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Engineering was empty, except for Data and Geordi. They were working late, like they often were. Geordi was busy running a diagnostic, but he had trouble keeping his mind to the task, as he noticed that his friend didn’t quite have his mind set on the task at hand. He looked up at Data and saw that the android was staring at the wall.
“Data?” He asked quietly. “Are you alright?”
Data’s head quickly turned toward his friend, his face bearing a look of surprise. “Why would I not be?”
“It looked like you were miles away for a moment.”
“But I have been in engineering with you for the past three hours, I do not see h-”
Geordi smiled at his friend. Data’s habit of taking things too literally annoyed some people, but Geordi found it quite charming most of the times. “It’s just an expression, it seemed like you were deep in thought. Anything you wanna talk about?”
“Well,” Data hesitated for a moment, “something has been occupying my thoughts as of lately.”
“You know you can tell me anything right?”
“Yes, you have always made it quite clear that I can confide in you with anything. It is just that, I do not wish to ruin our friendship.” Data spoke blatantly, but with a hint of concern.
Geordi abandoned all thoughts he had on the diagnostic he was supposed to be running. He’d known the android for over seven years, and nothing had ever truly threatened to jeopardize their friendship. The fact that Data would suggest such a thing worried him deeply. “What are you talking about?” He asked, frowning.
“Since the installment of the emotion chip, I have had some trouble establishing the nature of certain new emotions as I first experienced them, but after a while I grew quite certain that I understood most of them. However, a few days ago I experienced the strangest sensation when encountering…” Data hesitated as he looked away from Geordi. “A fellow crewmember.”
Geordi’s frown had not yet disappeared. He still failed to understand how this confession posed a threat to their friendship. “What kind of feeling are you talking about?” He asked, as he noticed that Data looked slightly uneasy.
“I find the feeling hard to describe. When I encountered this person, I felt a strange knot here,” he put his hand over his stomach, “and I felt myself unable to concentrate on the task I was supposed to complete. At first I thought a fault might have affected my positronic net, but a self-diagnostic revealed no errors. This feeling has since occurred twenty-one different times, and only ever when encountering this same person.”
“Well Data, knots in your stomach, having trouble focusing, if I didn’t know you I would say you’ve got butterflies!” Geordi said incredulously. He felt surprised, but a pang of disappointment nagged at him. For some time now, he’d harboured similar feelings for the android himself, although he had never dared to express them quite so clearly.
“That is what counselor Troi said as well, although I recall her describing it as a crush.”
“You talked to Deanna about this?” Jealousy forced its way into Geordi’s mind. Why would Data talk to Deanna instead of talking to him? She was the ship’s counselor, so talking to her should not be strange, but in the past Data had often come to Geordi first if he had any issues or questions. Sometimes this was to Geordi’s greatest annoyance, but it also made their friendship seem more valued, and he enjoyed talking to Data about the strange workings of the world. This jealousy however, could not come near to justifying a possible end to his friendship with the android. Was this what Data was referring to?
“Yes, counselor Troi has been a great help to me in understanding my emotions since we installed the chip. In fact, she suggested that I talk to you about this.” Data adjusted his uniform and clasped his hands together. He clearly felt uncomfortable in this conversation.
“But, if she’s helped you so far, why would she suggest that you talk to me?”
It took Data a while to answer this question. After opening and closing his mouth several times, he finally found what he wanted to say. “It is because the person that causes me to feel this way, is… you.”
After hearing this, Geordi almost fell out of his chair. The tricorder that he’d been holding plummeted to the floor and rolled over to Data’s side of the table. “Eh, I… ehm, crap!” He exclaimed as he sprung up to retrieve the instrument.
After he’d set the tricorder down on the table he looked up at Data, who’s face still revealed uneasiness. And then it finally hit Geordi. His best friend, for whom he’d had feelings for years, just confessed that he had a crush on him. Out of sheer disbelief, he started laughing.
“Geordi? Have I said something amusing?” Data asked, still looking uncomfortable.
“No Data, you haven’t,” Geordi assured his friend, “it’s just, I…” And at that moment, Geordi couldn’t possibly find the words to describe the relief that he felt. He found that he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. He stared at Data, looked him up and down and in a moment of total emotional overload, he moved towards him and pressed his lips to Data’s.
This spur of the moment decision resulted in a kiss that seemed to last forever, and all sorts of feelings rushed through Geordi. He could not believe he’d just done that! What if Data hated it? What if this was never his intention? Had he just done the thing Data was afraid of doing and ruined their friendship? But Data did not pull back, and closed his eyes, seemingly savouring the moment. Geordi didn’t want it to ever end, but he was out of breath, so he finally pulled away. When he did, Data looked at him with eyes as wide as saucers.
“Does this mean,” Data started, “that you…”
“Does this mean that I like you too? Yeah Data, it does mean that, it really does.” Geordi’s smile reached his ears, and he started laughing again.
