It's Not the Liquor Talking – Chapter 10: A Little Steam
Characters: Hikaru Sulu, unspecified OC, various Enterprise crew. As an experiment, I've made the identity of the main protagonist of this piece ambiguous. Disclaimer: I don't own the character of Hikaru Sulu or the concept of Starfleet; all other written and conceptual content is mine.
Warnings: Some sexual content in this chapter.
…
Suggested music: The Hidden Orchestra, "Spoken"
The rest of the softball game is as much fun as you'd hoped. Feeling completely included in a Starfleet social activity boosts your confidence. Talking and laughing with everyone feels easier than it would have a year ago. Captain Kirk's effort to erase barriers of rank succeeds as crewmates from different divisions join forces on teams. Voices cheer and shout encouragement for both novice and experienced players. Sulu plays cheerfully but ferociously, as though he's burning off excess, barely controlled energy. What will happen when he directs that energy at you?
Jim Kirk is surprisingly versatile; he moves quickly for a big man, hustling across the outfield to meet the ball in flight. Kirk could probably pitch well or serve as a base player himself if he weren't trying to ensure that other teammates have opportunities to fill those roles. At the Academy Kirk had a reputation as a barely responsible pretty boy who was intellectually brilliant and sexually voracious, simultaneously arrogant and fragile. Now he functions empathetically and effectively as a Starfleet Captain...though the rumors of his sleeping around linger. Funny how people can change. Harsh judgment of others doesn't come easily to you, because you remember how quickly people used to dismiss you.
Softball in this balmy climate produces sweat, and you want to wash after the game ends. That grand double-headed shower stall awaits you at the hotel. Two could share; it's the size of a small room. The adrenaline rush from the game lingers as you and your crewmates sip water, then gather the borrowed softball gear and return it to the fieldhouse. Watching Hikaru play stoked a fire of aroused anticipation in your mind and body. A few hours stretch between now and the scheduled dinner with Federation representatives.
If you can just get Hikaru's attention, you can whisper reasons to hurry back to the hotel: shower, nap, something more? He's sipping water, chatting to a couple of navigational crew. One hand brushes back his thick, black hair; you watch his bicep flex below the sleeve of his black T-shirt and your eyes lock with his. Having learned a few things about Hikaru since last night, you clearly understand the look he gives you. He wants you, too.
Enterprise crew members walk back to the hotel in a long, loose line of people. Some rush ahead to clean up and cool off. Others stroll, enjoying sociable chatter in a relaxed, safe environment. Uncomfortably, you realize that whether you dash ahead or dawdle, there's a strong possibility that your colleagues will see you and Hikaru take the lift together on your way to his luxurious suite on the hotel's upper floor.
Hikaru glances at you again as he half-listens to Captain Kirk's animated rehash of the game. A slight tension in his expression shows that he also recognizes the problem. Both of you are sweaty and need to change but your clothes are all in the same place. You quietly moved all of your belongings into Hikaru's room this morning, asking the hotel to direct all messages to your communicator. No need to have Starfleet waste resources for a bed you weren't sleeping in. By the time somebody checked the records and realized you slept elsewhere, you'd already be at your new job, our of the reach of gossip. Or so you rationalized.
'D'you have hay inside your head, child? Think ahead!' people would have sneered at you back home. Creating an alibi never occurred to you. Now everyone will guess that you're sleeping with an officer of superior rank, and your job transfer request may not be taken seriously. The truth about you and Hikaru, which you are only beginning to admit to yourself, won't satisfy anyone. Some may believe your emotions drove you away from the Enterprise ; if you can't handle a fling, what levels of professional responsibility can you be trusted with?Are your crewmates safe around you? Others may assume that you tried to exploit the widely admired Lieutenant Sulu's connections to get the new job.
Following Hikaru's gaze, Captain Kirk turns around to congratulate you.
"That was some excellent pitching! I love my crew; there are so many hidden talents. We'll have to get you on the field again soon."
Smiling to banish your anxiety, you return Kirk's thumbs-up gesture. "Thank you, Captain. I could do with more practice."
"Modest, aren't you? You did good! No complaints from me. Sulu may disagree with me on that, though." Kirk playfully elbows Sulu in the ribs, eliciting an uneasy smile from his trusted helmsman.
For the first time you see Hikaru looking lost. Apparently he has no ideas about the return to the hotel, either. "Everybody's gotta strike out some time. Uh, Jim, maybe I'll go ahead, catch up with everyone later...do some cool-down exercises. Just in case, for, uh, my elbow."
