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The door chime rang, and Hoshi called out “Come in!” as she bustled around the room, clearing up.
“I come bearing gifts.” Janelle walked in, accompanied by the scent of freshly-baked brownies, then looked around, seeking a place to put down the container in her hands.
“Oh - sorry, just tidying up.” Hoshi grabbed the towels off her desk and motioned to it with a flourish as she headed for the bathroom. “You can put the brownies there. Mind helping me pack away my laundry?”
“Sure.” Brownies safely deposited, Janelle picked up the neat pile of t-shirts from the bed and opened her friend’s cupboard. Glancing down as she arranged the t-shirts on the closest available shelf, she paused, then took a closer look.
Hoshi emerged from the bathroom to find Janelle holding a blue t-shirt, one eyebrow raised and a mischievous smile on her lips.
“What are you—” The communications officer shut her mouth with a snap. Janelle’s eyes glinted.
“I found this t-shirt while I was packing away your laundry. It says ‘Reed’ on the label.” She gave her friend an impudent side-eye. “Should I ask why you have it?”
“None of your business!” Hoshi made a grab for the t-shirt, but the taller woman simply lifted the garment above her head.
“Something you want to tell me?” Upon meeting Hoshi’s glare, she laughed delightedly. “You’d better ‘fess up before the rest get here. Unless you want Liz to find out and start bugging you.”
Hoshi stamped her foot, her face going crimson. “Dammit, Janelle! Don’t make me pull rank!”
“A, that’s not an answer, and B, we’re off-duty, so don’t expect me to give a fig about rank.”
The ensign scowled as threateningly as she could, but only succeeded in making her friend laugh harder. As she opened her mouth to remonstrate, the door chime sounded. Hoshi’s eyes widened in horror.
“Better tell,” Janelle sang in a half-whisper, “before Liz gets inside!”
“Fine!” Hoshi hissed, keeping her voice low, too. “I had a wardrobe malfunction and Malcolm loaned me a t-shirt to assist. I just haven’t returned it yet.”
With a broad grin, Janelle lowered her hand and gave Hoshi the t-shirt. “You know this raises more questions than it answers, and you can bet I’ll want the details later.”
“Just don’t mention it in front of the others!” The chime rang again, and the communications officer hastily stuffed the t-shirt into her cupboard, sending a pleading glance toward her friend.
Janelle mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key, and Hoshi grinned, relieved.
“Come in!” As Liz, Anna, Esk, and Kiva made their way inside, chattering, she knew she’d have to work on just how much she could tell the engineer - and how much she wanted to hug to herself as a precious secret.
At least she could count on Janelle’s discretion; otherwise, it was time to find out some secrets about Rostov that might come in handy.