Archive of Our Own

 Geordi watched Data inspect the dead body. 

 This time, the victim was the hologram of an older man, a little bit over his seventies. His body laid still on the cobblestone ground. They had just been led on, the local baker said they would find the culprit’s home if they followed her instruction’s. Instead, they found a dead man and a dead end.

 Geordi promptly grabbed his notebook, about to take notes, but Data was dutifully playing his part as Sherlock Holmes. His eyes had already meticulously scanned over the body, he was getting up, looking at Geordi. “We have been fooled.” Data said.

 “Sure looks like it…” He replied.

 “However…”

 Geordi eyed his friend curiously, he was scanning the ground once again. “However?”

 Data breathed in sharply “We did not pay enough attention to the bakery, my dear Watson. It was a simple place, we were sure the baker was a witness… My friend, did you see who else was in the store?”

 He had already gotten it. “A boy, a teenager, if you will. He was cleaning.”

 “Exactly! But what, precisely? The baker said she had seen the killer through the window at the front of her shop.” He gesticulated vividly with his hands as he talked “If she was standing behind her counter, she would have needed to look through the second window on the right to observe the robbery.”

 “Then the boy, tell me Holmes, you mean to tell me he was cleaning that same window?” 

 “Precisely. Watson, you are correct. I conclude, then, that the baker was not where she said she was. The boy overheard the whole conversation and did not object to her story. They were both someplace else.” Data confirmed.

 With a nod, they hurried back to the bakery they had left little ago. Geordi was still half in awe of his friend’s observational skills. Not once had he seen Data’s gaze stray from the baker’s, but he still noticed so small a detail as which window the employee was cleaning.

 They didn’t burst through the door, why would they draw unnecessary attention to themselves? No one suspected them, and as far as they knew, they weren’t suspects either.

 “Oh, back again? Will you try some scones this time around, Mr Holmes?” The baker greeted them.

 “Mrs Dennis, we came to ask you to tell us the truth.” Data said, upfront.

 Geordi was quiet, observing the woman’s face. She was impassive, her employee, however, stopped cleaning. He swore he could have seen his hands grasp the cloth just the slightest bit tighter.

 “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

 “I have contacted the authorities, they will appear in just a few minutes, Mrs Dennis. I suggest you show us where you hid the possessions you stole.” Data warned her.

 She trembled vaguely “Sir… There is no reason to- we just told you where we saw the thief go!”

 “You have hidden your prize in your boy’s house, I see…” The woman looked dumbfounded, understandably. The men she had given false information to just a few minutes ago were threatening to call the police on her. Data started to explain “In the past 54 seconds, you looked at eachother with an average of 10.2 seconds in between each look. That is an average 61% higher than what is normal in human conversations. Furthermore, I deduced the loot was hidden in his house for I knew he had entered this room a few minutes after our conversation started. That would have given him enough time to quickly hide the loot if he lived above your store. He does live above your store, that is where he was, making sure no one was walking down the street as you hijacked your neighbors.”

 Geordi just grinned, Data was at it again, back on his game. He enjoyed being Watson as much as Data enjoyed being Sherlock. Watching him explain his deductions as if they were just that simple was worth every time Data got just a bit too carried away and solved the entire mystery within seconds.

 At that moment, police stormed the bakery. The starfleet officers smiled at each other, they murmured “Computer, arch.” but their voices were drowned out, buried under all the commotion.

 They left the holodeck. Another mystery solved, another shift break spent wisely. 

***

 Starfleet officers didn’t get vacation days outside of shore leave, and even then, sometimes the senior officers stayed behind. They got breaks and late nights at Ten Forward, sometimes the holodeck was even free without making previous appointments. (Although those short hours spent at the holodecks always felt like shore leave.)

 Geordi enjoyed those hours in the holodeck. Spending them with Data, whom he confidently called his best friend, was even better. Were he not with him, he might have gotten lost in a holodeck fantasy, but Data kept him grounded, grounded in his role as John Watson, at least.

