“You’re awfully quiet tonight,” Tobias said, looking at his husband in between the candlelight. Tobias raised his glass of wine and offered a toast to them, but Max’s mind was elsewhere. “Max,” Tobias said more firmly, getting his husband’s attention.

“What?” Max replied, blinking a few times after snapping out his daze. Realising that Tobias was holding up his drink, he dropped his fork and picked up his glass. “I’m sorry, Tobie.”

Tobias noticed Max’s distraction and reached to place a comforting hand on his. He knew what was worrying him. 

Max was still grappling with the traumatic events of Frontier Day, where their sons were partially assimilated into Borg Drones. Despite their rescue and return to normalcy, Max couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt and worry. To add to that, the discovery that his father, who he thought was dead, was actually replaced by a changeling, only added to Max’s stress. His father was alive and had returned to his duties as an admiral. In fact, his mother and father had rekindled where they had last left off. 

“Talk to me, Max,” Tobias pleaded. His voice was filled with genuine concern. 

Max let out a deep sigh, feeling grateful for Tobias’s support. “I’m sorry, Tobie. I just can’t seem to shake off this feeling. I want to enjoy our evening together, but my mind won’t let me.”

The holodeck was the perfect setting for a romantic evening, and the two men were making the most of the privacy they rarely got on the Odyssey. They had chosen a Parisian restaurant setting, complete with dim lighting, soft music, and a beautiful view of the city skyline. The ambience was perfect for a quiet evening away from the hustle and bustle of their Starfleet duties.

They had both decided to dress in simple civilian attire for the occasion. It was a refreshing change from their usual Starfleet uniforms; they both looked handsome. Max had opted for a tight-fitting black shirt with a floral pattern paired with grey trousers. The shirt was open-buttoned, giving a glimpse of his chest. He had made an effort to look good for his husband, Tobias, who was equally well-dressed in a white shirt and pale blue suit jacket with matching trousers. 

The candlelight flickered across their faces, glowing warmly on their skin. Knowing it could be some time before they returned to some normality, Tobias’ grip on Max’s hand got tighter as he squeezed it to provide more reassurance. “I understand, but try not to allow what has happened to get the better of you. Let’s focus on this moment and take each day and each moment as it comes.”

Max chuckled at Tobias’ attempts to cheer him up. He squeezed his husband’s hand back. “Listen to you; you’re starting to sound more and more like a counsellor.”

Smirking, Tobias leaned across the table and kissed his husband. “I had a great teacher,” He said before pressing his lips against Max’s. The moment was filled with tenderness and warmth, a welcome relief to Odyssey’s first officer. 

The soft music in the background changed to a romantic melody. Tobias stood up, extending his hand to Max. “May I have this dance?”

Knowing he couldn’t refuse him, Max nodded and got up, placing his serviette on the table. Max’s heart swelled with love as they slowly danced to the music. In that moment, he forgot about his worries and felt only the warmth of Tobias’s embrace. 

“This is nice,” Max commented softly into Tobias’ ear.

“It is,” Tobias agreed as he pulled Max closer. “You’ve got to remember whatever the universe throws at us, we deal with it together. Always.”

“Always,” Max echoed. 

“And you know, even though your parents are visiting us before we launch, it doesn’t have to be awkward,” Tobias stated. “You said it yourself to the boys the other night; this is good.”

“I know,” Max said, pulling back softly and looking deeply into his husband’s eyes. “It’s just weird.”

“We’re Starfleet officers,” Tobias reminded him, “Weird is part of the job, right?”

“Okay, who invited Admiral Janeway to our dinner?” Max teased with another smirk.

“You really need to stop reading the Voyager logs while they were in the Delta Quadrant,” Tobias teased. “You’re becoming a Voyager dork.”

“Nothing wrong in reminiscing over the greats,” Max stated.

“Yeah, but it’s not really Shakespeare, is it?” Tobias chuckled back.

“Oh, so you want me to be more like Admiral Picard?” Max asked, still grinning.

“I just want my husband,” Tobias said with a bigger grin. 

“Wow, you are so cheesy, Tobias Finlay Duncan-Court!” 

“Would you have me any other way?”

Max hesitated to reply, and before he did, he was interrupted by a call coming over the intercom. Their son, William’s voice, followed.

“Sorry to interrupt your date night, but I just needed to remind you that I need you both to sign that permission slip for tomorrow’s field trip to the Barzan moon base!”

Tobias replied. “Don’t worry, William; I’ve already signed it and sent it to Principal Chiva.”

“Thanks, Dad; now I’ll leave you both in peace to carry on smooching on the holodeck. See you later!”  William closed the channel from his end, not allowing either of his fathers to respond.

Both Max and Tobias laughed at their youngest’s end of his call. Before they could resume their work, the intercom went off again. This time, it was their eldest, Jordan.

“So before either of you get mad with me, I just want to remind you that I’m staying over at Alfie’s tonight as we’re going to pull an all-nighter on our presentation about the history of the Bajoran wormhole.”

“We remember, Jordan, just don’t forget your manners,” Max answered. 

“Awesome, see you both tomorrow for breakfast!” Jordan replied before closing the channel.

“Do you think we will ever have a normal marriage?” Max asked his husband as they started to dance again.

“As I said, we’re in Starfleet. It’s always weird!”

Max rolled his eyes at his husband before replying. “Oh, be quiet, Admiral Janeway!”

“Anything you say, Admiral Picard!”