Are we like being civil to one another?

Posted on Wed Jul 30th, 2025 @ 2:01pm by Lieutenant Xavier & Lieutenant Endymion Tox
Edited on on Wed Jul 30th, 2025 @ 2:01pm

886 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Preservation Instinct
Location: Shuttle docked in bay | USS Ontario
Timeline: Just prior to Launch on Away Mission

ON:

Tox sat in the shuttle wondering if Flyboy was alright. He's looked pretty bad when he'd left. Whatever had caused that it was...intense. Being a naturally curious person he began weaving elaborate scenarios in his mind about what could have caused that reaction in the Vulcan. His eyes narrowed at the empty doorway. Should he have gone after him? Should he call him?

Xavier was quite unusual. He was tall, handsome, had intense eyes, had tattoos and ...the eyeliner? Tox curled his toes in his shoes. It was like a really hot version of a Vulcan goth and Tox had to admit that some of his antagonistic moves towards Xavier were caused by finding him fascinating and really, really, really, good looking. Sadly his heart would only belong to PLUTO but a Trill could look!!!

Tox grinned at that thought. He shrugged, at least it made life interesting. Now only if his boss liked him. He shrugged. "Oh well! Can't have your cake and eat it too!" He said to nobody in particular. He took out his book and began reading. This particular book was a wild Romance set on the Cliffs of Betazed. He loved his romance novels. He hoped that one day he and PLUTO would have their romantic moments. PLUTO was the only thing in his life that, as of late, gave him something to look forward to. He dreaded the day that his ship would move away from PLUTO's into another system where it would take days to get messages between them. Could one suffer from communication withdrawals? Well, he guessed he'd find out but until then he'd enjoy the insta replies.


Xavier had given himself a half hour to recover from his...episode in the shuttle. He'd changed since he'd sweated through his panic...attack or was it shock like Tox said? He'd changed his shirt and jacket and then headed back. When he arrived Tox was sitting in the shuttle reading.

Xavier stared. He had a feeling the man was aware of him standing in the shuttle door but said nothing nor did he look up from the book he'd been reading. For a moment he just stared. The Nurse, when not talking, was quite handsome. He cleared his throat. "Nurse Tox....thank you for your help today."

Tox looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Wow. No snark? No sarcasm? Genuine thanks?"

Xavier sighed. Of course the man wouldn't make it easy on him. "No. Just thanks."

Tox shrugged. "You're welcome." Tox was silent for a long moment. "Oh my Gods! Are we like being civil to one another?"

Xavier raised an eyebrow a tiny bit of amusement in his eye. "Perhaps."

Tox mock gasped. "Shocking! We must stop that right now!"

Xavier's lip twitched. "Well you should go back to being your delightfully annoying self." He snapped his fingers. "Wait you already have."

"I never! I don't have to take that from a Goth Queen Vulcan like you." He raised his book but smiled behind it.

Xavier shrugged and took his station bringing up the shuttle preflight again. "Goth King," He simply said and smiled faintly as he ran through his checks.

It didn't take long for him to get the shuttle flight ready and he could hear the sounds of voices moving closer.

Tox closed his book and called out. "Commander it's great that you're here. Please don't leave me alone with the worlds most boring Vulcan in history."

Xavier turned and watched Tox leave the shuttle to greet the rest of the away team an snorted. He sighed and pulled up his message from KERBEROS.

He read the words again, We've never met in person but...I feel the same. I think that there is something special between us and I know you didn't want to reveal who you are and what ship your on but...maybe we could start again, slow. Without hiding behind friendship. We've shared so many intimate thoughts and danced around it but maybe its time to really get to know one another knowing that there is more then friendship between us and behind what we feel. I'm not saying we video chat right away but is it wrong of me to find all this romantic and want to fall into the romance? Anyway. I've said it. There. The ball, as Humans say, is in your court.

He hit the reply button. Okay

Reading it again he sent it. When he got back he would write more. When he'd gone to change he'd thought about all that he'd been through and all that he had yet to go through. Maybe he would perish during his first Pon Farr and he'd probably never meet KERBEROS in real life, two separate ships, two separate lives but just as KERBEROS he would allow himself to fall into Romance.

He rubbed the back of his neck as he wondered if the persistent counselor would see that as a move in the right direction or not.

Xavier shrugged. It didn't matter. He closed down his coms channel and then stood as the rest of the away team stepped into the shuttle.

It was time to go.


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Lieutenant Xavier
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Ontario

&

Lieutenant Endymion Tox (NPC)
Head Nurse
USS Ontario

 

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