Their quarters, when Will's finally able to get away from his duties, are filled with some kind of violin music. It's fast, loud, and probably something from Bach or such like. It's not as if it's horrible or anything, it's just…okay, that's a lie. Will hates it.
Jean-Luc might adore the violin, but all Will hears is screeching, and a headache just asking to be built. He sighs. This isn't what he needed after the stress of today.
Not a great start to his first official command. Within the first week, he's made to follow orders that has half the crew ready to mutiny.
So, really, all Will wants is some peace and quiet right now. That way, he can work through the reports on his desk. As an added bonus, if he gets them out of the way, he can spend more time with Jean-Luc at Deep Space 9.
Is that too much to ask?
This violin music is already hurting his head.
He longs for the smooth tunes of Armstrong or Oscar Peterson.
But then, Will glances over and sees Jean-Luc lying on his stomach on the couch. He's reading a pad, his legs swaying back and forth in time with the violins' ups and downs.
A smile crawls up Will's lips. This is the most relaxed he's seen Jean-Luc. He's glad the boy feels safe enough to play his own music out in the open like this. And if that means that Will must get used to having different tastes in music than his roommate/ward? It's worth a few headaches, especially if it shows Jean-Luc he's more than just a temporary guest.
The thought makes Will pause. A lot of the time, Will plays his jazz. Either himself or by recording. It helps him destress. But he's never thought to ask if Jean-Luc has a problem with it. Does the former captain hate jazz as much as Will does most classical music? If so, why did he just not say so? Was he trying to ingratiate himself to his host? Keep things relatively the same for Will, while not accommodating for himself? It sounds like something Jean-Luc would do.
"Hey, kiddo," he says, stepping fully into the room, the door sliding closed behind him.
Jean-Luc whirls around, sitting up with a large grin. "Will!"
Will grins in return. He'll never get tired of these enthusiastic welcomes. It's nice, after so many years of living alone, to have someone who really appreciates it when he's off-shift. Someone who looks forward to seeing him again. Oh, yes, he's had women at almost every port, but it's not the same. Not even close.
Jean-Luc's seen him at some of his worst moments… of course, that was when he was an adult, but semantics… anyhow, Jean-Luc knows and still gets excited whenever Will finds time for him. Will never thought of being a father, but if this is one of the perks, well, he's definitely reconsidering that marriage idea.
"Computer, stop music," Jean-Luc says, tossing his pad to the side. Blissful silence reigns.
"How was your day?" Will asks.
"Good." Jean-Luc strides over.
Jean-Luc heads towards his small bedroom. Back when they first made this arrangement, Deanna decided it would be best if Will moved into Jean-Luc's captain quarters, and not the other way around.
( Flashback )
"Are you sure about this, Deanna?" Will leans against the viewport in his room. "Won't this make Picard feel as if I'm encroaching on his territory, so to speak."
"The only other alternative is for him to move into your quarters." Deanna steps to his side. "And that brings other problems with it. The crew will see you as still looking to Picard for aide, and Jean-Luc will have yet another constant in his life taken away."
Will sighs. "There's just no winning in this, is there?"
"Not much, I'm afraid." She places a gentle hand on his arm. "Will, I know this is hard for you, but it's the right thing. It'll give Jean-Luc guidelines to follow, and you some confidence in your new post."
"Temporary post," he corrects.
"You see?" she says. "You're still living in his shadow. You can't do that, if you're to captain this ship properly. If you asked Jean-Luc, he'd tell you the same thing."
"Fine, fine, so I take over his rooms," Will snaps.
"Will."
"Sorry…" will runs a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Deanna, this is just so…I don't like it. I feel like a thief, taking over his command like this."
"Do you think Jean-Luc feels this way?" she asks.
"…no…maybe?" Will groans. "Half the time, I don't even know what the boy's thinking. He's so quiet and shy."
"He's scared, Will."
Will blinks at her.
"He's just had all the control he's built over the years ripped away from him," she explains slowly.
"So, you think the best idea is to take more of that control away? Make it so he has to see me every day?" Will splutters. "Deanna, he's not going to want me to live with him. It'll only make him more nervous, and upset."
"Maybe, at first, but it'll also give him someone to lean on." Deanna squeezes his arm gently. "Will, you've accepted guardianship over Jean-Luc. You can't very well do that from seperate Quarters."
( End Flashback )
It took some getting used to, but Will sees what Deanna was saying.
