You Can Look But You Can't Touch Sleepover

Posted on 14 Mar 2016 @ 10:04am by Lieutenant Oren Idris Ph.D. & Petty Officer 3rd Class Ellsworth Hudson

4,096 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Episode 10 - Symposium
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 2, 02-0203 SO
Timeline: MD42 - 22:45hrs

[ON]

Ellsworth turned up at Oren's quarters with his pajamas, personal care products, a fresh uniform for the next morning, and a lot of expectations. Half an hour earlier, they'd concluded their seventh date, which was apparently the magic number for Oren to finally ask him to stay the night. (Ellsworth was pretty sure he could count on one hand the number of people he'd gone on seven dates with.)

It had been a break in the intimacy to get up and go to his quarters, but Ellsworth couldn't stand the thought of not having his hair gel, face wash, Tholian silk pajamas, and various other items at hand before bed. Plus, the walk there and back had given him time to fill his head with all sorts of licentious thoughts in anticipation of "staying the night."

"Can I put my things in the bathroom? Do you have counter space? It's not a lot," Ellsworth said, holding up the bundle of products in his arms as proof.

Oren had answered the door looking just as dashing as when Ellsworth had left him. If he was annoyed at him for leaving practically in the middle of their date, he surely didn't show it. Glancing down at the various bottles and jars in his boyfriend's hands, Oren smiled knowingly.

"Way ahead of you. I made some space for you on the second shelf." And by some space, Ellsworth saw that Oren meant he'd moved everything of his from his bathroom cabinet to the first shelf, leaving the second completely empty.

Ellsworth began carefully arranging everything on the second shelf just so, and all the while he found himself smiling. He knew Oren was a thinker, someone who looked ahead, but he was always surprised to find how it was going to manifest itself next. Making room for his stuff - conceding an area of Oren's personal space and willingly giving it over to Ellsworth - set the younger man's heart to fluttering. It was the sort of thoughtfulness he didn't often get to experience, and it made a deep impression on him such that by the time he finished arranging everything he was practically grinning.

"Okay, I'm settled," Ellsworth said, carelessly tossing both his pajamas and uniform near the sink in order to get his hands on Oren. He was feeling particularly amorous at the moment and felt a need to show it; within record time he had his arms around Oren's neck and their hips nearly pinned together. "I should warn you, Dr. Idris, I need lots of cuddling before bedtime." He brought their lips tantalizingly close and smirked. "So don't get jealous when Landi gets all my attention."

Oren had been going in for a kiss before he suddenly broke out into a chuckle and ended up pressing his nose awkwardly against Ellsworth's before leaning back. "You're ridiculous," he teased, putting his hands around the Betazoid's waist and giving it an affectionate squeeze.

Although Oren had been struggling with the idea of inviting Ellsworth over for the night for the last three dates, he'd always backed out, wondering whether or not it sent the wrong message regarding his intentions. But that night, seeing Ellsworth's sad, kicked puppy look at the door won him over. He decided to bite the bullet, as the old Human expression went, and invite him in. Whatever happened, he would need to deal with it.

Ellsworth made a show of closing his eyes and smiling at the sensation of the hands around his waist. It should have been an easy transition from there to where he wanted to go, but he hesitated for now. They were in new territory, and even he didn't want to rush it too much.

"I bet I can change into my pajamas before you," Ellsworth said, opening his eyes. He suddenly stood on his tip-toes so that Oren's hands went from waist to hips, the sensation of which threatened to send a shiver up his spine. "Whoever loses..." He settled back down flat on his feet, stretched his arms up, and began to bend backwards, far enough that Oren would be forced to accept some of his body weight to keep him upright. "...gives the other a shoulder massage during couch cuddles."

For the life of him, Oren couldn't determine where his next question came from. Probably from years of analysis and questioning things as a researcher. Whatever it was, he wanted to slice it from his brain immediately when it left his mouth.

"What if one of us sleeps naked? Wouldn't that be an unfair advantage."