 He figured they worked so well together because they weren’t that much unlike the characters they were portraying. Geordi was Data’s sidekick, the human counterpart to an android. When he’d proposed this idea to Data, his friend vehemently disagreed, Data said he would obviously be the sidekick since he was the one working to become more like Geordi. More human.

 They usually roleplayed in the holodeck on Tuesdays, this one wasn’t any different. Geordi met Data at the entrance after their shift, and they entered their small world of London.

 Data examined their surroundings attentively, while Geordi simply looked around. In the back of his mind he wondered what he was focusing on, how intrinsic his circuits were to his thought process during these small seconds. Then he turned his attention back to the holodeck. The sky was surprisingly clear for a day in London.

 Just when he’d turned to Data to ask him if he was aware of anything out of the ordinary, a man ran past them. With a quick glance, Geordi saw that the better part of a broken handcuff was still hanging onto one of his hands. Behind them, an elderly woman screamed.

 “My purse! Oh, the thief!” She sputtered “My! That man has stolen my purse!”

 Data turned to face him, his eyes were almost glistening “Watson, come! It seems a robbery is afoot.” 

 So they initiated a pursuit. Geordi admitted he found himself feeling a small thrill with the chase. It wasn’t every Tuesday they chased someone like this, most times, they investigated for a couple of hours beforehand.

 They ran after the thief, following him across seemingly random twists and turns on the streets of London. Geordi ran after Data, who wasn’t struggling to keep up with the fast pace as much as he was. After a bit, Geordi lost sight of where the criminal was headed, and they stopped dead in their tracks.

 “Damn… What now, Holmes?” He asked, but his friend was already walking again.

 “Right here, Watson.” He pointed to the cobblestone ground. “The man’s shoes left a slight mark in this precise spot. He must have slipped whilst making a sudden turn. The angle tells us he turned right. Therefore, the most logical conclusion would be...” They both turned, facing the house before them, its door slightly agape. “That he entered this building.”

 The men carefully entered the house. It had quite a grim look to it, its walls were painted dark, and the furniture was made of a dark, spiraling wood. Quietly, step by step, they explored the halls. It became quickly apparent that this was a random house the thief had broken into. There were children’s toys on the floor and books left open on tables, however, they didn’t hear a sound, be it from the residents or from the thief.

 So, Geordi followed Data, both doing their best not to make any noise. Everything was going well, they were in some sort of bedroom. That was until Geordi accidentally stepped on a nail. The nail went straight through his shoes, and although it didn’t quite pierce his skin, the grating sensation was far from pleasant, even with the Holodeck safety controls on. With an exalted yelp, he stepped to the side and slammed his thigh on the wooden bedside table, knocking over a book.

 Before he could worry about his foot, Data’s hand was covering his mouth, effectively silencing him, and he was being ushered into a closet.

 He struggled against Data’s hand. “Data, what the hell?” he started when his friend released him, but his hand was back on his face.

 “Be silent, Watson,” he whispered. That’s when he noticed steps coming from another part of the house. “We may have alerted someone to our presence.”

  Damn it , Geordi thought. Sometimes he couldn’t help his clumsiness, his VISOR was infinitely helpful, but some things, apparent to seeing people, slipped unnoticed by him. That didn’t make him feel any better. Although it didn’t escape him how Data used the word we , his emotionless friend, ever so careful not to make him feel inferior in any way.

 “Who goes there?!” A man’s voice called. It could either be a resident of the house, or the burglar. Either way, it was advisable to stay hidden.

 The steps crept closer and closer. Meanwhile, the only thing they could do was wait in silence. The only light available came through the small crack in the closet doors, allowing Geordi to observe Data’s glowing frame clearly. 

 After what felt like a few, very boring, minutes, their pursuer finally seemed to head in another direction. Geordi let out a sigh, relieved. He was expecting some offhand comment about how they were finally free, but his friend just leaned closer.  He could feel his artificial breath graze his cheek. He opened his mouth but no words came out, what was he even supposed to say? Sure, they were close, very close! But never this close. He was never this close with anyone. Swallowing, he forced his mind to calm down, Data’s just being Data. Relax, it's normal to be this close to him. You’re stuck in a closet with him.  

