AU: Further to Fly (Josh)

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Captain Sean Neville had been on a mission with the crew of the Vermont for almost a month. Due to a cartography conference, Josh had not accompanied his crew on their past mission, which led to a separation.

Both men could cope with periods of separation. They were adults, and their respective careers were such that neither would have advanced in their careers were they unable to cope. They had a solid marriage, built with a steady foundation and which only deepened over the years and decades that they remained together.

Still, the Captain preferred to be near his husband. He wanted Josh to come on as many missions with him as possible. Video calls did not provide an adequate substitute.

However, the Vermont had extended shore leave after their past mission. Sean intended to take full advantage of that time, as he had informed his husband previously not to gallivant with Captain Weaver, since he would be home soon.

They had made such excellent time on the way back that Captain Neville was a couple of hours early. He took the opportunity to make a quick stop to pick up a celebratory cake roll, and then he took his flitter to their home.

Upon arriving, he carried the pastry box under one arm and his suitcase in his other hand. The front door recognized his retina scan, and he walked inside. “Josh?” He called into the foyer.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Joshua Bernstein missed his husband. How quickly any given amount of time seemed to pass was directly correlated to how often he saw Sean.

The past month had inched by.

He didn't resent that Sean was captain of an important ship. Neither did he resent a conference for people in his line of work. He simply would have liked for the conference to have occurred during his husband's shore leave, so that he could have accompanied him.

At least they had methods of communication. In some of his favorite stories, the ones from further back than he could even really fathom, humans who were separated for missions like this couldn't just call their loved ones up. In some cases they didn't even have anyway to write.

That still happened, sometimes, at a ship would prove unable to communicate, but that was a scary and dangerous circumstance, and out of the norm. If pirates boarded a ship, or it's communication devices broke, or it somehow got lost somewhere beyond where signals could reach.

It wasn't due to the state of present day technology.

He was glad, as this meant that Sean could warn him when he was returning home. It meant that he could turn down work with his good friend captain Weaver.

It meant that he could remain at home, waiting in anticipation.

He thought, in his yearning, that he was hearing things. It was too early for his husband to be home just yet. But then he heard footsteps along with the voice, and the navigator hurried from his spot pacing the living room.

"Welcome home!"

He was quick to embrace his other half, pressing a kiss to the other man's cheek. "How was it?"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean’s lips broke into a wide smile, and he dropped his bag to the floor with a thud. He carefully se the cake down atop it, as he did not want that to splatter, ruined before they could have a single bite. Then, without hesitation, he wrapped both arms around his husband in a tight bear hug. “You are a sight for sore eyes!” He proclaimed with a laugh.

That was truer than it was humorous. His mission had gone fine, but nothing compared with seeing his husband after a long absence. They might have both reached middle age years ago, but Josh remained the most attractive person in the world to Captain Neville.

One might not think it possible, but the older man’s smile widened when he felt the cartographer’s kiss on his cheek. “We were successful. Diplomacy was achieved.”

Headquarters treated him as though he had a special touch. In fact, Sean was merely observant, tactful, and sensitive to the needs of others; those skills served him well on diplomatic missions. That also built his reputation, which, in turn, created expectations in the minds of others, which he had learned to navigate.

“I can tell you all about it after I change into something more comfortable.” His uniform fit well, but the older man preferred to wear civvies at home; he wanted the separation between his ship persona and his personal one.

[Joshua Bernstein]

"Oh, of course, I'm sorry!"

Josh dropped his arms, stepping back to allow his husband room. "How selfish of me, you've only just got home. Are you hungry?" This question was said with an eye to the cake the other man had set down; Sean had a notorious sweet tooth, so it wasn't a surprise that he had come home with baked goods. But if he was hungry there were more nutritious options in the house. "I can go get supper ready, you know."

