Disarmed Omelet

Posted on Mon Jun 5th, 2017 @ 8:50pm by Staff Warrant Officer Nexi & Warrant Officer Cato West

Mission: Death is in the Details
Timeline: pre-slingshot

It was late, or early, Nexi could never really tell the difference after a while. She leaned back in her chair and stretched, then rubbed her eyes as she tried to focus on the console before her, the orange and green glow from the Ferengi console blurring as her eyes objected to anymore research; just as well, she had collected enough information for Enalia's little secret account she was to start in the past. Well, not just Enalia's secret account, Nexi planned to set up a nest egg for herself and Aewia too! Assuming that she succeeded, considering at least one of Enalia's accounts was indeed active now, then that could mean there was money out there just waiting for her! It actually caused her to pause and give a certain thought some serious consideration; if she had enough money to go retire with Aewia, should she stay with Starfleet? It was a thought that had been weighing on her mind ever since Enalia made her request and revealed that Nexi had indeed followed through. So, to Enlist or not, that was the question!

Nexi pulled herself from her chair and meandered out of the cockpit and back to her kitchen. Dammit, out of coffee... No problem, she had some more stored in the cargo bay. But as she made her way to the rear ramp, she found herself grabbing her jacket like she was going somewhere. Then she went straight through the Cargo Bay and just kept going! It wasn't until she was ringing the chime that she realized that she was standing in front of Cato's door.

Time seemed to be a blur to Cato, days and nights blended together and it didn't seem to matter anymore. Feeling like he had just closed his eyes, the chime rang. Grey MACO PT shorts were worn, dog tags dangling around his neck bouncing on his bare chest. Climbing out of bed, he rubbed his eyes and groaned as he walked out of his bedroom and into the living area. "Come" he said with a raspy groggy tone cluttering his voice.

The door swished open and Nexi stepped in, and only at the sight of Cato's chosen sleep attire and his heavy eyes did she realize just how late it was. "Oh, hey, I didn't mean to wake you. I can come back later," she said with an awkward shuffle towards the door.

"Shut up." Cato said, still half asleep. If it wasn't bullets waking him up, he usually took a minute or two to wake up. Moving to wrap his arms around her slender frame; he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "good morning pretty girl." he said through a half yawn. "Computer, time." he said, grogginess almost completely gone now.

Computer: "The current time is 03:21 hours."

"Everything okay?" Cato said, peeling away from Nexi and walking over to the couch and plopping down atop it.

Nexi wasn't used to such an affectionate greeting, not by him or anyone else. Well, Daln had once tried, but after she cup-checked him, he didn't try again after that... "I, uh... dunno, I was kind of lost in thought. Didn't realize I was even coming here until, well, I was here," Nexi admitted, feeling awkward about the whole thing. Why was she even here? "Was just doing some, uh, research before the slingshot, had a lot on my mind."

Cato rubbed his face with his hands, fixed his hair half-assed and stood to his feet. "Breakfast it is then." he smiled before grabbing a black MACO special warfare logo shirt (that had seen better days) off the couch and throwing it over his bare torso. "Mess or replicator?" he asked with a smile.

"Uh, replicator is fine," Nexi said with a shrug. In actuality, she hated going to the mess hall, or the lounge. "Hey, I- uh... why did you join Starfleet?" she asked as she took off her leather jacket and slung it across the back of a chair.

"Starting with the big questions today." Cato said as he walked over to the replicator and began tapping on the panel, two cups of black maori coffee appeared. Grasping both cups and placing them atop the bar-like counter top that separated the kitchen area and the living area. Replicating two of his go-to plates for complicated conversations, mexican style eggs and sausage, cheese, cilantro, onions, spanish rice, beans with a side of salsa. "Protein deluxe." Plates were moved to accompany the coffee mugs atop the bar-top.

"Well, I was originally set to attend the academy. I had this whole idea in my head of being an officer and to be the Captain of my own ship one day. I wanted to fly starships, maybe fighters like my father. Started my first year, my girlfriend cheated on me and I made the best bad decision I've ever made. I dropped out and joined the MACO's." he paused, throwing the side of salsa all over everything. Picking up a fork and taking a bite of the eggs mixed in with everything else, washing it down with a sip of that strong as fuck coffee. "I changed my concept of what duty meant, serving meant to serve. As in to protect those without a voice, to free those who were enslaved, to do what it took to actually make a difference to people who would appreciate it."

He took a breath and looked at Nexi "I joined Starfleet to challenge myself."