Being together like this, in a quasi-father/son relationship, has helped Will and Jean-Luc immensely. They've become more open with each other. Oh, they still have a long way to go, Will's not kidding himself. But at least things on the parenting side are going well.
Later that Night.
Jean-Luc tamps down on the irrational impulse to stomp his foot. This isn't fair! But, instead of listening to that foolish voice, he squares his shoulders. "I really don't see the necessity for this, Number One."
"Jean-Luc," Riker sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Do we have to go through this, every time. Please don't fight me on this, again."
"I'm not fighting you. I merely want a reasonable explanation." There, that sounds less juvenile, and more like himself. Jean-Luc stifles a smile, which he loses in a flash when he sees the hard look come into Riker's eyes.
"I'm not letting you confine yourself to your bedroom for the next two hours," Riker says, his tone brooking no argument.
So, of course, Jean-Luc does just that. "And Why Not!? It's perfectly reasonable, if i don't feel up to socializing."
"It's not healthy, segregating yourself like that," Riker tries.
Jean-Luc eyes burn all a sudden. "You didn't have a problem with it, when I was an adult."
Riker grimaces. "Yes, but –"
"You don't have to treat me as if I really am a child, Number One." Jean-Luc swallows down the lump growing in his throat. "I'm still the same as I was before, just… smaller."
Riker kneels down on one knee, and places a hand on the boy's shoulder. Seeing the kid is particularly struggling, today. "I know you're the same person, Jean-Luc. But even as an adult, you interacted with these people in your leisure time. Now, though, you're avoiding them."
Jean-Luc jerks his shoulder out of Riker's gentle grip, and moves away. He'll not be manipulated into agreeing to join, not when so much has been changed. So, what if he's been avoiding his former command crew? That's his choice – his very rational, grownup choice – not Riker's. Jean-Luc doesn't have to see Geordi, or Worf, or any of them anymore than he has to. It's not right of Riker to expect this of him.
"You can't just force me to see them," he rasps out, tear clogging his throat and blurring his eyes. He whirls around to his small room, and makes a break for it. "It's not fair!"
Jean-Luc will never, or has ever, begrudged Riker these little moments of laxity. God only knows that, even Jean-Luc enjoys some off time, especially back when he was an adult.
But, see, that's where Riker and Jean-Luc differ. Riker is a sociable man. He's always been that way. Jean-Luc's never had to look far to find him in a crowd. He just scans the room or crowd for the biggest congregation of people, or women, and there Riker is. It is (was) the perfect foil for Jean-Luc stricter way of life.
Jean-Luc, in contrast, likes his solitude. He always has, even back when he was a teenager the first time. Interacting with people for the sake of fun never held his interest. He'd important things to accomplish; Starfleet Academy to pass, his family to ignore, and later a ship to captain. He didn't have time for making close friends. That isn't to say he didn't enjoy a leisurely drink with Guinan or an intriguing talk with Will every so often. Jean-Luc just…he only…Okay, so, Jean-Luc can say, now, that he wasn't quite right to sequester himself so much.
Jean-Luc missed out in a great many advantages that came with close association. He distinctly doesn't listen to that little voice that says he enjoys not being lonely anymore.
Regardless of the reason, Jean-Luc keeps this to himself, as people file in for game night. Will all but drags him to the table, and threatens to, "Skin his hide in front of everyone, if you don't stop this tantrum immediately." Saying this before Data, whom immediately begins asking questions about disciplining youth. Which Riker just says he'll explain later, "unless Jean-Luc wants to give a demonstration."
It's awful when Data ask Jean-Luc, "Please continue misbehaving, so I may observe. Geordi and I are talking about adopting. So I require input."
While Riker congrats Data. Jean Luc decides to be on his best behavior. Really not liking the idea of Riker spanking him, as he explains each step in detail to Data. Meaning the former captain has to, "suck it up" and play the childish games... and embarrassingly gets rather into the board game.
"Do I want to go to the Klingon Empire for my third action?" Jean-Luc asks, staring at the holo-mat. Multiple green and blue cards are stacked on it. Several diseases run rampant across the galaxy. "I can wait there."
"It is closer to a research station," Geordi says, hand on his chin. The dark-skinned man grins, picks up a carrot chip from the bowl on the table. He crunches down on it. "Why not?"
