Catnapping

Posted on Wed Jul 9th, 2025 @ 4:01pm by Captain M'Raz & Lieutenant H'iri

1,189 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Admiral Ambition and the Borg
Location: Captain's Quarters | Deck 2 | USS Jane Addams
Timeline: MD004 - 0100

Raz held her in his arms, her head resting against his chest, as he drifted into silence, caught between possibilities and practicalities. Caitian males had a need to protect and Raz had that in abundance; the feel of her, safe within the circle of his arms, soothed something within him even as it aroused something else entirely.

For her part, H'iri said nothing at the moment. She remembered being here like it was yesterday. Back then, he was less sculpted, more wiry. Now, his fur felt full. Nineteen years had been good to him. His scent had not changed much, either. Perhaps it was slightly more musky, but either way, she felt safe and for lack of a better word, "home." Her mind drifted back to when they would watch the stars at night, wondering what life might hold together. That was before her parents decided to marry her off, of course.

H'iri purred lightly, her claws nestling in, slowly allowing her claws to gently press against Raz, letting him know she was here. From her location, she said, "This takes me back...."

Memories were dangerous, uncertain ground, and yet, they had been sweet at one time. Before. Before she chose duty over love. Before he had been thrown from his world. He let it go, let it drift like so many soap bubbles out of conscious thought, off into that place where all the angry, hurtful memories of that life went. She likes her memories, Raz thought, as he rested his head against the back of the sofa, his white mane of hair stark against the charcoal gray material that someone (not him) had picked out for his quarters.

He searched through the flotsam and jetsam of that life and found a memory that he hoped would suffice and offered it to her like a present. "That night we spread a blanket inside your Dad's shuttle and left the hatch open so we could look at the stars...."

Giggling lightly, H'iri answered, "Oh, yes, and then I got so comfortable on you that I fell asleep. It was a great night until I got home...." She giggled again. "I got a good 'what for,' after that and was grounded for a week. Good thing that never kept me from the library, so I could still bump into you."

Raz chuckled, a low, raspy sound that rumbled through his chest. "Had a deal with the librarian; she wouldn't bother us when we were in the back and I agreed to do the heavy lifting when she had to clean up. Totally worth it."

"And resourceful on your part," H'iri replied with a contented sigh. "If you're not careful, I might fall asleep right here and now. Just something about this chest and heartbeat...."

"Nothing short of a red alert could induce me to move," Raz murmured as he crossed his legs, bare feet on the coffee table, and savored the rarity of the moment. His were a bit larger than average though he kept the claws neatly trimmed and shaved out the pads regularly. One day, he hoped that Starfleet would let their Captains go barefoot on the Bridge or failing that, at least figure out a way to make dress uniforms fit so they didn't pinch the tail so much.

"Then I shall pray that we have no more of those, or at least in the next twelve hours," she concluded. She kneaded herself into his chest fur a little more strongly. Hesitantly, yet dreamily, she started, "Raz?"

"Hmm," Raz asked, distracted by the feel of her paws on his chest, as he settled himself more comfortably on the sofa, without releasing her from his arms. He could, literally, stay this way all night.

"Have you ever thought about what life would have looked like if I refused my parents," she asked, her voice soft, but with some small cracks in her voice.

"I think I was always destined to be kicked off Cait by your father," Raz answered with a slight shake of his head. "Daydreams don't change anything but, I guess I saw you going with me. Turning your back on archaic traditions and instead, forging a life with me out here among the stars." He sighed quietly, warm breath releasing the pain of those days, weeks, months, with a long exhale. "Away from your father and that whole messed up family of yours where you had a chance to shine."

"Well, that's kind of where we are now, isn't it?" she asked, pulling her head off his chest and looking deeply into his eyes, but at the same time keeping her paws firmly on Raz. "I'm here, amongst the stars, away from my family, and well," she said with a dramatic pause, "with you...."

"Took you long enough," he muttered as his gray gaze met hers, hunger kindled in its depths, a deep rumble sounding through the expanse of his chest.

Part of H'iri wanted to playfully complain that only a couple of days ago that he never wanted to see her again, but now, he was complaining that she was finally here. She opted on a compromise for a retort. "Well, you know, sometimes a girl likes to make a guy wait. It shows dedication." She grinned fiercely before firmly nuzzling into Raz's neck.

Pain lanced through him, memories like wounds barely scabbed over, torn open again; he closed his eyes against it all, pulling her tight to his chest, his muzzle buried in her hair. Filling her nose with the scent of her again as raw need warred with old pain, fighting for a chance, and he felt himself standing at the edge of a precipice. Uncertain. Bleeding. She had been young then, filled with idiotic traditions and the dreams of a girl who didn't understand how things worked. She was older now and she'd realized the cost of her mistakes.

"I'm not ready to talk about the past," Raz murmured into her hair. "Right now, all I want is a little peace. Can we do that?"

"Yes, Raz. Yes, we can. Talk can come later." She nuzzled tightly into Raz, while her tail curled around a leg. She let anything, but the moment go.

He sat, canted slightly to one side, so that his tail could settle against his leg, and drifted off, asleep between one moment and the next. And even then, he held her close, a talisman against everything outside of his quarters, and dropped into a deep sleep, his first since all this started.

Well, that was not completely unexpected. I can't very well leave him when he is so sound asleep. Yet, he's the Captain and the crew might talk. Do I really care about that? Isn't this nice? Did you not always wonder about this, H'iri? What could have been? What should have been? Take your own advice. Worry about it tomorrow. With that last thought, H'iri dug her face into Raz's chest and contentedly fell asleep.

---

Captain M'Raz
Commanding Officer
USS Jane Addams

and

Lieutenant H'iri
Chief of Operations
USS Jane Addams

 

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