Misreading Hikaru's expression, Jim says, "Aww, forgive and forget already, Sulu." Jim nods in your direction. "How about this: we get you two on the same team next time?"
Hikaru's eyes widen for a moment. "Sounds great," he says in a flat tone of voice.
Air! Take a deep breath! Your hands tremble as you glance down at your communicator. Maybe it's best if you just sneak away, call the hotel, plead with them to book you into another room if there are any left, and stay the hell away from Hikaru Sulu for the next two days while you recover from the spell this man's cast over you.
A couple of local passerby on the broad promenade fall loosely in step with the Starfleet crew, in sight but out of earshot, casting sidelong looks at Jim Kirk. A bit too casually, he raises the hem of his shirt as though to better take in the afternoon breeze, and they smile at the sight of the Captain's toned abdomen.
"Cool-down exercises, Sulu? Well, I'm gonna cool down too," Jim drawls, looking the passerby up and down.
"Like hell you are," Hikaru mutters. "You've got an audience. I'd say you're planning to heat up."
Shrugging, Jim beams the legendary Kirk Smile for the benefit of the interested locals. "So? Hey, I haven't seen you with anybody during this planetside visit, Sulu. There are two charmingcitizens here. I could share, if you want," he adds in a low voice.
Hikaru's eyes flick away from Jim, and avoid yours. "Nah. Thanks, though. I'm not doing anything, or anyone, during this trip. Not that way."
The response is hasty, intended to conceal. It should make you feel better; Hikaru's simply doing exactly what you asked him to do: protecting your privacy. Unreasonably, it bothers you, and you wish that he'd claim you despite the consequences. Mine. Earlier today he said it to protect you from unwelcome attention. How would it feel if he'd meant it?
Whatever Hikaru says next will probably make you feel worse, so you offer a vague excuse. "Pardon me, Captain...Lieutenant. I just remembered I need to get back to the hotel to check on something. See you both at the dinner."
Barely taking notice of the Captain's nod and Hikaru's frown, you flee, breaking into a run once you're out of sight. Inside the hotel lobby you slow to a walk, then stop. Several Enterprise crewmates stand waiting for the lifts. Now what? Some of them are staying on your old floor, near the room you moved out of this morning. The open access door to a stairwell is a few meters away from the row of lifts. Making excuses about some fitness plan you're trying to maintain, you enter the stairwell and start climbing, thinking: This would go a lot faster inside a Jeffries tube.
Yeah, and Engineer Scott would ask what sort of daft behavior you were up to. What's your game, then? Those tubes are nae made for assignations!
By the fifth floor your legs and newly healed ankle begin to protest. Carefully, you open the landing door and step into the hallway just as Enterprise personnel exit the lift; you duck around a corner until their voices fade.
The hallway is quiet. Can you risk it? Pulling in a deep breath you sprint for the lifts, smacking your hand against the panel. Soon a lift arrives. It contains an elderly couple holding hands, an Andorian, and an unfamiliar humanoid wearing a breathing device and peering at the screen of a small padd. Apologizing for your sweaty, disheveled state, you explain that you'll be getting off the lift soon. The Andorian scowls, while the elderly couple assure you that you aren't bothering them. The humanoid squints at you in confusion – perhaps the device filters sweaty smells – before continuing to examine the padd.
No Starfleet, no crewmates get on, please; your heart thumps until the lift arrives at Hikaru's floor with a sprightly little chime. Racing down the hallway, you palm the door lock, hoping that your programmed ID hasn't mysteriously dropped out of the recognized user list since Hikaru added you this morning. Calm down! You do belong here, sort of. The door opens and you stagger inside, panting in need of air and calm as you discard your clothes on the bedroom floor.
When Hikaru finally arrives, you're bathing under one of the double showerheads in the second bathroom, the one you've claimed for your own use. "It's me," he calls out as he enters, and heads for the other bathroom, the one connected to the suite's main bedroom. Several minutes pass. Suddenly you feel like a guest. Technically you are a guest, as Hikaru chose this suite, but that's not the real problem.
Instead of simply walking in Hikaru taps on the door. "Come in," you shout, wiping soap from your face.
"Requesting permission to enter." Hikaru appears on the other side of the glass, wearing a towel around his waist. You aren't angry with him now. Truth be told, your feelings are still in a bit of chaos, but he's been considerate. He knocked before entering the bathroom and he's been tactful about your deception. Your raging desire to rip that towel away from his waist may have something to do with your jumbled feelings, too.
