This is just a silly little something. It started out as a Christmas humor short and quickly evolved into a sweet moment between Malcolm and Trip. T/R
For those of you who do not understand military time….0100 hours is 1o'clock in the blasted morning.
Enjoy!
reona32@aol.com
Reona
Catch you, Catch me
He hated the Jeffrey's Tubes. They were narrow and you couldn't see anything around the corner and crawling around in them hurt a person's knees like hell. Whose idea was it to lace the ship with these tunnels anyway?
Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker stopped at an intersection and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed turned to look at him. Trip knelt with a tricorder, slowly scanning the area around them. Malcolm waited patiently for him to finish. Trip pushed a hand through his hair and shook his head sourly at Malcolm. He turned back around and continued to make his way through the Jeffrey's Tubes with Trip behind him. "Explain it to me again." ordered Malcolm after a moment of silence.
Trip sighed, following Malcolm. "It all started when one of Phlox's animals got loose. Fluffy jumped out of his cage when…"
Malcolm cut him off. "Fluffy?" he asked sarcastically.
Trip chuckled sickly. "It was Liz's idea. She said that the thing reminded her of her cat back on Earth." Malcolm snorted. "Anyway, Fluffy is…well…he kind of looks like a yellow intergalactic squirrel." Malcolm stopped and looked over his shoulder at Trip, one eyebrow cocked. Trip shrugged and Malcolm continued forward. "Phlox said it was an Teoran Leip." said Trip, stumbling over the foreign word. "Phlox tried to catch it but it escaped."
"So, now half of the crew is searching the ship for an intergalactic squirrel named Fluffy." said Malcolm.
Trip coughed softly. "And Porthos." he added.
"Oh, yes." said Malcolm. "We can't forget the dog. Do continue and tell me why we are searching for the Captain's pet in the middle of the night." Malcolm huffed.
"Well, about the same time that Fluffy got out Archer was walking Porthos. And you know that the Cap lets Porthos off his leash all the time." Trip paused and sighed when Malcolm didn't make a comment. "It's a classic story, Mal. Dog sees squirrel, squirrel sees dog, and we have two lost animals on the ship." They came to another intersection and Malcolm turned to look at him. Trip blinked at the deadpan look in his eyes. "He's a hunting dog, Malcolm!" argued Trip. Malcolm simply stared at him until Trip dropped his gaze and scanned again. "Well, he is." he muttered. Trip scanned as Malcolm remained silent. After a moment, Trip paused. "Porthos!" he cried in a sing song voice. A happy bark answered and Trip crawled down the right tunnel. As he came to the end and looked down the next tunnel he saw the beagle. "Hi ya Porthos!" he called. The dog ran down the tunnel, nails clicking on the floor, and jumped into Trip's arms. The dog licked at the engineer's face.
Malcolm crawled up next to him and pulled the leash from his uniform. Trip clipped the leash onto Porthos' collar as Malcolm pulled out his communicator. "Lieutenant Reed to Captain Archer." he said into the device.
After a moment a response came back. "Archer here."
"We found Porthos." Malcolm informed him. The dog's bark filled the air and Trip winced as it echoed.
"Good work you two. Bring him to deck 6." said Archer, sounding happy.
"Aye, sir." answered Malcolm, closing the device. They crawled forward, Malcolm now following Trip and Porthos. "Only on this ship could I be awakened at 0100 hours to organize a search for a missing dog." Malcolm muttered.
"Look on the bright side, Mal. At least we found him." said Trip. He crawled out of the tunnel and picked Porthos up to begin climbing the ladder. He placed the dog carefully in the crock of his arm and began to climb, hearing Malcolm do the same behind him. When no smart comment came he asked, "Malcolm?" Silence met his question and Trip stopped. Looking over his shoulder he gazed down at the man under him on the ladder. Malcolm was staring up at him with an unfocused look in his eyes. Realizing what Malcolm was staring at he exclaimed, "Get your mind out of the gutter, Malcolm."
Malcolm blinked and his gaze moved upward to look at his face. "I'll have you know that there are no gutters on his ship, Commander." he said with a straight face.
Trip huffed and began to climb again. "Honestly." he muttered. He squeaked as he felt a hand settle on the back of his thigh. He jerked his head down and glared at Malcolm, sorry that he didn't have an extra hand to smack him with. He shook his leg while he hissed down at the other man, "Will you keep your hands to yourself!"
Malcolm grinned and lowered his hand. "That's not what you were saying before the Captain called." he said. Trip blushed at his remark.
"Get a room." Trip and Malcolm jerked to the side. Liz grinned at them from the access hatch next to them, a glass cage in her hands and a funny yellow squirrel inside it.
