#una: *simply hands pike the orders she wants him to give her*

[grissomesque]

STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS 2.10 "Hegemony" 2.08 "Under the Cloak of War"

[curator-on-ao3]

Hi! How's you? Lord's Grace, I'm fine.

Just wanted to ask, what are the standout moments from both the seasons about, for, in, about Pike and Una? Ones that you remember or half-remember but they feel like they're the defining moments about them, or reveal something about them or just moments where they're together and we simply enjoy them, moments you'd love to write more fics about.

:') Lord Bless! Have a lovely more lovely even more lovely day

I’m glad you’re doing well. ❤️ Thank you for asking — this was fun to consider!

I understand the boundaries of your question, but I’m gonna color outside the lines a little bit to say that it starts for me in The Cage when Pike is so considerate of Number One’s feelings that he apologizes for the reasonable choice not to put her on the landing party. Then, on Talos IV, they work together so cleanly, handling the same equipment and picking up on each other’s ideas and plans. Yes, the episode kicks off the ship in the obvious way of revealing that Number One fantasizes about Pike. Yet the episode also makes clear why — a closeness and camaraderie that’s evident from the start. (And at the end. Colt asking who would have been Eve and Number One shutting Colt down, then Boyce pressing the question and Pike shutting Boyce down. Meanwhile there’s me ignoring the Lilith story to shout: “Her name is literally ‘Number One,’ y’all. Who else would be Eve?”)

Then we get to Discovery and she appears before him in a shimmer of transporter beam and the camaraderie, the understanding, the care for each other — it’s all still there. He teases her about her food and drink order. She teases him right back. She knows his orders before he gives them. He trusts her completely. It’s so lovely and comfortable and real-feeling.

There’s more in the Short Treks (Number One freaking out when Spock notes her “most careful study of the captain,” etc.), but let’s get to the heart of your question.

Strange New Worlds took the care, the camaraderie, the understanding, and deepened all that even more, made it so Chris has never served on a non-redacted ship without her, made it so they’ve known each other most of their lives, made it so we see them talk about life and duty and journeys whether in his quarters or the ready room, it doesn’t matter because the comfort they have with each other transcends location. Both times she even mentions resigning, he says absolutely not. Twice, he holds her service record in his hands and rushes off to do what he can to save her from a dangerous situation. And, as we all know, Mr. “He Views Resorting to Force as an Admission of Failure” (per Number One in Q&A) gets violent when Starfleet arrests her and is about take her away from him.

So, in terms of truly answering your question (finally), I love how, in the premiere, the second Chris walks in to rescue Una from Kiley 279 that she starts teasing him, he instantly teases back, and she knew damn well that he would come and rescue her even though he wasn’t technically on duty. I also love little things like how when he’s helping her get around despite her injured leg that there’s no self-consciousness in touching (even in underboob territory) because they’ve served together in close proximity for ages so why would they be self-conscious?

Which takes us to Children of the Comet and more talking and domesticity (yes, I can fully believe that dishwashers are a lost technology since that means I can watch them do dishes together) and sharing hard truths in his quarters. There are layers at the dinner party, stories and him teasing her in front of other people for everyone to be able to laugh together … and her deep care for his feelings when he’s not laughing at all.

Clearly, I could keep going for season one:

Ghosts of Illyria when he subtly checks in on her feelings at the beginning, then she’s so worried about him on the surface, and finally his stalwart support for her in the ready room.

Memento Mori when he asks how she’s doing — and the way he asks in the midst of a crisis with softness in his voice.

Serene Squall with the casual intimacy of her helping him put on his gear, then their history together and understanding via the Alpha Braga IV reminisce.

Quality of Mercy when she chases after him even though he put her in charge of the meeting, then his reaction to her being missing in the future, him trying to figure out what happened to her, him standing by the command chair when he finally sees her again, and, of course, as mentioned before, his reaction to her being taken away.

And I could keep going for season two:

Ad Astra Per Aspera, like, all of it but especially when he speaks of the loss it would be to him if she left, the fact that he’s an adult who suffered from asthma as a child yet he risks asphyxiation to help her, the picture of them both that she keeps in her quarters, everything about The Hug™️, and so much more.

Charades with the There Was Only One Couch scene and, earlier, the “🎶 first contact get down, get down, first contact get down” look on the bridge.

