A Second First Date...A First Second Date...A Third Second Date...Whatever.

Posted on Wed Aug 26th, 2026 @ 3:46am by Lieutenant Zachary Addams & Lieutenant JG Grace MacKenzie 'Sabre'

4,062 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Kintsugi
Location: Engineering Mess Hall
Timeline: Upon Reaching the Station

Zach sat back in his chair by the MSM and let out a long breath. They were docked. Soon they'd power down and get towed into spacedock and his duties would be reduced to merely fixing the rest of the ship, while the station teams took care of the major damage and refit work.

He shook his staff's hands and told them to enjoy what little time off they had before the work resumed. The quiet sound of the engineering bay was both comforting and off-putting. He'd become used to the hustle and bustle of his people going in and out, the sound of Alexis leading her troops, and the general hum of the engines. Now, it was peaceful, but empty.

He stood up and stretched and decided he was going to permit himself one relaxing evening, after everything he'd been through recently. He realized, though, he had no idea what he wanted to do. A thought occurred to him and he smiled to himself, and walked over to the replicator, accessing the botanical listings.

---

Zach walked down the corridor quickly, hands behind his back and stopped in front of a set of doors. He rang the chime and waited patiently.

A medium-height blonde in a flightsuit with the single pip of an Ensign answered the door, mouth open, "It's abou-" She cut herself off as the gold of the uniform hit her and she saw the two pips and came to attention, "Lieutenant, sir, sorry, sir, how can I help you, sir?"

"No need for apologies, Ensign," Zach said, giving her a gentle smile. "I'm actually here to see Grace."

"Yes, sir, of course. If you'll wait here for just a minute, sir?" The Ensign turned and called out, "Sabre! You've got a visitor, some Lieutenant to see you!" It was clear he wasn't going to be invited in.

"Ah'm comin'!" The familiar voice was almost in the distance, as if there were another set of walls between it.

"You can stand down, Ensign," Zach said. "And if you'd like you're welcome to call me Zach."

"I'm sorry, sir?" The blonde asked him, eyes opening wide.

"I'm not usually one for formality outside of work, and given--" he paused as he saw his intended target approaching and smiled.

Grace finally showed up at the door, finishing sealing her flight suit as she came into view, "Thanks Backdrop," She said before she saw who was there. "Lieutenant Addams?" She asked, "Ah'm sorry, sir, Ah wasn't aware you were goin' to be visitin'... What can Ah do for you?"

Zach's smile faltered and he swallowed nervously, worried he'd just royally screwed up. "Well, Lieutenant, if you wouldn't mind stepping into the corridor, I'd like to speak with you a moment about a matter."

"Of course, sir." Grace said with a nervous glance behind her where the blonde Ensign had gone back to the other four pilots that were in there. Clearly there had been visitors over and more expected. Grace cleared the sensor and the door slid closed behind them, cutting off the giggles of the other girls, "Ah wasn't expecting you here, Zed," She lowered her voice as she glanced either way.

Zed blushed a bit. "Well, that's the thing about surprises," he said with a helpless shrug. "They're unexpected." He shuffled his feet. "It's just...it had occurred to me that for all the times we've spent together, I haven't properly...formally...." he sighed and brought the small bouquet of roses out from behind him, "asked you out on a date." He gave a bit of a shrug. "Nothing extravagant, just dinner in the mess hall and maybe play some cards to relax a bit, but I see you have company over, and I don't want to take you away from your evening, so we could reschedule if you like."

"Ah was in my bunk just readin', besides Ah'd rather be out here with you than in there listenin' to them gossip and giggle." Grace took the flowers from him, "And if Ah'd known you were gonna come askin' me out, Ah'd have put on something different than this. These aren't datin' clothes, after all." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

Zed smiled as she kissed him and shrugged, looking down at his uniform. "I'm not exactly dressed in my Sunday suit either," he said. "But like I said, I wasn't planning anything fancy. Just some us time. So, you're sure I'm not interrupting your evening?"

