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Hoshi turned her face into the warm hand cupping her jaw and nuzzled up to the calloused finger that was sliding across her cheek, tracing the outline of her eye socket. There was something firm and warm under her other cheek, and she sighed and slid her arm over it, cuddling closer. Her other arm was slung across her chest, hand gripping her opposite shoulder.
“Hoshi,” said a quiet voice. “Time to wake up.” She recognised that clipped English accent.
“Malcolm…” she murmured. “Five more minutes.”
The voice sounded amused. “Very well. Five more minutes.”
With a satisfied mumble, she snuggled up against the warmth, her body curling into a foetal position. The soft touch on her cheek slid around her ear, moving hair with it. Then Malcolm started stroking her hair, and her lips curved in a smile.
“That’s nice,” she whispered, starting to come back to awareness. She shifted, sighing, and opened her eyes slightly. Her head was pillowed on a slightly rough, firm surface, unlike the smooth softness of her pillow. She wasn’t in her bed, and the room looked unfamiliar.
As her awareness took hold, she realised that her head was on someone’s lap, their legs stretched out in front of her eyes, the rough surface under her cheek a pair of black jeans. And the owner of the legs had their hand on her hair.
Her eyes opened fully and she turned her head and looked up - right into Malcolm’s face.
“Oh my god!” she blurted, and shot upright, barely missing smacking her head into his nose as he jerked backward, his superb reflexes saving them both from a painful collision. “Sir! I’m so sorry! I- I-” she floundered for words, her face burning in embarrassment, her heart thundering in her chest.
The Englishman chuckled. “It’s quite alright, Hoshi,” he said, amusement still evident in his voice. “I would have woken you sooner if it had bothered me. You didn’t snore or drool on me, so I just carried on with the movie while you napped.”
Hoshi couldn’t look at him, heat flooding through her face and chest. She realised that her hands were shaking from the adrenaline shock and she was breathing too rapidly, beginning to hyperventilate, but she couldn’t stop. Oh, god, she was getting light-headed. Pull yourself together, Hoshi! she ordered herself, to no avail.
She bowed her head and gripped her hands together tightly but the roaring in her ears was getting louder even as she tried to pull herself together, her shoulders hunching inward. Get it together! You’re embarrassing yourself!
Suddenly a large, warm hand covered both of hers, startling her. Lieutenant Reed’s other hand tipped up her chin so she was looking into his calm grey eyes.
“Breathe with me, Ensign,” he instructed. “Breathe in…” - he suited the action to his words, raising his eyebrows in encouragement, so she did the same - “... and out.” He exhaled deeply, and she followed suit, inhaling and exhaling in synchrony with him, her heart-rate slowly returning to more normal levels. His eyes were warm on hers, his hand gentle on her clenched fists, thumb stroking one wrist as he eased her to relaxation, repeating quietly. “Breathe in … hold it … breathe out … that’s right.”
The tips of his other fingers skimmed the soft skin over her jaw. As her breathing eased, he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Better?” he asked, his voice low. She nodded, continuing the regular breathing cycle, her eyes still locked on his. He winked, and she smiled tremulously.
“Thank you, sir,” she said, her voice slightly faint, but strengthening. “That was silly of me.”
His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Maybe, but understandable. It was quite a shock for you, I imagine, realising where you were. But I meant what I said. It didn’t bother me in the slightest to be your pillow. You obviously needed the rest.” His lips quirked. "And it's Malcolm, at the moment."
His eyes dropped to where her hands had finally relaxed, and he let go with a final gentle squeeze. She felt a brief flash of loss, and curbed it.
“Now, as much as I would be happy to let you keep napping, I’m afraid people would talk if you were seen leaving my quarters in the morning. So I’ll bid you goodnight and let you head off to your own bed.” His teasing tone took the sting out of his words. “I’d be happy to walk you back to your quarters, if you’d like.”
“Oh, no, no need for that,” Hoshi said hurriedly, rising from the bed. Malcolm followed suit, smiling down at her, his usually cool grey eyes twinkling. “Thank you for the movie, and for … acting as a pillow.” He chuckled, then turned and led her to the door, activating the door control. She walked through, then paused, turning to him. “See you on the bridge - Malcolm.”
As the door closed, she saw his smile widen into a grin, and headed off down the corridor to her own quarters, a contented smile on her own lips.
Hopefully there would be more movie nights like that in the future. Friendship had to start somewhere, after all.