Green Therapy, Part I

Posted on Sun Dec 21st, 2025 @ 3:02am by Crewman Emiliano Echevarria & Ensign Luciana Aguila
Edited on on Wed Dec 24th, 2025 @ 11:56am

1,643 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The Menagerie II
Location: Arboretum, Deck 7
Timeline: MD 11, 1410 Hours

Emiliano was early. He usually was. Mateo sat at his heel, leash slack, ears alert, the wiry fur along his back catching the filtered light that poured through the Arboretum's high panels. Somewhere between a terrier and something that might've once chased sheep for a living, Mateo looked like a dog who believed that important messages sent out by the universe were meant to be read--and it was his job to read them all.

"Easy," Emiliano murmured, though he was smiling. Mateo's tail kept time against his leg all the same.

There were just a few others in the Arboretum that afternoon: an older couple sipping tea on a bench near the Tellarite spinebrush trees, a Vulcan officer on a leisurely stroll with hands clasped behind her back, and a botanist seated at the edge of a path taking soil samples near the gnarled olive trees.

The doors opened and Emiliano watched Luci step inside.

Luci, of course was right on time. Maybe a little early, which was amazing in itself because she was usually the late one. Looking around at who was there already, she couldnt help but smile at the older couple and hope she too would have a long love like that one day.

She had opted for her comfortable blue jeans that hugged the curves perfectly, a flowy white top and some strappy sandals, with her hair straight down and tucked behind her ears. When she saw Emiliano and his dog, her heart sang.

"You have a dog?! Come here, boy!" Luci crouched down to be greeted by the dog that came running up to her happily.

Emiliano grinned as he stepped forward, his hands brushing the leash to give Mateo a tiny tug.

He was dressed casually, something that articulated he cared without broadcasting it: a soft grey long-sleeved shirt rolled at the cuffs, sleeves brushing his forearms, and navy slacks that were pressed just enough to look neat without being overly stiff. His boots scuffed the Arboretum's tiled floor a bit, the sound almost hidden behind the rustle of leaves and the sound of the misting system.

Mateo circled Luci once, tail wagging, then plopped down at her feet, satisfied he'd given proper approval.

"She's perfect," Emil said, as if Mateo's judgment was sacred and absolute.

"She's perfect?" Luci echoed with a raised brow and a smile as she continued to pat the dog and watch in glee as it looked like he was starting to melt from the scratches behind the ears.

"I wonder if you got head scratches, would you have the same reaction?" She questioned with a hint of mischief before finally standing up and looking at Emiliano. The urge to do the familial kiss on both cheeks was there, but she resisted, cautious that it might come across the wrong way. "What's his name, by the way?"

Emiliano cleared his throat, realizing he'd forgotten to keep his inside voice inside.

"Mateo," he said. The dog turned to look at him briefly before returning his attention to Luci.

"And--" Emiliano added, eyes downcast. "I meant she as in the moment." He gave a small, sheepish smile. "Dog meets person. Person passes inspection. Everyone's happy."

He shifted his weight, letting Mateo's leash thread through his fingers. "He has some strong opinions. Usually about strangers and loud noises."

Mateo thumped his tail in disagreement.

"Well, we must've known each other in a different life then if he's happy to be around me with no complaints then," Luci replied happily.

After both watching the dog for a moment, Luci turned her gaze back up to Emiliano, "So what would you like to do while we've got the time here?" She thought back to the other night of dinner with him and Vashti and how she had held his hand, more out of a test to get a reaction than anything else, but now she was slightly confused on the feelings there.

Emiliano followed her gaze, taking in the paths that seemed to braid their way through the Arboretum. There was shade, quiet, peace. He enjoyed the way this part of the ship was able to pretend it wasn't hurtling through space.

"We could walk," he said, sounding unsure. "Mateo does better if he thinks he's going somewhere with purpose." He hesitated, then added, lightly, meaning nothing by it, "Or we could just... take it slow. No pressure. No expectations. I figured after the other night--"

He stopped himself too late, then restarted. Clumsier.