Those Old Scientists having them both like the communicator better than a commbadge — and getting how Pike and Una visually check in which each other so much than even their cartoons do it.

Subspace Rhapsody letting them kiss (I always say I will send a bouquet of flowers to the editor who put that in the show).

Under the Cloak of War showing him listening to her and trusting her where her talents exceed his.

I’m leaving things out that I’ll remember as soon as I hit post.

There are vibes and glances. There is body language. (🎶 There were moments of gold/ And there were flashes of light/ There were things I'd never do again/ But then they'd always seemed right.) There’s a certain groundedness that lets me believe these two truly know each other.

And, for all of that, I am grateful.

Fun fact: This is my first post in which I hit the image limit and couldn’t add more. Even after I combined some. Whoo-hoo! Also, I apologize for not sourcing the gifs. I had them saved and Tumblr gif search is a nightmare.

Edit: I remembered one of the many things I’m sure I’m leaving out: their conversation in The Broken Circle. The mutual concern, the lived-in feeling of their talk, the vibe that this was far from their first conversation since everything went down. I loved it all.

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

I’m Always Curious Part Thirty

Previous Part | Next Part |  Masterlist Notes: I hope everyone’s having a good week 💕

Welcome back to Pike’s POV! I hope y’all like it 😬

Warnings: Cursing and canon-typical violence/suspense(?) Summary: Christopher Pike was well and truly at a loss. 

She didn’t like this.

Pike could see that in her every gesture, hear it in every word. He saw it in the way her jaw clenched minutely when they were discussing the prospect of a manual tag; he could hear it in her dejected sigh of, “But we put our dreams away.” He didn’t know what that meant to either her or Reno, but he didn’t like the sound of it coming from either of them. Christopher Pike was well and truly at a loss. He was unfamiliar with the mission type, with the man running it, and he felt wholly unfamiliar with the Commander suiting up to pilot the attack fighter to tag the DY-100. He should not have felt so unfamiliar with the Commander. He knew her, or had known her, before. But she seemed so changed since the last time they’d been in one another’s company. That morning was something that Christopher thought about more often than he cared to admit: the memory of her waking in his arms, the sweet kisses and soft murmurs, her being summoned for a mission, telling him that she’d be back in an hour—

Christopher pulled himself from thought as he stepped onto the turbolift with Durling to head to the Bridge. The Commander’s words were still ringing in his head: “Caught the wrong end of a bat’leth.” She said it like it was something that happened every day. But then, for her and Durling, and for much of Starfleet, that had been their reality for almost a year.  “You worried?” Pike glanced over to see Durling watching him expectantly, waiting for an answer. He wasn’t sure he liked the man very much. The Commander seemed very familiar with him, but by their accounts, they had spent much of the war working with one another on such missions as the upcoming 22-9-14. Christopher had caught the look that Durling had cast the Commander when he’d introduced himself; he couldn’t help but wonder how much he knew. Perhaps he was simply aware of the fact that the Commander was previously stationed on the Enterprise. “You and the Commander seem to have things in hand,” He answered crisply, “As you’ve said, you’ve run plenty of these, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Durling gave Pike a small nod, “Been a while for you two, huh? Seeing each other.” “Yes, it has. You were stationed together for most of the war?” “That’s right.” “For how much of that time was she a Commander?” “Not much, mostly the last leg. At that point, we were placed on separate craft. She was put in charge of a fleet of attack fighters, stationed out of Starbase 412.” “So you’re used to calling the shots,” Pike offered. Durling chuckled. “Guess so, but I’ve been under her a time or two.” He stepped off of the turbolift ahead of Pike, who watched him go with narrowed eyes. The implication was clear, and the ease of interaction between the two did lend credence to it. Christopher was not sure he liked Eli Durling. -- He had offered the Captain’s chair to Durling, who had politely declined. Instead, Durling had briefly commandeered Burnham’s station, with Burnham and Tilly hovering beside. Pike couldn’t bring himself to sit, so he stood instead, eyeing the S.S. Botany Bay. The craft was eerily silent and dark, drifting out in the ether like a whale in the open ocean. The Commander had launched from the shuttle bay only moments ago, and Pike watched the attack fighter approach. What could she possibly be thinking? 

