Days of Wine & Roses (Part 1)

Posted on 06 Sep 2014 @ 10:20pm by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ellsworth Hudson & Lieutenant JG Grayson Jones
Edited on on 07 Sep 2014 @ 5:35am

2,941 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 6, Main Engineering
Timeline: MD07: 1953 hrs

[ ON ]

Ellsworth was still a little high after his encounter with Dr. Idris, and he'd arrived back at the storage area on Deck 5 to find that his work crew had completed their task early. That finally left him a little free time to visit Main Engineering with his trumped up excuse - making sure they had everything they needed in engineering and that all the personal effects of the Assistant Chief Engineer had arrived safely. A few of the other engineers might find it odd they didn't receive that sort of personal attention, but Ellsworth couldn't help that. It wasn't his fault they didn't have the most beautiful, amazing eyes in the world...next to K'os's, he reminded himself.

The young Betazoid stopped one last time just outside Main Engineering to vainly check his hair in the reflection on the corridor monitor before stepping into a room he'd really only been in once before. It always seemed like a real hub of activity, but he was accustomed to that by now. They never told you in training that you'd always be on the move, or something around you would always be on the move.

Grayson on the other hand, was exhausted. It had been, what felt, the longest day of his life. Between tribbles, dealing with members of the department all he wanted to do was get to his quarters, grab a shower and head to bed. He felt like a mess and in his mind, probably looked it too, he had stepped up from his usual green tea to coffee to get through the day, even though he hated the taste of it. His feeling of desperation for some down time were reflected in his heavy eyes, he couldn't handle anymore today and in the mere moments before his shift ended, the main engineering door opened and Grayson felt like crying. 'I hope this isn't another problem' he sobbed into his mind.

Ellsworth felt the weariness in waves, and it made him frown. But he quickly switched to a friendly smile when he spotted the Assistant Chief Engineer, hoping that some energy might prove infectious. He gave a little wave when they made eye contact, but the young quartermaster took his time on the approach; you could observe more casually from a distance without looking like the leering creep you did up close. Tall, athletic, handsome face, lively eyes, messy hair...a very fine specimen of a man.

"Hi, Ensign Grayson," Ellsworth said, though the lyrical quality to the statement made it unclear whether it was a question or not. He stuck out his hand in greeting and smiled as brightly and charmingly as he could. "I'm Petty Officer Hudson, ship's quartermaster. But just Ellsworth or Ells will do, unless there's some hardass hanging around." He looked from side-to-side for emphasis then back at Grayson, all smiles with more than a tinge of sympathy. He looked tired, but Ellsworth could feel he was really tired.

His weary head lifted, he did his best to sound cheery, "A pleasure to meet you. What can I help you with?" Grayson thought that if it was another problem, he would actually cry right there and then. Engineering and the ship had taken more than its pound of flesh today.

"Actually, I came to check on you," Ellsworth replied, holding up a PADD as some sort of evidence. "Before the tribbles I was going 'round to meet all the crew, make sure their belongings arrived in one piece, check to see if they needed anything....so on and so forth. We finally got supply storage locked down on Deck 5, so I thought I'd come up before shift's end to check in with you - you're next on the list." He gave him a good once over then frowned in concern, as if he'd only just noticed how weary Grayson looked. "Is everything all right? Anything I can do to help?"

Someone was helping him? Had he died and gone to heaven? "Wow, thanks! Yeah, I think I have everything. I don't tend to carry much, so not really much to store as it is, but thank you." He sighed in a moment of relief. "Its just been a really long day. I can't wait for the day to be over, grab a shower, head to bed, snuggle up to a pillow and sleep." Grayson let his head roll back and look up to the ceiling. "I officially hate tribbles. They have gotten everywhere, and the places they aren't..their fur is there. I'd murder several alcoholic drinks right now, but the lounge is closed...to make things worse." Right now Grayson just looked defeated and a little pathetic, not his usual self at all. The past few days had really taken it out on him.

Ellsworth didn't really hear much about the ensign's belongings, being too busy staring and all. His day didn't seem nearly as bad, but a shower, bed and pillow would sound good even on the easiest of days. Of course, he'd replace the pillow with a hunky young half-Vulcan or something if he had his way with things. And maybe exchange the bed for a beach-side villa. And the shower for a secluded waterfall. Maybe throw in some drinks, too, for good measure.

"These tribbles are causing more trouble than they're worth," Ellsworth said, but kept the rest to himself. He'd found 'flush them all out an airlock' to be an unpopular statement around some of his more sentimental shipmates. He fixed Grayson with a skeptical look, as if trying to make up his mind about something, before finally smiling. "Well... I do have a bottle of Risian Sunrise Vineyards circa 2346." He shrugged, looking a little smug. "Perks of being quartermaster."

