Title: Five Minutes

Author: Edible Lit

Author's e-mail: [email protected]

Author's Web site: http://www.geocities.com/edibleliterature

Fandom: Enterprise

Pairing: Tucker/Reed

Rating: R

Category: Slash

Summary: Tucker visits Reed after his rumble with Hayes.

Spoilers: Harbinger

Comments: This is an answer to Lt. Black Fire's five minute challenge, though I
spent a little more than five minutes on it since I'm not nearly that prolific. It
involves the use of this line.
Malcolm Reed was not impressed. "You can't be serious! Really, this is
inacceptable."





  The door to Reed's quarters slid open, the man he'd come to see standing
before Tucker with a resigned expression on those parts of the face that weren't
immobilized by angry welts. A gasp escaped Trip's mouth, the sight of the
damage almost like a blow to his stomach. He'd heard of the fight between Reed
and Hayes as the stories and rumours had passed through the ship like wild fire,
but knowing they had bloodied each other hadn't prepared him for this. Part of
him wanted to laugh, the whole situation was so absurd, yet another part of him
wanted take the man in his arms and just hold him. Hold him until later when
he would go find the bastard who'd done this to Reed and kick the crap out of
him. Of course that would never happen, he'd probably be incapacitated within
seconds of trying to fight Hayes, but he couldn't prevent the irrational anger that
accompanied the sight of the man he loved.

  "Oh Malcolm, what have you done?" he asked rhetorically. Reed merely
ignored the question and stepped aside to allow Trip to enter. The security
officer gingerly lay himself down on his bed, and Trip was seized with guilt for
making him get up to answer the door. Carefully he watched Reed, trying to
discern his mood; the man could really be difficult to approach when he was
injured. Prickly as a porcupine, as his mother would have observed.

  "Trip, I don't want to talk about it," Malcolm whispered hoarsely.

  "Why am I not surprised?" Trip replied, a little bitterly, "Common Mal, this
thing with Hayes has to stop."

  "Trip, would you just be quiet for once," the man whined, "It's over,
everything's fine. Now come here and lie down with me."

  The near pleading tone of his voice worried Tucker, but he was inwardly
pleased by the admission of Reed's need for his presence; sometimes it wasn't so
obvious. Carefully he slipped in beside Malcolm as the man shifted over to give
him room. Even more unusually, the man pulled Trip's arms around him,
pressing their bodies close against each other. Trip studied Malcolm's bruised
face, hoping to find some way to kiss him without hurting him, but decided not
to risk it. It was Malcolm who leaned forward and brushed his lips over Trip's
softly, carefully.

  "Malcolm-" Trip began.

  "Quiet, remember?" Reed said, grinning, "It's not as bad as it looks."

  "That's a lie," he replied, "besides, you don't have to look at yourself."

  Malcolm pulled back a little, "Do I repulse you?"

  Trip laughed lightly, "Because of the bruises? No."

  Reed glared at him, "That implies I do for other reasons."

  Trip grinned impudently, and saw Malcolm realize he was being teased.

  The man tried to push him off the bed, but winced at the sudden movement,
and ceased.

  "Clearly I'm not helping you get rest," Trip said, concerned.

  Despite his pain, Reed grinned crookedly, "Who said I wanted rest," and
leaned in to kiss Trip again, this time more insistently. Under the ministrations
of the man's mouth, the engineer closed his eyes, surprised but pleased that
Reed's injuries were not the harbinger of a dry spell of celibacy.

  Then Reed broke away from him, breathing heavily, "Sorry," he said, "I'm just
having trouble breathing through my nose," he explained sheepishly.

  Trip couldn't help but grin, "I had no idea getting knocked around was such a
turn on for you."

  Reed looked outraged, "I'll have you know I gave as good as I got."

  "Good," Trip said, then thought better of it, "You're not attracted to Hayes
are you? I mean, the last person you fought so much with was me, and look how
we ended up."

  "God, don't even suggest," Malcolm said, shuddering with such revulsion that
Trip was partly mollified, and was completely so under the sudden barrage of
the man's mouth over his lips and skin. Malcolm's hands waisted no time, one
pulling at his uniform's zipper, and the other slipping down to cup his
burgeoning arousal. Afraid to inadvertently hurt the man, Trip allowed Malcolm
to take the lead, his own hands drifting gently through his hair, and drifting
down to find Malcolm's own erection straining against the fabric of his trousers.

  Suddenly Trip's watch beeped insistently. Cursing, he disengaged his hands to
cancel the alarm, "Sorry Malcolm, I've got to go."

  "What?!" the man demanded with a cry of outrage, clearly not impressed,
"You can't be serious. Really, this is unacceptable-"

  "I have a meeting in astrometrics with T'Pol and the team there," very
carefully he extracted himself from Malcolm's arms, giving him one last kiss
before pushing himself off the bed. He had some difficulty readjusting his
uniform, and would have to wait a moment before venturing out into the
corridors.

  "Cancel it," Reed growled, "say there's a problem with an EPS conduit. They
wouldn't know the difference."

  "Sorry, Mal, I can't," Trip said, heading towards the door, "I'll see you later,
after dinner?"

  "Why did you even bother to stop by?" Reed said mournfully.

  "To see how you were doing you ungratefully prick!" Trip cried, "Are you
going to pout all night?"

  Reed managed to grin, "only until five minutes after you get back."

  Trip snorted as he keyed open the door, "Honestly, Reed," he said over his
shoulder, "I let you get to second base in under five minutes and this is the
thanks I get."

  With that he closed the door behind him.

The End.