Another Glance
By Sara
The attraction had been there from the beginning. Nothing more, just a pure acknowledgment of her as a woman. Maybe, if he'd met her first, something might have happened. But he was too busy with his job and family to ever give it even a second thought.
Then they'd nearly been stuck together in a runabout. He should have known better. Actually, he did know better, but Keiko wanted to make sure nothing happened to the baby.
She had casually placed her hand on his shoulder while pacing the cockpit. Just as suddenly as he'd felt it, it was gone. He could have almost imagined it. Except for the look on her face. It took nearly too much will power not to stand up, push her against the console and kiss her, hard.
He knew that if he kissed her then, though, it would all be over. That day, at least, he could attribute his urge to the fact that she was carrying his child.
Thankfully, they both had enough sense not to put themselves in such a situation again.
But now, Yoshi was nearly three months old, crying too much and not letting his parents get enough sleep. He and Keiko hadn't had a proper conversation in weeks, and the strain was showing in their everyday interactions. Even Molly, who had her father completely wrapped around her little finger, would occasionally get on his nerves. He tried so hard to not get angry with either of them. Usually he just had to leave.
Tonight, he ended up at Quarks, drinking whiskey alone. Julian was working, not that he was really in the mood for company anyway.
He took a large, full glass to one of the tables in the back, intending to sit alone and brood. He wanted to get drunk, stay that way for a while, and then go see Julian for a stimulant before going home to apologise to his wife and make his little girl feel better.
He rounded one of the pillars, and saw Kira sitting alone at a table. Her glass was empty and looked like it had been for a while. She sat, staring at it, off in her own little world. Miles stood, looking at her, admiring her.
She looked up, for no apparent reason. He tried to look away, but knew he had been caught. She smiled, not a friendly smile really, more of an embarrassed, nearly ashamed smile. ::It was damn sexy, no matter what her intention.::
::Shit, what brought that on?:: Just because he had a fight with his wife was no reason to think such things. He felt his cheeks going red.
"Would you like to join me, Miles?"
He knew he shouldn't, but she was a co-worker. Someone he saw nearly everyday. Why shouldn't he sit and have a drink with her? Even if she was fucking sexy, it was just Kira.
He smiled, hoping it was a friendly smile, not an "I'm embarrassed about what I'm thinking about you" smile. He walked over and placed his drink on the table, but didn't sit down.
"Can I get you another drink?"
"No, I'm fine. Have a seat."
So he did. Nothing wrong with that. They occasionally ate lunch together. When someone bears your child, it's normal to become close friends with her.
"So, is Yoshi still keeping Keiko and you awake all night?"
::Thank you for mentioning her.:: He tried to keep that name, and a picture of his wife at the front of his mind. He worried what he would think about if he didn't.
"Not all night, usually. He's sleeping right now, and so is Keiko. I feel like all I've been doing is working and being at home with the kids. I just needed to get out of the house tonight."
"Well, I'm probably not the best company tonight, but you don't really look like that was what you were up for anyway. I should probably be going."
"No, stay. I was thinking that I'm glad Julian's not around, but only because I'm not really in the mood for the Alamo, or whatever else he thinks might cheer me up. With you though, maybe I can cheer you up."
::Shit, what the hell was that? Sounds like some ridiculous pick-up line. Fuck, maybe it was. Keiko, Molly, Yoshi, all at home sleeping. Keiko, so beautiful.::
::Shit, sexy. Kira, shit.::
He took a sip of his whiskey. It burned on the way down, enough to distract his thoughts momentarily.
"Well, maybe I'll stay for a little while. If only to keep you from getting too drunk."
She smiled, looking at his glass full of whiskey. Definitely a friendly smile this time.
"Would you like some?"
She nodded, and he poured a bit into her glass.
"So, I've got an excuse for being exhausted and looking like shit. What's yours? Oh, not that you look like shit. Just the exhausted part. You look great, of course, tonight."
Damn, now he was blabbering like a teenager talking to a pretty girl for the first time.
"Well, thank you. I feel like shit, though," and there was that smile again. "Exhausted, too. I haven't left ops for more than two hours in three days, until tonight. I really wanted to go home and sleep, but I got there and the place was so empty. And I couldn't really get settled. So I went for a walk, all through the habitat rings, and the pylons, and the docking bays. And I ended up on the promenade, which led to Quark's. I must have been tired. I didn't even make any snide remarks, just asked for a drink and came back here."
While she babbled on, Miles kind of tuned her out, and just found himself staring into her eyes. When she stopped talking, he realised that she was staring back. ::Damn, this is too intense.:: Yet he couldn't break the contact. He reached out for his glass, but somehow ended up with Nerys' hand instead.
