Before the enunciator sounded, Dael Cozan could feel the excitement, apprehension and anxiety of the man on the other side of the doors—the sudden intense surge of emotions also made his stomach clench a little tighter when the chime came. He took a calming breath, straightening out the fitted lilac tunic he’d chosen for the evening, and said, “It’s open.”
The doors parted revealing Ejan Rem, his guest for the evening. The Bajoran unconsciously squared his shoulders and gave him a faint smile as he stepped into Cozan’s quarters. “You know you can smell that halfway down the corridor,” Ejan commented, gesturing at the assortment of pots and pans on the hotplate he had set up in his quarters—being the First Officer did afford him larger accommodations, so he had the space for his own little kitchenette allowing him to indulge in one of his great passions.
“Hopefully no one complains about that.”
“Are you kidding, I’ve walked past several salivating crewmen.”
Cozan chuckled gesturing to one of the chairs at the dining table. “Take a seat and make yourself comfortable, dinner is almost ready.”
“Can I help with anything, Commander?” he winced as soon as the word left his lips. “Sorry, force of habit.”
“It’s alright, it always takes time to get used to dropping of formalities. I’ve put my foot in it more times than I care to admit.”
“Sounds like a few funny stories to here there.”
“A few. Fortunately, I’ve had some very understanding and sympathetic superiors in my career.”
“So you’re just passing it along,” Ejan said with a smile. In that moment Cozan didn’t know what shone brighter, the other man’s smile or the earring dangling from his right ear.
“Something like that. Now,” he said turning back to his makeshift kitchen work surface, “I think I’m pretty much ready here.”
“Sure you don’t need a hand, Dael?” Ejan repeated, getting it right this time.
Cozan pointed at the bowls of blue-leaf salad and garlic-infused kaseton bread rolls. “You can take them to the table, if you’d like.”
Ejan nodded and picked up both bowls and set them on the table between the two place settings. It was then he noticed the bottle of wine already open and picked it up and took a sniff, which made his eyes widen.
“This is Bajoran spring wine! Where did you find real spring wine from?”
Cozan smiled to himself, he’d hoped his guest would like the gesture. “I have an uncle who is a trader, he makes a regular stop at the Endel System, where there’s a small commune of Bajoran refugees who are working to maintain some of their old traditions.”
“I wasn’t aware of any refugee camps in the Endel System.”
“Few people seem to know they’re there—my uncle says even most of the other colonists are oblivious to their little hamlet,” he explained as he plated up their dinner.
Adding a little garnish, he picked up both plates and carried them to the table. Ejan inhaled the fragrant steam as Cozan set his plate before him then sat down opposite.
“Wow!” he exclaimed looking at the generous portion of linguini with lemon and chilli oscoid (a langoustine-like crustacean from Betazed). “This looks amazing, must’ve taken you some time to prepare.”
He chuckled. “I’ll let you in on a secret, Rem, it’s far easier than it looks. My mother always taught me good food doesn’t need to be complicated. Tuck in.”
The Bajoran didn’t need to be told twice and went in with his fork, twirling up few long strands of pasta then skewering an oscoid before wrapping his lips around the utensil. As soon as he did he stopped, his eyes wide, and he involuntary let out a moan before starting to chew.
“Good?” Cozan asked, already sensing the pleasure the other man was getting from the food.
“This is incredible,” Ejan replied as he continued to chew. After a few moments he swallowed, his eyes locked on with Cozan’s. “The smell doesn’t do it justice! You’ve got a gift, Dael.”
His cheeks flushed, though he wasn’t sure if that was from the compliment or the Bajorans mesmerising slate-grey eyes. He broke the eye contact to pour them both a glass of wine.
“Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”
He loaded up his own fork and enjoyed a mouthful. The slight resistance of the al dente pasta providing a good counter to the seared meaty shellfish infused with the heady mixture of rich oil, zesty lemon and fiery chilli. It was one of his favourite things to cook and he was pleased to get to share it with Ejan, who was devouring his meal.
