For the love of... Don't mess it up
Posted on Sun Sep 27th, 2026 @ 12:46am by Lieutenant JG Malcolm Beckett M.D. & Lieutenant JG Kasper Andersen M.D
Edited on on Sun Sep 27th, 2026 @ 12:46am
2,379 words; about a 12 minute read
Mission:
Peril at the Unification Accords
Location: Boomerangs, Deck 9
Timeline: MD 10, After Alpha Shift
Malcolm finished his shift in Sickbay and brisked past reception quickly without much of a word. It was out of character for him and the receptionist raised an eyebrow, but didn't register as anything important, doctors were always running somewhere.
Kasper had left a few minutes earlier and he was hoping to catch him before he made it to the turbolift.
"Kas," he called out. "What have you got? Any plans?" Malcolm asked.
Kasper stopped mid-step and turned around at the sound of Malcolm's voice and gave him a smile. He liked the guy - he was good for Eirly. "Ah, I've got none, sadly. The girls are busy tonight so it's just me on my own. What's up, what've you got planned?"
"Fancy a bite then?" Malcolm suggested as he caught up to Kasper. His features really were similar to his sister's. Something he hadn't noticed when he first met Eirly, but now that he saw them both everyday, the similarities were uncanny.
"Yeah sure, why not?" Kas shrugged, an inkling of suspicion starting to work its way in - Malcolm never wanted to just catch up out of the blue, unless it was a medical related issue. "There's Boomerangs if you want some BBQ or Eclipse or Rhythm, depending on what you're feeling?"
"Eclipse sound alright?" The other options could be loud for different reasons. "You said Charlotte's busy? You two getting on alright then?"
"Yeah, she's got something on tonight with some friends so I thought I'd leave her to it." Kasper shrugged as they walked, "And we've been getting on amazing lately. I think the Christmas period was a kind of an eye opener for her at how... chaotic, I don't know if that's the right word or not, our family can be, and I know it wasn't the ideal way to have introduced her to them, but anyway." He hoped he was doing things right with her this time.
The turbolift stopped at deck 9 and they stepped out before starting to make their way to the bistro. "I, uh, know everything that's going on with Eirly and how she's coping with it, but how are you dealing with it?"
"More worried about how she's handling it you know, mentally, than the condition itself," Malcolm confessed. "I know what to do when there's a medical problem. Modern medicine can manage complications. I'm not too worried about that."
"But, I don't have a clue if I'm doing anything right to support her, you know? She was scared to even tell me. I dunnae ken why. And I don't know what to say or do. She doesn't want me involved in the medical stuff, but that's what I know."
He hadn't expected to find himself opening up to Kasper like that, but since Kas had asked, Malcolm found himself confessing to feelings of inadequecies that he hadn't even fully processed for himself yet.
Kas nodded as he listened to Malcolm and they took a couple of seats toward the back of the bistro. Thankfully, it wasn't too busy at this time of day so they wouldn't have to resort to shouting to hear each other.
"If it makes you feel any better, she doesn't want me involved either, that way if something goes wrong we can't blame ourselves for making it harder on her," he offered, hoping it would bring an ounce of comfort. "She's a fighter, we both know this - hell, everyone knows this - and I don't know if this will make anything easier for you when I say this, but I think you are doing everything right so far and I know she'd tell you if you weren't, so just keep treating my sister like you normally would."
The menus got slid across to them by a waitress and Kas looked at it for a moment, "That's it. No more fancy speech from me."
Malcolm was quiet for a moment until the waitress came back. "Just a cheeseburger, and that lager you got on tap there. Is that a Black Isle Blonde," he asked with a grin. "Tastes like home. "I'll have that."
"I think I might go for a," Kasper's voice trailed off as he nodded and looked down the menu. "I'll go for a simple American style hotdog with fries and just a cola, please."
Malcolm waited for Kasper to order and for the waitress to get out of earshot before he continued. "It's just I've been thinking a lot about our future, making sure we don't get separated in some kind of transfer you know."
Malcolm had thought a lot more about it than that, but he was looking for an easy way to lead in to what he was really thinking about.
Kasper fully turned to him with a grin and an eyebrow raised, a small twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "I think that if my sister has anything to do with it, you're going to be stuck with her for life at this stage, so I doubt you guys will be getting split up in any kind of transfer."
He understood how much Malcolm cared for his sister and appreciated that he was thinking of the future but couldn't figure out where this conversation was headed. "Why's that?"
"We've talked about marriage you know, and kids, but it's always been hypothetical ye know, like down the line," Malcolm admitted. "But what if I asked her. Like really asked her."
Kasper's eyes widened in surprise at the admission and he almost choked on air as a result and then his voice could barely hide the excitement, "No way, really?! That's amazing! Bro, she's going to say yes. And I couldn't think of a better person to have ask her." He clapped Malcolm on his shoulder and shook it happily. "Oh man, she's going to cry but be over the moon about it. I hope you know exactly how much she loves you."
"She's so generous," Malcolm added, his eyes brightening as he talked about her. "I've never met anyone like her."
"We went through a period in the expanse when I was... well not myself," Malcolm continued. "It was hard on her, and it just made me think I dunnae ken what I would do if I lost her."
Kasper’s expression softened, the grin fading into something quieter and more sincere. He leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping once against the table before he spoke.
“Mal, you didn’t lose her. And you’re not going to.” His voice stayed low, steady, the kind of tone he only used when he meant every word. “That whole mess in the Expanse? Yeah, it rattled her. It rattled all of us. But she never once thought you weren’t coming back to her. Not once.”