She smiled, a slightly uncomfortable one this time. ::Still damn sexy, though.::
He dropped her hand quickly.
"You know, maybe I should get going. Yoshi'll probably be up in a bit, and I don't want Keiko to have to get up."
"I should, too. Maybe this whiskey will help me get to sleep."
They both stood up, awkward, avoiding eye contact. They walked a pace or two apart towards the exit.
Once on the promenade, they walked side by side. Not too close, but probably closer than normal. Or maybe he was just overanalysing the situation.
The silence began to get more awkward than conversation would be.
"You know, Yoshi's starting to almost roll over now. I bet it won't be long until he's rolling all over our quarters."
"I did know. Keiko told me the other day when I popped over for a visit. I can't believe how quickly he's growing."
Now what was he supposed to say?
Before things got too awkward again, they reached the turbolift, thankfully. He pressed the call button, and they stood there, waiting.
"Hmm, I wonder why this thing's taking so long? It's not usually this slow, unless someone's doing work on it, which they aren't."
He felt so self-conscious just standing there, waiting, trying to keep certain images from swirling around in his head. ::Surely, she knows what I'm thinking about her.::
She turned towards him, "Miles, relax. It's probably just off on a different section now. Is everything okay? You seem a bit impatient."
::Yeah, everything's fine.:: His wife and family were at home, sleeping, and here he was, waiting for a turbolift with a friend. A fucking attractive friend, who lived on the opposite side of the station from him, yet they were waiting for the same 'lift.
"No, I'm fine. Just tired, ready for bed, I think."
The lift arrived and he gestured for Kira to enter first. He followed her in as she requested the location of her quarters. Before he could say anything, she asked, "I haven't seen Molly for a few weeks. How's she doing with the baby?"
"Oh, they're getting along fine. She likes to read to him. She's really starting to be a bookworm like her mum. Her favourite now is Peter Pan, but who knows what it will be once she finishes that one."
"That's great that they get along. And that she's doing well with reading. She's a bright little girl."
"She's not so little anymore, though. Growing like a weed, and wanting more and more to be a big girl. She likes to do her own hair now. The results have been interesting so far, but I'd rather let her go out with messy hair than fight her on it."
Kira smiled. ::Fuck, that smile again.:: Miles smiled back. Before either could say anything, the 'lift doors opened.
Kira exited, and Miles followed.
"I forgot to call out my section. I might as well walk you home, and then catch the 'lift on the other side."
She laughed. ::Shit, that's not helping the situation.::
Well, neither was the fact that he was walking her home.
Again they walked side by side, in silence. Kira's quarters were only a short walk away, though.
"Well, here you go, Nerys. Good night."
He smiled, but before he turned away to leave, she asked, "Say, how about a cup of tea or something? There was something I wanted to talk to you about."
She stood there, almost biting her lip, looking damn sexy. Miles knew he shouldn't unless he knew that it was just a cup of tea with a close friend. And it would help him relax, so he could go home and cuddle up with his wife.
"Sounds great."
She smiled. He smiled. And they entered her quarters.
Kira walked towards the replicator, while Miles wandered over to her desk to see the photos she had on display.
"I'm going to have some herbal tea, what about you?"
"Sure, sounds good. Thanks."
He saw the photo he had taken of her and Yoshi before she left sickbay. And another beside it, of her, pregnant, with Molly and Keiko.
"Here you go."
He turned around, and Kira was right in front of him. She reached behind him to place his tea on the desk, and suddenly her face was mere centimetres from his. She leaned in, or maybe he did. It didn't really matter. Before either of them really realised it, their lips were touching, gently at first. Kira ran her hands around his back, softly pulling him closer.
He didn't resist. He knew he should, but her lips and her hands and her body, so close to his, distracted him. It wasn't an excuse, but there was room for nothing else in his mind. He placed his hands on her waist, cautiously, not really knowing what to expect. Slowly, their bodies pressed against each other, and without conscious thought, the kiss deepened. He opened her mouth with his tongue, or maybe she opened it for him. He didn't care.
Their tongues touched gently, while their hands became entwined in each other's hair. He ran one hand down her side, caressing her breast. He explored her mouth, tentatively. The subtle hint of whiskey startled him, reminded him he wasn't kissing his wife, who never drank the stuff. Kira's hands, making patterns up and down his back, and her tongue, doing the same in his mouth, distracted him briefly.
Eventually, one of them broke the kiss, or maybe it was mutual.
"Miles, I -"
He kissed her hard, quickly, like he'd wanted to do months before on the runabout. And then he left, without looking back.