Although the navigator was no Ferris Macklin, he was able to set up a meal. Not that this was all that hard, really; anyone could be competent in the kitchen, provided they had the appropriate tools and a few freeze dried meals ready to be resuscitated by the magic of technology.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“Don’t apologize.” The admonishment came quickly, as Sean had not meant to end the embrace or otherwise fluster his husband. He was simply happy to be home with Josh again, no longer separated by their respective duties.

However, as the younger man had already stepped back, there was no reason to sweep him into his arms again. Not until Sean had managed to change into civvies, at which point someone would have to pry him off his husband. There was time for that later.

He crouched down to pick up the cake, which he passed over to the cartographer. “A strawberry roll cake, courtesy of Ari.” Ari had a reputation in their area for his incredible skills.

As for the question of whether he was hungry, the Captain replied, “I could eat.” He ate better at home than he did aboard ship, since the ship was limited with what they could carry in the galley. Even if they had an excellent chef aboard who did the best they could with rations. “But don’t worry about supper yet. I can help out after I’m changed.”

He then picked up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. “Do you want to come upstairs with me? Or should I meet you down here?”

[Joshua Bernstein]

"Just let me drop off this cake of yours in the kitchen, then I'll be right up." Josh promised, making a detour on the way to the stairs. Ari was famous for his confections, and rightly so; a cake from Ari was a rare treat indeed.

The cartographer carefully placed the great on the counter where it would safely wait until the two men were ready for it, then followed his husband to the bedroom.

"I've missed you so much." He sighed, dropping onto the edge of the bed. "The house is so empty without you here."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“Of course,” Sean replied. “I’ll see you upstairs.”

Their paths diverged, as Josh went towards the kitchen, while the older men approached the staircase and climbed upstairs. There was a spring in his step, as he was so glad to be home and have the ability to spend time reunited with his husband.

Once inside their bedroom, he took a moment to gaze around the room, reorienting himself with their bedchamber. Because both men spent so much time in space with artificial environments, they had agreed long ago to have as much natural light in their bedroom as possible. Sean loved that, as it provided the contrast with his ship.

The Captain loved his ship as well; he loved his job, his crew, and his duties. He coped well with the artificial atmosphere, the forever night, and the ever-changing scenery of the starscapes and other planets and colonies. Still, when home, he wanted to feel at home, and the sunlight confirmed that feeling at all times.

Setting down his bag, he crossed immediately to his dresser, shrugging off his uniform to don a looser and more comfortable set of civvies.

“My quarters felt the same way.” As the Captain, he had larger quarters than the crewmembers. Still, “large” was not the word most would use to describe shipboard life, and yet they felt empty when he traveled solo.

“But I’m home now, and we are together again.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh felt no shame in watching his husband change clothes; they were married, and he enjoyed looking at the other man whether clothed or in some state in between.

"You're home now," He agreed, laying back on the bed and folding his hands behind the nape of his neck. Sunlight flooded the room, spilling across the bed and the crisscrossing along the floor between the shadows of the bedroom furniture.

A dog-eared book was on the nightstand, a relic from the days when paper books were a more readily available commodity. This one had cost the navigator a pretty penny, but he was always more prone to spending money when Sean was away.

"I've spent a lot of time reading, but it's not the same without you here to discuss the content with."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Likewise, Sean felt no shame changing in front of the other man. He and Josh had been together for far too long for him to experience even the slightest reservations about his husband seeing him in a state of undress. Though aging, he kept himself in good condition for his position, and he enjoyed the side-effect of Josh’s appreciation.

Once he had settled in a pair of looser trousers and a comfortable shirt, he put his uniform in the laundry chute and then crossed the room to settle beside his husband on the bed. “Since I’m home now, and I’ll be home for several weeks, we can discuss whatever you’d like.” The Captain meant that sincerely. He appreciated Josh’s love of learning, and he enjoyed all of their discussions.

To that end, he peered over at the other man’s nightstand. “What have you been reading while I’ve been gone?”