Christopher used to be able to tell what she was thinking with a look. He knew every eye roll, brow raise, smile— They’d hardly met one another’s eyes since she’d been aboard the Discovery. When he’d seen her at Kat’s side, he could’ve sworn he was seeing a ghost. But she’d seemed so stunned in turn, had turned away so quickly— And, well… He had known that she had served on the Pinnacle for some time. He’d never been able to bring himself to reach out, a fact that had managed to escape Una’s notice until recently. And he hadn’t sought the Commander out while she was on the ship, either. There was a mission at hand, one that he was unfamiliar with and that they both needed to be focused on. 

Of course, it did not help that she was at the core of this mission. 

“How’s it looking, Commander?” The sound of Durling’s voice again drew Pike from his reverie. Her voice came through seconds later, “Like the holo, but bigger.” “...Thank you for that,” Durling answered, “Get ready for bot deployment—” “Afraid I can’t do that, Durling.” “You know I don’t like hearing that.” “You think I like saying it? Can Helm please patch through my feed?” There was a pause before the feed from the attack fighter came through. The hull of the S.S. Botany Bay was dark, slightly rusted. “Run a hull integrity test, please,” She added. Christopher could hear in her voice that she knew precisely what the outcome would be. He glanced back as he watched Michael step up beside Durling and run the calculations. “The integrity of the hull seems to be highly compromised,” Michael grimaced, glancing up at Pike. “What do you put the likelihood of an automated external tag application? I ran the numbers on the trip out, let’s see if we got the same thing,” The Commander commented from inside the ship. Christopher’s brows rose. The last time he recalled the Commander copping an attitude like that, they’d been in private; they had just returned from Koutov, and they had exchanged a fair amount of smack-talk in the gym before— “Why don’t you give me your number first,” Burnham offered. “Likelihood of a break from tag as a result of automated pressure sits at 94.772%.” “I had it at 94.771%,” Burnham reported. “Damn,” Detmer muttered. “So, Durling,” The Commander added, “I figure this is the part where you get to reach out to Admiral Cornwell for authorization of a manual tag. I’d do it, but I’m pretty sure it falls to you. You know, since you’re the commanding officer on this mission and all.” Tilly snorted, then slapped her hand over her mouth, averting her eyes as Durling glanced back at her. Pike cast the ensign a small, amused smile, fighting the urge to laugh, himself. He had known the Commander's unease with the mission since their briefing, and he could only imagine that Ensign Tilly had a handle on the Commander's feelings as well. Durling turned back to the station, fingers moving over the screen. “What happens now?” Pike asked, walking a little closer to the station. “We have to get authorization from Admiral Cornwell for a single ejection for the tag and run,” Durling answered, eyes set on the screen.  “Why a single ejection?” “The mechanism is tricky, and the longer the Commander spends out of the ship, the more risky it is—” “Captain, I’m getting a reading,” Owosekun spoke up, “There’s an unusual amount of… Debris, it looks like, coming off of the Botany Bay.” Pike frowned, striding over to the console and peering over it. He could see the pieces breaking away from the ship. His hand tightened on the back of where he’d rested it on Owo’s chair. He cleared his throat, speaking up: “Commander—” “I see it, Captain,” Was her quick answer, “Looks like it’s coming off of the cesium tanks— Durling, where are we—” “Authorization just came through. Eject at earliest convenience, tag fast, kid.” “Yessir.” Christopher leaned back from Owo’s station, letting go of her seat and turning back to Durling. “How long do you think it’ll take?” “In perfect conditions, minimal hull integrity, it takes her about 4 minutes. Something this delicate, though, it depends. Six minutes on the outside.” “Have we got a trajectory on the debris?” Pike asked. “Can you guys close comms for a few minutes? Trying to launch myself into space here,” The Commander spoke up through the mic. Byrce muttered an apology before shutting Comms. “We have a trajectory,” Detmer answered, glancing back at Pike, “The Commander and the attack fighter will be in its path in the next eight minutes.” That was a slim window. He glanced back at Durling. “The tether to her attack fighter—” “There isn’t one,” Durling shook his head, “No tether, just the Commander and a jetpack.” Pike felt a burst of fear in his chest that was unlike anything he’d felt in a long time. “She’s floating free out there?” He asked harshly. “If something were to hit the ship, it would drag her with it. She knows what the risks are, Captain, she’s done this before.” “Has she ever not made it back to the fighter?” “Once,” Eli conceded, nodding, “I don't know how they handled it, she was with the squadron at that point.” “Engaging tag,” The Commander’s voice crackled through the comm. “Copy,” Durling answered quickly. “Captain, the cesium components are picking up speed,” Detmer warned. “Suggestions?” Pike asked, looking around the bridges he grappled with his own solutions. “We could lock phasers on it,” Nhan offered. “The blasts could put the Commander in the path of the way rubble,” Burnham shook her head. “We could have the transporter bay lock on the Commander and prepare to beam her back to the ship,” Tilly offered. Durling nodded, “That could work,” As Pike turned to Detmer. “Get a lock on her signal, prepare to transport her back to the ship,” He ordered. “Aye, sir,” Detmer nodded. “Progress?” Durling asked into comms. “Working on enabling the proxy,” Came the Commander’s answer. “Work faster.” “You wanna come out here and do it?” “The cesium debris is picking up speed, your window’s closing.” “Course it is,” The Commander muttered, “This wasn’t already fun enough— I’m two minutes out.”  “Can you make that one?” Pike asked. “Only if you want the job done fast and not right, Captain.” Pike turned back to look out through the viewscreen, tucking his hands behind his back and clutching one wrist with his hand, giving it a squeeze as he watched the cesium debris drift closer. Urging her to work faster would only increase what was, no doubt, an already insane amount of pressure on the Commander. But he couldn't help the dread simmering in his stomach. He fought the urge to shift from foot to foot, to pace, if only to stop himself from taking one of the exploratory pods that he'd piloted previously and getting her out of there himself. “Where are we with the lock, Detmer?” He asked. “Locked on her signal, sir. Transporter bay’s prepared to beam her out,” Detmer reassured. Pike gave a nod of thanks, hand flexing. He could hardly see the Commander as it was— she was a speck on the hull of the Botany Bay, distant and easily missed if one didn’t know where to look. “Thirty seconds,” The Commander reported as Owo warned, “One minute.” “Window’s closing,” Durling warned, “We’re beaming you back.” “—Transporter’s been knocked offline, sir,” Detmer informed Pike worriedly, “There’s interference from the debris.” “I’m heading back to the fighter,” The Commander informed them. “Do you still have a lock on the Commander?” Pike asked. “Yes, and the transporter bay’s working to get back functionality.” Pike glanced between Detmer and Durling, waiting for any change, warning, but the first sign that he got was— “I’m in the fighter, hatch is locked,” The Commander reported, “Heading back for the Discovery.” Pike felt his shoulders relax a little for a moment, a quiet breath leaving him— until he heard alarms going off on the Commander’s side. “What’s happening over there?” Durling asked. “I’ve got heavy damage to the left warp nacelle, looks like some of that debris ripped through the unit.” “Can you make it back?” “I don’t hard I can push this thing,” The Commander admitted, and for the first time in a long time, Christopher heard a thread of fear in her voice. “Where are we with transporter bay?” He asked. “They’re at 74%,” Owosekun answered.

