Chance Encounters

Posted on 16 Jan 2015 @ 11:20pm by Lieutenant Oren Idris Ph.D. & Petty Officer 1st Class Pieter Van Zyl Ph.D.
Edited on on 19 Jan 2015 @ 8:14pm

2,688 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: USS Galileo, Deck ? Random corridor
Timeline: MD40 - 0815

[ON]

While the time off had no doubt done wonders for his social life, Oren was glad the Galileo would be leaving soon. For all of the starbase's activities, very few of the caught Oren's interest and the day he was finally ready to move back into his shared rooms felt like a blessing. Tapping away at the paDD in his hand, trying to organise everything that needed to be done before the Galileo left, he leaned back against a wall in one of the corridors leading to the exit.

Tyrion for his part had already been back on board a day or two, settling back into a routine of sleeping, cleaning up and night shifts. He yawned as he rounded the corner, openly rubbing his eyes. He was tired, and he was longing for his bed. He stopped walking when he sensed someting, someone familiar but he couldn't quite sense who. He lowered his hands and stared at the man leaning against the wall. He blinked, rubbed his eyes again then blinked again to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "Oren?" he called out, "what are you doing here?"

Oren frowned at the familiar voice and looked up in that direction. He frowned at the sight of Tyrion of all people, in front of him. He said nothing for a long moment, taking the man in. His eyes wandered over his frame critically, noting the Starfleet uniform, in particular. His eyes finally settled on Tyrion's face.

"Um...I work here," he said dumbly, still a little startled at Tyrion's sudden appearance, even if he didn't show it in his expression.

"You do?" Tyrion asked, clearly surprised at seeing his one time lover here. "So do I..." He awkwardly gestured at his grey uniform. "Intelligence..."

"Civilian," Oren said, smiling despite himself at the awkward gesture. He mimicked it with good-natured humor, motioning to his own casual attire.

"I'm the ship's Archaeologist." Being considerably older, Oren recovered from his surprise much faster, but still felt slightly wary and more than a little uncomfortable at the sudden knowledge that his fling would be living so close to him.

"Did you just transfer?"

The Betazoid shook his head. "No, I've been here for a few months now, I got here during that hell with the Tribbles, and then I was booted off duty for a little while, and demoted because I killed my boyfriend." He shrugged though the memory of that event was still a very painful one. "Long story, don't really want to talk about it. Anyway yes, been here a while. And you?"

'What the... Oren frowned, suddenly alarmed at Tyrion moving on from the subject of killing someone. He was even more alarmed at the fact that he himself cared more about how he could've missed seeing Tyrion during all of the time they'd apparently served together.

"Same here," he said, resting his hands on his hips as he looked at Tyrion. "Well...this will be....well, it'll be a little strange," Oren said honestly.

Sensing the alarm, Tyrion looked up. "It wasn't wholly my fault," he explained, the pain in his voice audible, "I spent so much time searching the killer, and then it turned out to be me. I'll be carrying that knowledge with me forever." He lowered his eyes. "I still miss him, very much and yes it'll be a little strange. Us, I mean...what do we do now?"

"For some reason, alcohol sounds like a good idea right about now," Oren said suddenly, surprised at the random thought. He'd had some problems with the substance years ago, but he felt like he had it under control now.

'Surely I can handle one....A big one,' he thought, shifting awkwardly before deciding it's most definitely a bad idea.

"I was just on my way home," Tyrion said, trying to stifle a yawn. "I can get you one, if you want even though it's still quite early, well for you anyway. I'm going to bed soon."

"Uh...no..." Oren said, still shifting in place and finding the floor oddly interesting at the moment. "I don't want to keep you," he said hurriedly, unsure of what else he could do.

"You don't have to stay Oren, I remember what we agreed on. But if you want, that offer stands. I got the place to myself until Alpha shift ends anyway, my roommate works alpha and I work gamma."

Oren stayed quiet, thinking about what he could do. For all of his experience and years, this wasn't a situation he'd ever found himself in. He didn't know what to do, or say to Tyrion. The idea of continuing their little affair wasn't appealing, but just ignoring the Betazoid seemed incredibly rude considering the intimacy they'd shared. Truth be told, Oren would be happiest if they just ignored it completely.

"I'm sorry, I'm just....a little startled with all of this," he heard himself say.

"So am I." Tyrion shrugged. "Offer stands, just ask the computer for my room if you change your mind but I really have to go get something to eat, a shower and some sleep. I enjoyed what we had Oren, I really did, and I understand if you don't want to come over now. Just...consider it sometime, okay?"