Nexi listened as she examined the contents of the plate set before her, moving things around with her fork. "I think I wanted that too, the challenging part, but... but now, I-" Nexi sighed as she found herself at a loss for words. Finally taking a scoop of... something... and brought it to her mouth, she then froze and released a small cough. She had smelled spices on whatever this was, but having grown up on grubs and then later transitioning to equally bland food, she wasn't quite prepared for what had just assaulted her taste buds. Uncertain if she liked or disliked it just yet, she kept chewing and eventually swallowed. She cleared her throat and then took a sip of coffee to wash everything down before speaking again. "But now I'm weighing options; there's the potential for a- a big score I guess you could say. I think the part of me that's selfish just wants to take that money and go retire, take Aewia somewhere safe."

"Big score or not, you think there's anywhere safe you could go that an old client couldn't find you?" he paused for a moment. "If we're being objective about this, joining Starfleet is the smartest move you could make. Safe, secure, and you have me to cover your ass." he grinned "No where in the universe can beat this, Nexi." he suddenly got more serious. "You can't run from a lot of things, but you can't ever outrun yourself... I learned that the hard way."

He had a valid point; a few of them actually... "Yeah, but is the Hera really any safer?" Nexi countered. "I mean, we're out here looking for trouble! Last mission we lost four people and we're about to perform a dangerous slingshot around a star to send us to the past. What part of any of that is safe? I never used to think about things in this way before Aewia became a part of my life. Fuck, it's hella dangerous, but I'd just charge a little more for the job; you know, hazard pay. But I loved the thrill of a challenging job! Now I just see what we're doing as reckless. How the hell did this happen to me? I don't like that this has changed for me!" But she loved Aewia, how could she not!

"Well, at least here there's a clear line of who's an enemy and who isn't." Cato paused before taking another bite, chewing quickly. "I'd rather go looking for trouble than have trouble sneaking up on me." He took a swig of his coffee "I'm on the Hera, trust me when I say that I'd die before letting anything happen to you or Aewia."

"I suppose you have a point there," Nexi relented. She swirled the coffee in her mug idly as she continued to wrestle with this thought despite what seemed to be overwhelming evidence that she was better off here on the Hera.

"Well, we both know that no matter what, you'll do whatever the fuck you want anyway." Cato said a bit bluntly, playing off the expression on her face. "Something is weighing on you, other than this. What's up?"

"Nothing," Nexi insisted just bit too firmly, but then she realized she couldn't (or shouldn't) lie to Cato and she sighed. "I don't know... It's just that- well, you know I was a Collector for the Ferengi Commerce Authority and-" Nexi winced as she tried to put words together in her head that might make sense. "I cut my ties with them only to tether myself immediately to Starfleet. I guess... I guess I'm just wondering if I'll ever be free..." she finally admitted, her tone laced with longing and regret. "Without Aewia, I wouldn't have stayed past the job I did for Enalia; I'm just tired of other people getting to decide who I am."

"Yeah, I get that." Cato used a napkin to wipe his mouth. "I had that same thing with my old man. Last thing he said to me before he died was 'Cato, you're a fuckin' disappointment. You're a disgrace to the uniform and I regret ever calling you my son'. Without that cluster fuck of a father, I doubt I would even be wearing a uniform. I probably would've turned out to be a merc or worse." he sighed "When I dropped out of the academy, I finally felt like I had my own destiny under my control. Controlling my immediate path was empowering." he took a swig of coffee "You need to find out what you want, more important who you want in life." another deep breath.

"You say 'merc' like there ain't one sitting across the table from you," Nexi replied in an annoyed tone. "And just what the hell is wrong with being a hand for hire? Sure, ain't the most honest of lifestyles, and sometimes you gotta do some real shitty stuff, but I did it and I was damned good at it. I called the shots, weren't no one could tell me what to do- until the FCA pulled on my leash, but that's beside the point. I liked what I did, it made me happy, and now I have all these duties and responsibilities and a sister to take care of and I don't know what the hell I'm doing! And then I go date a guy who wants me to be something I can't be, and I ain't used to caring about people, I can't just shut those feelings off now that I'm letting myself feel them, and to top it all off I've got you proclaiming your love for me! Is it any fucking wonder that I'm considering running away! Oh, and let's not forget that Bonnie-kin mother fucker out there turning people into monsters, and he knows my name, Cato, he knows who I am and I'm about to walk into another one of his labs to watch him butcher more. I am not ashamed to admit that I'm scared right now, because I'm terrified." What had started as anger ended in raw, unrestrained emotion as her confession continued to fall from her lips, and by the time she was done, her hands were shaking. "I know when we go there, I'll put on my mask and jump right in because it's what I do best, but inside it's killing me..."