 “This is a very intimate situation.” Data whispered, his voice emotionless but certainly not flat. If he didn’t know better, he would say it had a huskyness to it. He huffed a laugh, or what was supposed to be one, it came out more as a wheeze.

 “Uhm… Certainly, yeah.” He whispered back. Geordi was at a loss, what was Data even doing?

 Then, as if this was a casual occurrence, Data grabbed his hand, swiftly taking them up to his lips. This could not be happening, not like this. Geordi wasn’t opposed to it, sure, he’d thought of it. Of them. A lot. But it wasn’t like this, not with them roleplaying as Sherlock and Watson, stuck in a closet. The whole situation was taken straight out of a teenager’s daydream.

 And what was of Data’s emotions? Or better said, he corrected himself, lack of them. Did he wake up on a random Tuesday with the hots for his best friend? 

 “Okay, Sherlock , what’s… What are you doing?” Geordi couldn’t just take the sight of his friend’s lips pressing into his hand at face value, as much as he wanted to.

 He took his other hand, running his fingers over his knuckles “Is this… not what we do, John?”

 Hell, Geordi was getting more confused by the second. “Seriously, Data, what’s this?”

 “Geordi, I must remind you that we are here as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.” He answered.

 That was his final straw. He opened the closet doors and stepped out. “No, Data, talk to me! What’s- why- I don’t get why you’re doing this.” His words came out jumbled.

 His friend simply tilted his head. “Is this not a described behavior between Sherlock and Watson?”

 His words stung somewhere deep inside Geordi. So it was about Sherlock Holmes. Deep breaths . “No, Data, it’s… not.”

 He didn’t know what gave him that idea. He should be okay with that, Data was confused and that was… alright, he supposed. But it still hurt, it hurt in a way that gripped his heart and squeezed it. Hard.

 “Computer, arch!” Geordi called, and the arch materialized in front of him. “Look, I’m sorry Data, I’m just not feeling it right now. Some other time we’ll finish this story.”

 He caught a glimpse of Data reaching out, about to say something. He could have heard him, but that was too painful. Instead, he turned around and left.

 The familiar smell of the ship’s hallways didn’t feel so good.

***

 Geordi hadn’t slept in over a week. Not properly, anyway.

 His thoughts ran continuously in circles, Data being the center of each of them, of course. If that wasn't bad enough, Data had taken up a new load of shifts in engineering, and Geordi found dancing around his presence quite exhausting.

 They didn't talk except for the quiet “hello” that was exchanged periodically. 

 His legs cramped,and his eyes gave him even more burning headaches than usual. His last real encounter with Data left his heart clawing at his own sanity, be it in longing or a kind of messed-up anger. He swore he hadn't meant to leave them like this, their friendship hanging on by a threat, but he had no other options (well, advisable options) left. Worrying about their friendship wasn't going to solve anything, but that didn’t stop Geordi, because Geordi, like any good engineer, was a problem solver. If he couldn’t solve a problem, he would at least think about what else he could have done for hours and hours until his head hurt and some new problem distracted him enough to let go.

 Now, he would never say he was dependent on any type of synthehol, but he figured taking up the habit of drinking a glass or two (even if he was drinking alone on a tuesday night) wouldn’t hurt. So there he was, sitting on an uncomfortable stool in Ten Forward at 2300 hours. He watched the chatter around him, not paying too much attention. Suddenly, a purple figure was standing before him.

 “Good evening, lieutenant.” Guinan greeted him.

 “Hey, Guinan.” Geordi gave her his best I-am-faking-as-best-as-I-can  smile.

 Hers was as cryptically friendly as ever. She spoke again. “So… What would you like to order?”

 “I- uh, I’d like to- uhm sorry…” He stumbled over his words. “Sorry, uh, I guess I’m still thinking.”

 Guinan cocked an eyebrow. Shit. “Take your time, Geordi.”

 She disappeared behind the counter. He quietly beat himself up for screwing up one more thing. For God’s sake, he sounded like Barclay. 

 As he was mulling over his words, the clank of a tall glass put a stop to his thoughts. He looked up, only to find Guinan’s cheshire smile.

