The Officer’s Ball
And another commission from the other-worldly magnanimous @pinkmoontribe-blog I cannot and will never be able to thank you enough!!
This one is another Emotion Chip!Data x reader where they attend an officer’s ball and share a rather...intimate dance. It’s sfw, but phew? I liked this one a lot. I might try another one later on that’s more Cinderella-y :3
You could barely recognize the Academy as you approached it with Deanna and Beverly beside you. You had beamed just beyond the building, deep enough in the gardens to appreciate the splendor of it all, “to make an entrance” as Deanna had put it, and the building was even more done up than you lot were. Boothsby had worked some serious magic, it would seem, because each and every flower bed was full to bursting with beautiful, vibrant flowers illuminated by garden lights. Along the walkways were strings of softly-glowing yellow lights, and around every door into the Academy were a myriad of floral strands and bouquets. Music and the sounds of laughter and conversation drifted out through the open doors. Captain Picard, Commander Riker, and Geordi were standing outside the doors, talking animatedly with two other officers you didn’t recognize. Upon seeing the three of you approach, they politely excused themselves and came to greet you. Geordi greeted you with a friendly hug and a warm smile. “You sure clean up well, Y/N.”
You chuckled and nudged his shoulder. “I could say the same to you, Geordi.” He, like most of the male officers in attendance, was dressed in his formal uniform. “Where’s your date?”
Geordi smiled and gestured a short ways away in conversation with a scientist you recognized from your time visiting DS9 this past month. “They’ve been at it for nearly half an hour now. If I were a lesser man, I might be jealous.” You chuckled with him but it died quickly when you began scanning the crowd. Geordi, as if reading your mind, gently patted your shoulder. “He’s around here somewhere. You should head on in. The buffet is to die for.”
You nodded and hugged him quickly before splitting from the group. The inside of the building had been decked out even better than the outside, red and gold carpets laid out and blue tapestries and banners hung overhead. From where you stood atop the grand staircase, you could see nearly everything from below. Groups of people milled about along the edges of the room, and directly across from the staircase was the band, playing a jaunty dance tune. In the center of the room, a few dozen people danced, many of them wearing flashy and fine outfits. You swallowed hard and looked down at your dress, smoothing it down nervously before you set off down the stairs.
As you meandered your way through the crowd and each moment that passed, you grew a little more nervous, a little more disheartened. True, Data hadn’t officially asked you to come to this ball, but you’d hoped he would’ve sought you out and ask you at least for one dance by now. You found yourself at a buffet table, a plate of various finger-foods and desserts in your hands, completely enraptured by a Trill woman who was the very epitome of beauty and grace. She was telling a rapturous tale of adventure to the crowd which had grown to nearly 10 people around her, all of you hanging onto her every word when she stopped mid-sentence to smile brightly. “Worf!” she yelled.
You blinked and looked in the direction she was, surprised to see your former crewmate making his way over to where the crowd was situated, looking very uncomfortable by the amount of people in the room. The small gathering broke away, some people grumbling at the lost end of the story, leaving just you and the Trill woman standing to receive the Klingon. “I have been looking everywhere for you,” he grumbled to her.
She gave him a dazzling grin that made even your knees weak and leaned in to place a warm kiss to his cheek. Though he glowered at her, you could tell he thoroughly enjoyed it, which only added to your confusion. “I’m sorry. I was storytelling.”
Worf shook his head but, upon seeing you, he let a small smile touch his face. “Ensign Y/L/N. It is good to see you. With whom are you here?”
You blinked and smiled warmly. “It’s Lieutenant now, actually. Technically, I’m on my own, but I was hoping to catch a dance or two with Data.”
Worf quirked a brow but nodded. “Congratulations.” Whether on the promotion or the formation of the relationship between you and Data that had occurred after Worf left for DS9, you weren’t sure.
“Aren’t you gonna introduce us, Worf?”
He jumped at the Trill woman’s words and swallowed. “I, uh. Yes. Lieutenant Y/L/N, this is—”
“Jadzia Dax,” she purred, her hand outstretched to you. “Worf is my husband.”
You took her hand, mouth agape. “Your… Oh. Oh wow. Congratulations, Worf! I had no idea!”
He tilted his chin up in an obvious display of pride. “Thank you, Lieutenant.”
“Worf, there you are!” Riker appeared out of seemingly nowhere. “Listen, we’ve got some guys over here who want to hear about that thing you did with the bat’leth and the Risan moonberries, would you mind?”
Worf looked back and forth from you and Jadzia, struggling to find a way to say no, but Jadzia smirked and waved him off. “Go, go.” Turning to you with another knee-wobbling grin, she purred, “Maybe the Lieutenant and I might share a dance?”
“Oh, I—” you started to protest.
“Splendid!” The plate was moved hastily out of your hands before you were dragged out into the very middle of the dancefloor just as the song began to change into a simple waltz in a 4/4 time. You were blushing furiously as Jadzia’s hands slipped easily about your waist and down along your arm to hold your hand. She led you easily, her steps smooth and fluid which more than made up for your stumbling. She grinned at you, her eyes alight with excitement. “You’ve known Worf long, then?” she asked.
