I do not own Star Trek.
Khan had eaten his own breakfast quickly then sent Tieven to eat his dinner at the end of his shift as Mahalia had her breakfast. He had ordered him to report before going to his quarters. Khan was worried about Maya. He was worried about all of his family, but especially her. It was normal, these possessive/protective urges. When any man chose a potential mate he would want to prove himself a good protector and to warn away rivals. Augments had these same instincts but, like many of their instincts, they were heightened. Khan knew his instincts were even stronger than most, his savagery, his connection to his family. It made sense that he would feel this strongly when the time came to claim his mate.
He was glad Maya was spending time with Kati and that they seemed to be getting on. It was a tacit sign of approval of Maya's new status, or at least he hoped it was, it might all be a ploy. Tieven had also told him that as well as Kati being friendly someone else had been a little more than. It was probably best Tieven refused to name the other augment, he'd spoken with him already he said. The instincts would fade, he hoped, they were apparently strongest when a claim was new, when it hadn't been made official and reciprocal. A mate being injured or incapacitated in some way could also make things worse. Maya was so vulnerable, he wanted her to be in his arms, where he could protect her. He wanted to take her so that he could claim every part of her, every inch of her skin, every moan. But if he pushed her, if he tried to control her, to own her like a pet or a concubine, before he could convince her to be his equal then he would break her. She needed to meet his ferocity and passion with her own.
It was infuriatingly hard to concentrate.
He decided to try and put those protective urges to use. When they reached the planet they were going to need to make it defensible. They'd need a security system, perhaps he could design a perimeter grid for the solar system their new home would be in, to give them advance warning of incoming ships. They would need a shield for the settlement as well, it would also prevent anyone beaming anything in or out of it without their knowledge. It helped a little, to distract himself in a productive way, still he was glad when she contacted him.
"Khan? Are you free?" She asked, he pressed a button to bring the communication up on the armrest of the captain's chair. She seemed fairly cheerful, which was a positive sign.
"I am not doing anything that cannot wait. Is there anything you need Maya?" He emphasised the word 'need' and purred her name, gratified when it provoked a blush and an embarrassed smile.
"I... uh... we're almost finished with all the cryo-pods. The last one should be opening in ten minutes or so. I wondered what you wanted us to do next... I was thinking perhaps I could work on preparations for the survey team." He smiled, she had not even finished one task and she was thinking of the next, of how to help their family, how to get the next edge. It was the sign of a good leader, one Kati had never shown, even if Maya did need more confidence.
"That sounds like a good plan Maya. I will lead the team." Starfleet had rules against such behaviour, rules he had been impressed to realise Kirk ignored. Augments believed in leading from the front. To send others into danger when you refused was a sign of cowardice. Maya responded with a nod, she had expected as much. "We should arrive at the planet in around three hours." Perhaps the two of them could be the first to set foot on their new home before beaming the others down.
"Do you want to select the team?" Did she think he would leave her behind? She had chosen this world for them, if anyone had the right to be a part of this it would be her. He wouldn't even object if she wanted to name the planet after herself, not that he thought she would. He really needed to settle this claim between them, it was a distraction and he needed to be at his best. He would feel better after they had sex. But if he pushed her into it before she was ready then it would only be sex. Worse than that it would be abuse.
"I trust you. You knew to have Jahl thawed early to make his plans. The pair of you will know who we need in the team." It could have come across dismissive but he made every effort to seem encouraging instead. She had beaten him at chess, she had thought ahead about the humans, more than once. While he was their leader and she shouldn't disobey his orders, he wanted her to feel able to act independently when she had her brilliant ideas. "Send me the details on the location Jahl recommends." He wondered if there'd be somewhere secluded, where he could press her into the dirt, claiming her and the planet and making it all his, just as she would wrap herself about him and make him hers.
"I will. Thank you." She responded, pausing slightly before clarifying. "For trusting me." He smiled and she returned it. She seemed about to say something, then reconsidered. He couldn't help but wonder what she had been going to say instead of what she actually did say. "I will do my very best." She promised. He never doubted that she would. He tried to concentrate back on his work, as he waited for Jahl's report, but he found his mind wandering.