Ellsworth used his own abdominal muscles to bring himself upright again and locked eyes with Oren almost immediately; he couldn't be sure, but that sounded enough like an invitation that he wasn't about to let it pass him up.

"I didn't know you had a preference for traditional Betazoid sleepwear... Unfair or not, I think the benefits would far outweigh the disadvantages," he replied with a sultry smile. His hands came free from around Oren's neck and slid down his sides to tug at the waistband of his pants. "If I'm going to lose, that's the way I'd want to go down."

'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! Oren's mind screamed as he fought the urge to do something drastic like push Ellsworth away, his mind seeing ahead to how such an action might end the evening on a very sour note. On the other hand, not putting a stop to it felt unfair, to both himself an Ellsworth. To be honest, a large part of Oren's mind had been wishful enough to imagine Ellsworth not taking Oren's invitation to sleep over as anything but that, but the reality of Ellsworth being a healthy, Betazoid adult knew it was just wishful thinking.

Feeling the slight tug on his waistband, Oren pursed his lips, feeling slightly numb, at a loss for how to react.

Having come from a career with its fair share of encounters based on dubious consent, Ellsworth had the sense and the inclination to check. Empathy, body language, and the look in Oren's eyes arrested the movement of his hands and his brow creased with uncertainty. The fingers that were pinched around the cloth of the waistband released, extended, and eventually wrapped themselves firmly and benignly around Oren's waist. He wanted to look away, but, to his credit, he didn't.

"Sorry."

"I'm sorry."

They spoke at the same time, Oren looking back at Ellsworth with a pained look on his face. Although he wouldn't admit it right away, he was happy that Ellsworth didn't pull away. He wasn't sure he could handle it if he did. Unlike Ellsworth, he wasn't completely capable of looking him in the eye, for fear of seeing something there he wouldn't like. Eventually though, he glanced away from the spot on Ellsworth's face to his eyes, out of respect if anything.

"I can't..." he admitted quietly. "I just..." he swallowed hard, looking down at Ellsworth's shoulder again, trying to find the right words.

"You're hard for me to read," Ellsworth said, practically blurting the words out.

They were the truth he'd been trying to put into words since the pair had gotten back together, an explanation for the missteps they'd experienced along the way. Both empathically and otherwise, Oren was in many ways more of a mystery to Ellsworth than the average person; the cues, feelings, and thoughts he could easily pick up on - that he'd come to rely on picking up - from other people just weren't there in the same easily readable way. So instead of always seeing what was plainly there, sometimes he saw the things he wanted to see.

Oren nodded, still biting his lips to the point that, when he finally let them go to speak, they were two shades darker. "I know..." he admitted, feeling guilty for no reason. It wasn't his fault, after all, that El Aurians were more difficult to get a read on than Humans.

"I should talk more, I know," Oren added, looking up to meet Ellsworth's eyes again. "Sometimes, I guess I'm just afraid how you'll react." It was difficult for him to admit, but for once he managed to get it out in a clear sentence, even holding the eye contact and he was satisfied with that.

"Like I love you," Ellsworth said, never relenting on the firm grip that was keeping them intimately close. Some color came to his cheeks and for a moment he looked like he wanted to break eye contact, but he forced himself to be steady. "I mean... I'll probably say or do something dumb first a lot of the time, but, in the end, you'll know that I love you." He hesitated, knowing it was a bit of a loaded word in their relationship, but he finally added, "Promise."

Swallowing hard as he listened to Ellsworth speak, Oren finally nodded. "I believe you," he finally said, suddenly feeling vulnerable with that confession and leaning forward to press his face against Ellsworth's shoulder, taking a moment simply absorb all that he said.

"You'll still stay, right?" he asked after a moment, still feeling an inkling of doubt, but feeling bad about it.

"Yep," Ellsworth answered simply, hoping his casual tone conveyed how effortless it felt for him to commit to it. He was content to just hold Oren for several long moments, finally moving his hands away from his hips to rub his back and cradle Oren's head against his shoulder. Eventually, he asked in a playful tone, "I didn't ruin the sleepover, did I? Cuz, it's just... I already put my stuff in the bathroom, and..."

