A Date?

Posted on Thu Feb 24th, 2022 @ 3:45pm by Senior Chief Petty Officer Mason Malone & Ensign George Paxton

Mission: Character Development
Location: Holodeck
Timeline: MD5
5531 words - 11.1 OF Standard Post Measure

The holodeck was bare when George arrived. He was extremely early considering his nerves had him on edge, thinking it best to arrive thirty minutes before he was supposed to meet Mason. That gave him time to check out the program Finn had suggested they try out together.

"Computer, open holodeck program Finn's Hike Twenty Four."

The grided walls turned into beautiful mountain scenery. A rocky path led along the side of the mountain, disappearing around the corner and leaving the remainder of the hike a mystery. George took a deep breath of the misty air that surrounded him, calming the anxiety that crept in anytime he met someone new. After a moment of peace, he continued to look around and spotted a quaint little bar off to the right before the path went out of sight. Strange, who would place a bar at the beginning of a hike? He wondered before chuckling to himself. Finn would, of course, and it is her program.

The bar was dimly lit with a crackling fire in the otherwise dark corner and the place was decorated as if it had been built in the nineteenth century, but never updated. George walked straight up to the bar and ordered an old fashioned to sip on while he waited. Thinking perhaps the synthehol would somehow help him to relax.

Mason did arrive on time, wearing comfortable gear that would be suitable for either a brisk walk, or a good work-out. He wasn't sure what to expect with this program and when he walked in, he was equally surprised to find a bar. Seemingly alone, and unaware his 'date' was already here, Mason walked into the bar. He spotted the lone figure almost instantly in the dimly lit room, which actually made him feel a little uncomfortable as it would possible hinder communication. And, to a linguist body language was almost as equally important as spoken language. "Uhm... hi..." he started as he walked up. "I'm Mason..."

"Oh, hi!" George clamored up from his chair, knocking over his drink in the process. "Ugh, I'm so sorry. I am the most clumsy person I swear." He frantically tried to clean up his mess. "Uh, I'm George. Nice to meet you!" He wiped off his hand and then stuck it out for Mason to shake.

Mason smiled as he grabbed the offered hand. "So... what were you having?" he asked, nodding over to the spill of amber liquid, "want another or were you so done with it that you decided to just knock it over." He continued to smile as he flagged over the bartender.

George blushed, embarrassed by his actions, yet he enjoyed Mason's witty response. "It was an old fashioned, and sure I'd love a fresh one before we hit the trail. At least, I assume you're still up for the hike? Truthfully I didn't expect to find a bar in here. It's Finn's program. But I thought what better place to wait and enjoy the view." He said.

"Why wouldn't I be up for a hike? And I was just as surprised as you were to be honest... I've not used one of her programs before, so far we really used mine. Or well... one of the programs I took from my prior assignment as they're training programs. But a hike is just as fun, I'm sure." He smiled brightly as George's drink was replaced with a similar one, and Mason held up a differently coloured drink. Still amber, but a different hue. "I'm more of a whisky man," he proclaimed as he sipped his drink. "As long as it isn't the real thing, I can't afford to get drunk."

"I hope it's not the real thing," George lifted his glass, eyes squinted to inspect it. "Then again you never know with Finn. It might be safer to get a water to go." He set the glass down and ordered a bottle of something that would actually hydrate them on their journey.

Mason did the same, ordering a bottle of water and tucking it in his backpack. He also got a few snacks, just in case. "So...have you hiked before? Knowing Finn, this probably won't be an easy trail."

"I've been on plenty of hiking trails, but only one or two of them have been Finn's programs. Mostly if we hike together we use my programs. You're right though, it might not be an easy trail," George gulped nervously and hoped he wasn't about to make a fool of himself. He took a deep breath and started walking towards the door. "I'm sure we'll be ok." He said, doing his best to display a confident aura.

"Why wouldn't we be? This is a holodeck and I'm pretty sure the safeties would be on." Mason cast the taller man a confident smile. "And you've seen her programs before, I haven't. So, you've got nothing to be nervous about right? It's just a hike, and it'll be perfectly safe." He gestured ahead. "Why don't you take the lead?" he suggested as he pointed towards the first trail marker. "Have you got a map, or are we blindly following markers?"

