Marina & Stefanielle One Shots

No eyes forward

"And here's to our new and improved battalion chief!" Dean's voice sounded through 19 while he raised his glass throwing a big smile in Maya's direction.

"To Maya!" Everybody cheered along and Carina kissed her on the cheek before joining them all in taking a sip.

"I'm so proud of you, bambina." She whispered in her girlfriend's ear. It had been a long process, to get to his place, hours put into working and studying but she never doubted it for a second. Nobody did, this is Maya after all.

Maya turned her face to look at her, eyes full of emotion and pride. This was the first achievement of her life that didn't come taunted with fear, with anxiety or with some bittersweet taste. She did it healthy and surrounded by love and support.

"Okay, you all know I won't get sappy with you, especially now that I am your battalion chief-". Her speech got interrupted by Dean, Vic and Travis hollering and yelling in her direction, making celebratory dances. She laughed along but tilted her head to the side, making them stop immediately.

By her side, Carina cleared her throat. What? Her girlfriend's quiet authority was hot to watch.

"Thank you, settle down you three." Maya continued, glass in hand. "Seriously, this is maybe the most special achievement of my life. And I don't know if any of you ever heard this but... I won a gold medal once." Light chuckles around the room. "And this Italian goddess is my girlfriend." Awws all around the room (except for Vic yelling for them to get a room).

"This is special to me because I did it here, in our home. I did it without giving myself up, and I did it surrounded by your love and support. I will make you all proud."

A content silence fell around the room and Andy yelled "Nineteen!" to which all of them, even Carina, yelled back "Nineteen!" three times before they got into a giant group hug. Once it was over, they were back to party mode.

Vic and Miller on the dance floor, trying to teach Jack how to shimmy his shoulders while his stepson and girlfriend laughed in the corner. He started to move their way, shaking in the weirdest form possible, making them join him on the dance floor.

Andy and Travis were on a serious game of beer pong, being joined by their seconds Ben and Emmett. Surprisingly enough, whenever it was Ben's turn, the loudest voice cheering him on from the corner came from the one and only Miranda Bailey.

So, Carina noticed when Maya smiled softly at the room and walked out of it, heading to the roof. She grabbed her whine glass and soon found herself under a starred sky. Her girlfriend was right by the edge of the roof, leaning against the railing, taking full sips of her drink and full inhales of air.

The Italian came behind her and rested her head on Maya's shoulder, sneaking her arms through the blonde's waist.

"Penny for your thoughts?" She turned her mouth into Maya's shoulder, kissing it softly.

"Look at you and your American idioms!" She said through the biggest smile.

"Yes, I have taken it to the next level." Carina smiled proudly getting the second one right in a row, shaking her head up and down.

Maya threw her head laughing at her girlfriend's antics, turning in her embrace to hold her neck. "Oh my God I have never been prouder!"

"Yeah yeah yeah I'm the one with big achievements tonight... Come on, want to share what's on your mind that's so important that you walked out of your own party?"

"I do, yes. But you might need more than a penny." Maya had a smile in the corner of her mouth, but her eyes turned serious and focused.

"It's okay, my girlfriend just got promoted big time, so I'm loaded."

Maya shook her head in quiet amusement. This woman just filled her with such warm joy. But she had a task and it wasn't a simple one, so she turned her overachiever facet on again, took a deep breath and stepped back from Carina's embrace.

Leaning on the edge of the roof, she stared at their wine and whisky glasses sitting together. Just like the first time they met, when she almost missed the chance to have this. Thank God she was maybe not drinking alone that night. She looked back at Carina's expectant face.

"You know... I was taught eyes forward. It was just me; it was just run. As fast as I can, faster than anybody beside me, leave them all behind.

Leaving people behind is how I won my entire life.

And then there was being captain, and everything happening in the world and in the station. I learned to look around. Look around and see the chance to make a change, to take my power and make a real chance for the black firefighters that are my family."

With a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth, thinking about what she was about to say she remembered the moments that inspired her to this one. The exact day Carina was mumbling in the kitchen about the differences between inches and centimeters and she decided she wanted that and french toast as part of her mornings for the rest of her days.

"Both of those lessons were empowering and made me who I am.

And still, to this day, there's nothing quite like what you taught me. Remember? On our first getaway trip?

You taught me "eyes on you". You held my face and said, "no eyes forward, eyes only on me" and to this day I haven't known as much safety and warmth as I did then.

Yesterday, I had my eyes closed and I could feel your eyes on me. Were you staring at me while I was waking up?"

"Yes, I was.", Carina said with her eyes glued to Maya's, watching every facial expression, trying to guess the reason behind this speech. At the corner of her mouth, a hidden kind smile. She had been watching Maya sleep and wake up every day since the captain applied to become battalion chief, ready to shield her from her own stress if necessary.

"Yeah, so... That's what I want. I want to rest, in this life, with the feeling of your eyes on me. And I want to open my eyes and put them on you, first thing. I want to feel the safety and the comfort that it is to be with you and to make sure that every move I make is so I never let you down again. Carina, I will never let you down again. I will love you and respect you and care for you. I will make you the perfect espresso and I will be by your side through everything. That's it, that's all. For the rest of my days."

She kneeled on the ground, looking up at Carina with the fiery and vibrant stare she always has when looking at Carina, willing her to want it too. She took the ring out of her pocket and raised it above her head, but she didn't ask the question. That was too scary. The big battalion chief ran into wildfires, but this was the scariest moment of her life. She just stared, big blue eyes full of hope and wonder.

Carina knew that. She knew all about Maya's fears and comforts, she could tell about a bad call at work the second Maya walked through the door. She could tell when Maya was about to snap at her and then held back. She could even tell when Maya was about to tickle her then run around the house, knowing she would only get caught if she wanted to.

Carina wanted just the same: to live inside her stare. To never let anything bad ever touch her again.

So, she also kneeled to the ground, and held Maya's outstretched arm with both her hands, bringing the ring to rest over her chest. She took her own deep breath with a smile to her face that met her eyes.

"Yes."