Title: Sweet Torture

Author: Josephine

E-Mail: lovellama@aol.com

Rating: PG-13

Category: Romance/General

Codes: Tr, S

Summary: Trip gets introspective about Ruby.

Notes: This is a response to the challenge on The Linguistics Database (judy.jteers.net/lingdata/): Write a fic where ALL of the following phrases are used in any order: "Smile, it makes people suspicious", "you didn't ask me", "this is wrong", and "masochist".

Sweet Torture

Commander Charles Tucker the Third was out of sorts. Not mad, not annoyed, not irritated, just out of sorts. Had been ever since he and Malcolm got rescued from shuttle pod one.

Walking into his cabin after his shift, Trip looked around at the disorder. Usually the clutter felt homey, but today it was just a big mess. Sighing, he threw himself down on the bunk, flinging an arm over his eyes.

What th' hell is wrong with me? Ever since th' shuttle I've been on edge… feel aimless … no direction …

Trip's mind wandered as he began to doze off. Ruby… why'd ya go, darlin'? Thought we were meant to be … An image of a laughing Ruby in Malcolm's arms as a mass of faceless men waited their turn behind her jolted Trip awake.

Malcolm and Ruby. That's what was bothering him. Ruby. Not necessarily that she had been with Malcolm, but if quiet Malcolm had been with her … Trip recalled the faceless men in his dream.

Damn, girl, didn't take you long after I left … Getting up, Trip opened a drawer and pulled out a fifth of Wild Turkey. Taking the cup off his washstand, he sat down on the bunk and broke the seal on the bottle. Pouring a generous shot, he looked at the amber liquid before tossing it back, the alcohol burning its way down his throat.

Now that you're gone Ruby, what do I have left? Kids … wife … house with a picket fence? All gone. Galivantin' around the universe ain't conducive to settlin' down…

Trip poured another shot, this one joining the other with a nice blossom of warmth in his stomach. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

The door chime finally made it's way into Trip's brain. "Come!" he yelled, not bothering to open his eyes or get up.

"Trip, do you have time to …" Hoshi's voice trailed off as she saw Trip slumped against the wall, cradling a bottle of something in his arm.

"Are you alright?"

Opening one eye, Trip peered up at Hoshi and gave her his most charming smile. "Ah'm fine. What'd ya need?"

"Careful with that smile, it makes people suspicious."  She looked at him, then at the bottle.  "What are you doing, Trip?"

"Jest havin' a drink or two."

Hoshi held up the empty bottle. "Or six."

Frowning, Trip took the bottle from her. "Ah thought whisky was brown."

"It is. You finished it off."  Taking the bottle and the cup, Hoshi put them on the desk.  "What prompted this binge of self-pity?"

"Self-pity?"

"No-one drinks a fifth of whisky alone because they're happy. Tell me what happened."

"Ruby. Ruby is what happened."

Hoshi waited.

"We had it all figured out. Where we were goin' to live, how many kids; hell, she was buying bridal magazines."

"What happened?"

"Ah got reassigned, the letters slowed down, then finally she broke it off. Said somethin' 'bout distance or space or somethin'."

"Why start drinking now?"

"Malcolm. Found out Malcolm knew her too. In the biblical sense. She started carrying on 'fore my transport left San Francisco." Suddenly Trip sat up.

"Do you know how many relationships Ah've had? Three.  Ruby, Natalie, and … hell, what was her name? Do you know how many Malcolm has had? A lot more than three, Ah can tell ya that! Malcolm! Apparently, he's quite the ladies man!"

Trip put his head in his hands. "Ow. That hurt."

Hoshi leaned down, picked up his boot and started to unlace it. "He's not dating anyone now."

"He's got his eye on someone, darlin'."

Reaching for the other boot, Hoshi paused with a worried look on her face. "It's not me …? "

"Naw, it ain't you, darlin'," Trip sighed. "Lord knows why though," he finished to himself.

Putting Trip's boots away, Hoshi didn't hear the last part. "Come on Trip, stand up."

Trip slowly stood, leaning on Hoshi. She put one of his hands on the wall for support and started unzipping his uniform.

"Ya know, it's not the fact that Ah lost Ruby herself, it's that there's no one Ah could have a long term relationship with. No one Ah'd think that's say yes."

"You didn't ask me," Hoshi said in a de sotto voice.

Trip finally realized what she was doing. "This is wrong.  You're the one who gets undressed first." Trip grabbed Hoshi's hands as she pulled his arms out of their sleeves.  "Ah had a dream 'bout you on the shuttle, d'ya know that?  You had red underwear on.  Y'sure were pretty."  He released her hands and started pulling on her zipper. 

The zipper was at Hoshi's waist before she worked through what Trip said and figured out what was happening. "Let's do you first this time." She quickly zipped back up.

Trip frowned at her zipper, then grinned. "H'okay. Me first." Sitting down on the bunk, he let Hoshi pull off his jumpsuit. Trip got his t-shirt off and his boxers half way down by the time she found the hamper.

Hoshi quickly looked at the ceiling. "You sure you don't want to leave those on?"

"Naw. Sleep naked." Trip came over to stand in front of her and grabbed the zipper. "Your turn."

"Why don't you get in bed. You can watch me strip."

Trip gave her another charming smile. "Can Ah touch?"

"No."

"Sadist." Trip climbed into his bunk.

"That makes you my masochist."

"Sweet torture." A yawn split his face.

Hoshi turned the lights down. "You're practically asleep, Trip. Why don't we finish this later?"

"H'okay. Stay wi' me awhile though. Ah like you here." Hoshi's hand was quickly captured and pinned as Trip rolled over on it. Hoshi sighed and snagged the desk chair with her foot, sitting at an awkward angle.

She stayed like that for a while; just looking at Trip, until his breathing evened out and she knew he was sleep. Gently Hoshi eased her arm out from under him. Trip groaned and rolled over on his back again.

"Sweet torture, indeed." Hoshi ran her hand over Trip's chest, eliciting a smile from him. "Good night, Trip," she whispered in his ear, kissing him on the cheek.

"Night, Hoshi darlin'," came the mumbled reply.