Cato just sat and listened intently, until she was finished; Then he moved to softly take her hands, interlacing his fingers with hers. "Do you know why I said what I said to you that night?..." his voice trailed off, a more serious tone taking hold of his voice. "I said I love you, because I know the struggle you're going through. I've been there, I've done it. I want you to know you're not alone and that there's someone here for you, no matter what." he took a deep breath and shut his eyes "The kiss was for selfish reasons, but..." he opened his eyes and caught her gaze. "What I said, I meant. I'm here for you however you need me. Until I'm dead on the deck."

"You don't know," Nexi said in a hushed tone, but she made no attempt to remove her hands from him. "Cato, there's still so much you don't know about me. I was dead inside until Aewia made me feel again, and now I don't know who I am anymore, or what I want. Everything was so much simpler before..." There was a heaviness in her eyes, more than just mere fatigue, she was weary to her very soul. And yet, she held tightly to his hands, like maybe she was afraid that if she let go he would disappear.

He smiled "Simple... Yeah, life has a way of gettin' complicated." he sigh-breathed again "The thing is, I don't need to know." he took a deep breath "Who you are and what you want, are defined by your actions. Whatever happened in your past, does not determine your future." he took another breath "You..." He moved closer to her "Saved my life, without truly knowing me." he placed a soft kiss on her right cheek, whispering softly. "I'm not going anywhere." he pulled back and looked dead into her eyes "Unless you toss my ass out an airlock." he smiled, before shifting his right hand to gently caressing her jawline before sliding back to the base of her hair/neck. His lips, softly meeting hers for a brief moment before pulling away. Resting his forehead atop hers, "Don't wear a mask around me..."

"Do you really think I'd have said so much if I was wearing one now?" Nexi replied with a grin and a quiver in her voice. Her eyes were closed as they remained there, foreheads pressed together, just breathing, then after a while she raised her head to gaze into his eyes. "Do I still have to wear the dress on our date?" she asked. She may be having one hell of an identity crisis, but her hatred of more feminine clothing seemed to have persevered.

"Only if I don't have to wear one either." Cato laughed and gently pulled away. Clearing the countertop he placed everything back into the replicator and said "Recycle." turning back around "Come to bed with me." he bit his bottom lip slightly when eye locking with her. "Curl up next to me, close your eyes and just relax for a bit."

Nexi considered the offer for a moment before finally nodding. "For a bit," she said, then kicked off her heavy boots. "Just remember, I am armed, so watch where the hands go," she added, but her grin and accompanying tone suggested that she was saying it more for a sense of levity than an actual warning.

Cato smirked "My hands have a mind of their own. They've been waiting to memorize every curve you have." That smirk turned into a grin, of course he said that in jest. Cato walked past Nexi and into his bedroom. Walking around the bed, he pulled the covers back on her side of the bed. Taking his black MACO PT shirt off, he offered it to her. "A bit big, but comfy."

"Nah, I'm good," Nexi replied, and sat on the edge of the bed. Instead of taking off her pants and getting comfortable like a normal person, she preceded to remove her gun and its holster and set them on the side table. Then she lay down, fully clothed as was normal for her.

"Nexi... That isn't comfortable, you still have god knows how many weapons on you and all of your clothes on." He tossed the shirt on top of her now. "Trust me like you do when we're over the wire. I get handsy, I'll let you kick my ass." He smiled.

"What, the boots and the gun wasn't enough?" Nexi replied, looking at him as though he had grown a second head. "Seriously, this is how I sleep; why bother taking everything off when I'm just going to have to put it back on?" At his dull, unamused stare, she sighed. "Fine," she said, then sat up and started removing more weapons, and just to humor him, she even removed her pants.

"Just so I can grab that ass." Cato grinned and eyed the Type 2 Phase Pistol next to the bed. Sliding in next to her, he laid on his right side. Draping an arm across her body, he laid next to her. "See, not awful, right?"

"Oh yes, mhmm, absolutely terrible, I'm dying," Nexi said a chuckle as she inched closer to press her back against his chest. He was a much bigger man than Daln, so it was going to take some getting used to being so encased in his muscular embrace. "Happy now?" she asked.

"Well, I'd be happier laying right there" Cato said, jokingly as his hand traced near her cleavage, but too close. "But I'll make do." He smirked before following up with "So, no on the kilt for our date then? Because that counts."

Nexi, with her eyes closed trying to sleep, simply grinned. "No, a kilt is a kilt, not a dress; I'm not cheating on this bet and neither are you," she insisted.

"Fine, I PROMISE that I will wear a dress on our date." Cato said, shutting his eyes and feeling the warmth of her body pressed up against his underneath the covers. Thinking to himself I'll wear a dress at some point on our date he grinned and held Nexi close.

"I heard that," Nexi said.