Judgement – Mixed emotions - Part 2 (conclusion)
by (G) Arrain - Lieutenant Arrienye t'Merek & Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin
Post Details
OLD:
The computer acknowledged, and granted the access. then Kaelin felt himself pulled forwards. He had the sense of being moved around in a circle, and then Lash said, "Careful, we have some stairs..." they negotiated twelve steps in total. then he was led forward another dozen paces.
Lash let go of his hands. "Okay. Open your eyes."
NEW:
Kaelin let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding before finally opening his eyes and taking a look around.
There was nothing but stars.
The room was made from transparent aluminium. The walls and floor were completely clear, giving then a 360 degree view of space around them, and under their feet was and endless void both bright and dark, filled with a million suns and the shadows of nebulas. There was no evidence of the space station, it was all abouve their heads.
Kaelin just stood there for a moment, looking around with a stunned expression on his face. He could see why Lash had asked all those questions about phobias. There was absolutely nothing around them but space and he couldn't deny feeling slightly uneasy. Still, the view, or lack of view, was incredible.
"Wow..." was all he managed to say, and even that came out in little more than a whisper.
Lash let him take it all in for a few minutes, then put his arms around him from behind. "This is the best kept secret on the whole damn station, and we're only in here becuase I need to do some work on one of the whiskers that give us feedback on the AHDA platfoms. So, you have a choice. Come for a spacewalk with me while I fix the whisker." He took back the big stick he had originally given Kaelin. "Or stay here and set up the picnic. There's a blanket and a couple of bottles of something fruity in the bags."
Kaelin stiffened as Lash put his arms around him and slowly moved out of the embrace. It was a little too soon and way too close to for comfort. He turned to face him then. "I'll set up the picnic. I need a special degree and a safety class before getting close to any tech. If you knew about the squirrel you'd understand," he just told him, reaching forward and taking the picnic bag off Lash's shoulder.
"Now that is a story I can't wait to hear." Lash headed back up the stairs. "You'll have to save it for dessert."
Kaelin smiled, watching him go up. Once he was out of sight, he unwrapped the blanket and spread it onto the transparent floor, actually happy to now have something that looked solid under his feet. He set everything out and frowned a bit when he noticed that everything was very good, but there wasn't one reasonably healthy thing on the menu for the night, apart from the fruit juice. Not by Kaelin's standards anyway. 'Ugh...this is going to get awkward,' he thought to himself, pouring himself a cup of juice and sipping it lightly as he waited for Lash while trying to figure out exactly where this evening was going to lead.
Lash returned about twenty minutes later, looking slightly sweaty, with his hair awry from the EVA suit. He had a huge grin on his face and his eyes were bright as the stars that surrounded them. "I love doing that. Nothing like a stroll in the void to make you feel insignificant in the universe."
"Yeah, nothing like feeling insignificant to boost your self-esteem, right?" Kaelin asked with a laugh. He took a glass and poured him some juice before handing it to him as he sat down. Once he was sitting next to him, the Deltan, ever the perfectionist, reached over and ran his fingers lightly through his bangs to put them in their proper place. Half way through, he stopped for a moment, meeting Lash's eyes and then looking away and taking his hand back, shocked at his own boldness. He tried to cover his discomfort with a sip from his glass.
"On the contrary," Lash said, a satisfied smirk trying not to show itself. "It means I'm enlightened, and therefore have achieved perfection."
Kaelin couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped him. That didn't stop him from trying to cover it up with an awkward cough though. "And you're so humble," he managed to say with a straight face, having composed himself.
"Virtuos to a fault," Lash agreed, popping a slice of pate heaped with a melted goey cheese into his mouth. "I make the bajorran prophets look like pah-wraiths."
Kaelin just smiled, bringing his glass up to his mouth for another sip.
Lash rolled onto his stomach to look up at Kaelin, propping a hand under his chin. "Sooooo....Squirrels. I don't think I can wait till dessert."
Kaelin shifted, "I'm not really comfortable talking about that yet. Listen, Lash, I have to ask. What exactly is this?" he asked him seriously, motioning to their surroundings.
"The ADHA VPOD. Visual Projection Observation Deck." Lash replied, either missing or ignoring the real question.