It hardly seemed like the time or place to ask someone for a drink, but Ellsworth's sense of decorum was a little...underdeveloped. He would probably flirt with a Federation Councillor while the Council was in session, given the opportunity. Although he imagined virtually everyone on the Council was quite a bit older and quite a bit wrinklier, not exactly his type, but desperate times...

"As long as we split the next bottle of something I get. I'm overdue getting a bottle of vintage champagne." Grayson was too tired to think of much else right now. If he was his usual self, he'd think of this as an opportunity to get to know a fellow crewman...and flirt, but all he wanted to do was relax and sleep. The thought did cross his mind, Ellsworth was cute and he really could use a cuddle from a real person. It was that kind of thing he was beginning to miss, real intimacy, someone to hold him. Boy did he need someone to hold him right now.

Ellsworth felt like he was swaying back and forth, feeling the conflict within Grayson move his own thoughts like the ebb and flow of the tide. He knew the other man was exhausted and probably wanted nothing more than to collapse into his own bed and sleep for days. But then again, surely he knew Ellsworth was a Betazoid, right? Black eyes gave it away immediately. And sometimes people thought what they couldn't bring themselves to say, hopeful that he might be paying attention. But then...sometimes not. And he hadn't seen his own...boyfriend, lover, whatever...in so long he was beginning to think it would be a month before another person was warmly tucked next to him-

"Sure, an exchange," Ellsworth said abruptly, sounding, feeling and looking a little uncertain. Knowing the thoughts and feelings of others sometimes made him feel manipulative, particularly when he could push them to meet his own needs. He could feel the guilt rising up in him, the guilt that K'os tried to assure him he should disregard, but it was sometimes too difficult to ignore. Finally, he shook his head and gave a much more subdued smile. "Listen, Ensign, why don't I just drop the bottle off at your quarters? You seem like you've had a long shift and could use some peace and quiet and rest."

"Oh no, that's ok. I don't want to put you out. I think I might just collapse shortly anyway." Grayson gave an uneasy laugh. Being honest, he hadn't noticed the heritage of the man standing before him until he looked up and gave his first proper look at him. If he wasn't sure his thoughts would have been picked up, he would be feeling a good many curse words and profanities right around now. He suddenly went to feeling a little sheepish and wanting to crawl into a very dark place and hide. "Maybe some other time. I think right now it might go to waste, or aggravate my dwindling state of what appears to be decay." Hair being a mess, uniform askew and a general 'icky' feeling composed decay to Grayson.

Ellsworth wasn't sure whether to feel disappointed, awkward, emboldened or all three. This definitely hadn't played out the way he'd anticipated: he would have been charming and Grayson would have been charming and they would have charmed one another and rolled in the grass in the arboretum and then... Well, he wasn't sure. He'd never been one to plan ahead. It always started off with the sheer magnetism of the other person and the joy of flirting, then haplessly led wherever. Or at least it made him feel slightly less guilty framing it that way.

"Decay?" Ellsworth repeated, giving an easy laugh. "Hardly. If that's your decay, I can't wait to see things fully regenerated then." He gave one last fairly reluctant looking smile, and reached out to touch Grayson's upper arm. It was fairly difficult to balance his own needs and wants, what he felt from Grayson, and his sympathy for the exhaustion. In the end, the latter won out. "Get some rest. Maybe we'll see each other when the lounge re-opens or something. Let me know if there's anything we can do for you in Ops." Wine, dinner, holodeck, late-night holovid, blissful embraces, he left unsaid, chastising himself for his easy Betazoidness.

Grayson began to feel his cheeks reddening. "I'm sure we would have a good time when we get to spend a little time together." He knew how it sounded, he didn't care now. "I mean if Ops can authorise a site to site transport for me right now, that would be great." A weary smile passed his face. "A hover sledge or even a wheel chair right now." An even wearier laugh managed to pass between his lips, if he felt any worse, Grayson seriously thought about taking himself to sick bay.

Ellsworth couldn't hold back a grin; seeing someone so helplessly exhausted was more than a little endearing. "I'm afraid I don't have too much pull around here. Right now the best we could do is..." He paused dramatically, referring to his PADD with a serious and studious look, as if he were reviewing ship's resources. "...grab you by your ankles and drag you to your quarters. It's not luxurious, mind you, but it's all we have the resources for at the moment. But with all the tribbles on the floor, it would at least be a soft and fuzzy journey."

"Drag me anywhere." Grayson laughed, feeling his slightly flirtatious self again and perking up at the thought, like he had an espresso.

