Dangerous Liasons

Posted on 20 Jan 2015 @ 11:09pm by Lieutenant Olsam Mott

3,662 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: Starbase 84, promenade
Timeline: MD31: 0030 hrs

ON:

"I don't know what the hell that is, but I think it might actually reabsorb the alcohol from your bloodstream," Kot said, pointing one of his utensils at the sponge-like food in Tyrion's bowl.

The food was delicious, but he was struggling with the implements. They seemed a lot more like weapons than eating utensils. Why did everything have to be so dangerous with the Andorians? Even so, he was thankful for the late-night vendor parked in a strategic location between most of the clubs. There were a number of very exotic looking patrons crowding around cart, so Kot had managed to find them a secluded little spot next to a door that he assumed led to some maintenance area. The alcove was cramped, not least because of his muscular bulk, but he didn't mind since it gave him the opportunity to stand closer to Tyrion.

"You could just eat with your fingers," Tyrion suggested, while wagging what might pass for a fork at the tall Bolian, "or I could feed it to you." He smirked mischievously, feeling oddly at ease with the large blue man. "Or we could walk somewhere else, since this place is very cramped. Not that I mind, really," he babbled on, "and I wouldn't mind another drink either. But, this one's on me."

Kot gave a sly smile around the mouthful of noodles he was shoving into his mouth. He thought the alcove was fairly cozy and wondered briefly about the smaller man getting yet another drink. But then again, he was in safe company; even if he was about to pass out on his feet, Kot would have made sure he got Tyrion back to his quarters and tucked into bed.

"Well, there's this weird walk-up Idanian bar down the way; one of my brothers was telling me about it," Kot said, pointing to his left down the promenade. He stuffed the last bit of noodles in his mouth, being careful not to slice his lip, and then looked around for a waste receptacle. "It's just...the bar. Like, open to the promenade. The bartender's not even real, he's like a hologram or something. It's all clean lines and simple geometry, you know how the Idanians are."

"I'm feeling adventurous," The Betazoid said, pushing away from the wall. "And we have all evening to explore." Tyrion reached out, taking the Bolian's hand. "Shall we?" Thanks to the already consumed alcohol, he was acting bolder than was usual for the normally quiet Betazoid.

"Sure," Kot responded, allowing his hand to be taken up and pulled along in the direction he'd indicated.

With Tyrion in the lead, he had the opportunity to observe without being observed and wondered about the evolution of the night. There was something about Tyrion's actions, like the pattern of his speech and the movement of his hands, that Kot's instincts told him was uncharacteristic. Was he trying to escape himself for a night? Drink until he was reckless? He'd seen the type before, usually in the bar, throwing back shot after shot to forget something. Some passed out, some got sick, and some found someone else to drag down into their experiment with them.

"I thought you Betazoids were lightweights?" Kot asked teasingly. "Don't pass out on me just yet, okay? I'll be stuck talking to myself. Again."

"Lightweights? I weigh 77 kilograms, not sure whether that's considered a lightweight, but no, I don't intend on passing out on you. Don't worry." He smiled cheerfully. "You had this happen before then? I can hold my liquor, even though I don't drink much, don't worry," he babbled on.

Kot looked skeptical - he'd never seen a Betazoid that could hold their liquor - but he went along with it anyway. "No, no, I meant I ended up kinda talking to myself out on the relay rig. I'd hate to have such charming company only to have him fall asleep on me." The Bolian winked and sidled up to the bar when they reached it. The hologram manning it smiled politely and inquired as to their tastes; Kot ordered another Bolian scotch, neat, and kept encouraging the bartender until about three fingers worth had been spilled into his glass. He leaned against the bar and purposely eyed Tyrion up and down, like a challenge, with a sly smile. "So, Mr. I Can Hold My Liquor, what're you gonna drink? I'm guessing something.... Sweet."

"Hot chocolate, straight up!" Tyrion chuckled happily as he hopped onto the stool that stood just before the bar. "I've had enough alcohol for one night, don't you agree? And as you said, I don't want to fall asleep on you, at least not until we get to a bed."

Kot arched a hairless eyebrow and took a seat on the stool next to Tyrion. He quietly sipped on his own drink while watching the bartender put together the hot chocolate and thinking about the comment. He'd never stopped to question his own motives or to think the night through. Korvin was the one who wanted to go to the bar, and Kot was lonely enough to agree to come along with him. He hadn't really been looking to pick anyone up, just hang out and talk, but now as the opportunity presented itself...

