Níl Aon Tinteán Mar Do Thinteán Fhéin

Posted on Thu Feb 2nd, 2023 @ 11:19am by Leiddem Kea (*) & Delaney O'Callaghan

Mission: Mission 16: Hysperia
Location: Personal Quarters, SS Mary Rose
Timeline: Late night, after crowning
3605 words - 7.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Earlier in her misspent youth, Delaney might have been less in favour of the intrusion of sensibleness into her recreational plans. There had been a time when having a metabolism that couldn't process alcohol to save itself had been a valuable way to start festivities early and inevitably wake up with a banging headache and unwillingness to eat, which was otherwise unheard of. Being a teenager in Ireland tended to gift you a relationship with hangovers rather early on and a younger Delaney had been feisty in her pursuit of entertainment, if nothing else.

Age and experience hadn't altered her too much but it had gifted her more of an appreciation for moderation, as well as the means to enjoy herself just as easily without incessant intoxication. Confidence and time spent on self-reflection had a lot to do with that, and finally finding a place where she didn't feel like she had to constantly prove herself. And a partner who didn't make her feel like she had to be participating in excess just to fit in. She'd never directly given Leiddem permission to start swapping out her drinks with water once she started getting wobbly, all it had taken was a fairly frank admission that she didn't really want to make a complete idiot of herself in front of her new family and his natural guardianship had taken over. It was much nicer this way. Not only did it mean she'd be able to remember the fun of the evening with friends, but she was actually coherent enough to enjoy the cosy intimacy that followed, even if it did currently resemble her curled up on his lap on the couch, swaddled in a blanket, as an attempt to get warm. They'd both ended up saturated on the way back.

And they were just chatting. No movie required, no distraction enticing enough to ruin the moment of simple, tender companionship. If she'd had any idea of the slight confusion she'd caused Beya earlier in the night, before the woman had wound up with quite enough distraction to make her forget entirely, Delaney might have been prompted to cite moments like this as a testimony to the strength of monogamy. If you got the right person, at the right time in your life, it barely even took effort.

"Dragon jousting?," she was currently asking. Leiddem had been reading down the list of exhibitions and events they hadn't explored yet. "After all that fuss about not interfering with the breeding grounds, they're going to fight with the things?"

Leiddem was pretty sure that he had been over the PADD details enough times to memorise it but he was trying to plan out his day as everything had been distracted by the events with Beya. He had no idea why they were just sat there instead of in a shower or out of clothes and in bed. “Yeah Dragon jousting. And I think it’s because they want to look after the dragons as they are unique to this world.” He held out the PADD so that she could see the details. “I am more excited about the masquerade ball.” He had an outfit already sorted for it hanging up back on the ship.

If he'd asked the question, Delaney would have been swiftly able to supply an answer; they were bundled up, still damp, because they'd got distracted, a fairly common ailment they both typically contributed to. The decision to stay over in a room rather than head back to the ship had been predominantly to make use of Leiddem's absolute fondness for water-based bathrooms. There was definitely a warm shower in their immediate future but Delaney had been frozen enough when they'd first stepped in to want to stoke the fireplace first and then it had been hard to find the impetus to move again. She was still sluggish now, peering out from the mounds of blanket to mentally strike things they'd managed to experience already from the list. "That reminds me, I need to finish my gown."

"It will be beautiful and you got days..." He reminded her quickly so that she did not get distracted by that and want to go back to the ship. He had chosen to stay because of the storm but it was also a good chance to be somewhere else and just enjoy being together without all the people around them.

Normally, that kind of reminder may have heralded an eventual escape to her quarters, now a sewing room, to cram in an hour or so of preparation. It wasn't unusual for the redhead to wake early and try to keep herself occupied, though she was learning the benefit of just being when it came to the snuggling potential of early morning. Trapped, as it were, without her usual distractions, Delaney opted instead to make the most out of the one she would have missed the most had they been separated. Sensing his desire to move, she pressed a kiss to his jaw and groaned as she wriggled her way to her feet and dragged herself over to stand in front of the fire. Outside, the steady patter of rain on the window eaves made the decision to stay in town even more welcoming.

