Sanguine, despite loneliness. [Part 1]

Posted on 27 Feb 2014 @ 9:03pm by Ensign K'os Beaumont & Petty Officer 3rd Class Ellsworth Hudson

2,050 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 05 - Solstice
Location: Tycho City - Luna
Timeline: MD 35 - 1300

[ON]

Ever since the beautiful night in Chicago that Ells had planned, K'os was at a loss for how to repay him for it. He was busy with his studies, and Ellsworth was busy getting crew ready for the Galileo's departure. It had been almost two weeks since he'd seen the Betazoid and when they finally exchanged words, the only thing they could think of to do, was to do a study session together. Even if to just enjoy each other's company while they worked. K'os wanted to surprise the young man and had arranged a rather cryptic message to be delivered to Ellsworth that asked him to meet him at a small coffee shop in Tycho City and to bring an overnight bag with fresh clothes.

Tycho City was pretty busy this time of year. Being winter in much of the western hemisphere on Earth, many people preferred to stay in the environmentally controlled habitats of the lunar colony. He sat at a small table in the back of the coffee shop, sipping on his second mug of coffee. Each time the door opened, his grey-blue eyes would flick up from the news headlines he was reading, hoping it was his companion. He wore his favourite button up flannel shirt, mostly for the touch memories it elicited of camping when he was a child. The beige wool like material of his pants hugged his muscular legs as he crossed them, returning his attention back to the news.

Ellsworth had nearly knocked three people over in his headlong rush to get to the coffee shop. He had no idea what they were doing or why K'os wanted to meet him there, but he absolutely didn't care. K'os could have told him to show up on a rogue asteroid, and he would have commandeered a shuttlecraft to get there. The young Betazoid was attached - badly - and the two weeks without even seeing K'os had been difficult to bear. The reality of not getting to see him every day was something he'd struggled with but his duties as quartermaster had generally kept him busy enough not to be too concerned about it.

Except at night.

He couldn't think of a lonelier place than his tiny bunk. It wasn't cold, but it felt cold. It wasn't hard, but it felt hard. It wasn't even lonely (his roommate was always snoring lightly in the bunk below him), but it felt lonely. It was the worst most miserable place to be at night because in those twilight moments between wakefulness and rest all he could think about was K'os Beaumont. The dimples of his smile, the often tousled lay of his hair, the curve of his muscles, the depth of his emotions, the liveliness of his eyes, the way he stirred a fire in Ellsworth's heart. At one point he started to worry so much about his obsessiveness over thinking about K'os in those quiet hours that he thought maybe something might be wrong with him - that he was one of those crazy lovers from holonovels - but a friend in Supply Command had confirmed it was normal for a new relationship.

When he finally walked through the doors and made eye contact with K'os, all of those lonely nights were suddenly lost in irrelevance. With that one skipped heartbeat all the hardness of separation he'd felt in his heart crumbled to dust and blew away on the wind. Ellsworth grinned so wide that his cheeks hurt. Without realizing how, he'd already crossed the distance and had his arms around K'os. He pressed his face into the other man's neck to hide his wet eyes and gave out a half gasp of pent up emotion that was muffled through the collar of the flannel shirt.

K'os managed to stand just as the younger man embraced him. He wrapped his arms around the small of his back, squeezing him close and lifting him slightly off the ground so that just his toes touched the ground. The sensation of the warm breath on his neck sent tingles down his body. Somehow he instinctively knew how Ellsworth was feeling, which was still an odd thing for K'os; he usually remained unaware of other people's emotions. He closed his eyes and took a long deep breath. The smell of the man's skin made him think of the colour purple which elicited an almost erotic feeling deep within K'os.

Ellsworth kissed his neck and then pulled back, holding the sides of K'os's face as he kissed him again full on the lips without the slightest regard for anyone or anything around them. He could feel whatever barriers there were around his mind starting to fray rapidly from the other's touch-telepathy; empathically, he sensed a rising desire that was going to set off a self-perpetuating emotional feedback loop in only a few moments. So he very reluctantly broke the kiss and made sure he was only touching the cloth of the flannel shirt.

He wiped at his eyes and smiled, though he was blushing and feeling ashamed about crying in front of so many people. Most went about their business, but a few at least glanced over out of curiosity about the intensity of the moment the two had shared.

"I've missed you, K'os," Ellsworth said, letting out a short laugh. It seemed silly to say it when it was already so apparent. He wanted to tell him about how he spent his nights and days thinking about him, but at the moment it seemed more important to actually enjoy being with him. He unshouldered his bag and started to unzip it to retrieve his PADD. "Are we gonna study here?"

