Off-Shore

Posted on Thu Jan 23rd, 2020 @ 12:22am by Lieutenant Commander Angus Murphy

Mission: Promenade
Location: Patrick & Murphy's Quarters/Station
Timeline: after implant removals
1541 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Patrick sat staring at the computer screen. There was a text scrolling past but the young man didn't really seem to notice. He was leaning on his hand, which was propped up against his cheek. His eyes were unfocused and one could well debate if he was actually awake or somehow sleeping with his eyes open.

Originally, he had started to read through the logs he had kept from their holiday on Marga, but along the way, his mind had simply started to wander and he had zoned out.

Sometime later, Murphy's voice broke the silence. "Hey. You look a million kilometers away," he mused with a smirk.

Startled by the sudden voice that broke through the silence, Patrick looked up. A smile formed on his face as his eyes lit up. "Oh I was just reading logs from our holiday," he said, turning away from the screen and stretching his arms out towards Murph. "Did you have a good day?"

"It was... uh... interesting." Murph said as he slipped his jacket off and hung it up in a cabinet. He came over toward Patrick and leaned down to hug him and give him a quick peck. "Always interesting, I guess. Every day's different."

Patrick nodded, leaning into the hug a little. "So I heard we've docked with Starbase 50... we could go visit the station? Or do you want to hide away in a holodeck." He smiled brightly. "We could visit those caves again? Or go to a quiet beach. Or go sightseeing on the station. I'm sure you'll want to see their engineer?"

"I've got a request in to talk to someone, yes, and some time off-ship sounds nice. Maybe we can figure out what they do for entertainment over there," Murph gave Paddy's arm a little squeeze. "We'll always have the holodeck caves. Won't always be able to see the sights and sounds of Poseidon Station."

"Oh I have a few things I want to see," the younger man smiled excitedly, "there's an old friend of mine on the station. Commander Sommers' sister, we used to work together. How about we go for dinner first, and then go camping in the arboretum. Assuming it's big enough of course?"

"Camping?" Murph sounded a combination of surprised and amused at the idea. "I wouldn't have pegged you for the camping type," he replied after a chuckle while dropping onto a seat at the sofa.

"Well I'm not but that doesn't mean I don't want to go camping with you if you want to go." Patrick smiled. "I'd go anywhere as long as it's with you."

Murphy smiled broadly, "Me too. I suppose I should get showered and then we can go explore the station. It's not going to come to us."

---

Backpack slung across his back, holding the strap with one hand, he firmly held on to Murph's hand with the other. "Oh wow... this is vastly different than what I lived on before," he marveled. "Have you ever lived on a starbase before?"

"Uh, yeah. Right out of the academy I spent 24 months on Utopia Planitia, in orbit of Mars. Though it's not quite like a commercial station, and certainly nothing like this," Murphy answered after a moment of taking things in. "Where did you live before, again?"

"Starbase 80," Patrick replied, "lived there for a few years. Until Andy's death, well a few months after that. It was a large station and I was technically the Captain's chef at first and then when Melinda, Commander Sommers' sister that is, opened her restaurant. She asked me to be the chef and I was. It was quite busy, but I had my own kitchen and I could handle it. I'm sure I could be happy again on a station but it won't be the same as on Majestic. And I quite like it there."

"Well, it wouldn't be the same because I'm not there," Murph replied humorously with a twinkle in his eye. He squeezed Patrick's hand. Someday a transfer to another ship would come up and it would be a lot of logistical thinking about where Patrick might be able to go or not go as a civilian... a station, though, Murph just wasn't sure it seemed as exciting as a ship assignment.

"That's right," Patrick agreed, "you wouldn't be here. Plus I rather like where I am now. I'm happy on the ship, with you." He paused. "So is the rumour true? Is your goddaughter coming to visit us."

Murphy's jaw seemed to tense at the shift in conversation. "It seems so," he said, tightly. "After what happened to her father, I'm not sure it's a good idea, though." A shop caught his eye and the motioned to it. "Did you want to grab a drink? I could use a coffee."

Patrick nodded, noticing the tension. He drew the man closed to him as he redirected him to the shop. "Hey, you don't have to do this alone remember. I'm right here... Say..if you're her uncle..what does that make me?"

"I'm the god father," Murph replied in a hoarse voice meant as a Marlon Brando immitation -- even if most people from this era didn't have a clue what that movie was. "I'ma gonna make you an offer you can't refuse," he continued in this stange character voice. "You can be the uncle."

Laughing, Patrick leaned into him. "Deal... But it's Uncle Paddy then, not Patrick..." He turned serious again. "Have you ever thought about having children? Sometime, I'm not saying right now this instant. But you know... sometime?" He led Murph to a seat and flagged a waiter over.

"Just a coffee, little cream and a little sweetener," he told the waiter.

"Black coffee, no additives," Patrick replied.

"I've never really wanted kids," Murph said flatly when the waiter turned and walked away. "Not that I don't like the idea of a family, but I don't think I could forgive myself if something happened to them while they were on my ship."

"Why would anything happen to them?" Patrick asked carefully, reaching to cover Murph's hand with his own. "We would keep them safe. You say you never wanted.. are you saying you are changing your mind? What about Marty...do you ever talk about it with him? Did it ever come up?" He knew mentioning dead husbands was a sore spot, it was for him too, bit he didn't want to avoid talking about them either. They had been crucial parts of their lives and in his opinion they deserved to be talked about.

"Bad things happen to starships all the time. Do you know how many get destroyed every year? And that's not even wartime, just... mechanical failures, or spacial anomalies, or... anything... someone has a bad day and every person on that ship is in danger." He took a breath, exhaled in a huff. "I don't mean to sound like a doomsayer, but I don't want to bring a child into that. I think it's irresponsible. Marty and I wanted kids, but things... things change. I'm a different person."

"Andy and I wanted kids too, down the line." Patrick sighed softly, shaking his head. "Experiences change us," he finally said, "but I do still want kids, sometime. They don't even have to be my own...I'm perfectly happy taking care of orphaned children. Eventually, I mean. I'm not sure I'm ready for them at this stage." He squeezed the hand he was still holding. "Believe me, I hear what you are saying, and I've been at the destruction end of this deal remember? But I don't think you're a doomsayer, and I do think you're wrong. I think, eventually, we could safely raise a child." He smiled. "You'd make a great, very overprotective dad."

The coffees were delivered and Murph used their arrival as diversion to pull his hand away naturally and pull his drink towards him. "I don't know, Paddy," he admitted, pulling the drink up towards his lips. "I'm not saying no, but I'm a long way from agreeing with you on this." He took a sip and watched his partner.

"We'll see what the future brings," Patrick nodded, "I'm not trying to convince you, we'll know when the time is right... if ever." He offered an impish grin. "I reckon you got your hands full taking care of me," he teased.

"There's that," Murph smirked. "And maybe I want to get married first."

"There is that," Patrick echoed before he realized what he agreed with. "Wait... Married? Are you sure?"

"No, I'm not," the ginger-haired engineer exclaimed with a laugh. "I said maybe. Maybe I would... I don't know. I'm warming to the idea of having you around forever." He cringed a bit. "What do you think about that?"

"Warming up huh..." Patrick arched an eyebrow at him, though he felt very odd and warm inside. "We are already living together," he ventured slowly, "that's a big commitment. Do I want to be with you forever? Yes." He sipped his coffee, watching him closely. "You make me feel all warm and fuzzy."

OFF:

Lieutenant Commander Angus Murphy
Chief Engineer, USS Majestic


Patrick O'Malley
Chef
pnpc Lhaes