Star Rivers

Posted on Sun Sep 28th, 2025 @ 4:46am by Lieutenant JG Koaruh Avestro & Chloe de la Vega & Lieutenant Evelyn Stewart
Edited on on Sun Sep 28th, 2025 @ 4:49am

2,341 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Year One: Strange Bedfellows
Location: USS Moore - DMZ
Timeline: MD 042: 00:30 hrs

Evelyn took her coffee from the replicator and moved to sit on one of the couches of the dimmed lounge, getting comfortable to watch the stars stream by out the window. She had trouble winding down from the day and wanted to be somewhere quiet with her thoughts but not with her bottles of alcohol.

With a heavy sigh, she glanced towards the chef as she finished cleaning up for the day. "All set there, Chlo?" She asked, seeing the woman was just about finished but didn't want to be rude and not offer while in her presence.

Chloe flicked off the last hob and wiped her hands on a towel. “Almost, yeah.” She nodded toward the couch. “You good for anything, Ev? I can throw together something light—broth, a bit of tortilla, fruit—whatever sits. Tea? Chamomile if you want to sleep, or decaf coffee with milk if you don’t.” She offered a small, warm smile. “Say the word and I’ll sort you.”

Stewart shrugged mildly at the suggestion. “No, I’m all set. Thanks though. Why don’t you get some sleep.” She offered before turning towards the door when she heard it hiss open and held her breath for a moment when she saw who it was before collecting herself and taking another sip of her coffee and focusing on the view of the stars.

Chloe gave a little shrug, half a smile tugging at her mouth. “Vale (okay). Sleep sounds like a plan.” She set the towel over her shoulder and started stacking away the last few things.

The hiss of the door made her pause mid-step. She glanced up, catching sight of Koaruh just as Evelyn’s shoulders went taut. Chloe stilled, rag in hand, letting her eyes flick between the two of them. The air shifted—something unspoken, tight.

Her brow arched ever so slightly. Ay dios (oh god), she thought, quiet and wry. This was going to be awkward.

Koaruh stopped dead in the doorway when he saw her, the easy look slipping off his face. He let a breath out through his nose and angled his body toward the bar instead of the couch.

“Evening, Chlo,” he said, voice low and even. “If you’re shut, I’ll get out of your hair. If not—chamomile to go?”

Only then did he glance Evelyn’s way. “Evelyn.”

A beat. No therapist tone, no smile. “I’m not here to crowd you. If you want the room, say so and I’ll take this back to quarters.”

He waited just long enough for an answer; if none came, he’d take the mug from Chloe with a quiet thanks and drift to a table by the far viewport, giving her the couch—and the stars—to herself.

Stewart silently raised in brows in surprised reaction to the Betazoid’s words and demeanor as he focused on Chloe in the moment. He was clearly still angry with her. With a soft puff of air she settled back into her corner of the sofa and glanced up at him when he turned his attention back on her. “You’re more than welcome. It’s a large enough lounge for the two of us.” She offered as she gestured to the open space.

Letting herself hold her his gaze for a moment, she turned her attention back to Chloe. “You have a good night, Chlo.” She offered nonchalantly, letting the other woman know that everything will be fine, even if she was intent on not making that immediately evident to Koaruh.

Chloe poured the chamomile, set it at Koaruh’s elbow, and slipped her towel off her shoulder. As she passed, her hand settled briefly on his shoulder—light but firm.

When he looked up, she gave him a pointed, unmistakable look: deja de hacerte el tonto (stop being an ass) — habla con ella (talk to her).

She tipped a tiny nod to Evelyn. “Night.” Then gathered her things and ghosted out, leaving the room—and the choice—to them.

Koaruh dipped his chin once to Chloe—message received—then took the mug and crossed the room. He didn’t claim the other end of the couch so much as orbit it, choosing the adjacent chair and turning it a few degrees toward the same window. Close enough to share the view, far enough to leave her corner undisturbed.

He blew across the chamomile, eyes on the warp-stretched starlines. “My grandmother used to call that ‘the river trick,’” he said after a beat, voice ordinary, not careful. “When you’ve got too much in your head, pick a current and let it carry the thoughts past. If one won’t let go, you don’t fight it—you just watch it drift until it gets bored and leaves.”

He took a small sip, set the mug on the low table between them. “It works better with tea,” he added, mouth twitching like he almost smiled. “Or so she swore.”

Another quiet moment. He kept his gaze on the glass. “I’ll keep to this side. We can just… watch, if that’s what tonight is.” A breath. “Stars do their best work without commentary anyway.”

Tried as she might, Evelyn couldn’t quite suppress the small smile starting to form as she listened to Koaruh’s story and his easy voice. Ultimately she simply nodded as she brought her mug to her lips, agreeing to his suggestion of taking in the stars silently together.

As the long easy moments quietly stretched, she relaxed and placed her feet on the edge of the coffee table as she sunk further into the soft leather of the couch, her mind drifting and wandering on its own. “Remy and I used to have long quiet moments like this, especially after we moved to Quebec and rented a house together. We’d go sit on the porch for hours and just watch the stars.” She quietly commented, thinking of the times they laid close together to keep warm in the Canadian winter to watch the stars, trying to imagine what their future assignments would be once they graduated. Evelyn took a breath before taking another sip before gesturing to her mug and glanced at Koaruh. “Don’t worry, it’s only coffee.” She said with no bite, just the vaguest hint of playfulness in her tone and a blink of a smirk before settling again.

Koaruh’s shoulders eased as she talked, the tension bleeding out into a quiet nod. He tracked the warp-streaks a moment longer before answering.

“Porch sounds… good,” he said, plain and soft. “Warm coats, wood under your feet, nothing to do but breathe and look up. There’s a kind of quiet on solid ground you can’t replicate out here, no matter how pretty the view.” A faint, crooked smile. “I get why you loved that.”