Kaelin gave a small huff that sounded like a laugh but one couldn't really be sure. "I don't mean that, and you know it. I meant why did you bring me here? Why aren't we at the restaurant like we planned? And why did you put your arms around me earlier?"
Lash made his own huffing noise. "Becuase restaurants are boring. Everyone does it. You don't like holodecks, and first dates should be memorable." He looked away. "As for the hug? I thought Deltans appreciated close contact."
Kaelin sighed, meeting his eyes. "Lash, listen. Yes, I do appreciate the close contact. I know other species would have thought that was too forward, but I didn't. That said, you know as well as I do that this can't be a date," he told him, reaching over and lightly turning Lash's head to look at him. "I'm Deltan and we're both in Starfleet. You know that nothing like that can happen between us, even if we wanted it to."
Lash was quiet for a long time, unnaturally so. Then he said, "You don't put out on a first date, do you?"
"What?" Kaelin asked, caught off guard by the question. The young man beside him had been quiet for so long, he'd gotten lost in his own thoughts for a moment. "Um..no, no I don't," he replied finally.
"Then we'll just have to have a lot of first dates. Its only breaking the rules if we do something really fun."
Kaelin couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face, but bit his lip to hide it as best as he could. "Why, Lash?" he asked without really thinking about it. But the question had been on his mind. They'd only known each other a little while, after all. Sure, Kaelin felt some chemistry between them. Lash was funny and charming in a very unique way, despite coming off as vain and shallow. Kaelin was rather vain himself, or so he'd been told. But he could feel that there was a lot more to Lash than just what you saw on the surface and he was incredibly drawn to the idea of digging a little deep to find that something.
But, he couldn't really see what Lash was going for. This wasn't the first time he'd actually been approached like this by someone. But, usually (or most of the time), people were looking for a physical relationship, so it was easy to just shoot them down. But this was different and Kaelin wasn't sure how to react.
"Becuase I think you're interesting. I know you're smart, and I want a chance to convert you to the joys of holoprograms. Can't do that if I never see you."
Kaelin gave him a half smile. "I don't think you'll ever be able to convert me to the joys of holoprograms," he admitted, "So that's sort of a lost cause."
"Never say never," Lash replied, shoving his floppy hair back from his eyebrows. "I like a challenge."
Kaelin let out a small laugh. "Yeah, well, you've got one," he told him, taking another sip from his glass. A silence came over them. "I don't know, Lash. About this," he motioned between them. ""We can be friends, but that's it," he said quietly, not looking at him. "I don't think we should lead each other on to something that's going to end badly."
Lash's shoulder's dropped. "Logically, you're right. Its trouble for both of us. But don't you want to live a little bit dangerously? Feel alive and whole for just a few hours?"
"Lash. There's a lot more to this than laws, oaths and regulations. I don't want to hurt you," Kaelin admitted. "Like I said, we can be friends. Start from that. If sometimes ends up growing from that, then I guess we'll deal with that then," he explained. Kaelin didn't believe anything would develop, if Lash did accept his offer of friendship, but part of him was hoping it would.
Lash put on a grumpy face. "You know, being right is not your most attractive trait," he pouted. "I can cope with friends. Just know I'll expect dinner and flowers if you quit."
"If I quit what?"
"Starfleet." Lash shoved his hair from his eyes again. "Unlikelly to happen I know, so I'm just saying."
Kaelin nearly choked on his drink when those words left Lash's mouth. "What? Quit? I,...Lash, you're getting ahead of yourself again." He knew that Lash had probably meant it as a joke, but it certainly didn't feel like something to joke about to Kaelin. This was serious.
"I said it was unlikely. I'm just staking a claim. If you want to be friends and that's it, that's fine. I'm just saying that if you need more, I'm open to more." He didn't look at the Deltan. "So... friends?"
Kaelin reached over again and lifted his chin up to look at him. "Friends. Now, as a friend, I feel it's my duty to warn you that all that cheese is going to ruin both your arteries and your complexion," he told him seriously. Or at least, he looked serious enough.
"In that case," lash gave him a grin, "you'd better save me from a fate worse than spots by eating some yourself."
Kaelin's eyes widened. "I don't know. I don't really eat fatty food. At all."
