#Malcolm reed imagines

[geekstuffkittykat]

Just finally finished Star Trek Enterprise after watching chunks over the last couple years and omg was it good. My personal favourite (K) is Lieutennant Malcolm Reed. Artillery officer. Played by Dominic Keating. I've been meaning to paint him for a while once I found a nice reference. This one is heavily imaginative with the colours and lighting because he's just so pretty 😊. In my favourite episode he even says my name 😁.

[starfleetimagines]

Malcom Reed hugging headcanons?

Hugging Malcolm Reed

Malcolm isn’t big on physical affection. Not because he doesn’t want it per se but because he was just so emotionally neglected as a child he isn’t always comfortable with it. So when he does show physical affection it's a big deal.

He'd definitely not hug you while on duty, unless in a dire situation where one of you almost died or something, but even then he'd opt to just hold your hand or have his arm around your waist.

He'd be a very gentle hugger. He'd hold you loose but close, hands splayed on your back as his chin hooked over your shoulder. He wouldn't hold you tight unless one of you was very upset about something, and even then he wouldn't want to hurt you.

You'd more often than not have to ask for him to hug you, at least for the first little while in your relationship. Each time you did, he'd blink in surprise (not many people have wanted to hug him let alone ask for permission), but he'd open his arms and quietly say, "Of course" or "C'mere".

Eventually, he'd start to pick up on when you needed hugs. He'd always ask, though, or softly say, "I'm going to hug you, okay?" just in case you wanted to back up. You'd do the same to him, because that would just make him most comfortable.

He wouldn't say much when you're hugging. Possibly a "you're okay" or "I got you", but he'd mostly focus on just holding you close and waiting for you to pull back.

And when he began asking for hugs, too, that's when you knew he felt truly comfortable with you.

Tag list: @wraith-queen-todd, @agent-catfish-kenobi, @make-me-imagine, @space-helen, @naivara-duneimith, @gatefleet, @shadyfirecollector, @skylar-13, @glitterandtrash

[make-me-imagine]

Much More Than Fond

Plot: Malcolm often comes off as a pushy, teasing, frenemy to you. But unbeknownst to you, he actually cares quite a lot about you. You could even say he has a crush.

Pairing: Malcolm Reed x Gn!Reader

Requested Prompts: "In your dreams!" "Every night, actually." + 'Secret Admirer' A/n: It's not straight forward with the secret admirer prompt; more like 'admires from afar secretly' lol

Requested By: @fandomdancer (these are from Valentines Day sorry it took me so long to get to them)

Warnings: Brief mentions of not eating/drinking water (neglecting health) - So take this as a reminder to eat and drink some water!

Words: 2.3k

-

Making your way into your work space, you sighed as your head ached. You had gotten so busy with repairs, you had forgotten to eat or drink any water. You knew you should go to the cafeteria, but you couldn't ignore the reports you had to fill out.

Walking towards your desk, your eyes locked on a granola bar, a bowl of fruit and a bottle of water sitting on your desk. You blinked a few times as you looked around.

This was the third time you found snacks and water left at your desk when you had been busy with work. The first time you ignored it, thinking someone left them there accidentally but when it kept happening, you grew even more curious.

You asked around, but no one claimed them to be theirs, and no one knew who was doing it, or at least they didn't want to tell you.

You wondered how they always knew you hadn't eaten anything, and how did they always know your favorite snacks? You had received your favorite candy bar, fruit snacks, muffin, and now a granola bar. So whoever it was clearly knew you more than you were expecting.

---

As Malcolm marched down the corridor, his eyes caught on a familiar figure. Glancing into the room, he spotted you working on some damage from the last mission. Your face was knit in concentration as a granola bar was sticking out of your mouth.

He smirked to himself as he kept walking, his heart fluttering a bit in his chest. He had heard you asking around about the snacks being left on your desk, but no one, especially you, would have considered him as the culprit.

Malcolm tried to convince himself he was just being kind, but he knew it was more than that. The two of you had a complicated relationship. You would bicker, argue, tease each other, and sometimes even joke around with one another. That latter, usually if you were both teasing Trip. But people would hardly consider you friends.

Malcolm didn't think of you as much more than a colleague for a long time, but slowly, he found his eyes following you, checking on you, teasing you on purpose just so he could see the way you scrunched up your face in annoyance.

He had even started to notice and familiarize himself with your routines and habits. He knew you woke up at the same time every day whether or not you had duty. How you'd check with everyone and see if they needed anything before you left.

He knew your go to style of burger, pasta, pizza, the way you make your coffee or tea, your favorite fruit, your favorite muffins and candies.

And, he knew you had a tendency to get so caught up in your work that you would forget to take care of yourself. He would notice you missing lunch, or even dinner. He'd spot you going to Phlox for headaches because you forgot to drink water. And he found himself growing worried.

He knew you loved your work, and he admired that about you, but he didn't want to see you hurt yourself in the process. That was one of the first signs that Malcolm no longer saw you as just a colleague. Actually, Malcolm was far, far past that.

So far past that, that he caught himself thinking about you more often than he'd like. If the chef was cooking one of your favorite meals, he had to convince himself not to go tell you. If he heard you laugh, his stomach would erupt in butterflies. If something he said made you smile, he cold hardly repress a grin.

If he told anyone how he was feeling, he knew what they would say. Malcolm Reed has a crush.

The thought alone made Malcolm want to curl up into a ball. He knew there was nothing wrong with feelings, or relationships, but in a way he thought he was stronger than this. But as much as he wanted to think that of himself, he knew better. He had fallen for you, hard.

--- --- ---

Your eyes flicked over to Malcolm as you entered the security room. You had a few repairs there, but weren't expecting to see him, he was usually on the bridge at this time.

You often found yourself avoiding him. At first it was because he got on your nerves, but recently, as much as you hated yourself for it, it was because he made you nervous. If he would smirk or smile at you, your stomach would twist with a giddy feeling. If you caught him looking at you for any reason, your ears would burn. You hated it, just like you were supposed to hate him.

"More repairs Y/n?" His smooth voice echoed through the room.

You felt yourself jolt slightly as he acknowledged you, and by using your first name. You peered over your shoulder at him to find him looking at you.

Butterflies.

You swallowed briefly as you looked back at the control panel "No, I thought I'd go for a jog."

He smirked to himself "Perfect weather for it."

You smiled softly to yourself, but didn't reply, instead trying to focus on your work.

There were a few moments of silence before you felt a presence grow closer. Peering back a bit, you noticed Malcolm was now at a computer panel just behind you. His presence sent a shiver up your neck, but you tried to ignore it.

The silence was broken as Malcolm began humming an unfamiliar tune, repeating the same melody over and over.

As much as your ears burned due to his proximity, your annoyance grew. "Don't you know any other songs?" You finally spoke up, annoyance lacing your voice.

Malcolm smirked, glad he finally got your attention. "Hmm, well there is this one-"

As he started to hum a now familiar tune, you shook your head "No, anything but that."

He laughed, knowing the tune from the old western that played on repeat for three weeks at movie night would trigger your annoyance.

He chuckled softly "Well what would you prefer?"

"Silence?"

He snorted softly but went silent. You slowly started to regain concentration on your job, but it was broken as you felt as though he had gotten closer.

Looking back, you almost jumped at the proximity of your bodies as Malcolm peered over your shoulder, almost touching you.

His eyes met yours and your ears burned hot, he rose a brow and you stuttered out "Don't you know what personal space is?"

"Can't I see what you're doing in my security room?"

"I'm repairing, it's what I do."

Malcolm was afraid he was imagining the effect he had on you, but as your eyes darted nervously back to your work, he thought maybe he wasn't imagining anything.

Leaning down, he brought his face closer to yours and spoke softly "Am I making you nervous?"

You froze momentarily, and he swore your breathing stopped. But you quickly recovered as you side-eyed him.

"No, you're making me angry."

