Title: The Forest for the Trees
Author: Josephine
Email: Lovellama@aol.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: Romance
Codes: M/S
Summary: Sometimes you need to be led by the hand.

* * * * *

"…yeah, but this one is eating my popcorn!"

"Oh Travis! That was awful!"

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Because it was also funny!"

"I got a million of 'em. Not much else to do on long trips than think up bad jokes."

"You'd think with so much time you could think up good jokes."

"Ouch! You wound me."

"Sure. You umm, want to go see the movie with me tonight?"

"Yeah, all right."

And so it began, seeing each other occasionally, staying friends but with something more … until that fateful night six months later.

"… nope, I'm a frayed knot!"

"That's even worse than the last one!"

"Wait! I have another! This gorilla walks into a bar … ouch! Hoshi! Pillows hurt!"

"Too bad! No you don't! Section 3.7 says 'No-one's own pillows will be used against them in a pillow fight!"

"We're in your cabin! Oof! I don't have any pillows here!"

"Too bad, fly boy! Oh! No fair! You're stronger! Let me up!"

"You're going to stay there until you beg my forgiveness."

"Never! I'll never submit to any man!"

"That would sound a lot better if you weren't laughing so hard. Quit wiggling! … Hoshi? Are you ok? Did I hurt you?"

"… Why haven't you ever kissed me?"

"What?"

"Kiss me. Why haven't you?"

"I … who says I want to kiss you?"

"Him."

"Hoshi!"

"Travis, come back, please. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, I just …I'd like to know what you feel for me. Honestly. Do you ever think there could be something more between us?"

"Hoshi, why would you want me? Trip and Malcolm would go out with you at the drop of a hat, not to mention the rest of the male crew, and some of the women."

"They're good friends, but I don't like them the way I like you. Malcolm is a little too … paranoid for me, sure he's saved our skins more time than not, but he likes to blow stuff up and that's just freaky. Trip is still a boy at heart, the right girl will settle him down, but I'm not that one. You have so much more to offer than you let on. You have more space time than anyone; we're all academics while you're the one with the experience. You're a wonderful person, I had hoped maybe you felt something … I'm sorry if I got the wrong impression."

"… You didn't Hoshi; I just never thought to reach as high as you. I was willing to settle for your friendship."

"There's more if you want it."

"…Hoshi?"

"What?"

"Can I kiss you now?"