I thought this song really fit Enterprise. I love this show so much it's not fair like it literally changed my life
Also if this post feels familiar it's becuase I accidently deleted my tumblr and am reposting some (Not all) of my old content! A like or comment would be appreciated ♡♡♡
“You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.” with Malcolm Reed, pretty please? 🥺❤️
YES. More than happy to write for the pretty British mans!! ❤️ Based off a starter post which can be found here. This drabble is cross-posted to AO3 here.
16. “You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.” + Malcolm Reed
If anyone wants to be added to my taglist or wants to submit a fic request, my ask box is always open! If you want to know whether I write for a certain character, have a look here. If the character you want isn’t on the list, I probably just forgot to add them, so please feel free to ask.
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Prince Charming
[A/N: I hope I did the sweet Armory Officer justice! Enjoy! I don’t really have any notes to add to this tbh lol.]
Warnings: None, this is literally just fluff.
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“Ensign? Can you hear me?” That voice was familiar.
“I think she’s coming ‘round. Ensign?” The second voice was even more familiar...and very British. As I forced my eyes open and winced against the light, a blurry shape at my side began to come into focus. Malcolm. He was holding one of my hands in his and looking at me with concern. “There you are. You’re in sickbay.”
“What? Why?” My voice came out rougher than I’d anticipated, and I couldn’t help but cringe at the sound of it.
“It seems you didn’t eat anything all day prior to your hand-to-hand combat training with Lieutenant Reed,” Doctor Phlox called as he moved to the side of my bed to take some readings from the monitor. Ah, he must’ve been the other person talking when I was waking up.
“In other words, you fainted…straight into my arms,” Malcolm stated as he picked up a glass of water from a tray beside him. Helping me into a more upright position, he passed me the glass once he was sure my grip was solid enough. “You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”
Glancing nervously at Phlox and back at Malcolm, I raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t worry. The Doctor caught on as soon as I carried you in here. He knows,” Malcolm said with a sheepish smile. Malcolm and I had been together for a few weeks, but we were keeping it quiet until we figured out where things were headed.
“And your secret is safe with me, Ensign. Doctor-patient confidentiality,” Phlox said with a grin before walking over to another station.
“You really did give me a fright, darling,” the armory officer murmured bringing my hand to his lips. “I’ve asked Phlox to put you on medical leave for the next couple of days. You’ve been pulling double shifts all week.”
“But I have so much wor–”
“No buts, Ensign,” Malcolm said in his best authoritative tone. “I still outrank you, you know. Whether you like it or not, you need a rest. It’s already been cleared with the Captain. I’ve taken some of my own leave time as well. You’re going to be well and truly pampered if it’s the last thing I do.”
“Well, thank you, Prince Charming,” I murmured as a blush colored my cheeks. If the wink he gave me was any indication, this relationship wouldn’t be secret for much longer.
Malcolm Reed: leave me, captain, the enterprise is more important than the life of one man I’ll only slow you down I came from a long line of navy men who died at sea I’ve prepared for this eventuality
Hi, um...I'm just the slightest bit touch-starved at the moment and I was wondering if you could maybe do a fic about the reader being touch-starved? Maybe she just really wants a hug and Malcolm brushes up against her and that's how he finds out? Does that make sense??
Oh, nonny, of course! And I know I can't give you a hug physically, but I am virtually! (Don't worry, I'm touch-starved af too, and I cried a little when I was writing this.) Cross-posted to my AO3 here.
If anyone wants to be added to my taglist or wants to submit a fic request, my ask box is always open! If you want to know whether I write for a certain character, have a look here. If the character you want isn’t on the list, I probably just forgot to add them, so please feel free to ask.
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Touch-Starved
Malcolm Reed (ST:ENT) x Reader
[A/N: This is just entirely fluff with some feelings. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this!]
Warnings: Descriptions of being touch-starved? I guess? Idk if that counts, but yeah. General softness, because Malcolm is a sweetheart.
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Truth be told, it shouldn’t have affected me the way that it did. A single brush on the shoulder while passing through one of the corridors on the way to my quarters shouldn’t have brought tears to my eyes or made me make the sound that I did.
“Ensign?” A quiet call came from the person I’d bumped into, and when I turned reflexively toward them, I saw a concerned expression on Lieutenant Reed’s face. Shit. There was no hiding the tears that were in my eyes when he was standing this close. One of his hands came up and just barely touched my arm where he’d brushed up against me. “I’m so sorry, are you alright? If I hurt you-”
“N-No, no. You didn’t. I’m...It’s nothing. I...Excuse me,” I stammered, forcing a smile as I hurried in the direction I’d been going originally. Malcolm called my name perplexedly, but I just sped up. He couldn’t see me...not like this. I didn’t slow down until I was safely behind the door to my quarters. With a quiet sob, I leaned against the wall and slid down into a sitting position.
