Finally Together

Posted on Sun Feb 12th, 2023 @ 5:36am by Lieutenant Ramat'iklan & Lieutenant Paisley P'rar

2,988 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: No One Gets Left Behind
Location: Paisley's Quarters

Days off meant cleaning her quarters, relaxing, catching up on reading, and date night. She was more looking forward to last one than the other three. Still, she kept busy until an hour before Ramat was due. She got a shower, and then got dressed. In leather shorts, plaid bustier top, motorcycle jacket, and heeled boots, and put her hair down. It was a bit more edgy than she usually dressed, but she was feeling edgy. Well. She was feeling on edge, and she hoped the date would help calm her down. She topped it off with red lipstick, and headed for the kitchen to get dinner started. It was a typical Terran meal of roast chicken, potatoes, and mixed vegetables. The chicken needed awhile to cook, though, so she needed to start it before he arrived. She worked quickly, coating the skin with a bit of oil, and stuffed the cavity with garlic, lemon, and herbs. She stuck it in the oven, and washed her hands. After a minute, she heard the chime, and hurried to the door.

"Hi! Come in."

Paisley knew him too well. Ramat'iklan loved edgy and dark when it came to outfits (except when he didn't really feel like it) - especially when they fitted her like a glove like this one did. Part of him found it quite amusing that ever since their date nights together had become a thing Paisley seemed to have become more and more daring, wearing something a bit more revealing each time. This time was definitely no exception. Kinaa, held in his arms, mewled and pawed at Paisley as he stepped through the door. He himself had gone for something simple: dark gray muscle shirt and jeans, plain but simple. "You look amazing." He smirked, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her in close to his chest. "Is that chicken I smell? And rosemary? I can't wait to see what you've got in mind..."

She took Kinaa from him with a giggle, and then leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek before she shut the door behind them. "Thank you, you look good, too." She pet the cat before settling her on the couch. "It IS chicken. Potatoes, and some steamed vegetables. The chicken and potatoes are Terran. The vegetables are Bajoran." She settled in on the couch next to him. "The chicken has only been in for about ten minutes, so it needs a bit longer. The potatoes are in there, too, to bake before I mash them." She said. "How was your day?"

Ramat's arms wrapped around her midsection as she sat down next to him and pulled her close to his chest. There was something comforting about the warmth of her body against his always, like a heated weighted blanket. "It was good." He said, placing Kinaa in her lap. The kitten meowled and wriggled a bit, rubbing her head against her belly. "As usual. And yourself?" He leaned forward burying his nose in her hair with a content sigh. "You even smell good." He commented.

She smiled a little, "I was off today." She pat Kinaa carefully. The two "women" were getting along pretty well. "Thanks. It's a new shampoo I'm trying." She leaned against him. "I was bored, too. I almost went down to the labs to have lunch with Elly because it's too quiet in here." She laughed. "Want something to drink?" She stood up to get herself some wine. "I'm going to have a little wine myself; I cleaned the whole house today, did a bunch of laundry."

"Lunch with ensign Harper? I would consider that better than sitting down to dinner with a Vorta at least. I find those insuferable." He deadpanned. "I'd have no ears by the time I reach the table with lunch. Drink? Wine will be alright for me as well, or kanar if you like..."

"Wine tonight. Last time, the Kanar gave me a bit of a headache." Or he head, she didn't exactly remember. "Well. I don't know about a Vorta but at least Elly is noise. I should have played music. I get too into my head, you know." She sighed. She thought TOO much sometimes. She went to the kitchen and poured some wine, and stopped to check on the food. She returned to the couch, and handed Ramat his glass. "Here's yours." She settled in next to him again. "I checked the food. It looks good!! I can't wait to eat it.
She sipped the wine before she spoke again. “In five minutes, I need to start the vegetables. In the meantime,” she sat her glass down and turned to Ramat, leaning forward to kiss him fully.

Ramat barely had time to take a sip of his wine before Paisley captured his mouth in a searing, wine-flavored kiss. A dizzyingly perfect kiss, exactly the way he liked them. Being part Cardassian and raised as a Cardassian he had no doubt that she too had a near perfect eidetic memory and likely learned and remembered far more things than even he did about himself. Such as, you know, the way he liked to be kissed, or what outfit to wear to instantly raise the room several degrees in temperature around him.

"More of that, and I might not feel like eating." He growled against her lips.

“Same,” she said breathlessly. “Shut up, though.” She kissed him again, deepening the kiss, and then pulled away as a timer went off. She closed her eyes a moment. “Time to make the vegetables. Hold your thoughts,” she placed a finger over his lips as she stood up. “More of that soon.” She headed for the kitchen, wishing she’d opted for the replicator instead. A few minutes later, cardassian carrots and a leafy green were steaming, and she was preparing to mash the potatoes.

