Just A Taste

Posted on Fri May 24th, 2024 @ 6:23am by Private 1st Class Cedrik Feng & Ensign Mika Petrova

Mission: S1 Episode 8: Resolutions
Location: Gamma Eridine II
Timeline: Date 2371-11-22 at 1620
5556 words - 11.1 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

The crunching of vegetables was steady and practiced as Mika brought down the large knife over and over again, rapid and even. If there was anything her mother wanted her to know, it seemed, it was how to make her way around the kitchen. While Andrei had been in the yard getting beat up by muscle-bound adults, she was chopping carrots. It was the way of things, she supposed.

She stood in the colony’s rather generous kitchen preparing food for dinner that evening. Her mother had been working with her, but looked tired, so Mika told her she could handle the prep and cooking herself. The room was quiet, and it was the perfect time to reflect. She started to hum a tune absent-minded, and moved the carrots into a bowl.

A tall figure stepped through the archway into the kitchen shouldering a box which he carried with ease. Like the others, Cedrik had found the news of their damnation to this planet to be devastating, but he seemed like he had accepted it quickly. Really, what choice did they have but to accept it? His dark eyes found Mika at the counter and he smiled slightly to himself; he took a moment to just watch her moving around the kitchen and listened to the tune she hummed. He didn’t want to take her out of her reverie, but he also didn’t want to startle her if he could help it.

“Hey, Mika. Commander Petrova sent me with some extra ingredients for you.”

He put the box down on the counter away from the immediate area she was prepping in; he knew better than to interfere with a cook’s space when they were in the kitchen.

Despite his attempt at being subtle, Mika startled when he spoke and turned around suddenly, the knife in her hand changing purposes in an instant. For a girl who was generally so gentle and aloof, it was a shocking thing to see. When she saw who it was, however, her defensiveness melted away and the worry in her eyes transformed into an obviously attracted, almost flirtatious smile. She turned around and continued chopping.

She was hardly dressed for presentation as she had traveled from her shower to the kitchen without expecting to encounter a man. She wore black leggings which were a bit too small for her, resulting in an obvious panty line on her fit bottom, a gray tank top which obviously didn’t have a bra underneath, and a pair of fuzzy pink slippers. Her long brown hair was up in a particularly messy bun and she had no makeup on. She had turned to hide as much as she had to continue her work.

“Didn’t she tell you to call her by her first name now?” She asked, an expression of uncertainty rather than challenge on her face. “I mean, she’s not really a Commander anymore, right?”

“Ah, probably, but old habits are hard to break, I guess?” He reached up and rubbed the back of his head while his eyes moved over her body out of reflex than active intent of looking. She was beautiful, but he had been taught to be respectful of women and that as a man, he wasn’t some base animal that simply couldn’t control himself if he saw a pantyline or exposed cleavage. Really he found the disheveled look rather cute.

“What are you making?”

He opened the box and looked inside, starting to pull out whatever was in there in hopes that he was being helpful to her.

“Beef stroganoff with a Bolian orange pepper. It’s their mildest one and gives it a bit of a kick.” She said, her brown eyes still focused on the knife and the onion she had just pulled over to the cutting board. “Some roasted vegetables too. Oh, and for dessert,” she said with a sudden smile and obvious excitement , “New York Cheesecake with a chocolate drizzle. I’m hoping it might distract people just a bit from..reality.”

She looked at him, her smile faltering as she watched him unload the box.

“Sorry, I didn’t change into something else because I didn’t think anyone else would be here.” She said, pausing her chopping and watching his eyes. She was analytical in her gazing, like she was searching his mind for him. “I can go put something on if you’d like.”

“Why would you need to do that?” He asked and looked at her again, his gaze settling on her face alone. “If you’re comfortable in it, wear what you are comfortable in while you’re cooking. Doesn’t make any difference to me.” He smiled, charming but with a slightly sheepish quality to it.

“I think you look cute, honestly.”