It had all happened so slowly, and yet the realization had come too late in the process. Over the year that we’d been on Enterprise, I’d made friends, sure, but we all had to remain at a professional distance. When we’d gone back to Earth to deal with the aftermath of the Xindi attack, others had their families. Others had their friends. I had remained near the base where Enterprise was docked. When we were about to re-board the ship and I saw people bidding their loved ones farewell, it struck me like a freight train: I hadn’t had close physical contact with anyone - outside of hand-to-hand combat training - in over a year. When was the last time anyone had hugged me? Or even placed their hand on my arm?
No. No, I hadn’t allowed myself to think of that for the first few months of our journey to find the Xindi weapon. This feeling was so ridiculous compared to the enormity of the task and dangers facing us. Earth was in danger and a single Ensign was sad because she wanted a hug?
Ha. Major Hayes and pretty much anyone else on the ship would have surely scoffed and told me to grow up. So I stayed silent. It was a tense sort of feeling, as if any touch not meant to maim or injure would make me break down.
And here I was: breaking down in my quarters after a single, solitary brush on the shoulder - by our Chief of Security, of all people. Our very attractive Chief of Security who I had very unprofessional feelings about and who would doubtlessly think me weak if he saw me like this. He had almost done exactly that just now in the corridor. That sobering thought sent a shiver of fear through me. I didn’t want anyone else to see me like this, much less Malcolm.
And yet...if there was one person on this ship I felt safe telling almost anything to, it was him. Often when I envisioned somebody hugging me, my mind’s eye conjured Malcolm taking me into his arms. Without so much as a second thought, I changed out of my uniform into some sleep clothes and curled up in bed.
--
The next day was progressing normally right up until I sat down for lunch in the mess hall. I’d chosen a quiet little table in a corner out of everyone else’s way. I settled in and tried to focus on the words of the report I was meant to be skimming when somebody cleared their throat, making me look up. I swallowed nervously as I met Lieutenant Reed’s eyes. He was holding his tray of food and giving me a gentle smile.
“May I join you, Ensign?” He asked quietly, and since I didn’t trust my voice to come out in a steady manner, I just nodded my head in agreement. Now I definitely couldn’t focus on the report in my hand. Malcolm took a slow sip of his coffee and fixed me with a look I couldn’t quite read. “How’s your arm?”
“My arm, sir?” I couldn’t make myself understand what he meant.
“Where I bumped you yesterday,” he clarified and oh. Oh, he really did think he hurt me.
“Oh! My arm is fine. Like I said yesterday, you didn’t hurt me. I was...just startled. Lost in thought, that’s all.” The last part was a lie, plain and simple. After all, I couldn’t tell him what I was really feeling. I wasn’t that great at hand-to-hand combat anyway. I couldn’t give him another reason to think I was too weak to be on this mission. Malcolm’s brow furrowed, and he set his mug down.
“You’ve never lied to me before. Why now?” He asked leaning a little closer so our conversation stayed private.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m fine, Mal,” I said trying to sound upbeat and normal. “Really.”
He looked like he was about to protest further when an announcement rang out over the comm system.
“Senior officers to my ready room,” Captain Archer ordered, and Malcolm spared a glance at the speaker as he stood. Turning back to me, he leaned in and placed his hand gently - so fucking carefully - on my shoulder.
“This isn’t over. We’ll talk later,” he said before turning and walking out of the mess hall. Every single fiber of my being felt like I’d been shocked with an electrical wire, concentrated mostly at my shoulder where his hand had been. I placed my own hand over the spot as lightly as I could, and I felt my breath hitch in my throat. Blinking back tears, I tried to shove that damned feeling back down again. There were more important issues. Like the Xindi. Or the anomalies we’d been running into in this part of space. Anything to get my attention off of how fucking amazing it felt to have somebody’s hand on my shoulder...and how much I already missed it more than I’d expected I would.
--
That night when I was finished with my shift, I put on a comfy, oversized shirt and a pair of sleeping shorts and curled up on the bed in my quarters with a book I’d brought from home. Taking a deep breath, I tried to lose myself in the words on the page and let the stress of the mission and the day melt away.
It wasn’t to be. A few pages in, my door chime sounded, and I let out a quiet sigh before calling for whoever it was to come in. The door hissed open to reveal Lieutenant Reed wearing a concerned expression. Closing my book with a quiet rustling of pages, I sat up a little straighter.
“Lieutenant. What can I do for you?” I asked quietly, and he walked slowly over to the side of the bed.