Oren smiled gently, nodding. "I will....Thank you. You handled this with much more grace than I did," he complimented.

"Yea well..." The Betazoid shrugged again. "I have to go..I'm sure we'll meet again, this ship ain't that big, and I'll know where to find you."

Oren simply smiled and gave the Betazoid a nod and an awkward wave before turning slowly and going down the corridor in the opposite direction, his thoughts filled with how to handle this new situation.

Tyrion watched him leave, then continued on to his quarters and entered. He sighed as he tore off his uniform jacket and tossed it over a nearby chair, then went over to the replicator to get himself a sandwich and a mug of tea. With both, he flopped on the couch and sighed again.

Pieter, who was taking a day of relaxation (sister's orders), glanced over his shoulder when he saw the small light on the wall blink. He said nothing as he watched Tyrion move around, looking tired and...something else he couldn't figure out.

Sensing something, Tyrion looked up. "I'm sorry, I didn't wake you did I?" he asked as he sat up. "I won't be long, just having something to eat and then I'm going to bed."

"It's fine. What's wrong?" Over the course of the past couple of months of shoreleave, Pieter liked to believe that he'd become quite good at reading Tyrion and his moods. That said, an unfortunate side effect was that Tyrion was getting good at reading Pieter. Scarily good, much to Pieter's annoyance.

"I just met someone that I hadn't thought I'd ever see again," Tyrion replied wearily, "turns out he's been on this ship all along. A civilian anthropologist, can you imagine?"

As the last two words popped up on Pieter's screen, he frowned instantly. The short but specific description told him exactly who Tyrion was talking about.

"Idris Oren," he said.

"Yea, you know him?" Tyrion shifted on the couch, sighing softly. "We had an encounter back on leave, and we parted ways. All friendly but well, we never did tell eachother where we were stationed, so I was quite surprised to see him just now."

As soon as the word 'encounter' came into view, Pieter's expression seemed to darken. "Is he the man you slept with on the base?" He remembered Tyrion's good mood after the affair clearly. He'd been as elusive with the details as possible back when it happened and Pieter respected his privacy. He'd just been happy that Tyrion's bad mood was lifted.

Tyrion nodded, his face flushing in embarrassment at Pieter's spot on guess. "Yes," he added, "why?" He could sense the shift in his roommate and friend's mood. "Something wrong with that?"

Telling him the complete truth right off the bat, while tempting, wasn't something Pieter believed to be a good thing to do. Instead, he sought a more...controlled solution.

"He and I don't get along."

"Obviously..." Tyrion shrugged. "We had a great time while it lasted and he was actually quite sweet and gentle. I'll spare you the details I don't think you want to know exactly what we did..." He smiled tiredly. "It was...good...and no strings attached." Though obviously Tyrion wouldn't have minded if it had been a little more permanent.

"Of course it was. He's that kind of person," Pieter explained, rolling his eyes. "I don't like him and I think you should probably stay away from him."

"Not really for you to decide though," Tyrion countered, "though l doubt much will come of having met again. He seemed surprised to see me but was a little, I don't know. Distant? I do like him, and he made me feel good when I didn't feel at all well for a long time. I feel better now, so no I won't stay away from him if he wants me near."

"He won't," Pieter said, then thought better of it. "If he does, then it's for his own selfish reasons that have nothing to do with you. I just need you to trust me on this. Idris and I served together on another ship before Galileo. He's bad news."

"How do you know this for so sure? Have you had romantic encounters with him?" The Betazoid sounded irritated.

"No," Pieter admitted, annoyed. Why couldn't Tyrion just trust him? Why did everyone suddenly need an explanation for everything. He always turned out right, so people should just listen.

"Well there you go then. I don't care whether he's had some personal gain out of this. We had a great time together, we even went camping together." He gestured towards Pieter. "When's the last time you had a romantic outing anyways."

Suddenly, Pieter felt defensive. What did that have to do with anything?

"That's not the point. I just worry about you being with the wrong people." Steering the conversation back to Idris and Tyrion felt better.

"And you're the perfect judge on who is 'wrong people'. You do realize that some might say that of me too?" The Betazoid stood so he was at a better level to argue his case. "To me, he felt right. He was all I needed right then and there. I was depressed, in a bad way, and he put me back on my feet."