He imagined dusty soil, the fine granules clinging to their skin as they shed their clothes. The rumble of thunder which echoed their growls of desire. The clouds darkening the sky so that he could only see the shape of her form, so that his eyes strained for more of her until the lightning flashed to highlight every curve. The rain when it came would be cold so that they would seem even warmer, the source of heat so that she would cling to him pressing herself up into him, even as he buried her beneath him and himself in her.
This was getting him nowhere. He left the bridge to the navigator, confident he'd be contacted if anything important came up.
When Kati dropped off a change of clothing at his quarters he was disappointed that Maya had sent her instead of coming herself. Then again Kati's quarters were right next to his whereas Maya's were practically the other side of the ship. Not that he would have minded her changing in his quarters... it might have caused something of a delay though. There would be time enough on the planet. At least that was what he thought until he reached the meeting before they beamed down. She wasn't wearing the waterproof, thermally insulated suits that everyone else in the room was. Kati was there though, and dressed for deployment.
Why would she purposefully send him down without her? And with Kati? Had he read her wrongly and she actually had no strong feeling toward him? He wanted to keep her from being in the same room as another man until he knew they wouldn't be able to tempt her, though he knew such extremes were unreasonable. By contrast she was sending him on an away mission with a woman she knew to be interested in claiming him for herself. As the meeting unfolded his discomfort only grew.
There were to be three pairs, each pair would check in every eight hours, both with the other teams and the ship. One team was in charge of assessing the jungle nearby, confirming the lack of large animals and the presence of good quality timber as well as establishing a perimeter. The second team, which would include Jahl, was dealing with the banks of the river, water quality, soil fertility, essentially checking the ability to provide food and water. The third pair was Khan and Kati. Which made him narrow his eyes at Kati, thinking she must have forced Maya into pairing them somehow. They would be exploring the island within the river. It had steep cliff faces and was riddled with caves having apparently been a meteor before it created the crater the river flowed through, creating a lake before the river continued out the other side. It was fitting that it had come from space itself. Still he questioned why it should be he and Kati mapping its tunnels and checking how easily it might be defended. He wouldn't ask her in front of the others though, not when he feared what her answer might be. When they finished though he asked to speak to her alone.
"I hoped I'd get to speak to you before you beamed down... I was about to ask you the same thing." She said once the door closed behind the others. She seemed cheerful, if a little nervous.
"You are pairing me with Kati." He stated flatly, his tone causing a look of confusion to cross her face. "If she did something to make you do this..."
"No." She cut him off with a worried word. "No, actually it was my idea, I checked with her that she'd be alright about it... I guess I should have checked with you first as well." She rested her hand on his arm, pulling it back sharply as he continued to stare at her, waiting for her to explain. Her fingers tangled with each other in awkwardness. "Well, it's just that Kati knows about rock climbing, she told me this morning. It's best if she's paired with someone strong enough to compensate for lack of practice and with knowledge of defensive strategy to assess potential entry points and ways to prevent that. Also you said you wanted to go and the other two teams need to know about ecology..." It was a little relieving to hear that she had thought about the assignments, that there were good reasons for why she had done as she had, but still.
"Aren't you concerned by the fact that I will be spending so much time with her, that we will be sleeping in such proximity?" They planned to observe a full 48 hours in the area before beginning to beam anyone else down. Time which he would be spending almost exclusively with Kati, and she would be here... with the other men on board and her new status to encourage them. But making it about his jealousy would not help matters, it was her feelings that truly worried him.
