Post 25: Do You Know What Time It Is?

Posted on Wed Mar 3rd, 2021 @ 1:10am by Lieutenant Timmoz & Lieutenant Nico Oliveria

Mission: The Waiting Game
Location: Nico's Room
Timeline: Shoreleave Day 77 0330

The ornamental desktop clock sounded once, bouncing around the quiet living area and signaling the half-hour mark. On the couch, the Human engineer closed his tricorder, setting to the side. He had pulled on a pair of discarded shorts when Timmoz failed to return from the toilet. Nico could not say where he had gone, and though the tricorder was clear on the method, it remained doggedly silent as to the why. "Where the fuck did you go, Timmoz?" Part of him screamed to alert security, but for some reason, he hesitated. He had a feeling it would make things more difficult for the Orion.

The hiss of the door snapped his eyes up, and even though the bright hallway lighting blinded him, the silhouette was unmistakable. The Human released the phaser he had been gripping under the couch pillow and crossed his arms, "Did you make a wrong turn on the way to the lavatory?"

Timmoz, who wore the rumpled floor-pants and the more pristine, long slate gray undershirt he'd left the ship with, eyed the voice. Lips pursed at the fork in the road- lie or truth? What about the debt owed? The karmic imbalance. He took a further step out, the hall light that silhouetted him disappearing down the wish of the room doors. There was the third way.

Timmoz smiled into one cheek and swayed up to Nico. "Yes. Why are you up?" He asked. "It's not even 0500."

"I got cold," Nico mumbled. Timmoz's towered over him, his familiar scent flowing across his olfactory, threatening to distract. "Where did you find the shirt? Did someone leave it in the public restroom?" The Human's cheeks flushed, his skin heating as his emotional state transitioned from worry to anger. He scootched, sliding to the other end of the couch, causing the butt of the phaser to be visible under the pillow.

Timmoz raised a brow and with it the corner of his mouth, "No...? Why?"

Having not noticed the phaser reveal, Nico continued, "I'm the Chief Engineer of a starship, or I was. Do you think I am somehow dumb?" The statement was bold, the question meek, almost as if he was worried the answer might be yes. He had intended to forcefully point out the detected transporter signature, but he had suffered a collapse of confidence now that the Botchoki was towering.

Timmoz froze, his dark eyes settling on the unexpected gleam of metal and rubber handle that poked from the pillow. "Mmmmhmm and?" He said evenly, "And what's that for?" He pointed at the phaser. "Why would I think you're dumb..."

Nico's response was to ignore the last two questions as he flipped the face of the tricorder open, waking its display, "Either you beamed out or someone beamed in, and you both left, but you didn't make a wrong turn. So, why are you avoiding just telling me the truth?" He tilted his head, staring into Timmoz's coffee-colored orbs looming over him, and returned to the last of his Ashka's questions, "One possible answer has to be you thought I would fall for it, but that still wouldn't answer the why."

Timmoz's head tilted, his chocolate eyes narrowing. Lanky arms folded across his chest, while his own Orionness wanted to rear at any perceived invasion of privacy. What he fell into was the cool stare of Cluros. "Jealousy doesn't look good on you, Nico," he rumbled. "And I'm not a child." He moved to his discarded clothes, "I go where I want when I want. So do you." He said as hands busily began to fold. "I beamed out. I returned."

The Human rocketed angrily to his feet, eyes following his lover. Nearly shouting, he growled, slipping into his native Portuguese, "Com ciumes? Você acha que eu estou com ciúmes? Acho que você não saiu para uma foda rápida, Timmoz!" Snapping his mouth shut, Nico sighed, closed his eyes, and tried to reign his temper. His eyes opened as he continued, slightly more collected, "I didn't think you were off cheating, even before I traced your signal though sixteen, sixteen relay points across the planet to what I assume is a ship in orbit. Only it isn't there, oh there is a place where the ship should be, but none of the sensor grids I tapped into would lock on, and I'm a pretty resourceful engineer."

Turning, Nico stepped over to the darkened window, staring out into the night, "I am not jealous. I was scared. I am scared. Once I knew where you probably were, I had to decide what, if anything, to do about it. Were you in trouble? Should I call planetary security, wake the Captain? Would that get you into more trouble?" Shifting, his eyes saught Timmoz's reflection, a verdant mirror, "So, I sat here and waited, and yeah, I got a phaser cause I'm a scared little Human, but if you think misleading me to leave my bed, beaming around the planet to a ship in orbit, and disappearing from any sensor on the planet for half an hour is normal and fine and ok, you are wrong."

A tear streaked down the Vegan's face as they welled in his eyes, the reflection blurred, but he continued, "And, if you really honestly believe that it's all fine and I'm just a jealous bitchy boyfriend who needs to mind his own business, find another room."

Timmoz quietly pursed his lips. It was hard to see Nico hurting. It was hard to see him cry. Somehow the diminutive engineer had crept where Timmoz had sworn on Qualor he wasn't going to let people get. He'd killed a lot of people- as much as he tried to write them off as revenants and skinchangers- to secure his life. "Jealousy isn't always about sex," Timmoz murmured softly to the figure in the dark. He eyed his gear and his strewn clothing. Then he eyed the phaser. He was in a tight place- say more, he risked Nico's life. Say nothing, he risked more.

God he hated the V'draysh... their meddling. Why couldn't they just leave the Urqinzhe-damned quadrant alone? He hated Vaina. He hated whoever was doing this... hack job... on Chameloids. He hated Xo-I- protecting those he's sworn too. And he hated Vodazee even more... this karmic debt around his neck- one owned by the damned Federation. "I can't tell you Nico..." he said softly. "Ever consider that? My life's not my own. I've told you that."

He bent and scraped up a few of his things, "I'll leave you alone," he shouldered his bag, "For a few days. Let these things blow over and cool off... and come back then." He turned and with a hiss of the doors, its unimposing, almost musical swish sound, the Orion exited. He felt a chill, something inside and strange... loved ones with weapons... how badly that went.

The Human didn't turn as his Ashka left, just continued to stare at the spot where Timmoz's wavering reflection had vanished. If one looked closely, they would have seen the slight tremblings of his silent sobs.

A Post By:

Lieutenant Nico Oliveria
Chief Engineer

Lieutenant Timmoz
Chief Helmsman