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It takes her about two weeks to notice it. But something has changed, after Hetetimit 9, the contagion and her finally telling Chris who she is, what she is. And him accepting it, like she somehow had probably known he would but hardly had dared to hope. It had left her with a warm feeling, a sense of being more accepted for who she was. And somehow, that must’ve led to her becoming more aware of him in a way that she hasn’t been before.
Naturally, she’s always known he’s handsome - and if she hadn’t then, well, there’s a lot of people over the years who have taken the chance to let her know. There are more occasions than she can count where women and men (human and non-human) have told her how much they wouldn’t mind serving under him.. . And yes, she has fantasized about him but then it’s been more… like the physical body that he is, not the person she actually knows; in her fantasy he hasn’t talked to her in a way that truly sounds like him (to be honest; there wasn’t much talking done at all in those fantasies). It had been fantasies, with not much reality to it. They have actually kissed, once, a long time ago in an undercover mission gone wrong but… that still feels like a fantasy. It wasn’t real . Suddenly though, reality has proven a lot more alluring than pretending ever has been.
See, Una has never been the flirty type. Not like… say, like someone like Nurse Chapel who’s first comment to Una was about how she looked like something out of an Amazon-fantasy or how she eyed Chris in a way that was extremely appreciative (though Una could never tell if it was in the “romantic”-sense or the “I’m interested in your genetic makeup”-sense. With Chapel it’s always a bit 50/50). Nurse Chapel is the kind of person to be flirty first and switch to super-professional when the times call for it. Una is the opposite. She has always been a professional and then she can of course be flirty and engage in romance if she has wanted to. But it has never come first .
So to find herself suddenly noticing the size of Chris’ hands as they rest on the Captain’s chair (with an accompanying flash of how those hands would feel on her body) or to have him greet her with a “good morning, Number One” and a smile (and imagining those lips on hers, murmuring how she is always his number one) or suddenly thinking about how good he smells (and how she wants her sheet to wear his scent) when she walks next to him well - it’s distracting, to say the least.
Una finds herself suddenly in a constant state of arousal. It’s slow and shimmering, ebbs out when they’ve been away from each other for a while but then he’s there and she’s getting completely inappropriate visions in her mind (like that time he was looking at something over at Spock’s console “ and dear lord that ass” was the only thought running through her head) and it spikes again. And then ebbs. And then flows. It’s not necessarily unpleasant and she’s a professional enough to focus on work when she should but well… It’s definitely new. It’s as if those moments in their day-to-day when they go from Command-team to the two of them, has suddenly become something more to her. A bit more playful and relaxed.
They’re making their way through the corridors from the bridge as one of their shifts is coming to an end. They’ve been shuffling a padd between them and he takes it, nodding as he scrolls through one final time.
“Yeah, looks good.”
“I’ll run it by Hemmer, if he gets it now he should be able to plan for the adjustments to be done during the night,” she states.
“Yes. And oh, dinner tomorrow? I’m thinking about asking M’Benga and Chapel over.” He hands her the padd. She tries not to focus on how their hands briefly touch when she takes it.
“Oh, so we’re having guests over?”
“ We ’re having guests?” He gives her a sideway glance and an amused smile is playing at the side of his mouth. “And here I was thinking that I was having guests over, you included.”
“Hmm,” she gives him a mock look of annoyance. “Something about me arriving early, helping you taste the food-," she starts.
“Always wanting more spices-”, he follows.
“Luckily you always make sure my plate gets a bit more flavor to it, yes thank you. And then me staying afterwards to clean everything up, and oh - that thing with people always answering your invitations to me if they can’t get to you; yes, somehow I do feel as if we’re hosting those dinners.” she gives him a quick, playful slap on his shoulder. He pretends it hurts.
“Alright then. Sorry for not asking you first,” he apologizes with an amused tone to his voice. “So, Una, how do you feel about us having dinner tomorrow with M’Benga and Chapel?” He pretends to be serious. They’ve stopped in the hall, about to go separate directions.
“Thank you Chris for asking,” she matches his tone. ”Luckily I am off duty tomorrow evening and have no other dinner plans and would love to help you with dinner.”
“I am so lucky to have you,”
“Yes you are,” She gives him a playful smile.
“And your tastebuds.”
“It’s good to hear I am useful for something in the kitchen,” she actually hears herself going an octave lower.
“I think I can make you useful in more ways, if that’s what you want,” his raspy voice goes straight to her abdomen. The temperature has definitely gotten up between them and it’s lucky they aren’t going in the same direction, Una realizes, because she doesn’t seem to be able to stop herself.
“Promises promises,” she tuts at him as she starts to turn around from him.
“Una! Off to engineering with you now!” He tries to laugh her away, his open smile creating a matching one on her face before she turns around.
“I’m going,” she singsongs as she walks off, waving the padd and swaying her hips in a way that he hasn’t seen in a very long time, leaving him standing dumbfounded in the hall. Hearing a “ whoosh ” from a door opening somewhere he quickly continues on his path to his quarters so he doesn’t get caught staring after his First Officer. He is therefore not there when she looks back over her shoulder, noticing his absence.
Una is suddenly scared she did something really stupid - what if she pushed it too far? Once she gets there, engineering has never felt like such a haven before.
—
Chris doesn’t really know what has gotten into Una. Or himself, perhaps. He hadn’t for a second thought she would be so… playful with him. Oh, he doesn’t mind and doesn't necessarily find it inappropriate if a conversation has a bit of a flirt or playfulness to it - and the part about her calling him out on not ever properly inviting her, just assuming she would always show up well, that was just well done on her end.
But then there was the image of him lifting her up on his kitchen bench, pushing her up against a cupboard and letting her taste the dinner straight from his mouth that had flashed through his mind when she had talked about being useful in the kitchen - that part was anything but appropriate. He was just glad they had managed to end the conversation right then in a still good humored way because… Chris had to take a glass of water as her swaying hips came into mind.
Una has always been his closest friend and confidant. Oh, they started out as a bit skeptical of each other (not helping by their really unlucky first day), but life threw them a few lessons and over the years a deep respect, understanding and friendship grew. He isn’t blind though, she is a beautiful woman, but there has always been a very firm line between them that they both have respected, and wanted. They did kiss that one time, sure, but that was in a situation a bit more perilous than this and a very long time ago…
Chris has to stop his brain from jumping around so much. And he’s probably just overanalyzing. Una is just a bit more relaxed and happy now that he knows about her and he’s happy for her, that it makes her feel more comfortable around him and well, that it gives him a better chance of fully being there for her, like she has always been there for him. And that’s why he chose M’Benga and Chapel for dinner. As little as they’ve yet had the chance to talk about everything that happened while he and Spock were on the planet, he knows that the medics’ quick approval of who Una is made a lasting impact on her.
And if all of this makes Una a bit silly and well, flirty, so be it. Content with his analysis, Chris comms sickbay and has his two favorite medics invited for dinner tomorrow. He swiftly ignores the vision of him, Una, candlelights and a meal of Bucatini all'Amatriciana with strawberries for desert that flashes through his mind.
He’s already decided on paella, anyway.