Hi Chief

Posted on Sat Oct 1st, 2022 @ 6:05am by Senior Chief Petty Officer Jonathan Stoun

1,911 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 5 - Objects In Motion
Location: Somewhere
Timeline: Sometime

Shailyn went looking for Chief Stoun to check on him. In her hand she carried some coffee for both she and him. She walked into his inner sanctum to see if he was there. "Hey Chief are you around?"

"I'm back here." The Chief put down the inverter that he had been tinkering with and stretched out. He had been hunched over the burned out part for the better part of an hour. "Is that coffee I smell?"

"Yes it is." Shailyn giving a bit of a grin. "Thought you'd like some. I know I do." walking over and handing Stoun his cup. "Just how you like it." she went and put a small bag on a surface which held some pastries. "Got something to go with that coffee." Shailyn added. "Catching up on repairs?" Stating the obvious.

"Tinkering to keep my mind off things I guess, more than anything." He placed the tools on the counter and smiled at Shailyn, then grabbed the cup. The smell was rich. "Yup, just like I like it, black. so, what brings you down here?"

"Well then, I could say I'm here to flirt with you." a teasing smile crossing her lips. "Seeing what sort of project you've got going? Oh maybe just want to drink coffee with the chief. Just to get a jump in the day. Or just shoot the breeze." Shailyn replied with a laugh.

"All of those are nice ideas." Jon smiled and blushed. "Burned out inverter from C deck. It has some life left in it." He motioned towards the old Cardassian tech sitting on the bench. "How have you been?" He took a sip of the coffee. It was warm, fresh, and strong. "That's good, I've got a bit of bourbon around here we could put in it too."

"Bourbon sounds great, add some here and we can enjoy the pastries and shoot the breeze." holding out her mug. "And this is real coffee, nothing replicated." walking over and pulling over a stool to sit next to Jon. "How have I been? Okay I suppose, am just glad don't have to deal with a crazy AI or being lost in time. Got me worried about you though. You seem to erm disappear in the wood work sometimes." reaching out to place a hand upon Jon's shoulder. "So if I flirted with you, you won't disappear on me would ya?" her own cheeks becoming decidedly pink. "I'm actually not good at that. I don't think."

Jon paused for a moment. "Ohh the bourbon." He turned and looked around the workbench and grabbed a bottle hidden behind some tools labeled "Reactor Coolant Sample". The chief popped the top of the bottle and the aromatic fragrance of vanilla, caramel, honey, and butterscotch filled the room. He pulled up a stool. "Well, I generally have no intention of leaving, I mean, but if you were to flirt with me I would definitely make a much more concerted effort to not." He offered the bottle to Shailyn. "From back home."

"Where is home, Chief?" Shailyn asked as she accepted the bourbon from him taking an appreciative smell of the contents. "And I do like the disguise." giving a soft chuckle. She poured a little bit into the coffee sampled it then added just a slight amount more. She handed the bourbon back to Jon, brushing her hand against his. She heard that this was part of flirting and was also a sign that she liked him.

Jon attempted to not get to worked up, Shailyn was everything anyone could ever ask for, he didn't want to mess it up by being too awkward or forward. "Thanks, keeps people out of it and away, though I get asked about it." he choked out while grabbing the bottle back. "I'm from a place called Conneaut. Little one horse town near the Appalachians" The engineer poured himself a draw of the bourbon into the coffee. "I'll have to take you there some day. Nice, good fishing, camping, beach, kind of just lay out and take in the view." The Engineers face was red, "Sorry, I'm." He took a swig of the coffee. "I'm better with fixing things than well." He took another swig, but this time from the 'core coolant.'

"Chief er Jon... " Shailyn gave out a deep sigh. "I'm not good at this either. And oh hell with this. " She placed her coffee on the floor and then with both of his hands being occupied, Shailyn just grabbed the front of Jon's uniform with both hands pulled him close and kissed him, thanking the stars that she didn't bump her nose against his.

Stoun at first didn't quite process what had happened and then eased up, he closed his eyes and just enjoyed the moment. It had been a long time since he had just let go. He pulled away for long enough to put the mug and bottle on the bench before putting his hands around Shailyn's waist. "That was nice, and well, a bit unexpected." The chief had a smile creep across his face, before he leaned in and kissed Shailyn again.

The thrill that Jon returned the kiss, left Shailyn speechless, but she didn't pull away though found herself in his lap, wrapping her arms around him. Finally needing a breath, she pulled her lips away from his. "That was very nice indeed." then blushed realizing where she was at. "er sorry." an awkward chuckle."Maybe I had better get back to my seat?"

