Post 19 - Reunited, and it feels so good

Posted on Fri Feb 19th, 2021 @ 12:31am by Lieutenant Nico Oliveria & Lieutenant Timmoz

Mission: The Waiting Game
Location: Risa; Grand Delfinium Resort
Timeline: Shoreleave Day 53

Nico sat, unmoving, on the sofa, brooding as he had since before their arrival. He had what was supposed to be one of the most beautiful views of a Risan ocean and the twin suns, and yet he had only ventured to the balcony a handful of times. Ever since Timmoz had been removed by Starfleet security, just as their debrief began, the Vegan's mood had been sour at best. During the investigation, Nico's responses had been snarky and biting, but ultimately he was cleared of any wrongdoing, as was the rest of the crew. Still, weeks later, in the happiest place in the galaxy, Nico had no idea where Timmoz was. His searching and constant inquiries consumed him when he wasn't sulking. The Captain was obviously in the dark as well and frustrated with Starfleet, but Kodak had never avoided Nico's daily call for an update. And so, he languished, a prisoner in paradise.

Every day there was the trickle of news, but none about the tall green one. Someone was reassigned to a new ship, followed by hastily organized goodbyes. Someone else was nasty and requested a transfer. And again, the hasty goodbyes. Their numbers were dwindling almost daily. The wind was sweet, the air was warm and the tide sparkled at night with the bioluminescence of Risa's native nocturnal flora.

Who was left? Chaali had been reassigned, they'd heard, to the Kerala, about a week ago. She'd been visiting her co-husbands on Risa when she got the word and sent a heartfelt subspace transmission. She'd sent Nico one in private, wishing him and Timmoz luck, but she hadn't heard anything either. She was one of almost a third of the crew that had spanned out with plans to go home while they still could. It wasn't every day one came back into the Alpha Quadrant.

The soft knock at the door was hollow and with it, there were muffled voices. At about this time of the day, some of the Engineers got together and started to head down to the beach. One of those muffled voices mentioned a game of Paressee's Squares. A broken chorus of "I'm ins," and "I'm outs." The door knock echoed again.

He didn't move at the first knock, eyes still fixed on nothing. Nico shifted slightly after the second but made no attempt to respond. Parsons was usually the one who knocked, but he rarely did twice. Sometimes Nico answers, and sometimes he didn't. Today was a no type of day for the Human engineer. He considered activating privacy mode, but that would be rude, and they would know he was ignoring them. So, he sat, in silence, hoping they would move on.

And ultimately, they seemed to. Muffled words exchanged, "I don't think he's in?" And, "Maybe he's already down there?" Followed by someone adding, "Shouldn't we find out?" But ultimately they did move on. Silence returned save for the occasional call of wildlife and the soft bong of the overhead announcements, followed by a pleasing synthesized voice. But it was the comm, a similar pong of round sound, that broke the silence later.

"Mr. Oliveria this is Reception. Please come down to the lobby at your earliest convenience."

The Human figured this was another misguided attempt by someone to cheer him up, probably the ship's doctor. Empaths could see through the fake smile and laughs he had perfected through years of therapy. This was why the therapist Nico chose for his required Starfleet sessions, post-mission, had the lowest patient reviews he could find on the entire planet. Resigning himself to another day of fun Nico pulled himself from the couch and stepped across the condo to the shower, and within a few minutes, he transformed himself into the visage of a happy beachgoer. Hanging a pair of sunglasses from his shirt's collar completed the facade as he exited the room and padded down the hall in sandaled feet.

"Mr. Oliveria?"

The voice was pleasant and the face exotic. His skin was like warm, milky caramel. Dark eyes. Wavy black hair. The Risian symbol, like a Bindi, sat upon the center of his head. He was one of the residence's valets and hosts. He was nearly as short as Nico, though probably a good eight, even nine years younger. He was holding a PADD. "If you have a moment Sir? I'm sorry to interrupt your pleasure today. But someone named Ensign Parsons needed your signature. He said they are personnel transfers?" The youth smiled in a becoming way, that Risian easy charm, and handed the man the PADD. His eyes glanced beyond, past Nico's shoulder, eyeing the activity of a small group beyond.

The beautiful Valet brought turned Nico's smile true for a moment as he accepted the PADD. He wondered as he had numerous times before if there were any unattractive Risans. Still, the oddity of the request puzzled him, and he very nearly scratched his head. "Thank you, but why wouldn't he just send it to my workstation? Sorry, you wouldn't know the answer to that either," Nico blushed slightly at the slip and shifted his gaze from the exotic one to the PADD in hand, "What?" The PADD only displayed, "Turn Around." Nico, confused, did as the device commanded and spun on a heel away from the Valet.

