Title: Thank Goodness for Allergens and Malcolm Reed
Author: sbeegee
Category: S/Tu; Romance/Humor
Rating: PG
Summary: A strange illness brings Hoshi and Trip together. Eventually.With some help
Part 1
The mess hall was practically empty when Hoshi stalked into it, a sulky pout on her face. Of course, she would never have described herself as stalking, sulking or pouting. She was a little out-of-sorts, maybe. Cross, perhaps. Childish? Never.
She walked to the counter displaying the meal choices. All healthy, well-balanced meals that would no doubt be filling and nutritious. She hated all of them. She folded her arms across her chest as she attempted to discern which was the least distasteful to her, when an amused stage-whisper dared to intrude upon her righteous anger. "What did that chicken ever do to you?"
Hoshi's head spun to the unwanted commentary, and saw Trip standing next to her with his mouth quirked into a half-grin, his eyes sparkling. To think that she had ever thought of that grin as charming. "What exactly are you talking about, Commander?" she asked, not even trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.
"You, glaring at that piece of chicken – like you wished it was still alive so you could teach it who's boss. That'd be quite some match: super-linguist versus super-chicken!" He laughed at the image – quite idiotically, she thought.
Hoshi scowled at the Chief Engineer and tried to maintain her composure. "I have no idea to what you are referring to. I was most certainly not 'glaring' at anything!"
"Oh yeah?" he good naturedly drawled. "Well you might want to let your face know that, 'cause I'm not sure it got the memo."
She pulled herself up to her full height – how she wished she could loom! – and tried to regain her dignity. She really did try. It was useless. As mad as she wanted to be at him for mocking her pain, she could not maintain the necessary anger. One corner of her lip began to twitch.
"Hah!" Trip exclaimed in triumph. "I see it! Stop fightin' it, Hosh! Your deep love for me is gonna win out!"
Hoshi's face wore the ridiculous mask of a person who wants desperately to be furious and to burst out in laughter, all at the same time. The laughing won. "God I hate it when you do that!" she finally got out. "I wanted to be mad!"
Trip laughed as he companionably slung one arm around her shoulders. "Why don't we just skip the offensive chicken and head straight for the dessert?" He skillfully grabbed two plates of pecan pie with his other hand and steered her to a table in the far corner of the room. He smiled as he saw her attack her dessert. "So… why don't you tell me what's been eating you? Lately, you've been crankier than Malcolm before his morning coffee."
Hoshi paused with the fork raised to her mouth and looked at him through narrowed eyes. She thought for a moment, sighed loudly and then began to blush. Trip couldn't help but smile, she was adorable. "It's nothing," she finally answered as she began to concentrate on playing with the little that remained of her pie. "It was just this whole shore leave situation," she continued, the words rushing to get out.
Trip's eyes widened a little before he once again burst into laughter. "You're kidding, right?" he asked. "Are you telling me that you're upset about not getting down to the planet for shore leave?" he asked, the disbelief fighting the humor in his voice. Enterprise had come across what appeared to be a vacation paradise, though everyone had needed to be vaccinated against a particularly nasty allergen on the planet's surface. Unfortunately, for a very small percentage of the crew – including Trip and Malcolm – the inoculations had not been effective, and Phlox had deemed it unsafe for them to risk their health by going down to the planet's surface.
Hoshi's head snapped up, her lips back into pout position. Needless to say, she was also one of the few crew members who had experienced a bad reaction to the vaccine, and had been stuck on board pulling double shifts with the rest of the skeleton crew. "Don't you dare laugh at me, Trip Tucker! Do you know what the others are doing right now? They're lying – on sandy beaches, mind you – and shopping in exotic bazaars, and … and… and eating!… tropical fruit!" Hoshi waved her fork in the air for emphasis before pushing her plate – completely cleaned, Trip noticed – away from herself in dramatic disgust.
This time, he really did try to contain himself, though it was hard work to keep from laughing again. He knew that she really must have been in a quite a mood to get so worked up over this. Then again, he thought, it had been a long time since Hoshi had had some quality down time. That sobered him a little – he knew that she was a workaholic who generally loved her job as much as he did his, but everyone needed a break. "I'm sorry for laughing at you," he said, and Hoshi eyed him suspiciously, searching for a joke in his words. "Naw, really Hosh, you're right – we deserve a break, too. How 'bout a movie tonight? Maybe we could talk Malcolm into coming too?"
Hoshi gave him one of those shy smiles of hers that he loved. "You're on, Commander." she replied. "But don't forget to bring some snacks," she added with a light laugh.
"I'm at your command!" he cheerfully responded as they stood up from the table. But he couldn't help adding, "And, Hoshi? If you really feel the need for a more 'shore-leave' type atmosphere, feel free to show up in a bikini. Maybe a little grass skirt? I promise I won't complain."
Hoshi burst into laughter as she threw her napkin at his face. As they walked to the bridge together, she didn't pout even once.
Hoshi smiled as Trip casually entered the bridge. With all the senior officers back from the planet, they had quickly reestablished their regular shifts, and were now conducting a scientific survey of a gas giant that T'Pol had been particularly interested in. And while the Vulcan science officer seemed even more reserved than usual, things seemed back to normal.