Porthos whined as Trip almost let go of the ladder in surprise. "That's just what we're going to do, Ensign." said Malcolm calmly. Liz Cutler continued to grin insanely at them as Malcolm tapped at Trip's ankle. "Keep going, Commander." Trip unlocked his body and started to climb again. As Liz disappeared, Malcolm started to hum as they continued up the ladder.
"Malcolm, I'm going to kill you." hissed Trip.
Malcolm stopped humming. "Now, now Trip. That sounds like something that should be done in the privacy of our room." Trip's face turned beat red as they reached the end of the ladder and he climbed into the access hatch there. He turned around and glared at Malcolm as he followed. Malcolm chuckled and crawled past him.
"That will be all over the ship by lunch tomorrow, Malcolm! Liz will tell everyone!" hissed Trip as he followed behind.
"What's there to tell?" asked Malcolm. He turned down a tunnel and glanced at Trip's irate face. "The only thing that happened was two people in love flirting with each other."
Trip sighed and turned his face toward Porthos. "I think I've created a monster, Porthos." he said to the dog. Porthos cocked his head at the chief engineer.
"You haven't seen anything yet." said Malcolm. Trip's face turned red again and Malcolm laughed. "You're so cute when you blush." Malcolm told him.
Trip's face got redder and he hissed at him, "Malcolm!"
Malcolm continued to chuckle as he pushed the hatch open in front of him and was almost choked to death by a string of garland across the opening. He jerked his head back and pushed it out of his way with a sigh. He stood from the hatch and held the garland up while Trip crawled out after him. "I see the decorating committee has been here." said Malcolm. They looked up and down the corridor and saw that green garland was strung along each wall. Paper snowflakes were hung from the ceilings and a paper Santa was taped to the wall near the hatch.
"They're getting a little too enthusiastic, aren't they." said Trip. He put Porthos onto the floor and the dog shook himself. They moved off down the hallway.
"This morning they put fake frost on the windows of the Mess Hall." said Malcolm.
Trip chuckled. "I can only imagine what Chef's reaction was." he said. He squeaked in surprise as Malcolm moved quickly and was suddenly kissing him, bending him over his arm slightly. Trip would have dropped Porthos' leash if it hadn't been trapped between their hands. Trip blinked as Malcolm's laughing blue eyes and the ceiling above his head filled his vision. Malcolm licked Trip's lips gently and Trip opened his mouth for his tongue to enter. Trip wrapped his other hand around Malcolm's neck and met his tongue with a soft moan, his eyes drifting shut. After a moment, the searing kiss ended and Malcolm pulled him up right. Malcolm tugged idly at his uniform tunic, looking unruffled while Trip stood next to him in a daze. "What was that for?" Trip asked. Malcolm merely pointed upward and Trip's gaze moved to the ceiling. He slapped Malcolm's shoulder in exasperation. "Mal! That's holly, not mistletoe!" he exclaimed.
Malcolm glanced up at the red berry plant sprig and a fake surprised look spread across his face. "Well, what do you know! It is holly." He began to walk away leisurely. "My mistake." Trip's mouth dropped open. Malcolm stopped at the intersection and looked back at him with a cocked eyebrow. "Coming?" he asked before disappearing down the adjacent corridor.
Trip stomped his foot. "You devil!" he yelled. With a huff, Trip took off after him. He smacked away some snowflakes that were a little too low and turned the corner. Trip's surprised yelp was muffled again by lips on his. He slid easily into the kiss this time, automatically opening his mouth under the onslaught. He wrapped his arms around Malcolm's neck and kissed back.
Malcolm bit lightly at Trip's bottom lip as he pulled his head back but left his arms around Trip's waist. "Devil am I now?" he asked playfully.
Trip nodded. "Yes, devil. I can see the horns and pointy tail from here." answered Trip, smiling.
Malcolm leaned in and brushed his lips against Trip's, moving along his jaw to whisper into his ear. "If I am a devil, then you must be an angel." He lifted a hand and ran one fingertip down Trip's cheek. "Yes, I can see the wings perfectly."
"If you two are done, I'd like my dog back." Both Trip and Malcolm froze.
Trip moved his eyes over Malcolm's shoulder and saw the grinning face of Captain Archer behind them, Porthos in his arms. He dropped the leash and moved back, Malcolm releasing him. "Hi Johnny." greeted Trip with a lopsided smile.
Malcolm turned around slowly, straightening his back and fighting off a blush. "Hello, Captain." he said in a level voice.
"Having a little holiday yourselves, I see." said Archer. He patted Porthos on his head and hugged him. He smiled at the two men before him. "Relax Malcolm, before you hurt yourself." he said to the rim rod straight man.