“I think we need to talk,” he said, and any chance of him having forgotten our previous conversation went out the airlock. “Something is very wrong - even Trip has noticed you’ve not been yourself since we left Earth this time round. He thought it was just the attack, but...somehow I don’t think that’s what’s wrong.”
When I remained silent for a few moments, Malcolm sat on the bed near my waist and bent his neck until his eyes met mine.
“We’re friends, aren’t we?” He asked, and I nodded my head slowly. “Then talk to me. Please. I want to help, but I don’t know how unless you tell me what’s wrong. You’ve been withdrawn...distant. You haven’t been to a movie night in over a month...I’m worried about you.”
The last sentence was almost a whisper when it came from his lips, and the shock of hearing him sound so uncertain made me feel guilty. I hadn’t meant to make him worry.
“It’s silly,” I started, but Malcolm shook his head emphatically.
“I saw your eyes last night. If it was silly, it wouldn’t have brought you to tears. If somebody hurt you, I will personally give them hell. Please, tell me what’s going on. I’m all ears,” he said encouragingly, and I bit the bullet. With a stammer in my voice I told him everything, and not once did he look at me like I was an oddity or like I really was being silly. I left out my feelings for him, of course, but I did end up explaining why I’d reacted the way I did in the corridor the night before. When I’d eventually finished, Malcolm lifted his hand and moved it slowly toward me, pausing a few inches away from my face. “May I?”
I couldn’t seem to make my voice work, so I nodded my head silently in response. A small smile played across his lips, and his fingertips brushed lightly over my cheek as they moved to tuck a few strands of hair behind my ear. With a whisper of my name, Malcolm cupped my cheek sending a shock of warmth through me.
“Why didn’t you just tell me? Did you think I wouldn’t want to help?” He asked quietly, and when I couldn’t come up with an answer, he moved closer and drew me into the warmest hug I’d experienced since I was little. I wrapped my arms around his middle and buried my face in his shoulder. The scent of his aftershave and something uniquely him calmed me and made me feel safe.
“I didn’t want you to think I was weak,” I muttered before I could stop myself, and Malcolm leaned back just far enough to look at me with a curious expression. “With everything happening...with the Xindi and the Expanse...my problem seemed so...insignificant.”
“Oh, darling, I could never think of you as weak,” he said emphatically before his lips pressed gently against my forehead. Those words and that small action broke me. I shattered into a million pieces. Tears welled up in my eyes, spilling over onto my cheeks, and I hid my face in his shoulder so he wouldn’t see. One of Malcolm’s hands slid up and his fingers ran through my hair, making me melt into him. His strong arms held me securely, and when my emotions calmed enough for me to finally look up at him, I found his gaze already on me. He smiled softly and he leaned in just a little closer as he carefully wiped my tears away. “I would do anything to help you - anything you could ever ask of me. This...being close...This isn’t silly or an inconvenience; it’s a pleasure.”
“Thank you, Mal,” I whispered. My voice was so quiet I thought he might not hear me, but when he closed the distance between us and just barely brushed his lips against mine, I knew that he had.
Of course, nonny! Gotta love the protective armory officer! Pretty boy…I went for a slightly softer mix of soft and protective with this one, so I hope you like it! (Also somehow tumblr deleted this the first time around, so here we go. Second time’s the charm! Cross-posted to AO3 here.
If anyone wants to be added to my taglist or wants to submit a fic request, my ask box is always open! If you want to know whether I write for a certain character, have a look here. If the character you want isn’t on the list, I probably just forgot to add them, so please feel free to ask.
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Safe And Sound
Malcolm Reed (ST:ENT) x Reader
[A/N: Mal is precious and I wanna cuddle him so…yeah, this was a totally necessary author note lol.]
Warnings: Slightly dangerous situation, but everything works out.
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As the guard locked the door to our cell, I hoped the Enterprise was aware that something was wrong. Myself, Commander Tucker, and T’Pol had been on an away mission that was supposedly going to be peaceful. The leader of the district had granted us permission to visit the surface, but had apparently revoked it just as we were descending. The only warning we received was when we were almost shot out of the sky by the local aircraft.
We’d put up a bit of a fight before the guards managed to drag us to the cell we were currently locked inside, so all three of us were sporting minor injuries of some sort. Trip had a nasty looking cut across his cheek, T’Pol had a bruise forming on her jaw, and I had a busted lip. All three of us were awaiting some sort of ominous sounding interrogation.
“Everybody okay?” Trip asked, and we both answered in the affirmative. “The Cap’n should be lookin’ for us soon. We were supposed to check in with Enterprise as soon as we reached the base and we never did. I betcha Malcolm is settin’ up an away team right now.”
