The way you pick this up is seamless, building on the anxiety in the first half, slotting little details in that bring so much. I love that the Doctor has pink skin, it somehow feels appropriate for a doctor as well, and the way she rolls through it as a matter of course like she does this countless times a day. You continue normalizing this world, this procedure, and this outlook on the world, and yet... you manage to bring in something entirely new.. without ever even mentioning it.... or at least, that was the feeling I took away.

I feel like your ending builds greatly on the references to Lara in the first half, and the mention of her disappointment, and hating a scene in public, possibly tying together and into the look of love.

Reading this, brought up a mixture of emotions, initially a sense of almost anger, and resentment towards Lara, who required such a change form her husband to love him, to consider him handsome... but then... it really the up the question of why he wanted to look like her. Through her eyes, he lost his "beautiful blemishes", so she had found him attractive as he was. Her instant reaction to seeing him with blue skin isn't shallow joy, caring only about how he looks, but emotion concern as to why he would do this. And then the answer, to look like her. I feel as though this all comes together at the end, and that despite the rainbow nature of this world, it is rules by a far greater prejudice, where Lara looking at him lovingly in public would cause a scene, where them not looking the same is disappointing. She sheds a tear, and it doesn't feel like a tear of happiness that he looks good enough for her now, but a tear of empathy, the sacrifice he bore alone to alleviate something affecting both of them. It almost reminds me of the old fable with the hair comb and pocket watch chain.

At the very end, it feels like her heart has cracked, hurt by the thought he had done this to himself for their sake, not like what she wanted this for selfish vain reasons, it instead feels like she smiles for him, and what he has done for her. She always loved him, but now she can love him openly.

The more i thought about that, the more this feels like this is set in a wider world where discrimination based on appearance is rampant, and being different has been hard for both of them, and the conflicting mixed up emotions that came with it. Ending on her calling him handsome, it doesn't feel like a "oh you're handsome now" but like her being supportive of what he has had to do to himself for them to be together. Damn gaby, this got me the first time i read it, but the more I have thought about it, damnnnnn, for me, this is a story of love and dedication in a world that doesn't accept it.

Back with full force for sure <3