Grace sighed, "They're waiting for a couple of the guys to come over, three of them if Ah recall the names correctly." She glanced back at the door to the quarters, "Ah think they were gonna try to get me to come out and play with them too, but nine's a bit much of a crowd for me to even think about gettin' involved. Ah'm not much of a party girl."

"Me either," Zed said, nodding in understanding. "Well then, shall we?" he said, smiling at her.

"Given that you're a guy, Ah would say that calling you a party girl would be really awkward." She linked her arm into his. "And since Ah'm not into the gals, Ah wouldn't be able to go out on this date with you if you were. That's one of the benefits to bein' my boyfriend, too."

Zed was tempted to debate the merits of that as a benefit, but held his tongue as he escorted her down the corridor. "Well, lucky for you I am into girls. Especially short girls with cute accents." He lifted her hand up and kissed it.

"Ah am indeed lucky about that, ain't Ah?" Grace giggled, tugging him along with her towards the turbolift for the mess hall, "Ah think this'll be better than that first time we had dinner together, you know, the one where Ah had just really gotten aboard?"

"I guarantee it will," he said. He said as he sent the lift to take them to their destination. "And after dinner, we can go back to my quarters. You can avoid more gossip, and I'll try not to giggle too much."

"Gossip for now, Ah'm willin' to bet if we came back later there'd be lipstick on the door. If that's the case, Ah'd be askin' to stay with you tonight, so we can get that out of the way just by goin' to your quarters already, "You know..." She stopped where she was, trying to make up her mind, then getting moving again, "Never mind, Ah was just wool-gatherin'."

Zed looked around. "And...what exactly was that wool about?" he said, assuming it was a Terran idiom.

She looked up at him as they walked, "Ah've never been on a date in a uniform before. There's a first time for everythin' though, and well.. Ah don't know, Ah suppose that now that we're both fully aware that we're datin' and boyfriend, girlfriend, that Ah should be all gussied up whenever we go out. Ah wanna make sure the other girls know you're taken and that they don't got any chance."

"You know," he said, "sometimes I forget who I am. I don't think about the fact that I'm a senior officer, or that I'm in uniform." He stepped aside, letting her enter the mess hall first.

"Ah don't mind either of them, really, Ah just like lookin' pretty." Grace smiled up at him, "Ah know you think Ah am no matter what, but Ah'm a girl, Ah've gotta be the prettiest in the room for you."

He smiled at her and leaned down, giving her temple a quick peck. "Already are," he whispered. "And sometimes, especially when I'm with you, I'm back in magician mode, back in the big top, nobody important, just able to live my life as I like so long as the show goes on. I kinda miss that freedom sometimes." He stopped as they approached the replicators and other people. "Anyway, what are you in the mood for tonight?"

"Ah'll let you pick tonight, Ah'm not picky in the slightest. But..." She gave him a concerned look, "Did you wanna quit Starfleet? Ah mean, if you did, Ah would too, Ah could go with you where you went. Ah wouldn't mind."

He looked at her for a long moment, his face serious and his expression blank. Finally he looked back at the replicator. "Two orders of duck fried rice, orange chicken and stir-fried broccoli, and two root beers," he said. A moment later the heavily-loaded tray appeared. He picked it up and looked towards an empty corner. "This way," he said.

He walked over to the relatively quiet corner and set the tray down, then pulled out Grace's chair for her.

Grace followed him to the table, waited for him to pull out her chair for her, then placed the flowers on an unused part of the table, "Thank you, you're amazin'."

After she sat, he came around to his side and sat down. He looked at her again for a moment, then laced his fingers together. "Gracie," he said, quietly, "while I am touched by the sentiment, I would never, ever, ever want you to stop doing what you love just to be with me. It means a lot to me you would say that, but that is not a bridge I want you to think about crossing until we reach that point, if we ever did, all right?" He held out his hand on the table.

