(JP) Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek & Lieutenant Orson "Bear" Marshall: Awkward Nostalgia, Part II
Lael Rosek
(( O. Marshall's Quarters, USS Gorkon ))
His eyebrow arched at her, this time with a little more amusement to divert from the coiling feeling winding through his chest with barbed purpose. Dancing on thin ice was the way he’d come to think of it all — eventually, one of them would fall through — until they stood dancing and retreated. Tired blue eyes dropped to the glass in his hand and he sighed.
O. Marshall: And I’m out of whiskey.
Rosek: ::grins wryly:: Boo-hoo. I can’t even drink.
O. Marshall: The heart bleeds for you, it truly does.
Words coated in mock sincerity. He reached for the bottle, uncorking it with his teeth and splashed some into the glass.
O. Marshall: I’m sure super science boy can help with a more vigorous activity to knock you out.
She blushed. That wasn’t a fact that she’d shared with Bear. She’d abstained from those sorts of intimacies with German until the last mission had nearly broken her and she’d caved to the attraction that had been simmering between them for months. She hadn’t wanted to rush it like she had with her previous relationships. Bear should have been another in a long line of one night stands, but the chemistry had drawn her back like a moth to a flame...a chemistry that had the potential to explode.
What she had with German was more of a slow burn with the occasional flare-ups. She could only hope that the slow burn would keep her in check.
Rosek: ::drops her gaze and murmurs:: Yeah.
O. Marshall: You don’t sound so sure about that, either.
Rosek: ::sighs and runs her hands through her hair:: I didn’t want to %#@! it up, so I was kind of abstaining from that until this last mission screwed everything.
O. Marshall: Is that what’s been bothering you? ::He gave her a look for a moment and exhaled.:: You realise that it’s a normal function for two grown adults, encourages intimacy, can be fun.
Rosek: ::scowls and says sarcastically:: Oh, gee! No, I had no idea! Thanks so much for enlightening me. ::grimaces:: I didn’t want that to be all this was about. I tend to rush and I didn’t want to with this. ::murmurs:: He deserves better than to be another one of my cast offs.
The sobering words slid underneath Bear’s ribs and stuck there. Running headlong from one disaster to the next, trying to get some grasp of control on it all was a hard task in itself. A memory of Samira waking up beside him, and the way she looked at him in the twilight, had made him reconsider certain things. None of it would last. It wasn’t in him and she deserved someone who wanted what she did.
O. Marshall: Doesn’t that tell you something?
Rosek: ::gaze drops to her hands and murmurs:: Yeah. I--I’ve been thinking at some point down the road...well, if I want a family, I’m certainly not getting any younger.
It was one of her classic diversions. The topic made her uncomfortable, so she’d shifted to her familiar joking mode. It kept most people from digging too deep and managed to keep them well out of her business most of the time.
O. Marshall: That wasn’t quite what I meant. You’ve noticed a pattern. You’re correcting it, because you’ve finally found someone you want to change for.
Rosek: ::grimaces:: Toryn--he was willing to be monogamous for me, but I knew he wouldn’t have been truly happy. ::pauses:: German--it’s never been a question. I didn’t have to persuade or beg him. ::pauses:: He gave me a reason to change.
O. Marshall: Good. ::Nodding, he looked down into the glass.:: You deserve to be happy, and who knows, an Al-Leyan/Denobulan hybrid *could* be cute?
She wasn’t oblivious to how he was trying to cover his feelings. She’d known him too long not to see how this conversation was tearing him apart inside. They did that to each other in moments like these...had done it to each other for years. She wouldn’t deny she felt a bit of a twinge at the thought of him with another woman, but she knew it wasn’t fair for her to move on and not expect him to.
Rosek: ::smiles wanly:: Bear Marshall. Is that a hint of jealousy I detect in your voice?
He exhaled a laugh and arched an eyebrow at her, a splinter stuck somewhere deep in his chest. Sometimes, he wanted to want those trappings of life with someone else. Then again, they did feel exactly that. A trap.
O. Marshall: Lael Rosek. Is that a hint of wishful thinking I detect in yours?
Rosek: ::smirks:: You must be getting old. It’s making you a bit senile.
O. Marshall: I’m a vintage whiskey. ::He grinned underneath the blond beard.:: I only get better with age.
Rosek: ::scoffs:: Better hope your next girlfriend likes vintage, then. Although from where I’m sitting, you look plain old.
This time, he laughed, running his fingers up into his short hair and to the back of his neck. Product of recent events, perhaps, but he was starting to feel it. Weathered and beaten.
O. Marshall: You wound me deeply, you know. ::His head tilted, swishing the liquid around in the glass.:: Lena seems to like dusting me off.
She barely managed to keep her eyes from narrowing and her lips from thinning. It hit her square in the chest, not aware that Bear was serious enough about anyone to have a regular thing. She wasn’t sure if the jab was meant to incite the jealous streak he knew she had or if it had just been an off-hand comment. Knowing Bear, it was likely the latter with a touch of the former.
Rosek: ::rolls her eyes:: I bet Lena does.