“So,” the Bajoran began reaching for a bread roll, “was it you mother who taught you how to cook?”
“Yeah, she worked for a time as a chef on a luxury transport, so got to cook with ingredients from all across the Federation. She taught me all she knew, I think she wanted me to follow in her footsteps.”
“Why didn’t you? You’ve definitely got the skills!”
He blushed again. “I didn’t want to just go between planets in the Federation core, I wanted to be out here on the frontier discovering new ones. I was just a sucker for the Starfleet doctrine of ‘going boldly where no one has gone before’.” He picked up a roll of his own and slowly ripped it open. “What about you? Why did you enter Starfleet?”
“I got sick of always been looked at as some kind of mercenary. Every time I signed onto a new freighter they always seemed to think I was some sort of soldier of fortune with no loyalty to anyone, that or I was an object of pity. So I managed to find a Starfleet officer willing to sponsor my entry into the Academy and here I am.”
“Must’ve been a bit odd being the oldest cadet of your class, among all those fresh-faced kids.”
Ejan chuckled. “Heh, I wasn’t that much older than them.”
“You’re only five years younger than me.”
“And would you call yourself ‘old’?”
He opened his mouth and found himself pausing, after all he was only thirty-two, definitely not old by most species standards, except maybe the Kasheeta. He looked back at his guest to see a smug smirk curling the corners of his lips as Ejan knew he had him.
“Point taken.”
The conversation easily moved into what they’d both done at the Academy, sharing experiences of professors and instructors they’d both had, as well as a few stories of the time they’d spent in space, Cozan from his decade in Starfleet and Ejan from his time on civilian ships. He made a point of avoiding anything about family or childhood, as he knew Ejan had been born on Bajor which, as an occupied planet, wouldn’t have been an easy thing for him—if tonight went well, becoming a regular thing between the two of them, then there might come a time to broach such subjects.
It didn’t take long before their plates were empty, whilst little remained of the salad or rolls. He topped up both their glasses again, emptying his only bottle of spring wine (as soon as their mapping mission of the Zeta-Epsilon Sector was complete he’d need to ask his uncle for a few more bottles, next time he was in the Endel System).
“Have any room left for dessert?”
Ejan flashed him a smile once more. “Always.”
He quickly cleared away the dirty plates and set them on the side, then retrieved their dessert from the compact refrigerator. Unlike their main course, which really hadn’t taken long to prepare, this had needed more time and attention spent on it. He just hoped Ejan liked it as much.
As he set it on the table, along with a couple of bowls, the Bajoran peered at the new dish before looking up at him. “So, what’s for the grand finale?”
“Icoberry cheesecake.”
“Icoberry? I love icoberries! How did you know?”
“I overheard you mention that to Ral-Aani on the bridge last week, so I had to include it for tonight.”
“That’s very thoughtful, thank you Dael.”
“If I hadn’t been so impatient and invited you over so soon, then I would’ve seen about growing some real ones in the arboretum, so we’ll have to settle for replicated,” he explained reaching for the cake slice to serve.
Ejan surprised him by placing his strong rough hand on top of his, stopping him. His smile returned. “You really don’t need to go to all that effort on my part.”
“I’m pulling out all the stops to impress.”
“I assure you, Dael, you’ve already done that; so why don’t you just relax, and we’ll see how things go from there?”
Cozan smiled at the ruggedly handsome man opposite him. “Sounds like a plan,” he replied, turn his hand and clasping Ejan’s on top of the table.
It had been a while since he’d felt this way. It wasn’t love (at least not yet if his previous experiences were anything to go by), but more interest mixed with intrigue with hints of warmth and yearning and a torrent of other feelings that gripped him whenever he thought of Ejan. Granted, it wasn’t ideal to be involved with a subordinate when serving on the same ship, but there weren’t any regulations forbidding it.
Before he could say or do anything else the intercom chirped. “All senior bridge officers, report to your stations,” announced Captain Sinajj, her voice oddly stern.
“Dessert will have to wait,” he said as they both stood.
