Half of the impulse assembly of the type II shuttle was scattered on a tarp, laid out in a semblance of order.  There were various tools Arin was using off to one side. Arin was in uniform coveralls, needed for the work she was doing. She had unzipped the top and tied off the excess around her waist, leaving her in half coveralls and a t-shirt.  Not that you could see much since she was nearly waist-deep into the back of the spacecraft. “Come on, ya donkey,” Arin swore a bit through clenched teeth as she used all her strength to break the deuterium fuel line nut loose. She could see a pair of boots had stopped, but nothing would ever get done if she paused every time she saw someone. Ignoring the arrival, she moved to one of the return lines, her hands barely fitting in the space. It took a minute, but the assembly came loose, along with a cup of dark sludge. 

“Bollocks!” Arin swore as the puddle formed. Resigned to the extra work, she extracted herself from the craft, moving to put the assembly down. Seeing Lavender, Arin smiled, even through the grease marks and scraped knuckles. “Sorry. It wouldn’t do this if they would pull the assemblies for maintenance as advised.” Arin said, explaining the mess. “Pretty sure you don’t wanna piece of this. Grease and beauty rarely mix well.”

The boots had indeed belonged to the ship’s C.M.O. Lavender made sure to stay clear of the parts and puddles, a grease monkey she was not, as Arin had observed.

“Depends on the person,” Lavender observed with a slight smile. “Suits you well enough, Jones. Is the patient coding or can you talk a minute?” Her lip rings danced with nervous energy.

Tipping the parts so it would drain into a receptacle, Arin slipped a pan under the still dripping line and grabbed a rag. Wiping off the excess, she smiled at the comment. “Flatterer.” She led Lavender to an open door. A small table had been set up with various grab-and-go items since food and drinks near the equipment was never a great idea. 

Arin retrieved her well-worn and dented oversized mug and filled it with coffee, cream, and some sweetener. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your bright, shining face?” She asked Lavender as she took a long pull on mug. Lavender snorted.

“Pale and frowning, more like but I’ll take it,” she replied with a half-smile. “I uhhh… I don’t want to be like too fucking… couply… or something, but I also don’t want be a screw-up.” Lavender coiled a loose strand of purple hair around her finger. “Obviously I went to Qetax after the whole nightmare in your quarters… development… The Captain ordered me to anyway after being in that Jem’Hadar prison. And uh.. well we did some calming exercise thing and she told me to go to my happy place and that was in the bar with you and I kind of ended up telling her about us…” Lavender ran her tongue over her front teeth nervously under closed pouting lips. “So uhhhh that’s a thing…” 

Arin listened intently, and when Lavender finished, she replied, “I simply wanted to help.” It was hard not to focus on the woman’s lips. “You’ll be my happy place if you don’t stop doing that with your lips,” Arin said point-blankly, her face actually flushing. She drained half the coffee mug before continuing, nearly expelling steam in the process. 

“Look, I’m not shocked, and I’m not going anywhere if that is what you are asking,” Arin told Lavender. “So scaring me away isn’t going to work. As a pilot and mechanic, I am used to working with things that can be stubborn.” She said, winking at Lavender as she held up greasy and abraided hands. Lavender’s nostrils flared.

“I not telling you this to shock you or scare you off,” she snapped. “I’m telling you to try to do the right thing. You should know that Qetax knows, I mean…” Lavender took a beat to calm her tone. “It’s only fair I tell you that Qetax knows,” she continued, “even if her oath forbids her from telling anyone. You know what ships can be like, relationships between officers, people with nothing better to do and nothing exciting in their own lives gossiping about others, who’s with who, you know the Goth and the Orion… people will be selling tickets to readings of that story.” Lavender’s face was set hard, but her motivations were good. It was only after she had said all this Lavender realised she had characterised their status as a relationship. Her heart sank a little, dreading what Arin would say to that but her face showed no outward sign of it. 

“Thank you for having my back, for starters.” Arin said, “Being a busty Orion, I am quite used to being looked at as eye candy if I am lucky. The stories are already out there, and even if they weren’t seeing us together in the bar, it is enough for some to wag those tongues.”  Then a wicked smile came over Arin’s face “So, we’re a couple?” 

Lavender exhaled. She didn’t even realise she’d been holding her breath. She couldn’t help but smile as she shook her head at the Orion and raised both her hands as if a weapon were being pointed at her.

“Okay Jones, fine. You got me. Yes, we’re a couple. If that means having your back, I’m always gonna. I know some of the shit you go through. I may be a messed up cookie but I’ll never treat you like eye candy. I promise.”

“Well, don’t say never. I mean, why put on makeup if you don’t want to be seen.” Arin said, pouting as she pushed her shoulders forward, enhancing her t-shirt curves.

Lavender couldn’t help but chuckle. She shook her head again as she rolled her eyes. 

“Alright, alright. You won’t ever let me take myself too seriously, will you Jones.” It was more of a observation than a question.

“Let’s clear a few things up right now.” Arin said, moving closer to Lavender near to breath range, speaking softly but with a passion. “It’s Arin unless I’m on duty, Haigh. Next, life is far too short to sweat the small stuff, and Lavender, it is all small stuff.” Arin paused, “Now for the scary one. I don’t hide my relationships. Can’t hide the curves, so why bother hiding who gets to sample them.  I prefer to make them wish they’d been nicer. Screw what people think.” This time it was Arin who had the nervous squirms and she bit her lower lip in anxiety, watching Lavender intently.