Mika smiled shyly, and immediately turned slightly red from blushing. She looked into his eyes for a moment, then at his chest, then back to the onion. The fumes were starting to affect her eyes and she needed to finish cutting them before it got too bad.

“I look like I just rolled out of bed.” She said, beginning to steadily chop again with the same shy grin. “But you’re better at telling lies than I thought.”

“Now why would you think I’m lying to you?” He chuckled and stepped into the kitchen to approach her a bit more directly. “A lot of men like that look; it is cute. I’m one of them.”

She blushed continually, looking up at him and pausing in her slicing.

“You’re really sweet.” She said in a gentle voice. Their relationship, or whatever it was, had been chaste and about as innocent as it could be. They’d done little more than hold hands, but the attraction between them was fairly obvious. “If the look you’re talking about is wearing see-through clothing, though, I'm not sure if ‘cute’ is the right word.”

“Sure it is.” He smirked teasingly, the expression having a bit of edge under all his youthful charm. His eyes briefly moved down again while she was distracted chopping, but went back up again; he wasn’t perfect after all.

“Need help with anything? Open a jar? Reach something high?”

She finished the onion she was on and reached for another one, her mind moving silently as she manipulated the knife again.

“You can handle the meat if you want.” she said, cutting into the white flesh of the onion and then moving quickly over the surface. She realized she had no idea of Cedrik, a Lord’s son, knew anything at all about cooking. “Do you know how to do that?”

“Uhh… maybe? What do you want me to do with it?” He asked, seeming uncertain but at the very least willing to try and figure it out.

Mika smiled and put her own knife down. Walking to the sink, she quickly washed her hands and then walked over to him, her arms flirting, every few seconds, with covering her chest. She reminded herslef that Cedrik was comfortable, and continued to try and lean into the part of her that really wanted him to look. She moved in front of him and pulled out another knife and cutting board. Sliding one of the beef sirloins from the pile she had gathered, she started slicing slowly to show him.

“Cut these steaks across the grain into two inch thick slices. It’s easy, and it’s okay if you go slow.” she said, finishing that particular steak and pushing it onto the counter, starting another pile. “After that, you can cut the slices down the middle together to make the chunks more manageable for people to eat. Don’t cut those fingers, okay? I can heal you, but we don’t want blood in our supper, hmm?”

Her tone and her confidence were suddenly more her mother than the Mika Cedrik knew. She was friendly, but the overt warmth was replaced by a curtness and willingness to give orders which she rarely felt. She noticed this as she finished the sirloin she had started and didn’t quite know how she should feel about it.

“Yeah sure. I can cut no problem.” Cedrik said and stepped over to the sink to wash his own hands before returning and picking up the knife where she had left it. He shifted the steak on the cutting board and began to cut into it with practiced skill. It seemed at the very least he was familiar with the art of butchering meat.

“So how have you been settling in?”

“Well, that depends on what you mean.” She said, turning back to her work with the vegetables. “When I’m awake, I’m normally in the lab continuing our research. Ilan and the other girls put in some time, but I’ve definitely been the most intense about it. Other than that, I’ve been…sleeping a few hours.”

Her wardrobe was obviously slipping as her mind was increasingly occupied with finding a cure. She hadn’t been deterred by the fleet leaving and, if anything, it had just made her more single minded.

“My mother had to make me come here and cook.”

“She’s smart to do that,” he said while he continued to chop up the steak. “My father always cautioned against spending too much time on one particular problem. You become blind to things around and so consumed in the problem being a problem that you forget you’re looking for a solution all together.”

“What does that mean exactly?” Mika asked with a skeptical tone. She moved over to a large skillet which sat on the stove and fired it up, then moved to gather her pre-portioned ingredients in. “Are you saying it isn’t good to work hard? This is serious, Cedrik. Our lives could depend on our research.”

Cedrik paused his cutting just a moment and frowned as he considered how she was drawing that conclusion. “That isn’t what I’m saying at all. I’m a - well I was a part of Shadow Squad. I know what hard work is and enjoy it. What I’m saying is that if hard work and focusing on one problem is all you do, you’ll become so obsessed with it and the problem will become so much a part of you that you’ll never solve it. It is good to work hard, but it is good to take breaks - ones that you choose to take for yourself so you don’t lose yourself in the work.”

