Title: I Want To Hold Your Hand (YGTHYLA)

Author: JaimeBlue

Archive: No

Disclaimer: The original characters from seaQuest don't belong to me (yet, but they will once I find the proof that the French judge was bribed). However, the character of Patrick Sayyeas is of my own creation, as is the YGTHYLA universe.

Series: "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" universe

Main pairing: Tim/Miguel

Place & Time: 2nd season, right after "Daggers"

Rating: PG

Summary: Just a short moment the lives of Tim & Miguel, with Lucas moaning about his roommate and Miguel meeting Tim's for the first time.

*****

"I haven't a clue how I'm going to survive this."

Tim and Miguel looked at each other from across the Mess table, grinning at their companion's mournful wail. Somehow, neither of them could muster up much sympathy for the younger man's plight.

"If Ford and I are stuck with roommates, Lucas," Tim stated, "then so are you. I don't like it any more than you do."

"Yeah, but you're not stuck with Tony Piccolo," Lucas moaned.

"Thank God," Tim muttered.

"Come on," Miguel jumped in. "The guy doesn't seem that bad."

"Not that bad?!" Tim and Miguel unconsciously backed away slightly at the ire in the teen's voice. "He sticks his girly posters up over every available surface, he cheats at poker, he keeps trying to trick me out of my top bunk, and the other day I caught him downloading porn on my computer! While it was running an important program!"

Both men flinched, knowing how testy Lucas got when anyone else played with his computer.

"He does have his good points, you know," Miguel added with his usual optimism.

"Yeah," Tim continued, following Ortiz's lead. "He was a great help with the Dagger's baby."

"Exactly!" Miguel pointed at Tim with his fork. "And I bet he's great fun on shore leave."

Both men nodded at each other, but turned as Lucas' head hit the table.

"Well, look on the bright side," Miguel intoned. "He could be some new kid genius trying to steal your title for 'best hair on seaQuest'."

Their efforts at cheering up their friend unsuccessful, both men left the Mess once their meals were done. As they walked the halls, they consciously guarded the distance between them, making certain they didn't touch however much they would have liked to do so. Finally, they reached the door to Tim's quarters, and the commtech opened the
door in silent relief.

"Hey, O'Neill, I was hoping you'd be back soon!"

Tim did an excellent job disguising his disappointment with a smile. "Patrick, hey. I thought you were on duty."

"Yeah," the dark-haired man replied as he placed a book on a nearby shelf. "But Brody decided on a shift change. He needs to have a chat with some of the torpedo guys, so he pushed me over one shift."

Tim noticed his roommate looking at Miguel and resisted the urge to smack himself. "Oh, Patrick, this is my best friend, Miguel Ortiz. Mig, this is Patrick Sayyeas."

The two men shook hands and smiled their hellos. "Anyway," Patrick returned to his earlier train of thought, "I need your help, Tim."

"What's up?" Tim moved further into the room, Miguel following behind and plopping himself onto Tim's bunk as if he belonged there.

"Brody wants us to start using this new S-2 system for emergency communications topside. I didn't have a clue what he was talking about and I started asking him about it, but the moment he realized I was rooming with you, he said you'd probably be able to explain it better than him. I was hoping, if you had some time..."

Tim nodded and momentarily caught Miguel's eyes before replying. "No problem. To use that system, you'll need the SEMAC module for your regular communicator."

"Damn it! I'll have to run down and get one. You'll be here when I get back?" Tim nodded. "Good. I'll be back in a few."

Tim closed the door after Patrick and leaned back against it, his eyes closed in thought. He felt movement by his side and opened his eyes to see Miguel leaning over him. "I couldn't say no, Mig. He's my roommate, and he's a nice guy. What could I have said?"

"Hey, I understand," Miguel comforted as his face moved closer. "How long should it take him to get the module?"

"Ten minutes, at least."

"Good."