He chuckled but didn't move to leave, instead speaking again "Really? 'Cause your ears seem to be turning a different color."

You felt embarrassment and anger rush through you, could he see how he was affecting you? And was he making fun of you for it?

You met his eyes, your faces a mere inch from each other, you hissed "In your dreams."

You saw his eyes dip down to your lips for a split second. And as you heard the security room doors slide open, a faint smile played on his lips "Every night actually."

Giving you no time to respond, Malcolm rose and turned towards the new visitors and approached them, talking animatedly to the other security officers.

Your heart was hammering in your chest, as your ears and neck burned hot. Quickly finishing your repairs, you left before you could speak with Malcolm again. But as you left, you could feel his eyes on you.

--- --- ---

After your interaction with Malcolm, you threw yourself into your work to distract yourself. But by doing this, you managed to finish everything faster than normal.

As you sat at your desk, glancing at the clock, you noted it was dinner. But surely Malcolm wold be there, and you had no desire to see him at this moment.

You wanted to know what he meant by his comment. If he was just teasing you and he meant nothing by it, or, if there was truth in it. As much as you wanted to know, you also did not.

Sighing at your own indecisiveness you leaned back in your chair, eyes closed.

Hearing the door slide open, you turned and looked with light surprise. Your heart jolted as your breath caught in your throat as you saw Malcolm standing in the doorway.

Malcolm quickly shoved his hand behind his back as he stared at you. There was a moment of silence between you before he cleared his throat "Hello."

You quirked your brow in confusion as you tried to ignore your hammering heart. Your eyes glanced down at his hidden hand before you met his eyes.

"Can I help you?"

"I- uh, didn't think you'd be in here right now."

Was he nervous? You turned more in your chair so you were now facing him fully.

"Where else would I be?

"Well- I figured you were off repairing something since you did not come to dinner again."

"Oh." You felt a tug at your heart as you realized he noticed your absence. You suddenly wondered how many times he had noticed you were gone before.

Suddenly you felt a light bulb go off in your head as your eyes trailed down to his hidden hand again.

"Why would you come here if you thought I wouldn't be here?"

Malcolm could tell in the tone of your voice that you had figured it out. With a slightly defeated sigh, he brought his hand out into view, revealing a bowl of fruit.

"I heard- I know you like these, so I thought you'd want some before they were all eaten."

Your heart skipped a beat as your ears burned hot again. You stared at the fruit before you slowly looked up at his eyes. He was staring down, seemingly too shy to meet your eyes. It was a side of him you had never seen, and you were startled by how it affected you.

Barely able to repress a smile you stood up, your voice coming out softly. "So it's you then?"

Malcolm looked up and met your eyes, raising his brow.

"The one who keeps leaving me food and water?"

"Ah...well. Yes." He cleared his throat as he walked over to your desk, setting the fruit down, all while avoiding your eyes. "I had just been noticing recently what with the damage to the ship, that you've been working a lot of over time, and that you'd been missing lunch and dinner quite often, and I was afraid you might fall ill, so I thought I might as well leave you some food to remind you to eat.

As he rambled with a nervousness you had never seen, your heart was fluttering as you felt touched by his sudden caring side.

"Thank you Malcolm." You said softly, causing him to stop rambling and finally meet your eyes.

When he saw the soft expression on your face, he felt his heart melt in his chest.

"Well, you're welcome."

You smiled as you looked down at the fruit "How- how did you know what my favorite fruit was, or my favorite candy bar, well, everything you've been leaving for me has been my favorite."

Malcolm smiled, forcing away any embarrassment he might be feeling. "I know quite a lot about you actually. Things I've...noticed about you recently."

"Noticed? Like what?"

His eyes seemed to roam your face for a second and you felt vulnerable. But his face remained soft, as he smiled.

"Like how you take your coffee and tea, and how you always close your eyes when you take a drink of it. The way you walk the long way around to your station so you can check on everyone first. Or how you get so lost in your work you forget to take care of yourself."

There was a tone in his voice with this last sentence, that made it seem as though he was chastising you. But the smile on his face told you he was worried for you.

"Out of the two of us, who was the one who collapsed due to sleep deprivation?"

Malcolm chuckled "Touché."

You smiled "Thank you, for caring, it's kind of surprising really, I thought-"

"That I didn't like you?"

"Well, I at least thought you weren't very fond of me"

He smiled "I wasn't once. But then I started to see you for who you really are, and now, well now I'm much more than fond of you."

You smiled at each other as your eyes remained locked for a moment, taking the moment, you spoke softly. "I'm quite fond of you too actually."

"Is that so?" He questioned with a raise of his brow, his grin widening.

"Yes. As annoying as you can be, you are quite charming."

He chuckled "I'm sorry for all the teasing."

You shook your head with a soft laugh "It's alright, in a way, the teasing is what made me realize I liked you."

"Well then I wont stop."

You chuckled and shook your head with light bewilderment.

He grinned at you and cleared his throat "Well, are you still working or...would you like to accompany me to the dining hall? There's still time to eat, if you want."

"With you?"

"Yes, with me."

You smiled widely at him "I'd love too."

xx End xx

I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, please consider reblogging! It really helps spread it to others, and makes me very happy~

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[captaincrusher]

A thought on a queer Star Trek timeline

Watching Star Trek from the original series to modern times is to fast forward through the evolution of queer rights through the 20th and early 21st century.

In the original series queerness must be imagined in the close relationship between Kirk and Spock. We can only see ourselves in what we hope and dream about for the future. We get Amok Time.

In the 80's queer people start to materialize in the background. TNG takes tentative steps towards telling our stories, still cloaked in the allegory. We get Outcast.

In the 90's Ds9 gives us Rejoined. Still cloaked in allegory, but the lines get sharper, the mist starts to lift. A character has a monologue about how two people that love each other should be able to be together. Hidden winks has turned into words.

Voyager, while a good show in other respects, does not give us a single crumb of queerness. Aside from the relationships we ourselves imagine.

In the 2000's we are on the cusp of actually having queer people on screen. Enterprise tries to tell stories of gender (Cogenitor) and the AIDS crisis (Stigma), two episodes that are still filtered through a limited understanding of both. When Enterprise ends in 2005 and this Star Trek era ends with it, queer representation in film and tv is still scarce.

The AOS era instead is where queer people, for the first time, stepped out of subtext. Sulu is married to a man - a nod to George Takei, the original series actor. Star Trek Beyond comes out in 2016, the year after same sex marriage is legalized in the US.

It isn't until 2017 that a Star Trek show officially, without subtext or allegory, gets queer characters, when Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber are married on Discovery. Discovery also adds further queer characters down the line, finally saying that yes - queer humans do exist in the future.

I know you all will have opinions on what is queer or not. But when tracking the evolution of queer representation it's important to separate subtext from text and to separate when something is allegoric verses not.

I interpret Jadzia Dax as queer - but she is not human. She is an alien wrapped inside a gender non confirming shroud of gray areas. That is the strength of her character - that it allows the writers to explore themes that otherwise would have been taboo. But the fact that they could only pursue queer storylines with non human characters tells you something about the times.

it really feels like Star Trek was late to the party with queer representation. I think there's multiple reasons for that. One is that when Enterprise was created, it still carried the legacy of shows created in the 80's and 90's. Enterprise itself is also literally a prequel - there seemed to be little desire to be bold and innovative.

Timing is I think the main reason why Star Trek trailed behind. Between Enterprise ending in 2005 and Star Trek Discovery starting in 2017 there's a whole era of representation. If Enterprise had dared make an actual queer character, like Malcolm Reed, it would have been just ahead of the wave of representation that started popping up in the late 00's - but instead it closed on a similar note as DS9 did 10 years earlier.

Feel free to add your favorite queer episodes. There are some "official" queer episodes - but there's a bunch more that meant a lot for us as queer people, for one reason or another.

