Alim groaned in approval as his lips pressed against Jaxon’s. He had been craving this moment all day. The two of them had retreated to Jaxon’s quarters in haste at the end of their respective shifts, and barely two words had been shared before Jaxon had pushed him down on the bed and began to kiss him in a dominating and aggressive manner.

Alim’s tongue found its way to Jaxon’s, and he almost let himself get lost in the shared moment of passion. Something didn’t feel right, though. There was a palpable knot in the room, something that Alim could not turn his senses off on. Being a Betazoid had its advantages at times, but in moments of intimacy with a loved one, any vibes that did not belong there were too easily detected. 

It was when the kiss felt more than what it was on the surface, a distraction, that Alim pushed himself back and opened his eyes to see Jaxon’s surprised and curious expression.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Jaxon asked, moving forward on top of Alim slightly to start kissing him again. 

Alim raised his hand and planted it on Jaxon’s chest. The gesture clearly showed he was to stop there. His own intense Betazoid black eyes met Jaxon’s light blue-green. Alim loved the serenity of them. 

“I think I need to be the one to ask you that… Why are you so angry, Jax?” Alim lowered his hand and pushed himself back more, meeting the headboard of the bed. He sat up partially.  

Jaxon laughed and playfully rolled his eyes. “There isn’t anything that gets past you. Is there?” He let himself fall back on the bed, lying completely flat. The passionate look he had moments ago was replaced with a discerning expression instead.

“I asked for permission to disembark at Framheim. It was denied. I had an intense interaction with our lovely Commanding Officer over it. I’ll probably be put in for a demotion now and can kiss my career goodbye…” Jaxon rambled on for a while longer, not really providing a clear picture of exactly what happened. It was hard for Alim to know how much of the description was exaggerated or what was true.

Alim knew this had nothing to do with Framheim Station itself. It was a station just like every other station they had come across. “Is this really about not being able to visit Framheim Station for an hour or two, Jaxon?” He called it out straight. 

“No.. It’s about never being able to stop anywhere! We are always bound to this tin can. Never able to stretch our legs. My request wasn’t asking too much.. An hour on the station…” Jaxon groaned now himself, but in frustration. 

“Well. That’s not entirely true.. Or untrue Jax.” Alim looked at him empathetically. Being on a Prometheus-class ship meant that they were on lockdown a lot more than other classes of vessels. Even something as simple as a communication home was something that needed to be done intently and in the right circumstances. 

“The Captain does let us stretch our legs when she is able. But. It has been a while, I know.” Alim reached over and clasped his hand into Jaxon’s, a comforting squeeze followed. 

“Fraheim was not the place for that. We were barely there for two hours before heading out at high warp for the Tysla system. Remember the conversation we had about things we can control and things we can’t? Right now, we are serving on board a vessel that comes with the sacrifice of being a bit more rigid on our personal lives and freedoms. That is out of our control. How we react to that is in our control though.” Alim felt Jaxon squeeze his hand in reply as he finished talking. 

“Did you just Counselor me again? I thought you said you had to purposefully not Counselor me…. Counselor?” Jaxon grinned sheepishly as his gaze met Alim’s once more. 

“It’s true. I can’t be your Counselor. That stopped being appropriate the moment we engaged in… this. But. As your… Something? I can certainly give you advice.” Alim replied, clearly a little uncertain about what the appropriate label for them was. 

“A little late for advice. I already pissed the Captain off.” Jaxon’s gaze returned to the ceiling, and he huffed, obviously reliving the event in his mind. 

Alim climbed on top of him and made sure his face fell over Jaxon’s. “The Captain understands this life better than anyone. She has been at it for some time. I have a feeling she’ll give you a little grace with this one. I’ll speak with her, though. You’re not the only crew member starting to get a little antsy for some shore leave.” Alim then moved down and closed the distance, embracing the feeling of Jaxon’s lips against his once more. 

[[ Meanwhile in the Tysla system… ]]

“Is everything in order? Are we ready?” 

“Yes mistress. All is prepared.”

“Good. Since the Federation has insisted on inserting itself into our business, we will welcome them with open arms… And make sure they regret it…”