You stumbled at the question and had to speak haltingly, your brain fighting to focus on words and feet at the same time. “For about… five years…” You winced as you stepped on her toe, but she didn’t seem to mind. “I was transferred… to the Enterprise… two years before… he left.”
“I see. It’s a shame we’ve never met. You seem fun.”
You blushed under her stare which made her laugh. The song was beginning to come to an end, but just before the last phrase began, Jadzia stopped rather abruptly and turned. You followed her look and grinned brightly, seeing Data standing there, looking very smart in a black tuxedo and bowtie. “May I cut in?” he asked.
Jadzia nodded and stepped back, smiling graciously. “By all means.”
Data took your hand in his and slipped his arm around your waist, pulling you closer than necessary. His lips moved down to press against your cheek in a warm kiss before trailing along to your ear where he whispered, “You look… breathtaking.”
You swallowed hard at the tone in his voice and pressed just a bit closer. “I could say the same about you.”
The next song began. It was alien to you, something you’d never learned before, and for a brief moment you panicked. Data could see the fear in your face and placed a kiss to your forehead. “This is a Denobulan dance reminiscent of a Terran tango. I will lead.”
Except… he stepped away. As you looked around, you saw that most of the other couples were mirroring it, the lead stepping back from the other. You opened your mouth to ask what was about to happen when a string instrument chimed in in a rather sultry way, and Data and the leads stepped in beat. He circled slowly around you, and though you doubted it was part of the song, you could feel his hungry eyes roving over your body like a hunter stalking prey. It was slow, languid, step two three step two three. Then, with a sudden molto crescendo, Data snapped around to the front of you, just barely within arm’s reach, and he reached up slowly, his fingers ghosting along the shape of your nose and across your lips, catching the lower one ever the slightest. You found yourself following his hand as he pulled it away, but the music moved again, and Data slipped closer to you, your bodies nearly flush but not touching. His hands followed the length of your arms, close enough to feel the disturbance of the air left behind his movements, until his hands mirrored yours at your side. “Do as I do,” he breathed, and you found yourself nodding, unable to tear yourself away from his impassioned gaze.
He lifted one hand slowly, brought it up towards your shoulder and curved it back down to your side. You followed his movements easily, and again as he mirrored the movement with his other hand. The music once again changed with a shift not just in volume but in time signature to something a little louder, much faster, split into twos instead of the previous threes.
His movements snapped quickly with the change, one hand slipping into yours, the other coming up to cup your cheek as he pulled you along into a quick set of steps. You stumbled after him, but he did not look away from your face for even a moment, so neither did you. Unsure of what to do with your unoccupied hand, you rested it against his elbow, and from the way his grin twitched, you could tell it was the right move. His thumb brushed against your cheek and down across your lips again in what you doubted was part of the actual song (though, with Denobulans, who knows?) and his eyes followed the movement hungrily, his grin faltering just the slightest while his teeth dragged across his own lip.
His other hand tightened ever the slightest on yours before he slipped from your grasp again, the beat of the song returning to one rather like the first. You stumbled, breathless, and looked around bewildered as did several other dancers. As you righted yourself, he stepped in from your back and you had to stifle a moan as you felt his arms slip about your waist. His lips met the crook of your neck as the two of you stepped slowly, slinking, and his hands roamed across your hips. You leaned against him, putty in his skilled hands, your hands resting easily atop his. He kissed up your neck just below your ear and practically purred. “I will never tire of the way you feel,” he whispered.
You shivered and leaned your head back against his shoulder, blushing furiously. Your mouth opened to whisper his name but his grip on you changed, his hand sliding along your far arm and tugging you into a spin away from him. You stood apart for nearly two whole beats, eyes locked on one another before he slid his way back into your embrace and met you with a fiery kiss, his hand upon the back of your head as the song came to a close. Applause broke out along the ballroom, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care as your arms slipped about Data’s shoulders to pull him closer.
After a long moment, he stepped back, chuckling at your pout, and brought your knuckles to his lips. “I hope that this was a sufficient way to make up for my previous absence.”
You chuckled, squeezing his hand slightly. “Hm, gee, Data, I don’t know. I mean, you did keep me waiting a long time.”
He affected a faux-horrified look and stepped close, already moving in time to the subtle song the band had taken up. “Perish the though, my love. Please, tell me how I can make up for this deficit.”
“Hmm. I can think of a few things. Though, they’ll have to wait.” You cast a glance about the ballroom, taking note of the surprising amount of eyes set upon the two of you. Leaning in, you lowered your voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I don’t think our present company would be too thrilled by the um… dress code.”
Data let out a hearty laugh that set your heart soaring and tugged you closer to him, practically hugging you as you swayed. “Once we return to the ship, you will have to tell me more.”
You smiled, laying your head against his shoulder. “Oh, I will.” After a few more minutes, you sighed contentedly. “Data?”
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
He placed a kiss to your shoulder. “Mm, I love you, too.”