Author: Lady Starblade -- [email protected]
Rating: PG
Pairing: T/R
Category: Humor/Fluff
Spoilers: None
Warnings: Nope
Archive: Entslash; Anyone else, if ya want it, take it. Just let me know where.
Feedback: <in best Roger Rabbit voice> Pppppleeeease!
Disclaimer: I own 'em and make tons of money. And if you believe that, I got a few more to tell ya. I own none and make no money. Reality sucks.
Author's Note: Answer to the "Mother's Day" Challenge for our ListMommy Sarah. I don't think they get much fluffier than this. <g>
Summary: Four brave Enterprise crewmen seek to answer that eternal burning question....
**
"Cats or dogs?"
Travis Mayweather, Hoshi Sato, and Malcolm Reed all paused in surprise at the question posed by Trip Tucker. Travis even glanced around himself briefly, wondering if there was something currently in Enterprise's mess hall that had inspired the odd change in topic.
Malcolm was the first to recover, raising his eyebrows at the other man. "Excuse me?"
"Ya heard me. Cats or dogs, which one's better?" Trip shifted forward slightly, wiggling his own eyebrows in an exaggerated imitation of Malcolm.
"Is this a trick question?" Hoshi asked, carefully setting her fork down next to her plate.
Trip leaned back in his chair as he smirked at his tablemates. "Nope. Just satisfying myself." Out of the corner of his eye, Trip could see Malcolm begin to nibble at his lower lip in an attempt to remain silent. *That man has a dirtier mind than he'll admit.* That didn't bother Trip, since he was the one who benefited from that dirty mind.
"You answer first then," Travis said, pointing back at Trip.
"Sure thing. Dogs all the way. Cats are miserable little balls of fur and claws." Trip made a face, recalling a particularly temperamental cat his sister had adopted many years ago. But thoughts of that cat were quickly displaced by the distraction of Malcolm's continued lip nibbling.
"That's not always true." Hoshi piped up, propping her elbows up on the table. "Cats can be lovely, warm animals. When I was little, I had five cats."
"Five?" Travis asked.
Hoshi nodded. "Um hum. One of my brothers called me "the cat mommy" because they followed me around all of the time." She smiled as she tilted her head toward Travis. "One Mother's Day, he gave me five catnip mice toys."
Trip forced his eyes to stay on Hoshi, not letting them stray back to Malcolm. That man knew exactly what he was doing. Trip was half tempted to kick the armory officer under the table. *That smug little....*
"Well, I don't have much experience with cats or dogs, but I really like Porthos. The Captain lets me walk him sometimes." Travis lightly tapped his spoon on the edge of his tray a couple of times. "I did have a lizard thing for a few years...."
Trip waggled his finger. "Nope, only two choices. And I'm countin' ya as a dog vote." Deliberately shifting his gaze back to Malcolm, Trip twirled his hand theatrically. "And that brings us to the last, but not least, member of our votin' body. What say you, Malcolm?"
Malcolm folded his hands in front of himself and fixed a thoughtful look on his face. "I had never given the matter much thought."
Trip squinted his eyes shut and wrapped his feet around the legs of his chair before one of them made a painful connection with a certain British shin. Malcolm loved torturing him in front of other people, especially when he knew Trip wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Trip sometimes wondered where that little sadistic streak came from. "It isn't warp mechanics, Malcolm, just a choice. Dogs or cats?"
"Hmm." Malcolm slowly lifted his napkin off of his lap and carefully folded it before laying it to the right of his tray. His gray eyes were positively glowing with repressed hilarity. As far as Trip was concerned, he was getting far too much enjoyment out of this whole thing.
"Well," Malcolm finally said, "I do believe I favor cats. They are much more dignified and reserved creatures."
Hoshi tried to hide her sudden spurt of giggles behind her hand. "Ohh, you never saw my Misty with one of her catnip toys. There was nothing dignified about her then."
The four crewmates dissolved into laughter, and Trip found himself determined to be completely undignified himself while nibbling on that lip of Malcolm's later.
**
"I had ya figured for a cat lover anyway." Trip said quietly, poking the bare shoulder he was using as a pillow with his chin.
"Hmm? What made you so sure?" Trip felt Malcolm's reply rumble through him.
An absolutely wicked grin spread across Trip's face as he tilted his head to lock eyes with Malcolm. "Because you purr."
Assuming a mock offended expression, Malcolm replied, "I most certainly do not."
Trip didn't answer. Instead, he slid his hands underneath the sheets and reached for his lover.
And Malcolm did indeed purr.
END