Hey There

Posted on 02 Jul 2016 @ 4:57am by Ensign Xavier Hernandez & Ensign Elisha Cherno

1,735 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Risky Business
Location: Personal Quarters
Timeline: MD 2 || 2000 Hours

Xavier looked at himself in the mirror as he started getting dressed to see Elisha and smiled at what he saw; a well-built, good looking guy with a good smile, strong jaw and a full head of thick hair. He pulled on a white dress shirt and jacket, checked his black pants and boots, then picked up the platter of Empanada and churros that he had the mess hall chef make for him.

He checked his outfit again, then headed down the corridor to tap the chime of Elisha's room.

Elisha nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the door chime. She had been lounging on her bed, reading an old letter from home and had been completely lost in her memories. She jumped down from her bunk as she called "come in!"

Xavier paused, then deliberately unbuttoned his shirt with a smile before he activated the door and let himself in, the platter of food held before him to partially hide the view. "Hey there, mi Querida, are you hungry?"

Elisha's eyes darted to Xavi's open shirt and her mouth went dry as she forced her eyes back to his face. "I- I guess s-so," she stammered. Damn it! Why did he have to make her so nervous? "Um, was I supposed t-to be ready to g-go somewhere?" she asked, hoping she hadn't forgotten a date.

"No, I just wanted to look good for the most beautiful woman on the entire ship," he said as he sat the platter of empanadas and churros down on her desk and looked around the room, pleased that her roommate was out for the evening. "How are you doing this evening, Elisha?"

She grinned at his "most beautiful woman" comment. She clearly didn't think that title belonged to her. Many other women were far prettier than her. But, she opted not to argue with him. "I'm all right," she said, dragging the chair from Kelly's desk over to hers for him. "I was reading. And missing my family."

Xavier sat in the chair across from her and smiled at her as he reached for a churro and handed her one. "I asked the chef to make these using a recipe that my mama made for me back on Earth and wanted to share them with you. The empanadas are a recipe which I came up with and thought I'd see what you thought of them, too." He paused and reached out his free hand to caress her cheek. "You'll see them again, mi Querida."

"I know," she said a bit sadly as she accepted the churro from him. "It's just that before I left for the academy, I had never been away from home before. And now I'm in an entirely different quadrant. Well, except for Joel. He can't get through the wormhole. He sent me word that he's been stuck in the queue since we parted at Yolvanda."

"His best bet would be to hunker down on a planet that's friendly with the Federation," Xavier said. "I really hope that he stays safe and I'm sure that he's thinking of you, too, Elisha. You joined Starfleet to explore new frontiers and see new civilizations and you're doing it. I bet your family is really proud of you because I know I am."

"Yeah, I'm sure they are," she said and bit into the churro. "Hey, this is really good," she added, distracted by the food.

"Thank you," he said. "My Mama would be very pleased to know that I was sharing with someone that I really care about." He took a churro for himself and took a bite of it and leaned forward as he chewed and swallowed it. "I should have gotten something for us to drink, but I forgot."

"That's okay," she replied with a grin. "We can replicate something if we want." Again her eyes strayed to his bare chest. Ugh! She was going to have a hard time with this tonight, wasn't she? "So... um... what's in the empanadas?" she asked to cover her nervousness.

Xavier smiled when he noticed her staring at his chest. "Ground beef, garlic, tomato sauce, oregano, onion, bell pepper and chili powder," he said. "Would you like to try one, beautiful?"

Elisha blushed as she always did when he complimented her, but this time was a bit deeper because he'd caught her checking him out. "I- yes, I th-think so," she stammered, trying to cover her embarrassment.

He offered her the platter that held four of the steaming empanadas on it. "I thought about making different flavors of them but wanted to see if you'd even like them first," he said. "They come in a wide variety of meats and vegetables with even more seasonings. I ask the chef not to make these too spicy because although you like me and I'm a spicy one, I didn't know if your tastes extended to food as well."

