Title: The Hike
Author: Chrysa
E-Mail: chrysa9@aol.com
Rating: PG
Category: Romance/ Humor
Codes: R/S
Summary: Hoshi, bottle, exhaustion
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. I just play with them. I make no money off of any of it. Damn the luck.
Another challenge in a can!
Takes place a few years into the series and assumes Hoshi and Malcolm are already in a relationship.
For Jessica, who asked me to write her a fic since she was ill.
****
It was too hot today, Hoshi decided as she pulled on the straps of her backpack. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and kept putting one foot in front of the other. What the hell had made her decide to do this hike anyway when she could have been lying on a beach getting a tan? The crunch of leaves up ahead caught her attention and she glanced up at Malcolm or rather Malcolm's butt.
Oh yeah that was why she'd agreed to this hike.
Then there was his eager smile. She liked that smile, especially when it was directed at her.
She hated the hike though. No, not hate. Despise. She was beginning to despise this hike.
"Malcolm?" Hoshi's panting voice drifted up the trail.
"Yes?" He stopped and turned and was treated to the sight of a panting, sweaty Hoshi in a tight t-shirt and short shorts and he really needed to stop that train of thought or they'd never get to the top of this mountain.
"I don't think I'm cut out for hiking!" She staggered up the last few feet towards him and sat on a large rock. She took out her water bottle and took a long drink out of it.
"You're doing fine!" He looked at his wrist chronometer and frowned.
"What's wrong?"
He looked up at her and brushed away a stray lock of hair plastered to her neck. Hoshi tilted her head back to give him better access and sighed.
Do not think about what you could do to that neck, Malcolm. He bit his lip. The two of you really don't have time to go rolling around on the ground no matter how much you want to.
Hoshi snuck a look at him under her lashes and smirked. So, he was thinking about ditching this hike and becoming one with nature too, huh? She caught his hand as it slid away from her neck. "Malcolm?" She smiled becomingly and slid her nails up his arm to his elbow before letting them slide back down and play in his hand. "We," she slid a finger over the lifelines in his hand. "Can," she pulled him a little closer. "Stay," her nails sliding across his fingers sent tingles up his spine. "Right," she lifted his hand closer to her face. "Here," she whispered sliding his middle finger into her mouth.
Air. He needed air. How do you get your lungs to take in oxygen? Malcolm groaned and closed his eyes in an incredibly stupid attempt to concentrate.
Hoshi took the opportunity to slide his finger from her mouth and bring him in for a heated kiss. His arms slid around her and she slid the pack from her shoulders. Smiling against his mouth, Hoshi pulled them back against the rock. She kissed her way down his jaw and nibbled on his ear. "Isn't this much better than hiking?" She whispered. Well, sex was better than hiking wasn't it? She was getting the best end of the deal.
Malcolm put a hand out to brace himself. Hiking? They'd been hiking? Why would he want to hike when he had Hoshi plastered all over him? He opened his eyes and caught sight of his chronometer.
Hiking!
"Hmmpphf!" He broke the kiss. "We have to go!"
"What?!" Hoshi's eyes flew open as Malcolm unwrapped her legs from around his waist and lifted himself off of her. She sputtered in outrage as he staggered away from her and attempted to straighten his clothing. Her eyes narrowed. "You would rather hike up the side of a mountain than make love to me? Now?!"
"No! Oh, God, no!" He hastened to reassure her. A pissed off Hoshi equaled a no nookie Hoshi and that was the last thing he wanted. He pulled her up and helped her put her pack back on. "There's nothing I would rather do than make love to you, Hoshi, but we have to go now!" He gave her a quick kiss and pulled her after him. "There's a good reason for this I promise you!"
There damn well better be, she thought, as tired as I am. Her legs ached in protest as they rushed up the trail. If it isn't there'll be no nookie and I'll kick his ass off the mountain! "Are we there yet?"
Her only reply was a raised eyebrow in her direction.
Malcolm grinned. There it was! The top of the mountain! Well, maybe not the top but the part he wanted to get to at least. "Not much further!"
Wonderful, Hoshi thought as she tagged along behind him. Her legs were ready to fall off and tumbling down the mountain seemed preferable to climbing it. Lost in her own thoughts she crashed into Malcolm's shoulder and cursed.
"There!" He said proudly.
She looked around. They'd reached a grassy cliff that overlooked the mountain range. Birds sang in the background and a blessedly cool breeze blew past them. No rocks on the ground.
"Isn't it beautiful?!" Malcolm took a deep breath and gazed out at the sunset.
"Yeah," Hoshi chewed on a nail as she looked for a good spot.
The setting sun washed the land in soft gold tones. "They say this is the best part of the trip," Malcolm looked around him.
"Mmmmhmmm" Hoshi slipped the pack off her shoulders and took out the sleeping bag. She walked over to a likely spot and tested the ground.
"Wonderful," she murmured spreading out her sleeping bag.
"Isn't it?" Malcolm sighed and closed his eyes to enjoy the last warm rays. "This is why I was trying to rush us up here." He didn't even notice when she slipped his pack off his shoulders and pulled his sleeping bag free.
"Yeah, I can certainly understand that." She said hooking the two bags together. She'd take this over a rock any day of the week. Hoshi surveyed her work. "Perfect."
"Yes it-aaaaahh!!!!" Malcolm yelled in surprise as Hoshi yanked on his waistband and sent him sprawling onto the sleeping bags. "What the"He looked at her in surprise as she straddled his hips and grinned down at him.
"Something wrong?" She asked.
Malcolm looked from the sleeping bags to her then to the fading sunset. "You don't want to look at the sunset?"
She looked at him in confusion. "The what?"
"The-the sunset," he pointed. She looked over her shoulder. "I wanted to show you the sunset. It's supposed to be one of the most romantic sights on the planet."
"Oh" She smiled and watched the sun's last rays shine over the area. "It's beautiful, Malcolm."
He smiled. "I'm glad you like it."
"Yes," she turned back to him and smiled brightly. "Well, that's enough of that," she said yanking at his shirt.
Then sun set the rest of the way without them.
****
The next morning Archer looked down at his chronometer and over at Trip as they waited at the rest station half way down the mountain. "What do you suppose is keeping them?"
"I don't know," Trip replied as he leaned against a tree. "You know what a stickler for schedules, Malcolm is."
"Yeah, must have been important to have held them up," Archer said. He frowned and took out his communicator. "Archer to Reed." Instead of Reed though Hoshi's bright, cheerful voice came over the comm.
"Hoshi here. Is there something I can help you with?"
Trip and Archer looked at one another. "Well, we were supposed to meet about a half hour ago. What's keeping you two?"
"It's Malcolm. Poor thing's exhausted."
End.
