AN: Every time I edited this chapter, it grew until I had to break it into two. I also shifted a scene thanks to Anastasia. Once we spoke about Jon meeting Hess, I knew I had to make more of that.
"Trip," Jon's worried face filled the screen. When his boyfriend didn't make their transport, Commander Archer attempted to contact Lt. Tucker. Knowing Trip's ability to become completely absorbed in an engineering task to the exclusion of everything around him, the Jon wasn't sure if he should be concerned at the lack of an answer to his call or consider this a preview of things to come. Boarding the next transport, Archer really started to worry as the hours passed without a word.
"I'm on my way home," Tucker rolled his eyes, "from Orbital. I'll tell you all about it over a very late dinner, if you haven't eaten already."
"I have, but that doesn't mean I can't sit with you while you eat," Jon stated, his hazel eyes intrigued. "Sounds like you've got a story to tell."
"You could say that," Trip sighed wearily, while holding up the PAD. "I'll start this homework so I can spend some time with you before bed. I'm on the 2130 shuttle landing at The Paradiso."
Holding up his own PAD, Jon finally allowed a broad grin to cover his lips. "Looks like we all have reading so we can get up to speed on the project. I'll be waiting for you."
"So," Trip asked, shovelling the last mouthful onto his fork, "A.G. knows about us?"
"Came up in conversation today," Jon responded. "We agreed not to keep this a secret, Trip, but not to openly advertise it either."
"My team knows," Tucker lifted the loaded utensil to his mouth.
"I guess that," amused, Jon smirked, "by the Lt. Commander standing in the background when you com'ed."
"His wife was furious. Apparently, Wu missed some family thing. I couldn't understand a word. The madder the misses got, the faster she spoke in Mandarin," Trip shook his head, attempting to stifle his chuckle. When Jon's lips curled into a smile, Tucker couldn't hold back his mirth. It was a relief to laugh after the day he'd had.
"If you're finished," Jon indicated Trip's plate, "I'll stack that in the washer and we can go to bed."
"You think this will happen a lot?" When Jon's expression asked what, Tucker explained, "one of us having to work late, or having reports to read when we get home."
"Part of the job," Archer sighed, standing and encouraging his lover to do the same. "I booked the 0730 shuttle tomorrow, but I'll be going in early the rest of the week."
"The weekends," Trip almost pleaded as they walked to the bedroom, "they have to be just for us. I want to introduce you to Pieter and Lee. Maybe we can all go out to dinner. They're such a big part of my being with you."
"Sure," Jon agreed easily. "Set it up and let me know when. Now, come on, bed for you, Trip. You're having trouble staying awake."
"My minds still way too active," he complained, dropping his uniform on the bathroom floor. It earned him a visual complaint from Jon. Rolling his eyes, Trip picked it up and threw it in the laundry hamper before grabbing his toothbrush. "Happy now?"
"Ecstatic," Jon dead panned, watching his lover through the mirror. Handing over a towel, Archer shook his head. While the view might be great, the clean-up wasn't. "You're one sloppy SOB when you're tired."
"According to you," Trip retorted after rinsing, very deliberately wiping out the basin and throwing the used towel into the hamper, "I'm a sloppy SOB all the time. Hell, Jon, we've been together a couple of weeks and your worse than my mother. Especially since I moved into your place."
"You know," Jon crossed his arms, blocking the door to the bedroom, "I'm just training you for space missions. You think we're falling over each other in this apartment, try the limited space you'll be assigned on a ship."
"That's going to be an issue, Jon," Trip sighed, wearily forcing his lover towards their bed. "The one thing that I learnt today, I have to get into a working engine room and soon. Working on your daddy's engine is great, but the other systems interfere, bleed tiny amounts of power that can only be accounted for by understanding the bigger picture."
"I remember you saying," Jon sounded shocked, "that you expected to spend half your time in space."
"All that data I read on the flight from Orbital, I'm trying to integrate it into what I already know," Shaking his head, Trip's mind wouldn't settle. "I learnt a valuable lesson today, Jon, that I don't know almost nothing. I need to be in a working engine room, and soon. Commander Wu agrees. To get this project of the ground, I need more than a doctorate in Warp Engineering, I need practical experience."
"Trip," Jon's tone turned serious, holding up the blankets, "you got to learn to let it go, compartmentalise and stop obsessing. I've seen you at your worst, preparing for those lectures. You get in a zone, which is great, in the right time and place."
"You trying to tell me this isn't the right time or place," Trip yawned. Spooned in Jon's arms, the facts and figures suddenly grew wings and flew way. "You got something to take my mind off work."
"I thought you were tired," he responded huskily.
"I'm never too tired for that," Tucker smirked in response.
