New Fic: All In Good Time

[jackwabbit]

All In Good Time

Fandom: Star Trek Discovery
Rated: PG
Category: Culmets. Found Family. Humor. Domestic Mostly Bliss. Parenting. Gray is Corporeal.
Word Count: 666.
Time Frame: Post Season Three.
Spoilers: General Series Knowledge Only – Through Season Three.
Summary: Paul’s overreacting. Hugh’s placating. It’s all about Adira. In other words, it’s business as usual at the Stamets-Culber dinner table.
Note: In relation to this fic by araviis, Elaine27 asked for Paul finding out about Adira and Grey both talking to Tilly and Hugh about 'taking the next step' and completely, ridiculously over reacting. Maybe with an extra bit of insecure Paul, who was a very late bloomer for many reasons, partly because he was very awkward and nerdy. And then Hugh, who was probably the complete opposite. I ran with it, with permission from araviis. Hope it’s okay, Elaine27. Oh, and FYI for all: There is no need to have read the araviis story to understand this one – though I do recommend it in general, because it’s lovely.

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Paul’s head jerks up and he stares at Hugh in shock, fork half raised to his mouth and entirely forgotten.

“Wait. What?”

Hugh chuckles. “Paul, it’s no big deal.”

“No big deal?”

“Yeah, it’s perfectly natural for Gray and Adira to..”

Paul doesn’t let him finish.

“They’re children!” he practically yells.

“Paul, they’re seventeen,” says Hugh. At this, he waves a hand in the air, then adds, “ish.”

“Exactly!” says Paul, letting his fork clatter to his plate. “If I’d have known what he was going to do with it, I wouldn’t have made that boy a body!”

Hugh smiles as he sighs. “Paul, don’t you remember what it was like at their age? Weren’t you curious?”

Paul looks down and bites his lip, then looks back up, seemingly embarrassed.

“Hugh, at that age, I was playing chess and obsessing about holonovels.”

Now it’s Hugh’s turn to look embarrassed. He’d forgotten how Paul had been nearly twenty-five before he’d started exploring his sexuality – for a lot of reasons. Some valid, and some less so.

He stares at his plate for a moment, then ducks his head and tries to catch Paul’s eye. But Paul is too busy playing with the edge of his napkin to notice, so Hugh stands and walks to the other side of the table.

Paul looks up as Hugh walks around behind him.

As Hugh starts to massage Paul’s shoulders, Paul closes his eyes and exhales.

“Not that I’m complaining,” Paul says, “but what are you doing?”

“I would think that’s obvious,” says Hugh. “I’m trying to calm you down.”

“But we have dinner, and…”

Hugh leans down and nuzzles Paul’s ear. “Forget the food. I have a point to make.”

Paul perks up. “Which is?”

“That it’s true what they say.”

“What?”

Hugh licks Paul’s neck slowly.

“Good things come to those who wait.”

Paul turns his head to give Hugh a look that’s half desire, half smirk. Hugh is perfectly willing to act on the former by this point, but he can’t resist commenting on the latter.

“What’s that look for?”

Paul’s eyebrows rise. “Nothing. I just hope you said as much to Gray and Adira.”

Hugh laughs, then shrugs. “More or less.”

Paul’s eyebrows rise even further and he gives Hugh a warning look. “More or less?”

Hugh chuckles. “Yes, dear. More or less. It’s not like we can stop them from having sex if that’s what they decide is right for them. Besides, I figure Tilly has already got them pretty well set.”

Paul’s eyes widen, and Hugh is glad they’ve taken a break from their meal, because Paul is having a hard enough time not choking as it is. “Wait. Sex? Like actual sex? And they talked to Tilly?!”

Hugh’s chuckle turns into a full laugh now, and he playfully pushes Paul’s shoulder.

“Stop worrying and finish your food,” he says, moving back to his side of the table.

Paul stares at him until he sits down, and then some. Hugh stares back, a challenging smile on his face. Paul doesn’t eat for a long moment. Then he slowly picks up his fork, still loaded with pasta from before, and raises it to his mouth. Without breaking eye contact, he shovels the food into his mouth, chews, and swallows as Hugh takes a sip of wine from his glass.

They eat in silence for a few moments, until their plates are mostly empty. Then Paul’s smirk from earlier slowly comes back, and Hugh raises his eyebrows silently.

“You know,” muses Paul. “There’s really only one surefire way to get me to relax.”

Hugh grins.

“Well,” he drawls, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “I cooked.”

“And?” asks Paul, confused at the seeming non sequitur.

Hugh gestures to the table. “You clean, and I’ll think about it.”

Paul is up and collecting dishes immediately, and a while later, Hugh proves his point yet again.

Good things do come to those who wait.