Pike watched with bated breath as the attack fighter began to weave its way through the debris field. He could see the sharp, jittering movements, the hairpin dives and dips it was forced to make. 

“Commander,” Burnham warned, “I’m detecting another impending detachment from the Botany Bay--”

“If you’re referring to that piece of hull breaking off, I am detecting that, too!” 

The Bridge crew watched, horrified, as a chunk of rusted ancillary hull peeled from the ship. It sailed through the cesium tank debris, sending pieces scattering toward the attack fighter. 

Pike heard the beeping of systems warnings and a hissed curse before: “I’ve got cabin puncture.”

“How bad?” Durling asked. 

“I am again asking if you’d like to come here out here yourself.”

Pike heard the flipping of switches on the other end.

“Where are we with transporters?” The Commander asked. 

“98%,” Detmer answered. 

“I’m initiating manual eject,” The Commander informed them. 

“You’re what?” Durling snapped nearly over the Commander answering, "It'll be easier for you to lock on my signal from outside of the fighter, the nacelle's heating up and I don't want to beaming in a damaged warp component instead'a me!"

“I want phasers ready on the debris and tractor beam locked on that attack fighter,” Pike warned. He vaguely registered the crew’s calls of compliance behind. 

“Detmer,” Pike warned, watching the Commander push herself out of her ship and into open space.

“Locked, sir!”

“Beam her out-- Fire!”

There was a pause, then several flashes of light as the Discovery’s phasers targeted the cesium and hull debris. 

