Chapter Text
"There you go. Home sweet home." Said Tyler as they arrived at the captain's quarters.
The captain in question had stayed up late working - again - long after Dashi finished her shift. Tyler managed to wrangle him away from his desk with the bribe of accompanying him to his quarters. Not that he needed any assistance for that, but they enjoyed the walk regardless.
Tyler turned on the lights and waited for Chris to wheel himself in.
"I'm gonna call Boyce." He said, with a gentle smile. He was beggining to leave when he heard a couple of blinks, and turned back. "Is something wrong?"
With Tyler facing him, Chris was able to sequence his blinks into the shorthand code Boyce had slowly been developping. It was a clunky method of communication and didn't have many words yet, but Tyler was up to date in what had been scripted so far. It said "wait". Then "stay".
"Alright." He said, surprised. "Something you need?"
"No doctor. Please."
"Are you gonna make me fight you to get a proper night's rest, captain?" He joked.
It occurred to him Pike often overworked himself when he was worried about something, or dealing with a problem. Though that only made him not wanting to see Boyce stranger. He was his best friend, and always managed to pull the captain out of a crisis. Ash wasn't confident in his ability to do the same.
Chris closed his eyes, in a slight focused expression that Tyler found rather endearing. He was typing more words.
"Stay. Help. Bed." And a last sequence that indicated a question.
It took Ash a few seconds to process the request. Could you help me to bed instead?
"Me? Are you sure?" He exclaimed. He wanted to say yes. He wouldn't mind an excuse to linger a little longer, but "I'm... I'm not trained..."
His voice trailed off as he saw Chris' expression shift into something very shy. Almost nervous.
"If alright with you?" He replied, hinting an anxious smile.
It was clear to Ash he was worried he'd feel uncomfortable - and he couldn't help but chuckle to himself upon realizing it. Chris would be the one who'd have his body moved around, who would be seen naked during his change of clothes.
It seemed like something so personal. It was still hard for him to wrap his head around the things that became mundane to his captain. Still... he realized, Chris didn't trust just anybody.
"Alright, if you're sure I'm not gonna break you or anything." Tyler lauged. "What can I do?"
"Clean."
It was a general word for baths, showers, or otherwise cleaning. Of course - Tyler realized he'd have to be bathed before his change of clothes. He made his way to the bathroom, trying to recall details he picked up about the captain's care.
The place was complete alien territory for him. Apparently that funny chair was for the sonic showers? Boyce said he needed them at least once a day as they were more efficient in completely sterilizing the body of bacteria and odor and... but the bathroom also had a bathtub, outfitted with every kind of support and even plugs for his implants. Did he also take baths? How often? Was he supposed to...
Tyler stopped himself from overthinking. That was stupid. He could ask.
"Sonic shower or bath?" He asked. "Uh, one blink sonic shower, two blinks bath."
Chris answered with a single blink. Tyler contained a sigh of relief. That one seemed the easier option. Still, he picked up the PADD on his pocket and sneakily accessed Boyce's medical logs. Just to be sure he was doing it right. Come to think of it, he should probabbly let the doctor know he was doing his job for him. He swoop at his screen and made a call.
"Yes?" Boyce answered from sickbay, looking tired but still very much awake. "Is this about Chris? Finally , it was getting awfully late for my liking. I'll be there in a s-"
"Doctor, he... ahem" Tyler cleared his throat, awkwardly. "You don't have to come. I'm taking care of things."
" You? " He sounded so skeptical Tyler felt a bit offended.
"At his request , mind you." He replied. Boyce rose an eyebrow, and his surprised expression turned teasing.
"I see. Well, you two have fun then. Remember you can call me if you need."
“Thank you, doctor.” Tyler ended the call, his cheeks suddenly burning weirdly hot.
When he came back, he noticed Chris had turned the screen on and was watching some kind of... ancient scifi program.
"Captain Proton? Seriously?" He smirked. "You know movies didn't stop being made after the 20th Earth century, right?"
Pike answered with an indignant beep.
"Alright, let's get you clean." He laughed. With a signal from Pike's eyes, the screen was turned off.
Tyler retrieved the oxygen mask over a stand beside the captain's bed and followed him to the bathroom. He was still kinda dreading that part.
"You're still sure?"
"I'm okay if you are, Chris.” His worry was honestly just that he’d do something wrong and end up hurting him. He gently put the mask on Crhis' face, then unlatched the wheelchair open.
"Do I take your tubes out first or th-" Tyler wasn't even through with the question when two blinks interrupted him. "Wow, okay. Clothes first, then."
He undid all the straps that kept his body from moving out of place in the wheelchair, and begun to work on the clothes. As he found out, they had a bunch of zippers and buttons and could be removed with minimal movement and without taking the tubes out. But they still had to be dealt with at some point.