It could be anything, since, as a collector, Josh was on lists. Antique dealers knew where to contact him, and often did when they received newly recovered items. As a result, their living room had an antique bookcase so that they could display all of Josh’s acquisitions for all to see. When home, Sean tended to keep Josh on a more balanced budget, although books were a better vice than gambling or designer drugs.

[Joshua Bernstein]

"It's The Brother's Grimm," Josh handed the book delicately over to his partner so that Sean could take a look for himself. "Some of the stories are a bit....grisly. Do you know, even the bits grounded in the every day living of the time seem almost like fantasy now."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean took the proffered book, holding it carefully as he might a baby or a small animal. While physical books were rare in their world, existing primarily as antiques or as novelties, the Captain knew the proper way to handle one. His father had owned some antique medical texts, and thirty years of life with Josh and his collection had only provided the older man with more experience.

Slowly, he thumbed through the edition, checking the index to see what stories were included. Sean had some knowledge of the Brothers Grimm, as he had more than a passing interest in folklore and mythology. He agreed with his husband’s assessment on both counts. The fairytales could be grisly, as their intended purposes had been to teach through fear. Also that life prior to their societal and technological revolutions seemed so foreign as to be mere fantasy.

“I’m sure they are,” he replied, quickly scanning the index to see which titles that he recognized. “How far have you gotten?”

Collections, unlike linear stories, could be read in any order. The Captain was curious to hear what his husband had read, particularly given that some of Josh’s favorite tales were not from the Brothers Grimm in the first place.

[Joshua Bernstein]

"Marienkinder," Josh answered, stretching his legs and leaning comfortably against his husband. "And I can't say I would be keen on worshipping a deity who condoned kidnapping for the offense of lying. The world is cruel enough, there's no reason to encourage it."

He sighed thoughtfully. "My father hated this book. It's difficult to find any that aren't in English, though."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean nodded his understanding, as he flipped to the index to see where in the book that particular tale was located. He was familiar with it, although only from paperless sources of this tome. It was not one of the more popular or well-known stories, which allowed it to fall into relative obscurity.

The Captain then set the book aside, carefully placing it on the nightstand out of harm’s way. “As with most stories, it was intended to frighten children into obedience. I’m sure it had nothing to do with religious instruction.” Not that religious instruction was without problems or attempts to coerce believers into obedience, but that had different source material.

With that, he wrapped his arm around his husband, pulling him closer. “I’m not surprised to hear that.” The Captain had met Josh’s father several times – as was to be expected given that he and Josh had been together since their years at the Academy – and he knew quite a bit about Bobby Bernstein’s preferences in books and other areas of life.

“Should I ask how much it cost? Or is it better if I turn a blind eye?” He would not berate the younger man for the purchase, but he was curious about the going rate for such a classic.

[Joshua Bernstein]

"Ahhh...."

Josh chuckled nervously at the question about the cost, though still allowing himself to be drawn closer to his spouse. "It was within my budget. Do you want the receipt? I have it on my phone."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean and Josh had made an agreement during the early stages of their relationship that they would always consult the other before making major purchases or making major life decisions. Given their line of work, “major life decisions” tended towards “retire from the Fleet” (inapplicable) and otherwise keeping the other apprised of all missions, but particularly the longer ones for the dual purposes of coordination and being aware. Major purchases included any work on the house, new vehicles or restoring vehicles, any other dwelling, stakes in businesses or other financial markets, jewelry, larger antiques, and anything frivolous yet so expensive that one couldn’t justify the purchase to the other and would feel the need to hide it.

Beyond that, they kept personal and household budgets, and the Captain never demanded a strict accounting from his husband. That was the purpose of personal budgets; to make personal purchases.

With Josh closer to him, he leaned down to kiss the back of the cartographer’s neck. “I don’t need the receipt,” he assured the younger man. “It’s idle curiosity on my part.”

Curiosity about how much it was worth as opposed to how much his husband had spent on it. By Josh’s behavior, he doubted it was the most expensive addition to his book collection, which meant that Sean already had a ballpark range.