After Airiam's funeral everyone grieves in their own way, Michael decides to take a chance with Chris.
Michael couldn't sleep, her mind kept drifting to the snoring Rhys occupying Tilly's bed. She hated this arrangement, especially because it meant that Tilly would be compromising her happiness for her and she hated feeling dependent on people. She decided that she was not going to slip back into her dark thoughts and instead silently put on her workout gear intending on going for a run.
As soon as the doors to her quarters closed she began to run. Michael like running, she sometimes like if she just ran fast enough then none of her problems could reach her, she paused for unable to continue when she realised that she was close to the Captain's quarters. It was like her body was detached from her brain as she slowly walked towards his quarters, she hesitated over the call button but then the doors opened.
Chris had obviously been ready to go to sleep because at that moment all he had on was his sweatpants. No shirt. No sweater. Just sweatpants. Chris was basically half-naked when he let her into his quarters but he had the nerve to be the one surprised.
"What's going on Michael?"
"I didn't know you were getting ready for bed, I just wanted to see you."
Chris' eyes softened at her words and walked towards her, she backed up. "I thought-"
"I didn't come for that, I just wanted to see you and now I have." summing up all the strength she could, she made her way to the door.
"Wait. Please wait." Chris stopped in front of her. "I also wanted to check in with you. I wanted to know how you were feeling with everything." He gestured to the couch
"It's been hard, we've has been through so much, so much betrayal. Both conscious and unconscious, it seems almost unfair that we had to lose another member of the crew the same way." She said as she sat down on the couch
Chris sat next to her and reached for her hand "I know what it's like to feel betrayed. I know what it's like to think one thing of a person and for them to be completely different. I'm just glad that you are utilising me for more than just Captain duties." he stretched his arm out on the back of the couch, his left side open for her to nuzzle in and she took the opportunity to do so.
He shifted uncomfortably "What is it?" she asked.
"It's just you are all sweaty," Chris said with a bit of smirk and Michael got up but instead of being mortified she took off her top, her trainers and her pants and stood in her underwear in front of him on the couch.
"I guess I have to take a shower, want to show me where that is?" she asked teasingly.
He pretended to think about it and then picked her up and put her over his shoulder. She was so caught off guard that she laughed so uncontained.
Chris put her down and then turned the water on, once it was hot enough she got in, she actually started to use his soap all over body and when she began to rinse herself off, she turned around and found Chris just staring at her, she smiled and eyed her way down his frame and how the sweatpants could not hide the erection he had.
Michael couldn't help herself she wondered how big he was. She had only been with three men in her life and two of them were clearly not eligible for redos and the last one was a human man who she had been attracted to when he visited Vulcan. The sex was adequate, but since it had only been a year, Michael could not help compare him to Spock and sadly Spock's Vulcan efficiency made him a tough act to follow. Ash was adequate too but what drove their lovemaking over the edge was that it was just that, lovemaking not mating.
Chris caught Michael's eyes as she stared at his erection and he went to take off his pants but before he looked her in the eye and asked her "Is this what you want?"
"Oh dear god yes." With one quick move Chris was in the shower with her, he picked her up and in one swift movement lowered her onto his length. First, she cried in both pain and pleasure, then he slowly began to thrust into her, she was now moaning in pure pleasure, by the time they were done, the water was beginning to get cold so they got out the shower.
Chris took one of the towels off the rack and wrapped it around her before reaching for one for himself. Michael thought about how he had thought of her first before taking care of himself and she wondered, who would betray someone like him. Then again she never thought that she would be betrayed but also she never thought she could love someone enough for them to betray her.
Michael kissed Chris so deeply and for so long when they separated, they were heating up and out of breath. He gave her one of his t-shirts to wear and he put on another pair of sweatpants and they got into his bed and cuddled up Chris then kissed her hair and then said: "I could be like this, with you, forever." "Me too." they both drifted off soon after that. It was late after all.
It was the first time Michael had seen these men together in a room and bypassing all of the awkwardness that both her and Tilly felt, she tried to stay on the topic at hand: the discovery that her mother was the Red Angel.
"She clearly stated that she wanted to speak to Captain Pike, if she is from the future then clearly she knows that she can communicate better with the Captain," Spock said.
"Yes but she is in a prison we built, she doesn't get to dictate the rules. Besides if we send a more experienced interrogator than maybe we could get more out of her." Ash said.
"The same way Section 31 was going to interrogate me, Lt Tyler? You are not to be trusted on this matter." Spock said.
"I think both Commander Burnham and I should speak to her. If Lt Stamets calculations are correct then the cell won't hold for long." Chris said.
"Excuse me Captain but I don't think you are thinking about what sending Burnham down there is going to do. What if she refuses to speak to Burnham? How do you think that would make her feel?" Ash said.
Michael honestly hadn't thought about that. What if the reason her mother was able to stay on the mission was that she never actually interacted with her? It never occurred to Michael that her mother may have found it easier to save her daughter from a distance, or maybe she was saving her daughter from having her mother ripped from her repeatedly over the years. It was driving Michael mad but also making her sad at the same time.
Chris' eyes connected with hers and then he said "Maybe we should ask Burnham herself." they all turned to look at her. She felt caught off guard by the looks on their faces and each of them probably hoped she would side with them bu
Luckily Admiral Cornwell interrupted and said "That is enough. Captain Pike will interrogate Dr Burnham and if we get all the information we need than afterwards Commander Burnham may be permitted to visit her mother. Is that clear?" Everyone in the room agreed, whenever Admiral Cornwell spoke, like that, it was difficult for anyone to stand against her.
Michael was on her way back to her quarters to watch her mother's video logs when Tilly caught up with her.
"That was weird huh? All of them just standing there talking about you and stuff?"
"Yes and no. They each had valid points but I understand that my being there during the interrogation might be distracting."
"Spoken like a true Vulcan. Yes, I know you are not Vulcan but that answer was so logical, it's ridiculous."
Later when both Tilly and Michael sat down for dinner, Michael was feeling better because she was going to get to talk to her mother. Detmer and Owo sat down at their table after a while. "So a little birdy told me that you have been sneaking out of your quarters at night."
"Who told you that?" both Tilly and Michael asked quickly.
"I was talking to Owo but thanks for making me feel like the only one in the group who is not getting any grief sex."
"Well, I got to go," Michael said standing up. "Me too," Tilly said.
"Okay, so where have you been sneaking off to?" Tilly asked Michael. "I could ask you the same question, Tilly."
"Okay well, I have been sort of sneaking out of my new quarters into my old quarters to have 'grief sex' with Lt Rhys."
"Oh okay, I guess I understand not being able to have sex around my brother." Michael then stopped and looked at Tilly "Wait, you didn't know I wasn't in the room though." Tilly looked away guiltily.
"Oh my gosh, Tilly I can't believe that you would actually be having sex when I could be sleeping merely 5 feet away."
"I know I am sorry." Tilly said putting her hands to cover her face but then she peaked up from under them "Wait, but you weren't in the room. So where were you?"