Green and lean in his Starfleet Flight Control Reds, Timmoz had a jaunty lean with his shoulder against the wall, arms crossed, ankles crossed. He looked a bit tired- probably from travel- but his Cluros smile teased into one cheek. From behind Nico the young valet said, "If you'll just thumb my PADD, Sir, I think I can tell my Supervisor that I transferred your person safely?" The youth teased his own toothy grin, "But if you need to inspect it first, I'm sure no one would mind."

Timmoz shouldered off his hard case satchel and raised a beckoning crook to his finger at the Engineer.

The valet spoke up, "Welcome to Risa, Sirs. What is ours, is yours."

The pretty Valet was but a fleeting memory as Nico made some reply he couldn't hear over the roar in his head. A bout of paralysis consumed the Human momentarily. As he overcame the shock, his slack-jawed face spread into the happiest of grins, and as though he was a taught coil, Nico sprang towards the lanky Orion. Leaping, the Vegan clung to the verdant one, legs wrapped around the lythe torso, arms draped across shoulders, Nico whispered, "Ashka."

The gamey musk of Orion. The feverishness of Orion touch. When Nico jumped and wrapped Timmoz, the Orion issued a chuckle, and then supported him with a wrap around his waist- and a hand on his butt. Timmoz touched his forehead to Nico's, tapped their noses, and then kissed him. "I like your trunks," the Orion teased. When he glanced past Nico's ear, the Valet had excused himself. "What've you been doing in paradise?" He asked in a private rumble.

Nico giggled at the compliment but didn't immediately respond to the Orion's query. He waited a moment, enjoying the familiar peaty aroma, allowing it to waft over him like a security blanket. "Waiting for you," he finally answered. "Starfleet hasn't exactly been forthcoming about where they took you or why. Actually, they haven't told us shit," a tinge of bitterness pushed into his response, but only for a moment. The joy of Timmoz's return quickly replaced anger with happiness again, "But you're back now, and you better not be planning on leaving again." Smiling, Nico kissed the Orion's feverish lips again.

It lingered. Despite Orion ennui, Timmoz did miss his compact Human paramour. And though the angst of the last few months hadn't melted, it felt like a step in the right direction. Timmoz pushed into it, hands tensing where he'd gone to support the engineer. He held him close. "You've been in paradise for almost a month, and all you could do was pine for me?" Timmoz teased low with husk. He shook his head with disapproving, albeit one of light heart. He shifted to answer Nico's anxiety, "They took me to a detention facility. I was privately briefed on some personal investigations and then they went over some... issues. But..." Timmoz's hands were warm as their long fingers closed around Nico's shoulders, "Nevermind it. Instead. Let me go to my room. Let me get out of this V'Draysh uniform. Let me put on something better for," he smirked and glanced around, "This. And then we'll go down to a nice, secluded cove," the Orion's lithe and long body swayed like a nubile ferret, "And we'll relax."

Nico grinned, seeming to ignore the tease, and loosed himself from Orion with a giddy nod as he slid to the floor. "Relaxing is good." Grasping the Orion's hand with his own, Nico hefted his Ashka's bag as well and pulled him towards the lifts. With a smirk full of mischievousness, he tugged Timmoz into a waiting elevator, "His room, please," he requested of the machine. "We must get you sorted, indeed, Mr. Timmoz."

Timmoz used the privacy of the elevator to come close again. "I want you inside me tonight," he husked privately, tapping their noses, "I've missed you. So. Indulge me. It was a long trip." He kissed Nico's nose, "And I've been ducking through Evora corridors for the last ten days..." But he had little time to say more. The lift opened and a pair of older patrons waited their turn. Timmoz led the way out, vacating the lift, with his own tug of Nico's hand. When the doors shut again, Timmoz abused the semi-privacy of the hall. He drew close and purred content when lanky green arms found Nico's waist. He sighed, a brow-raising, "Hmm... you didn't really just sit in your room and wait for me, did you Ashka?" His brows knitted, "Tell me you got out and had fun..."

Nico's eyes must have looked as big as saucers as he was led from the lift by a feverish tug, playfully asking, "How could I deny such an ardent request from my Ashka?" He allowed himself to be led to the other's door, still in a bit of shock at Timmoz's sudden appearance. He smiled and nodded reassuringly, "I have participated in a multitude of required fun activities." Not sure that Timmoz would buy his response, he lied, "Don't worry, I managed to have plenty of fun while you were away."