Her blush deepened again. "I grew up in Brazil, Xavi," she said, ignoring his comment on being spicy. "I can handle spicy food." She took one of the empanadas and bit into it. Other than being hot, she found it delicious. "It's good," she said after sucking in some air to cool it down and chewing it up. "A bit hot, but good."

"Hang on," Xavier said as he got up. "I'll get something to drink for you." He headed over to the replicator and got two Agua de coco from the replicator still in the coconuts with straws and handed one to her. "This should give you a taste of home, mi Querida. What are you plans for tonight?"

"I had planned on staying in and reading," she said, taking one of the coconuts from him. "But somehow, I don't think you're going to let me do that, are you?" She took a sip of the water. "Mm, coconut water," she muttered happily.

He laughed at her comment at the end of it, unsure if she liked it or not, then decided that she did. "We can do whatever you want to do tonight," he told her as he took an empanada and leaned back in the chair, his shirt opening more to reveal his washboard abdomen. "If you want privacy, my quarters is just up the corridor, too."

Panic! Elisha gulped as she struggled with the connotations. Did she want privacy? Yes. She wanted a LOT of privacy. The only problem was that she didn't think she could actually go through with it. "Um..." She started nervously. "N-no. It's okay. W-we can s-stay here. F-for n-now."

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Xavier asked her as he sat up to place the half eaten empanada on the platter and began to button up his shirt. "I shouldn't have came dressed like this and I'm sorry, mi Querida."

Elisha watched him button his shirt with an almost overwhelming need to reach over and unbutton it again. She blinked several times and tried to slow her breathing and her heart, but to no avail. Finally, her eyes met his again. "Y-your quarters," she said, getting to her feet. "Now."

He blinked and looked up at her. "Are you sure, mi Querida?" he asked her. "We can eat and talk here just as well."

Her eyes went dark as she looked down at him. "I don't want to talk," she said significantly.

Xavier got up and reached for her hand, the food forgotten. "Mi casa es su casa," he said with a smile.

"Let's just go, quick," she begged. "I don't need Kelly turning up and giving me a hard time."

"She wouldn't give you a hard time, would she?" he asked as he led her out of her quarters and down the hall. "She seems like a really nice young lady and if it weren't for her, you and I wouldn't be together now. Does she give you a hard time when you're alone with her here?"

"She's merciless," Elisha told him. "As it is, I'm probably going to catch it from her in the morning. 'Where were you last night? You totally slept with Xavi, didn't you? What was it like? I want details!' Never mind. I don't care if she finds out. But we'd better hurry or I'm just going to take you right here in the hallway."

Her words surprised him and he nearly tripped over his own feet. ""Elisha...do you mean....?" he asked, totally caught off guard.

She stopped and stared at him in disbelief. "What did you think I meant by, 'I want to do more than just talk'?" she asked him.

"Oh," Xavier said as her words sank in. "Oh!" He scooped her off his feet and started running down the corridor with her as if there was a medical emergency. "Computer, open room zero five dash zero two four, authorization Gamma-Alpha-Alpha-Sierra One Four Zero Hernandez!" he called out as he approached his quarters just as the computer complied and opened the door.

Elisha frowned, slightly irritated. "I can walk myself, you know," she complained as he ran into his quarters with her still in his arms. "Put me down! Or I might change my mind."

"Sorry," he said as he set her down at the entrance of his quarters, the door still open. "I got excited."

"It's okay, so did I," she said. Her eyes darted down to his chest and the memory of it bare was enough to set her off again. She took his hand and pulled him farther into his quarters so the doors would shut, then she turned and began undoing the buttons again. "I-I'll admit t-to being a l-little... scared. No! Apprehensive. Th-that's a better word."

"We can take our time and just get to know each other," Xavier said. "Just take it slow and you can let me know if you're ready or not."

"I'm- I'm ready," she assured him. "Scared, but ready. Just- just... you know... be gentle. Okay?"

"I will," he said as he leaned in to give her a kiss. "There's things I can do to help you relax."

She gave him a nervous little grin. "Good," she said. She hesitated a moment, then pulled her shirt off over her head. "I'm gonna need all the help I can get."

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