He felt Oren grin against his shoulder, his grip on him tightening for a second before he pulled back. The expression on Oren's face was a mix of giddy and relieved, and he hoped the shine to his eyes would be chalked up to that instead of the hyper-emotional state he'd been in, seeking refuge against Ellsworth's neck.

"Of course you didn't ruin anything," he assured him, caressing Ellsworth's torso affectionately. "Why don't you go take a shower first and I'll go make up the bed."

Reluctantly, Oren pulled away, letting Ellsworth have his space to go and get ready.

----

Changed and in bed, Ellsworth kept purposely rubbing his legs against Oren's, grinning foolishly at the feeling of the Tholian silk between them. When he was alone, he slept in the nude. (Sometimes even when he wasn't alone.) But in the presence of company he was always delighted to break out his prize pajamas, a very expensive gift from an old client. This was the first time in a long time that he'd been able to wear them with someone and luxuriate in the feeling of the thin barrier between flesh.

Within a few minutes, he'd exhausted his mercurial interest in that and settled down, snuggling up to Oren so that they were sharing a pillow face-to-face. Ellsworth smiled at him - a dopey kind of smile - and traced a finger down the bridge of the El Aurian's nose.

"I want you to know, Dr. Idris, that I am done running away from stuff. I used to do it a lot. But I don't want to do it anymore. I'm happy here."

Oren smiled at the touch, scrunching up his nose a bit but making no move to pull away. "I'm happy too," he replied, takings Ellsworth's hands and entwining their fingers together to lay their on the bed between them.

"I was really afraid you would leave," he admitted into the few inches of space between them. "I know Betazoids are different."

Ellsworth lifted an eyebrow. "You callin' me weird?" He grinned afterward but that gave way to an earnest look. "What do you know about Betazoids, anyway, hmm? Did you have an expedition on Betazed? I thought we'd dug up all our old stuff by now..."

"You did...well, most of it. Intergallactic fame will come to whoever finds something new...or old?" Confused for a moment, Oren shook his head of that trail of thought and forced himself back into the present.

"I studied at the University there. I was also there for a year as a kid when I escaped Bajor," he explained, glancing down at their hands. Running his thumb over Ellsworth's fingers in a gentle caress, he continued. "I didn't really fit in. All the other orphans my age were all hyped up on hormones. I just wanted to be outside and watch the landscapers work. I think the orphanage I was in used to be an old temple ruin or something."

"Oh, mine was in an old temple, too," Ellsworth said.

"I was always cold, no matter what kind of heating they put in," Oren complained, shuddering slightly from a phantom chill before settling down on the covers again.

"But the garden was nice. I used to watch the landscaping crew work all day, planting flowers and trees. They said they planted a Brecilian ash which apparently grows to over 500 ft. It was just a sapling then, but I bet it's giant now."

"Oh, we had a Brecilian ash, too, but it was way big. They're really pretty. Do you think they plant them in all the old temples? It's probably the only thing that will get tall enough to get up past the walls," Ellsworth said thoughtfully. "Of course the leaves got everywhere. I was on the leaf detail. The Leaf Team. All we did was sweep, seriously, like you'd sweep all day and then the next day it looked the same."

Chuckling, Oren shifted a little closer to Ellsworth, enjoying the intimacy of learning more about each other. His time at the orphanage wasn't his favorite period, but sharing it with Ellsworth made the experiences less intense. Softer, somehow.

"I was on window duty. I had to wash murals all day. I swear, I know every curve of the Janaran falls in the East wing to this day." Oren sighed, shaking his head.

Ellsworth's mouth made an O-shape in shock and surprise. His eyes were wide, possibly wider than they'd ever been, and he could feel his heart racing. He wasn't sure why he was getting so excited over it, but he definitely was. So much so that he'd practically smashed himself up against Oren after taking him by the shoulders. "We had a mural of the Janaran falls in the East wing! You don't think..."

