#alwy

"Please, commander, you don't have to call me sir. You're not a cadet anymore," Silvir smiled, turning to a pair of officers. "Basswood here was one of my brightest students. That reminds me of a funny story, back when I taught astrometrics-," he kicked off into a long-winded story about his time at the academy.

Lennon looked away from the rambling captain, and locked eyes with Mark across the party. He gave them a sheepish smile, lifting his glass as a greeting. They smiled back, glancing over to the captain and giving an exaggerated eye roll. Mark laughed, earning some odd looks from the partygoers around him.

Eventually Lennon nodded towards one of the buildings around the shipyard. Mark understood immediately. He could hear them say "Thank you, captain, but I really must get going." before they dissapeared into the crowd. Mark downed his drink, placing it on a passing waiter's tray before heading off to the building.

He slipped inside, closing the door behind him. Lennon was already inside, their arms held wide. "Hey there, stranger!" They pulled him into a hug.

Mark hugged back, his heart thumping in his chest. "I didn't think you'd be back for another month!"

"We managed to complete the mission ahead of schedule, so command let us come back early. We just got in this morning," they pulled back, hands still on Mark's shoulders.

Looking into Lennon's eyes for the first time in months, he realized just how much his heart had ached for them. He always knew it was a possibility they would be seperated, it was a simple fact of their career paths, but it still hurt. He had been able to distract himself with his work. But in his quiet moments, his mind would wonder back to them, across the dark expanse of space, so far from his reach, and that dull ache would creep back into his chest.

"Do you want to get out of here?" He blurted out.

                                          ---

They found themselves in a coffee shop a few blocks away from the shipyard. Still in their dress blues, the pair drew quite a few glances from the other patrons. Lennon shrugged off their jacket, and Mark couldn't help but stare as he sat down with two cups of coffee.

Lennon eagerly took one. "So, tell me everything I missed while I was gone."

"Well," Mark thought for a moment. "Admiral Henry announced his retirement. The Titan finally finished its repairs after the solar flare incident.  Oh, and they opened a new exhibit at the Sol Museum. They're displaying samples from the first manned Mars mission, I haven't gone yet but I heard it's very cool."

"No," they said gently. "Tell me about you. What have you been doing for the last few months?"

"Oh." His face grew warm. "I've been really busy with the Looking Glass, we still have a lot to do before launch next week. And... I've started working on designs for a new ship."

"A new ship?" They repeated, a glimmer in their eyes. "Mark, that's incredible!"

His blush only deepened. "It's not much, I haven't even pitched the idea to command yet."

"Still! It's really exciting, you'll have to show me them sometimes." They took a sip of their coffee. "I missed this," they said with a wistful sigh.

Mark chuckled. "What? They didn't have coffee on the Dauntless?"

"No, not the coffee," they joined in his laughter. "I mean, this, spending time with you. I can't think of a single moment in the last few months where I wasn't working. And that whole time, I really didn't get to know anyone on the crew. Everyone was too dazzled by my title to treat me like anything but their superior. It was lonely, really." They trailed off, but immediately perked back up. "But now, I can finally sit back, relax, and talk with my best friend."

"I missed this, too." He leaned back in his seat. "So, what's next for the great Commander Basswood?"

"As of today, I'm officially on shore leave," Lennon declared triumphantly. "I have three months of downtime before I'm called away on my next mission."

"Do you have anything planned?" he asked eagerly, hoping there was a place for him in their plans. He was already considering taking a vacation once the Looking Glass was complete, but before he was hesitant. Lennon's early return almost felt like a sign from the universe to do it.

"Not yet," they shrugged, looking down into their coffee. They fidgeting with the side of the cup. "Maybe you could take me to that new exhibit at the Sol Museum."

Ok, he was definitely taking that vacation. He'd take as much time off as command allowed him if it meant more to spend with them. "I think that can be arranged."

"Perfect, it's a date."