Chapter Text
Betazed, 2358
The first thing Will had done after he had arrived on this planet, which had been described to him as a paradise, was go directly to his newly assigned quarters to brood. He still couldn't believe he had been grounded, and all because he'd done what was right and defended his captain when his fellow crew members had made the stupid and unjustified decision to commit mutiny.
"Chill, babyface, you're not being punished. If you were being punished, then you would currently be stationed on M'Talas Prime," Will's new bunkmate, Kinneth, had spoken up to say from the bunk above him.
Will hadn't been too upset at first to find out that he would need to share quarters with a fellow ensign, but that was before he discovered that his new bunkmate wasn't just chatty, but also a native betazoid. Now Will couldn't keep himself from gritting his teeth. He had always hated the nickname 'babyface' that had been bestowed on him while he had been serving on the Pegasus, and he hated it even more now considering what had happened.
"Yikes, sorry, I'll make a mental note that you don't want to be called out for your boyish good looks. Tell me, have you ever considered growing a beard? That might help you with that particular problem," Kinneth suggested.
"First of all, no, I have never considered growing a beard. I'd probably just look ridiculous with facial hair. Secondly, I would appreciate it if you would stop reading my mind," Will retorted, unable to keep himself from snapping a little at the unphased betazoid.
"Oh yeah, I forget that not all of you humans are comfortable being around people who can read their thoughts, but don't worry, you'll get used to it. As long as you are correct in your beliefs that you didn't actually do anything wrong, and that you didn't contribute to the deaths of many of your fellow former crew members......you want me to shut up now," Kinneth realized with a wince.
"Yes, I am aware that I did nothing wrong. Why do you think I'm so frustrated about being here?" Will asked his new companion, who had then flashed him a mischievous smile."I think what you need is a drink, a real one too, not some synthetic concoction, and I know just the bar where we can get you one," Kinneth suggested.
"Really? I just got here, and don't you think that it would be important that the both of us conduct ourselves responsibly?" Will asked, his voice laced with agitation.
"Listen, Will. I can call you Will, right? We are merely Starfleet ensigns, not revered High Priestesses of the Four Deities. Seriously man, have you ever had a day of fun in your entire life?" Kinneth asked, the smile on his face giving away the fact that he felt more amused than anything by what he considered his new, no-nonsense friend.
"If I agree to join you for a drink, would you agree to never bother me for the rest of our lives?" Will asked, a hint of a smile now threatening to cross his own face.
"You can bet your life against that promise, because if I said yes, then I'd be lying, and a betazoid never lies." Kinneth teased some more as Will rolled his eyes.
"So a vulcan, a klingon, and a human walk into a bar," Kinneth had started telling a joke before he looked over in Will's direction. "You don't think I'm funny?" He asked in mock shock.
"Damn'it Kin, will you please stop reading my mind already?" Will asked as he glared at his companion.
"Everyone here can read your mind, and they will, it's just what we do, and unlike me apparently, your mind is hilarious thanks to all your insecurities. No one here cares about your heaping pile of daddy issues. You are far from the only person whose father chose to jump on a starship to fly halfway across the galaxy just to get away from them," Kinneth pointed out as Will seriously considered throwing a punch at his 'new friend', but he knew enough about betazoids to know that they were all honest, and in his opinion, to a fault.
"You know what you need? You need another drink!" Kinneth reasoned out loud as Will rolled his eyes for what had to be the thousandth time already that day. "Yeah, I'm sure that will solve all my..." Will had started to shoot back as he noticed a woman enter the bar.
Will couldn't keep himself from staring at the mysterious, dark-haired beauty as she was immediately greeted by several of the other people inside the bar. It seemed to Will that her smile lit up the entire room. The very sight of her reminded him of the ancient Hollywood stars that had once captivated people on Earth, and he felt certain that she must have been the most beautiful woman that he had ever laid his eyes upon. There was no doubt in his mind that she must have been the most beautiful woman in the entire universe. Just as those thoughts had come into his mind, the beauty's dark eyes had snapped over in his direction as she started studying him as well, and Will winked in her direction as she met his stare. The mystery woman's eyes had been just as beautiful as the rest of her, and judging by just how dark they were, he then realized she must have been a native betazoid.
As Will became more certain that the beautiful woman was in fact a native to the planet, his flirtatious smile faltered some, and he even had the decency to start to blush a little. While he had been accustomed to telling women with his words that he thought they were gorgeous, he wasn't sure how to feel about the idea of a woman knowing his deepest desires about her before he had even spoken them. He hoped he hadn't just spoiled his opportunity to get to know the beautiful mystery woman by coming off like an earth pig before he even had the chance to introduce himself to her, and when Kinneth snorted, Will's face started to turn an even deeper shade of red as he was feeling more and more certain that he was not going to make it long on this planet.
