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"Data?" Geordi spoke into his darkened quarters.
"I am here, Geordi." It wasn't really a surprise that Data was still up, Geordi had half expected him to stay awake all night to keep an eye on him. Probably didn't want to risk him wandering off on any more brainwashing induced assassination attempts.
"Data, can you tell me what happened in the last three hours?" Geordi felt silly, asking to be told what had happened when he'd been there to see it all, but he didn't trust his memory. Not yet.
"I met with you outside Counselor Troi's office following your session with her. Following that I accompanied you back to your quarters, on the way we said 'hello' to five different crew members, and you smiled at two children who were playing tag in the corridor near your quarters. We went inside your quarters and sat on your sofa. I asked if you wished to talk about anything and you requested that I talk in detail about what had occurred during your week's absence. You said you would like to hear my voice but did not feel much like talking yourself. For the next hour I recounted the events of that week and I cuddled with you. When I had told you everything of relevance you asked me if I would like to stay the night, I said that I would find that agreeable.
"We had dinner on your sofa, as you said you didn't want to eat at your table as we would usually do. You ate mushroom pasta and I ate thai green curry. We talked while we ate and I told you about my recent efforts to train Spot not to jump on my desk. You then said you would like to read for a while so you read a chapter of The Sign of Four while I read The Truth About Owls. Following that we changed into appropriate night wear and brushed our teeth. We then got into bed, you kissed me goodnight before removing your VISOR and attempting to go to sleep," Data recounted with careful accuracy. Geordi sighed in relief, everything matched up.
"Thanks, Data. I know it's over now and the ambassador's been arrested and the Romulans probably couldn't get to me here anyway but I just. I needed to make sure that my memories were accurate, and I trust you to remember exactly what happened," Geordi found Data's hand in the dark and played absent-mindedly with his fingers.
"You are welcome. I do not mind helping you to be sure of what has been happening, I know it must be difficult to reconcile yourself with the knowledge that your memory has been tampered with. I am happy to help ground you."
In all honesty, Geordi wanted to cry. He'd been kidnapped and tortured and brainwashed and forced to attempt a murder and he couldn't even remember most of it. Deanna had begun helping him to piece back together what had really happened to him but the reality hurt so much. Even now, with no images being forced into his mind and only a vague knowledge of it even happening he wanted to scream with the horror of what he'd been made to witness, the variety of terrifying images that had been projected into his mind.
"Geordi," Data spoke softly, moving his fingers slightly to bring Geordi's attention back to him, "You are safe now, no one will hurt you here, I would not let them."
"I know, Data, I know," Geordi tried to return his breathing to normal, he hadn't even realised just how erratic it had become.
"Do you want me to stop talking?"
"No, it's nice, I like hearing you. Helps me feel like I'm actually home, like I'm safe," Geordi tried to focus on Data's hand in both of his, how Data moved his fingers to try and distract Geordi from his thoughts.
"I am glad. Can I touch your face? I wish to stroke your cheek, it is a gesture you have seemed to find calming in the past."
"Yeah, go ahead," Geordi sighed and turned his face slightly into the gentle touch.
"You are my favourite person, not only because my internal processors have become so used to your sensory input patterns, but because you possess so many positive qualities, and a personality that fits well with mine," Data began talking quietly, "You are brave, intelligent, thoughtful, funny, friendly, generous, determined and kind, as well as many other things, but I feel it is likely you would get bored of hearing me list your many positive attributes. In my life no one had shown me friendship before I met you. You were the first person to accept me as I am, and to treat me as though I were human, never regarding me as being merely a machine. No one before had truly accepted my 'leap of faith', so to speak, that I could be a person. While others had respected my intelligence, or been willing to give me the same opportunities as a human would have access to, you were the first to see me as someone worthy of your time even on occasions when I was not useful to you.
"I have never been particularly skilled in social situations, and I was particularly lacking when I first met you, but you still invited me to spend time with you. You taught me how to paint, even though many would have assumed art to be an impossible endeavor for me, being an android without emotions. You told me jokes even though I did not understand the humour behind them, and you helped me to better understand humanity, even when my questions were strange or difficult to answer. Thinking back on the first time you hugged me, I believe, if I had been capable, I would have cried. No one had ever shown me such affection before, and I had not experienced much kind physical contact in my life prior to my friendship with you. Even to this day I carefully catalog all physical affection you show me, it is important to me that I remember everything about you and the love that you show me."
Geordi did begin crying then, but it was not so much out of sadness or fear or anger over what he had recently been put through. Mostly, he cried because he was overwhelmed by how much Data loved him. Even when he felt like he was at his worst, Data loved him. And he loved Data in return. Data might attribute a lot to Geordi's displays of kindness, but there was nothing Geordi valued more than the softness shown to him by the man made of metal lying with him in his bed.
"Geordi? I am sorry, I did not intend to upset you, I will stop-"
"Data, Data it's okay! It's okay. I'm okay," Geordi gave a slightly wobbly smile, "I just, I love you so much. I love you."
"You are crying because you love me?" Geordi couldn't see him, but he could picture Data's perplexed expression perfectly.
"Yeah, I'm probably in a bit of a teary mood but, yeah. I love you so much and it's a little overwhelming so I'm crying about it. You mean so much to me and I hardly ever feel like I deserve the constant kindness you give me."
"You deserve everything I give you and more," Data whispered, gently wiping away Geordi's tears.
"Even when I'm an idiot and get myself kidnapped by Romulans, almost kill an important Klingon governor, ask you to constantly tell me everything that's happened in my day and then cry on you?" Geordi laughed wetly.
"Especially then. And you were not an idiot, you were ambushed by the Romulan secret service. I can think of no one who could avoid that, especially not alone."
Geordi sighed and nodded, "You're probably right-"
"I am."
"-and I'm glad you're here. There's no one else I'd rather have."
Data pressed a small kiss to the bridge of Geordi's nose.
"I am glad I can be here for you. I love you."
"I love you too, and if I'm not too gross from crying, could we try a good night kiss again? I think I've tired myself out enough that I'll probably actually get to sleep this time."
"I have kissed you when you were covered in blood and grime before, it is unlikely that I would be deterred from kissing you by some tears, no matter how ‘gross’ they are," Data spoke in that tone of his that he used on things he knew were jokes but he didn't necessarily want to admit he knew were jokes, as his ignorance to how funny something he said was often made up half the humor. It was sweet.
Geordi chuckled and gave a slightly sarcastic thanks before Data pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.
"Goodnight, Geordi."
"Night, Data."