“I don’t remember you taking too many breaks.” she said, her tone still more neutral than was typical for her. Anyone with half a brain could tell she was tired and that the entire ordeal had honestly taken a lot out of her. Still, she pressed a strained smile and looked over at her romantic interest. “But I think I see what you mean. I just feel like I should be doing everything I can to help around here. I’m the doctor, and while we’ve got a talented medic in you and a nurse in Riley, this is still a medical issue. I..I feel responsible to do something. And taking breaks feels really selfish.”

“It isn’t selfish to take care of yourself, Mika.” Cedrik insisted gently. “You take care of others more effectively when you take breaks. I didn’t take too many breaks, you’re right, but I did use my free time to focus on anything but work - and I always got a full night’s sleep, not just a few hours. If you drive yourself into the ground with this you’ll start making mistakes. You don’t want that, nobody does.”

Mika didn’t respond right away, but instead added mushrooms, garlic butter, and the onions she had just chopped into the skillet. She stirred the mixture a few times in silence as her brows furrowed and she focused on what Cedrik had said. She wanted to push back and insist that she should be able to take the pressure and get her work done, but she knew exactly how she would have responded to that if someone had said it to her in sickbay. She sighed and then looked at him.

“None of this is fair, Cedrik.” she said, any coolness in her tone was gone, though she still directed her attention to the skillet in front of her. “I don’t want to stay here forever. I want to go home, and I miss my brother.”

“Mika…” he began softly and stepped closer to her. His large, strong hands found her sides and rested there gently while he looked down into her eyes. “None of us want to be here, we all want to go home. I’m glad you are still working on a cure and that people are helping you, but I’m concerned you aren’t taking care of yourself.”

He moved one hand from her side and instead placed it gently on her cheek. “I want you to promise me you’ll be more mindful of taking those needed breaks and especially making sure you get a proper amount of sleep.”

Mika resisted turning to him at first, as insistent as she typically was on the innate private nature of her feelings, but her desire for comfort won out and she shifted her body to him, listening to him with sad brown eyes. She buried her head in his chest and wrapped her arms around his middle, hugging him tightly. His was the most comforting presence she’d had recently. Her father was working just as hard a she was, but on making their new home as indylic as possible, and her mother was doing the same. But having Cedrik give her some attention now, touch her, and tell her what he thought she should do was very calming. She stayed in the embrace for a long time, and didn’t say anything.

When she pressed herself into him, Cedrik had to concentrate very hard to not allow himself to focus too intently on the feeling. She was warm and soft and the way she leaned into him thrilled him in a way that was more than just base in its enjoyment. He adjusted his arms, wrapping them around her and holding her close while one bent up to gently stroke the top of her head to comfort her. “I’m right here.”

Mika sighed and smiled, her hands spreading to feel the hard muscles of his back. She enjoyed his strength as much as she enjoyed his gentleness, and being close to him was a welcome change of pace in her day. She found herself leaning in more, trying to get as much physical contact as she possibly could, even to the point of being insistent as her his found his body as well. She really liked his touch.

“I know.” she said simply, warmly, as she held firm in his embrace.

Cedrik knew he couldn’t hold the embrace for much longer without certain parts of him staring to react a certain way; he may not have salivated over every woman and showed them respect, but he was still a young man at the end of the day. He gave her a firm but gentle squeeze and then moved his hands to her shoulders so he could disengage their bodies and get a few inches of distance at least.

“I think your stuff might be burning in there though.” He nodded toward the pot.

She immediately let go and went to the stove, grabbing the wooden spoon she was using and stirring quickly.

“It’s fine. There’s nothing to worry about.” She said, smiling and reaching for the Bolian pepper she talked about earlier. Looking at him, she licked her lips. “So, what are your plans for the future then, now that we’re stuck here?”