The Bridge went quiet before Durling spoke up: “Commander… Are you in the transporter bay?” 

There was a long moment where Chris couldn’t hear anything but his heart pounding in his ears; his hands clenched in on themselves, his stomach churned in fear, and then,

“There somewhere else I’m supposed to be?” Was her answer. 

Christopher closed his eyes for a moment. He didn’t know if he wanted to smile, or yell, or put on a flight suit and give one of those tags a go for himself. 

“... Plot a course for Starbase 338,” He told Detmer; it was Durling’s next stop, where they’d be letting the man off, and possibly the Commander with him, “Owosekun, bring that attack fighter in."

He glanced back at Durling as both officers at the helm confirmed, and found the Lieutenant Commander headed for the turbolift. 

“Pollard needs to check her out,” Durling reminded him, “Coming with?” 

Christopher considered for a second, then shook his head a little. Durling gave a small nod before stepping onto the turbolift, disappearing from view. 

Christopher lowered himself into the captain’s chair, scrubbing his hand over his mouth. He needed to have a word with the Commander. He needed to have several words with the Commander, but he needed to have them without Durling around-- or Burham, or Jett, or Tilly, or anyone. Once the Commander was cleared by Dr. Pollard, once she’d had some rest, then he would ask her if she had a moment. 

And that, of course, gave him some time to work out what the hell he could possibly say to her. 

“Course set, Captain,” Detmer reported. His eyes darted to her before he nodded. 

“Hit it.” Tag list: @angels-pie ; @fantasticcopeaglepasta  ; @mylittlelonelyappreciationtoo ; @how-am-i-serpose-to-know ; @onlyhereforthefandomandgiggles ; @inmyowncorner​  ; @tardis-23  ; @paintballkid711 ; @katrynec ; @hypnobananaangelfish ; @elen-aranel ; @blueeyesatnight ; @hotchswifey

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

I’m Always Curious Part Eighteen

Previous Part | Next Part |  Masterlist Notes: Not beta-read. Happy New Year’s Eve 🥳 Warnings: Cursing? A Compromising Situation™? Smooches™ Summary:  Una gave me a look, one that I often received when we were not alone - she smiled solely with her eyes. Spock had managed to perfect the same technique. I had yet to accomplish it. If I was smiling, it was with my entire face; it was hard for me to hide when I was giddy.

“It’s gonna be fine, Pal,” I smiled a little bit, watching Ensign Paledore straighten his uniform. He was one of the newest additions to the Enterprise, but he was already proving invaluable to the work that we did as a Communications team. He’d taken on a lot of the day to day tasks that I’d been handling under Thaleh, freeing up more of my time to work with the bridge crew when needed (real work, not like when Thaleh was on leave and I went to the Captain’s ready room to ‘discuss a report’). 

Paledore was a fairly fresh-faced kid off of Earth - New Orleans to be exact. He had a fairly thick accent most of the time, but he often managed to couch it when he was speaking another language. He was getting ready to beam down with the away team to translate for Captain Pike at a meeting on Sogaliv.

“You’re sure you can’t beam down with us? Just in case?” Paledore asked as he straightened his uniform - again. I smiled a little. “Look, I know that beaming down to a new planet is… Intimidating. But you know why you’re going down there, and you’ll be in good hands. The team won’t let anything happen to you.” “What if I translate something wrong? Or--” “Your mother is Sogalivian, Pal, you speak it as well as Federation Standard,” I reminded him with a chuckle. “Is there anything I should know? About Pike, I mean,” Paledore asked. I frowned, thinking for a moment. “Just… Don’t treat him like he’s on a pedestal. Tell him what he needs to know and don’t dance around the facts, even if you don’t think it’s what he wants to hear. Couching an unpleasantry in a smile and a quick turn of phrase won’t give the Captain what he needs to see that a job is done right.” Paledore took a deep breath and nodded. “Do the nerves ever go away?” He asked. I smiled. “They haven’t completely, for me, but they’ve become… Less.” Paledore and I turned our heads as Thaleh rounded the corner into our station. “Ready, ensign?” Thaleh asked, raising a brow. Paledore cast me one more look before turning back to Thaleh and giving her a bright smile, “Ready.” 