He let out a slow breath, shaking his head slightly. “You know, when she talked to me afterwards… she wasn’t angry. She wasn’t scared of you, she was scared for you. That’s different. That’s love, man. The real kind.”
Kasper nudged Malcolm’s arm with the back of his knuckles. “And if you’re thinking about asking her to marry you because you realised how much she means to you? That’s not panic. That’s clarity.”
He paused, letting the weight of the moment settle before adding, more gently, “Just… don’t ask her because you’re afraid of losing her. Ask her because you want her beside you for everything — the good, the bad, the boring Tuesday mornings. She’ll know the difference. Even with her medical conditions. And she deserves the version of you that’s choosing her, not clinging to her.”
A small smile returned, warm and genuine. “And you deserve someone who chooses you right back. Which she does. Every damn day.” Kasper reached for his drink, lifting it slightly in a half-toast. “So if you’re really thinking about it… tell me what you’ve got in mind. You planning something big? Or something quiet? Because either way, I’m already excited.”
"Well, that's one of the reasons I'm risking bringing your loud mouth into this," Malcolm admitted as he took a drink of his beer. "You better not say anything. I'm wanting it to be a surprise. Which is why I'm tryin' to not ask her myself, but I want to get it right and properly ask your family if that's what she would want."
Malcolm felt surprisingly calm as he talked about it with Kasper, though he imagined he would be a little more nervous sitting across from Eirly's father. He did take a quick look around and make sure that no one was sitting too close.
The grin on Kaspers face raised in the corner to become a half smile. "Even though I do quite often share everything with my sister, you can be most assured that this is one thing I definitely will not be telling her this." He sipped his beer and centred it back on the coaster, "But. Yes, there is a but. You will indeed have to talk to my father, because i know for a fact she won't marry you unless you do. And maybe loop my mother in on it too; she already adores you."
"Do we call them over subspace?" Malcolm asked. "Plan a trip back to Earth? Is that too suspicious? Maybe we should take some leave to go to Earth for a bit. We've been talking about it. More romantic than a Holodeck, right?"
"Please for the love of the gods, don't propose to her on a holoodeck," Kasper laughed in reply, "Unless it's an absolutely out of this world location or idea you had in mind... I've got a few contacts i can give you if you're doing it on Earth." He watched Malcolm give him an incredulous look, "What? I know people."
He paused a moment to think on it, "We'll be docking soon, maybe even get them to come here, I know they'd all appreciate it. Me, not so much, but that's not the point: my sister is. Whatever you want to do, just tell me so I can keep my loud mouth shut, ha."
"Of course ye do. I might know some people too, I did grow up there as well," Malcolm replied as if Kasper thought he was talking to an alien.
"Maybe I should try talking to her about it, you know generally. Without trying to tip her off to any plans. We're do for some leave. Some real leave."
"You aren't going to come with us are ya?" Malcolm asked.
"Only if you want me to crash the plans," Kasper replied after finishing his drink and shaking his head, "Otherwise I'm content to annoy Charlie for a while until she gets sick of me, and then who knows. So you're safe there, mate."
"What's going on with you two, anyway?" Malcolm asked. "You're spending a lot of time together."
Kasper shrugged in response, "We're taking things slowly so that we can work out relationship kinks along the way. I can 100% guarantee though that there isn't going to be a spontaneous proposal any time soon though!"
The idea of marriage was so far in the distance that he couldn't and didn't want to see it. Plus he knew that if he was to pop the question, it'd be a straight up no.
"Kinks?" Malcolm asked. "You already havin' problems this early are ya?"
"Apparently, I'm too chaotic for medicine because I'm not regimented like you or the others," Kasper laughed at his own shortcomings. "I can see that, but I wouldn't be me if I was like you, if you get what I mean? I dunno." He leaned back on the seat before putting his elbows on the table and sighing.
"I like her, I really do." He admitted. "And I've tried to do everything right too: random little dinner dates where I've actually cooked something - shocker, I know - and given her flowers, even actively listened to what she says when she needs to vent about something."
"I don't think we're having problems?" Kasper asked sheepishly and looked down at the letters tattooed on his fingers. "But anyway, go talk to my sister, say something along the lines of "I've made us a booking at a really beautiful place that I know you'll enjoy" and she'll be none the wiser. Snow, starlight, forests, mountains, she loves it all. In saying that though, I know she's always wanted to see a lantern festival, you know the ones where they release thousands of lanterns into the sky at night? That."
Malcolm was too busy laughing at Kasper. "You're giving yourself a pat on the back for listening to your girlfriend and you think you're sure that a lantern festival is what your sister actually wants?"
Kasper gave him a deadpan look, "You know that Eirly will be happy no matter where you go or what you do, as long as she's with you. And in terms of Charlotte, I'm just happy she chose to put up with me, okay? I don't exactly have a successful track record in terms of relationships, so give me a pass, ja?"
Malcolm put his hands up in defeat. "Fair enough on Charlotte. You got me there. With Eirly. Sometimes it just seems to good to be true. But, maybe we just got lucky."
Malcolm seemed to nod to himself with introspection before picking up his burger and taking a bite.
"Just don't mess it up," Kasper replied absently as he tucked into the hotdog in front of him.
The two continued to talk, eat and drink for a while longer afterwards, winding down for the end of the day.
OFF
Lieutenant JG Malcolm Beckett, MD
Medical Officer
USS Astrea
(NPC of Remy Johansen)
Lieutenant JG Kasper Andersen, MD
Medical Officer
USS Astrea
(NPC of Eirly Andersen)
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