"I'm a better judge than you when it comes to someone I've known for years. Why is it so hard for you to trust me and believe that I'm just saying all of this for your own good?" Pieter was waving his arms with more exaggeration now, evidence of his growing frustration.

"Perhaps your view is twisted," Tyrion suggested, catching Piet's arms. "Stop waving about, you might hurt someone," he added, bringing the man's arms down to his side.

Pieter frowned, giving Tyrion a questioning look. How was he supposed to continue this discussion with his arms in Tyrion's hands? Another wave of defensiveness rolled over him at having Tyrion invade his space like this and limit his communication in the way that he was. In his opinion, it was an incredibly childish was to shut him up when Pieter was making a perfectly reasonable argument.

He yanked his arms back to get them free from Tyrion's grip.

Tyrion tightened his hold, drawing the man closer. He had no idea that he was hindering his friend's means to communicate, the thought never even crossed his mind. "Calm down," he admonished, letting his hands glide up Piet's arms, towards his shoulder. "Your agitation is giving me a headache and well...I thought you were going to punch me the way you were waving about."

The minute his grip tightened around Pieter's arms, the botanist's agitation turned into distress and then panic as he tried harder to pull himself away, oblivious to whatever it was that Tyrion was talking about. All he could feel was the restraint. He struggled, the idea of kicking Tyrion in the stomach and then tossing him to the side seeming less and less excessive with each futile pull.

Sensing his distress, Tyrion just let his hands rest on Piet's shoulders, bringing his face closer. Pieter, watch me, he instructed forcibly. Look at me!

With his hold on Pieter loosened, the man relaxed almost instantly, but was still distressed. He looked up, meeting Tyrion's eyes. His own looked slightly hurt, even if Pieter would never admit it out loud. He couldn't believe Tyrion would just grab him and restrain him like that.

Black eyes stared back at the stricken man, eyes filled with confusion and frustration. He didn't know what was wrong and while he had sensed the distress he hadn'd gone through the effort of scanning him to understand the distress. He wouldn't do that, he would not go into Piet's mind and find out, he refused. Instead he just stared at him, unconsciously leaning closer, one hand shifting until his warm palm lay against Piet's neck. Never breaking eye contact, Tyrion leaned further until their lips touched and he initiated a careful but meaningful kiss.

It only lasted for a second in reality but to Pieter's already overactive and cautious mind, it felt like an eternity before he finally regained his senses and proceeded to push Tyrion away. He wasn't too rough with it, but he honestly didn't care. This situation was spiraling out of control quickly. He instinctively took a few steps back from the Betazoid, looking at him and feeling hurt and, frankly, confused and betrayed. First grabbing him like he did and now this? What had gotten into Tyrion?

Tyrion staggered back, tripped over his feet and crashed down onto the coffee table, then right through it. Dazed, he stared up at Piet, sensing his myriad of emotions but unable to make sense of them right now. At least, he mused, he wasn't waving about like a madman anymore. He groaned as he tried to move, then thought better of it and waited to see what Piet would do.

But Pieter just shook his head, feeling at a loss for words. How was he supposed to react to something like this? What does one say to their roommate (their friend), who not only grabbed his arms, forcibly limiting his ability to communicate, but who also had the nerve to just lean over and kiss him without his permission? Feeling a mix of disappointment and betrayal, Pieter did the only thing he felt wouldn't make the situation worse. He turned and left their quarters.

Still stunned, Tyrion watched him leave. He tried to lift himself up but he was stuck at an awkward angly as he'd gone through the glass table. "Pieter!" he called out, grimacing when he tried to put weight on his arm. He didn't have the leverage to push himself up and over the frame that had remained. "Pieter!"

Pieter only saw one of Tyrion's calls but promptly slipped his VOICE off of his wrist. Part of him knew it was probably the wrong thing to just leave Tyrion there, but he couldn't dwell on that now.

Hearing the door slide shut, Tyrion sighed and tried to get up a third time but failed again. He was highly uncomfortable and pain was lancing through his right shoulder and he was so tired. He didn't understand Piet's reaction at all, could not get the sense of betrayal, it made no sense. Finally, he just reached for his combadge and tapped it. "Faye to sickbay..."

[OFF]

JP by

Oren Idris, Ph.D.
Archaeologist/Anthropologist
USS Galileo

PO1 Pieter Van Zyl
Botanist
USS Galileo
[PNPC by Idris]

CPO Tyrion Faye
Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo
[PNPC by T'Vanna]

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