#Christopher Pike x Reader x Una Chin-Riley

[unknownfacelessfanfictions]

Hi! I saw that your requests were open, so I was wondering when if you can do where the team meets Fem! Y/n who is mute and is La’an’s twin sister?

Two Parts of a Whole

Pairing: (familial) La'an Noonien-Singh x fem!mute!reader; Crew x fem!mute!reader Fandom: Star Trek Strange New World Words: 4.5K Warnings: Mentions of La'an's Gorn trauma, Spoilers towards season 1 A/N: Thank you so much for requesting!! I hope it's satisfactory because this is the first time I wrote something like that. To be honest, I'm not entirely satisfied with it, but it won't get better. And I'm sorry that it took so long

The promenade of the space station she was currently on was packed and she was grateful that she had been able to get an empty spot on one of the pillars near the airlock. Not only several freighters had arrived almost simultaneously, but also two Vulcan research ships and an Andorian battle cruiser of the Imperial Guard. She had only noticed them in passing, however, as her focus was on the huge Federation starship. The USS Enterprise, NCC - 1701, Constitution Class and the flagship of the fleet. She, however, only cared about, one person on this huge ship.

Searchingly, she bobbed up and down, heel to toe and back again, hands clasped behind her back. Apparently she seemed to be so conspicuous that people were worried, because she was approached by an Andorian woman, quite brusquely, asking if she needed help, but she had quickly waved her aside. She was doing fine, even better than that, after all, she would be able to see her sister for the first time in months.

Perhaps it was a little paranoid of her to worry after such a short time, but the meeting with the Gorn had also left its mark on her. Unlike the rest of her family, she had not been on the SS Puget Sound because she had contracted Bolian smallpox, which was highly contagious, on the space station where they had stopped. Accordingly, she and her aunt, who was also ill, had been left on the station, with the expectation of returning to collect them after two weeks. At that time, no one could have guessed that it wouldn't come like that.

Her world had collapsed that day and, believing she had lost her entire family, she had spent days crying and refusing to eat or drink. And she probably would have gone on with it, had it not been for her aunt, who had begged her that her family had not wanted it that way and that she should not leave her alone. So she had carried on with her life as best she could, but it had seemed hollow and empty to her. Her siblings, but especially her twin, had been her motivation, her joy of life. A life without them had become unimaginable for her.

But just when she had convinced herself that it might, just maybe, be possible to survive without her family, the news arrived. La'an had survived. Her sister was alive. At first she hadn't wanted to believe it, the fear of raising her hopes unnecessarily was too great. Even when they were standing at the airlock, she had vehemently refused to even consider the possibility that she might still be alive. It was only when La'an had thrown herself around her neck, crying, and she had realised that, yes, La'an was alive, that she had been unable to hold on any longer and had cried just as unrestrainedly as La'an.

For the next few months, the twins were inseparable. Neither could last more than a few minutes in a room without the other, and their aunt had caught them both lying close together in bed at night to feel each other's body heat. Over the years, the situation had improved, but she still felt an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach when they were apart for long periods of time. She had been all the happier when she had learned that their paths would cross on this space station.

She herself was only nearby because she had been assigned by Starfleet to look more closely into the culture of Jitrav IV, with which it had only recently made contact. Strictly speaking, she was not a member of Starfleet in the sense of travelling the galaxy, but more in the sense of gathering information and reporting it back. In the past, she might have enjoyed flying through the quadrant in starships and getting to know new civilisations, but after the disaster with the Gorn, she had developed a real phobia about starships.

So she had devoted herself to exploring alien cultures from the safe distance of her home on Earth, but her work had been so distinguished that Starfleet had taken notice and wanted to hire her on one of their ships. She had decided against it, but in the end had gotten a relatively good deal out of it: Although she had to travel by starship from time to time, she would spend longer periods on other planets to learn about their cultures and languages. She documented her research thoroughly and sent it to Starfleet, whereas they paid for all her expenses as long as they remained within reason.

But this fear had not stopped her from getting into the first shuttle to this space station when La'an had told her that the Enterprise would dock there. She had been standing at her spot since early morning so as not to miss her sister. A few minutes ago, the first stream of Starfleet officers had poured onto the Promenade and she had to do her best to calm down. She knew La'an. She would not disembark until she was truly one hundred percent sure that there were no further duties. Knowing that her sister would need some more time, she began to observe the crowd of officers.

Frowning, she realised that most of them were human. She had expected this, but she had also been convinced that there had to be more non-humans on board. She noticed two Tellarites, a handful of Bolians and she thought she caught a glimpse of a Vulcan in a blue uniform out of the corner of her eye.

After twenty minutes of waiting, she saw an Aenar in a red uniform who was accompanied by a young woman in an equally red uniform who was talking intensely to him. Although he seemed grumpy and annoyed and gave the impression that he was not listening, she could see from his antennae directed at the young woman and the fact that she had spent two years on Andoria among Andorians and Aenar that he was listening more than attentively to her. Smiling, she shook her head and turned her attention back to the airlock. What a strange combination.

All in all, it took almost three quarters of an hour until she finally spotted her sister's dark braids, which were tightly braided back, but by then she could no longer be stopped. The promenade had emptied out a little in the meantime, so it wasn't particularly difficult for her to make her way to La'an, who fortunately noticed her in time. The latter fortunately noticed her in time to put her bag down before she crashed into the security officers. " Oof-" La'an groaned, but chuckled softly in response and after a short time of stiffness also put her arms around her to press her twin sister against her.

For a while they held each other tightly, even if it earned them some strange looks from bystanders. When she broke away from La'an, she noticed that she had blushed a little, but she didn't care. You are late, she signed. La'an nodded and smiled a little stiffly. "I know. However, I wanted to make sure everything was ready myself before I went to disembark." The young woman raised an eyebrow. Besides, you had to keep your reputation. La'an rolled her eyes. "Maybe a little."

La'an picked up her bags and followed her. They had agreed in advance to share quarters, so she just followed her to her quarters. Since it was difficult to converse while walking if one had to sign, they walked side by side in comfortable silence without another word to the other. It didn't bother her, as she knew that she and La'an would have plenty of time to talk. At the moment, it was simply important to her that her sister was with her again. Halfway to the lift, however, a voice stopped them. "Lieutenant Singh!"

They turned and she saw two women running towards them, whom she didn't know, her sister by all appearances did. One was slightly taller, had chin-length white-blonde hair and had apparently been the one who had called out to La'an. The other was smaller, had short dark hair and a cheeky grin on her lips. La'an just raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" "We were going out for a drink. Care to join us?" The taller one added with a quick glance at her" That goes for your...girlfriend too of course?" La'an narrowed her eyes. "She is my sister. And no thanks. I'm busy."

However, the two of them seemed not to have caught the last sentence, as the anthropologist and linguist was now the focus. "I didn't know you had a sister, Lieutenant." The blonde propped a hand on her hip as La'an took a deep breath. "Now you know." The shorter one held out her hand, which she hesitantly accepted. "My name is Erica Ortegas, Erica will do. And this is Christine." The blonde waved, but before she could do anything, La'an had placed a hand on her shoulder and hastily introduced her. "She is pleased to make your acquaintance, however we would like some time alone." Christine frowned. "Why don't you let her speak for herself?"

La'an's eyes only narrowed more, whereas she merely smiled in amusement and opened her mouth. Erica and Christine looked at her expectantly, only to look even more surprised when she began to sign instead. I'm mute and La'an translates for me, so it's all okay. She nodded her thanks to Christine. But thank you for your concern. After giving La'an a prompting look, she translated what her sister had said through clenched teeth, clearly annoyed at having been stopped by her colleagues.

Christine smiled but at the same time turned red in the face. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean it." She just tilted her head and nudged La'an. "That's all right. However, I would like to spend some time with my sister now." Erica and Christine, who was obviously still embarrassed by the whole thing, nodded and said a quick goodbye and she gave her sister a reproving look. You could have been a little nicer. La'an didn't respond any further.

Once in their quarters, La'an just barely took off her shoes and threw the bags on the floor before she fell backwards onto her bed and groaned. Her sister smiled slightly and snapped her hand to get her attention, whereupon she opened her eyes languidly. That bad? La'an sighed and sat up. "Well, I wouldn't know how to describe two run-ins with the Gorn any other way." She flinched and if she hadn't needed her hands to sign, she would have reached for La'an's. How? That was all she could bring herself to say, so much were her hands shaking. She knew how much the incident with the Gorn weighed on La'an, even more than on her, and the thought that her sister had had to face those monsters again did not make her feel at all comfortable.

La'an's voice broke several times before she was able to reply. "There were four Gorn ships. On Memorial Day. We barely got away, but we lost several crew members." She swallowed, but when she was asked if she wanted to stop, she replied in the negative. "The second time, we were on a planet, Valeo Beta V, responding to a distress call from a ship that had landed there. There weren't many of us, just a handful, and Enterprise had to move on and..." La'an broke off and her sister, who was now sitting next to her, squeezed her hand. In a shaky voice, La'an continued. "We found two survivors, however one was infected and before we knew it we were dealing with three hatchlings. Cadet Chia and Lieutenant Duke died. We almost lost our chief engineer as well."

But only almost? La'an laughed shakily. "It was more luck than good sense, really. We found out that the Gorn reproduce via their poison and Hemmer, our engineer, was hit. It didn't look good and without Doctor M'Benga on site...." She broke off. Gently her sister patted her back. He's all right though, isn't he? He's alive. "He was willing to sacrifice himself." La'an's voice was no more than a whisper and she had trouble understanding her. "I was the only one in the room with him, I could have stopped him, but I didn't do anything. I was too scared. If it hadn't been for the captain..." She tried to make calming noises to reassure La'an, however this seemed to have the opposite effect as she jumped up.

"No! You don't understand! I was ready to let a colleague, a friend, die because I was too scared! Because if I had thought even for a moment that he was from bloody Andoria, it might have occurred to me that he had a lower body temperature and consequently the process of hatching would be slowed! My fear almost killed Hemmer! How can I be head of security if my fear doesn't allow me to think clearly to protect the people who are under my protection?!"

She was shocked to see tears in La'an's eyes, which she resolutely wiped away. It's not your fault. She stood up and went over to her sister. Do you hear me? It is not your fault. He's alive, that's all that matters. "But I-" She clapped her hands loudly and interrupted La'an. No. It's not your fault, she repeated. Her gaze softened and she stroked La'an's shoulder. You have experienced traumatic things. No one blames you for being afraid. Most would have hidden in your place. Not you. No feelings of guilt. Please. La'an smiled bitterly before hugging her sister. "Thank you."

It took a while for the sisters to let go, but when they did, La'an seemed a lot more relaxed than before. At least, as relaxed as she could be. You have an Andorian as chief engineer? La'an frowned. "What makes you think that?" You said Andoria. "He's Aenar. They run even colder than Andorians. Don't ask me why though, I'm not a doctor."

I know. She grinned cheekily at her and they both had to think back to the incident in their childhood where La'an had tried to treat her wound with baking paper that did not absorb liquids. La'an smiled slightly. "I was six." So was I. Knew better anyway. She frowned briefly. Think I saw your chief engineer. "Oh yeah?"

She nodded. About that tall? She raised her hand. Red uniform. Grumpy? La'an smiled. "Sounds like Hemmer. Was he in company?" She nodded. Woman, small, short hair, black, red uniform. Talked a lot. La'an chuckled softly. "And that would be Uhura. She's a cadet, but one of the best linguists around. And she's somehow managed to befriend the grump of the ship." I didn't know you guys were friends. "Haha."

But he looked okay. Not hurt. A little grumpy, but healthy. "If that's your attempt to tell me it's all okay, stop. It's not making it better." She gave a silent sigh. Fine. But you need distraction. And relaxation. Her mind wandered back to the conversation from before. Fancy a drink?

~**~

It was like pulling teeth to convince La'an to go to the bar, but in the end she won and, followed by a somewhat grim-looking La'an, went down to the promenade, which by now, due to the hour, had filled up again. Which one do you want? Take your pick. La'an sighed and finally pointed to a larger establishment that formed the centre of the promenade. "If we're going to drink, let's do it properly." Her sister grinned and together they entered the room.

It was already well filled, yet she was still able to grab a small booth for them while La'an went to the bar to return with two colourful drinks. "Well then," La'an sighed as she slid into her seat and raised her glass. "To a wonderful evening." Her facial expressions were far too exaggerated, yet she didn't care. Cheers, she signed back, before picking up her glass herself and clinking her glass against her sister's.

The glasses clinked softly, the sound drowning in the noise around them, and in sync the sisters downed the drink. But while La'an remained expressionless, she screwed up her face and hastily put the glass down. What is this!!! La'an smiled to herself, which caused her sister's expression to darken further. "A little bit of everything." She screwed up her face. I'm going to have the hangover of my life. "Probably." Thank you for your compassion.

La'an grinned, however that smile faded as she looked past her sister. "Oh God." She turned, following La'an's gaze until her own gaze lingered on a group of people in Starfleet uniform. There were four people, three men and one woman, if she was so free to take that in. One of the men seemed to be "leading" the group. He wore a yellow and gold top, had silver and grey hair and a cheeky grin on his lips as he talked incessantly to the woman, also dressed in yellow. The latter had tied her dark hair into a high plait and did not look very impressed, but had a narrow smile on her lips. The other two were dressed in different shades of blue. One was slightly shorter, had a beard and was giving her dad vibes, whereas the other was clearly a Vulcan, his arms behind his back and one eyebrow raised sceptically.

The first man seemed to notice them because his face lit up and he waved at La'an before turning to the others, whereupon the group of four came towards them. La'an narrowed her eyes. "Just what I needed." Her sister gently slapped her arm and gave her a reproving look before the group was already beside them. "Hi." The man smiled broadly at her and briefly she wondered if this man had ever considered becoming a model for dental advertising, so white did his teeth appear. "Would it be okay if we joined you, La'an." The woman interposed. "Unless of course you'd like some time alone, which would be perfectly understandable." At that she gave the man a stern look, under which he shrank but his smile did not.

La'an glanced briefly at her sister before, in the face of the hopeful smile, she sighed in surrender and slid up a little to make room for the four. As everyone looked at her more or less expectantly, she took over the introductions. "This is my sister. She is currently working on Jitrav IV as a xeno-anthropologist. This is Captain Christopher Pike, Commander Una Chin-Riley, Lieutenant Spock and Doctor Joseph M'Benga. We serve together." She grinned at La'an. Oh really, I would never have guessed. La'an just rolled her eyes, however, she seemed to have caught the interest of the others.

The Vulcan, Spock, raised his eyebrow. "You use sign language." Mockingly, she raised her eyebrow in turn. Oh do I? I hadn't noticed. La'an snorted into her drink and tried to suppress a laugh. "What did she say?" Pike looked at her as if she was the most intriguing thing he'd ever seen, which flustered and confused her in equal measure. It wasn't that special now. La'an cleared her throat. "That she is pleased to make your acquaintance." Indignantly, she slapped La'an's arm. I didn't say that! "Subtext," La'an added, which earned her a snort.

She then turned her gaze to Spock. I am mute. Sign language is therefore my only way of communicating with others. It has been done that way for centuries. La'an translated for her without twisting the words in her mouth this time. Well, hands. M'Benga cleared his throat. "I thought there were treatments by now." She shook her head. No long-term ones. Besides, the risks are too great. After that, the four of them left it at that and they returned to a more relaxed conversation. At least they tried to, since most of the conversation was really just Pike and her, La'an's translations excluded, and the occasional comment from M'Benga. Una spoke up from time to time, as did La'an, but Spock was silent almost the entire time.

After half an hour, their drinks were empty and Pike offered to get more, which everyone agreed to, but he came back with two more people in tow, though she had already seen them. "Look who I ran into. Thought it would be nice to add to the fellowship," Pike grinned as he placed the drinks on the table, pointing to the Aenar and the young woman standing behind him. While the Aenar, Hemmer if she remembered correctly, looked just as grumpy as before, the young woman, Uhura, smiled all over her face and instantly locked eyes with her.

"Hi, you're Lieutenant Singh's sister, aren't you? The Captain had mentioned it." She held out her hand. "I'm Cadet Uhura, but please call me Nyota. This is Hemmer and don't worry," she leaned down a little towards her, "He's only half as grumpy as he looks." Hemmer scoffed. "I'm blind, not deaf, Uhura. I heard you." Nyota blushed but didn't apologise and on closer inspection, she could see that Hemmer didn't really look mad. She smiled at them both and quickly introduced herself. To her surprise, La'an didn't even bother to translate, as Nyota seemed able to do so herself.