"How long is your ship gonna be here, Tyr?" Kot asked, trying to sound casual and not overplay his hand.

"I don't know, another week or two I think," the Betazoid answered, "and I do have a shift to run on and off...I work gamma shift, so I tend to be home around eight in the morning, then sleep for a few hours, get daily routine done, sleep another few hours and go back to work. Or not depending on if I'm on leave. I'm not back on full duty."

"Cool," Kot said, appearing non-committal. Everyone outside the fleet knew better than to try to start anything serious with someone inside the fleet, but he wondered if there was anything wrong with a brief starbase romance. Assuming, of course, that's what Tyrion was even looking for. At the moment he seemed like a person outside of his shell, and it was difficult to say what sort of person he might turn out to be in the morning. "Gamma shift must be a pain in the ass, huh? I mean, I bet you get used to it, and maybe it's not a big deal on a starship... Just seems weird working at night, ya know?"

"Yea you get used to it. My roommate works alpha shift, so that means I have alpha to have the room to myself. Beta he's home too so we use that time to clean up. It does guarantee some privacy you see." He sipped his hot chocolate and grimaced. "Wow, not what the replicator gives me, for sure." He took a second sip. "Still, better than no chocolate. What about you, did you work 24/7 or did you keep to a specific schedule?"

Kot laughed, trying to imagine himself sticking to a schedule. "Naw, no schedule for me. Ain't nobody out on the rig with you to supervise whether you're working or not. That's not really how it goes, anyway. You're either under contract with the Feds or the fleet or both, and you use your own ship to get wherever you need to be. I scored me an old Danube-class off a Fed auction 'bout nine years ago. She's beat up all to hell, but she runs. Anyway, the contract work lets you set your own schedule. They've got a preferred timeline and all, but it's mostly up to you as to how many contracts you want to take on in a year. And then sometimes you just run into shit like the Betreka Nebula where you got no choice but to sit around and twiddle your thumbs for half a year or more whether you wanna or not."

"That has to get awfully lonely," Tyrion sympathised, imagining himself working all by his lonesome. It would certainly be quiet, in terms of all the mental chatter that assaulted him at any given time when he ventured into a crowd. "So what do you do when you're on leave? Visit family, obviously, but what else? What do you do for fun?"

"Well, I don't really visit them as often as I should. I'm one of the black sheep on account of deciding on manual labor, like my co-father," Kot said, holding up two truly massive hands that seemed destined to engage in such work. "Hmmm. I like sports. I was on the Parrises squares team in secondary school, but I'm getting a little old for that now, y'know? I'll pick up a game of springball or lacrosse or something if I can find one wherever I am or just hang out in the bar and catch a couple of games on the 'net. I, uh, also like the opera."

He cleared his throat and looked away, as if it was an embarrassing admission. It wasn't that he was necessarily ashamed of his interest, rather he'd gotten tired of dealing with the teasing. Kot looked like the anti-thesis of an ordinary opera-goer, so it opened him up to a lot of good-natured but annoying teasing. "I try to catch one if there's a local variant somewhere around. Nobody can beat the acoustics of the Oshue Opera House on Bolarus, but I try not to hold it against 'em."

"Have you ever visited the Sydney Opera House in Australia on Earth? I hear those accoustics are pretty awesome too," the Betazoid replied, seemingly unphased by the admission. "I don't really have an ear for music, but I'm sure that given it's your hobby, you can hold a good tune?" He didn't so much as blink when he said it. Leaning forward he pressed two fingers against the Bolian's jaw, gently forcing his head back, looking him right in the eyes. "I'd love to hear you sing sometime," he said earnestly.

Kot gave a short, nervous chuckle at the touch. It had been unexpected and caught him off guard, though he made no move to pull out of it. If anything, his head moved almost imperceptibly into Tyrion's hand. "I'd say I don't give performances, but I'm pretty sure an intelligence officer has ways of making someone sing, right?" His grin was easy and teasing as he left the rest of his drink untouched on the bar and brought a hand to Tyrion's elbow. The tug at his elbow was so light that it almost didn't exist, a very subtle invitation to move their conversation away from the bar. "I guess I could arrange a private performance, though, if you insisted..."

