Mess around and find out what happens - Part 2

Posted on Tue Oct 29th, 2024 @ 12:26pm by Lieutenant JG Malcolm Beckett M.D. & Lieutenant Eirly Andersen & Lieutenant JG Kasper Andersen M.D

1,573 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Shore Leave & Ship Repairs
Location: Deck 7 - Astrea Cafe
Timeline: MD4 - Afternoon

It had taken Kasper a bit more than ten minutes to get himself presentable and shake off the hangover feeling. There wasn't enough coffee in the world to help with what had gone on half an hour ago, but he was hoping that Eirly would be able to make sense and offer him some sage advice like she always did. Hells, even if she brought Malcolm with her, he wouldn't have said no to any advice from him.

Sitting at one of the tables at the Astrea Cafe where they'd agreed to meet, Kasper had ordered himself a double shot espresso and had just received it when Eirly and Malcolm (of course he was there) came walking up. He gave them both a close-lipped smile that didn't reach his eyes like it normally did and didn't even stand up as they approached. Looking at both of them he said, "Look, I'm sorry if I interrupted your busy schedules and important work, but I think I messed things up royally and needed to talk to someone about it."

Eirly gave him a soft smile as she picked up one of the little menus to look at the hot drinks, "I promise you're not interrupting anything, we were just, um," She looked to Malcolm for some idea of what they were doing that could be explained away easily enough.

"It's shore leave. Ship's empty. Sickbay is dead, but if you want this to just be a sibling thing, I can run off and read a book or something," Malcolm said.

Kasper shrugged in reply, "I don't mind if you stay, I figured you and my sister would be inseparable since getting together, so I'd be an idiot to think that she wouldn't have brought you here too. Plus, it would be good to get advice from a guys perspective too."

Eirly had gotten up to go and get both her and Malcolm a coffee each, hers sweeter than his, and had returned to the table, brushing her hand along his shoulders as she walked past him before sitting back down, "So what's happened that you want to talk about?"

Kasper sat up straighter ad leaned forward with his elbows on the table, inhaling and letting out a deep breath, "So. You know how we all went out last night and had a good time, having drinks and food and whatnot? Well, after everything ended for the night and everyone went their separate ways for the night, Charlotte and I may have hung out for the rest of the night, eventually getting back home around 0430 this morning."

Eirly raised an eyebrow at what her brother was saying, "We did notice that you two were basically all over each other last night without any regards to anyone else in the room, but I figured that was just you being your typical charming self. What happened with her?"

"Now, I didnae say that," Malcolm corrected.

"Not just us, everyone who was paying attention, I meant," Eirly shot back with a grin.

"Well," Kasper reached up and scratched the back of his head in a sheepish way, "We ended up going dancing at a club, got really close and I swear I had to stop myself from doing anything there and then," He felt the incoming glare from Eirly, "Not like that. Anyway, we ended up eventually getting out of the club, getting a couple of bottles of wine, and spending a bit of time at the carousel drinking it all. Getting to know each other, learning things, we did it all. Then she decided to try and take off, urging me to try and chase after her, I caught up to her, and then she kissed me." He swallowed, throat feeling dry, "And I had no hesitation whatsoever in kissing her back."

Eirly was silent for a long moment, pausing briefly only to accept the coffees from the waiter before she finally decided to speak to her brother. "I always knew you were an idiot, but I didn't think you'd go this far." She held an angry and disappointed tone toward him but then held a softer one for Malcolm, "What do you think?"

"I think there's more to the story still," Malcolm said. "And I'm a bit at a disadvantage. I don't know anything about the situation with lass he's been seeing on the other ship. What is the agreement there?"

Not exactly sidestepping the question but eventually coming around to it, Kasper replied, "Kaia is a xenobiologist/xenobotanist with the Science department. We'd been dating for about two months when I requested the transfer, and because we were going so good she agreed that she just wanted to finish up on the experiments she was overseeing before she requested a transfer to the Astrea as well." He took another deep breath in and out and added, "When we were together, everything felt great. But then I was with Charlotte, we kissed and it felt like the entire world was electric and there was no one else in it except for her and I. We fit together. So I called Kaia and told her what happened."

He sipped on the remainder of the coffee, "Kaia had already been wanting to break it off with me because, and I quote, she 'was warned against dating me by numerous people' and 'not having someone in her life that's known to cause issues, like myself, is required for her to achieve her goals'. Which actually really hurt. And now I don't know how I'm meant to feel." Anyone who was listening would be able to tell he was sincere, sad and hurting.

Eirly simply folded her arms and leaned back in the chair, "You should feel ashamed of what you've done. If she didn't dump your ass for that, then she's just as stupid as you are. And what about poor Charlotte in all of this? Did you even stop to think in that tiny little brain of yours of how she's going to react to finding out that you're someone who's got no good intentions at all and took advantage of a drunken kiss? Or how it's going to affect your working together?"

"You'll probably never know if she really was planning on ending it. Though I suppose it dudnae really matter at this point. Sounds like maybe you aren't ready to settle down," Malcolm said.

Eirly leaned forward, making sure there was nothing to interrupt her movements, and smacked her brother upside the head, "You're an idiot. Plain and simple. What are you going to say to her then, have you thought about that?" She then leaned back and narrowed her eyes at him, "Far would be so disappointed to see how you've turned out."

Kasper shook his head after he rubbed it from the smack, "I don't think I'm ready to settle down just yet, unlike the look of you two, but what do I do? How do I tell Charlotte without breaking her heart? Do I just go up to her and say 'Hey, guess what. I had a really fun night with you, and I kissed you back, but I totally forgot that I had a girlfriend, and I cheated on her with you'? But wait, isn't that what Abby did to you when she cheated on you with the first guy? And the second?"

He then looked between his sister and Malcolm, his face forming into a grin and he turned his attention more to Malcolm, "She didn't tell you that, did she?"

Malcolm looked at the grin on Kasper's face and then at Eirly. He had a few things he would have liked to have said to Kasper right then, but the last thing he needed was Eirly angry with him for insulting her brother.

"You know, I hardly doubt she's that into you after one night that you'll be breakin' any hearts. Best she be allowed to dodge that bullet now. And I dunnae ken what you're smiling about right now, but I hope it's not because you think disrespecting your sister is funny, because I'd have few words to say about that if you did."

Eirly was already holding Malcolm's hand just because, but now she squeezed it a little more because he truly was an amazing man. The past relationships conversation would be a topic later on, just not now. Right now, even though she was angry at Kasper, Eirly simply said, "Malcolm's right: she should be allowed to dodge that bullet if she wants. All I'm going to say on this is that Charlotte is a great person so do the right thing by her and tell her the truth of what happened and see what she says. I love you, I really do, but I'm not going to sit here and be insulted by you about things that weren't in my control either."

Malcolm looked over at Eirly. "You ready to go then?" He asked, already shifting his weight to stand up.

Eirly nodded and stood up, and Malcolm followed suit, "Yep, I'm ready whenever you are." She then looked to Kasper, "You came to us for advice, you've got the advice, but you're going to have to sort this out yourself. Sorry Kas."

With that parting comment, she was ready to go and leave Kasper to sort things out by himself.

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