"Oh, that's a beautiful name." You know sign language? Apparently one could see the surprise on her face, because Pike laughed softly. "Uhura is quite talented with languages, you might say." For the first time in half an hour, Spock spoke up. "Cadet Uhura speaks over thirty-seven languages, so by human parameters, she is more than 'quite talented'." Her jaw dropped? Thirty-seven? You're too good for this ship. That elicited a laugh from Uhura and after they had all scooted up, the other two had also squeezed onto the bench, Hemmer a little more reluctantly than Uhura, which was why she was now squeezed between La'an and Pike. There were worse things.

In time, they were joined by Erica and Christine, who had a young man named Sam Kirk in tow, which was the moment they decided to move the whole thing to a larger table. Now seated between M'Benga and Hemmer, facing La'an and Uhura, she noted with relief that her sister seemed to be starting to warm up. She knew that La'an would have preferred to be alone with her, but they would have plenty of time for that and at the moment she simply enjoyed being among so many people, which was not really common in her job, with the constant changing of places.

However, after almost another half hour of the crew telling their stories in Starfleet, including the amusing part of the Gorn disaster where Hemmer and Uhura were shot off the ship (Uhura confessed, admittedly a little drunk, that Hemmer had looked like a meerkat. The latter had protested, but his antennae and dark cheeks had betrayed him), they turned their attention to her and her profession. Patiently she answered, with La'an's help, until Uhura asked a question that made her think of something. "How do you manage to do your job with people who don't speak SSL (standard sign language)?"

For a moment she paused and frowned. What do you mean? La'an quietly translated for the rest and Uhura shifted back and forth in her seat. "Well, you meant that you were getting to know the native inhabitants of the planets to study their culture and the intricacies of their languages more closely, but how-" -can I do that without speaking myself? Uhura nodded and she smiled at her. One moment.

She rummaged in her trouser pocket and pulled out ten rings, each of which was connected to another, smaller ring with thin steel bands. She slipped them over her fingers so that the larger ring sat on her knuckle and the smaller one just below her fingernail. She then rolled up her sleeves to reveal two bracelets, one on each wrist, which she tapped on for some time until they beeped briefly and began to glow blue.

I don't need to speak. I have these. She signed, but a tinny female voice spoke for her. The people around her stared at her with wide eyes and of course Spock was the first to catch himself to ask a question. "Why didn't you use that before." It isn't complete. She regarded him with narrowed eyebrows as the voice continued to translate for her. It's missing the sensors for the face, arms and torso that I usually wear. Sign language is not just language of the hands. Is complex.

She looked down at her hands. It's not exact and I have to sign very slowly and clearly for the right thing to come out. Besides, it's slow. Takes longer than living translator. Not a problem with speeches, awkward with conversations. With that, however, she seemed to have caught Hemmer's attention. "Sure the whole thing couldn't be calibrated more sensitively?" She shrugged. Don't have a clue about such things. Starfleet takes care of that sort of thing. However, this is just a prototype, better is to come soon. Apparently she had signed too quickly and uncleanly this time, because the voice didn't spit out "Starfleet" but "Stargazer". Annoyed, she frowned and deactivated the bracelet.

"I think it's cool," Nyota declared, smiling broadly, which earned her a slight smile as well. Quite a bit.

After that, the conversation turned back to more mundane things and no one talked about the bracelets, even though she sensed that Hemmer was tempted to get his hands on them. He did not say so, but his antennae twitched conspicuously in her direction. After two hours, however, La'an and she decided to leave. This was accompanied by a series of disappointed noises, but they did not let themselves be brought down. After promising Uhura to polish up her SSL and Hemmer that he could look at her speaking aid tomorrow, she and La'an wished everyone a good night before they left the bar.

In the lift, they leaned against the wall and La'an heaved a sigh. "This is not how I had imagined my evening to be, if I'm honest." But it was still nice, wasn't it? La'an pursed her mouth. "Tolerable." She grinned at La'an. I can live with that. She pinched her sister's cheek to keep her attention. I like them, all of them. They're nice. La'an shook her head with a smile. "Especially Uhura though, right?" It's always nicer to talk to people who understand you without you. The lift doors opened and La'an pulled her behind her. "Come on. You owe me another game of cards and this time you won't be able to wriggle out of it."

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@bigblissandlove1 @akamitrani

[starryeyes2000]

Weekly Digest: 12/11/2022

Story Updates for the week of December 5 - December 11, 2022

Trust Love One More Time: Chapter 12 * McCoy x Fem!OC (Cara) 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

The Road Back: Chapter 28 * Pike x OFC (Aalin) 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

Trust Love One More Time Masterlist 

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Taglist: @arrthurpendragon @ocappreciation@ ocappreciationtag @bardic-tales @themaradaniels @chickensarentcheap

[elen-aranel]

Helloo~ May I make a Christopher Pike x reader request? It's a month old scuttlebutt, that the captain is involved with you, based solely on misconstrued events (leaving the direction of his quarters early morn in a rumpled uniform, stopping by medbay for a 'shot') Everyone knows that everyone knows, from cadet to captain. Except you don't. And noone has bothered checking. And the captain finds it funny (and you 'apparently' don't mind either as you've not bothered to shoot it down) so any moments you two have in view of others, he gives you a conspirational wink with some flirty banter. You think (hope) he's really flirting and not just being friendly.

Is it a bit much for a request? If so lemme know. Or i can commission? Idk. The idea hit me and it made me giggle with all the ways it could go.

Thank you so much for the request, and for your patience... this took a while! I hope you like the direction I've gone with it <333

Common Knowledge

Pairing: Christopher Pike x F!Reader (no Y/N) Warnings/Notes: Reader wears the dress version of the standard SNW uniform. Food mentions, alcohol mention. WC: 5.8k

It all starts the morning after you spent gamma shift in a Jeffries tube. Well. Several Jeffries tubes, in fact, chasing down an issue with a relay that had blown and taken a bunch of circuitry out with it, including some life support systems.

You’re feeling good, though, as you step out into the corridor on a deck full of crew quarters. Yes, your red uniform dress is creased and you’re in dire need of a shower, but the relay and the burned-out circuitry are replaced, and all systems are back online.

You deserve a water shower, not a sonic one, you tell yourself as you head toward the turbolift, nodding to the occasional officer as you walk by them. You just need to make sure the ops console on the bridge is reading everything correctly, then your duty shift will be done.

“Commander, Lieutenant,” you greet Lieutenant Commander Chin-Riley and Lieutenant Ortegas as you enter the turbolift. Unlike you, they both look fresh and ready to face the day. Number One nods in greeting, but Ortegas looks you up and down quite blatantly, and you find you’re trying to smooth your skirt despite yourself.

“Long night?”

“I—” you start, but before you can reply—

“Computer, hold. Open the doors,” Commander Chin-Riley says, and as you turn, Captain Pike is walking into the lift. And somehow, even though you’ve been on the Enterprise for a while, you’re never not struck by his presence. His broad shoulders. How handsome he is.

“Good morning, Number One, Ortegas. Lieutenant.” He puts an odd weight on your title, even though of course he knows your name, and then your mind goes blank as he winks one of those blue eyes.

“C-captain,” you stutter, well aware of Ortegas trying to stifle a laugh next to you.

“Sleep well?” Una asks, something knowing in her voice, after the captain directs the turbolift to the bridge.

“I’ve had… more restful nights,” he says, and looks at you sideways, doubtless taking in your rumpled dress and less-than-fresh appearance. “Like the lieutenant here, I’d wager,” he adds, and you must have missed a memo somewhere because this ‘lift ride has gotten very weird, very fast.

You decide keeping quiet is your best bet — it’s a short ride, thank goodness.

But you can’t shake the feeling that there are eyes on you as you finish your work on the bridge.

It may have started in a Jeffries tube, but it continues in sickbay.

You appreciate knowing sickbay is there. Doctor M'Benga and Nurse Chapel are skilled at their jobs, and you’ve had cause to be grateful for them when accidents happen, from a pulled muscle during a workout to a painful plasma burn from faulty equipment.

That doesn’t mean you love getting your quarterly check-up and shots. But you decided early on in your career that you weren’t going to be one of those people doctors had to chase for their physicals. Every three months you turn up. You’re due for routine vaccinations against some common alien viruses that human immune systems need reminders about, and your contraceptive shot.

Not that you really need it, of course. You aren’t getting any. The closest you’ve been since you joined the Enterprise was Lieutenant Paulson, a senior engineer who sometimes commands gamma shift when you’re on that rotation. He asked you out to dinner on Starbase 1, and while you like him as a person, you had to decline. You’d known him for a while, and never felt any kind of spark. And there’s been no-one— there’s been almost no-one else on the ship that you’re interested in. But still, you get your shot.

Today your appointment is during your shift. You didn’t want to be interrupted; you’re working on a new scanning device to be used on a planet with an unusual combination of atmosphere and magnetic field, which affects the resolution of normal scanners. So when your reminder went off you kept hold of your PADD, and you carried on entering the design parameters as you walked.

“Woah there,” a voice cuts through the equations you’re focussing on, and you feel hands on your arms, steadying you as you stumble.

As it turns out, walking with a PADD is a mistake.

Especially when you walk straight into the captain in the corridor outside sickbay.

“Captain! I’m so sorry! I—I was— I’ll pay more attention.” You look up, flustered, into his blue eyes, suddenly keenly aware of the bulk of him, of the controlled strength in his hands.  Happily, he seems amused rather than annoyed, that half smile playing about his lips.

“I do admire your... dedication, Lieutenant, but you’re right. Paying attention is a good idea.”

And as the doors to sickbay swish open, letting Chief Kyle and one of your fellow engineers out onto the corridor, you realise the captain hasn’t moved. You’re still in his space, and he’s still holding you.

“Captain, Lieutenant... are you joining us?” Nurse Chapel looks as though she’s suppressing a smile. “You’re, uh... both here for your quarterly shots, right?” she adds, as Pike finally steps back, and you walk with him into sickbay. You nod, mutely.

“Yes. Timed it perfectly this time, didn’t we Lieutenant?” he says, and he grins at you, knowing.

“Sure,” you find yourself saying, sitting down a little abruptly on the biobed Doctor M'Benga indicates. Is Pike… flirting with you? Or just being his usual warm self?

“This shouldn’t take too long. I’m sure you want to get back to your... duties.” M'Benga looks meaningfully at Pike, who shrugs, a picture of innocence.

“Can you blame us?”

You can’t help your smile.

But actually, now you really think about it, maybe you’re wrong.  Maybe it started with the onions.

You have a shift free, moving from nights to days as you do on a semi-regular basis, since some edict came down from Starfleet that people shouldn’t just work nights for health reasons. It doesn’t entirely make sense to you; you’re on a ship, so it’s not like anyone has a real day or night, but being able to socialise with people who are always on alpha is a plus, and you suppose the same rules apply to planetary bases which do have day and night.

The captain has invited you to dinner. That isn’t special, even though you wish it were – he likes to get to know the whole crew in an informal setting, and it’s just your turn. And maybe you over-think it just a little, during the day, planning what to wear to make yourself look pretty but not like you’d tried too hard.

Either way, you are early. You only realise as you press the chime for the door, when it’s too late to back out.

But the captain’s smile is warm and welcoming. “Hi, come in, come in. You any good with a vegetable knife?”

You grin in return, relaxing. “Yes sir. It’s been a little while, but I can chop.”

“Chris. We’re not on the clock right now.”

“Yes, Chris.” You follow him into the kitchen area of his quarters, taking in the fire, the view of a green forest through the windows, all the details that mark the space as his.

“Excellent. That spatial anomaly today— well. I’m playing catch-up here.”

“Oh wow, you really are...” the vegetables are all laid out ready, and there are a lot. But then, you don’t know how many people will be here. “Set me to work. How do you want the carrots?”

Pike’s knives are sharp and well balanced, and it’s easy to chop carrots into even circles, and to dice potatoes into neat cubes. You chat, too, about the food he’s making, and the special unit he had the ship’s botanists set up to let him grow fresh herbs in space.

You’re pretty much on autopilot by the time you get to the onions. You know the technique: you slice them in half through the root, then make sure you don’t cut the root again as you cut from close to the root to the tip, then across into chunks.

“So, there’s something I’m curious about,” you say as you grab the next onion.

“Oh?” Pike pauses for a moment, hand poised over the control for the oven.

“The forest overlay you have for the windows. Is it somewhere special to you? It’s really lovely.” You blink a little as you chop. Perhaps you got a lash or something in your eye.

Pike presses the control on the oven, then turns to look at you. “No, actually it’s—” he frowns. “Wait, are you all right?”

You blink again. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” Your brow draws together, and you put your knife down, turning to him a little more.

“Because you’re crying.” He starts towards you.

“Oh, damn.” You can feel it now — that tell-tale sting in your eyes. You look down at your chopping. “The onions. But I was being careful.” You sigh, blink again, and feel a tear roll down your cheek.

“If there are a lot it doesn’t matter how careful you are. I’m sorry, I should have done them.” He reaches past you, and you’re terribly aware of him in your space. He pulls off a piece of kitchen towel.

 “It’s not your fault—” the words die on your lips as he turns to face you, blue eyes filled with concern.

“I’ll just—I don’t want you to use your hands—” and he takes the towel and dabs your face, and you suck a little breath in at his closeness, wondering why it has to be in a circumstance like this, when the door chime goes. “Enter,” he says, distractedly, blotting away one more tear before stepping back. “There. No harm done. But you should wash up. Ah, Spock, perhaps you can take over the chopping.”

You look round to see that Spock, Sam Kirk, Ortegas and Uhura have all walked in, just in time to see you with red eyes from the onions. At least, you think as you wash the onion off your hands, your makeup is waterproof.

Regardless of how things did or did not start, you’re pretty sure the captain only thinks of you as a friend. That this flirting is just a joke between the two of you... even if you wish it were real. Either way, you decide you might as well enjoy it.

You get back to the transport point from your solo hike on Chi Orianis Prime – it’s beautiful, with fluffy peachy-pink grass that’s soft underfoot and smells very slightly citrus-y when you tread on it, interspersed with lavender coloured bushes, with views of blue lakes and red mountains in the distance – right as Pike gets back from his fishing trip. Given how he’s carrying his cooler, it must have been a successful one.

You’re just about to ask him about it when Chapel and Ortegas arrive, with Uhura and La’an in tow, laughing together. They’re wearing t-shirts and shorts and sandals, carrying towels — clearly back from the beach, La’an actually looking like she might have caught the sun a little.

You take a step closer to him.

“Enjoy your trip?” The smile on Erica’s face is just a little too innocent.

“Yes, thank you. Wouldn’t have been the same without the lieutenant here, though.” Pike catches your eye, and you smile back at him, sappy, playing along.

“The captain’s right. We had a good time.”

None of your close friends wanted to go to movie night with you tonight. They’re showing a classic 20th century Earth film, Casablanca, and none of them were interested in seeing something that old. But it seems pretty popular with the rest of the crew when you get there. You pick up some popcorn first, wondering once again whose idea it was to put a Starfleet delta on the containers, and you head to find a seat.

Maybe it was a good thing your friends didn’t come. There aren’t too many spaces left when you go to sit down, but there are a few seats a couple of rows in front of where Spock and Nurse Chapel are sitting together. You settle in, allowing yourself three pieces of popcorn before the lights go down.

And right before they do, Pike slides into the free seat next to you.

“I thought you were going to stand me up,” you tell him, tilting your popcorn container over.

“A gentleman would never,” he replies, and you can hear the smile in his voice as he takes a piece.

The back of the shuttle is open to the bay, and Cadets Novakova and Manuel, on engineering rotation, are standing inside it with you, PADDs in hand. You’ve popped a panel off the inside of the shuttle, and you indicate a junction point.

“So, okay. You want to interplex the circuitry here. What will be the result of that? What are you hoping to achieve?”

“Well, the increased signal strength will improve thruster response time and efficiency.” Manuel says, shrugging his broad shoulders like it’s obvious.

“Yes, and we need better responsiveness for the planet. The atmospheric differentials are almost out of spec.” Novakova nods. “This is the easiest way to achieve that.”

“All right. And looking at the systems in front of you, will there be any other consequences?”

“No, there shouldn’t, it should just—” there’s a pause, then Novakova steps back, playing with a twist of her blonde hair as she considers. “Wait. That pathway, it connects to the impulse engine as well, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it does, and the boosted signal would go through there too…” Manuel’s fingers fly over his PADD.

They look at each other as the penny drops, and you notice Pike in the bay, listening in. You tilt your head and raise a brow in a silent invitation, but he shakes his head a little, content to observe.

“So if we interplex the circuitry there, we will get an increase in thruster efficiency, but at the expense of introducing instability into the impulse control matrix.” Manuel sighs.

“You’re flying along, minding your business and then boom. Impulse reactor overload.” Novakova winces. “I didn’t see that.”

You nod. “You didn’t. Because neither of you really looked. For what it’s worth, it would probably have worked on the shuttles at the academy. But these are a different model. You have to work with what’s actually in front of you. That’s half the battle.”