They finished moving in, lips touching each other in a long-awaited union. Their hands immediately reached out to pull each other close as the kiss deepened. They spent several moments reacquainting themselves with the embrace they'd been long denied, whispering their love against each other's lips before finally breaking apart.

"I guess I'd better go before he gets back."

"Yeah," Tim agreed reluctantly. However, when Miguel was about to pull away, Tim reached out to rest a palm on his cheek. "You know, I feel like Lucas. How on earth are we going to manage this? I miss you so much. Waking up without you just isn't the same."

Miguel gave Tim a chaste but loving kiss before answering. "We'll manage. Somehow."

"I won't manage long if you keep doing what you did these last few days."

"What did I do?"

"Leaning over my shoulder like that on the Bridge. You know how I get whenever your hair brushes against me. Thank God I was sitting down or else Lonnie might have noticed I was a little... uncomfortable."

"Speaking of which," Miguel said with a mock glare, "what's with those looks she's been throwing you the last couple of days?"

"I haven't a clue, honest," Tim pleaded. "She caught me in the laundry earlier, too. I found that doll of hers in with my stuff, and after she gets it she starts rearranging my underwear!"

Miguel couldn't help but giggle at the helplessness in his lover's voice. "Well, maybe it's a good thing. If people think you and she have a thing going..."

"But we don't, Mig, and you know I can't lead somebody on like that. Even if I tried, my heart wouldn't be in it."

"I know," Miguel brushed a finger along Tim's cheek. "I'm just saying that if you decided to start flirting a little, for whatever reason, I wouldn't mind."

"I'd rather flirt with you."

"Me too."

Their foreheads rested against each other as they remained quiet for several moments, simply absorbing each other's company.

"I'd better go, or else I don't think I'll be able to make myself leave."

Tim leaned forward for one last kiss before moving away from the door, allowing Miguel to open it. "I'll see you in the morning, on the Bridge."

"Not if I see you first," Miguel said with a wink as he reluctantly left the room.

Tim closed the door and with a sigh, looked around his and Patrick's room. At first glance, it was far from empty. The shelves were full of books - dictionaries and linguistic texts in various languages for Tim, and historical texts on naval battles for Patrick. On the small table next to Tim's bunk lied his ever-present Bible, and hanging from a small peg over his bunk was an old set of rosary beads. Above Patrick's bunk hung a handcrafted dreamcatcher, from which hung a tuft of black raven feathers. On the wall was a great map of the world, upon which Tim and Patrick had each pasted pieces of cardboard with the word 'home' in the general vicinity of Detroit and Manitoulin Island,
the areas where each of them grew up. On the desk were a pair of flags - one American, one Canadian - the case for Tim's glasses, a hand-carved fetish of a wolf, and their shared computer. Hanging in the room's sole closet were their uniforms, the monotonous navy broken only by scattered off-duty clothing and a pair of hockey jerseys – one Detroit Red Wings and one Toronto Maple Leafs.

All in all, Tim was lucky. He and his roommate had much in common, despite their seemingly different career paths. Patrick had even promised to start teaching Tim to speak Ojibwe (or Anishinaabe as Patrick called it) in exchange for help with any technical or language-related problems he might have in security. It seemed like the perfect arrangement, except for one thing.

Patrick wasn't Miguel.

Tim had to admit he'd become spoiled over the last few months. He and Miguel had shared an apartment during the seaQuest II's construction, and had enjoyed the luxuries of privacy and waking up in each other's arms every morning. They had been best friends long before they'd become lovers, therefore nobody noticed the change in their
relationship when it occurred. Only now it was proving to become quite the obstacle. Neither of them knew what would happen to them should the love they shared become known to the navy, and neither was anxious to find out. After all, they'd both heard stories, terrible stories...

Tim was broken out of his thoughts by Patrick's return. Pushing all thoughts of his lover to a well-tended corner of his mind, Tim went about helping Patrick learn how to use the S-2 system.

End - I Want To Hold Your Hand