The BLTS Archive - Cold Comfort
#$: Home Comforts
by Kalita Kasar (kalitafic@hotmail.com)

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Spoilers: Cease Fire

Comments: After the wild ride of the last segment of this series, I
thought the boys deserved a few "Home Comforts"

Archived to EntSTSlash on 07/08/2003. Archived at EntSTCommunity with
the author's express permission.

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It had been a long day, and Commander Charles Tucker III was glad it
was finally over. He made his way to his cabin looking forward to a
long hot shower--he was sure no one would mind if he deactivated the
timer just this one time--a light dinner, and then sleep, in that
order with no interruptions.

The negotiations between the Vulcans and Andorians had been tense and
stress filled, most particularly when Trip was forced to put
Enterprise in the line of fire between two ships whose captains were
bent on blowing one another to smithereens.

Tucker sighed wearily as he keyed his access code and stepped into the
small cabin he called home.

Crossing the threshold, he halted and stared in rapt amazement at the
room.

For one thing, it was spotless. Tucker had run out in a hurry that
morning leaving his bunk unmade, clothing strewn on the bed and on the
floor, a couple of used coffee mugs on the desk. He'd forgotten about
that and was suddenly very glad that he wasn't faced with the task of
tidying up before he could finally climb into bed.

That wasn't the only change though.

A small smile touched the commander's lips as he moved to the desk and
lifted the cover off a tray.

Catfish, salad, coffee in a flask to keep it hot, and pecan pie
greeted his eyes. He grimaced at an enthusiastic growl from his
stomach.

A Padd lay beside the tray and Tucker picked it up, flicking the power
switch.


"Thought these small 'home comforts'

would help you unwind after a harrowing day.

Love,

Malcolm."


Tucker grinned and swallowed hard as he set the padd down again. It
was just like Malcolm to come up with something like that. The
commander sighed and turned towards the bathroom; first things first.

The bathroom presented him with still more surprises.

A scented candle--was that vanilla?--burned in a holder to secure it
and make sure it couldn't topple off the counter, the lighting was
low. Tucker noticed that the shower timer had already been
deactivated. He smiled and began to strip out of his uniform.

The hot water drumming across his shoulders and flowing down over his
back helped to ease away the tension of the day and Tucker was feeling
relaxed and a lot happier when he stepped out of the cubicle. He dried
himself and put on a bath robe.

Now for that dinner.

As he ate, Tucker reflected that about the only thing that could have
made the evening better was if Malcolm had been there to share it with
him.

He forgot that his one thought on the way here after his shift had
been to spend the evening alone. He glanced at the padd beside his
tray and another smile curved his lips.

He was going to have to think of some way to do something special for
his lover.

They'd had limited time together after they returned from Surrumar.
Tucker frowned as he recalled events on that planet.

Although he and Malcolm had only vague recollections of the telepathic
battle, the captain and Phlox had told them how close Enterprise had
come to losing her two finest officers.

Tucker could only remember that he wanted to protect Malcolm so
fiercely that he was willing to die.

He shook his head and forced his mind away from Surrumar. That was one
planet he wouldn't mind if he never visited again.

Tucker finished his desert and drained the last of the coffee from his
cup. Packing the tray for collection, he stood up and stretched,
scrubbing his hands through his hair as he made his way to the bed.

He was beat and the bed looked real inviting.

It wasn't until he turned back the covers that he discovered the
after-dinner mint, resting on top of a small slip of paper.

Unwrapping the mint, he put it into his mouth as he unfolded the
paper. It was a handwritten note.


"Goodnight, Love,

I hope you enjoyed your dinner;

Sleep well.

Yours,

Malcolm."


Okay this was too much! Tucker laughed and reached for the comm button
beside the bed.

"Tucker to Reed,"

"Reed here, Sir." Reed's voice was all duty, not a hint that he knew
what the call was about.

"Hi," Tucker said, allowing warmth into his voice. "I just wanted to
thank ya for...what ya did."

"Did, Sir?" Mild puzzlement.

"Aw c'mon, Malcolm, you know what I'm talkin' about..." Tucker paused
for a moment. "Are you busy?"

"Not particularly. Is there something I could help you with, Sir?"

Tucker allowed a chuckle as he realized that Malcolm must be somewhere
public. He would have cracked by now and been murmuring endearments
otherwise. A wicked gleam entered the commander's eyes.

"Yeah, I thought you might come on over here and...bring some o'that
vanilla massage oil ya like so much...It'd go real nice with the
candle ya lit in ma bathroom and then I thought maybe ya would..."

