Work Text:
“Alright, so the rules are very simple. We go around the circle and say something we claim not to have done - which may or may not be something we know another person has done. If you’ve done it, you take a sip of your drink. It’s traditionally played with alcohol, but you can have juice or tea or whatever you prefer, I’m not going to enforce that bit,” Trip said, grinning.
“Could you give an example?” T’Pol asked.
Trip nodded. “Sure! A non-embarrassing one would be knowing that a bunch of us have eaten pineapple upside-down cake, because we had it for Malcolm’s birthday. So I might say ‘never have I ever eaten pineapple upside-down cake’, and all of us who have would need to drink.”
Phlox smiled. “It seems simple enough.”
“May I go first?” T’Pol asked.
“Hell yeah, hit us with a doozy!” Trip said, grinning.
With a mischievous look at Trip to her right, T’Pol said, “never have I ever been a chief engineer.”
Trip chuckled, and took a sip of his drink.
Hoshi was seated to T’Pol’s left, and grinned as she said, “never have I ever been the third generation of my family with the same name.”
Laughing, Trip drank again.
Seated to Hoshi’s left was Malcolm, who smirked, saying, “never have I ever been caught in my underwear while Enterprise was boarded, and the rest of the crew were sedated.”
Trip cackled, and drank for a third time.
Phlox grinned devilishly as he said, “never have I ever been impregnated during a first contact mission.”
“Oh, I see how it is!” Trip said as he laughed, then took another mouthful of drink.
“Never have I ever attended a Vulcan wedding,” Liz Cutler said.
Both Trip and T’Pol drank, and T’Pol gave Liz a little smirk.
Teeth flashing with a brilliant smile, Travis said, “never have I ever scraped paint off the hull with an inspection pod.”
Snorting a laugh, Trip drank.
“Never have I ever been stranded in Shuttlepod One for two days with Malcolm,” Janelle Kelly said with a wicked grin.
Shaking his head, Trip drank again. “You could have at least left the last bit off so Malcolm had to drink too!” he said.
Mike Rostov winked as he said, “never have I ever been cloned.”
Snorting another laugh, Trip took another sip - his drink more than halfway finished.
“Never have I ever been the ground crew for an unauthorised engine test,” Jon said, grinning.
“Oi! That one was your doing!” Trip cried, then drank yet again. Finally his own turn, he scowled around the group and said, “never have I ever ganged up on Trip during a game of Never Have I Ever!”
T’Pol smirked while the others all laughed, then each took a sip of their drinks.
For her second turn T’Pol said, “never have I ever eaten pizza with pineapple as a topping.”
All but T’Pol drank, and she nodded in satisfaction.
“Never have I ever had plomeek broth every day for a month,” Hoshi said, eyes twinkling at T’Pol.
She drank, arching a brow.
Smiling, Malcolm said, “never have I ever been the only member of my species surrounded by an otherwise Human crew.”
Phlox chuckled, then he and T’Pol both drank.
With a mischievous twinkle in his eye, Phlox said, “never have I ever been a Human member of a crew with only one Vulcan and one Denobulan joining them.”
All but Phlox and T’Pol drank this time, and she gave him a subtle nod. Trip shook his head with a rueful smile as he poured himself a second drink.
Liz said, “never have I ever been in a relationship with someone of a different rank than myself.”
“Do Crewman First Class and Second Class count as different ranks, for these purposes?” Janelle asked.
Smiling, Jon answered, “they certainly do. Drink up!”
Jon, T’Pol, Trip, Malcolm, Hoshi, Janelle and Mike all drank, while Liz high-fived Phlox and Travis.
Mike raised his brows at Jon. “May we know how that came to be the case for you, sir?”
“We both had the rank of Commander when we got together, but I was promoted to Captain first. That’s ultimately what ended the relationship,” Jon said quietly.
“Ooooof, that’s rough!” Janelle said.
“We’ve managed to stay friends, so it’s not all bad,” he said, smiling.
“Never have I ever got back together with an ex - even temporarily,” Travis said.
Everyone but Liz and Phlox drank, and Trip gave Travis a quizzical look.
“Why say one you’ve done yourself?”
Travis shrugged. “There’s no rule that says I can’t.”
“Fair point!” Trip chuckled.
Janelle smiled as she took her second turn, saying, “never have I ever cried during movie night.”
Jon, Liz, Travis, and Mike sipped their drinks, and T’Pol poked Trip. “You’ve cried numerous times. Drink.”
Trip took a big gulp then put his glass down noisily, muttering, “traitor” - though he was laughing as he said it.
“Never have I ever cried while reading poetry,” Mike said, waggling his brows at Janelle.
Laughing, she drank - as did T’Pol, Malcolm, Hoshi, and Liz.
Looking thoughtful, Jon said, “never have I ever played Never Have I Ever with my commanding officer.”
Laughter went around the circle as everyone but Jon drank.
“Never have I ever had a bunch of schools named after me,” Trip said, smirking.
With a wry chuckle, Jon drank.
T’Pol looked fondly at Trip before saying, “never have I ever asked someone to marry me.”
Trip drank, and the rest of the group gasped.
“Are you two engaged?!” Hoshi asked.
Trip nodded. “As of about three days ago. I wanted to tell my folks before we shared the news with the crew, and I spoke with them this afternoon.”
“The transmission I connected for you!” Hoshi exclaimed. “I wondered what that was about!”
Grinning, Trip said, “yeah, that was when I knew they’d both be at home at the same time during the day. You don’t spring exciting announcements on my Momma at night, she won’t sleep a wink!”
Everyone murmured their congratulations and best wishes to both Trip and T’Pol, then Trip raised his hand.
“I know it’s not my turn yet, but if you’ll indulge me?” Trip asked.
The group all nodded, and Trip pressed the pads of his index and middle fingers to T’Pol’s as he said, “never have I ever accepted a marriage proposal.”
She drained her glass, then leaned over to place a kiss on Trip’s cheek, and everyone applauded.
“Do I get to perform the ceremony?” Jon asked with a grin.
Trip blushed slightly and said, “how would you feel about doing half of it?”
Jon frowned slightly. “Who’d be doing the other half?”
“A Vulcan priest,” Trip answered. “I want it to be a blend of both our cultures.”
“I told you that’s not necessary,” T’Pol argued quietly.
Smiling, Trip tucked a stray lock of hair behind T’Pol’s ear. “And I told you that it is. You meet me halfway so often. It’s important to me that I meet you halfway too, when I can.”
The hint of a smile on her lips, T’Pol nodded once. “If it’s truly so important to you that our traditions be merged, I would prefer T’Pau be the Vulcan who shares that duty with the captain. It would feel like a small connection to my mother.”
Trip smiled warmly. “Now that’s a compromise I can get behind.”
The rest of the group congratulated them again and said goodnight, and T’Pol stood, pulling Trip to his feet.
“I love you,” she said softly.
“I love you too,” he replied, then kissed her softly.