Though he missed the feel of her body against him immediately, he knew it was for the best. He stepped back and leaned on the counter behind her while crossing his large arms over his equally broad chest. Cedrik wasn’t quite as big as Andrei, but he was a exemplary specimen of a Terran male. “Well, I want to help Captain Petrov make this place as comfortable as possible and then maybe do some exploring.” He paused and added slowly, “Maybe you’d like to come with me.”

His answer had centered on immediate concerns. She wondered if it was completely genuine or if he simply lacked the habit of overthinking that she did.

“I’d like that, yes.” She said with a smile. “But what about more distant than the next few weeks? I know it’s hard to plan the unknown like that, but..”

“Oh I didn’t mean right now.” He assured her with an easy smile. “There’s too much to be done around here, and I know you’re also going to be trying to find a schedule that works for you with what you are working on. Though who knows, maybe exploring some might help you find some answers.”

She frowned, feeling silly and now worrying too much about what he might think about her to push it even further. He obviously hadn’t put any thought into their future together, if they had one, and was living his life one day at a time. That was Cedric. She forced a smile as she dumped the contents of her pot into a separate pot and returned it to the burner.

“Oh, yeah, you’re probably right. Who knows what I’ll find out there in the wild.” She said, trying not to seem upset. It wasn’t fair for her to be upset, she knew. Her tone was off, and she was trailing off at the end of her sentences now. “Just let me know when you’re planning on going and I’ll make myself available. You’re right about it being a good opportunity.”

Cedrik frowned immediately as her tone and demeanor had changed, but he had no idea why. Did she not want to go with him? He lowered his arms from his chest and looked at her, concerned. “What’s wrong? What did I say?”

“Nothing.” She said, unconvincing as she moved over to him and took the steak he had already cut. She really needed the rest of it now, but she wasn’t in any mental state to even think about it. She put it into the skillet to the sudden sizzle that came with laying meat on something hot. “You didn’t say anything. I’d be happy to go with you, like I said.”

She went silent again, distracted and distraught. Her feelings were so present to her she couldn’t escape them, and she was irritated about that fact on top of it.

Cedrik turned and made quick work of the last bit of steak, bringing it over to her and setting it down next to the pan. He was frustrated, but was doing his best to remain calm and collected. “Mika, I can tell I’ve upset you somehow. Don’t lie to my face and say it’s nothing.”

The strong approach generally worked with her, but this time it wasn’t happening. She wasn’t angry with him, she was afraid. And she knew she had made some mistake by being upset in the first place, even if she hadn’t decided to do it actively. His frustration was immediately obvious to her as she took the rest of the meat and put it into the pot. If she told him how she felt, she was concerned it would only make things awkward, or worse, make him even more upset.

“I’m sorry.” She said. But that was all she said, meek and small as she roasted the steak.

“I don’t want you to be sorry, I just want you to tell me what’s wrong.” He said and touched her back gently. “I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me.”

“Maybe it’s not your job to fix.” She said, looking over at him for a second and avoiding eye contact. “You’re a man and you know what you want. I don’t want to put any pressure on you. There’s no reason to do this now.”

“Pressure? What are you talking about?” He asked and let his hand drop from her back since it seemed she had stopped reacting to it. Did she expect him to read her mind? Why were so many women like this?

She was starting to feel like she had no choice but to talk about it; Cedrik wasn’t going to let her drop it. She took a deep breath and looked at her searing meat with a worried expression.

“Ever since we woke up, some of the guys have been spending extra time with me, doing nice things to help me, and giving me compliments. I think they’re starting to realize that life on this planet has drastically reduced their dating prospects. I can tell the only reason they haven’t been trying even harder is because they know we’re dating.”

She paused and looked at him then, her pretty face frowning.

“I’m asking about the future, Cedrik. Have you even taken a second to think about the future? Or does it not matter to you?”

Cedrik took a few beats to figure out exactly what she was getting at and then frowned himself. “Of course the future matters to me, but I’m not trying to smother you. You’ve been busy with your research; at least I thought so.”

