Work Text:
The first time they met was at an international astronomy summer camp in Eichendorf, Germany.
Many years down the road, Annya would still remember it well, as if it had been the day before. That first glimpse at the other girl, still at the great hall of the hostel they would be staying.
She had thought, before leaving her home in St. Petersburg, that she might feel nervous at first, but instead all she had felt was incredibly jet legged and quite a bit irritated at the absolute incompetence of the staff to get some semblance of order in he place. It was then that she first heard it: a laugh so warm and bright, it could only have belonged to the sun itself. As the blind man seeks the light, Annya had turned around faster than ever before in her life, looking for the source of such a joyful sound, just to settle her eyes on this pretty young thing of about 16 years old, with short sunflower hair and the bluest eyes she had ever seen.
Later, she would learn the girl’s name was Amelia. That she was American, a Yankee, and the most annoying little shit she would ever have the displeasure to meet. And also that her presence alone could light up a room (looking at the stars at night turned out being quite a difficult task, when the other said girl obfuscated everything).
She would also remember that they had not, in fact, gotten along at first.
Turns out age differences and language barriers - as Annya had been 18 back then, with a limited English vocabulary and an even poorer German - can not hold back two people determined to hate each other and, thus, a rivalry had been born. Annya had hated the girl’s superiority complex and unbearable idealism. How loud and brash and unnerving she could be and how that literal kid had the nerve to challenge her in her own thing. Amelia, on the other hand, seemed to hate Annya’s own brand of idealism. She would call the Russian creepy and pessimistic. Thought she was too unnerving. Too quiet. Too sarcastic.
Because they were unable to get along, the group leaders tried to keep them on different groups, but even that hadn't been enough to keep the girls from each other’s guts. Despite hardly taking part on the same projects, they always found ways to compete and try to out do one another, even on the smallest things.
On the last night of the camp, however, something changed. The world shifted on it’s axis. It was almost imperceptible, and most people would never know of its occurrence, but Annya could feel it in her bones as young and wild and competitive and annoying and beautiful Amelia placed her sleeping bad beside her own on the grass.
In the middle of a science camp - a miracle.
Three words.
“Do you mind?”, Amelia had asked, looking uncertain. Annya had thought the expression was unflattering on the other girl.
“Yes”, she had said, even though she didn’t. Amelia ignored the Russian and settled on her side anyway.
“The sky is very clear today. Aren’t you glad we get to see the stars so well on our last night here? They look so beautiful!”, the girl had said between bites on her hot-dog.
Annya had hummed in agreement.
“I’ll miss this place” the Russian admited, looking at the american girl.
And then the other had stopped eating and looked back at her with a shy smile on her face as an exitant hand covered her own.
Annya gulped. Amelia looked back up at the sky. The world still.
“'I’ll miss this place too”
Annya thought of supernovas as her heart speed up.
*
Many years went on before they got to see each other again, so much so that Annya had lost all hope of it ever happening (but then again, in the 5 years that followed that summer camp a lot had happened, indeed, there were far too many people she knew she would never see again). The Anerican had always had a knack to surprisibg Annya, however, to make the impossible sudenly under the realms of possibility. Despite all that though, the Russian could barely believe her eyes when it happened, but there was no mistaking - even with the dirty on her face and the blood on her clothes, it was impossible not to recognized her, Amelia F. Jones, in flesh and bones.
And what a sight Amelia had been, standing there, on the top of a forgotten cargo truck holding a battered baseball bat, the downing sun shinning behind her and the girl’s short hair waving with the wind. She had looked like hell, but also like something out of one of those superhero movies the American had used to like so well.
Maybe she had finally gone mad, Annya had thought to herself, if her mind was already pulling tricks like this on her.
“Annya?” The girl asked, and the Russian still couldn’t believe in what was happening. “Annya Braginskaya?”
“You’ve always had quite a flair for the dramatics Jones, but that’s a bit much even for you, yes?”
The girl laughed easy and carefree, jumping on the ground. For the first time in a long time, Annya felt herself smile too.
“You should be thanking me!! I’ve just saved your ass from that zombie!”, Said the other, still laughing a bit, but clearly a little annoyed as well. “And what are you doing hanging around without a weapon? Do you have a death wish or something??“
"I was burying some relatives” she said, simply, motioning for the shovel she was still carrying on her left hand. She thought about adding that everything had been under control, or teasing the other about her hero complex, but decided to forego all those things and hug the girl instead, barely registering Amelia’s stuttered apologize “Shh, be quiet, yes? You’ve always talked too much.”
“I cant believe you’re alive” said the other, hugging back after a moment of shock, words muffled by Annya’s shoulder.
That night the sky was once again clear as the now women laid side by side, giving Annya a sense of déjà vu, looking up at the stars together like that as they had done so long ago. They talked for a long time, and about everything. About themselves, parallel universes, far away galaxies and happy ends that sounded too much like fairy tails for their hardened souls. Amelia still tried to be optimistic, but the naive girl Annya had once met was no more.
It was so strange, she thought, how even thought the world was a mess and they could die at any given moment, now that she had re-encountered Amelia, all seemed well. As they kissed, Annya couldn’t help but think there was nowhere else she would rather be.
And just like that, for the second time, the world shifted, if only slightly.
A glimpse of happiness at the end of times.