Ramat'iklan sipped his glass of wine, which somehow didn't taste as good without the taste of her lips behind it, and put it aside. He couldn't just sit and wait while she made dinner; that wasn't his way. He approached the kitchen counter, standing just behind her. "Do you need help with anything?" He asked as Kinaa padded up behind them and mewled, perhaps begging for food scraps.

She nodded. “Sure. Handle the potatoes while I finish the vegetables here, and then I’ll check the chicken. It’s a small bird, so it doesn’t need to bake too long.” She attended the steamer basket of carrot and greens, after a minute, pulling the steamer out and letting the food cool slightly in a bowl she’d set out. After a few more minutes, it was time to eat. She plated the meal, setting aside a small amount for the cat. “Ready?” She asked her companion. It DID smell good and she was hungry, though their dinners had become more or less just another thing to do before they made love. She was running out of justifications for why they shouldn’t just be together as a THING, but she wasn’t sure if it was still too soon.

"Ready." Ramat'iklan picked up both their plates and set them on the dining table as Kinaa buried her face in her dinner. He'd have to clean her whiskers and fur of food later, but then again that was simply one of the downsides of cat ownership.

"I've been thinking about something we could do on the holodeck." He mused. "I've never been to Cardassia. Why don't you show it to me as it is as you know it? In return I'll show you where I was... raised. Though it isn't much. No Dominion vessel is ever well decorated or furnished. It's quite dull to look at from the inside, all gray and black and... not much else. It won't be much, but it's- it was my home. I'm afraid I can't offer more than that."

“I’d like that. I’d like to see how it looks after… now.” Post-Burn universe was a dark place, but every day, life was discovered that was believed to be destroyed so there was hope. It was all they had. “I’ve been a little afraid to look, actually. I’d like to see Bajora, too.” She started on her dinner, lost in her thoughts for a moment before she spoke up again. “Did R’Elle and S'Mren enjoy the double date?” She asked him. “Maybe we could do it again. Or with others. Host them here, I don’t know. I only ask because… well. Maybe it’s time that we just stop this little game and be official. What do you think?” There, cards on the table.

"They did, they did. I talked to S'Miren earlier today during lunch. Funny you should ask - she asked me that exact same question, to my face, when I talked about us." The tiniest crack of a smile appeared on his lips then, worked its way across his mouth, and soon he was positively beaming. Around Paisley he didn't need to act like a stoic, unshakeable pillar of strength. "Let me answer your question with another few questions: First, what took you so long to ask, and second, what makes you think I'd say no if you did ask?"

She gave him a LOOK but sighed. “I was worried about what other people would say. That it was too fast, too soon. And there’s the age difference. I mean, we’re both adults but…” she paused to gather her thoughts. “I hoped you wouldn’t say no, but if you did, my plan was to date Elly Clarke.” At that, she laughed. “I assume that’s a yes?”

"Of course it is." He responded candidly. The smile remained. "If you must know; Paisley, one of your officers - Tellarite lieutenant junior grade Grov, he turned eighteen two months ago - is really very happy with his Vulcan partner who turns forty in two weeks but looks barely twenty-five. Consider it the same difference. I've been old enough-"

After his yes, she couldn’t help herself. She leaned in and kissed him on his lips, holding it longer than was expected, but pulled away again. “I know. Mind if we skip the rest of the meal? I’m suddenly craving something more… romantic.” She was happy, truly, and she didn’t care who knew it. She had him on his feet quickly, and on the way to the bedroom before he could protest. She knew he wouldn’t mind, and if he did, well, she didn’t care.

Ramat'iklan had expected to be able to get through dinner first, possibly with a nice dessert, some chocolate maybe or whatever else Paisley originally had in mind - but Paisley absolutely did not like to wait when it came to getting what she wanted, he knew that well, especially when it came to activities in the bedroom. Not even the strength of a Jem'hadar could stop her then. Oh, well. Not like he cared very much. A smile worked its way across his lips as she dragged him away to the bedroom and locked the door behind them. This was the start of something new, something uncertain for them both, something that promised to be quite enjoyable.

One certainty, however, was how sore he was going to be the next morning, and somehow he didn't care.

Boldness was out of character for her, but Ramat’iklan stirred up something inside her. Of course, the lust was there, but something else lurked behind it, something she couldn’t quite grasp yet. Contentment, perhaps. At any rate, she couldn’t dwell on it as she let their passions guide the evening-and well into the next morning.

