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adarkroomandawallflower · 2 years

Text

The Continuance of Species

Pairing: Data Soong x (gender neutral) Reader [Platonic]

Rating: PG-13/Teen

Word Count: 3.8K

Warnings: Mild swearing, implied fornication (nothing explicit or graphic mentioned), very brief mentions of pregnancy, pure platonic fluff, and lots of silliness!

Summary: While preparing for an upcoming science meeting with your friend and superior officer Lieutenant Commander Data, Data makes an unexpected visit to your quarters to share some surprising news involving your beloved pets.

The soft humming of the ship, which was usually a comfort to you, had suddenly become the most distracting sound in the galaxy. Your mind struggled to focus on the task at hand as the murmuring reverberated loudly against your eardrums. You knew this sudden sound sensitivity meant that you were beginning to lose focus, and that your productivity on the current project was about to become nonexistent.

An irritated yawn escaped your lips. “Damn it,” you breathed, shoving the PADD onto your coffee table. It wasn’t a harsh shove, but the echo of the device hitting the table was a cacophony to your currently overstimulated ears.

A soft “mrow?” resounded from the floor, and a few seconds later, your cat Patch took the place of the PADD that was previously in your lap. He sat expectantly, looking up at you with slightly dilated pupils and a sweet expression that made your heart melt. You couldn’t help but smile faintly at the feline, immediately scratching between his ears.

“Well hello, pretty boy,” you cooed. His eyes closed slowly as deep, but hushed purrs began to vibrate inside his throat. Your smile widened, and your earlier frustration melted away slightly.

As Patch purred generously against your thighs, your eyes wandered back to the abandoned PADD on your table. You had a meeting scheduled with your superior officer, Lieutenant Commander Data, in two days, and you were nowhere near ready for it. As the recently appointed Assistant Chief Science Officer, you were Data’s right-hand in the science sector, so the two of you worked together extensively. Additionally, you also had the opportunity to take command of the science team when the Lieutenant Commander’s various other ship duties took priority.

This had been the case for the past few weeks, as Data’s hands were tied up with Operations and night watch Bridge duties. Typically, you and Data met weekly to discuss the status of the science team’s work; however, since he had been unavailable for several weeks, you were unable to meet. Thus, your upcoming meeting was going to be extensive.

From experimental failures to unexplainable readings, a lot had happened in Data’s command absence, and you knew he wanted to know every detail, no matter how minute. Although you kept substantial, thorough records (a quality Data valued highly, and was one of the reasons he recommended you for this assistant command position), you were having difficulty organizing them all into a coherent presentation for him. In addition, Captain Picard had assigned the science team the considerable task of surveying a newly discovered M-class planet, in order to construct an evolutionary timeline of its development. This project was to start in a couple of weeks, and to be conducted in tandem with a Starfleet science research team scheduled to rendezvous with the Enterprise sometime in the upcoming week. Data had also requested that you prepare the team and laboratory for this impending research project in his absence, so he will likely inquire about updates on those provisions, as well.

You let out another sigh. You returned your focus to your pet, moving your hand to scratch under his chin. He eagerly lifted his head up slightly, extending his chin towards you to allow you more scratching access. His purrs increased in volume and intensity as you continued to scratch his chin.

“You wouldn’t happen to be available to help me present the various methods of evolutionary topographical study of planets to the rest of the team, would you?”

Patch’s eyes remained closed, and his purrs continued loudly as he ignored your query.

“Mhmm, didn’t think so.”

The tell-tale chime that signaled someone was at your door resounded suddenly throughout your quarters. Surprised, you stopped scratching your cat’s chin, much to his chagrin. He vocalized his displeasure to you, but you ignored him momentarily.

“Come in?” you responded hesitantly, unsure of who could be at your quarters and for what purpose.

As the doors whooshed open, your astonishment increased when you saw the familiar figure of your superior officer come into view. You panicked briefly, thinking he had decided to conduct your meeting earlier than originally planned. Eyes wide, you thoughtlessly stood up, Patch practically falling from your lap and glaring up at you once he hit the floor.

