Star Trek Imagines (Reader-Inserts) Part Two

Ent. Malcolm Reed - Mistletoe

A/N: I posted this on my profile, but for anyone who didn't see it: I'm going to be doing 12 Days of Trekmas in which I post a holiday/winter themed imagine every day until Christmas! Enjoy. xx

You smiled as you looked around the crowded cargo bay. The whole room was decked out for the holidays—string lights were hung across the bulkheads, tables of food and drink were sitting against the table, there was a Menorah sitting on its own table, and on the opposite side of the room was a large decorated Christmas tree. It was Trip's idea to decorate for the holidays. It started with just a few things here and there—mainly in engineering and the messhall. Then he decorated the bridge. And finally he had the idea of having a holiday party in a cargo bay—since it had the most space. Many of the crew were thrilled to have something to celebrate the holidays. Being away from Earth took its toll on everyone, and when Trip had told the Captain of his party idea, Archer agreed immediately that it would do the crew some good.

So there you were, listening to old tacky holiday songs, wearing some ugly Christmas sweater that you'd had since you were at the academy, and watching people mingle and relax.

You spotted Malcolm standing alone as well, so you decided to go over to him. "Enjoying the party?" you asked.

Malcolm turned his head to look at you. He wasn't wearing an ugly holiday sweater, but he was out of uniform, which was something. He swore a simple dark green button-up shirt. The colour looked good on him, you had to admit.

"It's all right," he admitted with a nod. "A bit crowded for my liking."

You smiled sympathetically. "I understand. If you want, we could leave."

"We?" Malcolm asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Well I'd hate for you to just be alone," you replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "Afterall, the holiday season is supposed to be about family and friendship."

"Ah, I appreciate the thought, but I think I'll stay for a while longer." He glanced around his shoulder, then whispered, "Besides, both the captain and Commander Tucker would be quite upset if they noticed my disappearance."

You giggled, knowing he was right. Archer practically ordered everyone to attend.

The two of you chatted about random subjects that popped into your heads: work, new research projects, holidays of previous years, and childhood memories of the holiday season. It was nice to see Malcolm unwind. You knew he wasn't always comfortable relaxing and letting his guard down, so you were happy he was allowing himself to do so around you.

"What are you two doin'?" Trip asked accusingly as he approached.

Both you and Malcolm looked at him with confusion.

"Talking?" you asked.

Trip shook his head and pointed up to the ceiling. "You've been standin' under mistletoe and there hasn't been so much as a peck on the cheek."

You looked up slowly and, sure enough, there was a strand of mistletoe hanging above your heads. You felt your cheeks heat up and you avoided looking at Malcolm. You'd had a teeny tiny crush on Malcolm for a while now, but you never let yourself show it. You two were friends, and he was quite a professional man. You didn't want to put him into an awkward situation by admitting how you felt about him.

"We uh, we hadn't noticed," Malcolm said.

"Uh huh." Trip smirked at the two of you, both flustered and shy. "Well, I'll leave you to it. But just know, it's tradition to kiss when you're standing under mistletoe with someone else."

You saw him grin and wink at Malcolm before walking off.

Malcolm huffed out a short laugh. "I should have known he would put up mistletoe."

You shook your head, smiling softly. "Yeah, it's not much of a surprise."

He looked at you, meeting your gaze in an instant.

Your cheeks burned, but you didn't look away. He wasn't changing the subject, nor was he making up and excuse to leave. Excitement fluttered in your chest at the thought of Malcolm possibly having a crush on you as well.

He cleared his throat. "So..."

"So," you said slowly. You moved closer to him.

His gaze moved to your lips briefly.

Your breath hitched in your throat as Malcolm's hand went onto your hip. "It is tradition," you said quietly.

"Who am I to break with tradition?" Malcolm murmured.

A smile tugged at your lips. You put your hand onto Malcolm's cheek and he closed the gap between you two. You shut your eyes as you felt his lips press to yours. They were soft, both in touch and in pressure. You smiled against them and kissed him harder.

He reciprocated by pulling your body closer to his; chests pressed against one another.

You reached your free hand up and tangled your fingers in his hair. You gently tugged at the nape of his neck, causing him to grunt into your mouth.

When you two pulled away moments later, you were both out of breath. Your faces were still close, breath fanning both your faces as your lungs recovered from the kiss.

"Such a weird tradition," he muttered, a shy smile on his face.

You laughed breathlessly. "So weird."