"Sorry." He said, without warning, and disconnected the two tubes at his sides. Chris shook slightly in surprise - but the worst one was the implant in his back. Tyler knew it connected the most of the life support systems that maintained his body. Among them, his lungs and what was left of his nervous system. When he pulled it out, the LED on the captain's chest started glowing yellow. He could swear he saw a vein twitching in his temple.
"Does it always hurt like that?" He asked, worried.
Chris didn't respond. Too busy catching his breath. That felt like answer enough.
He decided to get on with it, and carefully moved him into the shower chair. At least he had experience moving injured people.
"How am I doing?" He asked, starting to feel a little more confident. Chris blinked once and smiled at him through his mask, encouraging.
He didn't have experience bathing anyone. Hopefully it wasn't too different from doing it himself. Most of Pike's skin was covered in scarred burns, and was extremely delicate – but as he hovered the sonic showerhead, it removed any sweat and impurity without even having to touch him.
Tyler had never seen the entirety of his scars. He couldn't help but follow them with his eyes, the way they took over his entire right side, where the explosions had first hit him, from his face to his thighs. Red-brown tissue that looked like they would peel off, atrophied limbs from the lack of use. His hands were small and fragile. He had taken them into his own before, a few times in sickbay. The captain always seemed so vulnerable, outside the armor of his chair.
Chris had his knowing eyes on him.
"I'm sorry." Tyler said, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to stare."
"It's fine." He replied. " Scar. Different."
"Am I up to standards?" He asked, sporting a cocky grin to change the subject. Chris reassured him once again. It really wasn't that hard, and Ash was more confident now. It helped that his captain decided to be a goofball, and was now playing with his blinker to pass the time - testing possible words, and repeating the sequences assigned as names to all his immediate helpers – Boyce, T'Pella, Dashi, Una, M'Benga - it was almost musical. He couldn't help but laugh. Maybe it was wrong to think that way, but he felt like a parent bathing his child. Sure, Chris was an adult, but he wondered if he had a son if it wouldn't be the same...
Chris interrupted his singing, startled, when Tyler dropped the showerhead on the floor.
"I'm- I'm sorry." He apologized, briefly, and ducked to pick it up again. Hiding his shaky hands from sight.
Chris looked at him and signalled "question". And kept blinking it as he tried to ignore.
"It's nothing, really." Tyler said. He should've known it wouldn't be so easy. "Please, just... let me have this."
They finished the bath in silence.
Ash moved Chris back into his chair, but didn't reattach the plugs. He wheeled him back into the bedroom, so he could put him to bed. Ash was still grimly quiet as he picked his sleepwear from the wardrobe.
Chris started beeping at him again, trying to bring back that brief cheerful mood. Tyler had to turn him over in the bed a few times to get all his clothes on. He beeped a new sequence, one he wasn't familiar with - and kept repeating it, over and over again.
"Who's that last one?" Tyler asked, finally biting.
"You."
"Me?" He chuckled. "I'm honored."
"You." He said again. Ash pulled him into his arms in order to plug his back into the bed. "You."
Chris dropped his head against his neck, and Ash had to fight the urge to hold him closer. He gently leaned him back in the bed, and fixed up the pillows so he'd be comfortable. Then held his hand in silence. As the minutes passed, he found himself unable to muster the will to leave.
"Chris...? What's wrong?" He asked, noticing his expression. "Does it still hurt? You need anything?"
"Thank you. For help." Chris answered. He was hesitant, almost shy. He didn't know wether to meet the commander's eyes or avoid them. "Thank you for stay."
The last words were in morse code, as they didn't exist in the shorthand.
"Ash. I love you."
He knew their relationship was walking towards this. It had been for a while - between them growing increasingly fond of each other's company, and spending more personal time together. That didn't make it any less of a landmark. Tyler was a bit choked up when he managed to speak again.
"Damn it, Chris, I love you too. You know that, right?" He cried, shifting in the bed and pulling him back into another embrace. This time, he held him tight. "I love you too."
"Did I make it weird?" Chris asked.
"Of course not." He assured. "I would be lying if I said I didn't want an excuse to stay."
Tyler laid the captain down into the bed again.
“ Question?" Chris said. "Before. Need to talk?"
"No, I..." he sighed. They were smiling again. There was a sense of comfort that he didn't want to ruin with his memories. "Maybe some other day."
"Another day. Another excuse." Chris smiled. "Let me help."
"Don't you quote your Orion poetry on me." Ash laughed, poking him. "Seriously, you're tired. You need to go to sleep." It was nearly 2am, in an Earth cycle.
"Sleep. Bed." Chris answered, resigned. "Agree."
"If I may?" His hand cupped Chris' cheek. After a blink of confirmation, he took off his mask and kissed him.
Finally, Ash got up from the bed and reached to the panel at it's side, to enable the regenerating panel that would keep him encased for the night - similar to the chair itself.
“Good night, captain." He said, with a foot out the door. Maybe he should drop the rank titles. "See you in the morning."
