Disruptions

[lt_paula]

Paula nodded as she passed a cluster of people, relieved when nobody stopped her. It had been a long day, and though she’d worked off most of her bad mood in the gym, she was hot and sweaty and not feeling all that sociable. All she wanted was a shower, clean clothes, and Hikaru, and she wasn’t too particular about the order

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[flying_katana]

The repair work being done was minor, but there were repercussions felt all over the ship. Privately, Hikaru wondered if the ship would continue to have these sort of issues as more people needed renovated rooms, or if future ships would simply have family quarters installed when they were made.

It was a strange thought.

But the long day was over. He'd stayed late, working with Jim and Spock, going over their mission directives and plotting courses that would take them most efficiently through the most amount of space. But there was only so many hours in a day, and Starfleet seemed to be expecting them to meet and greet half the sector. Given the captain's anticipated family leave soon, it didn't seem like enough time.

All in all, he was glad to be heading to Paula's room for dinner. Her message back to him had been a little terse, but hopefully her afternoon had been better than his. Her door opened as he approached, but the room was dark. "Paula?"

[lt_paula]

She wasn't sleeping. She hadn't even been there long enough to cool down. Paula just hadn't bothered with the light quite yet. "Computer, lights on," she mumbled. She blinked as the room grew brighter, then pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her body was still flushed with exertion, her shorts and sleeveless shirt damp and clinging. Even her hair was wet, she realized, making a face as she tucked a strand behind her ear.

"Tell me," Paula began. "Were the lifts working up by the bridge today?" The look she gave him spoke volumes.

[flying_katana]

Hikaru saw the steely edge in her eyes, and knew immediately she was unhappy. "Um, they were working okay," he told her, moving closer. She looked tired, he noted, and hot. "Power supply to the bridge is on a separate system, to ensure it's always working, even if other-"

But now that look was directed at him. "Shower?" he asked, reaching out a hand to her. "I can get dinner ready, if you want to be alone for a bit."

[lt_paula]

All of the frustration she'd felt all day seemed to vanish when he looked at her like that, replaced instead with another sort of restless energy. "I do not," she told him, taking his hand and letting him pull her up.

The look on his face told her Hikaru wasn't on the same page, not yet. Then she reached out, gathered a fistful of his shirt in her hand and tugged him against her. Paula cut off whatever else he was going to say with a hard kiss, her body swaying, moving into his as easy as breathing. Her teeth scraped over his lower lip, her tongue darting to meet his, and when she heard him groan Paula nipped again.

Her arms slid up, winding around Hikaru's neck as she began walking them toward the bathroom. "Dinner can wait," she informed him, punctuating each word with a kiss.