He was right, George thought, nothing to be nervous about. He had checked the safeties out before agreeing to use the program. Plus, the scenery was gorgeous and there were no dangers of ending up in small enclosed spaces on a hike out in the open. Finn would never put him in that kind of situation purposely.

"I'm just following the trail and markers. The program didn't come with a map." George smiled back at Mason as they trekked around the mountain together. "I have a tricorder though so we can track our path as we go, just in case we need a map to get back." Looking straight again, he watched his footing as he continued to speak. "I can't say I know much about you since we've just met. Mind bringing me up to speed? I've heard things from Finn, but just small parcels of information here or there."

"Oh dear..." Mason ran his fingers through his hair as he considered his answer. "What did you hear?" He paused, keeping his eyes on the trail for a moment as well. "Born and raised in Ireland, lived with my four sisters or well, my oldest sister really, until I was sixteen and decided to enlist. My oldest sister Miranda, she's raised us all you see, because my parents died when I was about five. I don't really remember them to be honest, but I'm very proud of Miranda for having done what she did. So I enlisted with her blessing, and only since a few months or so, I've been a Fleeter. Been a marine most of my career, mostly serving as radioman and at the last stretch as recon officer, in training. After my divorce, I really needed someplace new, and this came onto my path." He looked up and shrugged. "Me in a nutshell, what about you? Finn's not really told me anything about you..."

"Finn didn't say anything discriminating I promise," George chuckled as he had started to become more comfortable around Mason. "She said you were a good friend. Fun and kind. As for me, I was born and raised in Louisiana. The youngest of eight. I have four older sisters and three older brothers. My family owns a farm and I spent most of my time hiding away in a barn reading or out exploring on my own. It was a method of getting away from my siblings. I love them to death, but, well you know what it's like to have four sisters." He smiled genuinely at the fact that they already seemed to have something in common. "Anyway, I decided that I wanted to explore more and Starfleet seemed like the place to do it. I had an eye for mechanics from helping my older siblings repair equipment on the farm so I went into engineering. Maybe not the best of choices since I have a tendency to be claustrophobic. The jefferies tubes don't really agree with me if you know what I mean."

Mason nodded sympathetically. "A claustrophobic engineer," he mused, "how do you do it? Surely though, you can get jobs that won't have you crawl around in the tight spots? And what else would you do if not being an engineer? Going security for me seemed the logical way to go, with my training in recon and coordinating the teams... Though I'll always be a marine, and a linguist at heart, no matter where I'm put." He cast the man a smile. "So... no family to go home to every night then? I got my cat... my daughter lives with my ex and I talk to her occasionally. She's about fourteen or fifteen now... I feel a bit silly for not remembering."

"Oh, you have a daughter? That's lovely," George was almost a tad jealous. He knew from a young age that he wanted a family of his own one day, but luck just hadn't fully panned out in that department yet. "She must be very proud of you."

"As for the claustrophobia...I have a very gracious CEO," he chuckled. "Finn is pretty good at putting people where they excel so she generally keeps me out of the jefferies tubes. I think the only person she hasn't really found a good place for yet is Ensign Fenn. I don't know if you've met him yet, but he's somewhat of a handful." George kicked a stone out of their way on the path before continuing. "If it wasn't engineering, I'm not sure. Maybe medical? I enjoy helping people, but if I'm honest I'm not the best at making quick decisions which isn't ideal for that field."

"Oh... I met Fenn..." Mason's cheeks flushed a little at the mention of the spotted engineer, though he hoped the bright light would hide it. "Handful alright," he murmured under his breath. "As for medical surely that's a pretty broad field too? I mean I'm qualified for field medicine, same as most marines are. I'm not a nurse though, but I can do a quick patch job if needed. What about counseling then, that's helping too, right?"

"You're right, but I don't always love being around people. I'm more of an introvert. I'm not sure counseling would work. In any case, I actually love engineering. Just not the jefferies tubes," George shrugged. He kept looking back to grin at Mason. The man was handsome and George enjoyed the flow of conversation. So much so that he lost his footing and slid. His heart jumped up into his throat as the stones cascaded and then fell over the edge of the path they were on. Luckily he was able to dig his feet in just enough to stop his own momentum.