Lash rolled his eyes. "As your friend, I see I have to teach you how to live a little." He took Kaelin;s plate, and loaded it with onion marmalade, pate and melted brie. "Start with this, and when you;ve got the hang of it we'll move on to the really dangerous stuff. You haven't lived until you've tried Anatole's chocoltae souffle with chantilly cream"
Kaelin looked down. "Every bite of this is going to mean more time in the gym tomorrow," he said, more to himself than Lash. But, he tried it, eating slowly. It tasted great, but Kaelin still felt guilty.
"Not exactly how I planned to get you hot and sweaty," Lash smirked. "But I'll take what I can get. "
Kaelin gave him a look, eating some patte. "For the record, I have tried Anatole's chocolate souffle. And it tastes amazing. And that's the only thing going for it."
"so fabulous isn;t enough for you?" Lash teased. "Boy I've my work cut out. But I like a challenge."
"So you've said. Now, I have a question for you," Kaelin told him. "What's your real name? I refuse to believe it's Lash."
Lash shook his head. "The truth is for lovers and old friends. And since you are neither..." his grin was devilish.
Kaelin shook his head at him.
"It gives you an incentive," the boy said smugly.
"You do realise that I can simply look up your record and see there, right?" he pointed out.
Lash snorted, and opened a heat box, letting wafts of garlic fill the room. He fished out a pastry parcel and put it on Kaelin's plate. "You won't break starfleet regulations on relationships, but you'll break doctor-patient confidentiality? Shame on you."
"Who said anything about doctor-patient confidentialiity? Computer, identify the individuals in this room by full name and rank," he suddenly said, a little louder so that the computer could register his question.
"Identifying," it began, then immediately continued, "identified as Ensign Kaelin Niers and Crewman Audrey Ilashuoe Ahaefvthe".
Kaelin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. the second and last name were completely unpronounceable, but the first one stuck. "Audrey?" he asked with a curious smile.
Lash looked sulky. "Just so you know. We are not friends anymore." He glanced outat the stars, pouting. "And my Mother liked the name."
Kaelin opened his mouth to ask whether she was aware at the time that Audrey was a female name, but then decided against it. She probably hadn't known. Instead, he scooted a little closer to Lash and smile. "Why wouldn't she? It's a nice name. I like it." And he did. Actually, looking at the younger man next to him more closely, Kaelin thought the name was strangely fitting.
"Its a girl's name. At least it is on earth. You don't know how much grief its given me. So be nice, and call me Lash?"
"Sure," Kaelin nodded seriously. "Audrey," he added with a grin, raising his hands up to defend himself.
It was a futile gesture. Lash scooped an eclair from the pic nic basket and threw it with deadly accuracy - easy enough since they were barely a meter apart - and fresh cream splurged all over kaelin's chin and shirt.
Kaelin gasped in surprise at what Lash had done and looked down at his shirt before looking up at him. "Oh you are so dead," he announced, reaching for another enclair and throwing it at Lash. It missed him and Kaelin looked after the offending object in disbelief. How do you MISS someone sitting right next to you?
Lash laughed. "That's pathetic. Think you need time in a holosuite practising your aim. But for now,...dodge if you can!" Another cream filled pastry zipped through the air. But this time, Kaelin ducked and the food missed him. "Okay, stop now. Food fights are disgusting," he told him honestly, looking down at the stain on his shirt.
lash rolled his eyes. "i can see I need to talk to my mother. You need some serious unbuttoning. And she managed to get the stick out of a vulcan arse and marry my dad, so I assure, getting people to lighten up is a family trait." He cocked his head on one side, "Even if you insist on resisting the evitable. I will win."
Kaelin sighed, looking up at him with a less than pleased look in his eyes. "Lash, you're overstepping again. Seriously. It's getting late, I should go," he told him, pushing himself off the ground to stand up.
lash sighed. "can't blame a boy for trying." he started to pack up the picnic. "Let me clear up, then we'll get back in the lift."
It took him several minutes to clear up the remains of the food, and wipe down the floor where the flung pastries had landed. Then they walked back to the turbo lift, and headed back to the habitation levels
Kaelin looked over at Lash, examining his face for a few moments. "Lash, listen. This was sweet, really, but I really can't be more than friends with you," he told him once they exited the turbolift and walked onto the promenade. He could sense the feelings rushing through Lash, and felt bad for disappointing him, even if he knew the guilt was unwarranted.
"I know. You said. oath of celibacy, screwed career, yada yada."