With a small nod, I took a seat like T’Pol had and started thinking of potential ways out. Barely an hour and a half had passed when we started hearing chaos out in the corridor. Weapons fire echoed all around the small space, and the three of us stood at the ready in case we needed to fight. There was a small window in the cell door about six inches across, and a familiar face popped up behind it.
“There you are,” a very British accent blurted before the door was shot open. Malcolm ushered us out the door and we hurried after him to the awaiting shuttlepod. “Get us out of here, Travis!”
The pod lifted off and I allowed a small sigh of relief to escape my lips. A warm hand landed gently on my shoulder, making me turn my head to see Malcolm looking at me with concern.
“Ensign, are you alright?” He asked quietly, and I gave him a small smile.
“Nothing a shower and a visit to sickbay won’t fix,” I said as reassuringly as I could manage, but his brow was still furrowed as his eyes swept slowly over my lips. “I’m fine, Mal. I’ll live.”
“As soon as we dock, I’m taking you directly to sickbay,” he said, but I shook my head.
“You’ll be needed on the bridge. I can get there myself,” I said placing my hand over his. He started to argue but a signal came through the comm system.
“Archer to Shuttlepod One. Lieutenant Reed, as soon as the pod docks we need you up on the bridge. Doesn’t look like these guys are giving up our officers without a fight.”
Malcolm sighed but responded with his usual “Yes, Captain.” That didn’t stop him from giving my hand a little squeeze as we entered the docking bay.
--
After Enterprise had managed to escape, I found myself in sickbay with Doctor Phlox looking me over one last time.
“Alright, Ensign, that seems to be everything I can do for you at the present. If there are any more injuries you discover or if you need anything for the last of the bruising, come see me again,” Phlox said with a little smile just as the door slid open. Malcolm saw me and rushed over, catching my hand with his.
“I’m so sorry, I should have been here from the start. Is she alright, Doctor?” Malcolm sounded like a worried mother hen. I’d never known him to be this anxious before.
“As I was just saying to the Ensign, her injuries were all superficial. I’ve patched her up the best I can, but there shouldn’t be any lasting damage. She doesn’t have a concussion, either, so I’m more than happy to release her if she’s ready to return to her quarters,” Phlox said looking at him curiously. “There’s no need for concern, Lieutenant. She’s perfectly alright.”
Malcolm looked a little sheepish, but he didn’t let go of my hand.
“Allow me to escort you there. Making sure you get there safely is the least I could do.” Malcolm sounded almost guilty. Did he think he was at fault for me getting hurt? Before I could protest that he didn’t need to go to all that trouble, he’d put his arm around my waist and led me into the hall.
“Mal? What are you doing?” I asked curiously.
“Taking you back to your quarters-”
“Yes, but why? I’m alright. You don’t need to waste your time with me,” I said coaxing him to a stop when we reached the door to my quarters. He turned to face me with a faint blush on his cheeks.
“I wasn’t able to protect you on the planet or on the way to see Phlox. I...I suppose I wanted to make sure I did one thing right today,” he said quietly, and I felt my heart give a tug at the expression on his face. I reached out and cupped his cheeks gently.
“Malcolm Reed, you listen to me. You haven’t done anything wrong. You saved all three of us today. We’d still be there if you hadn’t come for us. You got us safely back to Enterprise, then defended the ship. You saved all of us,” I said looking into his eyes. Malcolm placed his hands softly over my own and he gave me a look I’d only seen on hopeful puppies. Of all the times I’d wanted to kiss him, the urge had never been stronger than it was now.
So for once I didn’t fight it. I leaned in slowly to give him a chance to pull away.
But he didn’t. My lips met his in the gentlest kiss I could muster, and after a moment’s hesitation, Malcolm was responding eagerly. His hands dropped to my waist drawing me close as he melted slowly into me. He backed me into the door and kissed me for a moment longer before pulling back just far enough to kiss my forehead, cheeks, and nose. His forehead rested softly against mine as we shared a few shaky breaths.
“Those people...They claimed they’d killed the whole team before you even got out of the shuttlepod,” Mal’s voice was unsteady, and when I opened my eyes I saw a single tear rolling slowly down his cheek. “I thought I’d lost you. When Hoshi managed to isolate two human life signs as well as a Vulcan...I’d have moved Heaven and Earth to get you back. I know this isn’t professional, but over our time serving together, I’m afraid I’ve fallen in love with you, Ensign.”
“What a coincidence. Y’see...I’ve fallen in love with you too, Lieutenant Reed,” I murmured as a smile stretched across my lips. “Mal? If...If you wouldn’t be uncomfortable with it, would you consider...staying with me tonight?”
“It would be my privilege to protect you so intimately,” he murmured as his lips met mine once more.
