Vignette

Vignette

By Bucky

Rating: [G], general
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Paramount.

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.....After Midnight in the Messhall

Phlox smiled benignly at the empty plate before him and noted with satisfaction that if he had to spend the next seven years servicing the humans rather rudimentary medical needs, at least they had an interesting variety of foods. The Interspecies Medical Exchange could have landed the Denobulan on a Vulcan ship facing an endless array plomeek soups. He had hoped to find company in the messhall even now in the small hours of the ship's clock, and had thought he was in luck upon finding Commander Tucker firmly ensconced in the furthest table staring out the window at the warp-distorted stars. But when he approached Phlox could clearly see the good Commander was busy sorting out some engineering problem. He had three, perhaps four, PADDS spread out before him--Phlox wasn't sure--and a tray with the remains of--something--pushed to the side. Commander Tucker had looked up with his eyes, brows knitted together, apology all over his face; but he had only shrugged without saying a word.

Phlox had smiled, nodded his forgiveness and headed back to a table closer to the entrance in the hopes of finding someone who wanted to talk. But none appeared, so he had amused himself watching the Commander sort through whatever the problem was. By the time he had finished his General Gao's Chicken--interesting name, that, he wondered who General Gao was and whether he was, in fact, fond of chicken cooked in a sauce both vinegary and sweet--yes, by the time he had finished, he could almost discern a pattern to the engineer's movements. Pick up a PADD, poke it for calculations, make a notation with a pointer on a different PADD. Pick up another PADD, stare at it, poke it, frown, stare sightlessly into the room, poke again, put PADD down. Run hand through hair. Poke PADD again. Make another notation. Grab another PADD. Repeat, varying non-PADD related movements to include rubbing his hand over his face, staring sightlessly out the window, and an occasional oddly restricted stretch, clasping his hands behind his head and twisting from side to side.

Phlox was sufficiently distracted that he did not at first notice Sub-Commander T'Pol enter, and even as he did notice, it struck him that his attention was drawn by her stillness. She had stopped and was looking intently at Commander Tucker sitting in the halo of light he had deliberately selected to illuminate his work. She was motionless for a beat, two beats, three beats, *four*?! beats--that was interesting--then looked down and quietly exhaled before turning to the beverage dispenser. There, in her low, hyper-enunciated, English she asked for "Mint tea. Hot." And stood, eyes down, but not really looking at the cup. She, too, was bathed in light accentuating the exotic angles of her face and the erotic curves of her amazingly thin body. And Commander Tucker looked up just then and drew a quick breath through his teeth. "As predictable as a cliché" mused Phlox, "I think I've seen this scene in one of Ensign Cutler's movies." Yes, there it was, one, two, three, four, five, *six* long seconds before the Sub-Commander lifted her eyes to meet his. They nodded formally, first him, then her. He gestured to the PADDs on the table, and she angled her head slightly, jutting her chin to her left and moved wordlessly toward him head erect, back straight, in an oddly kinetic glide.

Finding no further reason to remain, Phlox reluctantly left the mess hall wondering if the Vulcan sub-commander and the human commander took the same aesthetic pleasure looking at each other as the rest of the crew did in looking at them.

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Seven people have made comments

hehehehhehehehehehhe

very apt descriptions, I like
Doc's perspective is very cool,

This was lovely!

Aww, those crazy kids! They're so sweet and the good doctor is so astute in his observations. <3 Phlox.

I loved that last line. So sweet.

Who was general gao? Every time i am ib a Chinese restaurant, I inquire but nobody knows.

Jack Rogers

Who was general gao? Every time i am ib a Chinese restaurant, I inquire but nobody knows.

Jack Rogers

What a lovely little fic! Thank you. (I sorted by date so I could go back and read some of the earlier, pre-angst stories. Phlox hasn't changed much, has he?)