 He shook his head. “Well- thanks.”

  She only nodded back, then vanished again. He took a sip. The green-ish liquid somehow melted in his mouth, he would say it burned through his tongue, if he didn’t know better. It was somewhat pleasant, if a bit strange. 

 Time seemed to blur. Geordi enjoyed that. He liked how his drink took his mind away from Data, from that closet, from the whole past week.

 Some last remaining string of logic urged him to take a look at the time. He suppressed a huff as he saw the clock show 0100 hours, had he really spent the past two hours drinking synthehol by himself? He felt pathetic, but he’d deal with that tomorrow.

 As he got up, he felt his legs give out beneath him. Struggling to pull himself up, he anchored an arm to the counter, glad almost no one was around to witness the scene.

 He questioned how that could have happened. Surely synthehol didn’t hold any dizzying properties. 

 “Hey, Guinan…!” Geordi called.

 She walked up to him, her eyes just slightly glazed over. At least that’s what Geordi saw at first. Looking up again, he saw a newfound mirth, which was slightly irritating seeing as he was still struggling to hold himself up. 

 “Lieutenant.” She said.

 “Guinan… Just what did you give me?” He managed to say. “What kind of synthehol is this?”

 “Well, you are assuming it’s synthehol. It’s really something more.” 

 He tilted his head, his usually sharp mind wasn’t in the right state to grasp Guinan’s often enigmatic sentences.

 “I didn’t give you synthehol.” She clarified. “I gave you something a little more… Twenty-first century.”
His brain took longer to process the information than it should have. “Alcohol? Guinan, you gave me alcohol?”

 She shrugged. “Raises your spirits. Gets your mind off things.”

 He knew he should be mad, he was given an inebriating drink without his consent, in a way, but he laughed instead. He never really did know what to expect from a woman like her. It did feel good. “Well alright, thanks.”

 Geordi didn’t look at the clock again, he wasn’t sure how much longer he spent laughing, he didn’t care much. He stayed for another drink, giddy now that he realized the world kind of spinned around him if he turned around fast enough.

 After an undefined period of time, he decided to cap things off. He felt the familiar waves of sleepiness finally coming back to him, which left him really wishing for a warm and comfortable bed, even though he feared for the hangover that would greet him in the morning. He turned to leave, quietly promising to himself that he wouldn’t drink this much ever again for as long as he was a starfleet officer. Then, he saw Data.

 Data was, for some reason, at Ten Forward past 0100 hours. And he was playing the bar’s piano.

 Geordi was somewhere between starstruck and dumbstruck. Data had been in Ten Forward beautifully playing the piano for who knows how long (without saying a word to him). He’d assumed it was just the bar’s usual background music, but now his mind was entirely on the song, and it was breathtaking, in a way.

 Data glowed when he played, even more so than usual. Sure, he always glowed to Geordi, literally, but something in his network of endlessly flowing web of cables made him shine just the tiniest bit more when his brain tuned in to the music. He was beautiful. People always said that his music was too mechanical, too precise, too robot-like. He saw so much more than that. At least in that moment, Geordi listened like his own life was hanging onto the notes, each hand movement, each key played, was perfectly synchronized with the rest of his world. No, that wasn’t especially human, but every hum of a machine he learned how to fix, the quiet thrum of a ship, the wires that always led somewhere, the warp core’s precise calibration were what he knew best. It wasn’t human, no, but it was Data, fully and wholly Data, laid there like an open book before him. That was the book he knew how to read, instinctively. Not only because he was an android, no, but because he was his best friend.

 So Geordi listened, for however long his friend played. He was drunk, tired and sappy, but he was also a bit in love.

 When Data stopped, he kept staring for just a little bit, taking in the vision. He turned to face him. “Hello, Geordi.”

 “Hey Data.”

 He got up from the piano’s seat. “Although I appreciate you listening to the piece I have composed, I should warn you it is not advisable to stay awake for so many consecutive hours.”

 “It’s great music,” He said, throwing his hands in the air. “and seeing you playing the piano kinda captured my attention.”