[agaypanic]

Hi! Congratulations on graduating! I have a request for a Francis x reader (Malcom in the middle). I just started watching the show and I'm like in love with him. Anyways could you write about how while Francis is away his family gets new neighbors, and the reader is the daughter of the neighbors. She's really smart and shy. Malcom develops a huge crush on the reader and tells Francis all about it once he returns from military school. Francis starts teasing Malcom thinking the reader is malcoms age, however Lois invites the neighbors over for dinner to properly introduce each other. When they come over Francis is completely ready to tease his younger brother and his little crush however when the reader walks in and she's not who expected he's starstruck!And he ends up completely speechless the whole dinner having to watch Malcom awfully flirt with who he thinks is the love of his life.i can't decide how I want it to end sooo... But maybe he ends up pulling the reader aside flirting with her watching her get all flustered and then the reader admitted he's cute while being all reed in the face! I just want a cute fluffy happy ending!!😭😭

The Boy Next Door's Brother (Francis Wilkerson X Reader)

Masterlist

Request Something!

Part 2

Summary: All Francis hears from Malcolm these days is how cute the new neighbor girl is. Imagine his surprise when he comes home for the weekend to find that the neighbor girl is his age and Malcolm is still trying to impress her.

A/N: M/n means mom’s name and D/n means dad’s name

***

Francis loved his brother. He really did. They had a deep bond created through the traumatic experience of having an insane mother. Nothing could ever break that.

But he was getting sick and tired of Malcolm’s phone calls. Every time without fail, he found a way to bring up their new neighbor. Despite how much Malcolm talked about her, Francis didn’t really know much. Just that her name was Y/n, she had moved there about a month ago, and she was really nice.

Francis would be coming home from military school for the weekend, and he was slightly dreading it. Not just because he’d have to deal with his overbearing mother. If he was annoyed with Malcolm and his infatuation with the neighbor girl while thousands of miles away, imagine how he’d be while living in the same house.

After a long flight, Hal picked Francis up from the airport, and soon enough, they were home. Francis now felt relieved because he could lounge around for the weekend and not worry about homework or ways that Commandant Spangler would be out to get him. His brothers were absolutely ecstatic to see him, pushing each other to get to him first. Although he wanted to rest, Francis was happy to see his little brothers as well.

“Hey, Francis!” His mom yelled from the kitchen, scrubbing dishes. “How was your flight?”

“It was fine.” He responded, tossing his travel bag on the couch. “What’s for dinner?”

“Spaghetti and meatballs. Oh! I forgot to tell you, but we’re having the new neighbors over for dinner tonight. They finally got settled into the house, and we need them on our side before anyone else in the neighborhood tries to poison them against us.”

“Ah yes, normal neighbor activities.”

Francis was suddenly excited. Even though Malcolm going on and on about Y/n annoyed him, he was curious to see the girl that Malcolm wouldn’t shut up about. 

“So, Malcolm, heard your girlfriend’s coming over,” Francis smirked as he teased his brother. Malcolm started to blush, the redness reaching his ears.

“She’s not my girlfriend.” He muttered.

“Are you sure?” Francis asked. “The way you talk about her, I thought you guys were getting married.”

“Shut up!” Malcolm whined, but there was a shy smile on his face.

***

A few hours later, it was dinnertime. While Lois served up dinner, Francis heard a knock on the door. Malcolm raced to the door but was beaten to it by his brother.

“Francis, come on!”

“No, I wanna see the girl you keep talking about.” He pushed his little brother away and opened the door. A couple stood on the doorstep with shy but pleasant smiles.

“Hi there!” The man spoke. “I’m D/n, this is my wife M/n, and our daughter Y/n should be coming soon. She’s finishing up her homework.”

“Nice to meet you guys. I’m Francis, the oldest. Come on in.” He allowed the couple inside, and they went to the kitchen to greet the family. He was about to close the door behind him when he heard a shout.

“Wait!” He stuck his head out the door and saw a girl running across her yard to get to the door. “Don’t close the door, please!”

Francis opened it wider for the girl. When she was closer to his view, he couldn’t help but be amazed by the sight in front of him. All this time, Francis thought that Y/n was Malcolm’s age. But as it turns out, she seemed more around his age. They’d probably be in the same grade if they were in school together. Reaching the front step, he was even more taken aback by how pretty she was.

“Hi.” She said, slightly out of breath. “I’m Y/n.”

“I’m Francis.” He had to push his way through the response. “I’m the oldest brother.”

“Really?” Y/n asked as he let her into the house. “I’ve never seen you before.”

“I, uh, I go to military school in Alabama.”

“Wow, you must’ve come a long way then!”

“Hey, Y/n.” Francis suddenly became annoyed again. Malcolm was leaning against the wall with a sly smile, staring up at the girl. She grinned.

“Hey, Malcolm! How have you been?” They started their own conversation, leaving Francis alone with his thoughts as they walked to the table. Shaking his head to refocus, Francis followed after them.

Francis felt both blessed and cursed. He was seated next to Y/n, but Malcolm was on the other side of her. He constantly tried to flirt with her, and Francis didn’t know whether to laugh or cringe. Luckily, Y/n started talking to Francis halfway through the dinner, seemingly very interested in his life. Much to Malcolm’s annoyance, their conversation lasted way past dinner, branching off into different topics of interest.

“He might kill me for telling you this.” Francis started, picking at a loose wood chip on the picnic table in his parent’s backyard. “But Malcolm talks to me about you all the time.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet.” Y/n smiled.

“Yeah, but I didn’t expect you to be my age. I totally thought you were a middle schooler, the way he kept talking about you.” She started laughing, and it felt so contagious that Francis couldn’t help but laugh along with her.

“Malcolm’s such a sweetheart. He’s like a little brother if I’m being honest.” If only Malcolm knew that. 

“You know, I also didn’t expect you to be so pretty.” Francis felt bold for flirting with a girl he had just met and that his brother had a crush on. But he just couldn’t help it. Maybe it was the crazy hormones his dad told him about when giving him the talk, but Francis felt like he was having a real connection with this girl.

Y/n tried to cover up her flushed cheeks and giddy smile, but it was useless.

“I can’t believe Malcolm never told me he had an older brother.” Building up courage, she started tracing shapes on the table and fiddling with her hair. “Although, even if he did, I wouldn’t have guessed that you would be this cute.” 

The two teens grinned shyly at each other. The rest of the night was filled with more conversations and flirtations. They talked so long that by the time Y/n said she should probably go home, her parents were already gone, and the Wilkerson family had all dispersed to do their own things.

“You didn’t have to walk me back. I mean, after all, I’m right next door.” Y/n said as she reached her front door, turning to Francis. He shrugged.

“Yeah, I know. But I like talking to you.” She grinned, and he took a deep breath, preparing to make his move. “So, look, I’m leaving tomorrow afternoon. And I’d rather hear about you and your day from you instead of my brother, so… I was wondering if I could have your number?” He didn’t know why he was so nervous. But all nerves were put at ease when Y/n’s smile widened.

“Of course! Let me grab a marker.” Y/n opened the front door and sifted through the junk drawer in the stand next to it. She pulled out a sharpie and grabbed Francis’ wrist. They both blushed at the contact. “Call me anytime.” She capped the marker, looking at him.

“Definitely.” Deciding to make another move, Francis leaned forward and kissed her cheek, backing away immediately after in slight fear of an opposing reaction. “Good night, Y/n.”

“Good night, Francis.” She quickly kissed his cheek in return before making her way inside, closing the door behind her. Francis went home with some lip gloss residue on his cheek and a smile plastered on his lips. He quietly opened and closed the door, reminiscent of how he would when he still lived at home and would sneak in and out after curfew.

Francis got ready for bed and walked to his bed, which was the couch that sat in front of the TV. He was surprised to see Malcolm standing there waiting for him, arms crossed with a scowl.

“I can’t believe you would mess with my game like that, Francis!” He scolded. Francis laughed, messing with his brother’s hair and pushing him away from his makeshift bed.

