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“Hey, Em, can you tell me what this means?”
Jesse and Emily were on the floor, lying back to back. The redhead had shed her jacket in favor of wrapping it around the scientist behind her. She smirked at the way Emily blushed when she did so. All the lights were off in the small office space, save for a lamp that was turned on across from Jesse’s head. Their heads rested against small pillows. Jesse had a hand under hers while Emily rested her free hand on top of the soft material. There were various documents and folders scattered around them, waiting to be read or already discarded for a later date.
Emily held her hand out, reaching for the paper Jesse was holding. She glanced at the title and skimmed through the page, furrowing her brows. “Hmm. I’m not exactly sure. Maybe it has something to do with an undiscovered AI. Or even an old AWE. Most of the text here is redacted.”
“Ah,” Jesse hummed. “Another thing to look in to?” She felt Emily nod in agreement. The blonde pushed the page aside and began reading a new one. After a few moments of comfortable silence, Jesse groaned.
“Fuck, I’ve got a headache,” Jesse complained, leaning further into Emily.
“I can get you a Tylenol,” Emily suggested. “I think we have a group medicine cabinet somewhere around here.” But Jesse shook her head.
“No, I just…” she hesitated, feeling suddenly small. “The words are blurry.”
“Oh.” Emily furrowed her brows in worry and confusion. “We can take a break then. Besides, we’ve been at this for a few hours.” Again Jesse shook her head. The blonde pushed herself up slightly, glancing at her from the corner of her eye. “Jess?”The redhead hesitated again, her pulse rising in nervousness and vulnerability. Emily turned fully to face her girlfriend, worry taking over her.
“I… used to have glasses,” Jesse admitted, fidgeting. “Back when I was fourteen or fifteen, my eyesight started getting blurrier and blurrier. I didn’t have money, or insurance, or… opportunity to, um, get glasses. So whenever I’d see a stray pair somewhere I’d take them. I…” Jesse swallowed. “I’d steal some too. After a while I was worried the big bad agents from Ordinary would recognize me, or identify me easier. So, uh, I’d just… not wear them. Eventually I was able to see most things, but my eyesight is still blurry. Especially when reading.”
“Oh…” Emily breathed. “I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay,” Jesse waved her hand, an easy grin resting on her face. “I can see details when I’m up close to something or someone. For example,” Jesse flipped to face Emily, still grinning. “I can see you perfectly.” The blonde blushed, giggling while she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.
“You’re such a dork.” She murmured. “Still, I don’t want you struggling. Why don’t we see if we can get you some glasses now that you’re not running anymore?” The redhead widened her eyes slightly, and Emily could see Polaris shining through. If she really focused, she could see every single small blue speck in Jesse’s bright, beautiful ocean eyes. She couldn’t help but smile lovingly at the details in Jesse’s face.
“I-I mean,” Jesse cleared her throat. “That… would be nice, actually. Maybe I could go tomorrow?”
“Babe, it’s four in the morning, neither of us are getting up early enough,” Emily laughed. “I’ll set an appointment up for you.” They both smiled at each other, light and soft. “Why don’t we get some rest for now? We can finish going through all this tomorrow.” Jesse nodded. Emily shrugged off Jesse’s jacket before situating herself into a more comfortable position. Jesse sat up and pulled a nearby blanket over them both, tucking her lover in before snuggling against her.
“Maybe I can go back to school too,” Jesse murmured, already half asleep. “I never got to graduate.”
“That sounds good,” Emily nodded against the redhead’s chest, her mind already coming up with ideas on what Jesse could study. “I’ll help you out with whatever you need.”
“Thank you.” Jesse slurred. Within moments she was fast asleep, her breathing constant and soft. Emily smiled, and soon fell asleep too.