--  If I’d had to go by anything regarding Paledore’s performance on Sogaliv, I would’ve gone by his grin. Luckily for me, I’d also gotten his write-up of the mission, as well as a peak at Una’s. Paledore had not only performed exceptionally well, but he’d managed to smooth over a century-old mistranslation between the Federation and the planet of Sogaliv. Something told me Paledore wouldn’t be so wary of beaming down in the future. “What was the word that was mistranslated?” I asked Una later at dinner. She thought for a moment as she took a sip of her drink. “Sarchelois?” She sounded it out slowly, ‘SAHR-chel-wah’. I frowned. “Bordering,” I translated. “The word apparently has about five more meanings than that in Sogalivian, though that is the most common, and so the one used when the Sogalivian contract was being written up with the Federation.” “Yikes,” I nodded a little, “Explains why Pal was smiling so widely when he got back, though.” “He didn’t tell you?” “No, I think he was too happy to speak. Should wear off in a day or two.” Una chuckled. “I remember when you were like that, all of… Four months ago.” I scoffed. “Come on, it’s been longer.” “Six months,” Una corrected herself. I rolled my eyes as she pressed on, “I remember the look on your face when Thaleh told you that you’d be beaming down to Uthea C-4. I thought your head was going to explode.” “Okay, I don’t get to interact with primary pre-warp texts often, if at all. It’s exciting!” Una gave me a look, one that I often received when we were not alone - she smiled solely with her eyes. Spock had managed to perfect the same technique. I had yet to accomplish it. If I was smiling, it was with my entire face; it was hard for me to hide when I was giddy. “Fine,” I turned back to my food, “Make fun of me for still liking my job.” “Do you, then?” I frowned. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” Una didn’t answer that, just shrugged her shoulders. I knew better. There was something on her mind, I just didn’t know what. 

--

“You’re sure you can handle it?” I asked, walking backward into the gym, the Captain following me, “You’ve had a pretty long day, sir, negotiations and all. Wouldn’t want you to lose just ‘cause you’re tired.” Chris simply arched a brow at me. “Do you remember what I said a couple of days ago about not getting cocky, lieutenant?” “Vaguely.” “Right before you wound up on the mat?” “Mm, you mean right before I pulled those punches for your benefit, yes,” I turned to face forward, “It’s all coming back to me now.” “Best two of three again?” Chris asked as we set our things onto the bench beside the mats. “That's all you can handle?” I asked. Chris glanced around before he stepped a lower closer to me, murmuring, “You have no idea what I can handle, lieutenant.” “Then you’ll have to show me, Captain,” I retorted, grinning as his eyes grew dark. 

