"Listen, Trip. I need to apologise. I should have known you wouldn't insult me. I guess I'm finding it a bit hard to adjust to this thing between us." He let the sentence hang there and merely looked into these lovely blue eyes.

Trip just beamed at him, though. "It's already forgotten," he winked. "So, I noticed you finished your report. I'd be surprised if you even heard one bit of that movie."

"I had already seen it. I mostly came here to ask you about those missing memories, anyway."

"So you sat through this whole movie just to talk to me?" There was that banter again. Malcolm swallowed his pride this time and smiled. "You've found me out."

Trip chuckled and moved a little closer. "Did you know that movie theatres used to be quite popular as make-out spots?"

There was something in the commander's voice that made Malcolm certain he knew what make-out spots were. "I think they still are ...," he purred as he closed the distance between them, whole body tingling in anticipation.

Trip's grin made his heart flutter again, and suddenly he didn't care in the least that they were in arguably the most public room on the whole ship. All he wanted was to feel those lips on his again, sink into that kiss and that embrace, and just forget the world.

Nope, he thought, definitely not a fluke. This was as real an attraction as he'd ever felt, and the fact that Trip was a bloke just continued to get less important.

Malcolm sighed as their lips met and Trip's arms slid around him, pulling him flush against that hard chest. He let his tongue dart out to touch the other man's lips, which opened eagerly. As their kiss grew deeper and soft moans escaped from both of them, Trip let his hands wander. One travelled up to cup the back of his head, the other opened the zipper of Malcolm's uniform far enough to comfortably slip inside. The hand didn't head straight down, though, but worked its way underneath his shirt and happily roamed the planes of his stomach and back, making Malcolm shiver and sigh against Trip. He was now beyond caring what the consequences might be if anyone happened to walk into the mess hall in search of a midnight snack, and swiftly got his own hand into his shipmate's briefs to touch his manhood. It was all too clear that Trip hadn't had any release after their session that afternoon. His member was already rock hard and leaking when Malcolm closed his fingers around it and started moving them slowly. Trip's response was delicious. He gasped and let his head fall back, exposing his throat, which Malcolm immediately attacked with lips and tongue. It wasn't long before he had his commander groaning with passion and muttering sweet little phrases into his ear. Malcolm had seldom felt so desired in his life and he revelled in it, even staying his hand a few times to see what would happen. If he could make the other man beg for his touch. He found that not only could he get him to beg, but that it turned him on to have that kind of control.

Encouraged by that experience, Malcolm checked to see if they were still alone, and went down onto his knees, then slowly undid the front of Trip's uniform all the way. The other man gasped at that and gripped Malcolm's shoulders, then gave a guttural moan when he felt Malcolm free his cock from its cotton confines. Malcolm had never really looked at a cock up close, but found it much less intimidating now that it was on eye level with him. Moistening his lips, he just went for it, his own hard member screaming its neglect the whole time. The sharp intake of breath from above told him he was doing it right. Malcolm had received enough blowjobs to have a decent idea of what would do the trick, so he tried some of the flicks and nibbles that had driven him wild in the past and was rewarded with a whispered "Oh God, yes!" while Trip's hands were buried in his raven hair and his shoulder, urging him to go faster. He felt the other man's breathing become more erratic, his moans almost a coherent string of soft sounds that made Malcolm harden even more. The salty taste of precum was heavy on his tongue. Some part of his mind was just wondering if he was prepared to swallow, but Trip made that decision for him. Pulling out at the last second, he sank down on the floor next to Malcolm, spent and sated. Within a few moments, he was already laughing. He took Malcolm's hand and regarded him from half-lidded eyes. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I've never known you to be so naughty."

This time, Malcolm didn't mind the jibe, maybe due to the fact that his arousal was still pounding in his pants. "And I've never known you to beg for anything, least of all my touch on your prick," he shot back, cracking a smile. "Well, come on now, we wouldn't want Chef to stumble across you in this state of undress."

Still laughing, they got up, fixed their clothing and sat down at one of the tables. Malcolm found that he had the need to put something out there, and that took precedence even over his throbbing member. "Can I just say that today was really difficult for me?"

Trip looked at him with curiosity. He knew that Malcolm wasn't one to talk about his feelings. "How do you mean?"

"I mean that this thing between us has affected my ability to focus on my work. All day, I've basically been a teenage boy, too driven by his hormones to think straight. I have to admit that I'm worried about what will happen once we go back to working together on the bridge. I can't afford to be distracted. The whole ship would be jeopardised by a love-struck tactical officer ..."

The commander's features were inscrutable as Malcolm tried to read them. Then Trip sat up in his chair and suddenly he was very much the commander speaking to his subordinate. "Then you will simply have to leave your feelings outside the workplace. If you can't handle thinking of me as your lover at work, then don't. We can treat each other the same as before. Just don't picture me naked," he added with a wink.

Malcolm was actually amazed at how simple that sounded. "I guess that would work," he allowed. "Well, I think I should get going now. It's late."

"Agreed. Want me to walk you to your quarters?" Trip said it like a joke but Malcolm could tell that it wasn't meant to be one.

They ambled along the nightly corridors in silence. Malcolm couldn't keep a slightly goofy smile from spreading on his face when Trip took his hand again as they walked. He was already quite tired and it felt good to just be silent together. They reached Malcolm's quarters almost too soon and said goodnight.

The lingering kiss that followed was tender and sweet, and Malcolm was still smiling to himself when he got into bed a little later.

The next day was going to be a challenge, but one he was convinced he'd meet.