“Wise words, Lieutenant.” Pike leans into the back of the shuttle, and you can’t help your smile at the praise as the cadets turn to acknowledge him. “The two of you should take them to heart.”

You're sitting on a bench in the bar, sipping a favourite drink, listening to Ensign Thyra play an Earth guitar but sing a wistful sounding song in her native Andorian, when Lieutenant Ortegas sits down next to you. And then Nurse Chapel sits on your other side.

“So, you and the captain. How’s that going?” Christine’s opening is straight to the point.

You give her a sceptical look. “It... isn’t? Hi to you too, by the way.” You turn to Erica. “To both of you.”

“Oh, come on. You guys are not subtle.” Erica rolls her eyes. “It’s been scuttlebutt for weeks. Me, Number One,” she starts counting off on her fingers, “Christine, Mbenga, Uhura...”

“Sam Kirk,” Christine adds.

“Yes, Sam Kirk, Spock, La’an...”

 “We’ve all seen it. I even heard the cadets talking about it. Everyone knows.”

You shake your head, putting your drink down on the table in front of you. “We’re not... I don’t—” you look from one to the other. “There’s nothing between the captain and me.” You take a breath. “He flirts, sometimes I flirt back, but it’s just a joke.”

“Doesn’t look like a joke to me.” Christine says, her voice soft, almost sympathetic.

Erica shrugs. “It’s okay. You don’t have to admit it, if you guys are keeping things to yourselves... We just wanted you to know that we’re happy for you. Pike should have someone on the ship. And you. You should have someone too.” Her smile as she stands to leave is genuine.

“I—I’m not hiding anything. But thanks, I guess? I appreciate the sentiment.”

Arriving early when the captain invites you to a crew dinner is your habit now. You enjoy helping with prep when you can, and having a quiet moment to chat with Chris.

But this time you use the computer to check that others have arrived before you get there. You try to relax; these are your friends, Chris is your friend, but with what Erica and Christine said… you feel self-conscious. Second guessing everything you do and say.

 You leave as soon as you can without being rude.

You feel a bit self-conscious with work, too, although you try to bury it. Especially with Pike piloting the shuttle for this mission. You’re sitting in your tactical uniform in the back of shuttle Kepler with Spock, Sam Kirk, La’an, and a couple more science officers. You would expect Kirk especially to pass some comment, but even he is quiet, because Zeta Lyrae VI’s wind shear is every bit as bad as science predicted.

A long-range scanning probe identified it as a possible source of dilithium as well as some other useful minerals — visual scan only, though, because the strange magnetic field prevented scanning of the interior. But that’s where the scanner you developed comes in. The visual scan also tagged some potential ruins which Kirk will investigate, and there’s general surveying to do too.

You grit your teeth against the turbulence. You trust that the captain’s piloting skills and the modifications you and the cadets made to the shuttle will see you safely to the ground, but you still feel motion sick. You know, though, there are pattern enhancers in the cargo. Perhaps you’ll be able to beam back up.

The turbulence lessens as you get deeper into the atmosphere, but you’re still very glad when the shuttle touches down. There’s a metallic tang to the air as the shuttle door opens, but it’s cool and refreshing despite that, and you take a deep breath, settling your rolling stomach, before you get to work.

The dawn sky of Zeta Lyrae IV is muted shades of pale blue and grey, warming a little to mauve-pink at the horizon, where the two suns have just risen. Barren-looking plains stretch out in front of you, with a river lazily meandering across, and there are hills leading to mountains not far away to your right. It’s hard to make out, but the lines of dark stones partially embedded in the ground to your left could well be the remains of a wall, and there are other, more defined structures further away in that direction.

“Lieutenant, you have everything you need?”

“Yes sir.” You lift your last case again, the heavy one, and try to keep your face blank at the weight of it. You know you’ll be feeling it tomorrow, but its contents were too large for your backpack. “I’ve identified a site two kilometres away that’s suitable for the scanner base. Enhanced scanning should be online within an hour.”

Pike nods. “Kirk, La’an, you have the ruins. Spock, the science survey is yours.” He turns to you. “Let me help with that.”

“I’m fine, honestly,” you protest as Pike takes the case from you, fingers brushing yours for one tiny electric moment.

“We’ll make quicker time if we share the load. Which I’m sure Spock will appreciate.”

“Aye, sir.”

You notice that there’s no flirtatious comment today.

This planet feels a bit like a dream, with its dead quiet, muted colours, pearly grey sky and the two suns gently highlighting the landscape. The only evidence you can see of the turbulent atmosphere are the occasional blue-green clouds scudding quickly across the sky.

You pick your way through the pathless terrain, looking for any signs of life. While there are scraps of ragged looking vegetation here and there, a lot of it seems dead, and the planet as a whole seems mostly barren.

You don’t make conversation; there’s something about the planet’s quiet and your confused emotions that steals your ability to make small talk, and Pike is quiet too. There’s just the sound of two pairs of boots crunching on the ground.

Until you almost step on a flower: a seven petaled bloom in the shape of a star, pale blue in the middle deepening to grey-purple just at the tips. You pause to get a better look, to see if there are any others like it nearby, but it seems solitary.

“Are you all right, Lieutenant?”

You look up to see Pike has stopped too, mild concern on his face.

“Yes sir, I’m fine.” You straighten up. “I just... this flower is the only one I’ve seen, and I wonder... is it the last gasp of the life that used to live on this planet, or is it a glimpse of hope for the future?”

Pike glances at the flower, but his focus is on you when he speaks. “We’ll likely never know, but I... I choose hope.”

The site you chose from the visual scan is obvious when you get there. You’re at the edge of the hills, and there’s a grey cliff curving round one edge of a flat open area. Geophysics had identified it as a potential location for dilithium, and as you get close you can see veins of the pink crystal running through the rock.

Now you just need to find out how much there is.

With Pike helping it doesn’t take too long to set the scanner up. You start with the base in the case he was carrying, and together you fold it out into a large circle, locking struts and its three legs in place.

You attach the probe that will drill into the soil, the antennas to communicate with the smaller unit near the shuttle and with the Enterprise, and to facilitate scanning in the atmosphere. Finally, you attach the computer from your backpack which is the brains of the system — you can’t help your private smile of satisfaction as it comes online. The shuttle is far enough away that its systems don’t affect the sensitive scans, and when the probe deploys and calibration data flows straight through immediately.

You talk to Commander Pelia and Lieutenant Spock on comms, making adjustments on the fly to the different parameters, optimising the uplink from the scanner and away team’s tricorders to the Enterprise.

Pike checks in with La’an at some point, but next time you look up you see he’s a little way away, tricorder out, following a standard scanning pattern working outward from where you are. You’re a little surprised he didn’t tell you that’s what he was going to do. Then the scanner beeps as the drill returns a result outside expected tolerances, pulling your focus.

It’s easier to get lost in your work than think about him, and for a long while, you do.

“Lieutenant, do you see that?” There’s a note of concern in Pike’s voice, and you follow his gaze to the horizon to your right.

It almost looks like a distant rain shower would on Earth, but there are green lights sparking all through it. Like lightning but less directional. You take a breath, and realise the metallic smell has intensified, to the point you can almost taste it.

“Yes, sir, I do.” You turn and meet Pike’s eyes.

“Plasma storm?”

“Plasma storm.” You redirect your scanner’s gain to maximum in that direction, sacrificing resolution elsewhere.

Pike’s tone is rueful. “Should’ve known when I scanned a burned patch of vegetation. It must have developed quickly.”

“Looks like it’s moving fast, too.”

“I’ll contact the rest of the away team, have them meet us at the shuttle. You start packing.”

“Sir,” you reply, distracted, already deep in the scanner readouts. You vaguely hear Pike calling Spock, then La’an, but you’re focused on one last scan.

“Lieutenant? I gave you an order.”

“Yes sir, you did, but look.” You point to the readout of the storm’s speed on the screen. “Scans show that even if we leave right now, we can’t make it back to the shuttle before the storm hits. We don’t even have time for them to pick us up.”

Pike frowns. “Options?”

“The cliff. There’s a cave system behind it. I don’t think there’s an entrance close enough, but...”

“Phasers? All this dilithium makes it risky.”

“Plasma burns are no fun, sir. I would know.”

He raises a brow. “Sounds like a story for later. All right. Let’s do this.”

You grab your phaser from your holster and dial the power up.

“Fire.”

You focus your beam on the weakest spot, and Pike fires at it too. And... nothing happens, for long enough for a shade of doubt to creep in. Then there’s a sound, a pile of rubble, and a gap. Just large enough for a person.

The cave is dark. It’s big, too, enough that the torches on your vests can’t illuminate the other side from where you are.

The storm is still raging outside, but the sound of it is quiet in here; the narrow space you opened the gap into curved round for a few metres before opening out into the space you’re in.

Now all you can do is sit and wait.

And you’re so aware of Pike, sitting with you.

He’s quiet, and now you come to think of it he has been all day. Definitely no flirting. You try to steal a glance at him, see what he’s thinking, but it’s too dark, and you don’t want to turn to face him.

You cast around for a distraction, and find a piece of dilithium embedded in the rock floor of the cavern next to you. The surface is flat and glassy-smooth, but with a few imperfections, and you like the feel of it under your fingers. In your head you go over the dilithium crystal eigenstates you memorised at the academy in one of your classes in warp field mechanics, and calculate the power output you would need for your phaser to trigger different levels.

“Sir, I’d like to try something, to give us some more light. It’s safe.”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

You adjust your phaser to its second lowest setting, scoot across a little and fire on the dilithium, counting seconds in your head. It starts glowing red immediately, but as you shut the beam off the glow spreads, along one vein, then another, then another, until the whole cavern is lit up like its own galaxy, surrounding you on the floor, the walls, the ceiling.

“Wow, that’s—that’s good work. Thank you.”

There’s something in his expression as he looks at you, the wonder in his eyes melting into a smile, that makes you brave.

“So… I had an—an interesting chat with Chapel and Ortegas the other day.”

“Oh?”

“Apparently the scuttlebutt is that we’re dating... we’ve been dating for a while. They wouldn’t believe me when I told them it wasn’t true.” You stare out across the cavern at all the glimmering lights.

“Oh.” He exhales. “Hah, yeah… I’m, uh, sorry about that? Things… got away from me.” You hear him stir, move into a different position.

You frown. “I don’t understand. What are you sorry for?”

“I’ve always been interested in you. And you’re not the sort of person that’s cowed by rank – Paulson is your superior, in your chain of command, but I was in the bar when he asked you to dinner, and you were so sure of yourself when you rejected him. So that day in the turbolift, Una and Erica jumping to conclusions... Your face was a picture, and I had to take Una’s bait. But by the time she told me there was already a rumour, you were joining in, and I—”

His voice goes quiet, like a confession.

“I couldn’t stop. And that wasn’t fair to you… making you an object of gossip like that.”

“Chris, I—” but now it comes to it, you can’t find the words. How do you tell him that you wouldn’t mind, not at all, if only the gossip were real? “But you did stop. We’ve barely spoken today. Until now.”

“I can read the room. You weren’t up for it the other night. Or today. And… I would never force my attentions where they clearly aren’t wanted.”

“But... they are, Chris. They are wanted.”

The cavern is dead quiet, and you almost wonder if you actually spoke aloud. But the look in Pike’s eyes when you finally turn to meet them—

“Lieutenant Spock to Captain Pike. Come in, please.”

Pike shrugs a little, face apologetic, as he flips open his communicator.

The ride back to the Enterprise is as quiet, and bumpy, as the ride to the planet. Spock and the rest of the away team had sheltered in the shuttle with shields up while the storm passed over them, and when the Enterprise’s scanners had shown that another one was forming, they came to pick you up.

All the equipment you left outside was destroyed.

But you think, as you climb in the shuttle, you catch a glimpse of one of those star-shaped flowers, still intact. Still blooming.

And Pike makes a point to catch your eye as you leave the shuttle bay. It’s subtle, but you recognise the invitation.

You think you can smell food as you press Pike’s door chime, and the scent only gets more appetising as you walk in. The lights are low, apart from the fire burning brightly, and Pike pauses, apron on over his gold uniform, to smile at you as you walk over to the kitchen area.

“You came.”

“Of course.”

He picks a small bottle up, and pours from it into a salad bowl in front of him. “I hope you’re hungry… I may have gone a little overboard on the mac and cheese. I thought we could use a little comfort food after that planet.”

“It smells amazing. Anything I can do to help?”

“It’s almost ready. You could pour the wine?” He indicates to the bottle and two glasses on one end of his L shape table. You uncork the chilled bottle and take care of the drinks while he brings plates, salad, and the macaroni cheese, piping hot and smelling delicious.

Sitting next to Chris, rather than opposite like you might at a restaurant or on the other side of the L as you have when you’ve been to crew meals here, feels so intimate. As he reaches over to get some salad, or you go to pick up your glass to sip some chardonnay, you can’t help but touch. You try not to let being this close to him distract you… as intimate as this is, as hopeful as you are, nothing is settled.

You take a bite of your pasta and sigh. “It’s perfect, Chris. Creamy, the cheese— everything. Perfect comfort food. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” You see him relax a little as you load up another forkful; he cares what you think.

You eat for a while in companionable quiet, then he takes a breath.

“I’m planning on demoting Spock. He has the worst timing.” He quirks one of those half smiles at you, the kind that make you melt a little, but then his expression goes serious.

“My position on this ship… I have to be careful of it. Your training – everyone’s training – tells you to do as I say. So, if I’m… interested… in someone, usually I try to set that aside.” He puts his fork down and shakes his head a little. “Clearly I didn’t do well on that score with you. But… I would have to be sure, before I truly pursue anything, that a person isn’t saying yes because of my rank.”

“I told myself that flirting was just a joke between us. That you don’t get involved with your crew. I want it to be real, but when people assumed that it was… It spooked me for a moment there.” You turn to face him more fully, to look into his eyes.

“I understand what it means for you to be Captain Pike. I understand that the Enterprise comes before me. But I felt that—that pull toward you, long before whatever this was started. It’s not your rank, your position of authority, Chris, it’s you.”

Chris stands from his chair, reaching a hand out to you. You stand and take it, his fingers warm in yours, and let him draw you to him, feeling the press of his body all along yours. You stare into his eyes, and see a wonder there that you’re sure he sees in your eyes too – the knowledge that you can finally have this. But then your eyes drift shut as he kisses you, gently, unhurried, savouring the moment.

You part for just a second, and then it gets passionate as you kiss him back, one hand on his chest, while his other hand finds its way to your lower back, holding you tighter. Your lips part, his tongue finds yours and you taste him, and you can’t get enough.

“So I know your shots are up to date,” Chris says, voice gravelly, when you pause for breath. “Would you like to take this to the bedroom?”

“Yes please.” You don’t care if you sound needy; you just want him. He takes your hand again and leads the way.

You are not quite sure what happened to your dress. You remember Chris helping you take it off last night, but quite how it got this crumpled is a bit of a mystery. You lift it up from the floor, and try to shake it out, not very successfully.

“Breakfast is served,” Chris says, looking fresh and neat in his uniform, not a hair out of place. No evidence to be seen of your activities last night, or how little sleep he may have had. “Oh, did you want a new uniform? I can synthesise one.”

“No need. I’ll have time to change in my quarters before shift.” You pull it on and try to smooth your skirt. “Breakfast?”

“Waffles. And real maple syrup. I know this little farm—”

It isn’t far from Pike’s quarters to the turbolift, and the officers in the corridor nod and smile to you as usual. Until you meet Lieutenant Ortegas.

She looks you up and down, taking in your creased dress with a raised brow and a sly smile. “I saw the duty rosters; I know you’re on alpha today. So… you get lucky last night?”

You try to hide your smile, but you feel too good – you don’t really want to.

“Yes, Erica, I did.”

Everyone will know, but you don’t mind. You and Chris are at the start of something special.

[ghost-king-kai]

The Requesting Hall Guidelines

Welcome to the request guidelines! Here you can be informed of my dos & don'ts, characters & fandoms available, and rules in The Requesting Hall.

Please review (or at least skim through) these rules prior to sending a request to the hall.

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Make sure the request is detailed enough for me to write for.

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The Dos & Don'ts

These are the types of requests I do and don't do.

I Do...

x Male!Reader

x GN!Reader

x Transmasc!Reader

x NB!Reader

Fluff Fics

Angst Fics (Heavily dependent on the topics)

Platonic Fics (Familial, Teammates, Colleagues, Crewmates, Etc.)

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I Don't Do...

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NSFW/Smut (Besides implications)

Triggering Topics (Sexual Assault, Rape, Abuse, Self Harm, etc.)

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Characters Available For Requests

The listed characters and fandoms are the ones I am usually inspired to write on the regular or as of right now but that doesn't mean you can't ask if I write for a specific fandom or character that isn't on this list, especially if it's from the list in the Kingdom Directory.