“Commander!” you addressed your superior, assuming as professional a stance as possible while in pajamas.

“At ease, Lieutenant,” he dismissed. “I am not here with duty-related motives.”

“Oh?” you responded, astounded yet again, but very relieved.

“Yes,” he reiterated, crouching down slightly to pet Patch, who was now happily weaving himself through Data’s legs in pleasant greeting. “Hello, Patch,” he addressed your eager feline, who excitedly nudged his head into his outstretched hand in response, "It is nice to see you, as well," he allowed Patch to rub against his palm for a moment before he gingerly ran his hand along his back.

Patch absolutely loved Data, as well as his cat, Spot. Since becoming friends, the four of you had frequent playdates in Data’s quarters. In fact, your cats were the ones to spark the blooming friendship between the two of you. You and Data had always been friendly and cordial with each other, as you both had vast respect for one another, but neither of you really spent time together outside of work. Upon discovering that you, too, had a cat; however, Data had begun to strike casual conversations with you and invite you to activities outside of work, mostly revolving around his extracurriculars.

Although you had been on the Enterprise for some time now, you didn’t have many friends, nor did you socialize or engage in many of the ship’s recreational activities. On occasion, you did partake in a casual trip to Ten Forward with some of your colleagues, but those outings were not of substantial significance to you. The only regular ventures you participated in were the weekly calls to your family and best friend, and spending leisure time with Patch.

Due to your lifelong streak of avoidant behavior, you were quite shocked when Data began consulting with you casually and inviting you to his poetry readings and musical performances. At first, you were confused, unsure of his intentions in this seemingly random desire to become more than just colleagues, but it became clear that his purpose in obtaining your friendship was not malicious or pitiful. He simply realized that the two of you shared a lot of qualities that made you platonically compatible, and he was keen to make a human friend who was so similar to himself: a rarity for him. Now, you were delighted that he saw you not just as a work associate, but as a friend, and the two of you continue to grow closer.

Your smile returned as you watched him meticulously pet Patch, who continued to vocalize his immense pleasure at the affection.

Data noticed you observing the two of them, but didn’t mention it. Instead, he was internally debating how to bring up the purpose for his visit, unsure how to begin this somewhat delicate conversation.

Thankfully, you did it for him, “What brings you here, Comma—Data?” you corrected, remembering him mentioning this visit was not work-related and thus, you deduced, was of a casual nature.

“I have come to discuss a matter related to Patch.”

“My cat?”

“Correct,” he stopped petting said cat, and stood up to regain his perfect posture.

You quickly tidied up a nearby chair and fluffed the pillow that was on it before sitting back down on your couch. He watched you curiously for a moment, internally debating whether or not to share his curiosity with you. After a few seconds, he decided against doing so, and elected to ask you about it at a later time, instead.

“Please, have a seat,” you encouraged, gesturing to the now vacant chair. He did as instructed, and almost immediately, Patch jumped into his lap, adamant in continuing the previous greetings. “What would you like to discuss about Patch?”

His eyes darted towards said feline, and he began to stroke the insatiable pet again. Once Patch was satisfied for the time being, he returned his stoic gaze onto you, “As you are aware, Spot gave birth to a healthy litter of kittens 18 days, 17 hours, and 23 seconds ago,” you nodded, a faint smile forming on your face, “Furthermore, if you recall, I intended to determine the father of her kittens,” Data’s hand moved to scratch the aperture of Patch’s back, where his tail and spine met, eliciting a new set of heavy purrs from your cat. “To do so, I collected DNA samples from the twelve male felines currently aboard the Enterprise, including Patch,” he looked down at the aforementioned cat, still caressing him generously, “After performing several trials of extensive genetic testing, I have deduced the father of Spot’s kittens,” he ceased his petting, but kept his hand on Patch’s back. “There is a 99.7132% chance that Patch is their biological father.”

