MOVING SPACES
based on 'The Martian' by Andy Weir

Sebastian Stan as Chris Beck

music: oh wonder, plans
cover by lewis watson and dodie
https://youtu.be/4Z5HVGj6GtY

❝ we'll be scraping the skies
with out fingertips,
screaming: this is the life,
we were born for this

see I've got plans to get to you
you know, don't you know ❞

*:･ﾟ✧

While pouring a lot of milk into his steaming-hot cup of coffee, young aerospace surgeon and astronaut Christopher Beck took a delighted look at the window.

He still couldn't quite believe that, only a few weeks ago, he was up there, out in the mesmerising unknown, among stars and satellites and everything that used to decorate his teenage bedroom. Just the thought of it would make his heart beat a little faster, detaching him from the planet for another split second.

And yet it was time for the brunette to take a break from the office, and as much as he would miss his crew friends — whom he had promised to meet up with —, some well-deserved rest could do no harm. As extraordinary as it sounded, he had to get back to earth-life.

Chris took a long sip of coffee, reluctant to remove his fingers from the warm surface of the mug, and slightly tilted his wrist to get a better view of the dark blue lines adorning his skin. At least in space, he didn't have to worry about soulmates. Despite all of his degrees, that was the only thing he could never explain, or even try to understand.

People would be born with tattoos, each one of them having a match, and fate would eventually bring them together. Other relationships just wouldn't work out, no matter how much effort the pairs would put into them. Nobody had a single clue about the way it functioned, but for some reason the stories would always find a way to repeat themselves, engraved in humanity as some kind of miracle.

And the problem was that Chris' tattoo kept itching since he came back, which meant that his soulmate was somewhere near. Close enough for him to sense it. But where?

☆*:･ﾟ

"How's space Iron-Man doing ?" Martinez greeted Mark with a crooked grin, just as happy as everybody else to see their friend safe and sound, back on Earth in one piece. Of course, it would be impossible to act as if nothing had happened during their mission, but approaching it with humour was a great solution.

"Missing the quiet and welcoming land of Mars" responded the astronaut, making the group chuckle because of his usual wittiness. It felt very heartwarming, especially for captain Lewis, to witness that Mark Watney hadn't left his sense of humour in space.

And having dinner with his friends after an obligatory appointment with his psychologist made Chris feel a lot better as well. Not that he hated the therapy sessions, it actually helped him not to keep everything shut inside his mind, but his crew made everything a lot easier to handle. He smiled wholeheartedly, patting Mark's arm as he took a seat.

Their time together even made him forget about his soulmate worries, the young man rather concentrating on taking part in conversations and quietly laughing at their jokes. That was where he belonged to, and where he would love to spend the rest of his days. Maybe not always in a spaceship, but surrounded by the people he cared for so deeply.

Once dinner was over and the doctor found himself walking back home, his brain just couldn't stop buzzing with joy despite his tired body. His organism would probably luckily dive straight into bed, but he still took the longest way home to clear his head before going to sleep. With a bit of luck, he might be able to witness some early stars.

And maybe try to figure out what was going on with that tattoo issue.

☆*:･ﾟ

There he was again, sitting at the kitchen counter. Chris had brushed his teeth and taken a hot shower, his skin all warm and clean under the Nasa jumper he was wearing. Slow music was playing from his phone, making the young man's head bounce unconsciously as he was running his fingers across his wrist once again; the tattoo had started itching even harder since he had reached home.

Like everyone else, the surgeon had heard many stories about the way soulmates met for the first time, but having never experienced it himself, there was no way he could guess what was about to happen. He just had to wait and see.

Nevertheless the doorbell suddenly hummed, making his stomach tickle intensely. The brunette blinked several times, abruptly pulled out of daydreaming. Did someone just rang the bell? It chimed again.

Chris left his spot, now rushing to the door while pushing his damp hair back and straightening his clothes to look somewhat presentable, and unlocked the door to discover who had decided to pay him a visit.

"Good evening" the vertical wooden surface revealed a young y/gender, their face illuminated by the soft light of the corridor. "I'm really sorry to bother you, I-"

But they couldn't finish their sentence, slightly shifting back in surprise. Chris could practically feel the ink carved in his arm.

"I live next door and my microwave just broke" they managed to continue, breaking eye contact as their cheeks flushed. "Would it be possible to borrow yours? I totally understand if not, I'm sorry."

"Yes of course" the astronaut answered right away, giving them a confused smile. He stepped aside, letting them inside the flat, but really all he could focus on was his tattoo pleasantly burning. "Did you-"

Something was about to happen — or was it happening already?

"Did you feel that too?"

☆*:･ﾟ

"I've got a thousand questions" Chris astonishingly smiled at the newcomer — y/n — who also happened to be his neighbour. They were now both sitting at the kitchen counter, waiting for some mac n cheese to heat up in the surgeon's microwave.

They had felt it too.

"So do I" the newcomer replied, the look on their face saying showing they were just as lost as Chris. It was insane, where they really soulmates? "And thank you for the microwave by the way."

"It's nothing, cold mac n cheese would've probably been torturous to eat" the brunette chuckled softly, wanting to put them at ease. "So when did you move in?"

"While you were in space" their cheeks were still rosy from all the unexpected events. "Which i imagine must've been an incredible experience" they gave him a wholehearted smile, the doctor catching a glimpse of the colour of their eyes.

"You work at Nasa too, right ?" questioned Chris, attempting to melt away the awkwardness of their situation with small talk. What had just happened still felt out of this world.

