The Experiment (Data x reader)

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Beverley and Picard were in the midst of an intense disagreement, and the entire bridge knew it. A few days after she'd made her return to the bridge, she'd suggested that she still attend the Klingon medical convention despite her recent illness. You had been sitting with Data at his navigational center, and you'd seen the ominous look cloud over the captain's face. He grew incredibly silent, pensive, before finally snapping at Doctor Crusher to follow him to his office. They'd emerged fifteen minutes later, both their faces red with anger, and she'd stalked to the turbolift, shooting him an irritated look over her shoulder.

Data tensed when he saw the captain's anger; you put an arm around his shoulders, trying to ground his anxiety. He gave you a grateful smile before returning to his work; he was quickly becoming more and more adaptive to being touched soothingly. It was truly becoming a comfort to him.

You dropped your arm quickly, not wanting anyone to conceive the touch as romantic. However, Data took your hand in his, examining them closely. You smiled fondly; he had acquired a habit of logging different forms of affection into his journal and analyzing their effect on his mental state. He'd already done kissing, and you supposed he was moving onto hand-holding.

Picard was quite obviously in a dark mood. The bridge felt much different that day, not at all the atmosphere that you'd grown to love; rather, there seemed to be a stormy cloud hanging over everyone's heads, a cloud that only Captain Picard could control. He would stand up and wordlessly pace for a few minutes before seating himself again. It made you long for the comfort of his usual peace- after all, he rarely became unsettled. Whatever had happened with Beverley clearly upset him. You knew he was worried about her health, but on occasion, he did take his protective instincts too far.

"Increase warp factor, Mr. Data," Picard muttered finally. Riker appeared startled, and Picard rounded on him. "Do you concur, number one?"

"Well... I suppose, captain, but we're right on time to get to the meeting as it is. I have no objection to getting there early, I suppose."

"Wonderful," said Picard icily. "Mr. Data, in that case, you may comply."

Data typed in a series of commands, and you felt the ship's speed increase slightly. When you glanced over at him, you noticed the android's concern, his brow furrowed, his hair rumpled as he ran a hand through it. You felt a solidarity with him; Beverley's incident had worried everyone, and the captain's stress was simply adding onto it.

Deanna cleared her throat, standing up. "Captain? May I speak to you in private, please?"

Thank the heavens. Deanna Troi always knew how to calm Picard down. She smiled at you as she followed the captain into her office, and you grinned back at your friend. For the moment, she'd salvaged the situation.

"Interesting," Data murmured, reaching down to retrieve his journal and scribbling more observations into it. "I find it intriguing, how one individual's mood is capable of affecting emotions besides his own. I myself felt the effects."

You glanced over at him. If he'd been frightened before, he certainly wasn't then. With the captain gone, Data had once again taken on an air of authority, his head tilted a certain way, his face returning to a neutral expression. You swallowed the impulse to embrace him and simply gazed over his shoulder at his notes.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Picard returned, and it was almost like he was a new person. He was calm, steady, carrying himself with a sort of serenity that hadn't been there before Deanna pulled him aside. He settled back into his chair, crossing one leg over the other and tugging his uniform into place. Deanna followed, seating herself beside him.