He looked away from her and out of the window as if he were trying to conjure the images of who was being extra “helpful” to her, but she wasn’t blameless in that. She could have told them no thank you and he was mildly hurt and annoyed she hadn’t. He’d done his best to be good to her with what little time they were able to spend with each other, but maybe he was foolish to think she would be happy with what that was.

“Yes, I have been busy.” She said, confirming his words. She left the meat for a second and walked close to him. She didn’t reach out and touch him, but she was close enough to. “But not too busy for you.”

Without any hesitation, he reached out and placed a hand on her side while looking down into her eyes. “Well then I’ll keep that in mind and be around more; I just didn’t want to be in your way. What you are doing is important; if I could help you with it I would.”

He reached up with his other hand to brush a few stray hairs back behind her ear. “You’re very beautiful you know.”

None of it was an answer to her question, but she found she cared less now than before as the expression of concern on her face broke into a smile. She demurred, looking down with a bashful shyness before looking back up at him again. Her hands found his hips gently.

“And you are sweet.” She said, “And you don’t look so bad yourself.”

Cedrik smiled and licked his lips as he looked into her eyes. He wanted to kiss her, and he shifted unconsciously like he was going to do so though seemed to catch himself and hesitated. “Ah…”

“I need to get back to this meat. But I just remembered I have something for you in the women’s building. I can get it to you during the meal.” She said, and went over to the delicious-smelling meat instead of staying locked in the embrace. She was too aloof to notice what he had been thinking about doing.

“Oh…” He cleared his throat and stepped back, broken from his trance. “Yeah of course. Need any more help here? I’m also happy to just keep you company if you want.”

“I do want.” She said simply enough as she poured the contents of the other pot over the meat and started to mix them together. “I don’t mean to make things odd. I just want to know what you want from the future. I mean..maybe you want to date Ilan, Riley, or Luna.”

“No, I don’t want to do any of that. I want to court you.” Cedrik replied and moved out of her way. He leaned against one of the counters and crossed his strong arms. “Do you want to date any of these other men who have been so ‘nice’ to you as of late?”

She glanced at him and frowned, blinking quickly.

“No, of course not. I just meant the other men are getting a bit competitive, and it made me think about what the future holds.”

She looked down at the pot again and shrugged.

“It might not matter anyway. I fully expect to find a cure and get us home again.”

Cedrik considered Mika for a moment as she looked into the pot of food. She was confusing the hell out of him in this moment - she was so determined to find a cure and get them back to their people that she wasn’t sleeping or eating or really being social, but on the same breath she seemed to be looking to leap into marriage and settling down or… whatever.

“I didn’t really think you’d want to rush into something.” He shrugged and looked away from her. “I’d like to court you properly as a lady should be, but if that’s not what you want I understand.”

“I don’t want to rush. I just want to know what’s going to happen.” She said, reaching over and stroking her own arm in a self-comforting manner since he had stopped. She was a woman who needed quite a lot of emotional comfort and reassurance, but she tried hard to keep those needs under wraps, especially with him. She didn’t want to scare him away. “But you told me what you wanted and I believe you.”

She paused in her stirring, as if some other thought now animated her mind. Then, after several seconds, she let the wooden spoon fall to the side of the pot and turned to Cedrik. Her soft hands found his face and gently drew it closer to hers. Her lips touched his gently at first, merely more than the suggestion of their first kiss. She wanted him to come the rest of the way if he wanted.

Cedrik had noticed the way she touched her arm and while he didn’t understand what had caused her to do it this particular time, he knew the purpose of the gesture. He’d been waiting for her to stop tending to the food momentarily so he could put his arms around her again, so when she turned to him first he was surprised to say the least. He didn’t fight her coaxing him down to her and his surprise only grew when she drew closer and danced her soft lips against his. He’d been hesitant earlier in not wanting to pressure her for anything too fast especially when she perhaps wasn’t feeling her best, but he wasn’t about to deny her when she asked so sweetly.