“You don’t have any game for me to mess with, little brother.” He laid down on the couch, stretching his limbs. “Now go away.”

[space-helen]

Beach

Words: 545

Pairing: Malcolm Reed x Reader

A/N: I hope this is ok <3 sorry it's been a while

Request: Reed x Reader (pref gn or m!reader) Uhhhhhh not sure for anything specific but something established relationship and just cute yknow?? Feed my unhealthy obsession it's me uou love me (I'll pay you in kitten photos??) - @trippolthreat

______________________

“Y/N!” the man called from behind you, stopping you in your tracks. Turning you faced your partner.

“What now?” you teased “Can’t we just leave to go to the beach already?”

This was your first break from Enterprise duties since being together. “I thought we should probably take a blanket.” you could tell the man was slightly delaying your trip.

“We’ve already packed one.” you walked over to the man and took his hand within your own. “Please, let's go before it gets too late and we hit all of the tourists.”

He sighed “I suppose.” 

“What’s wrong. Why don’t you want to go?” you placed your hand on his cheek and he leant into it.

“I’m just nervous. I’ve haven’t been out in public with someone for a long time.” he admitted.

“Malc. We’ve been pretty public on the Enterprise. Think of this as no different.”

He nodded and you moved your hand from his cheek and took his hand within your own and gaze it a squeeze. “We’re going to have a great day.” you assured “and when you’re not having fun at the beach anymore. We’ll leave.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Grabbing your things you made the short walk to the beach and quickly found a place to settle. The two of you lay in the sun next to each other for a bit before the man opened his arm to you so he could embrace you. Placing a kiss to the top of your head you found a comfortable position and continued to take in the sound of the waves, thankful that the beach was pretty empty at this time of day.

Some time later you moved from the man “First one to the sea gets to pick what we do tomorrow.” 

Before you knew it the two of you were racing to the water. You knew the man wanted to go for a hike and you wanted to visit some of the nearby museums. 

The two of you got into the sea at the same time. Splashing each other instantly as you reached it. Laughing you slipped and pulled the man down with you. “It looks like we’ll have to split the day into two parts tomorrow.”

The man stood and helped you up. “Looks like it.” he mulled it over “We’ll hike first thing. Avoid the sun closer to midday.”

You nodded in agreement “Sounds like a plan.” 

The two of you spent some time in the water before returning to the shore. Taking some time to dry off you sat and watched the sea together as the beach started to fill up.

The man got closer to you and put his arm around you. “I think we should go soon. I don’t want massive sunburn.”

“Lunch?” you offered.

“Ice cream?” 

Your face beamed “and how could I say no to that?” you gave the man a quick kiss on the cheek before gathering your belongings.

As you began to move away the man took your hand in his and held his head high as the two of you navigated your way off of the beach. As far as first holiday’s together, this one was going pretty well so far and you couldn’t wait for more in the future.

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[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Malcolm Reed

By Ames

Well, we’ve covered the three main stars of Star Trek: Enterprise, and you’ll find that we’re going to struggle a bit more to come up with highlights for the rest of the characters. Maybe Enterprise was more like The Original Series than we thought. But you know what? The hosts here at A Star to Steer Her By came to really appreciate how consistently written our security chief Malcolm Reed really is. You just have to be a little more observant to notice it through Dominic Keating’s accent.

Somewhat like Chakotay, Reed’s characterization has a subtle nuance that doesn’t hit you over the head, but it’s all there: his self-deprecating humor, his stalwart loyalty, his British gumption. It’s easy for your typical Trekkie to commiserate with our explosion-loving friend. His parents kept him at arm’s length, he never seems to luck out romantically (except in Caitlin’s fanfic, of course!), and he might be the most introverted character in the franchise. Can relate! So grab a slice of pineapple cake as we dig into our Reed moments below and on this week’s podcast (jump to 1:04:09). Reed Alert!

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

Do you like piña coladas? Even the show seems to understand that Reed is underwritten, but that’s actually part of his charm! When, after painstaking investigations, we learn in “Silent Enemy” that our boy loves pineapple enough that he will go the distance and get inoculated to fight his natural allergy to it in order to have his cake and eat it too, it’s an early endearing moment with the security chief.

Click, click, BOOM Another of Reed’s interests is weapons. If it goes “boom,” you know Reed is 100% there for it. So it’s a cute moment in “Sleeping Dogs” when Hoshi translates some Klingon to “photon torpedoes” and Reed pops up out of nowhere, half erect already. And even more amazing, he uses this entirely alien tech to blast the failing ship into a higher orbit and save the day!

I imagine that would make quite an explosion Like we said last week, the comradeship between Tucker and Reed is one of those beautiful friendships you love to see in Trek. And it also includes more of Malcolm loving explosions! He saves both their asses in “Shuttlepod One” when he comes up with the idea to blow up the impulse drive AND keeps Trip from Captain Oates’ing himself because that’s what friends do for each other!

More possibilities than a bowl of day-old oatmeal Or so the box art for Nickelodeon Floam says. Reed is definitely up for a crazy scheme involving covering himself in bubble-gak (the original product name for Floam!) to disguise himself as a Suliban to sneak into the Tandaran prison in “Detained.” Roll it, mold it, cover it — That's the way you Floam it! Okay, I admit this was all mostly an excuse to do some Floam research.

Throw a patent on that When Archer, Trip, and a couple extras are trapped in a jizz web in “Vox Sola,” Reed basically offers to invent the forcefield, which has been eluding engineers and physicists for the last five years. But Malcolm somehow pulls it off in an afternoon. He tests out just how strong the EM barrier needs to be to keep the tendrils from passing through it, and voila! Instant forcefield!

Keep talking and nobody explodes Reed also instantly figures out how the Romulan mine works after it attaches itself to the hull in “Minefield.” And even more impressive: he’s able to communicate how to disarm it to Archer when he’s gotten himself pinned in the leg. And most impressive of all: he survives the constant chattiness of Jonathan Archer, the extrovert who makes introverts uncomfortable!

If you get tired of exploring, you’d do well in the Imperial Guard Considering how Reed never seems to make romantic strides over the course of the show, it was nice to see some successful flirting between him and Talas in “Proving Ground.” Sure, it was mostly an Andorian ruse on her part that he manages to see past, but their chemistry together was still ship-worthy. One could imagine that in another life, they’d make a cute couple.

The hull, the hull, the hull is on fire Reed is tasked with helping Tucker close down a leaking plasma conduit that was creating a huge plasma fire in “The Forgotten” and it almost does him in. Though his EV suit is rapidly heating, and though Trip specifically orders him to bail and go back inside, Malcolm puts his life on the line to finish the task that stops the leak… and then promptly passes out.

Checkmate in eight moves According to the Organian that possesses Reed all through “Observer Effect,” Reed is the ship’s chess expert and wins all the championships he plays in. That’s just a nice little detail that rounds out Reed’s character a little bit. And it makes sense as a security chief to be able to plan strategies several moves in advance while also increasing your nerd cred.

I apologize for saving your life, Commander. It won’t happen again. Though Reed’s usual modus operandi is to accept that he’s about to die and run with it, he actually fights to survive in “United.” Maybe because it’s also saving Trip from radiation, which he wouldn’t have any other way. But it’s a very clever plan to trick the Romulans by setting his phase pistol to overload on the drone ship to allow for escape and eventual rescue!

You have to choose where your loyalties lie We definitely don’t need more of Section 31, as none of us are particularly hyped for the new feature coming out tomorrow (at time of posting). But at least Reed seems to understand that he’d like no part in them either. Through the events of “Affliction” and “Divergence,” all he wants is out of that shady organization, and he ultimately picks the Enterprise over Agent Harris.

Red rover, red rover, let Trip come over Apparently the only person who can save the Enterprise 90% of the time is Trip. But the only person who can get Trip to the Enterprise from the Columbia in “Divergence” is Reed! Even while stuck in the brig for doing shifty Section 31 things, he’s able to use his grappler skill to create the tether that brings the Commander over. Ya know, for the spectacle of it all!