"Yes, i'm a botanist."

"Oh, I know one of those guys..." the young man grinned, which made his neighbour laugh lightly.

"Heard one of them colonized Mars" they added, a witty look having suddenly replaced the shyness of their expression.

They both laughed again until the microwave beeped to announce that the food was ready, Chris then getting up to get y/n's dish. The young man stretched out his arms, trying to reviver his exhausting body, and the thought of the young y/gender seated behind his back made his stomach warm and fluttery. It felt like something was constantly pulling at the skin of his left wrist.

So was that how soulmates worked? Just like that, crashing into your life and turning out being likable ?

"Thank you so much," y/n said gratefully, meeting him halfway to take the plate.

"Please, don't go" the surgeon's heart was beating faster as the words slipped from his lips; he knew he had to do something. "Please. I can't stop feeling that pressure on my tattoo, I think it has something to do with you."

Y/n's gaze dropped for a few seconds, as if they were considering the proposition.

"I feel it too. But it's late, I don't want to make things complicated for you" they stated gently, pushing a piece of hair out of their face. "Are you sure I won't bother you ?"

"Not at all" Chris was sincere, really wanting to sort this out. Plus, y/n seemed very sweet and the surgeon felt like he would've loved to know them better even if there was no burning-tattoo-issue. They were neighbours after all. "Wait, I'm going to make some mac n cheese too so we can have dinner together. How does that sound ?"

They nodded, a ray of comfort brushing their face; it looked like the brunette wasn't the only one to be seeking their soulmate.

"Perfect."

☆*:･ﾟ

Bowls of mac n cheese and childhood dreams were keys to unlock some kind of intimacy between the pair. They had moved from the kitchen to Chris' bedroom during their conversation, spread out on floor under the dark blue ceiling dotted with colourful planets and stars and galaxies. Y/n had found it mesmerizing.

"Can you believe not wanting for houseplants to die got me to Nasa?" they laughed quietly, recalling the way they got into biology at the age of 9. "Life really is a tricky thing."

"9-year-old you would've surely been really proud, or amazed" Chris smiled, taking a mouthful of mac n cheese.

"Or terrified" they responded playfully.

Getting to know y/n felt good, and special. They were the person he was bonded to, maybe for the rest of his life, and it was such a strange yet reassuring feeling to know that their paths had finally crossed. That it was them out of everybody else.

"When did you realize you wanted to be a doctor or an astronaut ?" they asked curiously.

"I don't really know" Chris tried recalling a peculiar moment, but the truth was spoken. "I've always loved space. When i was a kid i would get all excited when the sky was starry, so i guess this excitement has just never died. And for the doctor part, i figured being an astronaut alone wouldn't necessarily work out."

"But it has" y/n gave the brunette a cheering look, setting their now empty bowl of food back on the floor. "It must've been crazy, up there."

"Yeah" he said softly, not willing to brag about it. He knew all too well it could've been anyone working at Nasa in his place.

"Yeah" they repeated in the same tone, looking up to the only window of the room. It was quite large, stretching on almost half of the ceiling, and facing directly towards the sky — the perks of living at the top of the building. It was blending nicely in the deep blue paint all around, being an opening to the natural version of the cosmos Chris had painted.

"Would you mind showing me your tattoo?" the brunette asked gently after a moment of silence. "I don't want to rush you though, so feel free to s.."

"No, no, it's alright. Actually, i wanted to see yours too" y/n confessed. They pulled up the right sleeve of their jumper, delicate skin showing under the fabric. A small satellite was inked above their veins. "There it is."

Chris did the same, revealing the constellation darkening his wrist. It looked the same as usual, but it did feel different. In fact, feeling the tattoo was something neither of them had experienced before.

"I think it might be it" the astronaut held his breath, meticulously examining both their symbols. "We're soulmates, aren't we ?"

"Yes, think so" y/n smiled sadly to themselves.

"I'm sorry if i'm not the one you expected" he stated in an under-tone, trying to understand if anything was wrong.

"No I'm sorry!" they snapped their head back up, an apologetic look on their face. "I still can't quite believe it's you. I just.. recently came out of a relationship, and it feels different to tell yourself that your soulmate is right there."

"I'm sorry" the brunette solicitously rubbed their forearm on the place where their jumper was covering their skin. "You can talk about it, if it could help. We've still got a lot of time to spend together after all."

"Thank you" they gave him a grateful glance, their expression upset nonetheless. "There isn't much to say about it though. I was in love with someone, and so were they, for a while. We were thinking of moving in together" y/n's fingers had started tracing vague patterns on the bedroom's off-white carpet. "But they found their soulmate. And fell in love again, harder this time. But that's how things have always worked, right? Soulmates. you can't escape them."

"I'm really sorry, y/n."

the young y/gender smoothly shook their head, their pupils meeting the doctor's sea-coloured ones. "It isn't anybody's fault, I've let them go. Thank you for listening to me, Chris. Soulmate"

A smile, softer than sadder this time, drew on their mouth. The brunette had come to the conclusion that he loved it when they did so. He leaned forward, hesitantly placing a hand on their knee in a tender gesture to soothe them. Y/n didn't back off, on the contrary putting their own hand over his.

Their faces got closer, and theirs was new and beautiful. Chris would be unable to unravel his tangled feelings, but there was certainly something he felt very deeply and which he couldn't fight back.

So, when their mouths met in a soft kiss, he closed his eyes and let himself go.