Marvel

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Available for Romantic Requests: Peter Parker (Only Tom & Andrew Portrayals)

Platonic Only: The Avengers (Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, Thor Odinson, Clint Barton, Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Peter Parker, The Vision) [All Together & Individually] The Marvels (Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, Kamala Khan) [All Together & Individually] Etc. (there are literally so many characters-)

DC

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Platonic Only: The Bat Family (Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown) [All Together & Individually] Jon Kent (Supersons Comics Series Version) The Team (Dick Grayson, Wally West, Kaldur'ahm, Artemis Crock, M'gann M'orzz, Connor Kent) (Young Justice TV Series) [All Together & Individually]

Persona 5

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Available for Romantic Requests: Ren Amamiya

Platonic Only: The Phantom Thieves (Ren Amamiya, Morgana, Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Yusuke Kitagawa, Makoto Nijima, Futaba Sakura, Haru Okumura) [All Together] Futaba Sakura Zenkichi Hasegawa Goro Akechi Sophia

Criminal Minds

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Platonic Only: The B.AU. Team (Aaron Hotchner, Jason Gideon, David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia, Alex Blake, Luke Alves, Tara Lewis) [All Together & Individually]

Star Trek

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Strange New Worlds

Platonic Only: The Crew (Christopher Pike, Una Chin-Riley, Hemmer/Pelia, Joseph M'Benga, Christine Chapel, Erica Ortegas, Nyota Uhura, Jenna Mitchell, Spock, La'an Noonien-Singh, George Samuel Kirk) [All Together & Individually] James T. Kirk

Discovery

Platonic Only: The Crew (Michael Burnham, Saru, Sylvia Tilly, Adira Tal, Keyla Detmer, R. A. Bryce, Joann Owosekun, Hugh Culber, Gen Rhys, Paul Stamets, Jett Reno) [All Together & Individually] Cleveland Booker

Kelvin Timeline

Platonic Only: The Crew (James T. Kirk, Spock, Montgomery Scott, Keenser, Pavel Chekov, Hikaru Sulu, Leonard McCoy, Nyota Uhura) [All Together & Individually]

Resident Evil

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Available for Romantic Requests: Leon S. Kennedy

Fair Warning: Fandoms and characters will be added and removed a lot over time. Apologies in advance if a character or fandom you would like to request disappears overnight. Inspiration comes and goes and this section just reflects what and who I am gladly willing to write for at the time.

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

Lonely

Pairing: Christopher Pike x Reader x Una Chin-Riley

Rating: Explicit - 18+ only (Minors interacting with the work will be blocked)

Length: 4.3K

Notes: This is just smut. Smut that has not been beta-read. There’s no use of Y/N or of Reader’s physical descriptions.

I didn’t tag my usual general list because I know not everyone is into Christopher Pike, so if you weren’t tagged and wanted to be, sorry!

Warnings: Cursing; fluff; Explicit sexual content - masturbation, oral sex, sixty-nine, spitting, scissoring, piv, unprotected sex, pegging, facesitting

Summary: For a moment, you just hang back. Christopher and Una are beautiful together. They move together with an ease that belies their familiarity.  

Your day off has been meandering and slow. You’ve taken care of the odd errand and chore that you’ve been meaning to get around to. You have time to take Chapel and Ortegas’ respective breaks with them, catching flack for wearing some of your comfiest civvies—sweatpants and a t-shirt. When you have nothing else to do, you make your way to private quarters. You know her code as well as you know your own—you know his, too.

You kick your shoes off by the door before venturing more deeply inside. The quarters are bigger than your own. There’s a small sitting room situated across from the bedroom, and a range of comfortable seating. You trail our fingers over the back of the armchair on your way over to the bed.

Crawling into it with a sigh, you settle on your back and peer up at the ceiling. You’ve got at least another half-hour before they finish their shift, maybe a little more. You close your eyes, allowing yourself to relax, reveling in the lingering scent of the both of them on the neatly made bed.

You thought this would stop after shore leave—it should’ve stopped after shore leave. But once active duty had resumed, you found yourself drawn by into their arms, and back into their bed. 

You smile, remembering that first night. You can practically see it dancing behind your eyelids now—their intrigued smiles and their shared glance when you’d propositioned them. It had been a nerve-wracking leap of faith. But you’d been tired of telling yourself that the innuendo-laced conversations and lingering gazes were nothing more than friendly. 

You shift back against the sheets, restless as you think about that night—the way your hesitance had melted with their calm hands, hot kisses and encouraging words. Even now, remembering their wandering touch makes you shiver. You glance at the PADD propped up on the bedside table and reach out. You groan as you eye the time, whacking your head back against the pillows.  You’re bored, you’re lonely...You’re a little horny...

You can wait. You will wait for them. When they’re off-shift, you’ll have dinner together, and then you’ll jump their bones the way you’ve been thinking about all day. You can wait.

You close your eyes again, throwing your arm over your eyes and drawing in a deep breath through your nose. But you make the mistake of thinking about them still, about her occasional penchant for harsher behavior, and his tendency to murmur praise, or tease. They can each turn on a dime—she can cradle you like a tender, sweet little thing; he can pry your thighs apart, pin your hips in a way that you both know will bruise.

You turn your head into the pillow, squeezing your thighs together and rocking your hips a little. It’s not enough, but you don’t touch yourself. Your nipples harden, creating a tantalizing brushing feeling against the cups of your bra. Your mouth falls open in a soft, sighing moan.

You go still and quiet as you hear the door swish open, then closed. Your eyes open, and you push yourself to sit up a little. You smile as Una approaches the bed, releasing her hair from the ponytail it’s likely been in all day. She stops when she sees you, brow arching as her lips pull into a smile.

“Well, this is a surprise.”

You prickle with embarrassment, pushing yourself up fully.

“I know we said we’d meet for dinner. Figured I’d, you know...Save us getting together some time.”

“Expedient,” Una chuckles. You reach out for her with grabbing hands, and smile as she toes her shoes off beside the bed before joining you. She gives your shoulder a gentle push, and you lay down. Una settles between your legs, sliding her hands up along your thighs. You sigh at the feeling of her resting atop you, her cheek pressed to your belly. You raise your hands, combing your fingers gently through her hair, untangling the odd knot.

“How’s your day off been?” Una murmurs.

“Oh—Fine, I guess. How was the bridge?”

“The scan of Misellus II was successful,” She sighs. “You would’ve enjoyed it.”

“I’m sure I would’ve.” You’re quiet for a moment, eyes fixed on the ceiling. “I missed you both today.” 

The admission makes you feel nervous and a bit childish. You’re not some lovesick teenager. But Una’s always made you far more nervous than Christopher has. You wouldn’t worry about admitting this feeling to Christopher. Una’s a different story.

But now, she pushes herself up to get a better look at you. Your arms slide to the side, hands settling lightly around her forearms. You bite your lip just a little, wary to meet her eyes. She watches you for a long moment; you don’t know what she’s looking for, and you don’t know if she finds it. You think she must, though, because she just presses a touch closer, and murmurs, “We missed you, too.”

Your eyes flicker to hers, and you find a warm, soft smile on her lips. Your stomach flutters at the expression, and you smile in return. Your eyes track Una’s lips as she leans in, and slide closed as she presses her lips to yours. You raise your hands, cupping her cheeks as you share tender kisses. Una hums softly into the kiss. She shifts slightly between your legs, and you shiver, pressing your hips up against hers.

Una lets out an interested sound that makes you go warm.

“Someone’s eager,” She teases between kisses.

“I missed you,” You reiterate weakly. “When’s Chris off-shift?”

“He has reports to approve.”

You whimper, kicking your feet petulantly. Una shushes you, sliding one of her hands up your side to grope and squeeze your breast through your shirt. You arch your back, pressing up into her hand as your hips push against her.

“Una,” You plead softly. She leans away, tutting, and reaches down, slipping her hand under the band of your sweatpants. She lets out a chuckle as she skims her fingers over your mound, feeling the warm, sticky wetness that you’d welled in your time alone.

“Feels like you had quite a productive day off.”

You shake your head hurriedly, blinking up at her. “I was just waiting for you.”

“And?”

“Thinking about you...And Chris,” You admit.

“Just thinking?”

“Yes.”

Una hums, fingers smoothing over your plumped, wet lips.

“What were you thinking about?”

“Our first night together.”

Una nods, urging you on. You lick your lips, tipping your hips down into her hand.

“I was thinking about you and Chris, and—And the way we...Well, you know.”

“Spell it out for me, baby.”

You groan, closing your eyes.

“I was thinking about how you—How you let me touch you. How wet your pussy was, and how good you taste.”

Una hums encouragingly, teasing her fingertip over your clit.

“And how Christopher—how he fucked me while I ate your pussy,” You add. You want to damn the quiet, breathless way you’re speaking—but Una’s attention always makes you more hesitant. You don’t think she means for that to happen. You just can’t help it.

“Christopher was fucking me so deep, and he—” You suck in a harsh breath as Una eases her middle finger into your tight, slick hole. “He kept saying the filthiest th-things.”

“Like what?”

“Like...Like—like how well I took his cock, and that he was going to cum in me—and how you were going to lick it out.”

“And I did, didn’t I.”

“Mhm.”

“And you liked it?”

“Yes,” You whimper as a second and third finger sink into you alongside the first.

“You looked so beautiful, coming apart for us,” She murmurs, “And you tasted so sweet, squirming against my tongue.”

You gasp softly, grinding your hips more harshly against her fingers. You reach up, tugging at the collar of her uniform shirt.

“Off—Una, please.”

“If I do, I’ll have to stop,” She reminds you, giving a pointed thrust of her fingers.

“I don’t care,” You whine. “I need to touch you. I wanna taste you. Please?”

Una shushes your desperate pleas, gently easing her fingers out of you and your sweatpants to undress. You scramble to sit up, too, desperately trying to ignore the sticky throbbing between your legs as you tug off your shirt, bra, and sweatpants as quickly as you can. Una just smiles at your impatience, standing and undressing at a leisurely pace.

You crawl to the edge of the bed on all fours, laying kisses to the tops of her breasts as she undoes her bra. You wind your arms around her middle, sucking one of her breasts into your mouth. She groans softly, running her hand over your hair as you suck and tease her nipple. You turn your head, sucking a mark between her breasts before turning your head a touch more and lapping at the other nipple. You slide a hand between her legs, moaning when you feel the growing wetness between her thighs.

You slide down on the bed, nuzzling at the apex of her thighs before you tease your tongue out. You can barely get a proper taste of her—but she’s just out of reach. You whimper, sliding your hand between her thighs and trying to coax her to spread them wider. 

“Lay back,” Una urges gently. You scramble to do as she says, pushing yourself back onto the bed and laying down. Una seems amused by your urgency, and takes her time getting onto the bed with you. She carefully throws her legs over either side of your face. She gives a little wiggle, laughing as you groan and curl your arms around her hips. She lowers herself down over you, leaning forward and running her hand gently over your breast.

You lean up, straining your neck just a touch before Una fully lowers herself over you. You open your mouth, lapping across her plumped, flushing pussy. You moan at the taste of her—the tangy, salty sweetness. You tip your head from side to side, laving her pussy with licks and lingering sucks. Una grinds down against your ministrations as she presses kisses to your belly. She smooths her fingers over your inner thighs, pushing them wider. You spread them obediently, lapping broadly and warmly along her lips.

You shiver as Una blows coolly over your aching cunt. You press your fingers into her thighs a touch, trying to entice her to return your attentions in kind. Una curls over you, and you feel her hair brush enticingly over your thigh before you feel something hot and slick sliding between your lips. You shiver at the feeling over Una sliding her fingers over your pussy, spreading her spit and mixing it with your juices. You push your hips up into her touch, silently begging for more. You suck her clit between your lips, lashing it with your tongue. You feel Una’s muscles go tense, and hear her moan. You fight away a grin, more focused on pulling more sounds from her.

But Una draws away from you before you can. You pout up at her, swiping your tongue across your lips and taking in the lingering taste of her. Una doesn’t get far—she kneels between your legs, lifting one of them to rest against her shoulder. You let your head fall back against the pillow, eyelids fluttering as she slots your bodies together. You moan softly at the feeling of the wet, hot slide of her cunt against yours.

Una turns her head, pressing a kiss to your ankle before she wraps her arm around your leg, steadying you. You let your eyes wander her covetously, taking in the way her breasts move as she grinds against you. You’re so caught up in the feeling of her, in her lustful gaze and your joint gentle moans and sighs, that you miss the sound of the door sliding open.

“Looks like the party’s started without me.” 

You blink up at Christopher hazily, smiling when you find him watching at the two of you, palming his hardening cock in his pants. You reach out to him with the same grabby motion that you’d made at Una, and she laughs softly.

“Someone was lonely,” Una tells him as he gets onto the bed beside you.

“Oh yeah?” Christopher asks. He pecks her lips before he settles down beside you. His eyes search your face, a warm, attentive look on his face as he strokes your cheek. “We missed you, too, sweetheart.”

You tip your chin up, nose brushing his. Christopher obligingly lowers his head, brushing his lips against yours. His tongue flickers out, giving a teasing lick along the seam of your mouth. He must taste Una on your lips, because he lets out a lustful groan and dips his head, deepening your kiss. You open to him, teasing your tongue along his. You whimper against him as Una’s hips shove more harshly against yours.

You reach up, tugging at the hem of Christopher’s shirt. He straightens obligingly, pulling off his shirt. You watch him, raising your hand and running your nails along his pecs and down his abs. You stop at his waistband, licking your lips at where his cock has filled out in his pants.

"Touch him,” Una orders breathlessly. You blink widely up at Christopher, sliding your hand down over the waistband and giving his cock a squeeze through his pants. He lets out a soft groan, reaching down and giving your breast a squeeze. Your fingers fumble a touch in undoing his pants, your focus split between the grind of Una’s cunt and the prospect of getting to Christopher’s cock.

“You want him?” Una asks. “You want him to fuck you?”

You nod hurriedly, looking up at Una. Christopher gets off of the bed to properly undo and push off his pants. You groan softly as Una draws away, smiling as she gives your calf a quick kiss before she climbs off of the bed in turn. You watch her walk over to the bedside table, but you’re distracted when Christopher gets back onto the bed, settling between your legs.

“Hi there,” He murmurs teasingly. You grin, sliding your arms over his thick biceps.

“How was your day?”

“It’s getting better.” 

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

Christopher grinds his cock against your sopping cunt. You shiver, nails digging into his muscles just a touch.

“You tell me.” He lowers his head, nipping your lip gently. You sigh, running your fingers through his neatly coiffed hair. You watch him lean back, smiling he catches the bottle of lube Una throws at him. You hold still, practically vibrating with need as Christopher flicks open the cap on the bottle. He pours some into his hand, slicking up his cock and working himself over a couple of times. You reach up, palming his chest, settling your hand over his thudding heart. He steadies his hand on your inner thigh, using the other hand to tease his cockhead along your slit.

He meets your eyes, looking for any hint of hesitation. You nod, pressing your hips down against him as you murmur, “C’mon.”

The head of his cock sinks in just a little, and you whine, cunt fluttering around him. He begins to press in a little more, a low, long grunt pushing out of his throat at the feeling of your pussy gripping him.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Una warns from beside the bed. The two of you turn your heads. You grin, and Christopher groans at the sight of Una stepping into the harness of her strap on. 

“Where’s the lube?” She asks. Your fingers scrabble for it on the bed, finding it and holding it up.

“Such a little helper,” Christopher teases.

“Shut up,” You laugh. He leans down, pressing a tender kiss to your lips. The two of you sink into the feeling of one another, trading tender, hot kisses. You know the second Una eases a finger into him. Christopher goes just a little tense. You reach up, curling your arms around his shoulders and sliding your hand up into his hair.

Your pussy throbs around his cock as it twitches inside you. Christopher hunkers down over you, chest pressing to yours as you make out lazily. You love kissing Christopher. You love kissing Una, too, but it’s different with Chris. It always feels so luxurious and tender. Christopher kisses you like he’s never done it before—like he's trying to memorize every slope, curve and line of your lips; like he's trying to savor every lick, nip, peck, and suck to memory.

He leans into you more and more as Una opens him up. You settle back with a gentle suck of his lip, smiling at the way Christopher's eyes are closed. You watch as he shudders, loosing a slack-jawed, whining moan.

"How's he doing up there?" Una asks.

"I think his brain's melted," You giggle. Christopher's lips pull into a small smile, and he huffs out a shaky laugh. "How's he doing back there?"

"Someone's getting a sharp tongue," Una teases, watching you over his shoulder. You sink back into the bed, embarrassment swirling in your stomach.