—

Worst moments

You ever noticed her bum? Let’s move on to the bad things that Reed does. It got fully tiring to the SSHB hosts how obsessed everyone on the show was with T’Pol’s bum. Mind you, it’s a nice bum, but you don’t say it! So Malcolm starts a pretty gross trend in “Shuttlepod One” during his obnoxious dream sequence when he first notices dat ass, and don’t worry, everyone’s gonna jump on board.

This is a strange way to get to the garden Speaking of objectifying women! Trip and Reed are both made to look like fools, led entirely by their penises, when they get tricked by the shape-shifting thieves on Risa in “Two Days and Two Nights.” It’s a very tired plot that you’d expect to see in some sitcom or coming-of-age movie, but we also just don’t need to see more gross behavior from Starfleet officers, do we?

I’d prefer a burial at sea, if I’m not completely vaporized Nearly every time we see Reed in an EV suit, he tries to get himself killed for nothing. In “Minefield,” Archer needs to put his oxygen tube back in when Reed has disconnected it in order to sacrifice himself. Later, in “The Forgotten,” he specifically disobeys a command in order to fix a plasma leak and it nearly gets him killed. This boy is the poster child for therapy.

Your inquiry was not recognized This one probably belongs on the Trip list since it was his idea, but screw it, at least it’s getting reflected here. But really, how stupid is it for the two boy wonders to go sneaking around like dingbats in the Repair Station in “Dead Stop,” having no idea where things go and where the computer can transport them? They’re lucky she didn’t beam them into space.

It’s always in the last place you infiltrated Another dunce moment from Reed comes in “The Communicator” when he leaves his communicator on an alien planet they were sneaking around in disguise (for no good reason, I might add!). It’s a move straight out of “A Piece of the Action” when Bones did the same damn thing, and it’s just meant to be a little joke. A little joke that makes your character look incompetent!

When someone asks if you’re a genetically enhanced super soldier... There’s no Prime Directive in the time of Enterprise, but we can still call out when characters do stupid things, such as in “The Communicator.” Like a buffoon, Reed blurts out that he and Archer are super soldiers as an attempt to cover their identities that not only makes things worse for them, who’ll be killed and dissected, but for the society, who now think their war has escalated off the scale!

I considered your suggestion, Reed Alert, but it seemed a bit narcissistic For the sheer eye roll of it all, this one needed to make the list. Whenever Enterprise gets cheeky and makes a poorly timed, awkwardly written, fanwanky reference to something that will come later, it induces groans all around. The worst offender might be the Reed Alert in “Singularity,” which is just so clunky and obvious bait for fans that we can’t even even.

Would you like a sauna while I’m at it? Why does Reed have to be such a whiny little bitch during “The Catwalk”? It doesn’t seem particularly like him to get on Trip’s case about the preparations made to house the whole crew in the titular catwalks to hunker down through a storm, but instead Reed does little but complain. Poor Trip had mere hours and very little help for this massive excursion. Where was Reed then?

You were looking at my hands when you should have been looking at my eyes Yet another example from “Harbinger,” which has already come up a bunch of times in our Worst Moments. For Reed, this episode is all about having a juvenile spat with Major Hayes and it’s so immature I could weep. Reed is a big baby for thinking Hayes literally doing what he was brought onboard to do as a MACO is an insult to him, and he has a big temper tantrum about it.

This seat’s available It’s unappealing how the show depicts Reed as forever alone. He borders on being an incel at times, and one of those times is in “E²” when he learns his alternate self never got with anyone. It’s one of those cringe moments you expect from television of that era when the very next thing you see is Reed making an admittedly tame pass at the first woman he sees. Ick.

With my final breath, I curse Reed After Reed has finally mended things with Major Hayes and the two hold some respect for each other, Hayes gets killed off in a blaze of glory in “Countdown.” His final request is that McKenzie become his successor. As a last “fuck you” to Hayes, Reed apparently never does this! We don’t see her in the subsequent scene rallying the MACOs, or ever again on the show.

Do we need more Section 31? Finally there’s everything else to do with Section 31 in “Affliction” and “Divergence” and needlessly again in “Demons” and “Terra Prime.” What a terrible retcon for Reed. We already have a secret spy onboard in T’Pol. But instead we get Agent Harris showing up to meanly manipulate Reed and make Archer yell and yell as he so often does. It’s such fanwank because we’ve heard of this pointless memberberry before and that’s all it is.

—

That’s a wrap on Reed; cue the explosions! Keep watching this space for more blogtivities as we finish up all our remaining Enterprise discussions. You can also follow along as we watch episodes of Discovery over on the podcast at SoundCloud or wherever you podcast, wish Reed a happy birthday on Facebook, and if you have you put on an EV suit and go outside, consider staying in for the sake of your mental health.

And hey, we're on Bluesky now too! Check us out there!

[marointhemoon]

Vigil

Joss Hayes can't move. A stun grenade will do that to you. And now he's at the mercy of a man who thinks he's trying to steal his job. Wonderful. 

Written for AI-Less Whumptober 2024, day 20 (Enemy/stranger to caretaker)

Characters: Malcolm Reed, J. Hayes

Length: 600 words

Joss can't move. A stun grenade will do that to you. And now he's at the mercy of a man who thinks he's trying to steal his job.

Wonderful.

Looking at Reed, he can't fathom why that even is. The man's not stupid. Doesn't he realize he has enough on his plate with the MACOs?

Then again, the thought of a United Earth Military captain with three separate command positions has made Joss snort more than once. To be sure, he can imagine having that responsibility—if he was a fucking colonel. But a UEM soldier below that rank having that much responsibility? Unheard of. And yet here Reed is, shouldering it and acting like it's normal. Even as a major, Joss will go back to being an EMT before he accepts that amount of pressure. 

If only Reed could figure that out.

As it is, Joss stares at him as he keeps his vigil. This is one of the few times he's ever gotten to really look at him. Tense, lean muscle wires over Reed's small frame, frown lines set deep into his face. The man's no older than him—not even 40, for Christ's sake—but he carries himself with the fatigue of someone well into his fifties. Moreover, he seems... worn out. Worn thin. The dark circles attest to that, though Joss isn't dense enough to wonder why.

From where he lays, Reed looks thinner than usual, too. Something uncomfortable settles in Joss' gut. Has he been eating?

Knowing him, probably not well. Joss isn't stupid, either—he knows perfectly well that Reed is saddled with the almost single-handed responsibility of keeping some 110 people alive. Apart from his second- and third-in-command, he’s the ship's line of defense. Webster and Darnell are good kids: level-headed and generally competent, and fucking masterful at their respective specialties. But despite being junior-grade lieutenants, they are kids: Webster's barely older than Ensign Mayweather, and Darnell's maybe Ensign Sato's age. Reed works them hard, just as he does everyone else under him, but the three have come to be thick as thieves. He fights like hell for them; while they try to pay it back, it's clear enough who does most of the protecting.

Joss also knows perfectly well just how similar he and Reed are. They're both independent, hyper-competent, anal-retentive, and sitting near the top of their respective food chains. Everything else aside, it's no real wonder they've clashed so much.

There's also a certain insecurity to Reed, though. It was obvious from the first accusation of trying to take his position, and it's only become clearer since then. Archer's decisions have started to get less ethical and more risky, Reed keeps trying to isolate himself, and—not for fucking nothing—the detachment hasn't exactly been warm and fuzzy towards him or the Fleeters. True, they've all responded in kind, but that's hardly the point. It's not just in the field that Reed expects an enemy combatant around every corner. It's on Enterprise, too.

Yet, that insecure son of a bitch is watching over him as though he's anyone else on Enterprise. With the same stern determination he's probably carried the whole time, Reed has resolved to protect them all—MACO or Starfleet—with his life. Even if he misses out on a few meals or a few nights' sleep because of it.

