"This...is as alone as two people can ever be in the galaxy," Constantin said as he smiled, one gloved hand firmly on his shoulder, the other one holding him. "And you're prettier than the stars, Gabriel."

Gabriel grinned at the words, his eyes dark with them as he watched him rather than the view. "We both know that's not true...but thanks for saying it."

Constantin held his eyes as he felt himself blushing and pulled back, almost shyly. He looked at the stars, moving his arms in a shrug. "If you want, I can connect us to this spot and we can float for a bit?" he suggested, studying the stars rather than Gabriel now...more to hide his own blush.

"You won't let me fall away, right?" Gabriel looked to him, but with a half playful smile behind his mask. He was definitely more nervous than he'd expected. It wasn't his usual wheelhouse. But he trusted Constantin, so the question was just to spark a response.

"Never." Constantin shook his head before he reached for his own tether. He unclipped it with ease, kneeling to clip it into place so he wouldn't lose it. The magnetic boots kept him where he was after all and he took the spare, clipping it to the fastening and testing it before he stood and reached for Gabriel's spare. He clipped it to himself and then, watching Gabriel, unclipped his tether. He held onto it as he knelt and put it where his own main one was, but now they were on Constantin's spare. He stood and disengaged his own magnetic boots, his feet leaving the full as he took Gabriel's hand. "Turn them off. Float with me."

Gabriel watched him for a moment before letting out a long, full breath for courage. He did as told, gripping his hand tighter as he felt himself come away from the ship. He laughed breathlessly, clutching his hand as he felt himself float in the mercy of the void. "You daredevil..."

Constantin laughed warmly, nodding as he enjoyed the sensation. "Just...feel it...enjoy it," he said and turned to face him, just able to see his face through the visor. "You're safe with me, Gabriel. Promise."

"I can see why you liked to do this," Gabriel laughed softly, relaxing into it, enjoying the sense of freedom in the unknown.

Constantin sighed contently as he relaxed, his bones and muscles relaxing into the weightlessness. And his brain. His brain told him that this was the state he was meant to be in. He looked around, smiling as he tugged at Gabriel's hand, bringing their bodies closer so he could turn them. "Look...see there, that bluish glint? It's a planet. Not sure which one, I have never been out here. But in all these stars, you can still see something you believe looks familiar. I love it out here. Everything makes sense."

Gabriel watched the sight with a warm smile, shaking his head slowly with the change in movement. "Funny, for me, it's just the opposite, and it's perfect for it," he let out a soft breath. "If nothing makes sense, it doesn't matter what I do."

"You might feel a bit queasy," Constantin said before he let out a soft breath. "I'm sorry, I didn't think that far. I thought..." and he blushed, biting his lip. "It would be romantic." Which was silly, because he had never really done romantic on purpose before. Usually he didn't have to. But for Gabriel he sort of wanted to, even if they were friends.

"And it is," he said quickly, twisting enough to be able to look at him. "I think it's the single most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me."

Constantin smiled and moved his hand to his own chest and tapped two fingers over his heart. "That...pleases me. I...haven't wanted to do this as a romantic gesture for anyone else."

Gabriel was pretty sure his surprise had to be visible despite the barriers between them. "Oh come on...you're a stunner. There must have been a fair few."

"I...can keep my bed warm if that is what I want," Constantin admitted before he turned his face away a little, because he was embarrassed. "But I don't understand...relationships. I haven't wanted to until..."

Gabriel was silent for a long moment but couldn't help a weak smile at the words. Wasn't that just ironic. "Yeah, I'm not so great with those either."

Constantin nodded before he frowned, sucking in a deeper breath and enjoying the way he could feel his own chest expand more than usual. "Do...you think it is something I can learn?" he asked, his voice so quiet it almost faded in the slight buzz on the comms.

"I don't think there's a thing you couldn't learn if you put your mind to it," Gabriel gave a half smile as he watched, taking his other hand so that he held both of them as he let himself float horizontally.

He watched Gabriel before he smiled, hope coming to him. "Good. I...would like to learn. It might take me some time to...pick it up properly, and I am sure I will do things wrong. But I want to learn."

"Should find yourself a good teacher then," Gabriel said with a weak smile, looking to the stars, using the great expanse as solace to try and focus his thoughts. He wasn't good at trying to find words for his emotions. There was a reason he'd ended up in so many fights in his life. "I...don't really do the boyfriend thing. I wouldn't even know how, not really. I don't tend to see them in the morning, let alone the afternoon for lunch and the evening for dinner. Bloody hell, that makes me sound like a slut, it's all coming out wrong."

"No," Constantin's voice was oddly firm as he looked at the stars, taking a deeper breath again. "I am the same. When I discovered sex...I mean, wow. I wanted to sample it all. I just...I am missing something. It's a joke I never understand the punchline of, a connection I am not seeing. A part in my head that isn't fitting right." It felt odd, to say it, what he had never told anyone. "I never know what to do the next day. I have had....fun with coworkers. The sex was just an additional thing. They expect nothing and it is easy."

"It's...risky though," Gabriel finally said, not able to look at him though as he held his breath until it burned in his chest. "I mean...what if that happens with a friend? And what if it makes it awkward and uncomfortable? What if you ruin a friendship that was really worth something. That you only come across once in a blue moon."

Constantin made a movement with his shoulders that was visible in the suit. A shrug. The same one he usually did, only now it came to its own. A spacer's shrug. "I am scared of that too," he finally admitted before he frowned. "Maybe...promises. Real ones. That...there is honesty with it? Would...that work?"

"Maybe," he watched him with a sudden sharp stab in his chest that felt suspiciously like hope. "I mean though...what if you don't like what you find all these beat up cases of luggage I drag everywhere?" he chuckled weakly, trying to make light of it, but it really did worry him. There was a lot in his past to put a person off.

Constantin smiled to himself at what he was saying, blinking slowly at the stars. "I have a chronic medical condition. I was raised in space and I...do not understand a lot that other people understand. I'd never be able to live on a planet...not because of the gravity, but because I can't stand to look at a horizon...that is a lot of...beaten up parts to carry...." he turned his face to look at him even if he couldn't really see his face. "There might be a lot neither of us expects to find in the other. But...I..." he chuckled softly and smiled. "Maybe it could be an adventure too? Learning together?"

Gabriel was silent for a long moment. How did he do that? He had to be one of the bravest people he'd ever met, to be able to be so...open. "You'd want to?" he asked with a softer tone that time.

Constantin swallowed, considering it for a moment. He was truly giving it the thought it deserved. "With you, yes," he finally said and let out a shaky breath. "And if...if it doesn't work...maybe our honesty will keep our friendship too?"

"Honesty," he moved his head in what would be a nod in the station, but didn't translate as strongly in the suit. "Well, I struggle with that too, but...I can better. I think I can."

Constantin smiled before he pulled him close, their suits bumping together. "We can only try," he said and reached to tug at the tether that bound them to the ship, pulling them down before he activated his boots.

Gabriel reached to grip his arm, his breath catching as he watched with warmth. "Let's not go in yet..." he said softly, almost a whisper. "Just...a little bit longer."

Constantin watched him before he nodded, simply deactivating the boots again so he could float up, reaching to take a hold of his hand. "As long as you want, Gabriel. We don't have to go anywhere. Just us and the stars."

Gabriel relaxed at the words, keeping a firm grip on him even as he turned his body out to be able to bask in the view. "I like that," he whispered.

[OFF]

--

PO1 Gabriel Stark
Security Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Blake]

PO3 Constantin Vansen
Operations Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Rice]

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