Kylie Lee | Slash fan fiction

"Bore worms?" Commander Trip Tucker asked, trying to keep the real concern out of his voice. He was trying to keep it light. He looked sideways at the profile of the armory officer, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, who was piloting the shuttle back down to the rogue planet, Dakala. Enterprise had found this curious anomaly: a planet not in orbit around a sun, its surface perpetually dark, but alive with plant and animal life nonetheless. When they'd stopped for a look, they'd found a small hunting party visiting the planet made up of aliens who called themselves the Eska.

Reed turned to him and smiled. "Hoshi was just teasing you."

"I don't think so," Tucker said. He made his voice dubious, but he was pretty sure Hoshi Sato and Reed together had been teasing him.

"Well, I can't deny that such creatures are rumored to exist," Reed admitted.

"They crawl in your ear to lay their eggs. That's what Hoshi said," Tucker said.

"Having second thoughts, Commander? Apparently the wildlife is quite something."

Tucker shook his head. "No. It'll be fun, camping out." He turned and looked at the camping gear filling the back of the shuttle. "Thanks for sharing a tent with me, Malcolm," he added, changing the subject. "It's real nice of you."

"Happy to, sir," Reed responded. He turned back to the console, suddenly very focused on piloting.

"Are the captain and T'Pol sharing a tent?" Tucker wondered.

Reed laughed. "No. Or if they are, the captain didn't mention it to me. It would be…most inappropriate, don't you think?"

"I'm sure T'Pol would say so," Tucker said. Starfleet assigned accommodations according to rank first, then sex, so sometimes men and women had to share quarters, unless someone strongly objected, which was rare. He thought that it was more likely that T'Pol couldn't stand the stench of humans.

"But not the captain? Is there something I should know?"

Tucker raised his eyebrows. "About the captain and T'Pol? No."

"Well, I wouldn't want you to tell any tales out of school," Reed said, referring to Tucker's friendship with Captain Jonathan Archer. They were descending into the atmosphere of Dakala, and Reed banked sharply as he scanned the forest floor. Tucker automatically grabbed at the console to steady himself. "But it seems that the captain would have…limited opportunity for romance on board ship."

"T'Pol's not really his type," Tucker said. "But I think it's not just the captain who has limited opportunity."

"Oh?" Reed's voice sounded encouraging.

"It's all us men," Tucker shrugged. "Too few women on board Enterprise."

"Yes, well, as for that—" Reed brought the shuttle around and began descending. It looked like he was heading for a very small clearing, one barely larger than the shuttle itself. "—As for that, some have wondered about you and the captain."

It took a second for that to sink it. Then: "Me and the captain?" Tucker repeated, surprised. "Oh, lord. No. No. Do people really say that?" He had had no idea. He had to quash that right then and there.

"You two make an awfully handsome couple," Reed teased as the shuttle settled down.

"Well, let's just set it all straight. The captain is not dating anybody, me or T'Pol or anybody, and neither am I." Tucker made his voice firm.

"I'll be sure to let everyone know," Reed said. He deactivated the console and sat back. "We're here. Let's get the tents set up, shall we, sir?"