When I can move again, Joss thinks, I'm going to return the favor. He has no intention of coddling Reed; he doubts he'd appreciate anything that smacks of it. But it's about time he had someone beside him.

For the full list of prompts, go here!

[indignantlemur]

Hey! This is a question I've been asking myself for a long time. What if the first contact, instead of being with the Vulcans, were with the Andorians? What would happen to humanity? Would it be superior? It is very difficult, I bet impossible, for the Federation to exist on this world. Would there be a kind of Andorian-human alliance, which would wage war against the Vulcans? What do you think?

Hey! Thanks for the ask!

I kinda touched upon Human-Andorian first contact headcanons here, but I'm happy to revisit it with a little more nuance.

The general gist is that I don't think Human society would be better or worse - it would just be different.

Andorians are fairly arrogant, as species go, and would likely have an almost proprietary, older-sibling-esque relationship with Earth in the beginning. That would eventually cause friction, in much the same way that Vulcan's controlling condescension chafed Humans. The exact details might differ, on the who and the how and the why of it, but ultimately I think Humanity would have pushed for independence from Andoria in just the same way they did with Vulcan.

Honestly, I don't think that Human nature would be fundamentally changed regardless of who their first contact was with, but I think Andorians would have definitely encouraged the more martial aspects of Human society. Certainly, the Andorians wouldn't have let the Enterprise go out into space without proper shields and weapons!

I definitely think Humans might have run into more trouble in this hypothetical universe, especially if folks like Malcolm Reed were encouraged to take command roles rather than just security. Ultimately, though, I think that Humans still would have found a way to make something vaguely resembling the Federation, or at least arrange some kind of non-aggression pact between all of the founding species. Do I think there would have been more active conflict involved in the process? Absolutely. Could there have been a war? Possibly!

Heck, imagine the Enterprise's first encounter with the Orions, with an Andorian warship like the Kumari behind them. Now that is an alternate history war I want to read about!

But still, I like the idea of all the different possible universes course correcting to have something in the niche the Federation fills in the Prime Universe - excluding the Mirror Universe and its sex-plots-and-murder-shenanigans, of course. That's a whole other topic.

Hope this answers everything!

[themurdochmemesteries]

Trademark:Malcolm Reed,hurt/comfort,fics,arts，imagination&creativity,floofs,caring

always malcolm reed XD you're so sweet! <3

[marshmallow--shark]

@themurdochmemesteries

Hehe yesss! That is exactly what I imagined a noncon scenario between them as! You're so great at writing noncon, I love what you've done this time too. Poor ensign Reed~ Thanks for being the first to contribute to the tiny Harris/Malcolm pairing.

[starfleetimagines]

How would Malcom reed react to you crying?

Malcolm Reed Reacting to You Crying Would Include...

The first time he saw you crying, he would realize that there's nothing he hates more in the world than seeing you falling apart.

No matter if it was the first time he saw you cry or a future time, he would not know what to do at first. He's not the best with emotions in general, so when he sees you - his love - crying, he'd just momentarily shut down. He'd freeze, just staring at you as his heart broke in his chest.

He'd mutter your name softly before he moved closer and offer you a hug. If you accepted the gesture, he would just hold you quietly as you cried against his shoulder. He'd run his hands up and down your back, or his fingers through your hair. He wouldn't say much, maybe a few "I got you"s or "it's okay"s.

If you didn't want the hug, he would kind of stand there like 🧍‍♂️ this emoji. "What can I do?" he'd then ask, trying to keep his voice soft. He'd do whatever you wanted or needed.

Even if he isn't good with emotions, he is an incredible listener. He would listen to you rant and ramble for ages, or stutter and sob out incoherent sentences. He'd listen and would ask if you wanted advice or if he should stay quiet. He's better at solving problems than handling emotions, but if you didn't want a solution to the problem or advice about how to deal with it, he'd stay quiet.

He'd try to touch you in some way - if not a hug then a hand on your knee or an arm around your shoulder. Just something to let you know he's there.

When you've calmed down, he would gently ask if you were okay and if you needed anything. Again, he'd do whatever you asked of him.

As your relationship progressed, he would slowly start to react faster - able to push aside his own shock, heartbreak, and uncertainty with emotions to comfort you. He'd start to pick up on cues that would tell him what you needed when - if you were crying be cause you were frustrated you might not want a hug, but if you were crying because you were said, you usually would. Things like that that would help him better comfort you and care for you.

Tag list: @wraith-queen-todd @agent-catfish-kenobi @make-me-imagine @naivara-duneimith @space-helen @mrs-l-mccoy @thisismysecrethappyplace

[make-me-imagine]

Truth or Dare: Part Two

(Part One)

Plot: After their game of truth or dare, both Malcolm and Y/n come to terms with their changed feelings. During a ship-wide party, those feelings become less than secret.

Pairing: Malcolm Reed x Gn!Reader (Use of Y/n)

Written for @fandomdancer as a fic commission on my Ko-fi

Warnings: A kiss at the end, but that's it!

A/N: The requested song is linked in the fic at the moment it starts to play.

Words: 2.2k

-

Ever since your game of truth or dare with the others the night before, your mind had been working non-stop. Had these feelings for Malcolm always been there? Had they just been hidden by your friendship with him?

And the one question that seemed to be plaguing you most frequently.

Did he feel the same?

Or was this just some quickly passing crush that would be gone in a weeks time? Part of you hoped so, but another part of you, a curious part, wanted to know what would happen if your feelings were real. And if they were returned.

Jumping slightly as a hand gripped your shoulder, you looked up to see Trip staring at you.

Chuckling he removed his had "Where's your mind at? I was calling you for a good thirty seconds."

Realizing you had been wandering down the hall without paying attention, you chuckled nervously "Sorry, just a bit tired I guess."

"Not too tired I hope? You better show up to the shin-dig tonight."

You smiled and nodded "I will be there"

"Good."

"Did you need something?" You asked, recalling why he had come up to you.

He handed you a PAD "Just for you to check this over."

"Ah, alright, will do."

"Maybe take a nap before the party tonight, ey?" He smiled as he wandered off.

You let out a small sigh, you really needed to get out of your own head. Sighing again, you headed to your room to take a shower. How could you take a nap with your mind so worked up? It's the reason you didn't really sleep in the first place.

---

The ship was still stuck in the storm, and expected to be until the following day. So, after some discussion among the crew, and encouragement from the Captain there was going to be a party tonight. Food, music, dancing. Should be fun. Though, a heavy weight had seemed to find it's way into your chest.

You hadn't seen Malcolm since the previous night except once from a distance. When you saw him, you felt as though your chest was going to explode, so you turned around and avoided him.

You seriously needed to get grip on yourself and figure out your feelings before tonight. Yeah, right.

Malcolm couldn't seem to stop his eyes from wondering around every space he entered, looking for your presence. He had only seen you once earlier in the day walking the opposite way. He had resisted the urge to follow after you, but regretted it when he didn't see you again.

He hoped he would see you tonight at the party. He wanted a moment to be with you, to see just how strong his newfound feelings were.

He wasn't quite sure what he was going to do either way. He had lingering suspicions that maybe you had feelings for him, and he wanted to know for sure. If you did, then perhaps your relationship could become more. And if you didn't, well then, he would hope to remain your friend at least.

Checking the clock, he realized it was about half an hour until the party was going to start. Deciding to go to his room to get ready, he tried to ignore the twisting in his stomach as nervousness filled him.

--- --- ---

As you made your way into the large room, people were mingling and laughing together, as some danced in the center of the room.

The whole party was themed around old Terra traditions. Old music, food, and drinks. A theme you assumed was devised by the Captain and Trip.

You felt a nervous flutter in your chest as you looked around the room, your eyes looking out for one person. As your eyes settled on him, you felt you heart jolt.

Malcolm stood with some others, smiling about something and you felt butterflies shoot through your stomach.

