The Better Things in Life

Posted on 23 Jan 2014 @ 2:22pm by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ellsworth Hudson & Petty Officer 1st Class Oliver Morris

2,446 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 05 - Solstice
Location: Cafe '52, San Francisco, Earth
Timeline: MD 17 - 1130 hrs

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The next few days after his counseling session had given Ellsworth enough time to forgive himself over the Keval situation, so he was done moping around his temporary quarters. He'd been racking his brain to come up with an excuse to get back in touch with his very hunky new roommate but every scenario had seemed contrived.

Finally, he gave up on coming up with a decent excuse and decided to just open a commlink to the other petty officer in the hopes that he was in his bunk, too. He sat down at the very small desk in his room, swiveled the computer station to face him and then accessed the personnel database to call PO1 Oliver Morris. When the computer established the connection, Ellsworth tried not to look surprised. He'd half expected Ollie to be off doing something important with his time.

"Oh, hi, Ollie," Ellsworth said, giving a wide smile.

Oliver slumped in desk chair perspiring from the day's exercise of jogging around the holodeck. He was wearing the regulation exercise shirt that hug tightly around his waist and chest, and shorts that gave him free range of motion. He was about to head to the shower in his quarters when the commlink engaged. The tired Petty Officer grabbed a towel to wipe off the sweat in from his brow. "Ells, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Um, well, I just wanted to let you know that I got our quarters assigned," he said, trying not to be distracted by how sweaty the other man was. "We're two doors down from the turbolift - perks of bunking with the quartermaster. I'll make sure your stuff gets transferred over when they finish the retrofit, and I'm working on getting an office setup for you like we talked about."

"Thanks, I don't have that many things." Oliver left the view of the screen and came back with his Academy sweatshirt.

Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Ellsworth finally blurted out, "You're awfully sweaty."

"I just got back from a half marathon on a holosuite. Some of us old track team mates got together. I shaved off four minutes. I am sure proud of that one." Oliver smiled widely. "What's going on with you?"

Half-marathon. Sounded exhausting to Ellsworth, unless it was a half-marathon around a shopping mall or luxury resort. But he admired Ollie's commitment to athletics. And the muscular results therefrom.

"Me? Oh, nothin'. I mean, I'm kinda bored. I don't know anyone in San Francisco. Or even on Earth. I guess I was just wonderin' if you wanted to...hang out...or somethin'... Eat lunch, or you can show me lacrosse basics or swim or somethin'," he said, fidgeting in place. He had a lot of nervous energy at the moment. "I'm just tired of sittin' in my room by myself."

"I see," Oliver mulled over his words carefully. "Well that'd be cool. But I am exhausted from the run. If you want we could go to the Cafe '52. It's an old stomping ground for Cadets. We could grab a bite there."

Ellsworth seemed to perk up. "Okay! Can I meet you there in half an hour?"

"Sure, there's a transporter station near there." Oliver stood up. "I'll shower and shave and wait for you then."

=-=-=-=-=-=

Ellsworth had agonized over his choice of clothing. Not that he thought the rendezvous was some kind of a date with the suave Morris, but he still wanted to look nice. Just in case. Thankfully his Florentine shopping trip provided him with a nice, upscale outfit that put him slightly out of place in the cafe but not awkwardly so. He was just the well-dressed, good looking young Betazoid among a bunch of cadets, a few officers and even fewer locals.

He took a seat at the table indicated by what passed for the hostess, ordered a fizzy sweet drink with origins on Bajor and settled in to wait for his beefy roommate.

Oliver entered wearing a tshirt and jeans. He wouldn't look out of place with the other customers. Cafe '52 was co-owned by a burly Orion Ex-pat who gained asylum in the Federation after spying for SI and his Terran wife. They loved the ancient style of the 2050's and styled this cafe in the architectural decor of that era.