"Flyin' fighters is for someone who's got nothin' to lose, what with targettin' and just makin' mistakes out there in the middle of combat. Ah've got you to lose." She reached out for his hand, "So if Ah've gotta give it up, Ah'd do it without any hesitation." Grace smiled at him softly.

"He smiled back and squeezed her hand. "All right. And for the record? No, I'm not thinking of leaving Starfleet. That other life is behind me, and must remain so. Besides," he smiled at her, "my bed here is far more comfortable. You would've hated the hammock I slept in."

"That depends on if there were sunbeams to soak in." She giggled, "But so long as you stay, Ah will too. If it means leavin' the cockpit and flyin' shuttles, Ah'll do that. Don't get me wrong, Ah enjoy the adrenaline rush, but Ah don't wanna hurt you by gettin' blown outta space."

"Well, we both agree that would hurt me quite a bit," he said. He squeezed her hand again then let it go and picked up his fork. "I hope this is to your liking. One of a few Terran cuisines I've taken a shine to."

"Chinese really isn't somethin' that we got a lot of in Texas, at least not unless it was replicated. Since Ah was in the rural area, there was a single 'Chinese' store within a hundred miles and it was nothin' like the real thing." She grabbed a fork and speared both a piece of chicken and broccoli in one go, "Then when Ah went to San Francisco for the Academy? They had some amazin' stuff off-campus, Ah swear Ah gained ten pounds just from eatin' in the first year!"

"Likewise," Zed said. "I went a bit nuts in the campus mess a few times trying various things. Gave myself more than a few stomach aches. I'd tried some alien foods when we were set up on locations, but more often than not I only had time to eat from our own commissary. I've kind of gotten used to grabbing quick lunches, so I tend to make sure I enjoy dinner."

"Which means that you should make sure you eat lunch properly." Grace nagged him with the gesture of her fork before carrying a fork of the duck fried rice to her mouth and stuffing it in, "Mmm.. This is pretty good stuff.. Ah have been regainin' some of the weight Ah lost, but Ah'm sure you noticed that. Ah'm feelin' lots better about it all, too."

"Feeling better is what's most important," he said. "So, what're your plans for your downtime during the refit? I know Earth's a bit far, but did you plan on traveling at all?"

"Not at all, my new bird is still bein' manufactured right now and Ah really wanna be here when she's ready, get used to all the new buttons and gizmos, anythin' that needs tweakin'." Grace sighed, "My temporary orders are to rest, recover and assist the starbase with shuttle runs until my fighter's ready, then help with flying combat air patrols for the starbase just in case."

"Well, if you're going to ride me about eating better lunches, I'm going to pester you about rest and relaxation," he said. "If I find out you aren't relaxed, I'll carry you back to my place and make sure you are." He thought a moment. "I hope my temporary quarters have a big enough bed."

"Are you callin' me fat?" Grace asked with a chuckle, "And here you were callin' me nice and compact the other day... Now Ah know what you really think." She leaned over the table to give him a kiss, "But all you're doin' is givin' me a reason to make sure Ah'm all stressed out, so you can rub my back and maybe give me a massage here or there."

Zed stuck his tongue out at the teasing, then leaned forward as she did and kissed her. "Happily," he said. "We'll start tonight." He pushed his now empty plate aside. "So tell me, as the youngest of six, are your siblings going to approve of me?"

"Is it gonna really matter?" She sighed, "Ah haven't heard from any of them in years, them, my parents, none of 'em. Ah know that while Ah was on Foch, they wouldn't have given me any of the messages, but even before that, at the Academy? Nothin'. There wasn't any evidence of messages when Ah checked a few days after gettin' aboard here. Ah was the last of the kids, my parents really didn't pay much attention to what Ah was doin', not like they did my oldest siblin's."

