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The clamor of the party goers reached Sara’s ears, even from where she was. The voices were full of hope and joy, a feeling that had been in short supply since landing in Andromeda. She watched, from her vantage point, as the people began to tentatively spill out of the Hyperion and take in a sunset on Meridian. Though it was artificially created, it was beyond beautiful to behold. Pink dancing with crimson, crimson melting into darker colors, the golden warm colors of the day melting into the cool hues of the night. Sara knew it was not natural but her breath was taken away despite it all. She sat on the ledge of one of the broken pieces of the Hyperion. She’d been desperate to get away from the oppressing crowd. The well wishes, congratulations, and good job comments had boxed her in like a mouse in a maze. She’d taken the first chance she could to escape the political bullshit too. No one was ever going to be completely happy with whatever she decided, and she knew that picking an outsider would piss Tann off the most. There was only one thing missing, one thing that would make the sunset perfect.
“You look deep in thought.” Sara’s heart jumped as she turned her head to see Vetra climbing up behind her. The easy smile curled on her lips, now it was perfect, as she held out her hand. Vetra’s fingers slipped easily between hers and the turian settled beside her. Sara scooted over to give some room and leaned her head on Vetra’s shoulders. Sara noted that she was wearing her casual clothes instead of the usual armor.
“Sort of. Wanted to get away from the clamor of that lot.” Vetra turned her head to press a kiss to Sara’s head. They’d heard some of the whispers throughout the party. About the Pathfinder and her lover, the turian. Soon enough Vetra’s past would come up to bring an ugly light to their relationship. Vetra only hoped that Sara would stick by her, she knew all the secrets and ugly sides that Vetra had faced back in the Milky Way. She still stuck around. “Also, I kinda wanted to be one of the first ones to see a Meridian sunset. After all, I worked my ass off to get it.” A rumble of laughter bubbled up in Vetra’s chest at the snarky tone. Sara was always one to fall back to humor.
“Yeah. You did work pretty hard.” They settled together and watched the sunset fade to night. Sara turned her face up towards Vetra and smiled warmly at her. Vetra’s heart hammered at the smile, her mandibles flickered as nerves hit. The moments like this were still new to Vetra. Being able to lean over and kiss Sara whenever she wanted, that was something that she’d no doubt never get used to. Kissing Sara in front of Meridian’s sunset was an excellent closing to this chapter of their lives, and an excellent way to begin another. There was the fact that Sara had been severely injured by the Archon when he’d severed the connection with SAM. She lifted her hand and brushed Sara’s hair out of her face, sliding down to cup her cheek. Sara’s dark brown eyes searched hers with worry darkening them.
“Vetra?” Her name whispered from Sara’s lips like a prayer. She could hear the confusion in Sara’s voice, saw the worry in her eyes, but Vetra couldn’t bring herself to voice her concerns. Vetra’s mandibles quivered as Sara leaned up and brushed her lips across her mouth plates. A sigh escaped as she savored the softness. Her free hand wrapped around Sara’s back, anchoring Sara to her side. Vetra pulled back a fraction of an inch, just a fraction.
“I’m sorry… Are you sure?” The giggle rumbled in Sara’s chest at the hesitation in Vetra’s voice. It still made her smile to see how much Vetra was concerned about her. She’d been through the wringer, that was for sure. SAM being pulled from her had been terrifying and put her in excruciating pain, but being with Vetra eased most of those aches. The warmth radiated from the turian in waves, enveloping Sara in it.
Sara closed the fraction of a gap and pressed her lips against Vetra’s again. The hand on her cheek slid into her hair to cradle the back of her head. Her own hands wrapped around Vetra’s neck, pressing into the soft skin there. It was such a contrast to the hard carapace like the rest of her body, and Sara found it was very sensitive. Her fingers kneaded into the skin, pressing into the muscle. The last time she’d done that…
“You need to get clearance from Lexi before we go any further Sara.” Vetra’s warning growl froze Sara’s fingers as her face settled into a pout.
“Fine.” She pulled away to look up at Vetra’s face. Vetra smothered the urge to chuckle at Sara’s peevish expression.
“Come on. Let’s enjoy watching the stars. It’s nice to be at peace.” Vetra helped Sara get situated between her legs and pulled her tightly against her. Back to front. “I love you Sara Ryder. Nothing will change that.” She rubbed the side of her mandible along the top of Sara’s head in a gesture of tender affection. They stayed like that until someone came looking for the Pathfinder, but that was a long way off.