He lifted his mug in a tiny salute. “And noted—only coffee. I was about to cite you for ‘after-hours contraband wisdom-juice.’” He sniffed theatrically at his chamomile. “My tea feels outgunned.”

Stewart simply nodded as her mind drifted back to the happy memories of being with Remy. They complimented each other so well. It was so easy. They were so easy. Glancing at Koaruh she was reminded of how easy things were between them in much the same way.

Clearing her throat, she shifted her hair to one side to release some built up tension. “Why are you up so late?” She asked neutrally, trying to be diplomatic.

Koaruh rolled the mug between his palms, eyes on the star-river. “Occupational hazard,” he said, easy and honest. “Cargo bay circus still buzzing in people’s heads, which means it’s still buzzing in mine. Chamomile and stars are my reset button. And—” a faint, guilty grin “—I was pretending Greco’s evals would write themselves if I stared at the stars long enough.”

He tipped his chin at her cup. “You, on the other hand, are braver than a marine. Coffee at this hour and I’d be composing apology notes to my circadian rhythm until alpha shift came on.” A beat, softer. “Figured I’d keep the noise down in here and let the river do its trick.”

Evelyn took this in and eyed Koaruh curiously. "You come here late at night often?"

Koaruh nodded, honest about it. “Yeah. More than I’d like.”

He glanced at the stars, then back to her. “When I’m tired, my telepathic blocks slip. The ship’s noise gets in—people’s thoughts, feelings—louder than it should. It’s a loop: I’m tired, so it leaks in; it leaks in, so I can’t sleep; I can’t sleep, so I’m more tired.” He lifted the mug a little. “Tea, quiet room, something steady to look at—it helps me get the shields back up.”

A beat, open. “So I end up here.”

Evelyn let the silence linger for several moments as she watched Koaruh intently, almost as if seeing him for the first time. She always thought he was so carefree, fun and casual never one to push the seriousness. “I didn’t realize you were affected by the crew so much. - I’m sorry.” She added sincerely as she took in his tired black eyes differently.

Koaruh shook his head, gentle. “Hey—nothing to be sorry for.”

He held her look. “It’s part of being Betazoid. Most of us struggle with it, especially on ships full of very loud-feeling species.” A small, tired smile. “A lot of Betazoids use dampeners or meds to keep their blocks tight in close quarters. I don’t. Personal choice. I’d rather manage it the slow way—sleep, gym, breath work, food that isn’t a disaster, tea, quiet rooms. It takes more effort, but I feel more like myself.”

He set the mug down, palms open. “If I ever seem a bit distant late at night, that’s me resetting shields—not you. And… thanks for asking. It helps.”

Evelyn nodded at his appreciation, but her head was down. She focused her attention on her own mug in her hands. “You weren’t the one being distant.” She said quietly in reference to the other night.

She barely glanced at him before looking away again at the stars and sighing. “This feels so easy - too easy. So natural. The last time it felt like this was when I was with Remy. But it’s just as real, as natural, effortless. And others are seeing it - and how quickly it’s happening.” She said about Keishara’s comments.

Koaruh turned a little in his chair, enough to face her without crowding.

“I know,” he said, soft. “And I’m not going to pretend that didn’t sting. But I also get it.”

He let a beat pass. “It is easy. That’s why I’m here. I like you, and I like this. We don’t owe anyone a timetable—Keishara included. She’s paid to watch our six, not our nights.”

He rubbed his thumb along the mug. “If the pace is the problem, we change the pace. Fewer overnights for a while. A proper holodeck evening that ends with goodnight at the door.”

His eyes met hers, steady. “What I won’t do is play secret or pretend I don’t care to make gossip quieter. I’m in. We can move slow and still be real.”

He looked back out at the stars. “I’m fine just sitting here a bit, then I’ll clear off and let you sleep. No decisions, no statements. Just… quiet, and we’ll take the rest as it comes.”

Stewart considered his words for a long time. Eventually, she put her coffee down with a definitive determination. Taking a breath, Evelyn got up and moved over to Koaruh in his chair and purposefully straddled his lap. Despite the provocative move, her fingers were gentle as she brushed the loose strands of his hair from his face while looking in his dark eyes.

“I think we are past the point of kisses goodnight at the door.” She said with a hushed tone before leaning in to kiss him deeply, how she had been craving to for days. Stroking his chest she pulled back to look again in his deep, ebony eyes. “Besides my quarters are nicer.” She added with a smirk.

Koaruh let out a low, delighted laugh as she settled on his lap, hands sliding to her hips like they’d been waiting there all night.

“Oh, so we’re doing field promotions now,” he murmured against her mouth, kissing her back with a grin that was all teeth and heat. When she teased his quarters, he tipped his head, mock-wounded. “Hey—my quarters have character. Ambience. A tragic plant. Very exclusive.”

He nipped her bottom lip, playful. “But fine—your palace wins.”

He stood with her without breaking contact, fingers lacing through hers as he backed them a step toward the corridor. “Since you clearly have a plan, Counsellor Avestro is happy to follow orders.” A wicked little smile. “Lead on, Lieutenant.”

Stewart gave a soft, playful laugh when Koaruh picked them up together from the chair. She wrapped her legs tighter around his waist. Her fingers still interlaced with his one hand, she wrapped her arm around his neck to help support her own weight. She kissed him slowly with intent, only briefly resting her forehead against his tenderly before looking in his eyes with a slow grin. "Actually, I think I prefer you take the lead tonight, Counselor." She whispered against his lips, keeping to herself the benefit of senior officer quarters being on the same deck as the DMZ.

Instead she let him carry her out of the lounge the short distance to her quarters, not giving a damn who saw them along the way.

 

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