Zed frowned. "Well, their loss," he said, dismissing them with a wave of his hand. "Makes my job easier then. I just have to keep impressing you, rather than the whole family." He winked and smiled at her.

She munched on the last piece of the orange chicken and set her fork down on the plate with deliberation, "Hyacinth was the nicest one to me, she's the one that taught me how to ride, really did most of the heavy liftin' while mom was doing more on the ranch. Of all my siblin's, Ah miss her the most." She forced a smile on her face, "But, should we get dessert here, or in your quarters?"

Zed thought it over. "My quarters," he said, standing and taking their dishes on the tray. "So what card games do you know?"

"Most of the normal ones, solitaire of a few types, poker, blackjack, cribbage." She stood and grabbed her flowers again, and followed him, "Poker's where Ah got my call-sign from, after all, so Ah must be at least half-decent with that."

"Mmm hm," Zed said, the wheels turning. "We'll have to organize a game some time," he said. He recycled their dishes and then turned back to her, smiling and offering his hand. "Shall we?"

She took his hand and held it tightly, "Ah think we should." She leaned into his arm as they made their way towards the exit to the room, "So, Mister Magic Man, tell me about your brother and sister. Ah don't think you told me much about them."

Zed thought for a moment as they moved through the ship. "Well, I'm the oldest. Erik's next, then Sarah. Erik and I were a few years apart, and typical brothers when I was young. He'd annoy me, I'd pick on him, rinse, repeat. Sarah was barely into her toddler phase when I left. She barely knew me." He frowned. "I really regret not being there to see her grow up, but I don't know how much I would have been able to appreciate it if I'd stayed."

“After the Forge?” Grace asked, but it was a rhetorical question, “Ah can understand that, Ah’d probably have been the same, it’s something that just scars you when abandoned. But after your time with the Circus, you went back and got to know her, right? And of course, since you joined Starfleet?”

"We've gotten close since then," he said. "She was somewhat confused by me at first. I was a ghost, the 'other brother' her parents sometimes mentioned but she'd never really known, just through holos and stories. Every break I had from the Academy, I'd go back to Vulcan and spend time with her. We're on good terms now, as are Erik and I."

“That’s good.” She leaned her head against his shoulder, “Ah’m really happy for you on that. Ah truly wish Ah could be that way with my family.”

"If there's one thing I've learned, there's always time," Zed said. "It's just a matter of everyone wanting to." They stepped out of the turbolift and back into the corridor.

"And as it turns out, they're a bit like me. We're all magic makers in our own way," he said. "Erik is a chemist, or depending o how you look at it, alchemist. He works as a master mixologist and can create libations that can mentally transport you to another time and place. He can help you drink a memory." He gave a smile at the thought. "And Sarah? She's the conjurer, creating entire worlds with her mind. She writes holonovels that make you forget you're on a holodeck."

Grace giggled. “Ah’ll have to meet them someday, but maybe not drink my troubles away? Ah know it sounds the easiest, but Ah am a lightweight, that’s for sure. What sorts of holonovel does Sarah write anyways? We could explore one of them when we’ve got some free time, maybe take a week or so off durin’ the refit?”

"Some are adventures, some are mysteries. It depends on her mood when she's making them. She's done a couple of surreal escape room-style ones that are fantastic. And you don't 'drink troubles away' with Erik's creations. You get one drink and you sip it slowly. His creations are to be savored, not merely consumed."

They stepped into his quarters and as the doors closed behind them, he immediately swung down to pick her up and gave her a kiss. "Speaking of consume, what are you thinking for dessert?" he said, smiling and putting her back on her feet.

‘Me?’ Grace thought, but the stiffness she felt inside told her that wouldn’t work. Dammit. She was trying, but she just couldn’t get over that hump and she forced a smile to hide her own disappointment in herself, “Let’s see… Mango mochi balls? Ah know it’s more exotic that other things, but it definitely keeps with the Asian theme of dinner, don’t it?”