"The stall in the marketplace has the biggest variety of masks I think I've ever seen," she continued, slowly rotating herself like a chicken on the rotisserie. "I was thinking we could just pick something out there maybe?" It was her way of saying she wasn't going to be offended if she didn't make every last inch of his costume. They'd already admired the stall's handiwork numerous times and Delaney could probably guess already which one her boyfriend had his eye on.

Leiddem had just been thinking about the dress that he knew she had been creating when the mention of masks came up. He had seen the stall and considered getting them masks but he did not want to take away her enjoyment of it all. "That is a perfect suggestion but maybe you should let me know what my costume is first. I can have some type of idea around it even if I know you are going to make it perfect without spoiling it all."

The innocently-worded ploy to work around her no-peeking rule earned him a grin, and a peck on the lips as Delaney moved from the fire before she set herself alight. "I'll have to fit you for it tomorrow anyway," she relented, "Or I won't have time to adjust it if all these turkey legs have altered your measurements." A playful jab to his stomach preceded a straddle of his knees, legs astride, close enough to place her cold hands on his cheeks though the redhead didn't actually sit down. "I promise you'll be the belle of the ball."

"I have not been working out so I am sure a few missed leg days have done nothing to affect your measurements." The man leant out wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. He wanted her close despite how damp they both were. "I know I will be but I also know I would like to help as well." It seemed she was doing all the work whilst he did other things, it was not the type of partnership he wanted.

Perhaps because it was 'their time', that inexplicable part of what was usually a very long day where they could usually guarantee that they were in for the night and not likely to get interrupted, or perhaps just because certain things became easier the more time you invested getting to know someone, Delaney found no difficulty in recognising the restlessness behind his words. Allowing herself to lean forward, whilst still remaining standing, she slid the hands from his face to rub against his shoulders and dropped a kiss into his hair. "In what way, on which day, is there ever any doubt of how much you already do," she murmured.

“I am just… I felt like with Beya you might have… well it felt like there might have been some emotions behind what happened. It was harmless.” He blurted out trying to get everything out quickly before he changed his mind on confronting what had happened.

One of the benefits of Delaney's lack of ability to lie was that when she was confused, it was obvious. She hadn't picked up on anything bothering him, perhaps a residual effect of the alcohol or just his far better capacity to slip things past her when she was distracted. It was something she was working on, she didn't like being oblivious to his apprehension. Frowning faintly, Laney finally sank to sit perched on his lap and studied his face with tender concern. "What do you mean? With her being crowned Harvest Queen?" Did he think she somehow minded? It wasn't a role Delaney coveted in the slightest.

He grinned a little at the look on her face, she was either completely oblivious or embarrassed about it. “No, I meant with her suggestion of a threesome or something along those lines. I’m not overly into that with partners.” He explained taking her left hand in his right and stroking his thumb up and down the back of her hand.

That took a considerable moment of backtracking, a pause in anything other than the absolute concentration of trying to recall the conversation she had taken so offhandedly at the time. Gradually, a slow trickle of realisation softened Delaney's expression, though the melt of bafflement soon gave way to the wide-eyed guilt of understanding. "Oh, god no." And, for a few seconds, she sat with the crushing burden of ignorance. It wasn't that she wasn't trying, and Laney had always been fairly open about her attempts to delve into other people's cultures, but Beya was the first and only Orion she'd met and, perhaps, in her effort not to allow stereotypes to sway her, she'd gone too far in the opposite direction and expected the woman to have...well, human tendencies. "I thought we were just joking."

Now, looking sheepish, Delaney screwed up her face and allowed her head to drop forward in defeat. If it wasn't one thing, it was another way of completely putting her foot in things. "Lei, I didn't mean anything by it. Mostly because I didn't take her seriously." She opened her eyes to regard him glumly. "She meant it seriously, didn't she?"