Malcolm moved into the parade rest position, hands clasped behind his back. Trip rolled his eyes and linked his arm through Malcolm's elbow. "It's all right, Mal. It's the middle of the night and we're off duty." he said lightly, tugging him past the Captain. "See you in the morning, Johnny." said Trip with a wave.
Archer waved back at them, a grin on his face. "Good night Trip, Malcolm." he replied. He watched the pair disappear around the corner and chuckled. Porthos licked his face and he turned a stern gaze toward the dog. "You and I are going to have a long talk, pup."
Trip laughed as he continued to pull Malcolm down the hall. "I can't believe that just happened." muttered Malcolm.
"Oh, give it up Mal. Johnny has been nothing but supportive since you and I got together. There is nothing to worry about." said Trip. He pushed the call button for the turbolift and waited.
"I know, but…" stammered Malcolm.
The doors slid open and Trip pulled Malcolm inside. "Deck 4." he said to the computer, asking for the deck that their quarters were on. "It's the middle of the night, Malcolm, and we're off duty. There is no problem and Johnny doesn't care." said Trip.
"That's not what I mean." huffed Malcolm.
Trip looked at him for a moment and frowned, dropping his hold and stepping away. "Then what do you mean?" he asked, a peculiar tone in his voice.
Malcolm's eyes widened and he quickly put his arm around Trip's waist to draw him near, raising one hand to stroke his cheek and shaking his head. "No, no Trip. Don't think like that." Malcolm kissed his forehead. "I love you and I don't care who knows that." he reassured him. Trip looked into Malcolm's eyes as he stroked his cheek. After a moment, Trip curled his fingers into Malcolm's tunic over his stomach. Malcolm sighed, knowing that he had waylaid Trip's fears.
"What is it then?" asked Trip, leaning into the continuing tough of Malcolm's fingers.
"I'm not comfortable with showing affection in front of Captain Archer." answered Malcolm.
Trip frowned as the turbolift doors opened. He stayed his response as Malcolm pulled him out and down the hall. They quickly entered their quarters and moved over to a small couch inside. "But, Johnny doesn't care about that." Trip finally said. "He was very supportive of us and is happy that we're together."
Malcolm nodded. "I know and I'm very grateful for that support. But he is still my…our superior officer." Trip frowned but Malcolm continued before he could speak. "I know you've been friends with Archer for many years now but I'm still having trouble separating Archer the Friend from Archer the Captain."
Understanding lit Trip's eyes. "I see." he said. "I guess that would be hard for you to do." Malcolm sighed and kissed Trip's nose, causing the other man to wink it in response. "I wish you wouldn't do that." Trip said.
"Why?" asked Malcolm, doing it again and watching Trip's reaction happily.
"Because it tickles!" exclaimed Trip.
"And you wink your nose." added Malcolm. He swooped in and did it again. "See. You're so cute when you do that."
"I'm cute when I blush and I'm cute when I wink my nose." said Trip with a roll of his eyes.
"Yes, my cute little angel." said Malcolm. He pulled Trip in his embrace and stroked his hair.
"Oh, not that again." sighed Trip, as he settled against him. "Does this mean I can call you my little devil?" he asked.
Malcolm chuckled. "If you wish." he replied. He stopped chuckling as he saw Trip try to hide a yawn. "Bed time." he chimed. He pushed Trip to his feet before the other man could protest. "There are no more animals to search for and it's time for all good little angels to be in bed." said Malcolm, pushing Trip lightly toward the bed.
Trip turned and reached for the zipper on Malcolm's uniform with a grin. "Who said I was a good angel?" he asked.
Malcolm slapped his hands away. "Behave." he said. Trip pouted. Malcolm chuckled and pushed him gently toward the bathroom. "Get undressed and wash your hands." he ordered.
Trip huffed. "Who made you my caregiver?" he asked in the doorway of the bathroom.
"I did, when I figured out I loved you." answered Malcolm. Trip's face softened and he disappeared into the bathroom. A few minutes later they changed places as Malcolm took his turn in the bathroom. He found Trip sitting up on the bed waiting for him when he got out. Malcolm climbed into bed and Trip lay down next to him, rolling to fit himself against Malcolm's side and placing his head on Malcolm's shoulder. Malcolm sighed and kissed the top of Trip's head. "I love you." he muttered. Malcolm felt Trip's eyelashes on his skin as Trip closed his eyes.
After a moment, he turned his head and kissed Malcolm's shoulder. "I love you too." he replied softly.
Malcolm used his free hand to stroke back Trip's hair. "Sleep, angel, sleep." he muttered. He felt Trip relax against him and relaxed himself. The pair drifted off to sleep.