Flotta Stellare alle anime gemelle
Posted on Sat Nov 2nd, 2024 @ 3:42pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami
776 words; about a 4 minute read
Adrianna had returned to her home in Rome just a day before, her steps heavy as she finally crossed the threshold into the quiet of her apartment. It had been a week since Vance’s death– a week of endless paperwork, sorting through memories, and saying goodbye to parts of him that felt too alive to let go. She’d gone through his belongings, one by one, in his small, cluttered home in the States, every item a reminder of his touch, his scent, his laugh. She had packed away his life, the pieces of him scattered across a life they could never fully share, and carried the weight of it back with her. The emptiness felt sharper here, in the familiar comfort of her home, where he had only existed in dreams. She had to destroy everything that may have mentioned her, for the sake of her job, but she couldn't destroy everything– she couldn't even bring herself to track down his mother to tell her.
The ache had followed her, hollow and relentless, until it settled deep in her ribs, and that was where she needed him to stay– close to her heart, in a place untouched by time or death. So she found herself that night in a quiet tattoo studio in the heart of Rome, seeking a way to anchor him to her permanently.
The tattoo studio was tucked away on a narrow, cobbled street in Rome, a familiar haunt that felt like a sanctuary in her grief. The artist, Lucia, was an old friend from school, someone who had seen her through the wild, younger days before Starfleet and before Vance. She’d barely recognised her when she stepped in, but one look into her eyes, and she’d offered her a quiet nod, understanding without asking.
Adrianna sat quietly in the tattoo artist's chair, her hand resting protectively over her ribcage as Lucia prepared for the ink to carve a memory into her skin. The room was dim and quiet, a stark contrast to the vibrant, chaotic life they’d once shared. She whispered the phrase, "Flotta Stellare alle anime gemelle," as if saying it aloud might summon him back. The words– Starfleet to soulmates– were her own secret eulogy, a vow to carry him forward in the only way she knew how.
When she murmured, "Flotta Stellare alle anime gemelle," Lucia gave her a searching look, sensing the gravity of it. Lucia didn’t press for more, though– she had always known how to read between Adrianna's silences. As she prepared her tools, Adrianna felt a strange comfort in the familiarity of Lucia, a reminder of simpler times. Lucia was more than a friend tonight; she was the bridge to memories she couldn’t bear to lose.
The familiar hum of the tattoo needle began, vibrating against her ribs, but her mind drifted back to another tattoo, another night. She could almost feel Vance's warm hand steadying her side, the sting of the needle softened by his laughter as he inked a tiny tally mark just above her hip. Adrianna had barely made it out of that incident, a stupid prank gone wrong– a glitter bomb that had nearly cost her. When she’d laughed it off, he’d agreed on giving her a tally, a mark they both knew symbolised the lives she had brushed against but didn’t lose. “Let this be your last,” he had murmured as his fingers traced her skin, and in that small, simple moment, she felt more bound to him than ever.
But now, the silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the buzz of the needle that seemed to echo in her bones. Her chest felt hollow, the ache settling somewhere deeper as the tattoo artist moved methodically along her ribs. Adrianna let the pain of each stroke anchor her, the memory of Vance’s touch a bittersweet ghost against her skin. The two of them had shared a language of touches and glances, a rhythm only they understood– a world that existed outside duty, beyond Starfleet and beyond her mission.
When the artist finally pulled back, Adrianna looked down at the words etched in her skin. "Starfleet to soulmates." Her fingers brushed over the fresh ink, her touch gentle yet trembling. This tattoo was for no one but herself– a private vow, a piece of him she would carry for the rest of her days. He was gone, but now, he was imprinted on her forever, etched beneath the surface, right next to the memories that had kept them together in ways even she hadn’t fully understood.
RSS Feed