The days passed quickly. Jon and Trip found they had trouble making the same transport. With so many meetings to get the NX project rolling, one or the other had to be at the Complex early or stay late. Trip's hours turned out to be less consistent than Jon's. He often came home late and without warning. Friday night they'd agreed to meet at the 602 and celebrate their first week together.
Robinson, Duvall and Gardiner gravitated over to the same table. Jon's cheeks took on an increasingly red hue as A.G. plied Trip with tales about Archer's early career and several beers in quick succession. A mixture of anger and embarrassment caused the reaction from Commander Archer. He knew Robinson wasn't above testing the bond between himself and Trip, nor steeling the younger man for a tryst if he gave the slightest hint, even though he wasn't that way inclined. A.G. had tried the same with Carl, who told him exactly were to get off. Tucker was too well brought up for that, besides, Trip was eating up the stories and it made Jon more than a little jealous.
"I'm going to order something to eat," Tucker stood suddenly, placing a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder. Looking down at him with a silent warning in those crystal-clear blue eyes, Archer knew Trip understood what A.G. was attempting. He'd been playing the pilot, which elicited a wide grin from the older man. "Want anything Jon?"
"Just you," he stated easily.
"You'll have me," Trip responded in a normal tone, "when we get home. But I'm thinking you might need some food to soak up all that beer and keep your stamina up, old man."
Glaring, Archer grunted. The rest of their table laughed at the banter.
A.G. followed Trip over to the bar, with the excuse that he needed to get another drink. Once there, Robinson attempted to put an arm around Tucker's shoulders. "You ever lay a hand on me again," Trip stated in a hard tone, shrugging off the limb, "you'll be missing a couple of teeth. I don't like you much, but I suggest you don't destroy whatever bond you have with Jon. Now, I'm going to pretend like this was a test, to make sure I'm good enough for your friend."
Nodding, Robinson's lips turned upward. "Fair enough," he responded. "You hurt him…"
"I know about Jon's past romances," Trip bit out, "just as he knows about mine. Besides being none of your business, you'll lose those teeth if you interfere with our relationship. I don't think we have any more to say to each other." With that, Tucker turned his back on A.G. and signalled for the barmaid. "I'll get you're drink," he threw over his shoulder loud enough for their table to hear.
"How do you to do it," Robinson shook his head, the younger man's threat still stinging. "Live together. I'd hate to be a fly on the wall when you fight."
"Hasn't happened yet," Trip smirked as he slipped into his seat beside Jon. Tucker shouldn't have said anything. It proved to be prophetic.
A fortnight later, on a cool but sunny Saturday afternoon, Jon walked out of their bedroom in casual clothing with a spring in his step. Wayne com'ed him while Trip was at that social gathering on the leisure deck last night. Tried after a demanding week and the complex ramping up, Archer encouraged the more social half of their partnership to go and meet the rest of the building's occupants without him.
Reminded about their monthly meet up with the guys from his old water polo team, Jon was looking forward to seeing them, taking in a live game at Stanford followed by dinner and a few drinks. He'd managed to make it back to San Francisco while they were on the lecture tour, after reconnecting the weekend he'd first met Trip. On Intrepid, Archer wrangle an audio-visual com, promising he'd join them in person the first chance he got. Last month, they'd been in Australia. This month, Jon wanted to tell them about his relationship and see if his boyfriend could come along in the future.
None of the others brought significant others, but then again, only Wayne was homosexual and it seemed there was a definite no women vibe to the group. Of the thirteen original players, three had moved to other continents and they'd lost contact with two, apart from Archer. From what Jon could ascertain, about six guys met regularly since graduating, depending on their schedules. Jon and Rio, he couldn't recall the man's actual name, were a little hit and miss.
I'm not missing another chance to catch up now I've moved back to San Francisco permanently, Jon grinned.
"You're ready early," Trip looked up from the PAD he was studying.
Alarms bells went off in Jon's head. Scouring his memories, he recalled something about dinner with, what was the Ensign's name, the one that had helped Trip come to terms with his feelings. Wagner. That's it. Surely, he didn't arrange it for tonight?
"Okay," Trip put the PAD down very deliberately and stood, "I'm guessing from that look, you're not dressed to go out to dinner with Pieter and Lee."
"It's the last Saturday of the month," Jon explained.
"And that means?" When Archer started to shift his weight from foot to foot, Trip's jaw dropped. "You got a prior engagement? That water polo thing?" he guessed. Jon had mentioned it once in passing and seemed really excited to be reconnecting with old friends.
"Yes," Jon felt relieved, which disappeared a moment later. Hard, blue eyes glared back. "I'm going to ask if you can come along next month."
"I never asked to be included in something that's obviously really important to you, Jon," Trip stated, the emotion in his voice barely constrained. "You and I need to have the freedom to go out with our friends individually, if that's what we want. I'm not mad at the fact your showing your social side. I'm really disappointed about dinner with Pieter and Lee. They mean a lot to me. The fact I'm even here, in this relationship, is partly due to them."