Well, mostly normal, she amended as Trip gave her a cheerful wink. She had to hand it to him, he knew how to cheer a girl up. She had been truly touched as to the lengths he had gone to make her happy after their conversation in the mess hall. He had let her pick the movies – two recent natural disaster films that had perversely made her feel better about missing shore leave – and he had covered the lounge in an insane collection of decorations intended to be festive.
As she, Malcolm, Phlox, and some of the few others left on board had walked around the room laughing at the toilet paper streamers and rubber glove balloons, the doors had opened to reveal Trip… in the most revolting pair of swimming trunks she had ever seen, along with a snorkeling mask covering half his face, and a pair of sandals on his black-stockinged feet. One look at him in his baggy, terrycloth, pink and green floral print trunks, and Hoshi had lost it. She had dissolved into laughter, clutching her stomach as tears trickled out of her eyes
"Hey, y'all!" he called out, as if oblivious to the reaction to his outfit. "Hoshi!" he had cried out in mock outrage, "where's your coconut bra and grass skirt? I was thinking we could do a little hula later!" That had cracked everyone up even more, and Hoshi had been able to laugh away the last of her earlier bad mood. After Trip had taken off the mask and put on a t-shirt, he sat next to her and they had joked throughout both movies, with Malcolm occasionally rolling his eyes at them.
Now, as she watched him and the Captain talking across the bridge, she lightly shook her head. It was a good thing she knew him so well, or she would have been in big trouble. He was too charming for his own good, and while she knew his attentions to her had been completely sincere – she doubted that he could be insincere – she also knew that they had sprung from friendship only. A less wary woman would have found herself swept off her feet before she realized that no one else was actually holding her up.
Trip walked over to her station and leaned over to whisper to her confidentially. "So, did you hear what happened all day yesterday during shore leave?" he asked. The rest of the crew had returned to the ship the previous night, but she hadn't spoken to anyone about it before her shift had begun. She shook her head no, her eyes sparkling in anticipation. "Rain," he intoned, in a comically portentous voice. "The whole day. And," he paused dramatically, "apparently all the 'tropical fruit' they ate? Tasted like raw potatoes."
Hoshi let out a peal of laughter before quickly stifling it. She flushed as she looked around guiltily. Trip gave her another wink as he made his way to the turbolift.
"In a good mood, Ensign?" Captain Archer asked, a slight smile on his face.
"Oh, you know me, Sir. Just happy to be doing my job," she answered, a slightly impish smile on her lips.
Jon just drew his brows together in a mock-glare, but before he could say anything, T'Pol spoke. "Captain," she intoned, in a slightly strained voice. "May I be excused from my shift? I appear to be overly tired. I believe that I need to rest."
Concern immediately appeared on Jon's face, as he well knew that T'Pol would not make such a request lightly, especially considering that she had been the one to advocate studying the planet below them to begin with. "Of course. Your shift's almost over as it is. But I think you may want to stop by sickbay and see Doctor Phlox first."
She gave her usual grave nod in return and left the bridge. Hoshi was slightly curious, but was soon caught up in her own work, and except for the occasional errant daydream about hula lessons, had no time to think of anything else.
Hoshi walked into the darkened gym with Malcolm, both of them ready for a good workout. For some reason, Hoshi seemed to have a lot of excess energy the past couple of days, and was glad that he had suggested that they come in for a sparring session. As they entered the empty room, Hoshi was grinning and joking. "I mean it, Malcolm! You better be on guard, because I'm going to take you down!"
Malcolm gave her a smile that showed more in his eyes, for his lips twitched so lightly that most people would have missed it entirely. It had taken her a while, but Hoshi finally felt that she was coming to understand him. He was far from the emotionless automaton so many took him for. She knew that he in fact felt things very deeply – so deeply that he felt he had to keep himself under control at all times to keep those he cared about safe. They were now close enough that he accepted her teasing and joking without embarrassment or discomfort – it probably didn't hurt that her natural sweetness kept any joke from ever having any real bite to it – and responded more and more in kind.
"You've truly frightened me, oh mighty warrior. I may have to cower in fear," he deadpanned, causing her to give him a playful swat on his arm. They both laughed as they set down their towels and water bottles and Malcolm increased the lights. That brought a moan from the floor, and Hoshi and Malcolm could see that they were not in fact alone: T'Pol lay on the ground, seemingly unconscious. Malcolm quickly went to her side as Hoshi ran to the comm panel to tell Phlox that they needed medical help. "Commander!" Malcolm repeated over and over as he gently shook her arm after checking her vital signs. "Commander, are you all right?"
Gradually, T'Pol seemed to come out of her coma-like state just as Phlox entered the room. "I am fine," she murmured. "Only tired. Need to sleep," she whispered, barely opening her eyes.
Hoshi stared at the scene in shock. T'Pol was asleep? Malcolm seemed just as surprised as he came to stand next to her as the doctor and his team prepared to take the Vulcan to sickbay. For a moment, they just looked at each other before Malcolm said he needed to inform the captain. Hoshi just nodded and followed Phlox to sickbay. Maybe she could be of some help.