"Whoops. Told you I was the clumsiest," he nervously chuckled and wiped a worried bead of sweat that dripped down his forehead.

In a quick reflex, Mason caught his arm and pulled him back onto his feet. "That we know the safeties are on, doesn't mean you have to go and test it," he chuckled. "And feeling clumsy and being actually clumsy, are two things. This path is full of gravel and uneven stones, it's pretty easy to lose your footing." He nodded up the trail. "And it's likely only to get worse, so we better stay close to the rockface, rather than the slope. Unless you intend to go skiing instead?"

George rose to his feet with Mason's help and set back off down the trail. "I've never actually been skiing. Have you?"

"Nope. Ice cold is not my thing, sorry. We could if you really want to though but I guarantee you it'll be a tumble down the hill instead of a graceful glide." He grinned. "And we're not dressed for that," he added as he continued to follow. "Maybe I should walk up front, so I can catch you properly when you decide to take another tumble?"

"Ha, ha," George sarcastically responded. "Let's just hope I don't take another tumble. Though you're welcome to take the lead if you...." His voice trailed off as they rounded the corner. It was as if blinders were removed to reveal the most stunning canyon. Water flowed from one pool to another over mossy rocks and disappeared into the distance. Harnesses, helmets, and rope were laid out on a rock a few paces in front of them.

"It looks like we have two options. We can canyon down to the bottom," George pointed to the equipment on the rock. "Or we can cross the canyon and continue on this trail. Which way would you prefer?"

Mason went white at the sight of the climbing gear. Despite his brashness at catching his companion priorly, he was now clearly staying away from the edge. "I ummm.." he hesitated, did he really want to spill his fears on a first get together? Then again, honesty was always best, wasn't it? "I don't like heights," he confessed with an uncomfortable smile.

"Well, I guess we make quite the team then if you're afraid of heights and I don't like enclosed spaces. I can help you down the canyon if you want, but we can just continue down the trail if you don't feel up to it. Your choice," George said with a soft and kind smile. He understood fear and the desire to both want to work through it and avoid it at the same time and wouldn't be disappointed either way, as much as the canyon might have looked enticing.

"Nuh-uh!" Mason shook his head. "No, not happening. I'm not going down that cliff." The fear -and shame of said fear- was visible in his eyes. "No, let's go down the trail. I'm sure we'll be forced to do something else together somewhere down the road... build a raft or somesuch... and I'll happily build rafts, but no abseiling." He grabbed George's hand and quickly pulled him away from the climbing gear. "Let's go."

"If you're sure," George stifled a chuckle as they fleed the scene. A feeling of warmth filled his body as Mason grabbed his hand. He wasn't just becoming more relaxed in his company. No, it was more than that. He was truly enjoying Mason's company.

The trail continued to wind through the mountain on a downward slope. An opening appeared some ways down giving them a view of an alluring valley covered in grass and flowers. "This looks like a good spot for a break and a snack. What do you think?" George asked, pointing towards a flat-topped rock that seemed the perfect spot to sit.

"Good thing we brought snacks," Mason grinned as he hopped up onto the rock. He pulled up his shirt a fraction to wipe his brow. "Funny how looking out like this gives no issues. The view is just gorgeous, wherever this is supposed to be."

"I'll have to ask Finn what the location is based on." George sat down his pack and ran his fingers through the tousled hair on top of his head. "It is beautiful."
With a satisfied sigh, he reached into his pack and pulled out a small amber bottle. "I may have snuck out a sampling of whisky also," he grinned.

"Not a good idea in this heat," Mason advised, "better drink water, or something with electrolytes in it. But water's probably still best as that'll keep longer." He pulled out his water bottle and took a few swigs. "Want one of these?" he asked, offering one of a handful of what appeared to be dry sausage.

"Sure," he accepted the snack from Mason. "And a small drink wouldn't hurt. It's synthehol, I checked. Besides, we can still drink water with it and if you're really concerned, we can have the computer program a few electrolytes into it." George smiled and poured two small glasses before taking a seat on the rock. "Join me?" He held up his drink and placed his hand next to him, indicating that the spot was open for the taking.

