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The sky is beautiful.
Harry had forgotten it, somehow.
Or — perhaps that isn't quite the right word. He's been on plenty of missions planet-side, after all, these past seven years. The stars change, the quality of sunlight shifts, but in the end, an M-class planet is an M-class planet.
The open blue skies overhead are always beautiful, especially after a long stint with nothing but steel ceilings.
The soft breeze ruffling his hair always makes it easier to draw a full breath after weeks of recycled air.
And yet, all those planets had never been home.
"Funny," Tom says by his side, hiking a bag over his shoulder with one hand and using the other to shield his eyes. "There was a time when I thought anywhere in the universe would be better than this."
Harry looks towards him. He's opted to beam his luggage to their temporary quarters in San Francisco straight away, all but his clarinet, and now he fidgets idly with the straps.
Funny, indeed. For seven years Harry has wanted nothing more than to return to Earth. Yet now that they're finally here, he finds himself itching for the familiar corridors of Voyager. He's having trouble sleeping without the reverberations of the hull. He's even found himself missing Neelix's cooking.
"I'm not sure I know how to be back," he confesses.
Earth is home, but it's also not the home they left. There's been a host of technical advances, terabytes of new survey information. There are new treaties forged, new ship models being built. More than that, there are the deep scars left by a war that missed them completely. No one Harry left behind is quite how he remembers them.
Worst of all, he's changed, too. He's no longer that green officer that let himself be swindled out of his pay by a seedy bartender. He's not quite as hopeful about the future, not quite as quick to follow orders unquestioningly. Yet he's also more confident in his skin, and he knows those old friends don't know how to connect with him anymore either.
Tom claps him on the back. "Hey. Look at me. One step at a time, alright? You don't need to overthink it. Besides, you aren't alone. We'll be here with you."
The reassurance doesn't manage to land. There are so many people on Voyager that have gone straight back to their loved ones on an extended leave. So many that are already rearing to go onto a new mission. Tom has a new family member to consider.
"Do you promise?" he asks, wincing as soon as the words leave his mouth. He doesn't think he can take Tom teasing him now. Harry has always liked puzzles, but ever since they came back, he fears he's a piece that no longer fits.
"We have a bed with your name on it. For as long as you need it."
"Even if it's for a long time?" Harry asks, though he can hear Tom's sincerity.
"Even if it's forever."
And or the first time since he stepped back on Earth, Harry finds the strength to believe in the future.