The Experiment (Data x reader)

Uninvited Guests

"And you're sure he isn't... overcome with emotion? Perhaps it's too much for him to take, being in love."

You sighed, shaking your head silently. Geordi La Forge nodded thoughtfully, toying with the pen on your desk. He'd dropped by after your last lesson, inquiring after the cause behind Data's sudden decrease in productivity. You felt comfortable confiding in him, though you had to admit it was hard. You drew in a shaky breath and elaborated on your nonverbal answer.

"No, he's... quite himself. He's the most rational lover I think anyone could ask for. He's established a perfect balance between passion and reason, I think. But sometimes... he feels physical pain. A headache, for instance."

"Sounds like it might warrant a physical examination," Geordi mused, cocking his head to the side. "I suppose something in him must have physically changed, some chemicals must have shifted around, if he is truly experiencing emotion." He glanced up, and through his artificial sight, must have somehow detected the distress on your face. "It'll all be okay, y/n. It's not a huge deal, I promise. It's just a little decrease in productivity, that's all. It's not life or death, I promise." He paused, hesitantly. "In fact, you've done a lot of good for Data."

"You really think so?" you asked quietly, leaning back in your chair somewhat bashfully.

"Yeah." Geordi smiled gently. "He's already worrying about what to get you for your anniversary, and you two only started dating about a month ago. He cares for you, and it's made him happy."

You smiled, about to respond, when you heard your classroom door open. "Hello, Geordi," you heard Data say cheerfully.

Startled, Geordi jumped and turned to face his friend. "Hi, Data," he replied guardedly. "How was your duty on the bridge?"

"It went quite well, thank you. May I inquire the reason for your presence?" Data clearly didn't suspect anything; it was a friendly question, directed in a curious manner. Geordi glanced at you before concocting a quick lie.

"I was helping y/n make lesson plans. I'm somewhat of an expert on Dracula, believe it or not."

You relaxed. Data seemed to believe it, and you didn't want him to know that you were worried about him. He'd been so joyful lately, aside from the occasional complaint of a headache or pain in his throat. You didn't want to ruin his mood, certainly not based off of your unestablished fears. "Would you like to help as well, Data?" you asked, pulling up the file for your lesson plans. He nodded, and you were soothed. It would be such a stress-reliever to spend time with two of your favorite people, and you knew that Geordi really did have good background knowledge of Dracula. The three of you could really get a lot done-

"My, it's an outright congregation in here." You groaned internally when the classroom door opened once more, disrupting your peace, but straightened up in your seat once you realized it was the captain, followed by Worf. "I'm sorry to break up the party."

"That's alright, Captain. What's going on?" Geordi said, looking somewhat anxious. Worf was stone-faced, as usual; there was no information to be gathered from his facial expression. Picard did look somewhat concerned, and you became worried.

"Well... I'm afraid we have a hooligan in our midst," Picard said cryptically. Behind him, Worf almost imperceptibly rolled his eyes.

"Sir?" Data asked, tilting his head to the side.

"He means that there have been several reports of Q appearing around the ship," Worf said bluntly.

You and Data exchanged glances, and it scared you to see the fear in the android's golden eyes. You hated to see him afraid, and you hated the thought that Q was still monitoring your relationship.