"Well you don't have to act like that," Kaelin rolled his eyes.
Lash shrugged. "no-one likes to be rejected." The Turbolift ground to a halt at Kaelin's floor. "This is your stop." he gave a weak smile, trying to show no hard feelings.
The smile Kaelin returned it with was genuine. "Well, for what it's worth, I did enjoy your company. Thanks," he told him.
"Off course you did," the other man said, with a bit more of his old confidence coming through. "So did I. Yours I mean."
The doors slid open.
Kaelin nodded. "I'll see you around then. Take care of yourself," he told him, giving his arm a small squeeze.
"You too," Lash nodded. And then he suddenly leaned across the small gap between them, catching hold of Kaelin's waist, and kissed him tenderly on the mouth.
The Deltan's reaction was surprising. As soon as his brain caught up and became aware of the pressure on his lips, he jerked away, pushing Lash's hands away from his waist. He gaped at him in shock. "What the hell was that?" he asked, taking a step back. "You had no right to kiss me."
"Don't get your knickers in a twist. I was just saying goodnight. It didn't mean anything."
"If you want to say goodnight, then just say goodnight!" Kaelin said, surprising himself at how panicked he sounded. "You can't just lean over and kiss someone like that against their will!"
"It was just a peck. Its not as if I pinned you down and had my way with you." lash shook his head in disbelief. "Take it easy."
Kaelin looked back at him, a slightly shell shocked look on his face. He wasn't sure who's reaction he was shocked by, Lash's or his own. "I have to go," he told him quickly before turning around and leaving, obviously distressed.
Lash's hand dropped limply back to his side. "okay. Take care of yourself, okay?"
Kaelin turned back and gave him a small nod. "You too," he just told him before leaving as quickly as possible without actually running away.
'What the hell is wrong with me?'
::OFF::
JP by
Ensign Kaelin Niers
Clinical pathologist (NPC by Maja)
and
Crewman Audrey Ilashuoe Ahaefvthe AKA 'Lash'
(NPC by Notty)
by (G) Arrain - Lieutenant Arrienye t'Merek & Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin
Post Details
| Title | Mixed emotions - Part 2 (conclusion) | |
| Mission | Judgement | |
| Author(s) | (G) Arrain - Lieutenant Arrienye t'Merek & Alderman Yolanthe Ibalin | |
| Posted | Fri Apr 15, 2011 @ 10:35pm | |
| Location | Visual Projection Observation Deck | |
| Timeline | SD36 - 21:20 |
The computer acknowledged, and granted the access. then Kaelin felt himself pulled forwards. He had the sense of being moved around in a circle, and then Lash said, "Careful, we have some stairs..." they negotiated twelve steps in total. then he was led forward another dozen paces.
Lash let go of his hands. "Okay. Open your eyes."
NEW:
Kaelin let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding before finally opening his eyes and taking a look around.
There was nothing but stars.
The room was made from transparent aluminium. The walls and floor were completely clear, giving then a 360 degree view of space around them, and under their feet was and endless void both bright and dark, filled with a million suns and the shadows of nebulas. There was no evidence of the space station, it was all abouve their heads.
Kaelin just stood there for a moment, looking around with a stunned expression on his face. He could see why Lash had asked all those questions about phobias. There was absolutely nothing around them but space and he couldn't deny feeling slightly uneasy. Still, the view, or lack of view, was incredible.
"Wow..." was all he managed to say, and even that came out in little more than a whisper.
Lash let him take it all in for a few minutes, then put his arms around him from behind. "This is the best kept secret on the whole damn station, and we're only in here becuase I need to do some work on one of the whiskers that give us feedback on the AHDA platfoms. So, you have a choice. Come for a spacewalk with me while I fix the whisker." He took back the big stick he had originally given Kaelin. "Or stay here and set up the picnic. There's a blanket and a couple of bottles of something fruity in the bags."
Kaelin stiffened as Lash put his arms around him and slowly moved out of the embrace. It was a little too soon and way too close to for comfort. He turned to face him then. "I'll set up the picnic. I need a special degree and a safety class before getting close to any tech. If you knew about the squirrel you'd understand," he just told him, reaching forward and taking the picnic bag off Lash's shoulder.
"Now that is a story I can't wait to hear." Lash headed back up the stairs. "You'll have to save it for dessert."