A second glance would have been one too many.
the end
By Sara
The attraction had been there from the beginning. Nothing more, just a pure acknowledgment of her as a woman. Maybe, if he'd met her first, something might have happened. But he was too busy with his job and family to ever give it even a second thought.
Then they'd nearly been stuck together in a runabout. He should have known better. Actually, he did know better, but Keiko wanted to make sure nothing happened to the baby.
She had casually placed her hand on his shoulder while pacing the cockpit. Just as suddenly as he'd felt it, it was gone. He could have almost imagined it. Except for the look on her face. It took nearly too much will power not to stand up, push her against the console and kiss her, hard.
He knew that if he kissed her then, though, it would all be over. That day, at least, he could attribute his urge to the fact that she was carrying his child.
Thankfully, they both had enough sense not to put themselves in such a situation again.
But now, Yoshi was nearly three months old, crying too much and not letting his parents get enough sleep. He and Keiko hadn't had a proper conversation in weeks, and the strain was showing in their everyday interactions. Even Molly, who had her father completely wrapped around her little finger, would occasionally get on his nerves. He tried so hard to not get angry with either of them. Usually he just had to leave.
Tonight, he ended up at Quarks, drinking whiskey alone. Julian was working, not that he was really in the mood for company anyway.
He took a large, full glass to one of the tables in the back, intending to sit alone and brood. He wanted to get drunk, stay that way for a while, and then go see Julian for a stimulant before going home to apologise to his wife and make his little girl feel better.
He rounded one of the pillars, and saw Kira sitting alone at a table. Her glass was empty and looked like it had been for a while. She sat, staring at it, off in her own little world. Miles stood, looking at her, admiring her.
She looked up, for no apparent reason. He tried to look away, but knew he had been caught. She smiled, not a friendly smile really, more of an embarrassed, nearly ashamed smile. ::It was damn sexy, no matter what her intention.::
::Shit, what brought that on?:: Just because he had a fight with his wife was no reason to think such things. He felt his cheeks going red.
"Would you like to join me, Miles?"
He knew he shouldn't, but she was a co-worker. Someone he saw nearly everyday. Why shouldn't he sit and have a drink with her? Even if she was fucking sexy, it was just Kira.
He smiled, hoping it was a friendly smile, not an "I'm embarrassed about what I'm thinking about you" smile. He walked over and placed his drink on the table, but didn't sit down.
"Can I get you another drink?"
"No, I'm fine. Have a seat."
So he did. Nothing wrong with that. They occasionally ate lunch together. When someone bears your child, it's normal to become close friends with her.
"So, is Yoshi still keeping Keiko and you awake all night?"
::Thank you for mentioning her.:: He tried to keep that name, and a picture of his wife at the front of his mind. He worried what he would think about if he didn't.
"Not all night, usually. He's sleeping right now, and so is Keiko. I feel like all I've been doing is working and being at home with the kids. I just needed to get out of the house tonight."
"Well, I'm probably not the best company tonight, but you don't really look like that was what you were up for anyway. I should probably be going."
"No, stay. I was thinking that I'm glad Julian's not around, but only because I'm not really in the mood for the Alamo, or whatever else he thinks might cheer me up. With you though, maybe I can cheer you up."
::Shit, what the hell was that? Sounds like some ridiculous pick-up line. Fuck, maybe it was. Keiko, Molly, Yoshi, all at home sleeping. Keiko, so beautiful.::
::Shit, sexy. Kira, shit.::
He took a sip of his whiskey. It burned on the way down, enough to distract his thoughts momentarily.
"Well, maybe I'll stay for a little while. If only to keep you from getting too drunk."
She smiled, looking at his glass full of whiskey. Definitely a friendly smile this time.
"Would you like some?"
She nodded, and he poured a bit into her glass.
"So, I've got an excuse for being exhausted and looking like shit. What's yours? Oh, not that you look like shit. Just the exhausted part. You look great, of course, tonight."
Damn, now he was blabbering like a teenager talking to a pretty girl for the first time.
"Well, thank you. I feel like shit, though," and there was that smile again. "Exhausted, too. I haven't left ops for more than two hours in three days, until tonight. I really wanted to go home and sleep, but I got there and the place was so empty. And I couldn't really get settled. So I went for a walk, all through the habitat rings, and the pylons, and the docking bays. And I ended up on the promenade, which led to Quark's. I must have been tired. I didn't even make any snide remarks, just asked for a drink and came back here."
While she babbled on, Miles kind of tuned her out, and just found himself staring into her eyes. When she stopped talking, he realised that she was staring back. ::Damn, this is too intense.:: Yet he couldn't break the contact. He reached out for his glass, but somehow ended up with Nerys' hand instead.