 Data tilted his head, as per usual. 

 “How long have you, uhm, been here?” He asked.

 “I have been here for approximately one hour, three minutes and forty-seven seconds.”

 He couldn’t help but smile. Data was closer to him now, he wasn’t sure when that happened. “Impressive indeed.”

 “Thank you, Geordi.” 

 His hand found Data’s, he pulled himself up. His head, similarly, found Data’s shoulder. For a moment he let himself stay like that, kind of mad and kind of enchanted and definitely drunk, hearing his own breath against the warm yellow uniform. He felt the heaviness of sleep draped over him like a blanket.

 “Geordi, are you feeling well?” He asked distantly. 

 That was weird, he was so close, so much closer than anything he’d ever allowed himself to be. But Geordi kept drifting away into an exhausted sleep. The lights finally turned off.

 ***

 Geordi’s pillow was extremely soft. It possessed the exact qualities a usually restless man could expect from one. It was pliable and large, and it called for him to plunge into it after a hard day in engineering.

 That was not the case of the pillow on which Geordi was resting his face.

 Opening his eyes, he felt the space around him with his hands. He was certainly on a bed, even though it was as stiff as a plank, it was a bed. 

 Soon enough, he found his VISOR. The world blossomed with color, well, his version of it. His heart skipped a beat once he recognized his best friend’s quarters.

 Had he really been so drunk last night? He couldn’t remember too much of it. He maintained a vague idea that he should be mad at Guinan for some reason and that he’d talked to Data at some point. Yes, Data was definitely there.

 His head hurt just like when his VISOR had been on for too long. Geordi detested that. He detested that when he’d just started to fit in with the world of seeing people around him, the pain came around like a reminder that no one else around him had to wear something on their eyes for hours on end. At least he and Data had always had that in common. They both saw the world differently, in a way so separated from the rest of the universe (well, humans at least) that they’d never be able to completely put themselves in the other’s shoes. As much as they tried, they would never have the same experience as their crewmates. Maybe that wasn’t so bad, they had each other.

 Except now they didn’t. Maybe they didn’t. Geordi’s head still spun in a whirl whenever he thought about that. 

 God forbid he’d wandered up to his friend’s quarters and something had happened between them. He would never forgive himself for that, especially not if he couldn’t remember it. 

 A sound coming from another room took his mind away from his thoughts. Data soon appeared at the door, standing perfectly still. “Hello, Geordi. I see you have woken up.”

 He could only imagine the state he was in. He fumbled with his shirt (silk, for some reason) in a desperate attempt to straighten it.“I have. Hey Data…”

 Data tilted his head, as per usual. “If you are experiencing the symptoms associated with the human experience of being hungover, I suggest you go to the bathroom and supply yourself with a glass of water. In my research, I have discovered many people suffer from morning sickness after ingesting large quantities of alcohol. I believe you are familiar with my quarters, however, if you wish me to accompany you to the bathroom, I would have no issue in doing so. May I also suggest you drink tea?”

 As much as some familiarity was well appreciated, Data’s formal tone could drive him crazy when he hadn’t had a single drop of coffee yet. 

 “Thanks Data, but I don’t really need to puke right now… Or to drink replicator tea.” He took his hand to his forehead in pain, groaning slightly. Hungover’s a bitch. “Uhm—if you don’t mind me asking, how did I get here, exactly?”

 Data moved closer to him, sitting on the bed. “Yes, I have also noted that when such quantities of alcohol are ingested, the side effects may include memory loss. I do not know if you remember, Geordi, but last night we met at Ten Forward. I was playing piano when you approached me and, soon after the fact, you fell asleep.“

 Geordi’s eyebrows furrowed. How drunk had he been? Data continued. “I carried you to my quarters, since they were the closest. Since I do not sleep, I placed you on the bed I had used for experimentation. You have slept until now.”

 Internally, a small part of him squealed at the thought of being carried by Data. Externally, he tried to control the way his cheeks heated up.

 “Thanks Data, really. Gee, I don’t even remember most of last night… Not even how I managed to drink alcohol and not synthehol.” He said. “I’m sorry if I interrupted your piano playing session.”

