Awkward Conversations

Posted on Fri Feb 28th, 2025 @ 10:33am by Lieutenant Commander Keishara Davaris & Commander Steven Greco

2,277 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Year One: Strange Bedfellows
Location: USS Moore - XO's Office
Timeline: MD016 -1100 Hours

Steve sat back in his chair as he reviewed the duty roster for the upcoming security shifts, looking to figure out the best rotation with the chief of security while they focused on securing primary areas. "I think we should put Matthews on Beta Shift on auxiliary bridge. After the incident in the auxiliary engineering, we can't take too many chances." He said while glancing up at Keishara from his PaDD.

Taking in his words Keishara nodded. "I think Sam is ready for some more responsibility to I'd say that's fine. He's came a long way in the past 6 months and if anything I'll soon be pushing him to take a promotion." she replied without looking up. Instead she was making notes on her PaDD. "Also, given that recent incident I have doubled patrols on the ship in sensitive areas and restricted visitor access to our computers further."

"Uh huh, that seems prudent, Commander." Steve said as he reached for his mug of coffee without looking away from his PaDD. "Go ahead and have Sam take over Delta shift, let's see if he can handle running security when everything should be quiet and then we will go from there for him." He added dryly about the young lieutenant. He hardly glanced at Keishara for most of the meeting, feeling more calm and relaxed than he had in weeks.

Keishara agreed but made no outward show of it. After all, it was her idea in the first place to give Sam more and she probably would have done so anyway. Greco's approval was mere icing on a cake she'd already baked. Since their 'exchange' in the armoury Steve had seemed a bit more chilled out than usual. She wondered if the man just needed a release to stop him from being such a boy scout, but also how he felt about sleeping with someone that reported directly to him and the rules around such an interaction. "I'm sure Sam will be fine. He has the respect of the team, and I'm always just a call away if he needs me. He knows that."

Steve flicked his eyes up from his PaDD, looking at Davaris curiously. It wasn’t like her to justify her actions to anyone, much less him. “I get it, Commander. I already approved it. Let’s move on.” He said with slight annoyance creeping into his voice as he sipped his coffee.

His annoyance was easily detectable, in tone and in how her senses picked it up. Greco wasn't a man that seemed to hide his feelings well, or at least that's how it came across in her company. "Move on then. I have nothing more to bring to you." Keishara countered almost mimicking his tone.

Steve sighed at the second officer. That was the tone he was familiar with. Getting up from his chair, he moved his way around the desk to look down at the woman. “What is with you Davaris? You come in here to do a report, want to give Matthews more work and when I agree continue on about it just to cop and attitude when I point out I understand your point. What’s with all this aggression and hostility all of a sudden?” He asked before shaking his head at his own question before she could speak. “What am I saying? You always have an attitude!”

He wasn't wrong. It was Keishara's default position, and more so with men. It kept people at a distance, and when they were at a distance it was harder for them to get at her, to hurt her, or her them. "Maybe people just don't get my charm." she replied deflecting his point and then sighed, her shoulders dropping. "I'm sorry."

It was a sudden admission and apology. Koaruh had been trying to get her to 'open up' more and be receptive of others feelings and points of view. He was trying to make her realise that she didn't need to be on the offensive all the time, her alert stance at a 10, but it was not easy to change what nearly 200 years of her past her made her into. She always felt the need to be on her guard. It was exhausting.

Steve forced himself to stop and not continue going at the woman. Instead he sighed out his frustration. “Or maybe you just get too worked up and need to learn to relax, in places other than a weapons locker.” He couldn’t help a slight tease with a smirk. He remembered how the security chief definitely was more relaxed after the last time they were alone together.

"No-one was more surprised about what happened in that weapons locker than me." Keishara replied accepting the reality of sleeping with her XO. "More so that you actually went along with it. You don't strike me as someone who does something like that... not that it wasn't enjoyable." there was a small smirk on her face as those last words were spoken. Small, almost imperceptible, but there.

Steve's smirk was more obvious as he took pride in knowing he not only surprised the frigid security chief, but she got something out of it. "Well fortunately for you, Commander, I was off duty at the time and helping out Engineering with repairs. And if I'm not mistaken you were not only on duty, but egged me into kissing you. Something about doing what feels good?" He teased the woman sitting across from him.

"If I remember you said you know its inappropriate to abuse your position of authority. On or off duty I can't say you followed that rule of your own." Keishara replied. "I assumed 'egged' means manipulated... I just pointed out your boy scout/golden boy image and you snapped sir. Not my fault you felt the sudden urge to act, cant deny how you feel in the heat of a moment and you can't tell me you didn't feel good after it." she smirked. "Did you go to sickbay and get those scratches on your back healed?"

Steve couldn't help his own smug smirk at the mention of the evidence of security chief's enjoyment of their intimate encounter. "No, I was more than able to handle myself. And need I remind you, Davaris, you aren't some young ensign, fresh out of the Academy. I would have thought you were more than able to handle yourself. Unless you are saying you have a weakness for younger men." He taunted the El-Aurian back. "I don't exactly hear you complaining about it either."