Ellsworth's grin was quick in coming. He let out a throaty laugh and fixed the engineer with a mischievous look; tired, then, but not completely down for the count, and that just made his dark eyes sparkle all the more. He glanced at the chronometer on the wall, then shifted his gaze back to Grayson.

"Shift's almost over, so I'm available to drag you around wherever you might need a lift - mess hall, quarters, holodeck. We in Ops also have other services available - massages, dinner deliveries and relaxing conversation for the weary engineer. Keeping the ship running at peak efficiency sometimes requires us to go the extra mile for its personnel. We just send you an invoice at the end of the month."

The pitch brought back memories of his old life, which under different circumstances may have made him slightly unsettled, but at the moment he didn't really care.

"Hmmm," Grayson began to ponder all the supposed options available to him, "Quarters and conversation sounds lovely right now." In jest he lifted his leg up to be dragged out of his seat, he cocked his head and gave a very inviting smile, locking eyes on Ellsworth. Beginning to waken up a little, Grayson was feeling very playful. "What would you like to discuss?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Not to be outdone, Ellsworth took a step forward and caught Grayson's leg, holding it in his free hand by cradling the back of his ankle and heel. It was arguably one of the least professional things he could have done in the middle of Main Engineering, but they were off the clock in five minutes. Not to mention the young Betazoid was hardly ordinary Starfleet material, full of rules and decorum and professionalism. It could probably be considered more of a fluke that he'd actually been accepted, much less graduated, when so very many of the rules of professional conduct had sailed right over his head during enlisted training...

"You," Ellsworth replied, looking away shyly as if he were actually embarrassed by his own forwardness. And why the hell it took me so long to come to engineering, he thought absent-mindedly. "You could tell me about your day, de-stress, decompress. I'm a good listener." His palm opened slightly, letting Grayson's foot drop a bit so he could get his thumb and fingers more comfortably settled around the ankle. The tired muscles, tendons and ligaments - strained from being on one's feet most of the day - weren't difficult to find, and Ellsworth moved his fingers subtly but firmly to relax some of the stress that had been stored in them. "I saw in your file you've traveled a lot... I've only been to three planets, but I've always dreamed about seeing more of the galaxy, since I was a little boy. I'm sure you have a lot of interesting stories."

Ellsworth smiled coyly, looking for all the world like he'd enjoy nothing more than to listen to Grayson all evening long. Of course having his leg in his hand was perfectly nice, too. From the heft of it he could tell there was well-earned muscle there, and he was enjoying the feeling of its weight pressing down against his hand.

"Well then, how about that bottle and some chat then? My quarters if they are free or try and find some tribble free space?" Grayson shot a wink that might have meant he had more than chatting on his mind. He would have liked to have gotten closer to Ellsworth, the touch he had on his leg was stimulating, comforting after the day he had had. Grayson could feel himself melting into his touch, it was relaxing, therapeutic and a tad intoxicating.

Then his thoughts turned to his file, he never thought anyone would read those things and suddenly became worried about how much was read. Also the fact, who would be that interest in him? For a while he considered himself a one use guy when it came to personal matters. That one use was much like the life of a tissue, use once and discard, Grayson was used to this, while not entirely happy with it, used to it. The fact someone was now potentially showing an interest to him as a person gave him a nervous butterfly feeling in his stomach.

For Ellsworth, an officer's quarters sounded nice. In fact, downright luxurious compared to his own enlisted bunk. He'd never even had anyone over, partially because there was no space and partially because Ollie was frequently there studying or looking over regulations or being very Starfleet-like in his dedication to his duty. It was hardly the environment to be tussling around in the sheets with someone, much less even watching a movie together.

"Your quarters sound perfect," Ellsworth said quietly, kneeling down as he brought Grayson's foot to the floor. He remained crouched there for a moment, gazing up at the young engineer with a look that was probably a bit more excited than it should have been at the prospect of spending some alone time with someone. A day without some physical contact might as well have been a week for a Betazoid; sometimes it even felt like a month. "You know they keep us crammed in those bunks, it'll be nice to stretch out." He finally stood up again and clasped his hands behind him, giving a pleased smile but averting his eyes to make it clear there was some double meaning. "So... I can go fetch that bottle and meet you at your quarters?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Grayson replied excitedly. "Since you have read my file, I take it you know where my quarters are? Will give me time to freshen up a little." He winked.

"Naturally," Ellsworth said, almost tripping over himself as he took a step back. He'd have to focus on not hyperventilating on the way to fetch the wine...

[ To be continued ]

PO3 Ellswoth Hudson
Quartermaster
USS Galileo

&

Ensign Grayson Jones
ACEO
USS Galileo

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