Jean-Luc sneaks a look at Riker and Guinan. Both nod in agreement. Jean-Luc confirmed the order, and his purple holographic pawn, glides over to the Klingon Empire. landing dramatically, as if a shuttle-craft. He regrets his choice to keep it as the default pawn... instead of choosing a starship Avatar like the others had... no one chose the galaxy class, in case Jean-Luc wanted it... so, just to be spiteful, he made a point of not choosing anything and going with the default.
Riker got hold of a number of Holographic board games. Which were miniature holodecks, that folded up, and could only hold one program, but you could obtain dozens of "skins"/"themes".
Which the newly promoted Captain, got with the intention of playing games with Jean-Luc... although the boy rarely joins them voluntarily. However he usually does end up playing, under heavy protest.
Jean-Luc... doesn't want to admit this is his favorite of the board games, but has a sneaky suspicion Will realizes that. "I'll just stay here for now."
"I hear it's beautiful this time of year," Guinan says, smiling. "Quite balmy and warm."
"I know," Riker adds in. "It's freezing over here on the Breen home world."
Jean-Luc fights against the smile that wants to grow in his lips. He's glad Riker suggested this game for tonight. Yes, it's a child's game, but it also invokes comradery and strategic ideas. Everyone must work together to save the galaxy form extinction.
"Okay, here we go," Geordi says, leaning forward. "Let's see what your next card is."
"Perhaps it'll be yellow?" Jean-Luc says, hopefully, as he takes a blue card with an orange and white cross on the back.
He flips it.
The sickly green color of an epidemic card flares up at them all.
"Nooo!" Riker and Guinan groan, Riker much more exaggeratedly than Guinan.
"What part of 'be yellow', did you not understand?" Riker asks the card, picking it up and glaring at it with a laugh.
"The stakes in this game keep getting higher and higher," Guinan observes, with a large grin.
"Almost makes you want to start naming them," Geordi says, somehow feeling the need to also get in on the ridiculous overreaction.
Jean-Luc steadfastly ignores his growing smile.
"Hmmm," Geordi points at the new, dark green card. "This is definitely the Auroral Plague."
"It does look a bit rainbow colored," Jean-Luc ventures, finally giving in to his urge to join in.
Guinan sends him a pleased smirk. "Do you think there's a Saurian lizard close by?"
"Doubtful," Riker sighs, still grinning. "Too bad none of us are Vulcans."
Jean-Luc snorts as the rest of them laugh.
"You get to draw one more card," Geordi prompts, after they've regained their senses and stopped laughing so hard.
Jean-Luc suspects they're all a little punch drunk. It is, after all, after 2300 hours.
He reaches tentatively for another blue card. Flips it. A bright yellow card flashes up at them. "Yes!" he shouts, and then blushes. He needn't be so enthusiastic about a silly card. But then, he glances around the table, and everyone else seems just as happy as he, so he allows himself a grin.
"This is good news for us," Riker says as Jean-Luc places his yellow card down on the two others he's collecting. He grabs a handful of vegetable chips, popping a indigo one into his mouth.
"But then we also have less good news," Guinan reminds them, nodding to the green epidemic card pile.
Jean-Luc turns one over. "Looks as if Draken IV is being hit again."
"Oh man." Geordi exaggeratedly grimaces. "That means Barradas III and Yadalla Prime are also hit."
Holographic, Black cubes, appear on all those places.
"Outbreak meter goes to three," Riker announced, watching a light green circle glow on the matt.
"We only have a few black cubes left," Jean-Luc reminds everyone. "Should we focus more on these, and ignore the yellow epidemic for now?"
"Maybe," Geordi says. "I could take a shuttle to Betazoid. Take off a few reds?"
Guinan is vibrating in her seat. "I'm saving Romulus."
She moves her piece to the Romulan home world, and takes off the two black cubes there. Then she moves to Draken IV and removes the three black cubes there. "Should I move to the Klingon Empire with Jean-Luc next?"
"You'll be one away from where you want to be to cure the black outbreak," Jean-Luc says, eyeing the board.
"You mean the Auroral Plague, don't you?" Geordi teases.
Jean-Luc smiles and shakes his head at the engineer.
"I could actually move you on my turn," Riker suggests.
It's just cubes on a board, but everyone always ends up caring a lot more than they should about them. Jean-Luc loves the thrill of it. He can't captain his ship anymore – and that will always hurt – but he can imagine he is with this game.
And if he also gets a little pleasure out of interacting with some of his former command crew?
If the homemade chips and big laughs make him feel warm inside?
Well, Jean-Luc isn't telling anyone.