"Were you at the orphanage in Rixx? The one next to the suburb where everyone has the same last name and is way too friendly to be normal?" Oren asked, matching Ellsworth's excitement.

"Oh my Goddess, yes! Trivax! You could walk down the street and say, 'Hi, Mr. Trivax!' and like five people would turn around and wave at you with this super weird smile like they couldn't be happier if they tried," Ellsworth gushed. He stared at Oren for a long moment, cheeks flushed with high emotion, and then without warning he kissed him hard and with probably entirely too much excitement behind it, the sort that made your lips ache. "I don't know why I'm so excited. I mean, it was kind of awful there. But... I don't know. I am."

Feeling flushed under the intensity of the kiss, Oren grinned back at Ellsworth. "Me too!" he admitted, reaching up and cupping Ellsworth's cheek. "It was awful when I was there too, but I was only there for a year. This is a weird coincidence." Oren didn't want to call it fate. That would be way too syrupy.

"It's like fate!" Ellsworth exclaimed, wading headlong into the syrupiest of the syrup with great enthusiasm. He was beaming, a grin drawn from ear to ear. "Can you believe it? We looked out the same windows, watched the same stars, walked the same halls... And now here we are, together. It's like a holonovel."

Eyebrows raised, Oren watched Ellsworth gush for a few moments before his expression calmed into one of a deep affection and fondness. He snuggled back into the pillows, looking up at his boyfriend before deciding enough was enough and pulling him down into a kiss to keep him from going overboard with the coincidence. After all, it wasn't like they'd been in the same orphanage at the same time. There had to have been at least five decades between them.

And with that though, Oren suddenly felt like a dirty old and broke the kiss off.

Ellsworth let out a noise of appreciation and settled himself into a comfortable position next to Oren. He let long moments of silence go on while he reflected on their fate. He'd always hated that orphanage. Everything about it. He felt like he'd spent the vast majority of his time there trying to devise ways to escape. It had felt like a prison, cold and ascetic and confined. But now it seemed a little different, a little less terrible. It was a shared experience.

"I love you," Ellsworth said finally, turning his head to look at Oren. He smiled at him, faintly. "I'm sorry you had to be there. But I'm happy we found each other."

"I'm happy we found each other too," Oren returned, returning his smile with a fond look. "I was only there for a year..." he said, pausing then as he contemplated whether or not to tell Ellsworth the whole story. They were supposed to be dating, after all. It only seemed right that Oren share more of himself with Ellsworth.

"I arrived there from Bajor, and my grandmother was supposed to pick me up but she forgot, so I was put in the orphanage. It took her a long time to remember I was even there." Unsure of how Ellsworth would react to that admission, ridiculously, Oren looked down at the inch of space on the pillow between them. As if his grandmother's negligence was somehow his own fault.

Ellsworth blinked. "What? Your grandma forgot about you? How could anybody forget about you?" The amazement went out of his eyes as he brow drew together in consternation. "She took a year to remember to come and get you? What the hell?"

"She said she lost track of time, and she did pick me up in the end," Oren explained, wanting to defend her even though he wasn't sure why. "I was furious then but...I think I kind of get it now. I lose track of time too."

"If you leave me for a year, Oren, and try to come back acting like it was five minutes..." Ellsworth narrowed his eyes for a moment, and it was unclear how serious he was being. "There will be trouble."

Oren frowned, looking down at the space between them on the pillow. He knew Ellsworth was expecting a heartfelt promise from Oren, saying he would never leave him, but what they had still felt fresh and new; exciting. Neither of them knew if they would even last a year. That said, he couldn't help but feel hopeful when he looked into Ellsworth's black eyes.

"I would never leave you for a year. I might be late for some things though."

Ellsworth watched him for a moment, as if weighing his words, and then finally nodded. "Late is okay. Sometimes. Occasionally. I like to be on time." He fidgeted a little. "You know how I am."

