The BLTS Archive - Good Advice
by Akire (akire@mailcity.com)

---

Spoilers: teeny,tiny one (you know about the pineapple
thing, right?)

Archive: Please! Tell me too so I can come and gloat.

Notes: Leah challenged, my Muses responded. Quick and dirty
(written in.28 minutes, without a beta handy) And there's a
story behind all the conversations :)

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It started with breakfast.

Malcolm had answered his invitation to dine at the Captain's
table, and was tucking into his toast when the Captain
dropped the first bombshell.

"You know, Malcolm, Trip and I have been friends for a long
time. I think I know him better than anyway." Malcolm had
just nodded, too polite to speak with a mouthful of crumbs.
"Anyway, well." The Captain laughed to himself as he
fidgeted with his own napkin. "I'll just say it. I know when
Trip's head over heels in love with someone, and Malcolm,
he's fallen for you. Big time."

The half-masticated toast hit the far bulkhead.

---

Trip growled to himself and snatched up another data padd.
The bloody numbers were matching. He threw himself down the
slatted steps by the warp core and hurtled up the stairs to
the second level. The screens there told him what he already
knew. The Armoury was once again sucking up power like a
Hoover.

"Problem, sir?"

Trip looked over at Hess. "Tell me what you see."

She looked over his shoulder at the data. "A marginal power
drain."

Trip thumped the edge of the console. "The Armoury. What
could they possibly be doing down there that requires even
MORE power."

Hess giggled.

"What!"

Hess shook her head, sighed, and looked around the deck.
"Sir...Trip, listen. I'm your friend, and as your friend, I
have to say something."

"What?"

Hess put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him into a
discrete huddle. "Trip, please, for the sanity of your
engineering staff, just go kiss Malcolm Reed before you
explode."

Trip's jaw hit the decking.

---

"Do you want me to get you something from the mess, sir? A
sandwich or something?"

Malcolm waved his assistant off. "I'm not hungry, but thank
you anyway." In truth, he would probably never be able to
look at a slice of bread again without hearing Captain
Archer's stumbling attempts at a 'fatherly' talk as he
played matchmaker.

Malcolm suppressed a shudder and bent to his work. A few
minutes later, he heard the door to his domain slide open,
and booted footsteps. "That was quick, Crewman."

"Guess again."

Malcolm sat up and turned around, gracing his guest with a
warm smile. "Hello, Hoshi, what can I do for you?"

She came further into the armoury. "I was wondering if we
could schedule another training session."

He nodded. "Of course. How about tomorrow afternoon?"

"Perfect."

His smile faltered as the unnatural silence stretched out.
"Was there something else?"

She bit her lip and took a step forward. "Malcolm, can I
tell you something?"

Malcolm began to get a very bad feeling in the pit of his
stomach. "Go on."

Hoshi licked her lips, her expression one she wore every
time she tried to figure out what to say in a language she
had only learnt two minutes earlier. "How...how do you feel
about shipboard romances?"

Malcolm folded his arms across his chest. "I assume you're
not talking about you, me, and a slice of pineapple cake?"

She laughed, too nervously for comfort. "No, no. Not you and
me." Her eyes met his. "You and Trip."

Malcolm felt his lips flatten into an unfeeling mask. "Are
you implying that Mister Tucker..."

"He's got it for you bad, Malcolm." She laughed, more
relieved than anything. "Whenever you walk into a room, his
eyes follow you around like a love sick puppy." She turned
to leave. "It's kind of pathetic, actually. You might want
to talk to him about it." She then fairly fled the armoury.

Malcolm calmly turned back to his workbench and tried
counting to ten. The tools spread out before him rattled as
he banged his head on the counter.

---

Trip cursed under his breath as he made his way to sickbay.
He was more angry at himself than anything. Yelling at a
crewman for unsafe work practice, he of course had to hurt
himself while demonstrating the 'correct' procedure for that
tool.

Walking into the sickbay, he couldn't see the doctor.
However, he could hear murmured words coming from the
doctor's office. Walking forward, intending to attract
Phlox's attention, he stopped dead when he heard his own
name. Barely daring to breath, he listened.

"...and, of course, Lieutenant Reed seems barely aware of
Commander Tucker's amorous intentions. In fact, it is most
curious to observe, the way he seems content to observe the
object of his affections from afar. He seems to have no
intention of acting on his feelings..."

Trip groaned silently.

"Hello?"

Trip felt like slapping his own face. "Hey Doc, you open for
business?"

As the Denobulan appeared, he held out his blistered hand.
"Got anything for this?"

Tsking, Phlox waved Trip towards the examination bed.
"Actually, Commander, I'm glad you stopped by." Trip kept
his eyes firmly on his battered hand as the Doctor spoke. "I
have noticed recently that you seem to have developed
certain...feelings for Lieutenant Reed..?"

Trip pulled his bandaged hand clear of Phlox and held it up.
"Doc? Please, no. Just...no." Without waiting for the Doctor
to try again, he jumped off the bed and headed for the door.
"Thanks for the bandages."

---

Malcolm walked into his quarters and collapsed on the bed
with an explosive sigh. Between his conversations with the
Captain and Hoshi, and the knowing looks that everyone from
his team to Chef seemed to be throwing him, Malcolm wasn't
really in the mood for dinner.

His door chimed twice. "Enter!"

The door hissed open to reveal Trip, balancing a laden tray.
Without waiting, he strode into Malcolm's quarters and laid
his purloined meals out on the desk before moving to sit by
Malcolm on the bed. Stroking his hair with his good hand, he
smiled. "You look like how I feel, love."

Malcolm grinned and closed his eyes and Trip began gently
massaging his scalp. "I've been getting dating advice all
day."

"Anything good?"

"I should kiss you and put you and your lovesick puppy-eyes
out of your misery, apparently."

Trip laughed. "I was told to kiss you and put myself and
apparently all my subordinates as well out of their misery."

Malcolm smiled. "Who are we to ignore the well-meant advice
of our crewmates?"

The kiss was slow and lingering, a soothing balm that washed
away the stresses of the day. "Good advice," Trip
all-but-purred when they at last broke apart.

---

The End