 “You do not have to apologize, Geordi. I am… glad you talked to me. Otherwise, you might have ended up passed out in a not-so-pleasant place.”

 “Your quarters are the most pleasant place?”

 “I believe they are.”

  Geordi laughed at that. Maybe more than necessary, but he missed this, the genuine happiness Data provoked in him, he missed his friend.

 “Well,” He continued. “I better get back to work. What time is it even?”

 “1100 hours, 2 minutes, 37 seconds.” Data replied, with absolute certainty.

 His heart skipped a beat. He pushed the bedsheets off of him. “What? Data I need to move. Now. I need to- to get to engineering!”

 He remained seated. “That will not be necessary.”

 Geordi searched frantically for his uniform, he was still only in his briefs and a silk pajama. “What do you mean it isn’t necessary? I have a meeting! I mean, I had a meeting. At 1000 hours!”

 “I have talked to the captain, he has provided you with a leave of one day.” Data called from the bedroom.

 The words took a second to sink into Geordi’s mind. “You did what?”

 He walked over to the bed. “When I researched how humans reacted to immense quantities of alcohol, I believed it would be in your interest to take a day off. I talked to the captain, and he agreed. I have also decided that if you do not wish to use one day of leave you have accumulated, I would utilize one of my own in your name since I have made this decision without your consent.”

 Geordi’s surprised huff turned into a hearty laugh. He was getting really good at laughing with Data again. “Data, well, thank you for thinking of that. You’re a great friend, and these past hours you’ve done way too much for me.”

 “You do not need to thank me, I enjoy your well-being.” 

 He nodded.

 “However…” His friend continued. He was listening. “I do believe you interrupted my session. I would appreciate it if we went to Ten Forward to resume it.”

 “You can count on it.”

 And so, after he’d finally found his uniform, they left their quarters as if the last weeks hadn’t happened at all. So they weren’t talking about it. He didn’t know if they would talk about it, and he also didn’t know how he felt about that. But he was glad to have his friend back, that was certain.

***

 Tuesday came by again. Geordi wasn’t completely sure if he and Data would go to the holodeck that day. He still wasn’t completely sure of anything since they’d started talking again. 

 They hadn’t ever mentioned the lapse in time during which the two senior officers that were usually tied at the hip (even though it was mostly unintentional) had avidly avoided each other. He didn’t like to think about it a lot too, so he just called it “ it” , because that made the whole process of dealing with it somewhat easier. Not that it prevented any overthinking, though.

 Of course, he’d heard a fair share of gossip about what could have happened, but when you’ve been on a starship for years on end, gossip becomes the background noise of every communal space.

 Soon enough, they were back to walking to engineering, the bridge or Ten Forward and back together. But not talking about it .

 Even though he wasn’t sure, Data seemed to be. At 1800 hours, he promptly appeared at his friend’s door, wearing a full Sherlock Holmes outfit.

 “Ah! My dear Watson!” He said, taking off his hat. “Shall you accompany me to another adventure?”

 “Did you come here already dressed as Sherlock Holmes just so you could say that?” Geordi asked.

 “Yes, indeed, Geordi. It was an attempt at humor.” He responded, stepping out of character and in again. “I have deduced, due to the high flow of officers going west, during my walk here, that Holodeck 2 is free for this moment. Of course, I may be wrong, but I am right more often than not. Will you come?”

 Geordi glanced at his costume, up on a hanger in his bedroom. He thought of how he’d missed being John Watson almost as much as he’d missed Data.

 That was a slight exaggeration.

 He’d really missed Data. 

 “Is that even a question?” He asked.

 “Yes, it is.” His friend looked briefly confused, and Geordi couldn’t help but smile.

 “Well, I shall certainly accompany you, my good sir.”

 His friend turned to the door. “Then let us proceed!”

 He followed suit, scrambling to grab his costume as Data was already far ahead. When he caught up, they settled back into their usual synchronised pace.

 “Got anything programmed for us today?” He asked.

 “You will see.” Data smiled, even if with too many teeth.