"Enforced mirth?" Timmoz rephrased with a drawl of bemused darkness. He took Nico's chin, "That's not fun," he licked Nico's lips and the underside of his nose with a quick swipe. The Orion smiled and thumbed over Nico's mouth, "I would've sent a subspace... but my," he smirked and raised brows, "Transport liked to maintain subspace silence." Timmoz took Nico's hand again and drew him into his room. There he swiftly pulled away the warm Starfleet jacket, shouldering it away. Then he peeled away the undershirt. Only then did he sigh. "Is your room alright?" He asked over his shoulder before he bent and his Starfleet uniform was completely dislodged from his gamey person.

"Well, you are here now, and we can have fun together," Nico's eyes twinking at the thoughts dancing through his mind as he smirked. He shrugged at the question about his room, "My room? Oh, just like this one, just your typical resort room in paradise. As inoffensive as possible." His nose scrunched up in thought, and he grinned, "Not sure I would have thought that before seeing your quarters on the Adelphi."

TAG

Nico smiled as the bathroom door softly slipped shut, and he continued to stare at it until he heard the Orion turn the shower on. Turning, he allowed tears to fall for a moment, almost a silent sob, before fanning his face. They weren't tears of sadness but of elation that Timmoz hadn't disappeared from his life but also of realization, "Of course all I could do was pine for you, Timmoz. I love you."

Timmoz breathed in the steamy air, ears perked to the run of water dropping off his body. Sonic showers were the norm on a starship, so a true water shower was an indulgence. Perhaps that's why the Risians used them. And though it was a layered angst, Timmoz could feel the first levels of it slide off along with Orion funk, down the drain. He glanced behind him, Nico's voice a mumble through the panes between them. He felt a pang. He had strong feelings for the Human. But he had so much... failure. Orions and Humans named things differently, and those adjectives came with different strings. Some were the same- a sense of "we-ness" and responsibility for one another. Maybe a sense of alliance. Timmoz knew that. But what about the sense of duty involved? Security? Sharing of solvency? His Qanli became Nico's Qanli?

Vaina would destroy someone like Nico.

"Mmm, love you too," Timmoz said with a knit of his brows in private. He was a bad Orion... insolvent, indebted, no power to enact his vendettas, no resources to support his partner? But there was the emotional... that felt like the easy part. "I'll be out in a little bit," Timmoz murmured. "The water feels nice... where do you want to eat. I feel like I've eaten flowers and leaves for a week...." He smirked. The indigestion such a diet caused an Orion was... terrible.

When Timmoz emerged- not bothering with either clothes or towel, his normally sprightly curls weighed down to ringlets by water- he looked at the beauty on the couch. The Orion smirked. "I'm rubbing off on you," he mused with thick amusement, brow rising as he passed his lover. His damp hand pat Nico's shoulder whilst he bent in his lack of attire to find vacation clothes. "Copper or silver?" He asked.

Nico did not respond immediately, enjoying the view. He turned to follow the Orion. "Copper, you always look good in copper, or out of copper," he teased. "Rubbing off on me? Well, maybe a little," Nico smirked, his eyes still focused on the view.

"You lounge well," Timmoz said at Nico's posture on the couch. "Tell me," he said as he dug through his things for a pair of shiny copper scaled trunks. They were to be his new uniform for- he hoped- a long time. "What do you suggest we do first?"

Nico sighed as he watched the Orion clothe himself, barely, "As much as I would love to stay in here the rest of the day. We should probably make your presence so the crew can see you're back. And also so they will be super jealous." The Vegan laughed, giddy, "There is a beach nearby where some of the crew gather to hangout. We could grab a drink there and then maybe find somewhere more secluded a little later?"

Copper was donned and with it, a black open shirt in the Hawaiian style, save that its designs were subtle embossing rather than color. He tied back his frizzy orb of hair into a tight ball. "Show me," he suggested with a chin jut to the door. He refrained from asking about Karim for the moment.

"Aye, sir," said the Human as he sprang to his feet. He bounced to Timmoz, and taking a verdant hand, he led them both from the room. As the pair headed out, there was a spring in Nico's step and a genuine smile on his face. Both of which had been missing since their return from the Delta Quadrant. "Just wait until we see Debbie! She is going to be so happy to see you!"

A Post By:

Lieutenant Nico Oliveria
Chief Engineer

Lieutenant Timmoz
Chief Helmsman