Kaelin smiled, watching him go up. Once he was out of sight, he unwrapped the blanket and spread it onto the transparent floor, actually happy to now have something that looked solid under his feet. He set everything out and frowned a bit when he noticed that everything was very good, but there wasn't one reasonably healthy thing on the menu for the night, apart from the fruit juice. Not by Kaelin's standards anyway. 'Ugh...this is going to get awkward,' he thought to himself, pouring himself a cup of juice and sipping it lightly as he waited for Lash while trying to figure out exactly where this evening was going to lead.
Lash returned about twenty minutes later, looking slightly sweaty, with his hair awry from the EVA suit. He had a huge grin on his face and his eyes were bright as the stars that surrounded them. "I love doing that. Nothing like a stroll in the void to make you feel insignificant in the universe."
"Yeah, nothing like feeling insignificant to boost your self-esteem, right?" Kaelin asked with a laugh. He took a glass and poured him some juice before handing it to him as he sat down. Once he was sitting next to him, the Deltan, ever the perfectionist, reached over and ran his fingers lightly through his bangs to put them in their proper place. Half way through, he stopped for a moment, meeting Lash's eyes and then looking away and taking his hand back, shocked at his own boldness. He tried to cover his discomfort with a sip from his glass.
"On the contrary," Lash said, a satisfied smirk trying not to show itself. "It means I'm enlightened, and therefore have achieved perfection."
Kaelin couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped him. That didn't stop him from trying to cover it up with an awkward cough though. "And you're so humble," he managed to say with a straight face, having composed himself.
"Virtuos to a fault," Lash agreed, popping a slice of pate heaped with a melted goey cheese into his mouth. "I make the bajorran prophets look like pah-wraiths."
Kaelin just smiled, bringing his glass up to his mouth for another sip.
Lash rolled onto his stomach to look up at Kaelin, propping a hand under his chin. "Sooooo....Squirrels. I don't think I can wait till dessert."
Kaelin shifted, "I'm not really comfortable talking about that yet. Listen, Lash, I have to ask. What exactly is this?" he asked him seriously, motioning to their surroundings.
"The ADHA VPOD. Visual Projection Observation Deck." Lash replied, either missing or ignoring the real question.
Kaelin gave a small huff that sounded like a laugh but one couldn't really be sure. "I don't mean that, and you know it. I meant why did you bring me here? Why aren't we at the restaurant like we planned? And why did you put your arms around me earlier?"
Lash made his own huffing noise. "Becuase restaurants are boring. Everyone does it. You don't like holodecks, and first dates should be memorable." He looked away. "As for the hug? I thought Deltans appreciated close contact."
Kaelin sighed, meeting his eyes. "Lash, listen. Yes, I do appreciate the close contact. I know other species would have thought that was too forward, but I didn't. That said, you know as well as I do that this can't be a date," he told him, reaching over and lightly turning Lash's head to look at him. "I'm Deltan and we're both in Starfleet. You know that nothing like that can happen between us, even if we wanted it to."
Lash was quiet for a long time, unnaturally so. Then he said, "You don't put out on a first date, do you?"
"What?" Kaelin asked, caught off guard by the question. The young man beside him had been quiet for so long, he'd gotten lost in his own thoughts for a moment. "Um..no, no I don't," he replied finally.
"Then we'll just have to have a lot of first dates. Its only breaking the rules if we do something really fun."
Kaelin couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face, but bit his lip to hide it as best as he could. "Why, Lash?" he asked without really thinking about it. But the question had been on his mind. They'd only known each other a little while, after all. Sure, Kaelin felt some chemistry between them. Lash was funny and charming in a very unique way, despite coming off as vain and shallow. Kaelin was rather vain himself, or so he'd been told. But he could feel that there was a lot more to Lash than just what you saw on the surface and he was incredibly drawn to the idea of digging a little deep to find that something.
But, he couldn't really see what Lash was going for. This wasn't the first time he'd actually been approached like this by someone. But, usually (or most of the time), people were looking for a physical relationship, so it was easy to just shoot them down. But this was different and Kaelin wasn't sure how to react.
"Becuase I think you're interesting. I know you're smart, and I want a chance to convert you to the joys of holoprograms. Can't do that if I never see you."