"Una, be nice," Christopher urges, lowering his head and pressing tender kisses to your neck. You smile, tipping your head to the side to offer him more room. You peer up at Una, licking your lips as she rests her hands on his hips. She begins to thrust lightly, giving the three of you a moment to adjust to the rocking motion.

You bracket Christopher’s hips with your knees, giving him a gentle, spurring squeeze. Christopher pushes himself up over you, biceps twitching as he begins to fuck into you in earnest. You groan at the increased pace, shivering. Your eyes dart between Una and Christopher’s faces, unsure of where to settle, not wanting to miss a single lip-bite, or moan, or wicked grin.

You can’t help but smile wickedly yourself as you watch Una weave her fingers in Christopher’s hair and yank his head back. His groan is guttural and tight, his face screwing up at the tension. You reach up, tenderly running your hand over his neck, brushing through the gathering sweat in the hollow of his throat. You have to fight the urge to lean up and suck a mark in his neck. You know that if you do, he won’t be able to cover it up.

You like the idea of that, though—a bright red, blooming hickey on Christopher’s throat as he sits in the Captain’s chair, metes out orders to the bridge crew, silently daring them to question the mark. You imagine the stunned little faces, and the knowing looks between yourself, Christopher, and Una. 

But this information, this relationship, is the sort shared on a need-to-know basis, and you’re the only ones that need to know. You’re mostly alright with that. There are moments when you want to crowd up against Christopher, when some envoy or fellow crew member flirts with him. You usually catch Una’s eyes in those moments, and she simply gives you a small smile, and a short nod. She knows. You both know. You don’t ask if it drives her as nuts the way it does you, but you’re almost certain that you’ll never bring yourself to be able to ask.

You choke out a shaky whine as Christopher’s cockhead brushes that spot inside you that makes your toes curl. You shiver, a stunned moan rattled out of you as he brushes it again and again.

“Fuck—fuck, fuck fuck, Christopher!” You gasp, hips pushing up against him. He carefully twists his head out of the hold Una has on his hair, bowing over you to kiss and suck your breasts. You urge him on, sliding your hand around the back of his neck and keeping him close. You reach up, drawing Una down, closer to you. The movement pushes her dildo even deeper into Christopher, which pushes his hips even further into you. You shake at the sensation, straining up to catch Una’s lips in a desperate kiss. Your tongue poke out to slide and lap at each other, just a touch too far to kiss properly. Una smiles widely, watching you fall apart beneath Christopher. 

Your hips are still bounding, your orgasm is still rolling through you, and you can feel him tensing, too. His thighs and arms are shaking slightly as he fights to hold himself over you.

“Look at you two,” Una murmurs, lips brushing against Christopher’s shoulder. “So needy and tense.”

“Una,” Christopher warns softly.

“What would people say, hm?” Una eggs him on. “It takes so little for you two to fall apart.”

Christopher groans, lowering his head and pressing his face into your neck. You thread your fingers through his hair, eyes sliding closed as his hips hammer against yours. You gasp softly as you feel Christopher spill into you. He lets out an open-mouthed moan, panting wetly against your neck. You sag back against the bed a bit, swallowing thickly as Christopher’s hips twitch a touch more.

You glance down as he whacks lightly at Una’s hip, chuckling at his anguished groan as she carefully withdraws the strap on. Christopher draws out of you in turn, leaning back to get a good look at your face and your still-throbbing cunt. You nod reassuringly, reaching up and patting his cheek. Christopher plops onto the bed beside you, leaning down to give you a kiss before lifting his head to look at Una.

“Get over here,” He orders warmly. You push your aching body up, scooching down the bed and reaching out, gently helping Una undo the straps on her harness. She steps out of it, leaning in and kissing you before climbing onto the bed with Christopher. You smile as she straddles his shoulders, lowering herself over him as she had over you before. But now, she curls her fingers around the headboard, peering down at Christopher.

For a moment, you just hang back. The two of them are beautiful together. They move together with an ease that belies their familiarity. You can see Christopher’s tongue flashing between Una’s long legs, sweeping across her lips as his fingers sink into the plump flesh of her ass. Una sighs, tipping her head at the sensation, her hair cascading down her back.

You think that this interaction, this ease, would be unaltered without you there. Their dynamic was around before you, and will likely continue whenever they move on from you. That thought makes your stomach twist in dismay. Whenever this does end, however it ends, you’ll miss them.

Before you can sink too deeply into the thought, Una twists her head, catching your eye. Your eyes wander the blush rising in her cheeks, and the hunger in her gorgeous eyes. And then she holds out her hand. You crawl toward her, leaning back against the headboard and peering adoringly up at her as she rolls her pussy against Christopher’s lips. You smile as she leans in for a kiss. She’s breathless, grunting softly as your lips brush and press with each of the rolls of her lips. 

You smile as you feel one of Christopher’s hands reach out to gently squeeze your thigh. You slide your hand down, smoothing it over his likely aching scalp. You dip your head, catching one of Una’s nipples in your mouth, raising your hand and brushing your thumb over the other nipple. Una shivers, hips rolling more sharply against Christopher’s lips, chin, and nose.

You know that she’s close as she draws in a shivering breath, sliding her hand along your jaw. You lean up for another kiss, grinning as she stutters a moan into your mouth. You can feel her rutting harshly against Christopher; you can hear Christopher humming and smacking his lips, pleased.

Una shudders, leaning back off of Christopher’s face and rolling to the side. Her eyes close, breasts heaving as she catches her breath. You look down as Christopher wriggles between you, resting his head on your thigh. You reach down, smoothing your fingers over his forehead, taking in the shine on the lower half of his face. He opens his eyes, pursing his lips in an air kiss before glancing between you and Una.

“What do we want for dinner?” He asks.

“Let us catch our breath, Chris,” Una chides.

“Alright,” He sighs, rolling over onto his side and curling up against your thigh. “Computer, lights at 50%.” The lights lower around the room, pushing it into a comforting dimness. You watch Una slide off of the bed, taking up the strap-on and bottle of lube from the bed and heading toward the bathroom. You look back down at Christopher and he presses a kiss to your thigh.

“What’d you get up to today?” He murmurs. “Big day off.”

“Not much.”

“You relax at all?”

“A little.”

“She was relaxing when I got here,” Una comments. Christopher raises a brow at the tone, a teasing smile forming on his lips.

“Oh, was she?”

“It wasn’t like that,” You mumble, pushing gently at his forehead. Christopher just laughs, turning his head and setting it down again. You glance over at Una as she slides onto the bed, sitting against the headboard beside you.

“How do you feel now?” She asks, curling her arm around your middle. “Less lonely?”

You let your head loll to the side, grinning at the sight of her knowing smile. 

“A little less,” You agree.

“A little?” Christopher repeats with a grumble, pushing himself up and pushing your thighs apart. “Guess we’ll have to fix that.”

“It’s fixed!” You giggle, pushing at his head. “It’s fixed, I swear!”

The three of you share a laugh as Christopher presses back against the headboard on the other side of you, sliding his arm around you, resting just beneath Una’s. You close your eyes, sinking into the feeling of them on either side of you, cuddled and comforted.

Tag list: @wretchedwisteria​​ ; @brandyllyn​​ ;  @wildmoonflower​ ; @buckybarneshairpullingkink​ ; @mad-girl-without-a-box​ ; @moonlightburned​ ;  @amneris21​ ;  @kindnonny23 (tried to tag and tumblr wouldn’t let me)

[captainpikeswoman]

Chris: She’s the most perfect woman, I’m so in love with her. (He sighs dreamily and stares over at me as I hiss at Spock when he tries to take flapjacks out of my hands.)

Una: (low-key terrified and amused and quite prepared with her phaser on stun should Spock not back off and I have to resort to physical violence to keep MY flapjacks.) Yeah, real winner there Chris. She’s perfect.

Chris: (sighing dreamily and leaning his chin on his hand.) Yeah. Perfection.

[ichayalovesyou]

i've sent in for some fluff/comfort previously, but what about the other direction? >:)

💙, 💫, 😵‍💫 (maybe both Reader and Pike would be fun! but i'll leave that to you)

have fun! LLAP

Oooh! I have a TERRIBLE idea for this 😈! Thank you for this amazing prompt!! Also for being a good friend! Also for using my super helpful emoji prompts! Let's DO THIS!! 😎

Exolvuntur Terror (Platonic Pike x Reader)

Rating: PG-13 (Mild Gore)

Word Count: 1.9k

Content: Platonic/SFW, GN!Reader, Alien!Reader, Sciences!Reader, artificial time loops, trauma (metaphorical and literal), learning to have faith in yourself, very angsty much tragic, but!! also very hurt/comfort, Una being protective of her bestie, faceless entities with unknown desires SUCK!

Teaser: A selfish and malevolent entity has trapped Captain Pike's mind in a time loop of the Incident that will end his life as he knows it. Spock was badly wounded in the initial confrontation and cannot aid him. So it is up to you, an untrained telepath but a telepath nonetheless, to save him.

“I had to sedate him.” Chapel entered the briefing room, visibly anxious. 

“The restraints weren’t doing enough. His muscles were reacting like he’s being thrown by something we can’t see. Delirious, unresponsive to external stimuli, I have never seen the Captain, anyone, like this before. And- and Spock-“ Christine’s voice caught in her throat.

“Spock, we know how to help, and he is stable for the time being. It is the Captain who we need to get sorted out now.” M’Benga reassured her, she took a seat at the table, holding down her distress.

It was very intimidating, you were the only one in the room who wasn’t senior staff, and chances were, knew the Captain the least.

“Whatever scenario these entities are putting the Captain through, it is repeating. Same emotional trauma response from the brain and pain response from his nervous system. Two minute intervals, the nerve reaction pattern suggests a radioactive explosion of some kind.”

“And the good news?” you asked, nervously.

“Luckily his body is not exhibiting the side effects of being irradiated, but his brain and nervous system are responding to the stimulus as though it were real. Like a circuit board, the human nervous system is only able to carry so much before it overloads. Not only that but the brain can only endure so much stress as well. If we don’t find a way to break this cycle soon. There may be very little of Chris left to save.” He finished grimly.

You swallowed hard “Wha- what do you need me to do?”

“We need you to go into his mind, find a way to stop it.” Una replied, deadly serious, every part of her was tense, her gaze, her posture. She was furious, like she’d burst into flame if she could.

“My telepathic abilities are limited sir, I don’t have the training-“

“We wouldn’t ask you if there were any other way.” Una insisted.

“How much risk is there to the Lieutenant? Push comes to shove, I’d rather not lose two officers in one day.” La’an inquired in a measured tone, she shared an intense glance with Number One as she did.

“I don’t know.” M’benga responded.

“There isn’t a single one of us in this room Chris wouldn’t be willing to take that risk for.” Una began.

“Sir, with all due respect you can’t ask-“ Chapel interjected on your behalf.

“I’ll do it.” You eased, quietly, almost involuntarily.

“What?” Half of the room said in unison.

“I… if I’m the only one that can help him. I can’t just… sit by and watch.” you groped for words, for courage “I need to do this, I think. If what you say is true.”

“It is.” the First Officer replied, the edge on her voice was gone, leaving something sentimental interlaced with her obvious concern.

You entered sickbay, coming upon the Captain, he was unconscious, but restless, stricken, white as a sheet, like he was in the throes of a nightmare.

“Help him, please.” The Commander begged.

“I’ll try, I promise I will.” You knew your voice and your body were shaking, but you were determined to see this through.

So you sat at the place made for you beside the biobed, placed your fingertips to the Captain’s temples

And dived.

Smoke, fire, screaming, there was a red alert blaring, metal plating creaked and glass began to crack.

“I got this!” Teenager’s voice, cadet by the looks of it.

“Get out of here! Go!!” There he was! Other cadets fled the scene, the glass continued to crack.

“I can fix it!” She yelled.

“Captain!” You yelled almost in unison with a boy on the other side of the containment field.

He looked up at you startled, good, you could contact him through his mental avatar in this vision.

“Leave it Cadet!” The glass shattered, the cadet was thrown backward, he was trying to drag her to safety.

You instinctively went to help him, but your hands phased through her, you were alien to this scenario, and to his mind.

“It’s Lieutenant Y/N! I’m here to get you out!”

“You- what? Lieutenant?! No, no this is not- you’re not supposed to be here. You have to go, now! It’s not safe!”

“Number One sent me here to save you!”

“What do you-?! But she-! Nevermind! You have to get out of here! That’s an order!”

“But-!”

“I said go!!” He grabbed you by the arm, he could grab you! He tossed you through the doorway into the crowd of panicking cadets.

The explosion consumed the chamber, he slammed against the wall, the burns were awful, he was reaching out for you, the cadets, but he couldn’t pass through the containment barrier.

But you could! You tried to reach for him, to take his hand, be of some comfort. It wasn’t fair-!

You were standing in front of the steps again.

“I got this!”

So this is where the loop starts. Good to know. You couldn’t let yourself get caught up in the moment.

“Captain Pike it’s me! I was sent here to save you, please listen to me!”

“No, no no no no! Una, she promised that she wouldn’t- Get out of here! Leave! Go!” He yelled back to the cadets, looking back at you again, a line of fury in his jaw.

“This isn’t happening right now, it’s not real!” You pleaded, taking his hands

“It will be! It has to be. You don’t understand, you can not save me. Spock is- the galaxy is at stake here!”

“I can fix it!” The girl yells.

“Leave it Cadet!” He jerked away from you, tending to the cadet as after she tumbles.

“I am not worth it, I am only one person. I promise you there is no other way, trust me I tried. Now please, just go!”

This time, the explosion consumes you both, you can only stand and watch from the center of the flames as his half burned body is flung against the wall again. 

The loop restarts.

“HI! Before you ask I’m not from the past or future-“

Failure. Explosion. Restart.

“Una had nothing to do with this I promise-“

Failure. Explosion. Restart.

“What do you mean your fate is set in stone?! Nobody can know that-!”

Failure. Explosion. Restart.

Failure. Explosion. Restart.

Failure. Explosion. Restart.

Failure. Explosion. Restart.

Failure. Explosion. Restart.

Before the words “I got this.” left that stupid kid’s mouth, you put yourself face to face with the Captain. Grabbing him by the shoulders.

“Captain Christopher Pike! Please, hear me! You are going to die if you don’t listen to me! This nightmare that keeps playing in your head is going to eat you up inside until there is nothing left of your mind but this! You won’t be able to save Spock, save the galaxy, or whatever it is you think you’re doing if we keep doing this over and over and over, so please, please listen!”

There were tears streaming down your face now. You didn’t know what else to do, what else to say. You couldn’t make him believe you. You were so tired your metaphysical knees buckled for a moment. 

Pike was staring at you, conflicted, anguished.

“I can’t-“ he started, his voice strained, desperate. Looking at the fiery chaos around him.

“-fix this!”

“No, you can’t, but I can. Watch this.”

The glass shattered, and you embraced him, blocking him from the blast with your own body. He began to return it

Then everything went dark.

Strange, the only manifestation of the vision that was able to affect you before was him. This didn’t seem like dying in a fiery blast though.

Pike was frozen in place, now you could phase through him and…

There was something else here, no, someone?

Alright, fine. You had removed the bullet, it was time to stop the bleeding.

“Leave him alone.” You said sternly “Whatever you want from him, whatever it is you’re looking for, it’s not here. I wouldn’t help you find it if I could.”

“Evidently not.” it replied coolly.

“Why would you, how could you do something like this?!” You asked, outraged, the anguish in your Captain’s eyes still burned into your mind.

“I sought to replicate a mineral which cannot be found in this plane of existence. But he is ignorant to it’s exact nature. Now, thanks to your interference, the tracking cycle is broken. He is of no more use to me.” The being stated plainly.

“What are you going to do to us?” You squeaked.

“Nothing. I intend to depart.” 

“No wait! Don’t leave him like this!” You attempted to raise a psychic barrier to keep the entity from leaving.

“I have removed the cycle from his memory, but not it’s source, to do so would not only unravel your Captain’s limited perception, but would unravel time.”

“What does that mean?”

“I warn you only once, microbe. Do not inconvenience me again. Farewell.”

It clearly knew you weren’t strong enough to hold it here in Pike’s subconscious, you barely had the strength to stay yourself. It was time to go, who knew what would happen if you lost contact with your body here.

Slowly, achingly, the world beyond the Captain’s mind encroached upon you. Everything hurt, the crest of your brow and your fingertips burned, there were pins and needles down your spine, the muscles around and behind your eyes ached, you were drenched in sweat. 

Never in your life had you ever engaged in mental contact like this before, especially not with a Human. Of course, his physiology was not accustomed to such interactions either. You cringed at the first degree burns and nail welts your hands left behind on his temples. But, it was a small price to pay for the Captain’s freedom.

Though you were exhausted, you had the psychic impression that the entity responsible had gone. You were certain you looked a mess, but Pike looked like death warmed over. Fear momentarily seized your chest before his eyes fluttered open. For a moment you’d feared the worst!

