Heh, heh, heh... hi. Extreme nervousness marks my first fic-ly post, but I promised to make a contribution, so here we go.

Title: The Persistence of Memory
Summary: Set in the "In Space" universe. Z needs a hug.
Pairing(s): I consider it gen, but if you squint and tilt your head to the left you might see some Lee/Z. Maybe.
Warning(s): Uh, niggling allusions for the people who haven't read In Space? My first fic here?
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the people mentioned in this fic, nor the universe in which this is set. Lee belongs to himself (or maybe Dena), and Still Gaming can be found either here or here. Z belongs to herself (possibly sharing with her husband) and Little Miss Gamer can be found here or here. And In Space was written by the lovely freya_sacksen and if you haven't read it, then shame on you. Go read it. DO EET! DO EET NAO!

Z sat in the pilot’s seat, watching the universe go by. She dimly remembered when the CHANNEL hit the black for the first time. She thinks she stared, her eyes wide, her mouth open in wonder. Or maybe she was just as emotionless as she is now. But this was not the time for such musings. She was alone on the bridge, and now that the Nerd wasn’t yelling at the computer, she could get some work done. Her face scrunched slightly in concentration as she tried to decide which course would get them to their destination quicker. It broke as she heard heavy footsteps. With a small sigh, she gave up trying to think for now in order to greet her new companion.

“Hey Lee,” she said in a small voice.
“What are you doing still up?” he asked.
“It’s the only time I can hear myself think. Any other time, all I can hear is the Nerd yelling about something.”

He walked up behind her, but she didn’t bother to turn around. She didn’t need to. Her eyes watched him as he leaned over against the back of her seat. Anyone else she would have attempted to ignore by now, but Lee wasn’t anyone else. They had been friends longer than she could remember; that’s why just his gaze at her reflection made her normally stony gaze soften.

“And when are you going to get to sleep?”
“I don’t need sleep,” she answered, holding up two cans of Red Bull. One was open; the other was closed. “I could ask the same thing of you, but you’ll probably pass out in a few hours and be totally useless when we need you.” A smile crept into her voice, though it didn’t show on her face.
“You know that’s what I do, Z!” Lee gently brought his hand down onto her shoulder. She slowly turned her head to look at it. She saw his hand, and remembered. What happened to him, what happened to her. Her eyes became flinty once again, and she snatched the open can and took a swig, practically slamming it down. Lee shook his head and very carefully draped his arms around her shoulders. She tensed up, her eyes going wide, but after a moment relaxed. He then brought his arms together, giving her a slight but unmistakable hug.

Z bit her lip to keep from crying. “Why?” she barely choked.
Lee brought his head down to the right side of her face. “You looked like you could use a hug.”
She bowed her head as she brought her hands up to grip the arms around her and tried to scoff, but all that came out was a watery gurgle. “You always were too gentle.”
He smiled and tightened his grip.
“More, please,” she whispered.

He tightened his grip as much as he dared. They stayed for a long time like that: Lee holding onto Z like he was trying to hold her together, and her gripping back as if her life depended on it.

“Thank you,” she finally said.
He spoke again, his breath warm on her face. “Anytime.”