"That's cheating, asking the computer to change anything," Mason objected before shifting closer to George. "If it's really synthehol, I'll have one. "So....how long have you been in Starfleet for?"

George handed him the drink with a genuine and trusting expression. "It's really synthehol, I promise, but I won't be offended if you decide to stick with your water either." He looked out over the valley as he munched. "I've been in Starfleet for two years unless you count the academy. You?"

"If we're counting the Corps, about thirteen.. if we're not, then maybe a year? I enlisted when I was sixteen, and I've only switched to Starfleet service maybe a year ago or so... maybe even less. I've kind of lost track I suppose. After I got divorced, I honestly couldn't stay on that ship anymore, too many memories and all. I was married for about seven years." He looked sideways as he carefully sipped the amber liquid, taking the other's word for it. "Have you been married before? or uhm... long term involved? Or involved at all? Like, now?" He blushed slightly, realizing those were extremely personal questions. With that realization, he looked away, finding a sudden interest in his drink.

"I haven't been married. I have to admit, I'm somewhat jealous that you were and that you have a daughter. I've always wanted a family of my own," George's expression took a slightly solemn turn as he reminisced about the past. "Anyway, yes, I've had a couple of long term relationships. I was in a four year relationship with Evan, a guy from my hometown. We decided that it was best for us to just remain friends before I left for the academy. His dream was always to start his own farm back in Louisiana. He's happily married now with his first child on the way." George looked to Mason with a mixed face of emotions. "I do wonder sometimes what life would have been like had I stayed, but I'm very happy for Evan and his family now. It took me a while to get over that relationship.
I'm afraid I'm not one that easily moves on, but in my second year of the academy, I met a woman that was entirely captivating. We dated for two years until I realized that it would never work. Our relationship was entirely physical and nothing more ever came of it. I broke it off before my senior year and I haven't been in a serious relationship since."

"Adopted daughter.. I'd love a family of my own some day though," Mason mused as he listened. "I've not been in a relationship since my divorce though..." He hesitated, not wanting to ruin anything. "I had feelings for someone, but..." Mason sighed softly, "that's not going to work I'm afraid. He keeps saying he's likes girls." He shrugged. "I'm just wired 'wrong' I guess?"

"Wired wrong?" George's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean by that? And it sounds like it's his loss. You seem pretty great to me, regardless of gender."

Mason gave him an almost stunned look, before smiling awkwardly. "George...I'm gay. I've never been with a woman, never had eyes for women either. So...I'm not into women, but I don't want you to feel uncomfortable either. My experience is that as soon as any guy I'm with for whatever reason that particular moment, the moment they find out, the mood changes. Like they're afraid I'm going to jump them or something, I don't know. But that's not who I am..." He took another sip from his drink and stared out into the distance. "It took me a very long time to properly woe my ex, though I'll spare you the details. Maybe I'm too patient..."

"I knew you were into men. Finn told me that much, but I guess I'm surprised that you've had such experiences. I've been with a man and a woman, and truthfully, my relationship with Evan was the better of the two of them. Even so, I never received such negative reactions from others. I'm sorry you've experienced that," George's voice was soft and empathetic. He moved closer, his leg now almost touching Mason's. "And I'm not afraid that you're going to jump me. Though I might not try to stop you if you did," he chuckled, lightening the mood.

"I won't," Mason promised, "but it's good to know. It took me a long enough time to accept myself, and an even longer time for others to accept me as me. But I'm easier now in saying that their problem isn't exactly my problem." His gaze was drawn to their almost touching legs. "If I'm going to.. do.. anything.." He paused, glancing sideways. "I don't do just once, I want thinks to mean something, you know?"

"I understand. I was really just joking. I don't usually do just once either, though it has happened. Once, at the academy. It was a mistake, but I try to just learn from my mistakes and not linger over them. It was a good learning lesson." He shrugged and then slowly hopped up from their rock. "I think I'm ready to keep going. Are you?" He asked, extending a hand to his newfound friend.

"Yeah...I made such a mistake too," Mason admitted absently as he took the offered hand. "Thanks." He jumped off the rock as well and stuffed his bottle back into his bag. "We should take care not to sit down too often, you might not want to get up. So, down the trail then?" He peered down the track as the rounded a corner. "Looks like we'll have to cross the water there," he said as he pointed ahead.

