The Complication

Chapter 7 | The Cherry

A/N: Thank you all for your patience and support as this story continues. This will be a short chapter but fear not as there is much more to come!

First off, yes, it is 'whisky.' That is not a spelling error.

For those of you disappointed regarding the lack of smut in this story, I apologise.

I do not write smut. Please don't misunderstand that as some moral trepidation against it. When it's well done, it's quite lovely. I do not wish to ruin a fic with my clumsy attempts at writing it.

I guarantee none of you want to suffer through a story about some bloke with a right stauner.

Thankfully, with the help of another writer, we've found a solution! Lady_Lore reached out after the last chapter and has graciously offered to write some collaborative accompanying stories to satisfy that thirst.

Be on the lookout for her story The Complication—Missing Scenes.

-X-

Data and Geordi were in Main Engineering. The side of Data's cranial unit was open, a long cable extended out and into Geordi's diagnostic scanner.

"I believe the word 'tart' would be an apt description," Data said.

"And this is the first time?" Geordi asked. "What made you want to try it?"

-X-

One Day Earlier

Data was painting a still life in his quarters with a replicated bowl of fruit. He wasn't sure what it was, but a strong urge compelled him to bite into one of the cherries in the bowl. To Data's delight, he could taste the flavour.

Truly taste the flavour.

Although the sensory receptors in Data's mouth allowed him to analyse the chemical makeup of food and beverages, he had never previously enjoyed the sensation of tasting flavour in this manner.

From the moment Data bit into the cherry, he was overwhelmed with ecstasy. He closed his eyes and relished the tart, yet sweet, juicy feel of it on his tongue.

Data had decided it would be best to tell Geordi straightaway. For weeks they had tried to find the root cause of Data's sudden emotional development. It was like android puberty—Data's body had exploded with a whole new sense of perception.

-X-

Present

"What made you want to try it?" Geordi repeated.

"Curiosity. To be precise, this was the third instance," Data shared.

"Ok, what was the first?" Geordi said as he ran his tricorder over Data's head.

Data hesitated. It had been the night before when Data first experienced his newfound ability.

-X-

One Day Earlier

Data was in Tasha's quarters. It had been a long day in preparation for the next mission. Data and Tasha were snuggled down on the sofa together. Tasha read to Data as she sipped on a glass of synthesised whisky.

Tasha had tipped her head back to take a drink. She offered the glass to Data, but he declined. Tasha shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

Tasha returned the glass to the ledge of her window and leaned in to kiss Data. Their kiss was languid. Easy. In the weeks since initiating their relationship, Data found that little spots of intimacy came naturally between them.