"Granted."
Hikaru whisks the towel away and tosses it over a rack, leaving him clad in nothing but his own glorious skin. Your knees go weak and you clutch one of the carved handles set into the tiles so that you won't slip.
Nose to nose, you both stand and let the water stream down over both of you. This is a water-rich planet. Real showers, particularly long, warm ones, are a heady indulgence for starship crew. Getting wet with him feels good.
"Took you long enough, handsome."
Hikaru rubs his cheek against yours, his skin made slick by the water. "Had to keep up appearances. That's what you want, isn't it?"
"Um, yes." It's a brief hesitation, but you can tell that Hikaru notices. "Better to hide it. You're ranked above me."
"Not in here, babe; we're equal." Hikaru kisses you, loose and soft, water flowing between your mouths. For a moment you can't tell where he ends and you begin; then he steps away. "Wash your back?"
"Sure, thanks. Then I'll do yours."
Once again you're reminded of how strong he is as his fingers knead your muscles in between soaping and scrubbbing. "Are you angry with me for telling Jim I wasn't involved with anyone while we're on planet?" he asks. Maybe that question's easier for him when he isn't looking at your face.
"How could I be? I'm the one who asked you to keep a secret." You turn around and indicate that you're ready to wash his back. Hikaru's got adorable dark brown moles in interesting places, and you kiss a few of them, drawing out an "mmm" sound from him. You try to return the kindness he showed you, pressing into his muscles in soothing motions. "Anyway, it isn't like we're involved in a real courtship. This is a fling for both of us."
Hikaru's shoulders tense beneath your fingers. " I'm willing to be open about this, and support you if you have problems. Anyway it'd make things easier. I hung around the lobby talking when I wanted to be here with you, all because we can't be seen coming back to the room together. We're consenting adults, babe; the sneaking around isn't necessary. "
"Easy to say when you've got nothing to lose! You're already at the top of your game in Starfleet. I've got a way to go. The only way this could be easier would be if we weren't assigned to the same ship."
Hikaru turns around, resting his hands on your hips. "Others on the Enterprise fraternize. Most of it's quiet, but not hidden."
"Most of it's long-term, too. Hikaru, if you sleep with someone, I doubt that many people will speculate about your motives for having sex with that person. Someone like me – people will wonder why I set my sights so high as a bridge officer, and what I'm trying to gain by it. It's not the same; I'm not free to just want."
"No. This is Starfleet: not that colony you grew up on, where the sun was hot and the attitudes were backward. Rank and class aren't the same for us." Hikaru sighs heavily and steps under the second showerhead to rinse the soap from his body.
Fears of another broken, fragile connection form a ball of tension in your stomach. Not bothering to hide your disappointment, you turn away from him and lean against the wall, closing your eyes and wishing you knew what to say.
"I know what to do with you, treasure." Hikaru's arms feel solid and reassuring, and you open your eyes to look at him. "Some plants need to be watered very carefully. Just the right amount, being careful about when and how you water them. Paying attention to the plant's response tells you a lot. Care and time are important." His fingers smooth water droplets over your cheekbones. "I like the shape of your face."
"Thank you. You already know how much I like yours."
"Somehow I think that I haven't been good enough to you yet. Will you let me try?"
"In one day, you've already been kinder to me than many people I've known."
Hikaru opens his mouth over yours. "Forget them," he whispers, and kisses you again. Fear and the fragments of your disagreement slide away.
"Do you have any idea what you did to me out there?" Hikaru moans against your neck. "I've never been teased like that before. The way you held your body, and those looks you gave me – how long does it usually take before your lovers surrender and obey your every command?"
"Hm. I wouldn't dignify 'em with the term 'lovers' and believe me, most of 'em didn't want me taking charge of anything."
"Fools. I've been fighting to keep it soft all afternoon ever since you struck me out."
"So you really weren't annoyed by that?"
"I like a good challenge. " Hikaru strokes your wet face. "Maybe we should spar sometime."
"Sparring with me won't be a challenge. Anyway, once I fall down on the mat I'll want you down there with me and the last thing I'll need from you is combat." You pump a handful of soap from the dispenser in the wall and smear it over, under, around his arms and chest before reaching lower. Hikaru's got a lovely treasure trail; it starts out light, with only a few hairs below his navel, and thickens as you go along.
