Work Text:
It Wasn't Me
By JaimeBlue
(Technically it was me, JaimeBlue, but it wasn't me! I swear! It was Nell's fault!)
"What on earth am I going to do with you, Lt. Krieg?"
Benjamin Krieg did his best to look innocent as his Captain shook his head, eyes scanning over a long piece of paper on the table before him. "I haven't a clue what you're talking about, Sir."
The look in the Captain's eyes let him know he wasn't believed for one moment. "Every person on this list claims they caught you red-handed, Ben. What have you got to say for yourself?"
"Whatever it is, I didn't do it, Sir."
"Well, if you won't come out with it, let's go down the list together." When no answer was forthcoming from the silent Krieg, Nathan Bridger started reading from the long list of accusations.
"Ortiz's 'ghostly' encounter."
"It wasn't me."
"Lucas' exploding can of soda."
"It wasn't me."
"The indigo dye in the shower."
"It wasn't me."
"A certain strategically placed camera."
"It wasn't me."
"O'Neill's room somehow getting colder."
"It wasn't me."
"Kristin's 'hand cream' that you sold her."
"It wasn't me."
"Crocker's guns filled with powder."
"It wasn't me."
"The last launch you rolled over."
Finally, a crack appeared in Krieg's facade. "Well, okay, that one *was* my fault, but the others..."
"Dammit, Ben, when will you stop lying to me? You were caught. Accept it. Live with it. And maybe admit it for once!"
Ben's face started to fall as he realized that this time, Nathan really was upset, and not just annoyed as he usually was whenever one of Ben's tricks or schemes came to light. "Okay, so I did it all. You happy now?"
"Not really," Nathan replied, frowning as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I can't let you get away with a smack on the wrist this time, you *do* know that."
Grimacing, Ben nodded.
"All right. Two weeks on the deck 6 cleanup crew."
"But Sir..."
"No buts, Ben. I've had it up to here with these immature pranks. I know you're supposed to be the morale officer, but that doesn't mean you and the crew have to act like children."
Suddenly, a small smile crept across Ben's facing, which greatly worried Nathan. "When's the last time you acted childish, Sir?"
Nathan's eyes met Ben's, and his next words wiped the smile off Ben's face. "Just before Robert left home."
With a strengthening breath, Ben dared speak again. "He wouldn't have wanted that, Sir. He would have wanted you to enjoy life as much as he did."
Nathan's face became a mask, pushing back his every emotion. He quickly rose from his seat to leave the room, but was stopped when Ben pulled him back, practically dragging him down into his seat. Ben's hands began kneading into the stiff muscles of Nathan's shoulders as his voice spoke with a haunted tone.
"He used to talk about you all the time, Sir. It was partly my fault, I guess. I just couldn't get enough of his stories. It just threw me how my good friend had something I'd never really believed existed. To me, a father was a man who yelled at you between bottles of beer." The hands on Nathan's shoulders paused a moment before moving once again. "Anyway, I used to wish we could switch Fathers. He didn't go for it, of course, but that didn't stop me from hoping. Turned out to be a good thing though, because over time, I changed my mind."
"Oh?" Nathan asked in genuine curiosity.
"Like him or not, my father's a part of who I am, and I kind of like the guy I see in the mirror each morning." Nathan allowed himself a small chuckle. Suddenly, he felt the absence of the hands on his shoulders as Ben moved around to face him. "And anyway, I think I like having you as a friend a lot more."
"You're still not getting out of cleanup duty, Ben."
"I didn't expect to, Sir."
With a sigh, Nathan rose from his seat, allowing himself to stand face-to-face with Ben. For the first time, he noticed the hint of sadness in the younger man's eyes and really realized that Ben *did* have some idea of what Nathan had lost these last years.
"I miss him too," Ben said quietly, the grief in his eyes deepening momentarily.
Somehow, their shared sorrow drew them into each others' arms for a tight hug, sharing a moment of silence while their thoughts dwelled on those who had come and gone. Nathan could feel Ben start to shiver and pulled back, wanting to reassure the younger man that there was nothing wrong with crying in front of another person. However, he was shocked to find that it was not sorrow that clouded Ben's eyes, and he was almost ashamed to admit that what he *did* find there excited him.
He lifted a hand to brush the hair from Ben's forehead, wondering what Ben saw reflected in his own eyes. In his arms, Krieg was frozen, and speechless - definitely an alien condition for the man with an answer to everything.
The truth was, what Nathan found so frustrating in Ben were the very things that made him like the younger man. He somehow found a way to be both an adult and a child, to watch over the crew like a big brother one moment, only to play immature pranks on them the next. It had been a long time since Nathan had enjoyed that care-free feeling of no responsibilities, of having nobody relying on him but himself, of doing whatever he felt without worrying about the consequences.
Perhaps it was time to recapture some of that which had eluded him for so long.
Putting all thoughts out of his mind, he leaned forward, responding to the desire he'd seen in Ben's eyes by taking the man's lips with his own. Ben remained frozen a few seconds more before relaxing into the kiss, as if finally reassured it was real. The kiss deepened as their arms tightened around each other, until finally they broke apart to
take in much-needed oxygen, their foreheads touching as their bodies shook with restraint.
"Come to my quarters," Nathan whispered, part order, part question, part plea.
"Yes," Ben answered as if there were no other possible response.
Silently, the two rushed out of the room and down the halls, until the door to Nathan's quarters slammed shut behind them, blocking out all sight and sound.
* * *
A few days later, Nathan found himself humming while he and Commander Ford were updating some of the crew lists.
"You're in a good mood," Jonathan said accusingly.
"Mmm hmm," Nathan said, making a correction to the profile in his hands.
"Fine, so don't tell me." The two worked in silence before Jonathan simply couldn't keep silent any longer. "Whatever it is, it's contagious. Krieg's been... well, he's actually been kind of civilized the last few days. Not that I'm complaining."
Nathan smiled as he finished the profile, then rose and stretched.
"I wish I knew who's been influencing Krieg. If only so I can thank them."
Nathan finished his stretch, smiled again, and started for the door. Before leaving, he turned around and shrugged.
"It wasn't me."
As he watched Captain Bridger leave, Jonathan seriously wondered if he was the last sane man left on seaQuest.
The End