It took him a moment to realise he was still hold the ops managers hand, so he reluctantly released it before leading the way out of his quarters, their quiet night together rudely interrupted as duty called once again.
The doors parted revealing Ejan Rem, his guest for the evening. The Bajoran unconsciously squared his shoulders and gave him a faint smile as he stepped into Cozan’s quarters. “You know you can smell that halfway down the corridor,” Ejan commented, gesturing at the assortment of pots and pans on the hotplate he had set up in his quarters—being the First Officer did afford him larger accommodations, so he had the space for his own little kitchenette allowing him to indulge in one of his great passions.
“Hopefully no one complains about that.”
“Are you kidding, I’ve walked past several salivating crewmen.”
Cozan chuckled gesturing to one of the chairs at the dining table. “Take a seat and make yourself comfortable, dinner is almost ready.”
“Can I help with anything, Commander?” he winced as soon as the word left his lips. “Sorry, force of habit.”
“It’s alright, it always takes time to get used to dropping of formalities. I’ve put my foot in it more times than I care to admit.”
“Sounds like a few funny stories to here there.”
“A few. Fortunately, I’ve had some very understanding and sympathetic superiors in my career.”
“So you’re just passing it along,” Ejan said with a smile. In that moment Cozan didn’t know what shone brighter, the other man’s smile or the earring dangling from his right ear.
“Something like that. Now,” he said turning back to his makeshift kitchen work surface, “I think I’m pretty much ready here.”
“Sure you don’t need a hand, Dael?” Ejan repeated, getting it right this time.
Cozan pointed at the bowls of blue-leaf salad and garlic-infused kaseton bread rolls. “You can take them to the table, if you’d like.”
Ejan nodded and picked up both bowls and set them on the table between the two place settings. It was then he noticed the bottle of wine already open and picked it up and took a sniff, which made his eyes widen.
“This is Bajoran spring wine! Where did you find real spring wine from?”
Cozan smiled to himself, he’d hoped his guest would like the gesture. “I have an uncle who is a trader, he makes a regular stop at the Endel System, where there’s a small commune of Bajoran refugees who are working to maintain some of their old traditions.”
“I wasn’t aware of any refugee camps in the Endel System.”
“Few people seem to know they’re there—my uncle says even most of the other colonists are oblivious to their little hamlet,” he explained as he plated up their dinner.
Adding a little garnish, he picked up both plates and carried them to the table. Ejan inhaled the fragrant steam as Cozan set his plate before him then sat down opposite.
“Wow!” he exclaimed looking at the generous portion of linguini with lemon and chilli oscoid (a langoustine-like crustacean from Betazed). “This looks amazing, must’ve taken you some time to prepare.”
He chuckled. “I’ll let you in on a secret, Rem, it’s far easier than it looks. My mother always taught me good food doesn’t need to be complicated. Tuck in.”
The Bajoran didn’t need to be told twice and went in with his fork, twirling up few long strands of pasta then skewering an oscoid before wrapping his lips around the utensil. As soon as he did he stopped, his eyes wide, and he involuntary let out a moan before starting to chew.
“Good?” Cozan asked, already sensing the pleasure the other man was getting from the food.
“This is incredible,” Ejan replied as he continued to chew. After a few moments he swallowed, his eyes locked on with Cozan’s. “The smell doesn’t do it justice! You’ve got a gift, Dael.”
His cheeks flushed, though he wasn’t sure if that was from the compliment or the Bajorans mesmerising slate-grey eyes. He broke the eye contact to pour them both a glass of wine.
“Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”
He loaded up his own fork and enjoyed a mouthful. The slight resistance of the al dente pasta providing a good counter to the seared meaty shellfish infused with the heady mixture of rich oil, zesty lemon and fiery chilli. It was one of his favourite things to cook and he was pleased to get to share it with Ejan, who was devouring his meal.
“So,” the Bajoran began reaching for a bread roll, “was it you mother who taught you how to cook?”