O. Marshall: Quite. ::He smiled, then sighed with a mock exhalation.:: Our babies are going to be beautiful.
Rosek: ::huffs:: With your genetics? Hardly. Jo, maybe. You?
Yeah, he was a good-looking sonuvagun. But she wasn’t about to tell him that and risk inflating his ego more than it already was.
O. Marshall: And the hits just keep on coming. ::Taking a drink, he chuckled lightly.:: I’ll tell Jo you think so.
Rosek: ::arches an eyebrow:: Though I’d be careful. She might want to know what we were talking about that brought it around to that topic in the first place.
O. Marshall: Oh, that’s the easy bit. ::His eyebrow arched, a sly grin growing.:: Pretty sure she was next door on Palanon.
Rosek: ::blushes:: She was not or you wouldn’t have done anything. Admit it. You’re afraid of her.
The slyness of his grin muted to an amused smile. True enough, even years later, it was still hard to predict how Jo would react to any of it, and the longer the lie dragged on for, the less he wanted to. Select memories he liked to hold onto. Listening to her breathing, seeing her smile for a while, worries put on the back burner, running his fingers down her spine, tracing scars in kisses, chasing bites and bruises. It was fun while it lasted, but he’d stopped wondering a long time ago if she’d have been his if he’d just asked.
O. Marshall: Who knew making you blush would be so easy.
Rosek: ::arches an eyebrow:: I recall making you blush quite a lot. Don’t think I didn’t see that bit around your collarbone earlier. I know you too well.
O. Marshall: You’ve seen it too much. ::A wry grin crept up on him and he unconsciously rubbed the area, amusement evident.:: And here I thought you didn’t care.
Rosek: ::smirks:: I’m hurt, Bear. Of course I care about making you blush. It’s just too easy to yank your chain.
O. Marshall: Remind me to make it harder.
Rosek: ::smirks:: Good luck with that. I know all your triggers.
His eyebrow arched.
O. Marshall: Is that right?
Rosek: ::chuckles:: You always were a tease.
O. Marshall: You always liked it.
Her gaze dropped to her hands for a moment, a nostalgic smile crossing her lips. He was right. At that point in their lives, they’d been looking for a good time and the flirting had been an excellent distraction from whatever was going on in their lives. Now that she had German, the teasing wasn’t entirely appropriate, but it was still fun. She was flirtatious by nature and it was going to be a helluva hard habit to break...especially with Bear.
Was it possible that if she opened up to German more, she could have this with him? She was so afraid that he’d see her scars and change his mind. She’d been skittish about relationships for most of her life, but German had given her every indication that he wasn’t going anywhere. Maybe it was time to let go of control and let him love her.
Rosek: ::looks up and meets his gaze:: Yeah. I did.
With a contemplative smile, Bear looked down at the glass in his hand. Language amounted for a lot between people who rarely found it difficult to speak to one another.
O. Marshall: Hmm.
She sighed. It had always been complicated between them. As much as she still cared about Bear, they both knew they were pushing the boundaries of what was appropriate. German was from a species where each person could have multiple spouses. But Lael wasn’t that type. Nor was Bear. He had a powerful possessive streak all his own given the right circumstances. No. That would only be more painful.
Rosek: ::murmurs:: I still do, Bear. But you know we shouldn’t.
O. Marshall: “We shouldn’t” used to be the reason why we did. ::This time, he did look up, grinned in his boyish way, then shrugged a shoulder.:: Whatever makes you happy, kid.
Kid? There was a decent age difference, sure. But he didn’t call her that. Ever. It set off alarm bells in her head. He was trying to distance himself from her...from them. It had been a long time coming, but that didn’t make it any easier. The thought sparked her anxieties. She should say something, she knew, but what else was there to say? What they’d had was over and it was best that they both accept that and move on.
They said their murmured goodbyes and his face was replaced by the black screen. With a sigh, she looked at the bottom corner of the monitor and her brow furrowed when she saw a message notification. Entering a series of commands, she opened it and began reading.
//
To: Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek
From: Lieutenant JG Sheila Bailey
Subject: Personal Quarters Gravity Adjustment
Lt. JG Sheila Bailey calling in a request for the gravity in my personal quarters to be adjusted to ⅛ Earth Gravity. Please reply as soon as you can or if you have any questions or you need me to come down.
Thanks a bunch you rock,
Bailey
//
Her brow furrowed. The request wouldn’t be that difficult to accommodate. It had been done on other vessels and installations. The adjustment was a simple matter of ensuring it wouldn’t affect any of the neighboring quarters. Her gaze flickered to the chronometer. It was getting late and she’d decided she wanted to surprise German in his office with dinner. But first, to change into civilian clothing. She forwarded the email to Carter, noting that they should set up a time to talk about the implications so they’d have something to offer Bailey when they discussed the request with her.
Once that was done, she rose from her chair and turned the monitor off, then heading to her and German’s shared quarters to change.
---
Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek
Executive Officer, USS Astraeus, NCC-70652
I238110RH0
&
Lieutenant Orson Marshall
Logistics and Communications Officer
USS Gorkon
G239304JM0
As written by Jo Marshall