The cafe was dimly lit, but enough light for Oliver to find his way to Ellsworth's table. He sat down and waited for the hostess. "I met my first boyfriend here," he said in a happy tone. Though sadness passed him over at the memory of Bill who died a few years ago. "I spilled my drink and he helped me clean myself off. Since his death I try to get here as often as I can."

For a long moment Ellsworth was speechless because he was dealing with the empathic after-effects. His mostly empty stomach was tossing as he felt Morris's happiness and subsequent sense of sadness and loss. Before he could get more of a telepathic control of his emotions, the latter nearly brought him to tears. Feeling loss always did that to him, likely due to the loss of his parents or something else unpleasant he didn't even want to begin to think about.

"I'm so sorry that you lost him, Ollie," Ellsworth said in a quiet and genuine tone. He'd been planning to flirt, but now he couldn't shake the empathy for Morris. "Did you stay close to him, after the breakup?"

"Well no, we didn't. He was far off on a exploratory mission. So it was tough to keep in touch." Oliver smiled. They day Bill told Oliver about the mission was a happy occasion. It was what Bill wanted for so long; to explore the unknown. "It was still shocking when he died though. But all the same, we both had moved on by then."

"I guess that makes the grief a little easier to handle," Ellsworth said, smiling. He cut his eyes down at his tea cup. "I've never even had a boyfriend before."

As soon as he'd said it, he wanted to fall in his tea cup. He knew he was going to say it, but it was like being outside one's self and watching something unfold in slow motion. Even as he spoke the words, they felt clumsy, personal, inappropriate and a little juvenile. He wasn't one to elicit pity and sympathy from others, but the statement had certainly sounded like a heavy-handed attempt at doing so even if it was really just a random admission of fact.

"Really? A guy as good looking as you? I doubt that." Oliver patted Ellsworth's hand. "Well, some times it's better not to rush into anything. Bill and I were friends for a long time before anything 'became serious' in fact we hated each other in the beginning. But it just turned out he liked me and we were inseparable."

Ellsworth looked down at his hand, completely hidden under Oliver's. His hand was huge. It looked like he could swat down a Klingon. Maybe you used your hands a lot in lacrosse or something. He tried not to focus on what Oliver said or his hand just in case a dumb smile came on his face. He could sense another person's benign intentions as easily as anything, but sometimes that didn't save him from having the reactions of a flirtatious twenty year old.

Thankfully, their server abruptly appeared to take their order. Ellsworth ordered a cheese sandwich and soup - the first thing he saw on the menu - and was grateful when Oliver spoke up to change the subject after the server departed. Relationships were not a topic of conversation Ellsworth had much experience with, much less sitting across from attractive men that seemed far more expert on the subject.

"I am sorry, I am gonna put a damper on our lunch. Tell me about your day?"

"My day - my days - are killin' me," he admitted. "Do you remember training? I feel like I learned five thousand things, and I've used maybe...ten of 'em. And the rest I've been makin' it up as I go along and figurin' somebody is gonna say somethin' if I'm doin' it wrong. And the Galileo is small; I can't imagine bein' the quartermaster on a Galaxy-class or somethin'. It's hard enough handling our crew's needs."

He cut his eyes to the side, thinking as he realized he'd wandered off subject. He tried not to make his smile too flirtatious, but it was hard. "The day is improved, though. I'm glad you had some time today. If we're gonna be roomies, I figure I should get to know you. How about you? How's your day?"

"Well, at the moment I haven't been able to do much. I've yet to meet the Commodore more than once. She was away when I arrived and now I hear there's a meeting with the Admiralty. So I've been spending most my time visiting family and catching up on gossip." Oliver chuckled. "The only thing I have been able to do for the Commodore is set up her quarters with you. I can't wait to meet her alone to talk things through."

"I hope she turns out to be a good boss," Ellsworth said, offering a smile but feeling a bit out of his league. The Art of Conversation had been a skill he'd acquired on Risa, but it hadn't generally included discussions about Starfleet brass. He decided to change the subject into something a little more familiar; he grinned a little and nodded toward Morris's biceps. "Are you from Earth? Those muscles make you look like you're from a higher gravity planet."