--

An hour and a half later, Chris and I were sweating, sore, and our scores were tied. “Alright,” Chris held his hand out to me to help me up, “I think we ought to call it for the night.” I hated to admit it, but he was right. “Alright,” I sighed heavily, letting go of his hand. Even as we reached for our things, I noticed Chris standing closer than he typically did, his arm brushing against mine. Maybe I wouldn't have been wary of it before, but now that Chris and I were… Well, I didn’t know what we were, exactly, but now that we were it, I found myself more aware of how much contact he and I were making, and how many other people were around. As we passed down the hall together, I absently noted where we are, and I huffed a soft laugh. “What is it?” He asked. “No, nothing.” “You’re laughing over nothing? I refuse to believe that,” Chris’ shoulder bumped mine. I glanced up at him before I shrugged. “This was where I was when I… I heard what I thought I heard, that’s all.” Realization crossed Chris’ features, and he nodded a little, murmuring, “I see.” We continued to the turbolift in silence for a moment. Then, “What exactly did you hear?” “I told you what it was.” “No, you told me about what you heard.” He lowered his voice, tipping his head toward mine, “It must’ve been moderately suggestive if you assumed that I was with someone.” “She said your name, is all.” “That’s it?” Chris stopped walking, and I groaned, stopping a few paces away and turning to face him. “Can we…?” I nodded over my shoulder. “Nu-uh. That’s all it took and that’s where your mind went?” “You make me sound so suspicious,” I laughed, “It was how she said it.” “How’d she say it?” I opened my mouth, then hesitated and shook my head. Chris’ eyes lit up. Oh, god, I knew that look now. I was in trouble. “Come on,” I added, taking a couple of steps back toward the turbolift. “How’d she say it?” He repeated. “I can’t!” I laughed, full of nervous energy, vaguely gesturing to the hall around us. Chris’ eyes did a sweep of the area before he waved me toward him. I took a couple of steps, still shaking my head, then watched as he opened the door beside him. “What--” “C’mere,” He waved me closer, “Quickly.” I huffed, hurrying to join him and ducking under his arm-- Into a maintenance closet. It was dim; the walls were lined with shelves full of supplies. “Are you kidding?” I asked flatly, leaning against the shelf behind me as Chris squeezed in across from me. There was little room between the two of us. “Well someone wouldn’t answer me in the hallway,” Chris retorted as he rested his hands on the shelves behind me. “I’m only going to repeat myself one more time, lieutenant,” he added, his voice lowering to the murmur it had briefly been in the gym, “How did she say it?” I bit my lip. This was embarrassing. God, why did I even say anything? “Well… She giggled-- Which I refuse to demonstrate,” I raised a hand, poking my finger into his chest; he clearly wasn't intimidated by my resolve, his smile just widened, “And then she… Kinda sighed your name, I guess.” “I’m going to need you to demonstrate that, if not the giggle.” I felt my face heating up. “I-- I can’t,” I mumbled, embarrassed, “Not with you looking at me.” Chris hummed, thoughtful. Then one of his hands lowered from the shelf and settled on my hip, gently turning me away from him to face the shelves. I felt him crowd closer, his broad chest pressing against my back as his lips brushed the shell of my ear. He murmured, “How about now?” I shivered and closed my eyes, nodding a little. “I’m waiting, lieutenant,” he warned. I felt like my head was going to pop. “Oh, Chris,” I winced as I sighed in my best approximation. His hand tightened on my hip. “Just like that?” He murmured. I nodded, humming the affirmative. I sounded as stupidly breathy as I had on Koutov, but I had no tea to blame this time. “Say it again,” He ordered. I bit my lip again to stifle a whine. There was an edge of his authoritative Captain tone to the way he’d spoken. I steeled myself, taking a deep breath. “Oh, Chris-- Oh!” I gasped softly as he began to lay kisses down the side of my neck; the hand that had settled on my hip slid around my front, drawing me back against his chest. “I see what you mean,” He murmured between kisses, “That...Would sound...Exceptionally compromising.” I nodded a little, raising a hand to reach back and slid it into his hair. He groaned against my skin. “You understand why I didn’t wanna-- In the hallway?” I mumbled. Chris hummed against my neck and I squirmed, unable to help myself. His arm tightened around me, stilling me. “We should get out of here,” He turned his head, pressing a kiss to my temple. “I don’t know,” I turned to face him, leaning back against the shelf again, “I know I was a little unimpressed at first but I… Think I could get used to this.” Chris chuckled, leaning down and pressing his lips to mine. I sighed, looping my arms around his neck. “We need to,” he insisted as he leaned away again, even as I leaned up, kissing his cheek and jaw and wherever I could reach, “I want to take my time with you, and you deserve better than a maintenance closet.”  I felt myself warm at that and I dragged Chris down for another kiss. “I’ll make sure the coast is clear. Safer if I check,” I sighed. Chris nodded, stepping back into what little room he could to let me open the door. I poked my head out, checking both ways and listening for incoming footsteps before I stepped into the hall, waving for Chris to follow. I was already halfway down the hall by the time he stepped out of the closet. He caught up to me at the turbolift. “My quarters?” He asked softly, watching me. And fuck, I wanted to, but I couldn’t. “I have to speak with Thaleh early about Pal’s training program,” I grimaced, “I’m sorry.” Chris shook his head, murmuring, “It’s alright.” We stepped onto the turbolift, and I couldn’t help but look at him - at the slight flush on his cheeks (which could easily be passed off as the result of our time spent at the gym) or the hair that I’d pushed out of place. But Chris was looking, too. It seemed that neither of us could contain our smiles. “I’ll see you later,” I said as I stepped off of the turbolift, “Goodnight, Captain.” “Goodnight, lieutenant.” Tag list: @angels-pie​  ; @fantasticcopeaglepasta​

[starrybouquet]

#batel: *requires the strength of fifty gorn to handle her boyfriend*#una: *simply hands pike the orders she wants him to give her*#the idea of pike being hard to manage made me laugh out loud#my kingdom for consistent characterization via @grissomesque

STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS 2.10 "Hegemony" 2.08 "Under the Cloak of War"