"Ummm, maybe? I uhh." He pecked her on the lips again. "I don't know I guess it depends I suppose." The usually put together Chief was flumoxed. "I mean if you want to that is, I mean this is nice." Her eyes and smile were a breath of fresh air on the old, stodgy station, he could feel his heart in his chest. "I mean, I guess if someone walked in we may have a bit of explaining to do huh?"

Shailyn who hadn't moved yet, giggled. "Well, yes we would but I am liking being close to you." leaning in for another kiss, just being here, with Jon like this was beyond her wildest dreams. Once more catching her breath. "Maybe we should move somewhere else? Got any suggestions? I mean I think we can call it a day and I don't know, um go get something to eat? Watch a movie somewhere? Take a walk on the holodeck or find someplace to cuddle up?" looking into his eyes earnestly.

"I like being close too." He thought for a moment as he pulled her close wrapping his arms around her. "Umm all of that? It all sounds great. Lunch, dinner, snack, drinks, walk." he had thought about her, off and on, more on as of late but never expected this. "I mean, we can just stay like this for a few minutes if you want. I wouldn't mind that either. One step at a time?"

" I agree, one step at a time." snuggling close and laying her head on his shoulder. Just being, and feeling rather contented in his arms. "Want to hear something?" feeling her cheeks start to warm up, "I have wondered what it would be like, to be in your arms."

"Yeah, is it what you hoped it would be?" something just seemed to fit between the two of them. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "I mean, I almost can't believe it myself." Jon chuckled a bit.

"It is even better than my imagination could ever come up with." Shailyn giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"How about we start with lunch and go from there? Been a minute since I had a lunch date."

"Okay, that sounds great." Shailyn just beaming. "Pinch me, I must be dreaming." as she moved from Jon's lap, to stand next to him.

He smiled as he stood up and held her hand. "Good, I'm glad I didn't disappoint. What are you in the mood for." He could feel how clammy his hand was. No more than twenty minutes ago, he had been alone with his thoughts and a inverter, now he was warp nine with a wonderful woman. "I mean, last chance to hit the escape pod, though I would hate it."

Her eyes widened, "Why would I want to leave, I-I don't wanna. You could order me to leave, to not be holding your hand. To not, wrap an arm around your waist." Shailyn doing such as she spoke, looking up into his eyes, for he was taller than she was, only by a matter of inches. "And as for food, what would be your favorite? Fried chicken? A steak? Pizza?" she grinned. " I am a woman with simple taste in food. As long as it tastes good. I will eat it."

"I'm not going to order you to do anything we're both off duty at this point, and, well, pizza and wings sounds lovely to be honest." It felt good, talking, flirting, the warmth of having a wonderful person next to him. "But, umm one more thing before we head out for food" He loved her eyes, the dark brown almost gleaming in the dark of the makeshift workshop. "I uhh" he stammered trying to get his words before leaning in to kiss her again, then whispered "I really like you, and to the best of my ability, I won't crawl into a hole and go off the grid."

"I am glad and one other thing." One more kiss, "If you crawl into a hole and go off the grid. Take me with you, or I will rip this station apart to find you." she said with a great fervor. "I don't want to lose you, ever. I, we, just found each other,realized how we feel? I want to see what this path we are on will end up at. As long as it is you and me." his eyes reminding her of the azure skies on a sunny day. Shailyn reached up and caressed his cheek, tracing down his rugged jawline, she loved his looks, he was handsome to her.

"Alright deal, I can't imagine what the maintenance schedule would look like if you did that, I know all the hiding places here, so there probably wouldn't be much of the station left. I'd take you with me, we can hide for a while, just us, no reports, no duty shifts, no manifold cleanings. Just you, me, and some time alone. That is just a plan c. Plan A" He pulled her close again, pulling her close. For the first time in a while, he was letting his defenses down, Jon felt connected, and not to just a tool kit. "Plan A is, well, we just be us ok?"

"I agree wholeheartedly, most definitely." Shailyn just radiant in her smile. Then her stomach growled rather loudly and she jumped slightly then looked down at it then back to Jon. "Er lets go eat shall we?" giving a laugh as her cheeks flushed pink.

He looked down too and then held her hand, a grin across his face, "Kind of feel like a teenager again. Let's get something to eat, we can talk some more there."

Shailyn nodded, she couldn't stop smiling as they left the workshop, her heart singing with joy, and feeling rather giddy.

END

 

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