K'os was still feeling the effects of the kiss they'd shared. He used the Vulcan techniques to quell the overwhelming emotions that came over his mind from the interaction. Even though he had better control over his emotions, the time apart had also affected him; somehow though it seemed easier to do this time. He smiled widely, almost unable to contain his surprise. Hiding things from a Betazoid was difficult enough, but he tried anyway. "No, not here." His smile retracted into a tight lipped grin exaggerating his dimples. Having already paid for his coffee, he offered his elbow to Ellsworth and lead him out of the coffee shop. He said nothing further as he lead him only a short distance down the street. Above them, the dome surrounding the colony produced a very convincing blue sky, though with a stunning view of Earth.

When they rounded the corner a large hotel came into view with a large sign identifying it as the Sanguine Nights Hotel & Casino. To non telepaths, the lack of conversation might have seemed odd, but there was something beautiful about their bond that made small chit chat seem almost pointless. He exchanged a knowing smile with him, and as if almost anticipating his question he answered, "Yes, we're still here to study." He said, then laughed.

Ellsworth grinned and then began a half-laugh, half-giggle that seemed a manifestation of the promiscuity of his thoughts. He pulled his arm toward himself to tighten his grip on K'os's arm, still swooning a bit from how naturally it had been offered to him.

"I'm pretty horrible at gambling, so don't let me say I need a break to play 'just one game.' I'll lose all my money!" He shifted his gaze from K'os to the hotel then back to K'os; his eyes had become half-lidded and when he spoke his voice was low and sultry. "Are you sure we're here to study?"

Somewhere in his mind, Ellsworth knew they should study - needed to study - but he was a young Betazoid who'd gone two weeks without laying with his lover. That had to translate into roughly 47 years of celibacy, or something close to it. He knew K'os was much better disciplined at that than he was, so he was counting on him to save him from his own absolute lack of self-control in the presence of someone so very completely intoxicating.

K'os threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Well we can try at least." He said, chuckling. One of his favourite things about Ellsworth was his unbridled passion. The freedom that came from the torrent of emotions the other man felt was refreshing to someone that needed to hold constant restraint and concentration lest he become overwhelmed with his feelings. One of his greatest fears was to lose his ability to control the intensity of his emotions. The image of a crazy person that laughed and cried within moments of each other scared him. In Ellsworth, he saw that lack of control and how it was reflected in the beautiful chaos of his mind and how effortless it was to experience for him. The only time he felt safe enough to drop his Vulcan grip on his mind was when he was with the Betazoid and he truly loved him deeply for it.

He led him into the lobby where the usual lights and busyness of a casino/hotel threatened to overstimulate him. He reassured Ells with a kiss on the side of his lips before heading to the front desk to check-in. While they processed his reservation he chanced a look back over his shoulder to take in the other man again. He thought he understood his feelings. It had been awhile since the two had seen each other and while K'os didn't seem to react to the feelings the same way Ells did, it didn't mean he didn't still feel them too. He had missed the man just as he did; he just didn't physiologically respond the same way to it. If he did, it would very quickly turn to longing, which would eventually and very quickly turn to a need that would consume him. Is that truly a bad thing? he wondered.

Ellsworth smiled at K'os then tilted his head slightly, wondering what he was thinking that made him stare so long. He reached out a little with his mind, a clumsy process, just to satisfy his own curiosity. He picked up a sense of love and some sort of strange confusion; K'os had a mind that was probably difficult for even an experienced Betazoid to read, so Ellsworth was lucky when he could get down a sense of the base emotions. Just feeling love at the surface was enough to make his heart swell and slingshot his mind forward with juvenile speed, conjuring up images of marriage and growing old together.

"I'm so glad you brought me here," Ellsworth said after the check-in process was completed. He linked his arm with K'os' again and happily bounced along beside his man, clearly giddy just to be with him again. The closer they got to the turbo lift the more his anticipation and excitement about their room grew. "I was worried we were going to be in some stuffy old library or something. I can't even concentrate in those places; the silence is deafening!"

"What an interesting analogy." He mused, feeling natural in the other man's touch as if they'd done so for years. He had the same stupid grin on his face the entire lift ride to their room. He didn't think Ellsworth knew exactly what was about to happen and it gave him a pleasure he hadn't experienced before. They arrived at their room and his heart beat quickened briefly before he compassionately nudged his mind back to a calming state. He took a deep breath and turned to Ellsworth before opening their door. He studied the lines of his face, taking in those deep black eyes, momentarily lost in the beauty of them. He took a deep breath, resisting the urge to kiss him again. "That night in Chicago, Ellsworth Hudson, and the experience in Bali before that was a gift I've never been given before. I can only hope that this returns the kindness." He turned and opened the door with his key card.

[To Be Continued]

PO3 K'os Beaumont
Matter/Energy Specialist
USS Galileo

&

PO3 Ellsworth Hudson
Quartermaster
USS Galileo

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