 They quickly found the entrance to Holodeck 2. After a short moment in which Geordi put on his coat and hat, they passed through the arched door into a cold and crowded street in London.

 Once again, he looked around. “Nothing out of the ordinary in sight…”

 “Ah…! But you are wrong, Watson!”

 “How come?” His eyebrows furrowed. “There’s, quite literally , nothing out of the ordinary.”

 Data turned around dramatically and pointed up. “Not at eye level.”

 They turned their heads. Geordi still couldn’t tell what the difference was, and his companion must have been able to sense that. He always did.

 “The windows were left open. Quite common.” He said. “However…”

 “However…?”

 He pointed to the neighboring window, instead. “This one, even though it belongs to the same house, is only slightly lifted up.”

 “You think someone tried to break into the house? A robbery, perhaps?”

 “Correct.”

 Geordi walked over to the building’s front door. Just slightly ajar. He pushed against it and it opened in an instant. 

 “If someone broke in, say, at night, chances are that maybe it was already daytime when they tried to leave. A street as crowded as this one is bound to notice a man climbing out of a window. Therefore, the front door.” Geordi explained to his almost-surprised friend, pleased with himself. “Should we enter?”

 “Yes, very good. I believe we should.” He approved.

 His heart performed a small somersault.

 Both men entered the house calmly, as to avoid any suspicion. 

 It was empty, as far as they could tell. They perused it calmly, but they weren’t able to detect any footsteps. Much like the last house they’d explored, its interior was decorated in a timely fashion. It was cold, which could have meant that no one had been home for quite a while (Data had taught him that one).

 “We’re becoming quite proficient at this.” He joked.

 “Yes, we are. I hope it does not bother you.”

 “It’s fun, really.” He shrugged.

 “Then we will continue.”

 “We never did finish the last holodeck story…” He added, mumbling to himself, but Data didn’t seem to hear. 

 After a few minutes of dutiful snooping around, Geordi heard a voice calling him from another room. He entered the hall. “Holmes?”

 His friend’s head appeared past the doorframe from the master bedroom. “Watson, I believe you might wish to see this.”

 His head disappeared again. He hurried after him.

 When he reached said room, he felt a strong hand pull him towards something. Before he had a chance to react, there was a loud noise, creaking and a slam. Everything was suddenly dark around him. He was in a closet. A dark closet with its doors closed. With Data. Again.

 Really, he thought they were over this! He forced himself not to cover his eyes like a kid and wish the whole situation away. He didn’t want to go through the same thing once again.

 “Hello, Geordi.” Data greeted him.

 “Cut the crap Data, what are you doing?” He tried to shout, but his voice came out strained.

 He raised a hand, motioning for Geordi to wait, but the effect was all but lost since they had less than 30 inches between them. “Please listen.”

 He took a few breaths. He just needed air. They were so close and he was mad, but he couldn’t be, he couldn't allow himself to be. That was Data in front of him. That was his best friend and deep down he knew that he would allow him any amount of uncomfortable meetings in dark closets if he was asked to.

 “Yes, fine. Sorry.” He whispered. “Keep talking.”

 “I believe I, as humans tend to say, owe you an explanation.”

 Geordi didn’t reply, so Data kept talking. “I have brought you to this place because its conditions are close to the one in which I upset you. Counselor Troi informed me that people usually talk to others about subjects that are related to their current situation. I modified this program so I could relate our current conditions to the ones we experienced weeks ago.”

 He doubted the counselor meant for him to get them both in a closet again, but at least now he understood why he had been ushered into a closet once again. Data continued. “Some weeks beforehand, I was in Ten Forward when I overheard a group of ensigns talking about the Sherlock Holmes novels. I have often been told that eavesdropping is disrespectful, however, I could not stop myself. They were referring to the characters of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson as if they were in a romantic partnership. A couple. That did not match the records I had maintained about them in my own reading of the novels.”

 “Yeah, I mean, loads of people think they’d be a nice couple.” Geordi added. He briefly thought to himself what an odd conversation it was to have inside of a closet.