Your jaw dropped, almost cartoonishly, in disbelief. Your cat fathered Spot’s kittens!?

It technically was possible; Spot and Patch had several supervised playdates, mostly in Data’s quarters, but neither of you had ever seen them engaging in…naughty activities…

“Are you—” you cut yourself off, knowing the answer to your verbally incomplete inquiry, “How…” you started again, but were unable to find the words to form a coherent question, “How??”

Patch, now annoyed from the lack of affection, began meowing innocently at Data, “I suspect conception occurred during one of the instances Spot escaped from my quarters,” Data paused. “Although I have never witnessed our children engaging in promiscuous behavior with one another, nor have I witnessed or found either of them in our quarters unattended, it is the only satisfactory explanation,” he glanced down at Patch to offer him a somewhat disapproving look before his bright irises met yours once again. “My calculations suggest Spot was impregnated on Stardate 46791.2, a day which Geordi had found her roaming outside my quarters. Therefore, I theorize that she must have somehow initiated contact with Patch on that day, which resulted in the conception of her current litter.”

You were dumbfounded. No one had ever found Patch outside of your quarters. Spot had been known to escape Data’s quarters on occasion when he was away, but as far as you knew, Patch had never gotten out of yours. On the suspected conception date, you and Data had both been extra busy in the lab, performing a geological data analysis that ended up going well into the night. Spot and Patch had been left unattended, but in their respective quarters. You had no idea how the two of them could have met up and…conceived children!

“I’m so sorry…” you admonished sheepishly, staring at Patch in complete bewilderment.

“No apology is necessary,” he assured, “Spot and Patch simply engaged in an organismal urge to propagate, in order to continue the existence of their species.”

You ran a hand through your already disheveled hair and exhaled deeply, “Well, considering the circumstances, I think it’s necessary that we discuss custody and care arrangements.”

Data tilted his head curiously, “Custody?” before you could clarify, his positronic brain had already scoured through the innumerable information banks stored within him for the definition. “Ah, the protective care or guardianship of someone or something.”

“Exactly,” you confirmed, “Since Patch fathered Spot’s kittens, I think it’s only fair that I also share in the responsibility of caring for them.”

Data considered this for a moment before nodding in agreement. Your cat released another irritated meow at Data, and he glanced at him briefly with what appeared to be a slightly annoyed expression. “In that case, I believe the most appropriate course of action would be to divide the ‘custody’ equally.”

You nodded, “I agree; that would be the most appropriate division of custody.”

“The kittens are presently much too young to be separated from Spot, as they still require her lactation for sustenance. Thus, it would be premature to begin the custody divisions at this moment. However, in 3 months, 1 week, and 5 days, the kittens will have developed enough to survive without much of Spot’s assistance. At that time, our custody arrangement can begin.”

“Agreed.”

“Unfortunately, due to the flexible and incongruent nature of our work schedules, it is unlikely that we will be able to devise a consistent ‘kitten-sitting’ schedule. On the other hand, I am aware that my night shift duties have become more frequent, and thus, I anticipate that most of my availability will be fairly nonexistent for the foreseeable future, particularly in the evenings.”

He looked at you expectantly, almost apologetically, and you knew he was insinuating that you would have to take the brunt of the kitten care in the initial stages of your arrangement. The thought briefly increased your current stress levels, but you owed it to Data and Spot to do your part. Furthermore, you loved cats; taking care of the kittens would ultimately be more of a labor of love for you than anything else. “I think I can make that work.”

“Very well. I have devised a detailed itinerary with the individual duties that will need to be performed for the kittens when they are being cared for and supervised. I will finalize that document and send the information to you in the coming days.”

“Great, that sounds good to me,” you glanced down at Patch, who was still greedily demanding Data’s attention. “I know you said an apology isn’t necessary, but I really do have to apologize again. I can’t believe he did that…if you need any help with Spot and the kittens before our custody arrangement begins, please let me know. I’d be more than happy to help.”