A few days ago you would have gone up to him easily, with no problem. But now, you walked to the other side of the room, unable to even look at him.

You had come to the conclusion that your feelings for Malcolm were real. As much as they seemed to come out of nowhere, you had a feeling they had been simmering for some time.

Finding Hoshi, you stood and talked with her, wondering if you'd get the courage to approach Malcolm soon.

"Hey, look!" Hoshi whispered to you, catching you off guard.

Following her finger, you looked across the room to see Travis dancing with Hannah, grins on both of their faces.

Your thoughts were distracted from Malcolm as you grinned at the sight. It looked like Travis found his courage after all. And, he wouldn't have to eat a whole batch of southern pear salad it seemed.

Malcolm searched the room for you, his eyes scanning fervently. As they finally landed on you, he felt his chest tighten. You had a bright grin on your face that took his breath away, literally.

Following your line of sight, he saw you watching Travis and Hannah. He smiled at the sight as well before he looked back at you.

Feeling a sudden burst of courage, he walked across the room towards you, his eyes never leaving your face.

"Y/n."

Your heart leapt at the sudden familiar voice as your eyes darted to Malcolm, who had appeared by your side.

Swallowing the sudden surprise you smiled "Hey Malcolm"

He stared at you for a moment before finally clearing his throat and finding his words "Would you care to dance?"

Your eyes widened slightly at the question as your heart pounded. "Dance?"

You could feel Hoshi look between the two of you and you wondered if maybe she could feel the tension as well.

He nodded with a smile, though you could see something in his gaze. Nervousness?

"Alright." You said softly, your voice much quieter than you meant.

But Malcolm heard you fine and smiled brightly at you "Great, come on."

As he reached down and slid his hand into yours, you felt your breath hitch. After giving Hoshi a parting glance, you followed him to the center of the room, butterflies rampaged through your stomach as his hand left yours before gently landing on your waist, the other moving to your shoulder.

As the two of you began to slowly dance to the music you felt as though you had nothing to say. You had never been so speechless around Malcolm.

The song that had begun playing was new to you and you felt a nervous flutter. You weren't used to old music, and you were afraid you'd embarrass yourself.

Malcolm, seemingly noticing your hesitation smiled softly as he leaned a little closer "Just follow my lead."

You met his eyes and felt a warmth in your chest, your eyes seemed to stay locked forever, before Malcolm began stepping in rhythm to the song. You followed along, constantly reminding yourself to keep breathing.

"Have we ever danced before?" Malcolm asked after a moment of silence.

After you thought on it for a moment you shook your head, starting to feel your self relax in his presence again. "I don't think so."

"Hmm. That's a shame."

You smiled, repressing a chuckle "Yeah it is. If I had known you were a good dancer I may have looked for an excuse."

He grinned at you "I'm not the best, but with the right partner..." He trailed off softly, and you thought you could hear a subtle hinting tone in his voice.

After he twirled you lightly, he brought you closer than you had been before. Your face felt warm, but you tried to stay calm.

He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it, seemingly second guessing himself.

"What?" You prodded softly.

"I just- was thinking about that game of truth or dare yesterday evening."

Your heart seemed to jolt suddenly as you smiled, laughing softly "Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, it's a shame it ended so early. I never got a chance to ask you a truth."

"Didn't you?"

He shook his head in response "I dared you early on in the game to chug some cider, but that's it."

"Oh yeah. Thanks for that by the way." You said sarcastically earning a laugh. You swallowed, butterflies heavy in your chest, before you spoke again "Well was there something you wanted to ask me?"

He smiled softly, and you could see something shining behind his eyes. You had asked the right question.

"It's not something I thought of during the game, but after."

You rose your brow inquisitively and he chuckle softly before straightened himself up a bit and speaking playfully "Truth or Dare?"

You let out a laugh as you rolled your eyes playfully. The playful part of you wanted to choose dare, but the other part of you, the one that recently discovered your new feelings, wouldn't let you. You had a feeling in your gut, that he felt the same. And that this truth would make it real.

"Truth." You said softly with a smile.

Malcolm seemed to take in a breath before he spoke, his voice soft, only loud enough for you to hear.

"Do you feel the same way about me, as I do about you?"

The over thinker in you wanted to convince you maybe he meant friendship, but you knew that was stupid. He wouldn't ask you that. The only reason he would be asking a question like that, is if this was a confession in itself to you.

'Do you love me as much as I love you?' His inner thoughts spoke, but he reworded it, for fear of the emotion being too strong.

"I think-" you stopped yourself before you started over with a soft nod of your head, your eyes filled with fear, surprise, and joy "Yeah, I do."

Malcolm let out a relieved sigh that seemed to bare a heavy weight he wasn't aware he was holding until it was gone. "Oh thank God."

You couldn't resist the laugh that bubbled out of you, allowing him the relief to laugh as well.

You spoke softly "Can I ask... when did you know?"

Was it as recent as your discovery, did things change for you at the same time?

"Well, I think I always knew, in some way. But, I didn't realize it fully, until last night actually, it was like it suddenly smacked me i-"

"-in the face!" You finished, your face showing your surprise "Me too!"

"Really?"

You nodded fervently and he let out a bewildered laugh. "Wait...so were you actually checking me out when I was doing my pull ups?"

He saw the shock cross your face before you smacked him, making him laugh and mutter out an apology.

"I guess it was good that Trip convinced us to play that stupid game. Who knows how long it would have taken otherwise."

"Shh! Don't say that!" You said, causing him to look around startled.

"What why?"

"You really want Trip to have that over our heads for the rest of our lives?"

Malcolm's eyes widened as the thought "Oh God, definitley not."

You chuckled "So let's maybe keep that under wraps huh?"

He nodded and laughed "Just our little secret then."

--- ---

The rest of the party went well, you and Malcolm only left each other's sides a couple times througout the night. But anytime you'd look to catch his eye, he was often already looking at you.

It wasn't obvious to the others, as far as you could tell, what had happened between the two of you. So it would remain your secret for a while longer.

When most everyone had wondered off to bed, you parted ways with Hoshi and Trip before heading back to your dorm, Malcolm trailing alongside you.

You got to your door a lot faster than you would have preferred, and gave Malcolm a shy yet bright smile.

He grinned at you before he looked around and cleared his throat.

"This may come off a bit fast, and I understand if you say no, but, would you mind if I kissed you goodnight?" His eyes were heavy with nervousness as he asked and you almost reached out and touched his face.

Your heart swelled in your chest as the butterflies returned. You were shocked at the question, but far from displeased by the suggestion.

You smiled, and you were sure you face was flushed as you replied "I wouldn't mind at all."

Smiling, Malcolm slowly inched forward, his lips hesitating just before touching yours, before he kissed you. It was gentle, and only lasted a few seconds, but it was special. You felt a shiver run through your body a you felt a giddiness in your stomach.

When Malcolm pulled away, he kept his face close to yours as he looked into your eyes.

His voice was nearly a whisper when he spoke "I was afraid...that might feel weird, but it was..."

"Perfect?" You asked softly.

He smiled and nodded "Exactly."

You smiled in return as you slowly pulled away from each other. You were sure both of you felt the desire to kiss again, but it was best this night end here, with a perfect ending with a promise for more to come.

"Good night Malcolm" You said after a moment.

He grinned down at you "Goodnight Y/n."

xx End xx

Thank you for reading, and I really hope you liked it!

This was a two-part commission fic, so if anyone is interested in getting one as well, you can find he llink to my ko-fi at the top of the fic.

General Taglist: @criminaly-supernatural, @imaginesfire, @onuen, @rexit-mo, @witchygagirl, @alexxavicry

Star Trek Taglist:@starfleetimagines, @groovy-lady, @asgardianhobbit98, @agent-catfish-kenobi, @starship-argo, @cs-please, @gatefleet, @fandomdancer

[deadheaddaisy]

My turn! 😁

Most popular fic by kudos you posted this year

Your personal favorite fic you posted this year

Your total word count posted this year (shows in Statistics)

Your total comment threads this year (shows in Statistics)

Oldest fic you read this year

Your most posted Additional Tag this year

Your favorite comment you left or received this year

<rubs hands> Let's get to it!