“What…?” Pike croaked “What happened?”

The Captain feebly tried to sit up, the restraints prevented it, too exhausted to bother with any further attempt.

“Ugh, feel like I got run over.” He griped, something you were certain was a woeful understatement.

“H- how much do you remember, sir?”

“Went down to the planet” he winced, “something, hit me, and then- wait, where’s Spock?” The Captain looked around, concern overriding the protests of his trembling body.

“Mr. Spock is gonna be fine sir, he’s recovering, just like you are.”

Pike sighed in relief, you didn’t want to distress him any further, but you had to know if the entity had kept it’s word.

“Anything else, sir?”

He furrowed his brow “No, not… really. Why am I-?”

“Restrained? Uh, well, whatever attacked you and Mr. Spock, there were hallucinations. You didn’t hurt anybody! They were more worried about you hurting yourself.”

“Oh, alright.” he half nodded, clearly fighting to stay awake.

“You should rest, sir.” you added, thinking it best to leave.

It hadn’t been a lie, but, it felt ugly. Wanting, maybe needing to hide things from the Captain, after everything. You’d discuss it with Dr. M’Benga first, divulge what was appropriate once the Captain was more stable, you told yourself. Best to debrief your superiors on what had transpired between you and the entity.

What did it mean by “Unravel time”, and what about “the source”? Had the entity drawn from something the Captain had seen before? If it had already occurred, how was he still here? Did it happen to someone else? Did he think it was Spock? Did the entity convince him he had traded places with him somehow?

Whatever it had meant, you hoped that for now, the Captain’s sleep was a nightmare-less one. For his sake, and for yours.

[make-me-imagine]

Match-Up Scenario Game - Star Trek Universe (Tv Shows)

This includes male and female characters from the following Star Trek TV Shows: Discovery, Strange New Worlds, Voyager, and Enterprise

Rules/What you do: Just match the month/day/letter to yourself and you got yourself a cute little scenario to imagine lol. And you can also leave in the tags or comments, what your scenario is :) Tag others/mutuals as well!

Requests: You can use these scenarios as requests for fics/headcanons as well (only when requests are open obviously)

(Scenario Game Masterlist)

------------------

Your Birth Month:

January: Cleveland Booker // Nhan

February: Trip Tucker // Kathryn Janeway

March: Spock // Hoshi Sato

April: Gabriel Lorca // T'Pol

May: Jonathan Archer // Michael Burnham

June: Christopher Pike // Erica Ortegas

July: Dr. M'Benga // Seven of Nine

August: Tom Paris // Una Chin-Riley

September: Sarek // Nyota Uhura

October: Malcolm Reed // Sylvia Tilly

November: Harry Kim // La'an Noonien-Singh

December: Chakotay // Christina Chapel

------------------

Your Birth Date:

1: Brings you your favorite dessert/candy... 2: Surprises you after being apart... 3: Gives you a token of their affection... 4: Makes you dinner... 5: Surprises you with flowers... 6: Surprises you with shore leave... 7: Proposes to you... 8: Takes you on a picnic... 9: Asks you to move in with them... 10: Surprises you with a trip... 11: Writes you a love-letter... 12: Gives you random gifts throughout the day... 13: Asks you on a date... 14: Suddenly kisses you... 15: Brings you breakfast in bed... 16: Makes you a hand-made gift... 17: Takes you dancing... 18: Hugs you so hard they almost knock you off your feet... 19: Surprises you with random kisses throughout the day... 20: Tells you how much they love you... 21: Surprises you with your favorite food... 22: Gives you a piece of jewelry... 23: Surprises you with a rare alien plant... 24: Throws you a party... 25: Builds you a pillow fort... 26: Surprises you with a fancy dinner... 27: Leaves you an anonymous letter... 28: Takes you star-gazing... 29: Gives you a heart-felt gift... 30: Leaves you secret gifts... 31: Takes you to a new planet..

------------------

First Letter of You Name (Or Username):

A-E: For your birthday.

F-J: Because it's your anniversary.

K-O: To cheer you up.

P-T: Just to make you smile.

U-W: Because they are in love with you.

X-Z: Because you are they're favorite person.

--------------

I apologize if your combo/matchup does not make sense, it is hard to make sure that every single combination does. 

[universalimagines]

Ok I have to admit it, I’m a huge sci-if fan and I have been incredibly impressed with what Star Trek Strange New Worlds has delivered to us so far. The show is pleasant mix of serious drama, character development, occasional nostalgia trips and of course hijinks. So as a sign of respect for what they’ve done, I’m adding the show to my list of requests.

[starryeyes2000]

Weekly Digest: 11/13/22

Story Updates for the week of November 1 - November 13, 2022

Whose Life Is Dearer – Part 8: Pike x Fem!OC (Aalin) 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

Dating Advice: Tonight's the Night: McCoy x Reader, McCoy & Kirk & Spock 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday Ride Again: McCoy x Reader, McCoy & Kirk & Spock 🌟Read on AO3 or FFN

Where’s an All-Night Pharmacy When You Need It - Part 26: Pike & Child!OC (Noah), Pike x Reader 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

Volte-Face: Chapter 34: Pike x Fem!OC (Aalin) 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

A Woman in Uniform: Chapter 2: Una x OFC 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

That Night In The Cave - Teen (Pike & Tilly; Una x Male!OC; Saru x Fem!OC) 🌟

Chapter 33: Read on AO3 or FFN

Chapter 34: Read on AO3 or FFN

Chapter 35: Read on AO3 or FFN

Pike x Reader Masterlist | McCoy x Reader Masterlist

SNW Season One CALU Scenes Masterlist

Dating Advice Master List

i carry your heart Masterlist | OC Masterlist | Author Masterlist

Taglist: @arrthurpendragon @ocappreciation @ocappreciationtag @bardic-tales @themaradaniels

[starryeyes2000]

Weekly Digest: 11/20/2022

Story Updates for the week of November 14 - November 20, 2022

Trust Love One More Time: Chapter 11 * McCoy x Fem!OC (Cara) 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

The Other Side: Chapter 1 * Pike x OFC (Aalin) 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

The Other Side: Chapter 2 * Pike x OFC (Aalin) 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

The Road Back: Chapter 26 * Pike x OFC (Aalin) 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

Volte-Face: Chapter 35 * Pike x OFC (Aalin) 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

Taglist: @arrthurpendragon @ocappreciation @ocappreciationtag @bardic-tales @themaradaniels @chickensarentcheap

[starryeyes2000]

Weekly Digest: 10/2/22

Story Updates for the week of September 26 - October 2, 2022

The Road Back: Chapter 23 - Teen (Pike x Fem!OC (Aalin) 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

Where's an All Night Pharmacy When You Need It - Part 25 - Teen (Pike & Child!OC (Noah), Pike x Reader) 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

That Night In The Cave - Teen (Pike & Tilly; Una x Male!OC; Saru x Fem!OC) 🌟

Chapter 21 - Read on AO3 or FFN

Chapter 22 - Read on AO3 or FFN

Chapter 23 - Read on AO3 or FFN

Chapter 24 - Read on AO3 or FFN

i carry you heart Masterlist | Pike x Reader Masterlist

Author Masterlist

Taglist: @arrthurpendragon @ocappreciation @ocappreciationtag @bardic-tales @themaradaniels

[starryeyes2000]

Weekly Digest: 10/9/22

Story Updates for the week of October 2 - October 9, 2022

Volte-Face: Chapter 33 - Teen (Pike x Fem!OC (Aalin) 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

Chase the Bad Away - Teen (Pike x FemReader) 🌟 Part of I Am Not Sick Series 🌟 Read on AO3 or FFN

That Night In The Cave - Teen (Pike & Tilly; Una x Male!OC; Saru x Fem!OC) 🌟

Chapter 25 - Read on AO3 or FFN

Chapter 26 - Read on AO3 or FFN

I Am Not Sick Masterlist | i carry you heart Masterlist

Pike x Reader Masterlist | Author Masterlist

Taglist: @arrthurpendragon @ocappreciation @ocappreciationtag @bardic-tales @themaradaniels

[elen-aranel]

Hold My Hand

For: @youvebeenlivingfictional Winter Writing Prompt 14, Mistletoe / Hands / Fake Dating Pairing: Captain Christopher Pike x F!Reader (no Y/N) Warnings: None! Reader has mild anxiety a couple of times WC: 6k Rating: Teen Notes: I haven't felt like I've had time for anything I want to do recently, least of all writing, but today's prompt really spoke to me, so here we are! <3 Summary: “We don’t like to make a big thing of it, but yes. We’re getting married when we get back to Earth. We’re only waiting so we can be with our families.”

The first time, you aren’t expecting it.

An alien sun is shining down on you as you sit cross legged on the ground in the Syndarch medicine garden. You breathe in a mix of something herbal and something sweet; there are insects buzzing around, trilling birdsong in the distance, and the voices of your fellow officers and your Syndarch hosts.  But all of those are background details; you’re hunched over your tricorder, scanning a tiny green cactus-like plant poking up between two paving stones which is producing a range of interesting-looking alkaloids. You are wondering whether the plant is just a weed, or if it had been cultivated in the past and has somehow managed to survive where it is, when a warm hand grasps yours and hauls you up.

“—is the lieutenant here.” Captain Pike is gazing at you with some kind of sappy, affectionate expression on his face, clearly put on, and you replay the last few seconds of conversation you overheard in your head.

You smile back. Ultra sappy.

“We don’t like to make a big thing of it, but yes. We’re getting married when we get back to Earth. We’re only waiting so we can be with our families.”

The Syndarch Chancellor studies you as Pike raises your hand, gently kissing the back of it. And… you don’t have to fake your pleased little shiver. Which is something you’ll have to worry about later. For now, you try to project that sense of togetherness that established couples you’ve known have had. Like Admiral April and his wife, Sarah.

The Chancellor shrugs, blue slitted eyes suddenly brightening up. “Perhaps, after all, a captain isn’t quite… right for my daughter. You must have to travel a lot. But others may be… more settled? If Starfleet establishes a permanent presence here?”

You glance around as the captain makes some vague reply. You see a question in Spock’s raised eyebrow, and Una is studiously ignoring you; you’d bet she’s working hard to stifle a laugh. You dread to think what they’ll say when you get back to the ship.

“Thanks for the save there, Lieutenant,” Pike says as you step off the transporter platform, falling into step with you as you go through the doors. “I would not want that chancellor as a father-in-law. I owe you— What’s your favourite meal? You’re invited to dinner tonight. You too,” he adds, turning, nodding to Spock and Una. “Good work down there.”

“You don’t owe me. I mean, I’m not stupid, I’m not going to say no to your cooking, but I don’t think I’d have gotten to talk to that botanist so quickly if our host didn’t think we were engaged.”

“I found the ease with which you dissembled noteworthy, Lieutenant,” Spock says. “I know that humans are adept at lying, but you did not hesitate when the captain said you were to be married, even though you didn’t appear to have been paying any attention to him and the chancellor.”

“I was in my high school drama club, sir. I know how to put on a performance.”

You don’t tell him that wishing it were true makes it easier.

The next time is planned.

“Jentiri culture is complex, and the Transit Ceremony has a lot of rules, one of which is that each leader that takes part must be accompanied by their consort.” Pike stares up at you from his desk, and you know you could get lost in those blue eyes, but no. Whatever happens, this isn’t real.

“Why not just use Commander Chin-Riley, Sir?”

“Number one... she said no.” He quirks a rueful smile. “Her exact words were, ’I could better serve you if I didn’t have to act as some sort of decoration.’ But don’t worry,” he adds, reading your dubious expression. “You don’t have to do anything difficult. You just have to hand over our offering, and then enjoy the spectacle. I’m told it’s quite beautiful, and few outsiders get to see it. I’ll owe you a meal?”

“In that case, it’s a yes. Not for the Transit, though.” You grin. “For the food.”

Astrophysics is not your forte, but even so you know how incredibly rare this is: an M class planet with a stable orbit that takes it between two stars.

You are on the flat top of a hill that has been cut into wide terraces, and to the left and right, on the horizon, are the suns, like sunset and sunrise. The sky fades from orange to pink to deep purple and back, but it is lit with hundreds of shooting stars and the occasional bright flare of an aurora.

There are thousands of Jentiri, mostly on the lower levels of the hill, from all six inhabited planets in their system. This planet was traditionally neutral ground between all of them, and although now they have one common hierarchy, their old traditions remain.

You have done your part, giving Starfleet’s offering – an ornate carved wooden box – to the Third King, so now you get to relax and enjoy the spectacle for a while, while the captain and first officer negotiate on Starfleet’s behalf.

“So, tell me more about Captain Pike. How did you meet? How long have you been together? What’s he like?”

Emyn, the consort of the First Queen, leader of Jentiri Prime, relaxes back on her cushion. You never thought you’d be a diplomat, but it’s impressive to see a good one at work. All the consorts, but Emyn especially have made an effort to make you feel included in the group; making sure the silky cushions were comfortable for you, offering you sweet delicacies from each of their planets, and talking, about their partners, about Jentiri, and about your experiences in Starfleet.

You can’t help but feel relaxed around them, which you know is the point. If you think of yourself as one of them, you’ll be candid.

“Captain Pike – Chris – and I met when I transferred to the Enterprise, on stardate… um… well. It was a while ago now. We got together on—on shore leave, a year or so later? It was very romantic, he cooked dinner for me in a cabin by a lake…” You smile at your made-up story; it would be lovely if it had been real. “And Chris is…” you smile, relaxed. You can be completely honest here. “He’s genuine. He’s principled. He isn’t naive – you don’t get to be a captain if you are – but he’s kind, generous. Willing to see the best in people. To do whatever it takes for his crew. That’s why I… why we…”

“Of course,” Emyn returns your smile. “My Adrimyn is the same way. She puts all of Jentiri first. You’re lucky to be consort of such a man.”

You nod. “Yes, I am.”

“I’m glad that it went so well for you, with the consorts. But you two need a legend,” Una says, gesturing with a forkful of Pike’s macaroni cheese as you debrief that evening.

“A legend? Sir this is amazing. Truly,” you add as you take a bite yourself. It’s a delicious balance of creaminess with just the right amount of sharp cheese flavour, and it’s complemented perfectly by the white wine Pike poured you.

“We’re off the clock. Call me Chris. And a legend is a back story. How we met, milestones, things like that. We got away with it today because no one was asking me about our ’relationship’, but if we ever did this again, we may need to get our stories straight.”

“We’re not going to do this again though, right?”

“What, you didn’t enjoy the Transit?”

“I did, it was—it was beautiful. But I’m a biologist. I still have a crate of samples to catalogue from my last mission. And you know the what the chief science officer is like…”

But of course, it does happen again. And this time you can’t even complain.

You’re in the ready room by the big screen, senior officers around the conference table, looks of concern on their faces.

“Starfleet has suspected that Eryran III is a hub for the illegal animal trade for a while now; there have even been reports of a gormagander being held in orbit. We have jurisdiction, in theory, but we’ve never been able to get any evidence; as soon as a starship is scheduled to go through the system, they move everything deep undercover. But a pair of critically endangered Lysisian golden bears have been stolen from the sanctuary at Lysis Alpha.”

You tap a control, and an image of two small bears appear on the screen. They have zebra-like stripes of gold on dark brown fur, and big brown eyes edged in gold.

 “They’re difficult to distinguish from other, non-endangered species unless you’re an expert. The pattern of the stripes, the morphology—” you adjust the display, showing the golden bears alongside the more common Lysisian brown bear, although you know the others won’t see the details you see, in the way the stripes branch, in the shape of the ears relative to the eyes relative to the jaw.

“The Enterprise is close – only a few hours away normally, or a couple at high warp. I could take a shuttle to Eryran IV,” you change the screen to show a schematic of the Eryran system, “which is currently on the far side of their stars. Sensors from Eryran III wouldn’t be able to detect the low-powered Starfleet signature, and I can take a civilian transport from there. If I find the bears, I can signal the Enterprise to secure them. But it has to be me; I’m the only one here who can identify them.”

Pike frowns. “It’s risky. The Eryran system... Eryran III is a pleasure planet, isn’t it? Like Risa?”

“Yes, Sir, but probably more like Casperia Prime. Not as hedonistic as Risa— it’s the kind of place to see and be seen.”

“Hmm. You may stick out alone. And with respect, if it gets to be a fight and you’re by yourself, we wouldn’t be able to get there fast enough to give you backup.” He shakes his head.

“Sir, I don’t enjoy the risks, but an ecosystem is at stake. I—”

“Hold your horses. It’s not ’no’. It’s ‘I’m coming with you.’”

“Damn. There really is a space whale. Look, darling— over there.”