"No you are right, I have been out of the Academy longer than you... and there are few men that are not younger than me." she commented in return at his rather pathetic taunt. "And I didn't say I didn't enjoy it. If I didn't have sex with other officers on board I'd may as well be a hermit inside my quarters."

Greco couldn't help but chuckle. "So you are saying it's normal for you to find yourself in the quarters of the young men on this ship, Commander?" He teased, enjoying for once he was getting the better of the feisty security chief.

"Most of the young men on this ship are scared of me sir. Plus I do have security override... wouldn't be difficult to gain access to nervous crewmen." Keishara said rather nonchalantly.

Steve held his smirk, amused by the woman's comment, before stepping closer. "What about me, Commander? Do I look afraid of you? I am still a young man, well at least compared to you anyway." He said with a cocky tone as he gave a light dig at the woman, watching her reaction.

"Every man looks afraid of me... depends the light I'm in, or lack there of." Kei retorted. "The closer you get, the more danger you put yourself in." she smirked leaving that to hang in the air. She had mellowed somewhat over the past year but still her fiery streak got her into more trouble than it did save her.

Steve couldn’t help but laugh. “Please, you are harmless. I got pretty close and there is nothing terrifying about Keishara Davaris, despite what you want everyone to think.” He goaded her. Greco knew the security chief wanted people intimidated by her and worked hard to build that image, but it was simply that, an image.

"Just shows how little you know of me sir. If you think I'm harmless then you've only ever read my service jacket. What I did before Starfleet was far darker than surviving a war." Keishara's mind flashed to some events during that war and how she'd lost some people she may have admitting to caring for. "However, you are one to talk of image. Starfleet's poster boy, sleeping with his crew goes against all sorts of rules..."

Steve felt his blood begin to boil at the mention of name that was given to him by shipmates. He didn't ask for the role Command thrust upon him and he resented being reminded, much less defined, by it. "Would a Poster Boy do this?" He asked before pulling Davaris in for an intense passionate kiss, as if to show her how much he was the opposite of what her and half the fleet thought of him.

As Keishara caught her breath a flash crossed her eyes as they narrowed. She stood up as Steve took one backwards step, it looked like she was going to smack him silly. Instead she pushed him onto the desk and his butt landed on it with a thud. "Undo your pants." she instructed him.

Greco smirked and fueled by adrenaline, pulled Keishara’s hips to his own as he sat on the desk, not embarrassed at her being aware of his arousal against her leg. “I outrank you, Commander. I give the orders.” He said in her ear before moving to kiss her passionately and more aggressively than before. The fact she wanted him as much as he did her in that moment emboldened him to start pulling off her uniform jacket and take the offensive once again.

As clothes began to fall she felt talking was wasted. Her actions, his actions would speak louder than any verbal command ever could. In the back of her mind she wondered why she kept doing this with him. It was a release for sure, and he was fairly competent. For someone who didn't like to be touched, when she did she made sure it was by someone she had sussed out their motives and there was nothing there but sex.

Steve pulled Davaris over to straddle his lap and held her there firmly as he continued to work on pulling off their clothes, his lips assertively at her neck. Of all the people he wondered why it was Keishara he was pursuing this with. Neither of them spared any words about their distaste for the other, and she didn’t hide the fact she hated being touched yet she was not only willing, but eager for him to take control of the situation it seemed.

---

Steve ran his hand through his hair and glanced over his shoulder seeing Keishara making herself presentable as he picked up her uniform jacket to hand to her. “If we are going to keep doing this let’s be clear on some boundaries.” He said to start the conversation. The last thirty minutes spent together clearly enjoying themselves.

"Look at you." Keishara smirked. "So presumptuous that you have a choice if this continues... I'm interested in what boundaries you want to put on casual sex." she raised her eyebrows, inviting the reply.

As if to prove a point, Steve came up behind Keishara and pulled her hips back into his with authority and leaned down into her ear. “I presume because I saw how much you were enjoying yourself a few minutes ago.” He said softly in her ear with meaning. Greco was a nice guy but he was able to get a read on people pretty well, it’s what made him a good first officer. He knew despite her hard, tough as nails veneer, Keishara enjoyed his touch and needed it as much as they both needed companionship.

Kissing the spot under her ear, Steve stepped back. No longer being the assertive lover Keishara seems to desire, and back to his normal affable self. “This stays just between us, rank stays at the door, this is only physical- no dates….and next time we use a bed.” He added with a smirk, thinking how he wants to be comfortable and relax afterwards for once.

"I enjoy sex because it is fun... most of the time." Keishara corrected herself remembering many bad sexual partners in the past. Truth was that in a previous century sex was a tool of control, or punishment, when she was a slave and it had taken a long time for her to allow herself to feel free enough to enjoy it at all.

"Shame. Here was me thinking you wore you uniform to bed... I guess we can leave rank at the door, and I had no intention of going on any dates with you." she shook her head with a soft snort. "I will concede a bed would probably be a better idea than a desk or weapons locker. At least there's pillows."

Steve laughed and nodded as he agreed. “Good. Now get the hell out of my office, Davaris. You’re due on the bridge.”

"Aye sir." Keishara mock saluted the man, gathered her things and left.

 

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