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Gillian had a thrum of nervousness running through her all day. It was an excited kind of nervousness - not fear so much as anticipation, mixed up with a little uncertainty. Today was the day. She’d been doing research on her own time, but research could only get her so far without trying out some practical applications, and Saavik would be coming over to her quarters after their respective shifts. She knew Saavik wouldn’t be upset or make fun of her if she got this wrong, but she also really, really wanted to get it right.
So she was a little nervous.
They barely saw each other during the day, their duties keeping them in different parts of the ship for the most part, and the few times they did cross paths they had no time for anything other than a quick hello. Even that much made Gillian feel slightly giddy, like she’d regressed back to the days when they’d first met and just being in the same room as Saavik gave her butterflies.
The day dragged, and dragged, and Gillian struggled to stay focused on her work, but finally the clock ticked over and she was released. She shoveled down a quick dinner in the mess and went right to her room, which was a mistake; it always took Saavik a little longer to wind down her shift and come see her, and Gillian was so worked up she couldn’t do anything more than pace around her room, occasionally picking up a book or a PADD with the intent of doing something productive, and then inevitably putting it back down again. When her door chimed she’d been standing by the small window, watching the waves outside lap against the glass, and she almost hit her head on the low ceiling in her haste to go open it.
Saavik stepped inside, unruffled and gorgeous as always. She was right on time, of course; it was Gillian who’d zoned out and lost track of what was going on. If she noticed that Gillian was a little all over the place, she didn’t comment on it.
“Hi,” Gillian said, still a little flustered, although seeing Saavik in the flesh actually helped her calm down. Saavik wasn’t scary in the slightest. “How was your day?”
Saavik sat down on Gillian’s bed, crosslegged. The first time she’d done that - before they’d gotten around to voicing anything about feelings or attraction - Gillian had just gaped at her like an idiot, trying to figure out if Saavik was implying something. Later (much later) she’d asked, and Saavik had said that there was nowhere else to sit in her room, so where else should she have gone? Which was, of course, logical, but it had done a number on Gillian’s nerves. Eventually she’d learned to appreciate Saavik’s forthrightness. When she wanted you to know something, she said it, and that was that.
“Not entirely satisfactory,” Saavik said. “I did not complete everything I’d planned to. But there will be time tomorrow.”
“It was busy for me, too,” Gillian said, still hovering near the bed. Saavik inclined her head invitingly, and Gillian gave in. Sitting like this together always made her feel like she was a kid again, at a sleepover with a friend that inspired all sorts of confusing feelings - less confusing now, though, which was nice. “I’m not sure I’ve had a single quiet day here, really. But it’s all been worth it.” In the beginning, there had been days where she’d been overwhelmed by what she’d done and what she’d left behind. Now, she knew she’d done the right thing - the right thing for George and Gracie, the right thing for herself.
“Your presence here - in this time and on this ship - has been highly advantageous,” Saavik said. Her voice was even and calm, but Gillian knew her well enough by now to take that as the romantic declaration it was. She smiled fondly at her, and didn’t even panic when Saavik reached out for her, two fingers extended.
Gillian shifted a little closer to her on the bed and said, “Tell me if I’m doing this wrong.” Instead of touching the inside of Saavik’s fingers in an ozh’esta, Gillian touched the back, trailing her fingers down, down, over the back of her hand to her wrist - and then back up, using all four fingers and applying a little more pressure. It didn’t exactly come naturally to her, but she’d expected that, and any awkwardness was blown away by the way Saavik’s eyes darkened, the way her lips parted wordlessly, the way the tip of her tongue slipped out to wet them…
“Sooooo,” Gillian said a little while later, now sprawled out on her back, the blankets rumpled beneath her. “How’d I do? Not too bad for a first try?” Sexy hand-touching may not have been instinctive for her, but she’d gotten the impression that Saavik had appreciated it nonetheless.
“You must practice more,” Saavik said with false severity. One of her hands was tangled in Gillian’s hair, the other still holding onto one of Gillian’s.
“Cultural exchange is important,” Gillian said in the same tone, and tugged her closer once more.