"I know," Oren said, smiling knowingly as he scooted closer to Ellsworth until their noses were almost touching. "But I also know you'll forgive me," he added coyly.

"Only if you ask me nicely," Ellsworth said, sliding a hand down to Oren's hip. His smile turned amorous, maybe even a little too amorous, as Oren moved closer to him. He moved in for a kiss that was different from all the previous ones, more insistent and purposeful.

Letting out a soft murmur of approval, Oren returned it with equal fervor, settling his hands on Ellsworth's waist.

The young Betazoid took that as tacit approval and deepened the kiss further. The hand at Oren's hip splayed, and a fingertip worked its way beneath the waistband of his pajamas to run rhythmically along the skin of the "neutral zone." It took some effort, but he kept his breathing measured despite his growing excitement that things might culminate between them.

Breaking away as if to catch his breath, Oren looked slightly dazed from the passionate exchange before his vision suddenly became focused, then worried. "Did I leave any water out for Landi?" Before Ellsworth could respond, Oren slipped out of his arms so sit up, still thinking.

"I don't think I did." As he spoke, Oren was already getting out of bed, running his hands through his hair to push it back from his face as he left the room.

"What," Ellsworth said, half question and half breathy expression of disbelief. His lips were still parted as Oren got up, slipped out of bed, and disappeared to go get the dog some water. Water. In the middle of...everything. He blinked, and then his brow furrowed as he struggled to understand what just happened between them. Had he done something wrong? "O-okay..."

Outside the room, before attending to Landi, Oren leaned against the door for a moment, letting out a long breath to slow down his heartbeat. Landi was on him immediately, whining at him to show her distaste for being left in the living room. Oren smiled, pushing himself off the wall to head for the replicator to get her some treats.

Ellsworth propped himself up on the bed with his elbows and stared at the door. He was almost tempted to strain his empathy to try to give himself more information to work with but his experiences with K'os were still fresh enough in his mind for that idea to leave a bad taste in his mouth. Instead, he just waited. Stared, and waited. And wondered.

A moment later, the doors to the bedroom swished open again and Oren walked back in, immediately crawling up onto the bed, over Ellsworth before lowering himself down to plant a slow kiss on his lips. Just as the kiss was becoming heated, the El Aurian pulled back, much to Ellsworth's frustration and rolled off of him and onto the bed.

"Ugh, I could sleep for days," he announced, slipping under the covers before turning on his side to cuddle up to the Betazoid and rest his head on his shoulder.

Ellsworth was quiet and still, almost rigid. He felt... He wasn't even sure what he felt, aside from aroused. Though that was quickly fading, even after being briefly reignited. He was confused. He thought Oren might have been teasing him. Or maybe Oren just didn't know what to do, and this was the result. Above all, he was disappointed. Disappointed and fully aware he should keep that completely to himself.

"Uh, yeah, me, too," he finally said, turning his head to look at Oren.

The El Aurian was curled up against his side, looking perfectly content with one arm thrown over the Betazoid's middle and his head against his chest. He sighed contently. "You make a good pillow," he mumbled against his silk pajamas.

"You make a good... Pillow user," Ellsworth said, stumbling over the final words for lack of not knowing what to say.

The final flicker of arousal had been snuffed out, and he knew he was supposed to feel content. It was their first official night spent together, and Oren was obviously comfortable enough with him to snuggle right up and fall asleep, like it was natural. That should have excited him. And it did satisfy some emotional need, even as he couldn't help but feel disgruntled over the extreme change in direction that things had taken from what he thought was their projected course.

Ellsworth turned his head suddenly and kissed Oren's head. He could agonize about how much of a puzzle his boyfriend was while daydreaming at work. If he didn't take advantage of the current situation - even if it wasn't the situation he wanted - then he knew he'd regret it later.

[OFF]

Lieutenant Oren Idris
Chief Research Officer
USS Galileo

PO3 Ellsworth Hudson
Quartermaster
USS Galileo
[PNPC Mott]

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