“Well, that told me…” Lavender took a step back and turned to  snacks table. Despite everything she liked calling Arin ‘Jones’, it was a pet name and yet it also kept her at a slight distance and despite their getting closer, Lavender’s walls would take time to be dismantled. She poured some coffee into a hopefully clean mug.

“Guess I better buckle in huh?” She said, pouring some milk into the coffee and she turned back to Arin, warming her hands on the mug.

“You have your flaws, and I have mine.” She told Lavender with a smile and wink. Moving to look at her face, Arin continued. “I know this is a lot. Both ways. The last thing I expected to find was the roller coaster that started that night. I didn’t even know I could love that way, to be honest.” Draining her coffee as she thought about the next words, Arin added, “So, yes, saddle up because I’m also scared. That’s what being there for each other is all about.”

“You didn’t know you could love what way?” Lavender asked calmly, and took a sip of her coffee, her large grey-green eyes peering at Arin over the rim of the mug as she did.“I am unsure if I can explain it effectively, but here goes.” Arin paused, gathering her thoughts. “Love and sex were always synonymous to me. Something clicked when I met you, having both in one cute dysfunctional package. If I cannot have that bond with the other person, the act is fun but meaningless. I’d like for us to mean something.” Lavender nodded slowly and sucked on the inside of her cheeks.

“I’m going to guess this applies to you too because you get me far too well already for it not to, but I don’t let people in easy. Shocker, I know… even at The Academy, me letting people in meant me getting hurt, or used. Parents, Uncle, gangmates…” Lavender’s lip curled as she spoke, her accent becoming rather more district seven, more hispanic and a bit less Starfleet Academy. She stared over the coffee mug cradled to her collarbone at Arin’s Starfleet badge. “I had to be hot shit to get myself promoted away from the hell-hole that was my first ship…” she shook her head, her jaw set hard and fierce, making it more apparent why so many people had been scared of her, despite her size. “The Manitoba was a good place, good crew, no judgement just good work but the Jem’Hadar blew it and them the fuck up.” Her eyes, shielded from Arin’s sight by her false eyelashes flicked upwards into view, looking right into Arin’s own.

“I want this to mean something too. I need it to. Nobody can diffuse my shit like you can Jone…” Lavender sighed and smile a bit.  “Arin. Just… don’t fuck me over, don’t throw me to the Wolves or i’ll write off people forever.”

Arin forced her greasy hands into claws as she said through clenched teeth. “It’s killing me I can’t touch you.” She said, looking right at Lavender. “I plan on lots of things. Taking care of us will always be top o’ the list, Luv.” Her brogue came to the forefront as it did when she became emotional. Her head twisted slightly to one side as she added, “Joan? But I’ll need a concession on something other than Lavender between us. Deal?”

“No,” Lavender started firmly but with a smirk. “…I’ll happily call you Arin if you get used to calling me Lavender. C’m’on, it’s only three syllables and every possible shortening is terrible, believe me I’ve heard them all… and you’re right you can keep your greasy hands off.

Arin leered back, and in mock disgust replied, “Coward. I would wear you like a badge of honor, Lavender.” Ending with a wink. “Now, let me get back to my coding patient before I leave a hickey or bite mark somewhere obvious.” Looking in the nearby mirror, she pointed to an open spot on her left cheek. “Still clean right here.” Moving her face closer to Lavender.

Lavender craned her neck and upper body backward to keep distance from Arin’s approach, a cheeky smile accompanying the eight inches that remained between them.

“What you doin’ there, grubby?” She asked playfully.

“Look, it’s the only clean spot.” She teased back. “Just a quick peck. “Arin said, moving her arms behind her in surrender.

Lavender watched Arin with mischief in her eyes.

“Oh… okay…” she avoided the clean spot, placing a long, slow kiss directly on Arin’s lips.

Lost in the moment, Arin didn’t want to move. The chemical stew bubbling over in her brain made her eyes glaze over as she looked back at Lavender. That she trusted Lavender implicitly went without saying. As the kiss lengthened, Arin bit back playfully. 

There was a sharp intake of breath as she did and Lavender pulled away. She had gotten in the habit of sealing her lipstick with a clear coat so any transference was eliminated.

“Oh, she wants something to nibble,” Lavender observed coolly. “I’ll give you something to nibble at my quarters later…”“You started it. Anything you kissed was fair game. Rules are rules.” Arin shot back with a smirk and her head was still swimming in a fog of love and lust. “Besides, eye candy should be enjoyed properly. I was just sampling what was offered.” She teased then smiled warmly, then sighed. “Now, ” Arin closed the difference carefully. “Please get out of here so I can fecking think.” Then pecked her on the lips. Lavender smirked but with kindness in her eyes.

“Tempting as it is to stay here and torture you…” the sentence began but never really finished as the C.M.O. considered her next move. Since her panic attack she wasn’t much inclined toward spending time alone. Arin was busy, so she’d go to her backup of the lounge and do her usual, hide behind her hair and half read, half pretend-to-read medical journals. Maybe someone who wasn’t scared of her would approach. Lavender secretly hoped they would. “Catch you later then. If the patient needs an oil transfusion… don’t call me, I’m a doctor not a mechanic. And oil is icky,” she finished in a mock cutesy voice.

Arin winked at Lavender, “Hey, I am off duty in a few.” I need a shower. She said, holding up her hands with a wide grin. “Let me scrub up. Besides, I can delegate. This bird needed overhauling anyway. She’s older than I am.”  Grinning, she walked out the door. “Rodriguez, you and Mac pull the entire impulse assembly on the Type II. Grizzly Rose. ” 

Lavender followed behind, not able to think about much other than how grateful she was that Arin’s company would continue.