Title: Mirror, Mirror
Author: ZenosParadox
Category: Friendship
Rating: PG
Summary: RS friendship. How does Hoshi find rest in times of trouble?
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Paramount. This fiction was written solely for personal enjoyment.
MIRROR, MIRROR
Lieutenant Malcolm Reed turned off the shower. He rubbed the towel through his short hair briskly, giving thanks for still being alive. The Enterprise was four weeks into the Delphic Expanse, but the horrors that awaited them had not materialized. But, was this a blessing? He couldn't be sure.
Malcolm shrugged his shoulders as he walked. The tension wouldn't leave his body. He looked into the mirror above the sink and jerked back in surprise.
Posture: rigid.
Eyes: cold.
Face: frowning.
Mouth: grim line.
Hair: at least he had his.
Malcolm released a sigh. He had seen his father's eyes staring back at him. This was not the man he wanted to become.
Malcolm shook his head and pulled on his boxers. He reached for a t-shirt, but found his supply exhausted. He really needed to ask Hoshi to return the one she had borrowed from him, but he had always been reluctant to bring it up with her. It was a connection between them. Granted it was a feeble one, but one he was hesitant to dissolve.
Malcolm got into his bunk knowing sleep would elude him for a while. He thought about the blue t-shirt and wondered if Hoshi had ever worn it again.
-----
Ensign Hoshi Sato inspected the image in the mirror.
Posture: rigid.
Eyes: cold.
Face: frowning.
Mouth: grim line.
Hair: who gave a damn!
Well, Hoshi was not going to let this woman stay. She stripped out of her uniform and stalked into the shower. The warm water felt good.
Hoshi stepped out, brushed her hair and looked at the woman in the mirror.
Posture: tense.
Eyes: burning.
Face: tired.
Mouth: yawning.
Hair: still didn't give a damn!
This is not what she wanted to become, she thought.
Hoshi turned to the drawer where she kept her special talisman. They never spoke about it, somehow realizing they needed this silent connection.
Hoshi pulled the blue t-shirt onto her body. The cotton fabric fell onto her skin in a soft caress. She closed her eyes and hugged herself as she felt the warmth begin to seep in. She looked at the woman in the mirror one last time.
Posture: relaxed.
Eyes: warm.
Face: bright.
Mouth: smiling.
Hair: looked beautiful against the blue.
Hoshi got into bed and fell asleep almost immediately. The talisman had performed its magic yet again.
-----
Malcolm finally quit tossing and turning in his bunk. His sleepy mind had generated the one image that allowed him to put the responsibilities of the day at bay: Hoshi Sato covered by his blue t-shirt, sleeping at peace.
*****
Author Notes:
I kept coming back to this little scene I posted as a teaser in the R/S forum at LD, so I expanded a bit. 2 pages, written Aug 21, 2003, and posted on LD.
Thanks for taking the time to read the story. No reviews are necessary.
Author: ZenosParadox
Category: Friendship
Rating: PG
Summary: RS friendship. How does Hoshi find rest in times of trouble?
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Paramount. This fiction was written solely for personal enjoyment.
MIRROR, MIRROR
Lieutenant Malcolm Reed turned off the shower. He rubbed the towel through his short hair briskly, giving thanks for still being alive. The Enterprise was four weeks into the Delphic Expanse, but the horrors that awaited them had not materialized. But, was this a blessing? He couldn't be sure.
Malcolm shrugged his shoulders as he walked. The tension wouldn't leave his body. He looked into the mirror above the sink and jerked back in surprise.
Posture: rigid.
Eyes: cold.
Face: frowning.
Mouth: grim line.
Hair: at least he had his.
Malcolm released a sigh. He had seen his father's eyes staring back at him. This was not the man he wanted to become.
Malcolm shook his head and pulled on his boxers. He reached for a t-shirt, but found his supply exhausted. He really needed to ask Hoshi to return the one she had borrowed from him, but he had always been reluctant to bring it up with her. It was a connection between them. Granted it was a feeble one, but one he was hesitant to dissolve.
Malcolm got into his bunk knowing sleep would elude him for a while. He thought about the blue t-shirt and wondered if Hoshi had ever worn it again.
-----
Ensign Hoshi Sato inspected the image in the mirror.
Posture: rigid.
Eyes: cold.
Face: frowning.
Mouth: grim line.
Hair: who gave a damn!
Well, Hoshi was not going to let this woman stay. She stripped out of her uniform and stalked into the shower. The warm water felt good.
Hoshi stepped out, brushed her hair and looked at the woman in the mirror.
Posture: tense.
Eyes: burning.
Face: tired.
Mouth: yawning.
Hair: still didn't give a damn!
This is not what she wanted to become, she thought.
Hoshi turned to the drawer where she kept her special talisman. They never spoke about it, somehow realizing they needed this silent connection.
Hoshi pulled the blue t-shirt onto her body. The cotton fabric fell onto her skin in a soft caress. She closed her eyes and hugged herself as she felt the warmth begin to seep in. She looked at the woman in the mirror one last time.
Posture: relaxed.
Eyes: warm.
Face: bright.
Mouth: smiling.
Hair: looked beautiful against the blue.
Hoshi got into bed and fell asleep almost immediately. The talisman had performed its magic yet again.
-----
Malcolm finally quit tossing and turning in his bunk. His sleepy mind had generated the one image that allowed him to put the responsibilities of the day at bay: Hoshi Sato covered by his blue t-shirt, sleeping at peace.
*****
Author Notes:
I kept coming back to this little scene I posted as a teaser in the R/S forum at LD, so I expanded a bit. 2 pages, written Aug 21, 2003, and posted on LD.
Thanks for taking the time to read the story. No reviews are necessary.