He wrapped one strong arm around her while the other came up to gently cradle her chin in his fingertips. His lips closed the distance and caught hers in a gentle, chaste kiss that held a note of restrained passion. He lingered with her there for a moment in time, loving the feeling of her so close and her lips against his, but he eventually broke the kiss and pulled back just slightly to look down into her eyes.

The typical innocence in Mika’s eyes has faltered at the touch of his lips, and now the Russian girl looked pretty, flushed, naive, and hungry. She pressed her body against his enthusiastically and smiled at him before pressing her lips to his again quite forcefully. She moved her hips this time in a surprisingly tantalizing rhythm as she felt the silky wetness intensify between her legs. Her large breasts, unrestrained by anything but the beater she was wearing, swelled against his chest and she moaned a high, agonized moan against his lips, much louder than she had expected. She left her mouth open then close to his lips and spoke in a voice she herself hadn’t heard before; a voice totally wet and heavy with feminine desire.

“Court me faster.”

Cedrik’s body reacted immediately to Mika’s movements. His manhood grew and pressed against her body as she moved so lustfully against him. Shock and surprise didn’t really factor in, it was just pure reaction. Cedrik was a good, kind young man but he would have been lying to claim he wasn’t tempted to have her right there given her obvious desire. He kissed her again, passionate and hot, and placed his hands on her hips to give her a firm squeeze. Without hesitation and in an assertive manner he turned her around so she was facing the counter with her hands down flat on it. She could feel his length pressing into her lower back just above her rear end as one of his hands gripped her side strongly and the other slid up her back slowly. He flipped her messy bun out of the way and leaned down to kiss her neck with one slow, passionate, lingering kiss.

After a moment, he pulled back just slightly to whisper into her ear. His voice was low, seductive, and authoritative in a way that made most women breathless. “Be patient, Tianshi. It will be worth it.”

He pulled back from her then completely, taking a full step back from her as he didn’t quite trust his own resolve. “I should get back to the barracks. I’ll see you at dinner in a little while?”

His kisses had been electric for her, but when he had turned her around and put her exactly where he wanted her, kissing her neck and whispering in her ear, she lost all sense of rational resolve. She moved her bottom against his length, unskilled but passionately eager. When it stepped away, though, she turned back and leaned against the counter, her chest heaving as she breathed heavily, and her nipples poking through the thin material of her top, hard and obvious. Her legs were slightly apart, less ladylike than ever before as she gazed at him with glassy eyes and pouted. Her brother wasn’t here to protect her virginity, but Mika Petrova didn’t seem to mind at that particular moment.

“I’m courting the only real gentleman left in the Empire.” She said with an uncharacteristically dark grin. “I thought you were going to help me cook.”

Even as she said it, a quiet voice inside her made her wonder if the reason he had pulled back was because he wasn’t really that attracted to her. What if he thought she was behaving like a common tart? Perhaps he didn’t like her body?

“Well, to be fair I was going to keep you company.” He pointed out with a chuckle and then reached up to rub the back of his head. “I can stay if you want me to, but truthfully I am painfully turned on, so I was going to go take a walk.”

It was blunt and perhaps a bit crass, but he felt it would be best to just be honest.

“Yes.” She said, her eyes drifting down to the bulge in his pants and lingering there, entranced. Her hips moved on the counter involuntarily and she licked her lips. Without breaking her stare at the mysterious swelling she suddenly found herself so completely fixated on, she spoke against.

“You should go. Right away.” She said, licking her lips again and managing to look up at his face. “Now.”

Cedrik looked at her for a long moment and took a couple of steps toward her, his eyes fixed on her body. He didn’t want to go, but with a deep breath and a herculean effort on his part, he abruptly turned and did just that as he was rather concerned what he might do if he didn’t.

Mika watched him go with supreme disappointment in her eyes. She knew they had done the right thing, but that fact didn’t make it even slightly easier. She pulled a stray dishrag to her face and screamed into it when she knew she was alone. Then she slammed it down on the counter and turned back to making dinner.

She couldn’t afford the distraction anyway. She had work to do.

END