“Although it is true that this would not have occurred without the involvement of Patch, it would be unfair to place the entire blame on him. After all, Spot was also a willing and equal participant in the conception. Therefore, she is equivalently responsible for this…unforeseen circumstance,” the apparently promiscuous Patch was now curled up in Data’s lap, having accepted that Data was no longer going to indulge his requests for affection, and elected to drift off to sleep, instead.

“However,” Data continued, “your offered assistance with Spot and our kittens is appreciated. I will inform you if we will require any aid prior to the beginning of our custody arrangement.”

You smiled, “Thank you.”

Data nodded once, faintly returning your smile. “In addition, if you are available, I would like for you to meet the kittens, after the conclusion of our upcoming meeting.”

Your smile widened slightly, “Yes, I’d love to meet them.”

“Good.”

A somewhat comfortable silence settled between the two of you as you processed all this information. Unbeknownst to you, while your brain was slowly unpacking and cramming these new realizations into your over-occupied mind, Data was studying you intently. He hadn’t seen you in a little over three weeks, but he calculated that in that timespan, the dark circles under your eyes had increased in intensity by 9.3%, indicating that you had not been sleeping well. He also noted that your resting heart rate and blood pressure had risen considerably since the last time you met, and he counted three small, grey hairs protruding wildly from your scalp: all tell-tale physiological signs of increased stress levels.

As your commanding officer, he had a duty to be mindful of your health and report any serious concerns to Dr. Crusher or Counselor Troi. However, he also considered you a good friend, and as a friend, he held an even greater obligation to be mindful of your health, “May I ask a question of a personal nature?”

You hesitated, eyeing him almost suspiciously, “Sure, Data.”

“Why have you been having difficulty obtaining an adequate amount of sleep?”

Your brain took a moment to extrapolate what he was asking you, but once the query was fully processed, you let out a small sigh, “I don’t really know,” you lied, “but I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”

He raised an eyebrow quizzically and narrowed his golden eyes at you, clearly not fully believing your statement. There was no way you were going to admit to your superior, who recommended you for this promotion, how intense and stressful it had been so far without his consistent presence and assistance. You wanted him to know that you could handle the workload and that he could count on you, but if he felt you were being dishonest with him, that could also negatively affect your reputation with him.

“I was considering heading over to Sick Bay to speak with Dr. Crusher about it, though, if it didn’t improve next week,” you added honestly, hoping it would smooth things over.

He studied you for a moment before dropping his accusatory expression, apparently satisfied (for now) with your response. “That sounds like a reasonable course of action.”

You nodded in agreement.

“Thank you,” you blurted out suddenly.

He cocked his head to the side slightly, his eyebrows scrunching downwards softly as his classic confused expression encompassed his pale face. “What are you expressing gratitude for?”

“For looking out for me,” you smiled faintly, “for…caring about me.”

The perplexity disappeared from his face as quickly as it had appeared. “Ahh, I see. Although your gratitude is appreciated, it is not required. As your superior officer, and your friend, it is expected that I, in human parlance, ‘keep a close eye on’ you and your health. I was simply performing my anticipated duties.”

Your smile widened slightly at his natural mention of your friendship. “Perhaps, but I still appreciate you, and our friendship.”

He returned a faint smile, “I appreciate our friendship, as well, and I appreciate your occupation as my Assistant Chief Science Officer. Your work has been admirable thus far,” you flushed faintly at his unanticipated compliment, a reaction he had become delightfully accustomed to. “To continue your commendable work, you will require the proper amount of sleep necessary for a human adult. Therefore, I will leave your quarters now, so that you can rest adequately for our upcoming meeting.”

You groaned internally at the reminder.

He very cautiously picked up Patch from his lap and placed him delicately onto the chair he previously occupied. Satisfied that he had not awoken him, he nodded approvingly to himself, performing the Picard maneuver while straightening his posture to face you, “I look forward to our meeting, Lieutenant.”

You stood up, assuming a dignified pose. “As do I, Commander."