"--and with Vashti there and all, I didn't want you to think this was... more than it is. You know. Just two people. Same place. Same ship. La familiaridad le hace cosas raras al cerebro, ¿sabes?" ("Familiarity does weird things to the brain, you know?")

"¿Así que prefieres tener a una tercera persona rondando todo el tiempo solo para evitar pasar tiempo a solas conmigo, es eso?" ("So you'd prefer to have a third person hanging around all the time just so you can avoid spending one on one time with me, is that it?") Luci's tone hadn't exactly turned hostile, but there was a definite sharpness to it that matched the look on her face as she stopped walking.

She felt the familiar surge of disappointment and frustration start to rise within her, and Luci crossed her arms while she waited for what he was going to say next. Deep down there was a tiny flicker of hope that it would be something good, so she didn't have to walk off on him.

Emiliano stopped too. Mateo, sensing the sudden stillness and tension, sat and looked between them like a referee who already knew the call would be an unpopular one.

"No--no, that's not--" Emiliano lifted one hand, then let it fall, because it wasn't helping. "I didn't mean I prefer that. I just meant that sometimes it's easier when there's... context?" He winced even as the word left his lips. Context. As if she were a footnote.

He tried again, slower. "When you grow up moving all the time, you have to be careful about mistaking closeness for... permanencia." He gave a thin, apologetic smile that clearly wasn't landing. "You meet someone, you feel understood quickly, and your brain jumps ahead. Mine does, anyway. I was just trying not to--"

He stopped and tried to restart, unable to look Luci in the eyes.

Her brow raised at the word 'context'. It seemed like he was just trying to dig the hole deeper now, and soon he wouldn't be able to get out of it, save for a ladder. "¿Quieres decir que no quieres apegarte?" ("You don't want to get attached, you mean?").

Luci understood not getting attached to anyone, which was probably the reason she held onto her emotions and was known for her outbursts of frustration and anger all the time, but she thought the familiaridad they'd shared was a positive thing, not a bad thing.

Her shoulders slumped as she let out a sigh.

Emiliano let the silence go a little too long. And long enough for the misting system to kick-in near them with a loud hiss. Also long enough to Mateo to glance up at him wearily.

He exhaled.

"Okay," he said, slowing down the moment. "I need to start over."

He loosened his grip on the leash, then stilled his hands completely, palms open at his sides. When he spoke again, his voice had purged all delicate architecture. It was just a voice now.

"I'm not afraid of you," he said. "And I'm not trying to keep distance. I'm just... extremely bad at trusting the good parts when they arrive without warning."

He finally mustered the courage to reach her eyes.

"When I said context, what I meant was safety. Familiar patterns." He breathed a short breath and his expression became almost rueful. "Which is unfair because it makes it sound like you're the risk--and you're definitely not."

Luci let out a heavy breath through her nose, one that released some of the tension starting to form in her shoulders, and she relaxed slightly, allowing her arms to unfold and come back to her sides.

"I--" she started and then stopped. She had to think about it for a moment, not wanting her words to make light of the situation. "Eres un idiota" ("You're an idiot") she finally said in a lighter tone with a hint of a smile playing across her face.

"The only risk I am to you has to do with my temper, but you can blame my mother for that; I got it from her." She took a step forward toward him. "I understand the safety, the familiarity and not wanting to trust the good parts that arrive without warning. It's in our nature to be mistrusting of them, but what can I do to show you It's a good thing we've found each other?"

Mateo chose that instant to lean forward and press his shoulder against Luci's shin. It was a punctuated gesture.

Emiliano huffed a breath that could've been a laugh if it hadn't held so much relief in it. "He never does that," he said, nodding at the dog. "Usually he waits until I've overthought something into dust."

He glanced down, then back up at her, the corners of his mouth growing soft enough to show the hint of a smile.

"I don't need proof," he said. "Or demonstrations." He paused, searching for the cleanest words he could conjure. "I think I just need honesty when it's inconvenient. Like just now."

"Well that's something you're always going to get from me," Luci admitted as she crouched slightly to pat Mateo again.


~To Be Continued~

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