"You can't change the past, all you can do is move forward," George offered a caring grin as he helped Mason up. Then he looked towards the river below. "Good thing we're not afraid of water, eh?"

"Water's just extremely diluted mud," Mason grinned back, "we can wade through, or we can raft across, probably. Or we can build a dam... build a bridge... plenty of options there. So.. when not hiking with a total stranger, what do you do for fun?"

"I work out and I play the piano. Sometimes I'll help Finn with some engineering side projects and I have a holodeck project of my own as well. I also enjoy cooking, which is somewhat of a lost art I find, but it's enjoyable. What about you?" He asked.

"I play baseball. Or used to any way, now it's only for fun. I'm not allowed to do it too much at the moment because of a persisting shoulder injury. I also like to paint and uhm... I like to make clothes." He blushed scarlet at that admission, as it wasn't something a great many people knew about him, and it wasn't a very manly thing to do, was it? "I can cook, I mean... I can get by with not burning my food. I'm not chef material, but I can survive without a replicator if I need to."

"You make clothes? That's fascinating! You'll have to show me some of the pieces you've made some time. I would love to see them," George looked enthusiastically at Mason. It wasn't often that he ran into someone with such a unique hobby and he enjoyed seeing other's forms of art so to speak. "Maybe if we survive this last leg of the hike, we can get together again sometime. I'll cook dinner and you can show me some of your talents...uh, I mean, your art and the clothes you've made." His face turned a slight shade of red.

"Then I'd have to rush to make some," Mason murmured, "I don't have any here yet. I gave them all to Alex, to give away to charity when he got to Mars. And some, my daughter wanted to keep to play with. But I'm happy to show you, some time..." He looked up and smiled. "I suppose they are talents," he agreed, also realizing that this man's happiness was contagious, and he was, actually, very cute! Especially when he blushed. He stopped as they came at the trail's end, where they needed to cross the water. "Well, that's a let down," he complained as he pointed at the small dam and the stepstones that were laid out in a safe path across the stream.

George looked down into the water and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?" He asked, picking up a stone and throwing it into the water. Ripples grew moments later, revealing a creature slithering through the depths of the stream. "I wonder how friendly that is."

"So we run?" Mason looked up at his companion, "or would you like to hunt it and have it for dinner?" He took a tentative step onto the first stone, then judged the distance to the second and jumped over. "Perhaps it'll stay there, as long as we don't touch or disturb the water?"

The creature, now clearly observable as an alligator, rapidly swam to the top of the water headed in Mason's direction. Without a second thought, which was unusual, George jumped into the water and threw his arms around the reptile. His arms clung tightly as the gator began to spin, attempting to throw him off, but this wasn't George's first river rodeo. Having grown up around the swamps of Louisiana, he had met with his fair share of water monsters.

As soon as the alligator took a momentary pause, his hands clasped around its mouth and there was a second of relief. He looked to Mason, the muscles in his arms taut as he struggled to hold the alligator still. "Look in my pack, there's a roll of duct tape," he shrugged his head over to the shore where his bag lay. "Bring it over once you find it."

Stunned at the rapid reaction, Mason could only nod. He jumped back to shore and rummaged around the pack. "Why on earth are you carrying duct tape?" he wondered out loud, while holding up the roll, "you weren't.. going to do anything were you?" The latter was in obvious jest as he came back. "So... I take it you want me to tape its mouth shut? And then what? Let it go, or is it dinner?"

George let out a deep belly laugh and his southern accent which wasn't normally apparent came through as he spoke. "Any self-respecting Louisiana country boy carries duct tape on a hike. I wasn't planning to use it on a gator," he chuckled. "I wasn't necessarily planning to use it at all, but I thought it best to expect the unexpected when using Finn's program."

"As for dinner," he paused, adjusting his grip. "I can actually cook gator. Have you had it before? It's pretty good. Though, I had planned to let this one go."

"Then we'll let it go," Mason decided, "and you do need to tell me why you would carry tape at any and all times." There was the embarrassed smile again, knowing why he had laughed so hard. "I did think, and only for a moment I promise, that you were gonna use it on me." He smiled. "But only for like, this much of a moment," he added, holding up his thumb and index finger, firmly pressed together. "And no, I've never had gator before, how do you cook a gator? Maybe, show me...some other time?"