"It do," he said, gesturing for her to get comfortable on the couch as he walked to the replicator. He came back with two small plates, one containing a few yellow spheroids, and the other with puffy, sparkling cylinders. "I thought I'd also treat us to a few fried doughnuts," he said, putting the plates on his coffee table. He sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder, relaxing and sitting back.

She picked up one of the mochi balls and bit into it, "These things just... I don't know how to describe them very well, but sweet and cold, but still with a bit of chewiness to make it feel like you're actually eating something with substance. Do you like mango? It's a really sweet fruit, juicy too, though this is just the flavor of it."

Zed picked one up and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. He made a face of approval, then disapproval, then something in between. "I would say, this is a flavor I am not necessarily not a fan of, but it's something I'd find limited appreciation for." He took another bite, pondering his second opinion. "It's definitely sweet, though. That's a huge mark in its favor."

"They come in all sorts of flavors, even made outside the replicator." Grace snagged another one, then a third so she wouldn't have to leave the comfort of his arm as she leaned into him, "Strawberry or cherry are amazin' as well, Ah did say ten pounds at the Academy, right? And that was with all of the runnin' around and exercise they had us doin'."

Zed chuckled. "Yeah, I can understand," he said, grabbing a doughnut and chewing happily. "Well, we'll have to make sure we burn off the extra calories." He paused as he realized how suggestive that sounded. "You know...going for walks around the station and such." He kissed her temple.

"We're not at that point... Yet." Grace giggled, "Besides, Ah'm sure we can find other ways to expend that energy." She looked up at him with wide eyes, "Do you know how tirin' it can be to balance yourself on the back of a horse? There are tons of holodecks on the station and Ah'm sure we can find a good holoprogram, let you try your hand at somethin' Ah'm really good at, maybe even get you to learn some ropin', or..." She twisted to face him, "See if you can evade my rope."

"I'll do my best," he said. "I'm pretty good at illusions. Maybe I'll have you rope a mirage while I stand off to the side. Or maybe I'll just let you tie me up, we'll see. Just don't brand me, that's all I ask."

"But if I don't, how will other girls know you're taken?" She looked at him in mock shock, "I was thinking right around... Here." She poked him in the side of his butt with a hand that had worked it's way down.

Zed jumped in surprise and gave a laugh. "If my uniform was showing that off to the ship, I'm pretty sure I'd wind up in the brig." He moved his own hand down and squeezed her rear in return. "But while we're here, you're welcome to sign your initials if that'll help."

Grace yelped as he squeezed, but settled back into him, "Hmm... Branding is just the better way all around, Ah think. But Ah'll give you a reprieve, Ah don't wanna use my family brand on you, Ah'll just have to figure out my own design." She leaned up to kiss him, "All curlicues and the sort."

"I'm sure it'll look adorable on me," he said, kissing her back, both hands gripping her rear as he kept her against his leg, resisting the urge to just pull her onto his lap. This was, thus far, their best date yet, and he wasn't going to risk it.

She smacked his shoulder playfully, "We'll see how you like it when you're tied up like a calf comin' out the chute. But if Ah recommend holdin' still when Ah move in, or else Ah'll have to repeat again and again."

"If I had a strip of latinum," he joked, then kissed her again. "Hopefully I'll be tied up in a more relaxed position that that, so you can repeat whatever you want again and again," he joked as he squeezed her rear again and kissed her neck.

"And this is why wearing the uniform on dates really sucks." Grace murmured as she swung a leg over his lap, carefully sitting further back towards his knees, "Because in a skirt, you'd have better access and it would feel better. And taking off a flightsuit can be a pain in the ass."

"True," he said, leaning forward to keep kissing her. "But," he said, pausing, "as they say, good things are worth waiting for, and worth the effort."

A post by:

Zachary Addams
Chief Engineer
USS Tokyo

Grace Mackenzie
Winner
USS Tokyo

 

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