The Lesson - Chapter 3 - We Have To Talk
Malcolm's hands were shaking as he accepted Tucker's silent nod of invitation and stepped into his quarters. The door closed behind him, and he stood awkwardly, not sure, now he was here, what he was going to say.
"Commander," he began. "Trip. Until earlier … I had never thought, for a second, about …"
"Us?" finished Trip.
Malcolm nodded slowly, watching Tucker's face for any sign of how he felt. "I don't know what I planned to say when I came over here," he continued, "but all I can think of now is … can we dance?"
"Kinda' cramped for that isn' it?" Trip asked, with a nervous smile, blinking and looking away.
Slowly, Malcolm crossed the short distance between them, and reached up with a shaking hand, to touch the shoulder of the man before him. They stood for a moment, gazing at each other, then gently leaned in to kiss.
The perfect moment returned to both men, as they had longed for it since their first kiss, but this time, they did not break away. Malcolm's arm slipped tenderly round Tucker's waist, pulling him closer, and he felt arms wrapping around his own shoulders - tentatively at first, then surely.
The pressure on their lips grew, and Malcolm found himself gently pushing apart Tucker's lips to slide his tongue inside, relishing the warm sweetness of his mouth and the soft sigh the movement elicited as the other man responded. Their tongues entwined, they explored each other's mouths with a tenderness that gradually grew to hunger. Trip, who until now had been content to follow, took the lead and reached for the back of Reed's head, pulling him towards him and pressing his body tightly against him.
Malcolm had always prided himself on being a good kisser, and always found it arousing and erotic, but this was something different. Every flick of Trip's tongue was driving him crazy with want, in a way he had never experienced before. He had never kissed a man before, nor even thought about it. Was this what had been missing from his life for so long? Not just the need to be with another, but the need to be with a man?
No. This was more than that! It was not just about being with a man - it was about being with Trip.
A hand reached up to touch his face, and Malcolm sighed at the touch, but when the hand moved gently but purposefully to the top of his uniform, he pulled back a little, to look into the hungry eyes fixed on his.
"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" he asked softly.
Tucker nodded. "Ah'm as sure as ah've ever been in mah life," he whispered, his accent sounding more pronounced with the passion in his voice. "Stay. Please!"
Rank and discipline had always been of utmost importance to Malcolm Reed. He made sure others showed the respect he deserved, and, even more so, he respected the rank of those above him with an unswerving devotion to duty. Ordinarily, any sign of weakness in his Commanding Officer would have shamed him, yet somehow, hearing the note of pleading in Tucker's voice gave him a strange buzz in his stomach. He felt in control, and it felt right that it should be so. Both were new to this experience - surprised and nervous at how quickly things were happening - but somehow Malcolm felt a responsibility towards the other. He felt a need to protect him and care for him. Hearing the soft plea in his tone, he could do nothing but nod in consent.
A few hours before, the thought of this happening to him would have been ridiculous, but right now, the only thing that mattered to him in the world was spending the night in the arms of Commander Charles Tucker.
Author's Note: Last updated: 2003-02-26