"Any time," George smiled as Mason finished duct taping the mouth. A look of mischief grew on his face that only one paying the closest of attention would even notice. George flipped the gator to the side and let its tail splash a large amount of water onto Mason. Laughing, George pulled him all the way into the water.

Mason squealed, flailing his arms as he was suddenly pulled off balance, after being engulfed by the tail's splash. "W-what was that?" he sputtered, reaching to wipe his hair from his eyes as he got back to his feet. He heard the laughter and he turned, coming face to face with George. "You're pretty brave, fighting that thing like that," he offered, "and pretty strong..."

"I did say I like to work out," he grinned and threw another small splash Mason's way. "And it takes a lot less bravery to do something you've done before. I've seen a lot of those creatures back home. I've been attacked by one before and I saved my sister once when a gator caught her off guard. Normally though, they won't bother you." George looked at Mason, drenched in water. His wet clothes embraced the lines of his body and George wasn't disappointed in what he saw. He wanted to see more but withheld his desires. Moving too fast on a first date wasn't a very gentlemanly move and at this point he wanted only to make the best impressions on Mason.

"So... how do I not bother them so they won't bother me?" He sized the other man up, all within the short distance they were from each other. He reached up and ran his fingers through George's hair. "There's a twig..." he murmured, as if to explain what he was doing. "And that's three saves now then, I guess?"

"Oh the twig counts as a save now?" George softly chuckled as he gazed into Mason's eyes. His lips moved ever so slowly forward until finally, against every urge in his body, George pulled back. There was a pause as he thought about everything that had occurred that day and what Mason had shared. He didn't want to move too quickly, but he didn't want Mason to get mixed signals or think that he wasn't interested either. It would be a real shame to lose something special because I didn't commit to it, he thought, and in one swift motion he turned back to face the security chief. His hand embraced Mason's cheek and pulled him into a passionate embrace.

Almost as quickly as it started, George broke away. "I'm sorry, I don't normally move this quickly, but I wanted to make sure you knew. That I'm...that I like you. I've really enjoyed your company today. And I'm hoping we can hang out again." The words sort of tumbled from his rosy mouth as he tried to express how he felt.

"I'm meant you," Mason breathed, "your saves..." There was confusion in his eyes as he watched the other man. He'd seen the hesitation and then the following move had caught him by surprise. And then the quick moving away again. "We can," he answered breathlessly, moving quickly now. Before George could speak again, Mason quickly blocked the flow of words with a quick kiss.

George took a deep breath. Hips lips forming the largest grin he could manage. "Well, Mason, I've had an absolutely phenomenal time, but I think we'd better head out and dry off. I can walk you to your quarters and maybe we can think about a date to meet up again along the way."

Slowly, Mason nodded, still feeling a little breathless. "We could cross the stream and lay out our clothes in the sun or we can simply ask the computer for a change," he suggested. "I live in the barracks, they're currently unused as this ship doesn't carry marines, but it's home to me and thankfully, the high-ups have allowed me to live there. I hope you don't mind cats?" The words came out in a tumble, as if he wasn't able to properly form a sentence. "Sorry, I'm rambling..."

"Computer, some dry clothes please." He commanded, unsure of himself if they had taken their clothes off to lay in the sun. Acting on impulse was never George's status quo and as such it was safer to change quickly.

"I love cats by the way," he answered Mason's previous question as the clothes appeared. George quickly removed his wet garments revealing the muscular, well built body that he worked hard to maintain in the gym. "How many cats do you have?"

"Just one, and he's a handful. He's one of the litter we had from my ex's cat." Mason politely turned away, though he had no qualms about stripping himself. Such was marine life when sometimes you didn't have the luxury of privacy. When he felt both were dressed again, he turned back. "His name is Merlin. Do you have pets?"

"I recently acquired a puppy, during our last shore leave. He's a bit of a mess, but I love him. Shall we?" George motioned towards the exit.

"Dogs need a lot of attention, and training. Cats just do their own thing and don't need a lot of looking after." Mason followed. "Computer, save and end program."

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