"Don't worry, I know that woman, her name is Deanna, and she is just half betazoid, so she can't read your thoughts, but she can definitely feel just how attracted you are to her, but considering you were just staring at her like she's a piece of Tarvokian pound cake, even a person with absolutely no empathic abilities would know what was just going through your mind, and how much you would like to lay her down on a bed of roses," Kinneth teased with a dramatic flutter of his eyelashes.
Will prepared himself the best he could as Deanna started to make her way across the bar, and he feared for a moment that he was about to get slapped, or have a drink poured down the front of his shirt, but instead she had gestured to the empty chair beside him. "Is this seat taken?" She asked while flashing another gorgeous smile that almost knocked him right out of his own seat.
"Yes. I mean, no. Uh, yes, it is. If you want to take it I mean," Will babbled out while mentally slapping himself. He could usually turn on his infamous 'Riker charm' like the flip of a twentieth-century switch, but clearly that was not the case in this moment. He managed to blush even harder when Kinneth snickered again, but despite his own discomfort in the moment, he noticed the way Deanna had glared at their shared acquaintance before she had returned her focus back over to him. "Are you a human?" Deanna asked Will as she sat down beside him.
"That obvious, huh?" Will asked with a nervous laugh and Deanna made a shrugging motion with her shoulders. "I can sense that you are worried about what people might think about you if you were to say the wrong things. You're especially worried that I'm going to judge you for your thoughts, but you can trust me when I tell you that you haven't offended me. Just try to relax," Deanna answered as Kinneth's eyes had gone wide as he choked on his drink.
"Are you okay, Kin?" Deanna asked as she turned her focus over to her friend for a moment. "Yeah...." Kinneth croaked out before he cleared his throat, "It just surprised me that you could read his mind. Sorry Will, I guess I lied to you. I hadn't realized Deanna was a late bloomer and gained her telepathic abilities."
A confused look crossed Deanna's face before she shook her head. "I'm not telepathic, Kin. If I guessed exactly what Will was actually thinking, then it was just a coincidence. I can just sense that he is nervous, that's all." Deanna insisted as she looked back over at Will before offering him another reassuring smile.
"Uh, huh." Kinneth muttered, not sounding in any way convinced.
"Yes, I agree, Will, he really can be a pain in the ass sometimes," Deanna agreed jokingly with Will's unspoken thoughts as Kinneth smiled even harder.
"What now?" A completely exasperated Deanna asked Kinneth.
"You just read Will's mind again, word for word. I really am a pain in the ass sometimes, huh?" Kinneth asked as he started to rub at his chin in a mocking manner.
"Yes. I would very much like to get out of here and take a walk alone with you." Will suddenly answered a question that Deanna hadn't asked out loud yet, causing both her and Kinneth to look at him, the shock evident on both their faces.
"What?" Will asked, clearly confused.
"She didn't say any of that, she was going to ask, but she hadn't yet. You just read her mind! Hey, can you read my mind? Tell me what I am thinking right now?" Kinneth asked excitedly.
"I'm so confused," Will mumbled while massaging his temples.
"No, that's not what I was thinking at all. I'm not confused, you are the one who is confused," Kinneth replied as he crinkled his nose.
"That's what he meant, Kin, he is confused becaus he can't read your mind, or anyone else's" Deanna explained before casting a curious look back over at Will, "he can only read my mind," she then realized in surprised shock. "You have no betazoid ancestors at all?" She then asked him.
"No, none, I'm positive that I'm fully human," Will answered.
"Even if Will did have any betazoid ancestry, that wouldn't explain how you could read his mind—not unless you've bonded," Kinneth pointed out to Deanna.
"That's not possible, Kin," Deanna insisted. "I can't recall ever hearing about a single case involving a human forming a bond with a betazoid. My father was deeply in love with my mother, but even after knowing her for years, he was never able to form a psionic bond with her, it just wasn't possible thanks to his human genetics."
"You know, Dee, I think it's likely your father could have formed a telepathic bond with your mother, if he had ever been able to get a word in with her," Kinneth pointed out, "but nobody, betazoid or otherwise, can ever get a word in when your mother is around."
"I'm still confused." Will admitted.
"I am too," Deanna confessed, "so I guess we can start figuring this out together then," she offered as she stood, "and we can start by taking that walk we've already agreed upon."