"Hmm, I could, couldn't I?" Tyrion mused as he slid off the stool, "I mean...I could use the practice." A teasing smile touched the corners of his mouth, his black eyes shining with mirth. "Your quarters or mine?"

---

Tyrion's temporary quarters on the starbase put his own to shame. Naturally, the fleet would work to house their personnel in better facilities than visiting civilians, but he was still surprised. He had only one room, but these quarters seemed to have at least three with doors leading off in either direction from the living area. As Kot shrugged off his jacket and tossed it on the arm of the couch, he took the opportunity to look around and appreciate that they'd made the right decision in coming here.

"Nice place," Kot said, helping himself to a seat on the couch. His bulk sank down heavily into it, almost creating a crater in the cushions. "Beats the hell out of mine."

"It's a little out of my league," Tyrion admitted, tossing his own jacket aside, "It's at least twice as big as what Pieter and I share on the Galileo. Honestly, I don't know what to do with all this space." He crossed to the replicator and got himself another hot chocolate, a proper one this time. "Anything you'd like? "

"Nah," Kot said, waving off the offer. He could feel the scotch still burning in his stomach, and it seemed like a bad idea to try to add anything else to the mix. Instead, he focused on making himself comfortable by hooking an arm over the couch and putting a foot against the coffee table in front of him. The move very conveniently created a little nook next to him, perfectly fitted for Tyrion if he took the bait. "Uh, who's Pieter?"

Taking the bait, Tyrion sat down, nursing the mug in both his hands while leaning back against the muscled blue arm. "My roommate on the Galileo." He smiled carefully. "There's no significant other in my life right now," he added, a little quieter now.

"Oh, okay," Kot said, trying - but failing - not to sound too overly relieved.

As a Bolian, he had little problem with polyamorous relationships, but he'd learned the hard way that not every species considered that 'normal.' His lesson had come at the hands of a very pissed off Nausicaan, which was just his luck given that Nausicaans and Klingons were about the only people he couldn't naturally best with size and brute strength alone.

"Me, either. I mean, no significant other. I'm single, of course. It's kinda hard to keep things going with someone when your career literally consists of criss-crossing the entirety of Federation space, y'know?" Kot eased closer to Tyrion so they were side-by-side and brought his arm down off the couch to wrap around the Betazoid's shoulders. Having another man next to him after so long in deep space was arousing, to be sure, but it was more comfortable than anything.

Leaning back, Tyrion looked up at him, enjoying the warmth of another body next to him. "Why not take them with you?" he asked seriously, glancing up to study the man but trying very hard not to be caught staring.

"Seriously? There's a reason it's a well-paid job: nobody wants to do it. And if nobody wants to do it, then there's definitely not anybody that wants to get dragged around with someone else while they do it. I'm just some grease monkey, Tyr. It's not a glamorous life. Hell, it's not even much of a life at all. And that's for just one person, I can't imagine how awful it'd be for two. I mean, think about it. I was stuck out there 270 days; who else is gonna want to go through that, and, more importantly, why? For love?" Kot laughed, as if the idea was ridiculous.

"If you had someone who did the same as you it might work," Tyrion offered, gently stroking the hand that casually lay across his shoulder. "Or someone who enjoys a degree of solitude. Me for example, I don't like crowds but here, I feel comfortable." And he was definitely enjoying himself, feeling almost a little giddy. "Is there no-one who would visit you at all?"

Kot stayed silent for a few moments, feeling a little unsure of himself. They'd strayed into deeply personal territory, and he wasn't sure how much of a tease Tyrion might be. 'Me for example'? Just an off-handed remark, or what? He was used to being the gentle giant that everyone liked to tease and provoke in one way or another, trying to take advantage of his soft heart to make themselves feel big or keep him around just long enough until they'd gotten what they wanted.

"Nah, it's usually too much of a haul, even for family. The only relays that ever seem to break down are the ones out in the middle of nowhere. You know, like the ones they use to keep in touch with deep space missions and stuff," Kot finally said, sounding a little guarded. He cut his eyes to look at Tyrion, who seemed innocent enough, and tried to make a final decision about him. Eventually, he just decided to go with it and used his hand to play with the hair around Tyrion's ear. "I wouldn't mind a visit or two from a roving, solitude-seeking Betazoid, if one such Betazoid existed..."

