Thank you to conners-kent for the beta test!

The amount of questions Hugh asks! Is this what normal people do when they enter a relationship? Paul would know, perhaps, if he'd ever been in one. But this is his first serious relationship, the relationship is new, and Hugh likes to Discuss Things.

"How will I know when you want to have sex?" is Hugh's latest question.

"Um...I'll start taking your clothes off?" is Paul's reply.

Hugh's question the next day: "How should we handle conflict?"

Paul senses that he really will be in trouble this time if he provides a flippant answer. So he doesn't reply right away. "You said your parents have a good marriage, right?"

"Yes," Hugh answers enthusiastically.

"So how do they handle conflict?"

"Well, they talk about it, sometimes they get angry but they stay respectful with each other." A pause. "And then they just usually do what my mom wanted."

"That sounds good. Reasonable. Also, in this scenario, I'm definitely the mom."

"And," Hugh asks one day, "can I massage you regularly? I think you carry a lot of stress in your neck and shoulders. Regular massages can help."

"Is this a trick question? You can massage me as often as you want!" Paul enthusiastically replies.

Little does Paul know that Hugh, as a doctor, doesn't necessary see massage as a prelude to sex. And Hugh prefers to perform deep tissue massage which hurts like hell at first.

"Children?" Hugh asks one day.

At first, Paul truly has no idea what he means or what he's asking. Then the thought sinks in. He makes a face. "Oh hell no, I hate them."

Hugh tilts his head and frowns.

"Okay, that was harsh," Paul says, spreading his hands. "But no way on the kids thing. We're both Starfleet Officers. We're going to have a hard enough time trying to navigate both of our careers and handle things when one of us gets promoted or transferred. Which – you know, we are going to need to discuss."

Hugh nods. "There are plenty of couples in Starfleet," he says, thoughtfully. "My understanding of how most of them make it work is that they compromise a lot. One person takes a small hit to their career so the other can get a promotion. Then a few years down the road, perhaps, vice versa."

Paul supposes that now is not the time to quip that he himself doesn't want to compromise. But what is he going to do? Because he doesn't want to compromise. But –

"What's going on inside your head?" Hugh asks gently. "I can see some wheels turning."

"What, are you Betazed?" Paul snaps. He sees Hugh wince just a bit. "I'm sorry!" Paul adds on quickly. He steps closer to Hugh and puts his arms around him. "I will try to be less of a jerk." He holds Hugh for several moments, then swallows and steps back. "Um, I was just thinking of a few things. My first thought is that I didn't want to compromise. But then I thought that that was not fair, and that you have a life and a career too. And I want this relationship to work." He pauses, then adds, "And if you're the only one compromising, eventually you'd start to resent me. Sooner or later. So – so yes. That approach works. We'll take turns compromising when we need to."

Hugh pulls Paul back into an embrace. "I knew you had a heart of gold."

One thing they never discussed was sleeping arrangements. Specifically, the placement of limbs and torsos and everything else when they are attempting to sleep. Paul soon learns that Hugh thinks they are a pair of spoons or perhaps two puppies. One would think that the temperature in their room is as cold as outer space given the way Hugh clings to him all night.

Years later, when he and Tilly have become close friends, she asks them about their specific sleeping arrangements. (All three crew members have had a few drinks, their shields are down, the new DNA has changed Paul's personality).

"I used to hate snuggling when I was trying to fall sleep," Paul tells her. "Hated it. But I learned that if I lie on my back and Hugh arranges himself around me however he pleases, I can sometimes actually fall asleep that way."

Hugh rolls his eyes. "Look, husband, when we first started out together, you'd have been content if we slept in separate beds."

"Separate rooms, actually."

"Yeah, uh-uh, that was not gonna happen."

Tilly smiles. She guesses that her assumption of Paul always being the one to call the shots was not correct, or at least not in every circumstance.

THE END