Chapter Text
A part of Data’s positronic brain was always occupied with the thought of Geordi. This had been that way since they had become friends.
Data had always admired Geordi. Ever since the day they met. His perfect memory recalled that day without any problem.
He had been sent to coordinate some repairs in main engendering. He had almost finished working on them when the new shift started, and that was when Geordi had first talked to him. He was just an ensign at the time.
-Hello- he had said nervously- Reporting for duty, sir.-
Data didn’t really have a “first impression” of people like others did, but he distantly remembered accessing the crews file to discover that he was talking to Ensign Geordi La Forge, one of the best students of the academy. He also remembered thinking that Geordi looked kind. For that one, he didn’t really have an explanation at the time.
Geordi had then spent the next few hours stealing glances at Data, who obviously noticed. He supposed it was because he was an android, and Data secretly hoped this new ensign didn’t consider him unfit to work on the enterprise simply because he was an android.
He couldn’t have been more wrong.
-I’m sorry- Geordi had said after some time, approaching him- May I ask you a question?-
-I will make my best effort to answer it-
-You are commander Data right?-
-Correct-
-And, i’m sorry if this is rude in any way, but is it true that you are an artificial life form?-
-Yes. I am an android- Data was used to this kind of question, but Geordi had asked in a way that was so genuine it had just surprised him.
Geordi’s face had visibly lit up at that answer.
He had then proceeded to ask 14 different questions about Data’s programing and 10 other questions about his life. He had been so curious, but in a way that was flattering, because it was obvious that he was interested in getting too know Data as a person, not just some complex machine.
Maybe, Data thought, that was when he had started to fall for Geordi. The feelings had been there for so long, small at first, and growing with every encounter. They had grown and grown so subtly that Data never realized until it was so obvious that he couldn’t ignore them anymore. He couldn’t deny that he had feelings anymore, because maybe he always had them, but only Geordi managed to cause an impression on him strong enough to make him realize.
Even before knowing it was love; Data had always thought he was so lucky to be friends with him. He never had friends before joining the enterprise. Geordi was his first friend, his best friend.
In a way, he still was.
Data could always count on Geordi for anything, whether it be explaining a joke he didn’t understand, or fixing any kind of problem on his system. To be known inside out like that, was a special thing that they had. No one understood Data’s positronic system better than Geordi, except maybe Dr Soong, and Data couldn’t think of anyone else he would trust with his repairs.
Data suspected that he might be biased, but to him, Geordi was the best at his job there was. He always managed to invent creative and effective solutions to impossible problems. He was remarkably clever, and never seemed to forget anything about the enterprises systems, no matter how insignificant.
But Geordi’s charm wasn’t just in his abilities, no matter how impressive they were. Data had always thought they were impressive.
No, Geordi’s charm was mostly in Geordi’s personality. His technical abilities were the way they were because Geordi was always eager to learn, to improve himself. He was curious, dedicated and never afraid to ask when he didn’t understand something, even if that happened rarely. Geordi was an amazing leader, and creative with his ideas. He wasn’t afraid to try new things. He loved his job, and always gave his best to anything that he did.
Geordi was always brave and resilient too, in a way Data had always adored. He had been through a lot in his life, but he had always managed to surpass all the difficulties. He wasn’t stopped by his natural complete lack of sight, not now or ever. Instead, he found ways to turn it into an advantage, always providing a unique perspective on things. Maybe it had been his uniqueness that had brought them together in the first place.
Data had always thought that they complemented each other in some way.
Data was also especially fond of Geordi’s sense of humor. He always added a funny note to situations, and had seemed to find a way to look at life that was simply witty. After all their years together, his were the jokes he understood the most. He still missed some of them, but Geordi was always eager to explain.
Data could never find the words to tell Geordi how much that meant to him. Over the first years of his life, Data had grown used to being treated differently. Like he was just a computer with legs. Geordi had been one of the first people to truly respect him. Not to pretend he wasn’t human, but to love him as he was. Not despite being an android, but in part because of it. Because that was an essential part of Data’s existence and identity. To be fascinated by how he worked and admire him as a unique life form, who deserved the same rights as anyone else.
Geordi was never condescending, always kind. Always. And not only to him, of course. Data knew that Geordi was compassionate and gentle by nature, and never disrespected anyone unless they deserved it. And if they did, he was righteous, and always defended what was right. He had a strong moral code, and stood up against injustice in a way that most people didn’t dare too. Another of the ways in which Geordi was brave.
Another thing that Data had always loved was how Geordi was just so beautiful. It was clear from the moment they met that Data had always thought that, even if he didn’t realize it. Data loved the way Geordi smiled, how his lips moved when he was laughing, and even the sound of his laughter was irresistible. Data loved his hair, especially the texture of it. He had had a lot of fun when Geordi started experimenting with a beard.
Data loved the shape of Geordi’s face, he loved his hands, his nose, his profile, everything. Data couldn’t think about a part of Geordi that he didn’t love.
He also loved his eyes and his visor. It was a part of Geordi. He always found that the shape of the visor was quite flattering, and it was one of the things that made Geordi, well, Geordi.
But Data also liked Geordi’s white eyes. He was one of the few people that Geordi felt comfortable enough to be without his visor. Data would always be grateful for that.
Later on, he would also love the way Geordi’s implants on his eyes looked too.
He had thought all these thing hundreds of times. A part of him would never understand how not everyone was completely and utterly in love with him like Data was.
Because to Data, Geordi mattered more than anything, and to is eyes, he was the most perfect person to ever exist, and Data could never find the words to express it in its completion.