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Reed's Armory -- A Malcolm Reed Fanfiction Archive .. |
Title: Red Velvet
Author: Taryn Eve
Author's e-mail: [email protected]
Fandom: Enterprise
Pairing: Tucker/Reed
Rating: PG-13
Category: Slash
Summary: Trip catches Malcolm with a different kind of cake.
Beta reader(s): Down in New York
Archived to Reed's Armory on 04/20/03.
Trip stared up with an air of expectation as the warp core continued its harsh tempo. It sounded a little like a bull elephant having a really bad morning.
"It's not working, sir," Crewman Rostov said, wiping his wrench on his uniform.
Shaking his head, the Chief Engineer rose from his kneeling position. He took the wrench from the young man and tapped it on the panel.
The warp core seemed to hiccup for a few heartbeats. Then it resumed its stately dance. Trip ran his fingers through his hair, and then strolled over to the console to confirm that his work had been effective.
Oh yeah, baby! Trip thought, shaking his head in bemusement. "I still got it."
Rostov raised his eyebrow. "I must have missed that part of the Advanced Warp Core Repair class at the Academy, sir."
"Sometimes the old ways work best, you know," Trip said, smiling. "I learned that before I was sixteen, Crewman. See you in the morning."
Trip headed for the door, determined to finally catch some dinner. Hoshi had dropped by earlier, waving a spare rib in his face. The woman could be fiendish sometimes.
A few stomach-rumbling minutes later, Trip emerged from the lift. He stopped short at the sight of Malcolm, carrying a plate and a fork. Trip stared at the large slice of cake almost overwhelming the little plate. He hadn't seen such a color on a cake since leaving Earth. The white frosting almost made the slice seem to blush.
"Good evening, Commander," the tactical officer said, nodding slightly.
Trip lifted his eyes away from the cake with an effort. "Didn't know you liked red velvet cake, Malcolm."
The other man shrugged. "I like a lot of things you'd never consider, Mr. Tucker."
"That sounds dangerously close to being a challenge, Mr. Reed," Trip said, grinning.
Malcolm studied the edge of his cake minutely, then looked up at Trip, his blue eyes playful. "You'd better hurry if you'd like some for yourself."
Trip waved him off, then hurried down the corridor to the mess hall. The smells greeted him first, a medley of barbecue, potato salad, and fried potatoes dancing in the air. He thought of home, and his mama, and wondered if he'd ever told her how much he missed her sometimes.
He stumbled to a halt before the long tables holding the almost-empty serving trays. His shoulders sagged. Only a few lonely crumbs of the cake were left.
Hoshi walked over to him. Trip could almost see the glow from her well-fed tummy.
"Too bad you missed it," she said, patting his arm. "The cake was the best part."
"You don't say?" Trip said, heavy with sarcasm. His stomach growled.
She covered her hand and yawned. "Good thing Malcolm cancelled our target practice, or I'd have to have some coffee to wake up."
A warp core lit up in Trip's mind. "I think I can catch some cake if I hurry."
He threw Hoshi a grin and walked off.
"Bright boy," Hoshi's voice said softly as the doors slid shut behind him.
Too hungry to turn around and ask her what she meant, Trip hurried to catch the turbolift once again. He quickly made his way to Malcolm's quarters.
The other man opened the door after the second chime. Malcolm silently stepped aside as Trip bolted through the door.
"Do you still have some cake?" he asked, looking around. Familiar smells led him to the desk.
The fat slice of cake sat in the middle of Malcolm's workspace. Waiting next to it was a heavily loaded plate, complete with ribs and all the trimmings. Trip swallowed in order to keep his jaw from dropping in envy.
Malcolm laughed softly. "Dig in, for God's sake. The fork's hiding there on the desk."
Trip pulled out the chair. "What, you did this for me?"
Malcolm undid his jacket and set it aside. "I knew you'd be crushed if you missed this particular dinner."
The potato salad was just right. Trip swallowed hastily. "Why didn't you say anything when I saw you by the turbolift earlier?"
Malcolm shot him an amused glance. "I believe you were the one who said something about challenges."
Tearing apart his flaky dinner roll, Trip looked at him suspiciously. "Challenges from Mr. Reed," he said, hesitating. "You aren't trying to poison me, are you?"
Malcolm covered his face in his hands. "Hoshi was right. You are a hopeless creature."
Trip glared at him. "She said I was a bright boy in the mess hall."
Pulling his hands away from his face, Malcolm stood up and smiled wistfully. "You are that, sometimes. I'm off to the shower. Try not to make a mess."
He disappeared into the bathroom.
Trip ate his meal in silence, but the room suddenly seemed smaller in the other man's absence. Why would Malcolm go to all this trouble for him?
His mama's tolerant chuckles came back to him as he remembered advice she'd doled out to his cousins over the years. "That saying about the way to a man's heart? Here's my cake recipe, darlin'."
Red velvet cake.
Suspicious, he took off a small corner of the cake and tasted it. Perfect.
He set his fork down and folded his arms. Why, after all this time, would his friend want him?
Malcolm emerged from the bathroom, wrapped securely in a towel. Ignoring Trip, he walked over to the wardrobe and pulled it open. Trip stared at the firm lines of his back. He was a good man, Malcolm Reed.
Trip stood up. Malcolm turned and looked down at the plates. "You didn't finish."
Picking up cake plate and the fork, Trip walked over to him. Malcolm's eyes widened.
Trip tore off a neat section of the cake, then raised it in front of Malcolm. The other man bit his lip.
"You'd better eat up," Trip said softly. "I may be hopeless, but I can read the signs."
Malcolm backed against the wardrobe. "Hoshi suggested the idea to me, and I thought, yes-of course. It seemed mad at the time, and I'm afraid it still does, rather." He threw Trip a lopsided grin. "I like you anyway, even if your cake is bloody red."
"You get kind of too subtle for me sometimes, Malcolm," Trip said, shaking his head. "Now shut up and eat the cake."
Malcolm laughed as the fork came at him once again.
Trip wriggled. "Move a minute, will you? I've got the fork in my back."
Malcolm laughed in the dark as he rolled off the bed. "That would be an interesting injury to explain to Phlox," he said, standing up and stretching.
Trip blew out his breath. "Oh, yeah. I'd say, He did it!"
Malcolm snorted. "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach-not his back."
Groaning, Trip extracted the fork and tossed it on the nightstand. He reached for Malcolm's hand and pulled him back in. He stroked Malcolm's hair softly.
"I love red velvet cake," he said, kissing his temple.
Malcolm yawned. "That's what your mother said."
Trip froze. "You talked to my mama?"
Malcolm shrugged. "Blame Hoshi. She has the oddest notions sometimes- but they work."
Trip closed his eyes. Malcolm's heart pounded against his hand.
Sometimes the old ways still worked best, he thought, hugging him gently.
~the end~