You both made your way to the entrance of your quarters. As soon as the doors opened, Data stepped through them, but paused for a moment.

He turned back around to face you, “Pleasant dreams, Lieutenant.”

You smiled, briefly recalling his dreaming program he told you he had discovered during an electrical accident in Engineering. “You, too, Commander.”

He returned your smile faintly, and politely nodded once before turning and heading down the hall.

As the doors closed, you turned back around to face your living room. Placing your hands on your hips sassily, you stared at the previously rolled up ball of fur, whose head was now lifted up slightly and eyes stared at you hazily. “You better not get used to lounging around anymore. You’ve got children to take care of now, young man!”

He extended his front paws and revealed his claws, stretching carelessly before he returned to his previous spherical orientation.

You shook your head with an exasperated sigh.

BONUS:

Stardate 46791.2.

Ensign Smith strode down the hallway, on his way to Engineering per Lieutenant Commander LaForge’s request. He was excited that the Chief Engineer had asked for his assistance, eager to show him how good of an engineer he was. Good enough, he thought, to be a candidate for a promoted position that had recently become available.

Along his trip to Engineering, the Ensign noticed an orange tabby cat pawing at one of the quarters and stopped.

“Aww, did you get out of your quarters?” he asked the cat, who looked up at him pleadingly, “Don’t worry, I’ll let you back in,” he peered at the doors, looking for the quarters' number, “Computer, requesting emergency access to quarters S3282,” a few seconds passed before the doors flew open, and the cat eagerly ran inside.

As the doors closed, his eyes briefly registered the name of the inhabitant. Although he didn’t know you personally, he did recognize your name, and knew you were a superior officer (as well as likely to be friends with Commander LaForge). He would have to remember to mention rescuing your cat to you, if you ever meet, in the off-chance you would put in a good word for him to his superior.

Pleased with himself, Ensign Smith continued on his way to Engineering.

Now inside your quarters, Spot meowed intently, searching for her best feline friend. Patch immediately came trotting out of your shared bedroom at the sound of her familiar voice. When they locked eyes, Spot meowed again, and Patch eagerly made his way over to her.

They sniffed their noses in greeting, and Patch vocalized his hello. Spot lovingly butted her head against his face for a moment before excitedly brushing herself against his side. Patch’s tail flicked in amusement, and his pupils dilated. Spot repeated the motion, purring lowly.

Upon the completion of his latest Dixon Hill adventure, Captain Picard exited the holodeck with a satisfied half-smile. He was glad to have some quality leisure time to himself, although he knew it would be short-lived.

As he made his way down the hall, he briefly glanced over to his left and realized he was passing by your quarters. With the geographical data analysis from a previously completed science excursion by the Enterprise’s science team underway, he anticipated yours and Data’s reports on the matter to be arriving on his desk soon. He decided to stop by and briefly discuss your progress with you, as well as schedule a meeting time to go over the final details with you, Data, and your team.

He pinged your quarter's LCARS pin pad, requesting access. The doors opened unexpectedly, and a sudden rush of orange…something flew between his legs and ran down the hall.

“What the devil?!” he swore, briefly staring down the hall at the now disappeared figure before turning his attention back to your quarters.

He peered inside, looking for you, but only saw your cat, sat on the floor in the living room, cleaning himself, “Lieutenant?” he called again. Patch stopped cleaning himself and looked up at the Captain curiously.

Feeling that he had overstayed his welcome, especially since you were evidently not home, the Captain nodded awkwardly to your cat before exiting.

The doors whooshed shut, and he continued on his way, deciding a formal meeting to discuss your reports would be best. The strange occurrence he witnessed would be long forgotten by the time of the official meeting, and he would neglect to mention the bizarre encounter to you.

A/N: My first Data fic! This was an idea that has been stewing in my brain for several months, but now finally came to fruition. I would have loved to have seen Data’s search for Spot’s kittens’ father(s) as a subplot to an episode, but alas...

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