Most popular fic by kudos you posted this year: Dynamite Comes In Small Packages at 32

Your personal favorite fic you posted this year:

Oh lordie, you have unleashed the Favourites Explainer (you know I can't choose just one of anything!). I have six that I use as personal comfort reads and I can't choose between them, so in order of publication date:

Nothing To Fear (I got the first three chapters down in one weekend, it has one of my favourite lines I've ever written, and it has Jhamel and Shran, what's not to love?) Outrun (first action piece, first real banter, had to research both the disaster type and the shuttlepod characteristics and talk through the escape with my own personal Malcolm Reed to make it plausible) Going Under (super proud because I had to figure out the logistics of the flooding and the panic attack/escape and got my scuba-diving/first responder friend to check it for realism in the non-sci-fi elements and she approved and wrote a coda from Malcolm's POV, which isn't published but YAY!) Revisiting Risa (I love all my E-rated stuff but this one makes me super happy because they use their words and it's also hot AF IMNSHO) Better With You (And The Angels Sing coda) (it's fluff, Hoshi & Malcolm in their 40s, with the comfort of a long-established relationship, and it's in your 'verse, and it's a warm hug of a fic) Money Or Nothing (it took me 9 months of writing, cutting out swathes of text, refining and polishing, and I adore their interactions in it)

Your total word count posted this year (shows in Statistics): 116,922 (which is kind of a shock)

Your total comment threads this year (shows in Statistics): 181

Oldest fic you read this year: Rain (01/19/2002) (I think - I stopped 21 pages into History but I can't imagine there would be much - if any - older than this.

Your most posted Additional Tag this year: It's a toss-up between Banter/Happy at 13 each! I like 'em to have a good time, as you know. 😏

Your favorite comment you left or received this year: Oh gosh, there are a bunch and I know I'm going to miss one, but I love when people laugh in my comments and when they mention specific lines that I wrote! Or when I can make a writer laugh. 😁r:

[dominickeating-source]

SFX Issue 134 (2005)

LOOK WHO'S STALKING... 

THE SFX STALKER ASKS THE QUESTIONS THAT REALLY MAKE THE STARS  GO..."FREAK!" 

DOMINIC KEATING 

For four years, Dominic Keating played Star Trek: Enterprise's token Brit, Malcolm Reed.  But now that's gone down the crapper, he's back in Blighty. 

Dominic, you've got a posh name. Are you very posh? "Semi-posh. My Mum's family is quite posh. My Dad was a very rural lad from the wilds of Ireland. I come from quite a dichotomy. My grandfather was a Brigadier OBE, but my grandfather on my dad's side was a lighthouse keeper."  What's the worst trouble you've ever been in?  "Oh gosh...at the tennis club disco when I was 13. I was snogging Sally Jinks quite vehemently, and I got this tap on the shoulder. It was the matron of the tennis club. I didn't even turn round but I sort of tipped my lips away from Sally and went 'Sod off!' I was immediately yanked off her and was in a pile of trouble..."  I heard that you were in a drag act, to get your Equity card.  (Wearily) "Yes I was. I did let that out one time, years ago..."  How Method did you go? Did you wear ladies knickers?  "I didn't wear the knickers. I had my boxers on. We did a charity gig at the Crypt in Brixton. There's me, a little public school boy, getting changed in the corner with 40 lacerating drag queens. ' What's the matter, didn't they have your size?' It was a hell of an experience, and very strengthening..." If I rifled through your bins, what would I find?  "You missed your opportunity. I just took back my flat in London after ten years and I did a huge throw out, and it was remarkable the amount of stuff I found."  And the most embarrassing thing you found?  "Er...I'd kept a Page Three of Kathy Lloyd that was wrapped up. (Laughs) What a serious pair she had, eh?"  Did you put that back in a draw for safekeeping?  "No I chucked it out! My fianc�e was there and I went very quiet for a second, and she went, ' What have you found?' 'Oh...nothing!' "  Which of the other Enterprise blokes could you beat in a fistfight?  "Oh, none! Hmm, maybe John Billingsley [Dr Phlox]...but he's got the weight on me. Connor and Anthony and Scott are big strapping, corn-fed fellas. I'm fairly fit - by English standards - but these guys, they're six foot and all muscle. I'm not even 5' 10". But as they say, diamonds are small...!"  Finally, a philosophical question...  "Philosophical? Oh you've lost me right there. (Puts on a Vicki Pollard voice) A what? Yeah, but, no but, yeah. Shut up!"  Please be serious, Dominic. Okay, here's the question : If there was a fight between a group of cavemen and a group of astronauts, who would win?  "Well, it depends on the environment really, doesn't it? But I would imagine the cavemen could kick the living crap out of the astronauts - they're all mathematicians. My money's on the cavemen mate!" 

Source: www.dominickeating.com

[space-helen]

Encounter

Words: 579

Pairing: Macolm Reed x Reader

A/N: Short and sweet. I merged (ish) two requests fro this

Request: So. Pretty please can I have a bi Reed x non binary!british!reader. I have some more ideas I can message you about if you'd like more stuff - @trippol-threat

I'm sneaking one more in. Any chance of an enemies to lovers soulmate with Malcolm Reed from Star Trek Enterprise? - @fandomdancer

______________________

You took in a breath to steady yourself before speaking. You knew the man wasn’t that welcoming of the new team on the whole but you had to break the ice, you couldn’t be the person who stayed quiet for the entire time you were here. Originally that may have been a good plan but you had no clue how long you’d be on board. You were off duty but still in uniform, you didn’t really come into contact with Malcolm on a regular basis but he seemed like the only person you could genuinely get on with if you just put in a little bit of effort.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” your voice was normal and you surprised yourself slightly.

The man looked up before gesturing to the seat across from him “Go ahead.”

Sitting down you hesitated for a second before going to speak again but the man spoke first “Y/L/N right? Part of the new-”

“Yeah.” you nodded “And you're Reed.”

“Malcolm is fine. We’re off duty.” the man was looking down at his food again and you looked down at your own. That was odd, you knew he was a stickler for the rules and you didn’t think he’d be so upfront.

“In that case it’s Y/N then.”

“Y/N” he repeated before looking back up “So what brings you over here to my table then?”

“I just thought I’d make a little effort, we have no clue how long we might be here working with you so I thought I’d try and make some friends.”

“So you thought that coming to the head of security, who is known to hate the non starfleet personnel on the ship, to make friends with even though you’re part of the non starfleet personnel.”

You nodded and let out an awkward laugh, god you’d screwed it all up. “Yeah. It’s probably not my best move.”

The man nodded “Not at all.” he paused and finished his food “I take it your British, from the accent?”

“Yeah, born and raised.”

He nodded as he thought about what to say next “I will admit it’s refreshing to hear the accent around more. I didn’t realise how much I missed it until I heard it.”

“It's like we're a dying breed" you attempted to joke but instantly regretting it. Would he take it well?

He let out a breath, was that a laugh?

"To think at one point in the history of our Earth we ruled most of the planet. How things change."

The two of you sat in silence for a moment. 

The man cleared his throat "It was my pleasure to properly meet you Y/N but duty calls. I'd be open to having dinner together again if you're around. I know this was brief but the conversation was nice."

Your brain froze for a second… what? 

"Likewise. Instead of setting anything in stone should we just join one another if we see each other alone?"

"Just join even if I'm not" He waved his hand dismissively as he stood. "I'll see you around"

"Enjoy" You said with a nod if your head to see him off.

As soon as he left your sight you let out a breath you didn't know you'd been holding. That didn't go terribly? Actually, that went pretty well. 

Relaxing into your seat you smiled as you finished your food, you really couldn't wait to see him again.

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