"Uh...Of course, Sir..." Reed broke in. "I'll be there in five
minutes. Reed out."

Tucker closed the comm. And lay back on his bunk, chuckling as he
imagined the bright flush of his lover's cheeks. He would probably pay
for that, he reflected, but it would be worth it. He wondered who
Malcolm was with when he called.

He could hardly wait to find out.

---

Malcolm Reed let himself into Tucker's cabin exactly five minutes
after the commander had commed him. Punctuality was something Malcolm
prided himself in, and he could usually calculate to the nearest
minute, how long it would take to reach any part of the ship. He
smiled and studied the sight of his lover, well bathed, well fed, and
stretched out on his bunk staring up at him with a lazy grin plastered
all over his face.

"You look like the proverbial cat that got the cream," Reed said as he
moved to the bed and sat down on the side of it. "I thought you wanted
to be alone tonight?"

"So did I," Tucker murmured, "but...someone convinced me otherwise.
How did you get all that organized?"

"I have contacts." Reed leaned in and kissed his lover, tasting the
traces of chocolate and mint on Trip's tongue.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Yeah...a lot." Tucker pursued the elusive, teasing lips that drew
just out of his reach. "Come back here."

With a sigh, Reed kicked off his boots and lay down on the bed.
Nudging Tucker good naturedly, he told him to budge over.

They struggled to settle comfortably for a few moments and finally
ended up with Reed half lying on top of Tucker.

"Ow!" Tucker complained and squirmed a little. "You got a phase pistol
in ya pocket?"

"Oh!" Reed laughed and reached into the pocket of his uniform. He
produced a small, round bottle. "Massage oil," he replied. "Sorry."

Tucker took the bottle from him and set it on the nightstand. "It's
nice t'have ya here, Malcolm," he said, meeting his lover's eyes. "An'
I can't tell ya how much I appreciated that whole dinner thing..." He
punctuated his comment with a kiss. "Thanks, Darlin'"

"It would be a lot more pleasant if you had a bigger bed," Reed
complained as he shifted position trying to get comfortable again. "I
thought ranking officers got certain privileges..."

"Oh we do..." Tucker grinned up at him. "First pick of all the
handsomest men on the ship."

"Ha ha." Reed shook his head and pulled Tucker into his arms so that
they could share the pillow.

"There is one way I could get a bigger bed," Tucker mused. "Maybe a
bigger cabin too."

"Oh?" Reed looked into Trip's eyes.

"Yeah; married quarters are a little bigger than single. Got double
beds as well..."

"Married quarters?" Reed felt his heart skip a beat and he gazed at
Tucker, unable to credit what he'd just heard. "Are you suggesting..."

"No...I'm not suggestin'" Tucker rose up on one elbow.

Reed's heart plummeted and he looked away.

"Oh."

"I'm askin'," Tucker went on. He touched Malcolm's cheek with a
fingertip. "I'm askin ya. Malcolm Reed...will you marry me?"

Blue-grey eyes met clear blue.

"Marry you..." Reed choked and had to swallow hard before he could
find his voice again. "I...don't know what to say."

"Well, 'yes' would be kinda nice," Tucker said. His eyes began to
darken as Reed hesitated.

"Yes!" Malcolm said. "Yes! A thousand times!" He laughed a sound of
pure joy and pulled Tucker into his arms. "Yes, Charles Tucker, I will
marry you."

Tucker wrapped his arms around his lover and pulled him in for a long,
passionate kiss.

When it ended, both men were breathing hard. Reed looked into Tucker's
eyes.

"This is definitely worth the ribbing I know I am going to catch
tomorrow," he said.

"Ribbin'?" Tucker frowned, "Fer what?"

"For having my superior officer comm me at a Security Training session
and broadcast the fact that I like vanilla massage oil to my entire
Armoury team!"

Tucker convulsed with laughter. "I'd forgotten about that!" He
chuckled for a few seconds. "I knew ya musta been somewhere public...I
couldn't resist."

Reed made a low growling sound in the back of his throat. "Well,
you've entirely destroyed any credibility I might have had." He kissed
the tip of Tucker's nose. "But since you followed it up by making this
the best night of my life so far, I'm willing to let it pass."

With a happy sigh, Tucker snuggled closer to his soon to be husband
and closed his eyes.

"I promise I'll try t'be good from now on."

"I hope not," Reed murmured. He buried his face against Tucker's
chest. "That wouldn't be any fun at all."

---

The End