 “That is the conclusion I reached, after reading the original novels once again, as well as a large quantity of fan stories. I was not sure if I agreed with the proposed idea, so I decided to see what I thought for myself, in an effort to better my understanding of human relationships.”

 “And?” He asked. Had Data really been using him to test a theory? “What did you think?”

 “I did not reach a satisfying conclusion. Even though we share many similarities with the characters, we have many differences that make it impossible to test my hypothesis.”

 His hypothesis. His theory. Geordi really was right all along, it was all a kind of messed up and misguided experiment. He really wanted to shut his eyes and find himself simply waking up from a strange dream in which the past month had never happened. He’d tell bits of it to Data, who would certainly find it entertaining, if illogical. He was ready to let go of the whole idea of them. Them together as… well, as anything. They were friends and this was as far as they’d go. A Sherlock Holmes fan theory.

 “However, Geordi, I would like to explore another possibility.” He added. “Would you like to initiate a romantic partnership with me?”

 Oh. 

 “Wait, what?” He asked, incredulously. Was he serious? Why? How? He had so many, way too many questions.

 “In my study, I found that we share many characteristics with healthy couples. I believe we would form, as you said, a nice couple.”

 He was too stunned to say a word. They remained in silence while Geordi grasped uselessly for anything to say, but his mind was suddenly empty and he came short. 

 “I am, to speak in human terms, quite fond of you, Geordi.” He said, after a silent moment. “My neural pathways have adjusted to your presence in my life. If you do not correspond, I still wish us to be friends.”

 Screw it. “You’re not just testing something, another hypothesis, are you?”

 “I am not.”

 To hell with it, with everything that could go horribly wrong. His throat felt strained as he swallowed dryly, but maybe he should give his heart a chance. He let himself feel how it raced so fast, almost too fast. This time, he was the one grabbing Data’s hand. “Let’s not talk about this in the Holodeck, okay?”

 “As you wish Geordi.”

***

 The two men walked in silence to Ten Forward. Geordi didn’t want to take them to his quarters, somehow that felt too intimate. It seemed that they always somehow ended up in the Enterprise’s bar, anyway.

 They took their seats near the window. It gave Geordi the perfect excuse to pretend to observe the stars that passed them by while thinking of what to say.

 He faced Data, who seemed to be watching him fiddling with his drink whilst ignoring his own. Suddenly, he leaned in closer. “I have not told you this, but this is not the first time I have considered the possibility of me and you beginning a romantic relationship.”

 Geordi’s face mellowed into a smile. “Is that so?”

 “I did not wish to ruin our friendship.” He said. Data wasn’t shy, but he almost seemed like it. He watched the way his gaze took its turn to look out the window. He leaned in closer too.

 “Do you think we can do this?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

 “I believe that if I could not be successful with you, then I could not be successful with anyone.” He said firmly, golden eyes locking with his own. 

  And that was it. That was them. At that moment, Geordi found that he related to the same universal truth. If, in the whole expanse of space they’d ever explored, he’d found the one person he couldn’t be apart from, then he’d have to jump at the opportunity. Screw his reckless heart or his shaky hands. That was his chance, and he’d be stupid not to do everything in his power to make it work.

 They were so close. He wanted them to be close. Closer, even. 

 In a fraction of a second, their lips were locked together. It was so brief, barely a proper kiss, but it made him relax with the relief of having years of stolen glances and shameful thoughts lifted from his shoulders. It felt good. More than good, it felt right.

 He didn’t say anything in the seconds after, he was too busy smiling.

 “I have enjoyed this experience.” Data said, breaking the silence. 

 He chuckled heartily as he interlaced Data’s fingers with his own. “So have I. We should definitely do it more often.” 

 “I would also like to propose another activity.” He stated, Geordi looked up at his eyes, giddy. “I would like for us to go on dates, perhaps in the Holodeck, if you would not mind.”

 He thought about it for a bit. He really didn’t. This time it was about them, Geordi and Data. Not a theory about Holmes and Watson, this was their turn.

 “No, not at all. Let’s see… Next Saturday?” He proposed.

 “I would find that very satisfactory.”

 “So would I.”