Hikaru's hands move over your own body, and soon both of you are rubbing and sliding against each other. Were you really annoyed with him earlier? Why?
"Let me wash your hair for you," you say as he reaches for the shampoo. Adding a mild scalp massage that makes him groan with pleasure, you work the liquid in and do a thorough job, then rinse.
Surrounded by steam and wetness, you fall under a new spell. Last night Hikaru controlled the pace of your desire; now each of you leads and follows the other without a clear commander. When you press your lips against the pulse on his neck, Hikaru makes sounds of surrender; the next moment he presses his erection against your belly and it's your own voice that purrs, then pleads.
Water and the slippery layer of soap make your hands glide over the muscles in Hikaru's arms and back. Slowing down lets you learn more about how his body works: you feel muscles tense, relax, then flex as he moves with you. Supporting you with one arm, he bends you back to suck your nipples – obviously your particular sensitivity still fascinates him. It feels different here in the shower, and you nearly lose your balance as your hips involuntarily thrust towards him in response. Hikaru's strong arms keep you upright, and you grasp a safety handhold while you're gulping in air and water droplets, voicing sounds you'd be ashamed of around anyone else.
Finally it's too much. Turning around, you spread your palms flat on the smooth glass-and-clay composite wall and look back over your shoulder at Hikaru. He rests his body against your back and...stops.
"I don't have that cream in here," he explains, "and even if I did it can't be used in water."
"Oh. Of course. You don't have anything else here?"
"No. Didn't think of it earlier."
"Hikaru, you know I would let you...without it."
Leaning against your back, he rests the side of his face against yours. "Oh, treasure. I'd be careful with you if we did, but you know we shouldn't. Anyway," he sighs, "don't ever trust anyone that much."
"Don't you know I trust you?"
"I'm glad that you do trust me, but...I hope you aren't always this open." Seeing your questioning frown, he changes the subject and gently turns you around. "I could just order something else from the machines but honestly, I don't want to wait that long." Hikaru steps out of the water onto the absorbent bath rug, arms outstretched. "Come with me?"
"Water, lights: stop," you say, and step out into the steamy haze as the bathroom's computer shuts both down. Hikaru bends and hoists you onto his shoulder, prompting your surprised laughter, and carries you off.
…
Reality trespasses on your tryst. You're in bed (well, on the bed) with Hikaru, pillows kicked off onto the floor, the sheets twisted. Your mouths are busy between each others' thighs, each of you trying to excite the other more. Blood pulses with a steady thump beneath your fingertips where you touch the hollow of his hip. The chiming of your communicator dams the rising tide of lust.
"Mmph." You release Hikaru. "Sorry, that's my comm."
His head falls back, and he blinks at you in disbelief. "Can't it wait?"
"I just want to turn it off, sorry. Maybe if I got this kind of good sex on the regular, I'd remember to mute the audio on my devices. I'm really sorry."
Reluctantly, Hikaru lets you go. "Stop apologizing and hurry, babe. I thought you were off duty," he grumbles.
"Aww, you know you come first," you reply, reaching over the side of the bed to fumble through your clothing strewn over the floor. For one of the few times in your life you didn't fold your clothes immediately after removing them.
"Babe, I woulda made you come first, if your damned comm hadn't gone off."
A new message indicator flashes on the comm screen above a message preview: Thank you for submitting your request. It is now under review by Starfleet and you will be contacted as soon as possible following the completion of required review and evaluation procedures, within parameters specified in Starfleet Administrative Code (SAC) 1.266.B, Section 9…
Exhaling loudly in impatience, you tap the 'silent' setting on the device and drop it back into the pile of clothes.
Typically alert, Hikaru leans up on one elbow. "Something wrong?"
"No! Everything's fine, handsome. Really, no problem." You smile and resume your position. "Back to where we were?"
Hikaru's eyes narrow slightly. Clearly, he doesn't believe you, but arousal must still be coursing through his body as powerfully as it does yours, because he doesn't make you stop and talk. Instead he clasps your thighs in his hands again. "C'mere, liar."
"I never tell lies in bed," you reply.
Once again, you give in to the demands of your body.
…
Next chapter: Actions speak louder than words, and you can't always be sure who's listening.
If you've read this far and you like this way of presenting Sulu as a character, please take a moment to post a review/comment.
As an experiment, I've made the identity of the main protagonist of this piece ambiguous. Disclaimer: I don't own the character of Hikaru Sulu or the concept of Starfleet; all other written and conceptual content is mine.