"If you wanted to be with Kati you would be by now. If you change your mind I can't stop you. If anyone can convince you to abandon me I would rather it be now, before I allow myself to believe you truly care for me, than later, when it will hurt so much more." Though her voice was calm, reasoned, there was traces of melancholy woven through it. He could not blame her for needing more convincing than most to believe he cared for her, after all it had taken so very long for him to begin to. He reached out and took the hand that he had ignored before, squeezing it gently. He was going to tell her that he wanted her as his mate, that he wanted to claim her in front of all of their family. She placed the index finger of her free hand against his lips before he could speak though. Usually it would anger him, to have someone silence him, but the look on his face told him of the importance of what she had to say. "I don't want you to try and convince me you care for me, not right now. You focus on staying safe and caring for our family. If you still feel the same way when you are finished then I'm sure you'll have selected where in the island you want to live, we can... discuss things there. Perhaps claim them as ours." She blushed and removed her finger, leaving a slight feeling of coldness and loss behind it.
"I look forward to it." He let the suggestion seep through his voice, purring with the unspoken promise that he wouldn't change his mind. He had lusted after women before, he knew the difference between that and this. He tugged her hand so that she slid into his lap. She moved willingly enough. "You may trust me alone with Kati, but I'm not sure I feel the same about leaving you here with all these men." The trace of humour in his tone kept it from being offensive, he hoped. He cupped her chin. "I suppose I'll just have to ensure you'll miss me." He murmured as he leaned forward slowly before kissing her thoroughly, passionately.
When they finally released each other's lips he kissed his way along her jawline to her ear, sucking on the lobe lightly before whispering to her. "I also want to make it clear that you are mine, only mine." She shivered at the possessiveness in his tone, he knew he was dangerously close to bad memories but he wanted to be clear. He hoped she would respond well to his continuation of the thought. "Mine, as I will be yours when you let me. Only yours." Her breath hitched, causing him to smile, her skin tickling his lips. He kissed his way down to her collar bone as he drew the lightest whimper from her and she shifted slightly on his lap. His fingers slipped under her shirt to draw small circles on the skin of her stomach, particularly the dips near to her hip bones. They teased ever so lightly along the edge of her trousers. He pulled his lips from her neck enough to run the tip of his nose up her throat and back down again, breathing her scent in deeply as he did so.
"Khan." Her voice was shaky in a way that dove to his core. Her breath was coming fast and he could feel the pulse speeding, so close beneath him. He pressed another kiss to her skin.
"I will stop if you ask me." He said, his hands stilling as he drew back to look into her eyes, her pupils were wide, her lips parted slightly. She was beautiful and clearly aroused but she needed to know that she had control, that she could refuse him, that he would never force her. She let out a long sigh of relief and acceptance, it drew his gaze to her chest as she breathed it out. He looked back up only to find his focus demanded by her mouth as she bit lightly on the bottom lip. Reaching up she pulled the hair away from her neck, exposing it more fully to him as she nodded. He bent his head again, this time his teeth found her skin, he sucked and nipped at it, gently but determinedly, careful not to break the skin. When he released her again her pale skin had a deep purple mark. It would fade but it still gratified him to see it there, to know she had let him put it there. Humans often left similar marks on their lovers, instinctively warning away competition, augments knew precisely why they felt the urge to do so.
He lifted her by her waist, setting her on her feet facing him as he stood. He let his fingers tease along her skin as he kissed her again, putting every ounce of his passion into it. As he pulled away he dropped a kiss onto the bruise he had given her lightly and let his hands fall from her. Giving her a burning gaze which swept her from head to toe he smirked, licking his lips slowly. "See you in a few days." He didn't bother trying to hide the roughness from the sight of her like that, eyes flashing and skin flushed, willingly and visibly his, even if only in this small way so far.
"Be careful, and good luck."Her voice was breathy and the hard swallow she had made before speaking to clear her throat slightly had made the bruise dance. He forced himself to leave the room, his long strides taking him smoothly to the transporter room. Every part of him, some more than others, screamed at him not to leave her there, to go back in there and do more than just mark her skin. With difficulty he ignored it, doing as she had asked and trying to focus on the task at hand.
A/N: I'm actually not sure how close I am to dancing into the M category with this chapter... I know there's lots of people who think I should make this M rated... I'm wondering how many people are against it, and people's opinion of its rating in general...