Kaelin gave him a half smile. "I don't think you'll ever be able to convert me to the joys of holoprograms," he admitted, "So that's sort of a lost cause."
"Never say never," Lash replied, shoving his floppy hair back from his eyebrows. "I like a challenge."
Kaelin let out a small laugh. "Yeah, well, you've got one," he told him, taking another sip from his glass. A silence came over them. "I don't know, Lash. About this," he motioned between them. ""We can be friends, but that's it," he said quietly, not looking at him. "I don't think we should lead each other on to something that's going to end badly."
Lash's shoulder's dropped. "Logically, you're right. Its trouble for both of us. But don't you want to live a little bit dangerously? Feel alive and whole for just a few hours?"
"Lash. There's a lot more to this than laws, oaths and regulations. I don't want to hurt you," Kaelin admitted. "Like I said, we can be friends. Start from that. If sometimes ends up growing from that, then I guess we'll deal with that then," he explained. Kaelin didn't believe anything would develop, if Lash did accept his offer of friendship, but part of him was hoping it would.
Lash put on a grumpy face. "You know, being right is not your most attractive trait," he pouted. "I can cope with friends. Just know I'll expect dinner and flowers if you quit."
"If I quit what?"
"Starfleet." Lash shoved his hair from his eyes again. "Unlikelly to happen I know, so I'm just saying."
Kaelin nearly choked on his drink when those words left Lash's mouth. "What? Quit? I,...Lash, you're getting ahead of yourself again." He knew that Lash had probably meant it as a joke, but it certainly didn't feel like something to joke about to Kaelin. This was serious.
"I said it was unlikely. I'm just staking a claim. If you want to be friends and that's it, that's fine. I'm just saying that if you need more, I'm open to more." He didn't look at the Deltan. "So... friends?"
Kaelin reached over again and lifted his chin up to look at him. "Friends. Now, as a friend, I feel it's my duty to warn you that all that cheese is going to ruin both your arteries and your complexion," he told him seriously. Or at least, he looked serious enough.
"In that case," lash gave him a grin, "you'd better save me from a fate worse than spots by eating some yourself."
Kaelin's eyes widened. "I don't know. I don't really eat fatty food. At all."
Lash rolled his eyes. "As your friend, I see I have to teach you how to live a little." He took Kaelin;s plate, and loaded it with onion marmalade, pate and melted brie. "Start with this, and when you;ve got the hang of it we'll move on to the really dangerous stuff. You haven't lived until you've tried Anatole's chocoltae souffle with chantilly cream"
Kaelin looked down. "Every bite of this is going to mean more time in the gym tomorrow," he said, more to himself than Lash. But, he tried it, eating slowly. It tasted great, but Kaelin still felt guilty.
"Not exactly how I planned to get you hot and sweaty," Lash smirked. "But I'll take what I can get. "
Kaelin gave him a look, eating some patte. "For the record, I have tried Anatole's chocolate souffle. And it tastes amazing. And that's the only thing going for it."
"so fabulous isn;t enough for you?" Lash teased. "Boy I've my work cut out. But I like a challenge."
"So you've said. Now, I have a question for you," Kaelin told him. "What's your real name? I refuse to believe it's Lash."
Lash shook his head. "The truth is for lovers and old friends. And since you are neither..." his grin was devilish.
Kaelin shook his head at him.
"It gives you an incentive," the boy said smugly.
"You do realise that I can simply look up your record and see there, right?" he pointed out.
Lash snorted, and opened a heat box, letting wafts of garlic fill the room. He fished out a pastry parcel and put it on Kaelin's plate. "You won't break starfleet regulations on relationships, but you'll break doctor-patient confidentiality? Shame on you."
"Who said anything about doctor-patient confidentialiity? Computer, identify the individuals in this room by full name and rank," he suddenly said, a little louder so that the computer could register his question.
"Identifying," it began, then immediately continued, "identified as Ensign Kaelin Niers and Crewman Audrey Ilashuoe Ahaefvthe".
Kaelin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. the second and last name were completely unpronounceable, but the first one stuck. "Audrey?" he asked with a curious smile.
Lash looked sulky. "Just so you know. We are not friends anymore." He glanced outat the stars, pouting. "And my Mother liked the name."