"Com me with the name of the restaurant and I'll meet you there," Jon tried for a compromise. "The game should be over by then."
Trip shook his head, unable to keep a dejected note from his tone, "I'll call Pieter and put it off for another few weeks."
"Trip," Jon started, only to be interrupted.
"You're going to be late if you don't get a move on," Tucker slumped back onto the couch. Picking up his PAD, he threw over his shoulder, "besides, I got a lot of work to get through before Monday morning. I have to leave early for a departmental meeting."
"Trip," Jon tried again.
"Just go Jon, and enjoy your night with your buddies," Trip tried to be upbeat and mean the words that issued from his mouth. "It's not like I didn't go to the mixer last night and come home a little worse for wear."
Finally finding a sad smile, Jon marched over to the couch. Planting a kiss on the top of Trip's head, he whispered, "I'll be home about nine."
Nodding, Trip responded with, "don't hurry home on my account."
"What's that supposed to mean," Jon demanded, stopping dead before he had time to move away. He didn't like the tone and suspected a hidden meaning.
"It means I'm really disappointed but trying to keep it to myself so you'll have a good time with your water polo buddies," Trip explained. "Now get out of here."
The pair glared at each other until Jon finally gave a huff and left. Tucker managed to keep his anger contained until the door closed. Changing into his running clothes, Trip waited ten of the longest minutes, just in case Jon decided to return and renew their disagreement. Using the time to fill a backpack, he com'd Pieter and asked if he could stay the night.
"Trouble in paradise?" Wagner greeted his friend at the door.
"You could say that," Trip hugged the big German, followed by Lee who crowded in the hallway of his antique painted lady in one of the more upscale areas of the bay.
"Why don't you go and put your things in the guest room," Lee suggested with a significant glance at his partner. "I'll make a pot of traditional tea and you can tell us about it."
"That's the thing," Trip stated half an hour later, "it wasn't even a fight, not really. I remember Jon telling me about this get together. I wasn't happy about it, not for the reasons your thinking. Wayne one of his old boyfriends. In fact, the first man Jon slept with when he realised he's gay. I know Jon's committed to us, to our relationship, it's just I've never experienced jealousy like that."
Pieter and Lee looked at each other and couldn't stop the giggles. "I never thought I'd see the day," Pieter finally managed to control his humour. "When the great Trip Tucker was brought down. Oh, come on, Trip, how many girls did you screw with while we were in officer training."
"Ha, ha," Tucker responded, but the bug had found him. There was a twinkle in his eyes that suggested he could see how stupid he was being. "I sent Jon the date last week, asking if it was good for him. He sent back a response saying he didn't have anything on. I guess that's what got me so hot under the collar."
Lee deliberately placed his cup on the table. Turning his almond shaped, warm brown eyes on Tucker, he said, "you're going to have many little disagreements in the first few months. Most will be a lack of communication, or unfulfilled expectations. Either way, unless you talk about it, air your differences and come to a compromise, there is little hope for a future. If you stumble at the first sign of trouble, then the feelings between you are not enough to sustain a healthy relationship in the long term. It's better you get this out now, address any issues, before you get in deeper."
"If, as I suspect, this might be something the both of you want to last, then you need to go home and talk it out with Jon. Don't let this fester. Little problems have a habit of growing and then exploding in your face at the most unexpected moment. You're welcome to stay here tonight, Trip. We can order in," Lee inched forward on the couch, "if you think it's in your best interests."
"Dinner, yes," Trip smiled sadly, "staying, no. That was an impulsive reaction to being hurt. Why is it the people we love are the ones who can hurt us the most?" Turning to Pieter, Tucker asked, "how did you ever get mixed up with a shrink?"
"What can I say," Pieter responded easily, "I'm a sucker for punishment. Now, what do you want to eat, we've got about every type of cuisine you can think of within a block radius."
"Ever tried Mongolian?" Lee asked.
"You took me last time I stayed here," Trip reminded.
"Once again," Pieter smirked, "I'm a sucker for punishment. I'll com them and make a booking. They get really busy on a Saturday night."
While Trip enjoyed the evening he spent with Pieter and Lee, he had this wild fantasy that Jon and his friends might end up at the same restaurant. It was impossible, as Archer travelled 60 kilometres south to Stanford for the water polo match. The guys would probably choose a local place to eat. Leaving his Starfleet issued com at home, initially Trip had every intention of not letting Jon know where he was.
Handing Tucker his com, Lee suggest he at least leave a message. Nodding, while an embarrassed expression covered his face, Trip sent a text only message. Hope you had a great night. Out with Pieter and Lee. Will be home about ten. Calling from Lee's communicator. Trip.