You look past him out the viewport of the transport, trying to control your reaction to the term of endearment. You didn’t realise hearing him call you darling would make you feel all melty inside, even if only for a moment. Even if you know it isn’t real.

The gormagander is there, buoys floating round it which must be forcefield emitters to keep it contained. But at least it looks healthy.

“Wow. I’ve only ever seen holos of them before. They’re so rare.” You raise your brows, just a touch, and Pike nods fractionally. Whatever happens, the Enterprise will have to come for this creature.

Pike leaves you in the lobby of the hotel you booked to make you seem like real tourists, but it’s too nice out to stay indoors. You love space, but you always relish sunlight on your face. Or sunslight, in this case. There are something like palm trees outside, but with blue leaves, and the botanist part of you is wishing you could scan them and find out what specific chlorophyll molecule is in them, when the door opens.

If you weren’t ready to be called darling, you definitely weren’t ready for the sight of Pike stepping out into the street. He’s ditched the sweatshirt he was wearing on the transport and his navy-blue Henley is tight. You knew he must work out to fill his uniform in the way he does, but it’s one thing to know it, and another to see it.

His smile as he catches sight of you is just a little knowing, like he’s seen you looking, and you focus on adjusting your shoulder bag – it looks innocent, but it was shielded by engineering to hide your all your equipment – while you get control of yourself.

“I’ve taken our things up to the room. You ready to go?” He holds out his hand, and you smile up at him as you take it. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but perhaps you see a little admiration in his eyes, too.

It’s a short walk from the hotel along a wide boulevard, lined with trees and teeming with other tourists, to the transport hub. You’re at the zoo in no time.

You try not to hold your breath as your bag goes through the beefy looking security scanner – larger than you would expect for a place like this, and another sign that something illegal may be happening. But the bored looking security guard hands it back to you, and you’re in.

The zoo is large and spacious, and not crowded, which you’re glad about. It has animals from all over the quadrant, and you and Pike— you and Chris wander around, occasionally stopping to take photos of the animals, and even a selfie or two. For appearances’ sake.

There are some species you recognise from Earth, like snow leopards, and a kangaroo carrying a joey in her pouch. You spend too long admiring the horses: a palomino stallion, and a chestnut mare Chris says reminds him of his horse Mary Lou. You manage to drag him away before he has a chance to ask about riding them.

There are a lot of rare creatures, most of which you’ve never seen in person before, like an Aldebran serpent which is a little difficult to see in the sunlight, and even a Drayjin from Dakala. Rare, but legal.

But even though all the animals seem to be reasonably well cared for, like the gormagander in orbit, the more you see – sometimes an empty pen, sometimes animals in an enclosure that looks too new, too pristine, a couple more security guards wandering around than should really be needed – the more you think there really is something going on under the surface.

 “I think that’s a Vulcan sehlat. Don’t you have a friend who had one of those as a pet?” You point at the brown bear-like animal, and Chris quirks an amused half-smile at you.

“Yeah, he had it as a kid. Says they’re very loyal. Though I think I’ll stick with horses,” he adds as the sehlat yawns, exposing those six-inch-long fangs.

“Mmm, I don’t think I’ll be adopting one soon. But maybe one of these bears? They’re super cute.” You work to try to keep the anxiety out of your voice as you approach the Lysisian bears. Now you’re here, the tension is getting to you. Your heart rate speeds up as you begin to feel a little lightheaded. Your stomach is churning.

But Chris picks up on it, of course. “You’re okay,” he murmurs, just for you. “Breathe through it.”

You take a breath, slow, and focus. You are Starfleet. You can get this done.

You look into the enclosure. You can’t see the forcefield but you’re close enough to feel the electric prickle from the generators, which along with a ditch protect you from the animals, and, in theory, the animals from you.

The first bear is slowly climbing a tree trunk, and you get a good view of its markings. A brown bear, not a golden bear. The second one is sitting on the ground, rummaging in the ground cover. You look at the head, and no. Also not a golden bear.

But further along, there is one bear alone, and another on the ground with two cubs. And—

“Look at these cubs, Chris, they’re adorable. I have to get a holo.” You turn to face him, rummaging in your bag. There’s no one else within a few metres of you, but there is an Andorian family nearby looking at some Terran giant pandas. Chris has his back to the nearest security camera, and you pass him the EMP generator, while you get the holo cam out. Hopefully the zoo’s sensors will just read an error in the power grid, but you know you’ll only have a minute or so after he activates it.

When you went into this you had been expecting two bears. But you can deal with four.

You turn back with the camera out, and snap a couple of quick holos. You switch it off, and Chris activates the EMP.

You immediately feel that prickle disappear, and you get out your blow pipe and a handful of tiny trackers so the Enterprise’s sensors can find the bears. You dart the lone bear, glad that unlike when you did this with anaesthetic at the academy it doesn’t matter where you hit. You go for cubs next; you can hear an alarm as you hit the first one you hit cleanly, but the other you only graze. You hit it with your second go but not before it squeaks in pain. The closer parent is on the move immediately, and you can hear running in the distance, but you narrow your eyes and hit perfectly.

“We’re good,” you mutter to Chris, and he gets an arm around you, hustling you along while you re-pack your bag. You feel the electricity in the air as the power is restored.

“Remember when we saw the giant pandas in that bamboo forest? In China?”

A little Andorian girl gazes up at you as you approach, which was Chris’s plan – you couldn’t run, because that would be suspicious, but if you could look like you were associated with another group for long enough…

“That was such an amazing hike. I still can’t believe that they were just there. Eating bamboo in that little clearing.” You feel your heart rate rise again as security runs past, but not as badly this time.

“Yeah, a special memory.” Chris tightens his arm around you a little as you look at the pandas. “I think it’s the Maravel dragon’s feeding time soon. You want to go take a look?”

The two hours you spend waiting for the Enterprise are two of the longest of your life. But you’re lucky – a better security operation would have been on to you, but the operatives at the zoo seem to have grown complacent, and you suspect that you just missed some even more valuable animals. Either way, you’re glad that you’re able to use an EMP again to disrupt their shields long enough for the Enterprise to beam the golden bears aboard.

“Thank you for today,” you say, as you hand your report in to Pike when you’re back on the ship.  “I find it easier to be brave when the people around me are more… nervous… than I am, I guess. Those bears and that gormagander needed you. I needed you. I couldn’t have saved them alone.”

“Given their lax security, you would have found a way. But we couldn’t have anticipated that.” He looks up, catching your eye.

“I’m glad I was there for you.”

The moment holds, but then he smiles, wide and open. “Now we can add pandas to our legend for real.”

After that... it isn’t something that happens frequently. But when a delegate is paying Chris too much attention at a reception aboard the Enterprise, stopping him doing his work, he catches your eye from across the mess hall, and you find your way there to his side, and you stay too close to just be a colleague. When you’re at a party a colony is throwing after your team decontaminated their water supply, and one of the colonists is drunk and won’t leave you alone… You can stand up for yourself, but you don’t want to turn things into an incident, and it’s just… easier if Chris takes your arm and leads you round the dance floor for a few minutes.

Chris invites you to crew dinners, sometimes as a thanks, but more often not. You enjoy spending time with him off the clock. Getting to know him as a friend.

But you try not to think about the sly looks Una gives you sometimes. You try not to lie awake at night, after one of you has bailed the other out, wishing it were real.

The holiday season is supposed to be a time for family. In Starfleet, your crew is your family. But this year, for the first time in a long time, the Enterprise happens to have a stopover on Earth for nearly two weeks around Earth’s Christmas and new year.

The buzz on the ship is palpable – most of the human crew are excited to spend a holiday season at home, and a lot of non-human crew are able to take some leave on their respective planets too.

But your family is on a far-flung colony, and it would take more than a week to get there from Earth. You don’t mind; Earth holiday traditions aren’t very important to you, and you saw your family a few months ago when the Enterprise was mapping a nebula in a nearby sector. A lot of the crew haven’t seen family in years.

You volunteer to stay on board, but you are assigned leave anyway; you don’t have bridge or engineering officer certification, and everything in your lab is safe to leave.

You don’t argue the point. Instead, you make plans. Visit Australia, learn to surf, try a Christmas Day barbecue on the beach, and maybe head into the bush one day to see some marsupials in the wild. The weather net means conditions will be perfect.

You’re looking through a catalogue of swimwear on the synthesiser, trying to decide whether you want a one piece, bikini, or both, when the door chimes.

“Enter,” you say, puzzled about who it could be. There aren’t many people left on the ship; certainly no one you would expect to pop by. You turn away from the synthesiser to see Captain Pike standing in your doorway, that half smile on his face. And you almost feel a little vulnerable, a little exposed – this is the first time he’s been in your space. You try not to let the feeling show.

“Chris, hey, come in. Can I—Did you need something?”

“I wanted to ask a favour. I know you’re getting ready for your leave,” he glances across to the synthesiser screen, still showing swimsuits, “but I wondered if you could delay for a day? My folks are hosting a party, and—” he grimaces. “My mom is going to try to set me up with every un-attached woman there, and I—”

“And you want a ‘date’ to take the heat off?”

“Yeah. It’ll be busy; I can make sure you don’t have to make small talk with my parents. But I…” he shakes his head. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to ruin your plans. Australia, wasn’t it? You should have your break— you’ve earned it.”

You glance at the chronometer. “Sydney time is nineteen hours ahead, so really that’s like five hours behind us? I was planning to beam over mid-afternoon local time – my room won’t be ready until then. If I join you, I’ll just be getting there in the evening instead.” You nod. “I’ll come.”

It’s worth it for his relieved grin.

After you’ve packed and taken your holiday luggage to the cargo transporter, you swing by the arboretum for one of the cuttings you’ve taken from a flowing plant that you picked up on an away mission. It will only grow in the medium you prepared for it, based on the soil of the planet it comes from, so there’s no biosecurity risk, and it’s pretty, with glossy green leaves and clusters of red and gold bell-like flowers. Perfect for the holiday.

Then you synthesise a dress. It’s understated, nice but not too formal, and you feel pretty in it. You synthesise a wrap, too, in case you need to spend time outside.

Chris is waiting in the transporter room when you get there, looking handsome and festive in a Fair Isle sweater over a button-down shirt. It’s in shades of dark green, red, and cream, with a couple of bands of small snowflakes among more abstract patterns.

“I told you; you didn’t need to bring a present,” Chris says as you step onto the transporter pad at his side.

“I know, but I would have felt wrong without one. We’re doing this properly, right?”

“Right. Kyle, two to beam down.”

The sun has just set when you arrive, and the light is fading from orange to pink to purple to deep blue, reminding you a little of the Jentiri Transit. Here, though, the stars in the sky are mirrored on the ground by a galaxy of fairy lights, picking out what must be Chris’s family home, some out buildings, and a large Christmas tree. You hear music and voices, and there’s a scent of pine in the air.

There are a couple of groups of partygoers approaching the house, and you’re glad that you transported down a little way away – you can orient yourself before you start meeting them.

“Ready to get this show on the road?”

“Yeah. Yes, I am.” Chris takes your hand, lacing warm fingers through yours.

Chris greets people as you cross the yard, some going into the house, others a big barn where the music is coming from, as he leads you to the front door. He’s relaxed – you’ve seen him in enough tense situations to know when it’s real, and when he’s putting on a show – and you relax, too, smiling at his friends.

The front door is open ahead of you, warm light spilling out, and you step across the threshold into a large open hallway, open to the second floor with stairs leading up on one side. There are garlands of greenery with golden pinecones and fairy lights hanging round the upper floor, and soft instrumental music is playing, different to what you could hear from outside.

“Welcome! So glad you were able to join us.” The woman who comes to greet you must be Chris’s mom; she’s older, with silver hair, and Chris’s blue eyes.

She favours you with a warm smile like her son’s as he makes the introductions.

“Thank you for having me, ma’am. I brought you this,” you say, handing over the plant.

“Oh, call me Willa, please. And how beautiful! Thank you – I’ve never seen anything like it. The mix of the colours of the flowers… It’s not from Earth, I take it?”

“No, I collected it on an uninhabited planet in the Iota Lyrae system. I wanted a sample because the soil there was unique, but I chose this plant because it was the prettiest.”

“So you’re a botanist?”

“Exobiologist, but my specialisms are botany and zoology.”

“I look forward to hearing your stories,” she says with an unmistakeable twinkle in her eye, “but for now, Christopher, I think your dad is cooking up some mulled cider. I’m sure you’d both like a drink?”

She smiles again and gives your arm a little squeeze as she steps past you. “Ahmed, Sara, good to see you...”

There’s a touch of relief in Chris’s eyes as you move through into the large open plan living, kitchen and dining room. It must be full of light during the day with large floor to ceiling windows, and it’s still quite bright now, with holiday lights and decorations all around the place, including a traditional looking tree in the corner, mainly decorated in white and gold, with presents underneath. The room is busy with people, a lot Chris’s parents’ age, but a wide range of younger people too, standing in groups and sitting on sofas and armchairs, chatting, drinking, and eating nibbles.

You feel Chris tense a little, though, as you both catch sight of the man who must be his dad, turning from a steaming pan on the kitchen stove to make a space on the counter. You remember Chris mentioning that their relationship could be a bit strained, and you try to resist tensing up yourself as Chris’s dad catches sight of you too.

“Son, perfect timing. Taste this and see if you think I have the spices right – your mom said the last batch was too heavy on the clove. Then your lovely lady can have a drink. I’m sorry, Chris did mention your name when he stopped by this afternoon, but my memory is not what it was.”

You introduce yourself, as Chris dips a spoon in the pan, and sips, thoughtfully.

“I think that’s good, dad. What do you think?” He offers the spoon to you, and you step in closer and lean in to take a sip, all too aware of his proximity, his eyes. Then the flavours register, fruit and spice and sweetness, and you find yourself smiling. You turn.

“I think it’s delicious, sir. I see where Chris gets his talent in the kitchen from.”

That seems to have been the right thing to say, because Mr Pike smiles. He dips a ladle into the pan and pours the cider into a glass mug, then hands it to you. “There. Now you can enjoy it properly.” He hands the ladle to Chris. “Would you—?”

“Of course.” Chris takes the pan off the stove, still holding the ladle, and brushes past you as he goes to put it on the table.

Mr Pike turns his attention back to you, a shrewd look in his eye.

“So do you celebrate Christmas? Will you be spending it with your family? Or do you celebrate another winter festival?”

 The questions come thick and fast, about your beliefs and those of your colony, and about its traditions and celebrations. You’re surprised to find yourself thinking again about some of them that you had always taken for granted.

“Sorry about that,” Chris says in an undertone a few minutes later, his gentle hand at your back guiding you into the main part of the room. “I know how he gets, but… the mulled cider is popular.”

“It’s fine. He was asking about my home, not— he seemed genuinely interested.” You stop yourself saying not about us. And then you wonder why.

You don’t have time to think about it, though, because you’re being drawn into conversation. Ahmed, it turns out, went to school with Chris, and they spend some time regaling you and Sara with tales of their high school escapades, and the time in a Parrises Squares tournament all four members of their team somehow managed to get knocked out cold on one play. Then you talk to Esther, a friend of Chris’s mom, about her art, and the inspiration she draws from the desert landscape, flora, and fauna.

You continue making the rounds of the room, Chris catching up with old friends and neighbours. The party feels alive around you; people coming in and out, music playing, food and drink being shared, conversation flowing. And through it all Chris keeps you close, and includes you. You find you’re enjoying yourself, much more than you expected.

“You ready for a change of pace?” Chris asks eventually.

“Sure. What did you have in mind?”

“You dance, right? There’s a dance floor set up in the barn, live band too. Would you like to go see?  I don’t usually have a partner,” he adds, soft, mindful of his mother on a sofa nearby.

“That sounds like fun. Lead the way.” You reach for his hand this time, and give it a little squeeze. There is something in his voice... you know Chris belongs in Starfleet, and you know he knows that too, but an occasion like this must make him think of other paths his life could have taken.

Outside there’s a slight chill in the air, and you’re glad you retrieved your wrap from where you put it on a coat stand in the hallway. But it isn’t far to the barn, and soon you’re enveloped in warmth.

There are warm white fairy lights strung along the beams, and another Christmas tree, this one very large, with lots of different baubles and decorations. Of course there is food and drink in here; you smell gingerbread from a table near the door.

There are a lot of people, some who you’ve seen pass through the house, and others you haven’t. There are people standing around the edge of the room, including Chris’s dad, deep in conversation with a group of four Andorians. And there are people on the dance floor, dancing to a jaunty number being played by the band. You don’t know if it’s traditional for the season or not, but it doesn’t seem to matter; everyone is having a good time. As you listen it comes to a stop, and everyone claps.

“May I have this dance?” Chris asks with one of those small lopsided smiles.

