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“I don’t think this is a good idea.” He’s gripping the steering wheel, hands white from how hard he’s holding on. Equal parts terrified and excited. He hasn’t driven once since that day.
Vincent is leaning over Eugene’s legs to place a brick on the acceleration pedal, wedging it in tightly. “It’ll be fun.”
“This is madness.” Eugene tries again.
Vincent chuckles, standing straight. The stars in the sky are framing his face. Eugene can’t see what expression he’s making because it’s shrouded in darkness.
“I don’t go around Gattaca all day thinking ‘This is madness’. You’ll only be living once you take some calculated risks.”
“That’s because you’re too far gone. You don’t even recognise it anymore.” That’s not true; Vincent is probably the sanest of them all. Everyone else had gone crazy.
Vincent’s in the passenger seat, shutting the door. “You’re right. I shouldn’t spend so much time with you. Can’t be good for my sanity.”
Eugene grins, “I’m the one driving you mad?”
“I was perfectly sane before I met you. Never had one thought of rising above my station in life, or God forbid, challenged the status quo.”
They grinned at each other.
“Start the engine, Eugene.”
Eugene hesitated, hands hovering over the button. “How do I stop?”
“You don’t stop. You keep on driving, I’ll know when to stop you.”
Eugene nodded and pressed the button. The machine comes to life. The speed climbed up almost instantly. They rush forward.
“I gotta stop! I gotta stop!!”
“Keep going! Keep going!” Vincent shouted.
They made three laps around the satellite dish before Vincent stopped the car. They stayed in the car for a moment to catch their breath.
“That went great.” Vincent says first. “Though, if you drove into the only solid object in this barren field I would’ve been disappointed with your driving skills.”
“Then you would’ve known a new thing about me. Make sure to imitate that as well.”
Vincent smiled at that, before exiting the car and opening the door to Eugene’s side. “C’mon let’s look at the stars, I’ll lift you onto the car’s hood.”
Eugene squinted at him. “If you let me roll off-”
“I won’t, I won’t. I’ll hold you.”
Being held by Vincent. Eugene could never say no to that.
“Fine. Okay.”
He knows Vincent is grinning even if he can’t see his face. Arms wrap around his back—and yes Vincent is grinning—and lift him up. He holds on to Vincent.
It’s become familiar to be carried now after five years of living together, and isn’t that an odd thought. His parents barely carried him as a child, they wanted to make sure he grows independent.
True to his word, Vincent doesn’t let go of him as he walks around and settle beside him. Once he’s beside him he wraps an arm around Eugene’s back again.
“You idiot. You could ruin everything with a stunt like that.” Eugene says without any strength behind it.
“Were you happy doing it?”
“Since when did my happiness factor into it?”
“It’s important to the calculation. Everything is risk and reward. So were you happy?”
“I-” He was getting unexpectedly choked up, “It was- Yes. I was happy” This is the happiest I’ve been for a long time. But it’s not because of the drive.
“Then it’s a success.”
It’s a success. Vincent will say it many more times when he’s in space. Eugene doesn’t have any more of them to say.
“Were you ever bitter? When you saw your colleagues with everything they needed to get there from the day they were born without all the extra steps you took?”
There was a pause as Vincent thought about it.
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Why?”
“We all came from the stars. It doesn’t matter what our genetic makeup is, or if a person was better at one thing. In the eyes of the universe, we are all equal. That’s what I like most about space, I think. Space doesn’t care about any of this.”
“Well good thing you’ll be getting far away from here then.”
At this Vincent lifts his head up and looks at Eugene. “I won’t be leaving forever. I’m coming back.”
“Yes, it must be terrible for you to have to come back in between missions, but don’t worry, you’ll be back up there soon enough.”
Vincent goes quiet for a moment before speaking, “It’s getting late, I’m going to carry you to the passenger side.”
Eugene likes the current position they’re in, but everything ends, in the end. He’s carried back to the passenger seat, and they drive back towards their condo.