Kaelin opened his mouth to ask whether she was aware at the time that Audrey was a female name, but then decided against it. She probably hadn't known. Instead, he scooted a little closer to Lash and smile. "Why wouldn't she? It's a nice name. I like it." And he did. Actually, looking at the younger man next to him more closely, Kaelin thought the name was strangely fitting.
"Its a girl's name. At least it is on earth. You don't know how much grief its given me. So be nice, and call me Lash?"
"Sure," Kaelin nodded seriously. "Audrey," he added with a grin, raising his hands up to defend himself.
It was a futile gesture. Lash scooped an eclair from the pic nic basket and threw it with deadly accuracy - easy enough since they were barely a meter apart - and fresh cream splurged all over kaelin's chin and shirt.
Kaelin gasped in surprise at what Lash had done and looked down at his shirt before looking up at him. "Oh you are so dead," he announced, reaching for another enclair and throwing it at Lash. It missed him and Kaelin looked after the offending object in disbelief. How do you MISS someone sitting right next to you?
Lash laughed. "That's pathetic. Think you need time in a holosuite practising your aim. But for now,...dodge if you can!" Another cream filled pastry zipped through the air. But this time, Kaelin ducked and the food missed him. "Okay, stop now. Food fights are disgusting," he told him honestly, looking down at the stain on his shirt.
lash rolled his eyes. "i can see I need to talk to my mother. You need some serious unbuttoning. And she managed to get the stick out of a vulcan arse and marry my dad, so I assure, getting people to lighten up is a family trait." He cocked his head on one side, "Even if you insist on resisting the evitable. I will win."
Kaelin sighed, looking up at him with a less than pleased look in his eyes. "Lash, you're overstepping again. Seriously. It's getting late, I should go," he told him, pushing himself off the ground to stand up.
lash sighed. "can't blame a boy for trying." he started to pack up the picnic. "Let me clear up, then we'll get back in the lift."
It took him several minutes to clear up the remains of the food, and wipe down the floor where the flung pastries had landed. Then they walked back to the turbo lift, and headed back to the habitation levels
Kaelin looked over at Lash, examining his face for a few moments. "Lash, listen. This was sweet, really, but I really can't be more than friends with you," he told him once they exited the turbolift and walked onto the promenade. He could sense the feelings rushing through Lash, and felt bad for disappointing him, even if he knew the guilt was unwarranted.
"I know. You said. oath of celibacy, screwed career, yada yada."
"Well you don't have to act like that," Kaelin rolled his eyes.
Lash shrugged. "no-one likes to be rejected." The Turbolift ground to a halt at Kaelin's floor. "This is your stop." he gave a weak smile, trying to show no hard feelings.
The smile Kaelin returned it with was genuine. "Well, for what it's worth, I did enjoy your company. Thanks," he told him.
"Off course you did," the other man said, with a bit more of his old confidence coming through. "So did I. Yours I mean."
The doors slid open.
Kaelin nodded. "I'll see you around then. Take care of yourself," he told him, giving his arm a small squeeze.
"You too," Lash nodded. And then he suddenly leaned across the small gap between them, catching hold of Kaelin's waist, and kissed him tenderly on the mouth.
The Deltan's reaction was surprising. As soon as his brain caught up and became aware of the pressure on his lips, he jerked away, pushing Lash's hands away from his waist. He gaped at him in shock. "What the hell was that?" he asked, taking a step back. "You had no right to kiss me."
"Don't get your knickers in a twist. I was just saying goodnight. It didn't mean anything."
"If you want to say goodnight, then just say goodnight!" Kaelin said, surprising himself at how panicked he sounded. "You can't just lean over and kiss someone like that against their will!"
"It was just a peck. Its not as if I pinned you down and had my way with you." lash shook his head in disbelief. "Take it easy."
Kaelin looked back at him, a slightly shell shocked look on his face. He wasn't sure who's reaction he was shocked by, Lash's or his own. "I have to go," he told him quickly before turning around and leaving, obviously distressed.
Lash's hand dropped limply back to his side. "okay. Take care of yourself, okay?"
Kaelin turned back and gave him a small nod. "You too," he just told him before leaving as quickly as possible without actually running away.
'What the hell is wrong with me?'
::OFF::
JP by
Ensign Kaelin Niers
Clinical pathologist (NPC by Maja)
and
Crewman Audrey Ilashuoe Ahaefvthe AKA 'Lash'
(NPC by Notty)