You’ve danced with Chris a couple of times before, and it’s always a pleasure. You can relax, safe in the ballroom hold, in sync with him, easily able to follow his lead around the dance floor. And if you pretend to yourself, while you’re in his arms, that this is real… well. You haven’t noticed any Vulcans or members or other telepathic species in attendance.

You dance several dances, until the band takes a break, although the music continues – a singer with a guitar takes over, singing something about a sleigh ride. You’re passing by the Christmas tree on the way to a drinks table when you see it.

“Hey Chris, is that the Enterprise? On the tree?” You step closer to get a better look. “It is! It even has the lettering on the saucer. NCC-1701.”

He laughs, warm. “I think they usually put it on the tree in the house. Bob gave it to my parents as a present, the Christmas after I was made Captain.”

“That sounds like Admiral April. I remember, he—” but you’re interrupted by laughter.

“Chris! Didn’t expect you to get caught!”

You look around to see a group of people all staring at you, expectantly.

“You’ve got to kiss now, guys, it’s the rules.”

“The rules?” You’re confused.

“Look up.” Sara, who you met earlier is there, pointing to some greenery suspended above your head. And you don’t think you’ve seen it before in person, but the way people are talking, it must be—

“Mistletoe.” Chris steps in close. “I’m sorry,” he adds, quiet. “I thought we— never mind. I’ll just—”

He leans over, and brushes a light kiss to your cheek, and it’s chaste but... your breath still catches a little.

“That doesn’t count,” one of the onlookers says, and a murmur of agreement ripples across the group.

Chris looks at you, questioning. And you know he would respect it if you said no, or showed any trace of hesitation. But you give him a tiny nod.

His hand rises up to your face, his fingers warm against your cheek. He leans in slowly, still giving you the chance to change your mind, but your eyelids flutter shut as his lips brush yours. And you’ve been close before. You’ve held hands, walked arm in arm… you’ve been dancing with him all evening. But as his lips brush yours you feel a jolt of energy flow between you, and the party, the audience, the pretence, none of that matters anymore, because Chris is kissing you again. Harder. Sweeter. His hand slips round to the back of your neck and you press against him, kissing back, eager, for a moment suspended together in your own little bubble.

The bubble bursts, though, as you hear cheers and clapping, and you pull away, or Chris pulls away, and suddenly it all feels… too much. The singer is too loud. The people are too close. The barn is too warm. You feel your heart thudding in your chest.

You try to keep it together. You’re here for Chris — you can’t just run out as soon as he kisses you. You nod and smile, make it to the drinks table, and when someone claps Chris’s shoulder, loudly proclaiming that they haven’t seen him in years, you mutter that you’re getting some air, and get out.

You feel like you can breathe again when you get outside. Like you can try to get your whirling thoughts in order. But the door to the house opens and you see Mrs Pike, and your feet are moving before you even think about it, and you’re pushing the door to one of the outbuildings open and slipping inside.

Immediately you feel movement, and smell animals—horses. The stables. It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the dark, then you make your way slowly past the stalls until you reach one where what could be a chestnut horse with a white patch on its face has its head out, curious to see you. You hold out your hand for it to sniff.

“Are you Mary Lou? I’m sorry, I wasn’t really planning on coming here. I don’t have any apples or sugar lumps or anything.” She nuzzles your hand anyway, and you rub her nose. “I know your owner. I know Chris. Actually, I’m pretending to date him. But then we kissed, and I... I wished...”

“What did you wish?”

You turn, startled. Chris is standing there, holding your wrap, expression unreadable in the dim light.

“I—you—” you stare at the floor.

“Your wrap. You left pretty suddenly; I didn’t want you to be cold. You weren’t outside, and I saw the open door. Should’ve known you and Mary Lou would be making friends.”

You step closer and take the fabric from him, barely raising your gaze, and wrap it around your shoulders, slowly. You hug it to you.

Then you take a little breath, and look up.

“I wished we weren’t pretending. But I know that we are. So—so if you need to transfer me, or—”

He touches a finger to your lips, silencing you.

“When we kissed... I was right there with you. Wanting this. Wanting you.” He shakes his head. “I’ve wanted it for a while, actually, and sometimes I thought... but you—you know how to put on a performance.”

“Not where you’re involved.”

You reach up, still almost disbelieving, almost afraid to make contact. But you can feel Chris’s face stretch into a smile under your touch. His hands settle on your waist, pulling you in closer, and you kiss, lips parting, and it’s gloriously real.

In the end, though, Mary-Lou’s soft whinny reminds you of where you are.

“We should get back. I think Mom saw me head this way, and knowing her, she’ll come looking.” Chris belies his words, kissing your neck, and you gasp as he hits a sensitive spot.

“I—I guess you’re right. We should go.” You miss Chris’s warmth as he finally steps away. He goes over to pat Mary Lou before holding out a hand for you. You lace your fingers together, and he leads you back out of the stables into the night outside, back towards the barn.

“Wait.” A thought occurs to you, and you pull on your joined hands, getting Chris to stop. He turns to you, profile highlighted by the lights shining from the tree. “Is this now our actual first date? And… do you have plans for later this evening? The room I booked in Sydney is a double…”

Chris laughs. “I guess it is. I could join you in Sydney tonight, I know you want to learn to surf… But… have you thought about learning to ride instead?”

[ichayalovesyou]

Oooo ask for Pike, how about pike and a non human (preferable gn or male please :) ) reader and how they would try and communicate if the universal translators go down whilst stuck in a turbo lift together? :D

Oooh what a FUN concept! 🤩 I’ll do my best! I got really creative when I heard the word “alien” I hope you like it!

Color Coded (Platonic Pike x Reader)

Rating: E for Everyone!

Word Count: 1.1k

Content: SFW, Ops!Reader, Alien!Reader, Cadet!Reader, GN!Reader, budding friendship, author OG alien race, minor concussion, reader saves the day!, shenanigans, general cuteness (with stakes!)

Teaser: The language of your people is unique, even amongst Federation worlds. So much so that you need to have your own personal translator on hand. Sure would be a shame if a freak turbolift accident broke it or something!

It had been a long day of recalibrations and catching up on redundancy checks, but the Enterprise was back in peak condition. At least now you could finally go relax in your tank.

The turbolift doors whisked open hardly two floors after you’d started.

“Bridge.”

You straightened as much as your petite cephalopodic frame could manage, it was the Captain! A human you had only seen but had yet to meet!

“Oh! Hello Cadet! I’m Captain Christopher Pike. I apologize that I wasn’t able to meet you in person when you came aboard. I had some unexpected diplomatic duties on Starbase One.”

“No worries sir! I know you’re very busy!” You scented into your personal translator, turning dark blue then pink with humility and a little intimidation.

“Still, I try to make sure I get to meet everyone who comes aboard, especially someone as historic as you. You’re Starfleet’s first Prismatican correct? Your people communicate through color and olfactory sequences, unique even by Federation standards. How’s that personal translator working for you?”

“Quite well sir! Cadet Uhura and I have begun programming a software workaround that will hopefully allow me to patch into the universal translat-“

VOOM!

The turbolift froze in its tracks with a violent force that knocked the power out, and both of you off balance! You went flying and instinctively clung to the wall. The captain wasn’t so lucky, you heard him slam against the side of the lift with a grunt, and the sound of delicate metal crunching.

“Oh no.”

Unless the Captain was hiding a delicate piece of scientific equipment in his pocket, you could only guess what his unexpected dive had broken.

This was going to be a problem.

“Unh, are you alright Cadet?”

In the darkness you had no idea what he just said, you couldn't see him. You only felt movement, and with your scent resynthesizer crushed, you’d have to rely on lip reading. Thank goodness you took Federation Standard at the academy! But there was just one issue, it was pitch dark in here!

You skittered toward the where you knew the emergency switch was but the power came back on right as you reached for it, or where you had thought it was, turns out you were on the ceiling!

It seemed the Captain was surprised to find you there, he winced at the light. You tried to make yourself useful and open the ceiling hatch, but it was dented shut. You looked down and noticed something even more worrying, Captain Pike was bleeding!

You let go and landed right in front of him, turning red and trying to say ‘blood’ or at least scent it, not that you knew what human blood smelled like until just now.

“Ok, why… why do you smell like copper? What are you trying to, oh.”

Pike grazed his temple and noticed the red streak across his fingertips.

“Whelp, that explains why I was having such a hard time getting up. Is the turbolift actually tilted or… or is that just me?”

You tilted yourself to indicate that the turbolift was in fact almost sideways. The Captain nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose before reorienting himself towards the communications panel with a little help from you.

“We gotta talk to engineering, they’ll be able to get us out of here in no time.”

You sensed he was trying to be reassuring but you barely caught what he said, he wasn’t exactly looking at you. How were you going to tell him you could read lips? Would he even remember? He didn’t seem to be feeling too well.

“Engineering this is Captain Pike, status report?”

No response.

“Engineering, status report, what the hell happened out there?”

Still nothing.

“Captain to Bridge, Number One is everything alright?”

Captain Pike swallowed hard, Humans may not change color (much) when they were upset, but there were other ways to tell.

Hoping nothing bad had happened, you realized there was another possibility. You removed the cover panel of the communications hub. Ah! Just as you thought! The impact the turbolift took jostled some of the relay chips free.

It’d be an easy fix, if you had humanoid digits like the rest of the crew. Lesson learned, never leave your accommodations in Engineering!

You were going to have to show the Captain how to do it for you. You tapped the Captain on his shoulder, gesticulating to the chips.

“Ok, got it, how do we fix this?”

You turned orange then yellow, orange chip, yellow wire. Easy right?

“I don’t, I don’t follow.”

Apparently not.

You reminded yourself to be patient, he was your superior officer, and also, he hit his head pretty bad. Which couldn’t be good for somebody whose bones were on the inside. Human biology was so strange.

You pointed to the loose chip, and then to the wire, turning orange, then yellow again.

“Oh! Sorry, uh, I think, I miiiight have a concussion. Don’t worry though, I’ll be fine.” He grinned half-heartedly as he followed your directions.

You didn’t really believe him. But at least you knew what the thing that was wrong with him was called now! Maybe you should’ve taken a first aid course, fixing humanoids couldn’t be that different to fixing machines, right?

This process went on for a few minutes, there were a couple moments where he scared you a little by taking a while to respond or having to lean on the wall for a minute, but it got done. Wanting to be as much help as possible you pressed the comms button for him.

“Una…”

“Captain! Oh my god we’ve been looking all over for you, are you alright?!”

“I’m fine I- ugh, smells like battery acid, what’s wrong? Are you angry with me?”

“I’m sorry what was that Captain?”

“Okay, okay, okay I’m sorry. I might have a mild concussion, our new Cadet and I are trapped in a turbolift, hatch is damaged shut, not sure where we are…”

Oh no he'd zoned out again! You tapped the Captain on his leg, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Captain? Chris?”

“What?”

“Don’t worry Chris, we’ll send someone to get you. I’ll fill you in on what happened AFTER you go to sickbay alright?”

“…Alright”

You turned off the comms, ushering the Captain to sit down, he did so heavily.

“Guess it’s time to sit tight, you did, ow, you did good Cadet. Especially given the circumstances, sorry about that by the way, I’ll… somebody'll fix it. Hope I can return the favor.”

You turned bright yellow, it sure felt nice to be appreciated!

“Oh, okay, that’s minty, I’m guessing that means thank you?”

You know what? Close enough!

[ichayalovesyou]

a pike writing request: a captain’s dinner like the one uhura went to in the second episode? love the writing!

Oh thank you so much 💚🖖🏻💚 I just wrote an angsty one so this one is gonna be chaotic and silly to balance things out! Buckle up and enjoy 😎

Fork In Hand (Pike x Reader)

Rating: PG-13 (language, blood, flirting)

Word Count: 986

Content: SFW, GN!Reader, Science Division!Reader, flirty casual relationship, Reader has mad scientist energy, Murphy’s Law, baked goods, accidental stabbing, Dad Mode Pike.

Teaser: Enter with mad baking skills, leave covered in Antares-style beef brisket… and also your own blood. As far as Captain’s Dinners go, this one’s for the history books.

Baking is an art, and a time consumer, so you made it a point to show up first to the Captain’s quarters for dinner prep. You couldn’t help your perfectionism, bread is Your Thing, and not even Chris was allowed to help you.

Chris could grill almost as well as he could command a starship, but you, you were a chemist! And a punctual one! That bread was going to be fresh out of the oven the second everyone sat down and no one was gonna stop you!

Culinary arsenal in hand, you rang.

“Come!”

The doors slid open, and Pike was already hard at work.

“Chris-aptain! Hey!”

“Y/N! Exactly on time as usual, and I thought Vulcans were punctual.” Pike laughed at your half-assed attempt at addressing him professionally.

“Yeah well, you know how I feel about buns.” You put dropped off ingredients and sidled to the countertop next to him, giving him a quick swat to that excellent keister of his.

“You! You, are ridiculous.” he jumped, in fake indignation, stifling a giggle.

“Oh I know, I got stuff for rosemary bread and Bolian olive bread, how does that sound?”

“Go for it, Ensign Zier is Bolian isn’t she? I’m sure she’ll appreciate it!”

“It’s what I had in mind, she’s in my department after all, ought to make her feel welcome.”

“That is the goal.” Damn, if that smile couldn’t light up a room.

“Got any plans for later?” Chris covered the brisket and made his way over to your workspace.

“Uh, ahah, you mean like for desert? Because, I mean, La’an’s coming, I was thinking strawberry shortcake so, uh…”

“That isn’t quite what I meant but-“

The door chimed, you didn’t think it was possible to think the words ‘thank god’ and ‘god damnit’ at the same time but, here you were.

As other guests trickled in and hopped to work there wasn’t any time left for you and Pike to mess around. After all, you didn’t wanna get behind schedule and there was only so much space in the oven.

Dinner went off without a hitch, the command duo dominated the conversation with their usual charm and vigor. The Cadet of the evening got their usual ‘Decade Question’. You snuck a joke or comment in here and there but mostly let your work speak for you. Drinks were served, people went in for seconds, you got up to pour yourself another Scotch.

When you noticed a second too late that the foot traffic had caused a fold in the rug, and your Ensign was about to eat the floor.

You tried to save Zier and her plate from the spill, you failed on both accounts. Well, at least you saved a utensil, not that you thought anybody would want what you had caught. Although caught might be a generous term. It was more like it had caught you.

You were so shocked you started laughing, cackling even. What else could you do?

Because, Oh GOD-

There was a fork

In your hand.

Sorry, not in your hand, through it! Right below the knuckles!

After that things got a little fuzzy.

Somebody gasped at you so hard that they started choking and another person had to help them. Somebody else (Una?) went to help Zier up. “Chris!” oh yeah, that was loud, and that was Una. Zier wouldn’t shut the hell up and stop apologizing. Shit, now the oven is going off. Bad timing. For once.

The Captain’s expression had gone from confused to white as a sheet as he made a B-line for you. You used him and your not-stabbed-with-a-fork hand to brace yourself. Gross, you were bleeding everywhere.

“Tell Sam if he lets my shortcakes burn I will kill him.” you said through gritted teeth as the wonderful sensation of being stabbed took hold and the adrenaline wore off.

The Captain gave a hard glance at Kirk and nodded toward the oven, Sam gave a vague ‘Why me?!’ gesture with his mouth full of brisket, but scuttled over to the oven anyway.

Chris hoisted you up to your feet and hauled ass. You hadn’t lost that much blood you didn’t need to be carried. Right?

Frankly Chris didn’t seem to care and it was faster to just let him help you. You tried to stumble out of the turbolift without his help but the Captain was just not having it, next thing you knew you were in Sickbay.

“What happened? Is that a fork?!” Chapel set down a data pad and rushed over to you, dermal regenerator in hand.

“Sir please stop hovering, it’s gonna be fine. This isn’t the first time either of us has dealt with a stab wound.”

“Right, sorry.”

About fifteen minutes of Chapel being your new best friend and occasionally shooing Chris away later, your hand was good as new.

“You okay?” Chris ventured

“Physically? Yeah. But all that… that was rough.”

“Yeah it was! I don’t think we’ll be living that one down anytime soon.”

“Neither will Zier.”

“Oh relax Y/N, it was an accident.”

“I know, I’m joking Chris, I think, maybe.”

He laughed “You know, there was one dinner a few years ago where that wasn’t an accident?”

“A kid stabbed a superior officer on purpose?!”

“Yeah, but I think I’ll save that story for another time. Would probably be in poor taste at this point.”

“Understatement of the year.”

“You ready to get back in there and see what the damage is?”

“Yeah, hopefully the shortcakes turn out okay.”

“It’ll be fine, you put sweat, tears AND blood into those shortcakes. La’an is… intense, she’ll probably love you for that kind of thing.”

“She would yeah!” you laughed, always a delightful surprise when Chris did some good natured ribbing.

One thing’s for sure, you’re gonna remember this night for the rest of your life.