“Yeah, she worked for a time as a chef on a luxury transport, so got to cook with ingredients from all across the Federation. She taught me all she knew, I think she wanted me to follow in her footsteps.”
“Why didn’t you? You’ve definitely got the skills!”
He blushed again. “I didn’t want to just go between planets in the Federation core, I wanted to be out here on the frontier discovering new ones. I was just a sucker for the Starfleet doctrine of ‘going boldly where no one has gone before’.” He picked up a roll of his own and slowly ripped it open. “What about you? Why did you enter Starfleet?”
“I got sick of always been looked at as some kind of mercenary. Every time I signed onto a new freighter they always seemed to think I was some sort of soldier of fortune with no loyalty to anyone, that or I was an object of pity. So I managed to find a Starfleet officer willing to sponsor my entry into the Academy and here I am.”
“Must’ve been a bit odd being the oldest cadet of your class, among all those fresh-faced kids.”
Ejan chuckled. “Heh, I wasn’t that much older than them.”
“You’re only five years younger than me.”
“And would you call yourself ‘old’?”
He opened his mouth and found himself pausing, after all he was only thirty-two, definitely not old by most species standards, except maybe the Kasheeta. He looked back at his guest to see a smug smirk curling the corners of his lips as Ejan knew he had him.
“Point taken.”
The conversation easily moved into what they’d both done at the Academy, sharing experiences of professors and instructors they’d both had, as well as a few stories of the time they’d spent in space, Cozan from his decade in Starfleet and Ejan from his time on civilian ships. He made a point of avoiding anything about family or childhood, as he knew Ejan had been born on Bajor which, as an occupied planet, wouldn’t have been an easy thing for him—if tonight went well, becoming a regular thing between the two of them, then there might come a time to broach such subjects.
It didn’t take long before their plates were empty, whilst little remained of the salad or rolls. He topped up both their glasses again, emptying his only bottle of spring wine (as soon as their mapping mission of the Zeta-Epsilon Sector was complete he’d need to ask his uncle for a few more bottles, next time he was in the Endel System).
“Have any room left for dessert?”
Ejan flashed him a smile once more. “Always.”
He quickly cleared away the dirty plates and set them on the side, then retrieved their dessert from the compact refrigerator. Unlike their main course, which really hadn’t taken long to prepare, this had needed more time and attention spent on it. He just hoped Ejan liked it as much.
As he set it on the table, along with a couple of bowls, the Bajoran peered at the new dish before looking up at him. “So, what’s for the grand finale?”
“Icoberry cheesecake.”
“Icoberry? I love icoberries! How did you know?”
“I overheard you mention that to Ral-Aani on the bridge last week, so I had to include it for tonight.”
“That’s very thoughtful, thank you Dael.”
“If I hadn’t been so impatient and invited you over so soon, then I would’ve seen about growing some real ones in the arboretum, so we’ll have to settle for replicated,” he explained reaching for the cake slice to serve.
Ejan surprised him by placing his strong rough hand on top of his, stopping him. His smile returned. “You really don’t need to go to all that effort on my part.”
“I’m pulling out all the stops to impress.”
“I assure you, Dael, you’ve already done that; so why don’t you just relax, and we’ll see how things go from there?”
Cozan smiled at the ruggedly handsome man opposite him. “Sounds like a plan,” he replied, turn his hand and clasping Ejan’s on top of the table.
It had been a while since he’d felt this way. It wasn’t love (at least not yet if his previous experiences were anything to go by), but more interest mixed with intrigue with hints of warmth and yearning and a torrent of other feelings that gripped him whenever he thought of Ejan. Granted, it wasn’t ideal to be involved with a subordinate when serving on the same ship, but there weren’t any regulations forbidding it.
Before he could say or do anything else the intercom chirped. “All senior bridge officers, report to your stations,” announced Captain Sinajj, her voice oddly stern.
“Dessert will have to wait,” he said as they both stood.
It took him a moment to realise he was still hold the ops managers hand, so he reluctantly released it before leading the way out of his quarters, their quiet night together rudely interrupted as duty called once again.
