[Federation Super Station, Ten Forward Lounge]
This time it had been a beer mug. Karli had managed to piss off a landing party of Cardassians visiting the station for a cultural exchange program and for her efforts, got hit in the head with a beer mug.
The fight had gone just like all the others, a Cardassian made eye contact with Karli and didn't flinch, a moment later Karli was calling him out. After trading insults and threats, a drink was thrown in her face and Fury plowed into them with fists flailing.
The odds worked out to six against two and though they were both holding their own, a thrown beer mug found its mark and bashed her in the forehead. Seeing that she was going down, a few bystanders stepped in to stop the fight and gave Fury time to fight to her side before being calmed along with the Cardassians by the public peace makers.
Security showed up and took statements and as always, Karli's ability to start a fight without touching anyone saw them go free with little more than a verbal dressing down from the Security Chief.
The tally tonight, Karli one big gash in her forehead, swollen knuckles and several bruises while Fury suffered a torn shirt (one of his favorites) a black eye and swollen knuckles as well. Having the worst wound between the two of them, Karli had "won" the game they played of "who gets hurt worse wins".
They had laughed all the way to Karli's quarters, retelling the fight from their view point while clutching at aches and pains, still drunk, still high on adrenaline.
[Federation Super Station, Deck 247, Crew Quarters 211B]
Fury followed Karli into her quarters and immediately headed for her med kit, laughing about her facial expression when the drink was flung in her face. He grabbed the med kit and went to the sofa where she sat waiting for him to return, he grabbed a bottle off of the table as he went and handed it to her.
He sat the med kit down and opened it, removing the dermal regenerator as he said "You were amazing!..", then grabbed her chin with one hand and turned her head so he could see her wound better, "..I thought the spoon in his forehead was going to pop out when you told him his breath smelled like Klingon testicles!".
Karli flinched as he took charge of her head and the healing of her wounds -- there weren't many people she trusted pointing medical tools at her -- but she took a side-mouthed swig from the bottle of liquor to calm her nerves and then smirked, "He was only offended because he's -smelled- Klingon testicles before...he was the most effeminate Cardassian I've ever seen! And he knew I could tell, that's why he got all huffy and in my face! But I wasn't worried, cause you've always got my back..."
"Damn straight!.." he replied with a grin, then furrowed his brow slightly as he said, "hold still!..dermal regenerators and eyeballs make for a bad combination..". The dermal regenerator closed the wound as it passed over it and he found himself almost sad that he'd have to release her. He pulled the device away from her forehead and tilted her face even further up towards him as he inspected the wounded area.
She held still for a few seconds, as Fury healed the wound. His touch was strong, but gentle and he was leaning close enough that she could smell the slight tinge of rum on his breathe and the even fainter, but even more intoxicating scent that she thought of as his 'Orion Musk'. Karli found herself staring at the strong curve of his jaw and his thickly muscled neck, and she felt a sudden pull to lean closer that, in her drunken state, she might easily have given in to were he not so firmly holding her head in place.
He smiled to her, "Not so much as a blemish..you're back to bein' purdy as ever" he said as he released her chin. He knelt down in front of her, putting him almost eye level with her breasts and it was from sheer force of will that kept his eyes on task. His breath caught for a moment as the scent of her hair passed by, he blinked in concentration.
Taking her right hand in his, he looked at the regenarator and tapped on its control panel with his thumb. He configured the tool for a moment then held her hand up as he ran the device over her bruised and split knuckles. He glanced up to her and seeing her looking at him, he looked back down to her knuckles. "Gotta remember to use more elbows when fighting species with ridges on their face..", he said absently.
"Or use more furniture..." she offerred, and took another swig from the bottle. When he finished with one hand, she flexed it briefly and glanced to the one holding the liquor. "This one's okay...let me do you."
Fury laughed and grabbed the bottle from her as he stood and moved to coffee table in front of the sofa, setting the regenerator back in its box on the nearby chair as he passed. He turned to face her and sat down on the coffee table then paused as it squeaked under his weight but then seeing that it wasn't going to collapse, he took a swig from the bottle and held his hand out to her..making sure that he didn't make eye contact as he knew that he was very close to losing his ability to control his desire for her.
She snaked the regenerator back from the box and scooted forward on the sofa, then gripped his forearm and pulled his hand towards her. She found it difficult, however, to control the direction his hand was facing. His arms were simply too big for her to grip all the way around, and she didn't want to touch his hand where it was bruised, so instead she laid it on her knee and leaned forward to inspect it there. It took only a few seconds of concentration to fix, and then she was tracing her hand over the back of his as if searching for some further injury, "Did I miss anything...?"
The moment she had tilted her head down to look at his hand, his gaze turned on her and admired all the unique beauties in her form. He looked back to his hand as she sat it on her knee..any reservations or self control he had left flew out the airlock at that point.
He sat the bottle down and leaned forward, his now free hand reaching up under her chin and gently tipping her face up towards him. The hand on her knee unconsciously squeezed lightly at the tension he was feeling as he met her gaze..like standing on a high platform and looking straight up into space, it was dizzying. His higher reasoning shouted at him through the fog of alcohol, trying to get him control himself but every other part of his body drove him forward as he kissed her lightly on the lips then pulled back slightly and paused to see what consequences awaited.
A look of surprised confusion flew across her face. She'd been fantasizing about him doing just that for weeks, but she'd considered it an impossibility. He'd finish his command training soon and likely be assigned someplace out of touch. There'd been an unspoken agreement between them that they'd remain just friends...but then he'd kissed her.