"Quite possibly but you had this strange look coming over your face and I wanted to check that you were okay. I flirt a little with her sure but nothing is meant from it, Lan." Flirting between a Betazoid and Orion was practically just having a free and honest conversation in his opinion but he had never overly discussed that quirk with his very human girl friend.

For a good few seconds longer, the redhead just looked confused, tinged with just a hint of guilt. Far from being in any position to complain, she probably gave the wrong impression just as often and had never really stopped to wonder if the Orion understood that it wasn't meant as legitimate encouragement. Eventually, as her distraction abated enough for her to notice the expression on Leiddem's face, Delaney focused instead on what he seemed to be worried about and her expression relaxed into a smile. "I'm not that fragile," she reminded him gently, though having disclosed enough about the drama of her last relationship that it was at least understood that infidelity was a feature of past burdens, Laney could at least appreciate why he'd wonder otherwise. "Though maybe we should be a little more considerate." Her features crumpled into a slight wince. "If you think about it, there's at least some chance it's not as much of a joke to her."

“I was just worried about you.” Leiddem said with a kiss to her nose. “I love you and whilst you might not be fragile I still want to make sure we are good and that there are no miscommunications.” It was just how he was and how he wanted to be with her. Maybe it was some hang over from Dixoho and how that had ended with her barely alive and in suspended animation for the most part but it left him wanting to confirm often and keep open communication.

"Well, fear not," Delaney replied, her features twitching with mischief, "If the last few weeks are anything to go by, neither of us would have the energy to spare anyway." Something about light duties and an entire culture to explore certainly lent itself to having an abundance of time for...indulging. Using her thumbs to gently knead at the side of his neck, she added, "And I'll try to stop forgetting I'm not home fending off a pack of merciless gobshites." Between brothers and cousins and older relatives, the concept of backing down during a round of banter was practically unheard of. Still, this wasn't Ireland and unintentionally making other people's cultures a source of humour wasn't how she wanted to go about things.

“I have no idea what gobshites are but it sounds like by sisters.” He mused thoughtful. He moved his neck to the site to enjoy her thumb getting a muscle that had been bugging him for weeks.

He had her attention, however, not that he ever really lost it. In this instance, it was more than he'd managed to pull her train of thought into the space where deeper introspection was possible. Delaney was only just starting to become aware of it herself but anyone who knew her would already have noticed the Betazoid's capacity to get her to slow down and think. It might not always work in the moment but Leiddem was a constant and consistent support during the aftermath, reassuring without necessarily dismissing her mistakes. She studied his face with open affection, sacrificing one hand's massage to cup against his cheek and stroke her thumb across his eyebrow. "Hey," came the eventual interruption to her tender admiration, "there's something I've been meaning to ask that keeps getting interrupted by banshees and rude bastards getting married." She grinned but her eyes held a keenness that bordered on uncharacteristic nervousness.

“Uh oh…” he said teasing as she changed tact from his neck which was doing things to stroking his eyes eyebrow which was firmly arched. She looked nervous and he was pretty sure that he had not seen her looking that nervous since Holoworld. “I am not sure I like the vibe of you right now.” He wondered aloud still smiling as his hands followed the outline of her not quite touching her to prove his point around not sure on the vibe of her. “I have not seen you quite like this since Holoworld.”

A playful swat at his nose intentionally missed by a couple of centimetres. "It's nothing that scary." Delaney scrunched her nose in afterthought and then dismissed the possibility, opting instead as she always did to wear her emotions honestly. The hand on his face dropped to play with the front of his shirt. "You know I spoke to Móraí recently." Her conversation with her grandmother had been a heavy feature of their first jaunt to the holodeck. "And if we hadn't been chased into the forest by a headless dude on his horse, I would have been able to bring this up much sooner."

Leiddem grinned and kissed her finger as she swatted at him. "Keep talking." He encouraged not at all sure where it was going.