"He does," Tyrion answered seriously, "and he would if time permitted." He leaned into the touch, his eyes never leaving his companion. "You thought I was being a tease, when I made that suggestion. Though I was just using myself as an example; I don't know where this evening leads yet, but if it does leave somewhere solid, I would consider it."

Kot turned and watched him. He felt a little embarrassed about having his inner thoughts voiced aloud, but he knew it was futile to try to keep secrets from a telepath. There was something appealing about that, and it did much to explain the harmonious nature of society on Betazed. It probably laid a solid foundation for relationships given that any breach of trust was likely to be immediately known. People were probably free to be themselves with one another in a way that wasn't achieved on other planets.

As the Bolian quietly watched Tyrion, roving eyes kept returning to his lips over and over again. Eventually he worked up the nerve to lean in for a kiss that was gentle but full and unrestrained.

Surprised, Tyrion returned the kiss. "I was starting to think you never would," he whispered breathlessly, while setting his still half full mug aside. It was only a hindrance as he turned slightly to rest one hand on the Bolian's arm, reaching up to place the other against his neck. Leaning in, he re-initiated the kiss.

Kot felt primal need start to overtake rational thinking as the kiss went on, growing more intense. His strong hands gripped the Betazoid and almost effortlessly lifted him up and over into his lap before sliding around to the small of his back to draw him closer. But suddenly and without warning, he relaxed and pulled away to break the kiss. The subtle cranial ridges distinct to his species seemed more pronounced as his brow together in concern and his gaze shifted off to the side.

"Uh, look," Kot muttered, not sure how to broach the subject. It wasn't just that he didn't consider himself the sort of guy to pick someone up at a bar and in the span of a few hours have them straddling him on a couch, although he noted nothing about his body or most of his mind was objecting at the moment. There were just some unique physiological considerations that were often a source of frustration for him and most other Bolians in an interspecies environment. "I, uh, didn't take a suppressant... I wasn't expecting...you know, this."

Resting both his hands on the Bolian's shoulders for balance, comfortably stradling his lap and rest his knees on the couch, Tyrion looked him right in the eyes and could sense his insecurity without much effort. He lifted one hand and caressed the man's cheek with the back of his fingers. "I wasn't expecting anything," he whispered non-judgementally, "and I still have no expectations. I didn't know Bolians needed anything, and even if I had known I'd still have approached you." He leaned over to gently nip at his cheek. "What are the side effects on you, if you take them, and what are the dangers to me if you don't?"

"The side effects vary from person to person," Kot said. He closed his eyes as the fingers brushed against his cheek and moved his hands to Tyrion's hips. "For me... It's like having the worst hangover of your life in the morning. It feels like someone is pounding a spike into the base of your skull. It makes my kidneys hurt, and there's usually some joint pain."

He realized after saying it that it sounded pretty horrible, but it was something you got used to after awhile if you ever wanted to be intimate outside your species. "I mean, it's not that bad, you know, not much worse than a hard night of drinking. You get used to it. But for you... Well. You'd be fine as long as you didn't have too much contact with my saliva or any contact with, uh...preseminal fluid, and the like. It kinda limits things. If you did, it would feel like the cellular structure of the affected area was breaking down, since that's basically what's happening. Sorry... This ain't exactly turning into the sexist foreplay in the galaxy, unless you've got a serious rash fetish or something."

"No, not that I'm aware of." Tyrion smiled. "I've never been with anyone before, and you don't need to apologize, I asked. I don't want you to feel bad, and I don't want you to suffer either. I don't mind an odd rash or anything, that's easily treated with some analgesic cream, but I'm not one for a fetish no. Why don't we stick to the safe side and just you know, no coitus?"

The 'never been with anyone' comments caught him off guard, but it certainly explained a lot about the evening. Kot smiled and nodded his head in agreement before ducking slightly and kissing at Tyrion's neck. He broke it briefly when he'd kissed his way near his ear. "You're a sweet guy, Tyr..."

He wanted to say he wished things could be different, that they lived different lives that were more compatible with one another, but that was a depressing enough thought; saying it out loud would only make it worse. So instead, he focused on the feeling of Tyrion's skin beneath his lips and kept himself in the moment. If it was only one night, he should at least enjoy it.

OFF:

CPO Tyrion Faye
Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo
[PNPC T'Vanna]

Kot Mott
Subspace Relay Repair Technician
United Federation of Planets
[ NPC - Mott ]

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