FADE

Everything hurt, head to toe. If he didn't know better he would've thought that he'd been run over by a speeding shuttle. What made up for it entirely, though, was the sight of Paisley asleep next to him, all curled up and peacefully asleep, and knowing that they would have many, many more nights like this, but this time as a couple, hopefully partners for life. Shifting closer to her he yawned and closed his eyes, nuzzling the top of her head.

Her dreams were happy ones-more evenings like the one that'd just passed. Vacations on warm, deserted islands. All of it with the man she slept next to. He was nuzzling her head, but she wasn't ready to get up yet. She reached out for him. "Round 18?" She asked, but laughed after, before opening up her blue eyes. "I don't want to leave the bed today. But I suppose we should clean up the kitchen and feed Kinaa before we go to work. And I suppose we should talk about how this will look. Set up the details." The crashes back to reality the next day were always jarring, but worth it. She kissed him. "Good morning, boyfriend." She shook her head. "Why does that sound like a teenager?" She pulled a t-shirt over her head; she'd dress for work later but they had time.

"Good morning, girlfriend." He replied sleepily. The words somehow tasted quite nice on his tongue - or maybe it was entirely his imagination. "Yes, why don't we do all of that. We'll have to, eventually. I suppose." He too sat up and pulled on his underwear and shorts. "But let's do it over breakfast. What would you like to eat? I- I think I'd like to settle for replicated. Too tired... to cook." He let out a groan; his entire lower half felt tender.

She laughed. “Oh, come on, I let you go lightly last night!” She stepped out into the main room, and headed straight for her replicator. “I agree, though. One coffee for me, one for you.” After a few moments, two steaming mugs were had, and she handed Ramat’s his. “We need to figure out living arrangements first, I think. Kinaa deserves that.” They all three did. “And we should probably tell your CO. I AM the CO, so that’s sorted…” she was rambling, a little nervous and overwhelmed by the new developments.

"Paisley. One thing at a time." Ramat'iklan sighed and sipped from his cup of coffee. The warm brew warmed him up inside, but somehow not as much as Paisley's body next to his. That was far more comforting somehow. "Living arrangements first... why don't we continue like this until we are utterly certain that we'd like to stay together. Kinaa is quite adaptable-" Right on cue the orange cat came padding over from wherever she'd been sleeping through the night and mewled with an expectant look up at the two of them. "-as I'm sure she knows. We should find her some food before she starts begging or trashing your quarters in search of food. Speaking of food." He glanced sideways at her with an eyebrow raised. "I still don't know what you want to eat for breakfast."

This was how it was going to be, she figured. Her, overthinking everything, and him-calmly unflappable. She nodded. “You’re right. One thing at a time. And yes, that sounds like the best plan.” She sipped her coffee; the dark liquid calming her down. “Oh! Kinaa! Chicken?” Paisley set about to feed the cat. “Eggs, toast, some kind of meat. Can you handle that, please?” After a minute, a plate of shredded chicken was on the floor for the fiery orange animal, and she brought in the abandoned meal from the table. “I’ll take these down to sanitation later.” Finally, they were seated, close to each other, eating the breakfast and chatting. “So… what’s your day looking like? I have a night shift on Saturday, but regular time today and tomorrow. Maybe we could use the holodeck on Saturday before my duty?”

"Night shift on Saturday as well. I'm off today, but tomorrow I'll be quite busy in sickbay." Seeing that his kitten was eating happily Ramat'iklan seemed satisfied, and thus he settled back on the sofa. "I would love that holodeck trip, however. What do you have in mind?" He asked, wrapping his arm around her hips and pulling her in close.

“Oh, good, we can try again on dinner!! As for the holodeck, maybe we do Cardassia AND Bajor if we have time. I’d like to see where you come from…” she nestled in closely to him. “Maybe Terra; there ARE-or were -some beautiful places there.” She kissed him, lightly, the faint taste of coffee still on his lips.

Somehow Paisley's kisses had gotten a lot more lips-meltingly good overnight, and the faint taste of tea definitely helped. Ramat'iklan felt like he could melt on the spot, turn into a puddle spread over the sofa and evaporate, but he did still have to get on with his day. "I told you that it'd be quite boring." He responded. "Dominion vessels are quite gray and spartan. I would love to see Cardassia, however. I trust you'll be able to bring me around."

She nodded. “If it’s not completely destroyed, I’d love to. You DID mention that about Dominion ships, but… I don’t know. It doesn’t seem fair.” She wouldn’t bring it up anymore. “A few more kisses, then I have to go. Elly won’t let me hear the end of it if I’m late. I’m sure she’s a few days from blasting it on the Comms system.” Paisley made a face, but leaned in to kiss him again.

"She better not." He barely had time to spoon food into his mouth before her lips once again captured his in a perfectly fierce, perfectly warm kiss. The kind that drove him crazy.

Yep, he could definitely get used to this.

END

 

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