There was a moment where the redhead, drawing in a deep breath, seemed to gather her courage. It was a very familiar mustering of composure, one she'd displayed countless times during the recent emergency. The hand at his chest stilled itself to lay flat. "We got talking about you at one point," she continued, as if most of the conversation hadn't been about her relationship with the Betazoid. "And she wanted me to invite you to our next family shindig." The words flowed, blue eyes studying his for any signs of hesitation. "We try to hold them every couple of years, drag the family back from the four quadrants, as she says. This one's not too far away. It's okay if it's too much," she added softly, and it was okay. She'd understand. Meeting family was significant and being flung into an entire Irish dynamic might just have been too much to ask, but there was no disguising the faint longing and wistfulness in her gaze as she waited for him to think on it. At the very least, there was no hesitation on Delaney's part about whether or not she wanted him to be part of her life at this level.

Liddem's face must have many emotions fluttered across it he realised as he was not at all masking or hiding what the woman was saying was making him feel. Fear, worry, shock, happiness, it was everything that was mixed up into having a pretty normal relationship but most importantly he was feeling loved. "Well, how can I say no to your Móraí?" He said simply without a moment's hesitation. It was what happened in relationships, you met the other person's family and Delaney had met Jeassaho so that made things slightly unfair. "It would never be too much to ask of me and I am already looking forward to meeting everyone. Are they prepared for meeting me is the question you should be more concerned about."

Delaney didn't even try to hide her relief, though it was swiftly overshadowed by joyous humour. "Oh, absolutely not, I'm counting on you to keep them on their toes." With a grin, she stole a kiss and then tucked herself into a hug, leaned against his chest and curled so that her head settled beneath his chin. "I've never taken anyone to a shindig before," she confessed quietly. Despite dating a local for three years, it gave some indication of the significance of Leiddem's invitation. "Not that you ever just take someone, it's my grandmother's show really so she's the one who decides on attendance." Laney smiled within the confines of the hug. "She'll probably talk your ear off."

“I am sure I can give as good as I get, baby. Do not even worry there.” He grinned at her accepting her kiss allowing her to relax for a moment against him just enjoying the soft warmth that he knew he could provide despite how damp they still were. “Thank you.” He quietly said. He had never been the type to take home to parents until Delaney so it was something he needed to thank her for.

There wasn't a lot to say to that, not because there weren't a thousand things that could have been appropriate but because Delaney didn't really know where to start. Thankfulness was a huge part of her current mentality; she was grateful for her job and the continual challenges and exposure to new opportunities it provided, just as she was grateful for this band of misfits who had welcomed her in and made her feel like she wasn't too much of an imposition. It was also very timely to be thankful for having made it through the past few months since the universe had tried several different ways to kill them all off. More than anything, however, she was immensely grateful for this. A relationship she hadn't been looking for, blossoming as it had from a friendship that had felt so natural and easy from the beginning that Delaney had been forced to reevaluate her concerns that she just wasn't an easy candidate for smooth sailing. Had she been prone to pessimism, it would have been tempting to hold her breath and just wait for the rug to be pulled from beneath her feet. She still worried, just a little, about messing things up but overwhelmingly she found herself enjoying a calmness and security unlike anything she could really compare it to. There had never been any question of wanting her family to meet Leiddem; she just hoped they behaved themselves.

So she didn't vocalise her reciprocation but instead gave him a squeeze to convey that the feeling was mutual. What she did say, after a moment of just listening to his heartbeat, was, "We should probably take a shower before we start smelling any more like musty socks." Romanticism wasn't dead, it just had to take a backseat to practicalities sometimes. Grinning, Delaney sat up again and lifted her eyebrows. "Or we could be brave and try the bathtub finally."

Leiddem glanced at her and then over to where the bathtub was and grinned slowly at the realisation that they could have a bath that was not square like on the ship but something long where he could spread out. He did not at all need to be asked or told twice. He lifted her up into his arms and set her around on her feet with a kiss on her nose. "I am brave." He said simply already setting about taking his damp shirt off before helping with her own. They could talk more about earth and Ireland another time, the here and now was just as important.