She smiled, a slightly uncomfortable one this time. ::Still damn sexy, though.::
He dropped her hand quickly.
"You know, maybe I should get going. Yoshi'll probably be up in a bit, and I don't want Keiko to have to get up."
"I should, too. Maybe this whiskey will help me get to sleep."
They both stood up, awkward, avoiding eye contact. They walked a pace or two apart towards the exit.
Once on the promenade, they walked side by side. Not too close, but probably closer than normal. Or maybe he was just overanalysing the situation.
The silence began to get more awkward than conversation would be.
"You know, Yoshi's starting to almost roll over now. I bet it won't be long until he's rolling all over our quarters."
"I did know. Keiko told me the other day when I popped over for a visit. I can't believe how quickly he's growing."
Now what was he supposed to say?
Before things got too awkward again, they reached the turbolift, thankfully. He pressed the call button, and they stood there, waiting.
"Hmm, I wonder why this thing's taking so long? It's not usually this slow, unless someone's doing work on it, which they aren't."
He felt so self-conscious just standing there, waiting, trying to keep certain images from swirling around in his head. ::Surely, she knows what I'm thinking about her.::
She turned towards him, "Miles, relax. It's probably just off on a different section now. Is everything okay? You seem a bit impatient."
::Yeah, everything's fine.:: His wife and family were at home, sleeping, and here he was, waiting for a turbolift with a friend. A fucking attractive friend, who lived on the opposite side of the station from him, yet they were waiting for the same 'lift.
"No, I'm fine. Just tired, ready for bed, I think."
The lift arrived and he gestured for Kira to enter first. He followed her in as she requested the location of her quarters. Before he could say anything, she asked, "I haven't seen Molly for a few weeks. How's she doing with the baby?"
"Oh, they're getting along fine. She likes to read to him. She's really starting to be a bookworm like her mum. Her favourite now is Peter Pan, but who knows what it will be once she finishes that one."
"That's great that they get along. And that she's doing well with reading. She's a bright little girl."
"She's not so little anymore, though. Growing like a weed, and wanting more and more to be a big girl. She likes to do her own hair now. The results have been interesting so far, but I'd rather let her go out with messy hair than fight her on it."
Kira smiled. ::Fuck, that smile again.:: Miles smiled back. Before either could say anything, the 'lift doors opened.
Kira exited, and Miles followed.
"I forgot to call out my section. I might as well walk you home, and then catch the 'lift on the other side."
She laughed. ::Shit, that's not helping the situation.::
Well, neither was the fact that he was walking her home.
Again they walked side by side, in silence. Kira's quarters were only a short walk away, though.
"Well, here you go, Nerys. Good night."
He smiled, but before he turned away to leave, she asked, "Say, how about a cup of tea or something? There was something I wanted to talk to you about."
She stood there, almost biting her lip, looking damn sexy. Miles knew he shouldn't unless he knew that it was just a cup of tea with a close friend. And it would help him relax, so he could go home and cuddle up with his wife.
"Sounds great."
She smiled. He smiled. And they entered her quarters.
Kira walked towards the replicator, while Miles wandered over to her desk to see the photos she had on display.
"I'm going to have some herbal tea, what about you?"
"Sure, sounds good. Thanks."
He saw the photo he had taken of her and Yoshi before she left sickbay. And another beside it, of her, pregnant, with Molly and Keiko.
"Here you go."
He turned around, and Kira was right in front of him. She reached behind him to place his tea on the desk, and suddenly her face was mere centimetres from his. She leaned in, or maybe he did. It didn't really matter. Before either of them really realised it, their lips were touching, gently at first. Kira ran her hands around his back, softly pulling him closer.
He didn't resist. He knew he should, but her lips and her hands and her body, so close to his, distracted him. It wasn't an excuse, but there was room for nothing else in his mind. He placed his hands on her waist, cautiously, not really knowing what to expect. Slowly, their bodies pressed against each other, and without conscious thought, the kiss deepened. He opened her mouth with his tongue, or maybe she opened it for him. He didn't care.
Their tongues touched gently, while their hands became entwined in each other's hair. He ran one hand down her side, caressing her breast. He explored her mouth, tentatively. The subtle hint of whiskey startled him, reminded him he wasn't kissing his wife, who never drank the stuff. Kira's hands, making patterns up and down his back, and her tongue, doing the same in his mouth, distracted him briefly.
Eventually, one of them broke the kiss, or maybe it was mutual.
"Miles, I -"
He kissed her hard, quickly, like he'd wanted to do months before on the runabout. And then he left, without looking back.
A second glance would have been one too many.
the end