“Judging by your reaction, I suspect this is not a recent development. We have known each other for over seven years now, how long have you felt this way?” Data asked. He seemed quite happy that his feelings were reciprocated, but the question stopped Geordi’s laughter.
“Well, honestly Data, I think for about five years now.” He confessed sheepishly.
“Then, why did you never tell me?” The android seemed a little hurt after Geordi’s confession. “I had no emotions then, you could not have hurt me in any way.
“Data, you might not have had feelings back then, but I certainly did. I suppose, I was afraid of what might happen. I mean, the idea of being with you has always excited me, but actually going through with it? It would have been such a big step, and I had no idea where it would lead.” Actually talking about it all sobered Geordi up, and he’d almost forgotten the ecstasy of their kiss.
“I see,” Data spoke softly, his eyes dropping to the floor, “you were afraid that a real relationship with me would not work out, as I would not be able to love you as you loved me.” Geordi’s mind sprang up at the mention of the word love. Was that what this was? Data had confessed an innocent crush, and he himself admitted to liking Data, but love? That took things to a whole other level in an instant. And yet, this new level did not scare Geordi. In fact, the longer he thought about it, the more he was convinced that he had been lying to himself all along, and that he was, after all, hopelessly in love with his best friend.
“What I fail to understand,” Data continued, “is why you did not approach me after the chip was installed.” Data looked up from the floor into Geordi’s eyes. “Is it because my emotions are artificial? Do they feel unreal to you?”
“Data, nothing about you has ever been unreal to me.” Geordi said, carefully stressing the words in an attempt to reassure his friend. He sat down on the table, and motioned for Data to do the same. “The fact that you’re even worried about that in the first place concerns me.” Geordi stressed again, although he realized that he may have been the cause of this doubt. “If I have ever given you any reason to start thinking like this, you have to understand that it wasn’t deliberate! Data, ever since I’ve known you, you’ve been one on the kindest, most honest, and without actually feeling it, the most loving person I’ve come across on this ship. And you mean more to me that you’ve probably realized for the last seven years.”
Data looked at him, his face full of conflict. Seemingly overcome by emotion, he remained silent for at least 30 seconds, before opening his mouth. “I- I do not know what to say.” He gave Geordi a small smile.
“The reason I didn’t come to you sooner was that… I suppose, after what happened between you and Tasha, and then your relationship with lieutenant D’Sora, I always figured that if you ever developed such feelings for someone, it would be for a woman.” Geordi felt ridiculous even as he said this, because as it turned out, it was just his imagination. It just goes to show that you should never assume to know these things, he reprimanded himself. He rested his hands in his lap and stared at them as if they were the most interesting things he’d ever seen.
“It would seem,” Data said slowly and matter-of-factly, as though he was accessing information while he spoke, “that my programming makes no distinction when it comes matters of attraction, or love, for that matter.” This made Geordi feel even more ridiculous, but the sense of relief that he felt was even stronger, and he let out a short laugh as he closed his eyes and threw his head backwards. He had imagined this moment in his head many times over the past few years, but it had never gone quite like this. The fact that it was all out in the open now was a great relief, and he felt himself wondering what he’d been so afraid of all this time. He was jarred from his thoughts by the sensation of Data’s hand grabbing his. He opened his eyes and saw the android staring at him expectantly. He took Data’s hand with both his own and squeezed in assurance. They sat there like that for a few minutes before Data broke the silence.
“Geordi, how should we proceed now?” He seemed a little lost as he looked at his friend.
“I don’t know Data,” Geordi sighed, “what do you want?”
He did not have to wait long for a response, though it did not come in the shape of words. They looked at each other, as Data tilted his head slightly and gently pressed his lips to Geordi’s. The feeling was even better than a few minutes ago. Geordi felt his cheeks burning and he moved his hands to cup Data’s face. As the moment went on, he felt as though an electric current ran through him, and he moved to deepen the kiss. When they finally broke apart, Geordi gasped for breath, and he noticed that Data looked happier than ever.
“Should we… do you…” Geordi attempted to form a coherent sentence, but had no success in an attempt to get his point across, he looked at the turbolift.
“What about the diagnostic?” Data said with a tone of reluctance in his voice, betraying that for one of the first times ever, he didn’t actually care about finishing his duties.
“It can wait until tomorrow,” Geordi said playfully, having found his words again, “we’re working late anyway.”
With a smirk on his face, he once again grabbed Data’s hand and dragged him out of engineering.
The next day, Data had yet another new experience. For the first time since arriving on the Enterprise he found himself almost late for his bridge duties. He hurried to get into the turbolift and was relieved to find that counselor Troi had seen him and was holding the lift. As she noticed the direction from which he had come and the disheveled state of his hair, she smirked. “Am I to understand you two finally talked?” Data didn’t quite understand what prompted her question, nor did he notice the glee in her voice, but as he thought of Geordi, none of it seemed to matter.