Oliver blushed. He was used to people flirting with him. But not with someone as brazen as Ells seem to be. "I am from Upstate New York. A small town. So yes, I am Terran."

"New...York," Ellsworth repeated. He knew it was an administrative area on this continent, but that was about it. "Upstate is the town?"

Oliver laughed, "In the old days of the United States there's a region most people regarded as Upstate New York. I am from a small town called Hudson."

"Hudson?" Ellsworth mimicked, sounding surprised to find a place had the surname he'd chosen for himself. "That's my last name! Huh, pretty weird."

The server interrupted their conversation to deliver their orders. Ellsworth settled the soup in front of him and took a spoonful. As he was blowing it to cool it off, a sly look came over his face. "Sooo, Ollie... You leavin' anybody behind when the ship departs?"

Oliver shook his head. "No. I am not seeing any one if you are asking."

"I was. I'm naturally curious," Ellsworth said, grinning as if he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He picked up a triangle of the cheese sandwich and began dunking it in the soup several times, allowing it to soak up the liquid. "So, what's your type? Handsome and well-spoken? Air-headed and cute? Bookish and shy? I'm the quartermaster, I'm s'posed to know almost everybody, maybe I can give you some leads..."

Oliver leaned back with his arm over the back of his chair. "Honestly, I am not looking for anything. I am content on being single for a while." He shook his head slowly. "I am in a new place in my life where I really don't want a relationship."

Ellsworth almost always felt like someone on the outside looking in when it came to discussing relationships and love. It was like being a student, studying a subject that was both fascinating and difficult to grasp. The concept of not wanting a relationship was definitely new and surprised him enough that both eyebrows raised.

"Don't want one? I don't get it... You, like, wanna be alone?" he asked. His voice lowered to a whisper, unable to resist his curiosity - from his frame of reference as a Betazoid it seemed impossible to live without it. "What d'you do about...you know... Urges."

Oliver laughed. "Why do you think I am at the gym all the time?"

"You have sex at the gym?" Ellsworth asked, lifting an eyebrow. That was a new one.

"Wow aren't you young. The best way to resist 'urges' is to keep your mind and body occupied. Most Vulcans will tell you the same. I go to the gym, I run, I read, pray, study and dive into my work so that I don't have to think about sex. Sex is far from my mind." Oliver found himself leaning into Ellsworth as if he was giving him a trade secret. "There are far better things than getting laid."

Ellsworth blinked. The look on his face demonstrated a complete lack of understanding. "You...work... Wait, you work instead of havin' sex?" He laughed, quick and sharp, and then brought his attention back to Ollie with a smile. He shook his head and chuckled again. "Ollie. That would never work for a Betazoid. We're like...slightly toned down Deltans. I can't even conceive of workin' out or readin' or studyin' as an alternative. I don't think we're wired like that."

Suddenly feeling a little ashamed of laughing and hoping his friend wouldn't think he was poking fun of him, he reached across the table and placed his hand on Ollie's as a gesture of affection and companionship.

"I'm not laughin' at you, Ollie," he said earnestly. "It's just funny trying to imagine myself doin' those things instead of...the other. I made it for two years during training, but I thought it was gonna kill me."

"Ells, all the Betazoids I've met were just as amorous as you are. It's in your nature to be open and vibrant. Even in old age. I've taken no offense. So no apologies necessary." Oliver stood up, "I want to thank you for lunch but I do have get going. My father called just after you did and it's been a long time since all of us are in the same Solar System. I hope we'll meet again before we launch." Oliver put a hand on Ellsworth's shoulder. "Don't ever feel bad about being yourself around me. We're room mates."

Ellsworth stood up and smiled. Instinctively, he leaned to the side and gave the bigger guy an affectionate and purely platonic one-armed hug. "Thanks, Ollie. You're sweet."

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PO1 Oliver Morris
Yeoman
USS Galileo

&

PO3 Ellsworth Hudson
Quartermaster
USS Galileo

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