Rating: R
Genres: romance
Keywords:
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“There’s nothing quite as satisfying as lining up a target visually.” Malcolm dipped his fork into his mashed potatoes and lifted a lightning glance in Hoshi’s direction that she had no difficulty whatsoever in interpreting. “Beats using a targeting scanner every time.”
“Yeah, it was fun, wasn’t it?” enthused Travis, whose gaze had been fixed so appreciatively on his dinner that he’d missed the glance completely. “Three hits in a row! Blam! Blam! Blam! I bet you really enjoyed it!”
“Oh, I did. Enormously. I always do.”
Just how did he keep his face straight, Hoshi wondered, taking refuge in her chicken teriyaki.
“It’s great doing something like that every now and then.” The helmsman attacked his ravioli with his usual gusto.
“You can’t do it too often, as far as I’m concerned,” said Reed blandly.
“Maybe we can ask the captain for permission for you to practice more often.”
Okay, Travis, I’m already getting muscle spasms in my face. She didn’t dare look in the ensign’s direction; the sight of his innocent enthusiasm would have undone her. You’re in a deep enough hole already, so for God’s sake stop digging. Preferably, right now.
Seeing that half his audience was safely immersed in his own dinner, Malcolm lifted a small cauliflower floret to his mouth and licked it with the utmost delicacy before sliding it between his lips in a way that was guaranteed to make her break out in a sheen of perspiration. “Oh, I think the captain fully appreciates the need for a weapons officer to have a live target now and again.”
“Well, I think it’s a really good idea.” Travis looked up just a second too late, and waved his fork enthusiastically. “Simulations are okay, but they just don’t cut the real thing.”
“You can say that again,” agreed Malcolm.
I'm still chuckling at the image of Travis exuberantly tucking into his grub, blissfully unaware of the smouldering looks being exchanged above his head. But the more I think about it, the more I'm intrigued by a different interpretation. Having grown up as a Boomer, Travis will be used to being stuck on a small ship with a small crew for months or even years on end. Under those circumstances it'd be essential to keep track of the relationships and social dynamics around you, but it'd be even more important to know what NOT to notice. I suspect that Travis was probably chuckling under his breath at the two naive young Starfleet officers who thought that they were fooling anyone. He was probably wondering how much longer he could manage not to notice what they were up to right there in front of him. Jees you two, won't you just get a room?! :p
Snigger!