Lunar Affair (LGBT - Sci-Fi - Romance)

Chapter 13

"It's none of your business, Marc," replied Alexander, at the same time the Major said, "Jack was just helping me work something out."

"I'll just bet he was!" Duran replied viciously through gritted teeth. He didn't know why he was so furious but he was almost choking with anger, his hands turned to fists at his side.

"You better go, Ethan," Jack said, deliberately using the Major's first name. He was starting to get angry himself - what right did Marc have to yell at him? How many lovers had he paraded in front of him over the years, and he and Ethan had only kissed.

Pattisson looked at the clenched fists and moved protectively in front of Alexander, without fully realising it. "Will you be all right if I go?" he asked.

Duran couldn't believe it. How dare this man think Jack needed protection from him? Jack was his, god damn it! "Get the fuck away from him!" he demanded crudely.

"Marc! Stop it." Alexander couldn't understand what had got into his friend. "You need to leave, now."

The Major glared at Duran, his own emotions already in violent turmoil. Enlightenment struck with disastrous clarity, "I know what it is – you're jealous! You're in love with Jack yourself, and you're jealous!"

He was wrong, totally wrong! Duran stared at the two of them, standing close together, the hurt and jealousy cutting through him like a knife, making a mockery of his denial. Conflicting emotions, love and anger, jealousy and pain, fought wildly for supremacy. Pattisson gave an awkward laugh as he realised he had hit the target square on and Duran lost it completely. He punched the Major in the face with his fist as hard as he could.

Except, somehow, Alexander got in the way, and took the blow on the side of his head. He crumpled to the ground, out cold. Duran dropped down at his side, on the verge of a total melt down. "Jack! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Are you all right?" If he was ten years younger, Duran thought he would have burst into tears and fled. But he was twenty eight years old for god's sake, he had to take responsibility and face the consequences. "Call a medic, please." He was cradling Alexander in his arms.

Pattisson wanted to wrench him away and check for himself that Jack wasn't seriously hurt, but he got a grip on his emotions and called through to sick bay on his wrist com. That had been a powerful blow.

To his utter dismay, Captain Ivanov arrived at the same time as the medic - evidently one of the crew had witnessed the scene and called him. He did not look happy.

~~~

"What the hell is happening here?" He glanced from one man to the other. "Right, Duran, in my quarters now. Hudson, help the Major take Alexander to the infirmary. Then, Major Pattisson, I'd like a word with you at your earliest convenience." It was clear that wasn't a request.

For a moment he thought Duran wasn't going to obey, he seemed unable to let Alexander go. It was only when the medic asked him to move that he stood up, watching the other two men lift the unconscious man carefully onto a stretcher and carry him off to sick bay.

Duran turned to follow the Captain down the corridor. Neither man spoke until they were in Ivanov's quarters, the privacy seal safely activated.

It was typical of the Captain that instead of issuing a scathing reprimand to his First Lieutenant for brawling in public he gave him a chance to speak first.

"Have a seat and tell me what happened, Marc." He looked closely at Duran, he was white faced and appeared to be in a state of shock.

"I hit Jack. It was an accident, Captain!"

"An accident?" Ivanov raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Yes, I meant to hit Pattisson and Jack got in the way!" Duran was too rattled to edit what he was saying.

Ivanov stared at him in disbelief. "You meant to hit Major Pattisson?"

Duran tried to get a grip on himself. "It was personal, Captain, a personal matter between the two of us. I didn't mean to hit Jack. Please can you find out how he is?"

"Chief Medic Roy will contact me as soon as he knows anything," Ivanov reassured him, still grappling with the confession that his First Lieutenant had tried to assault a superior officer.

Duran's anger with Jack and Pattisson had drained away, leaving him distressed and upset.

"I'm sorry, Captain, I know you wanted me to stick it out here on the Lunar, to work at getting my place back, but I seem to be going from bad to worse. Perhaps I should be looking at a transfer, I don't think I can keep working with Jack if ..." his voice trailed away. The fight was still too raw for him to talk about, even to the Captain.

"Don't make any hasty decisions," requested Ivanov quickly. "Let's take this one step at a time. I'll need to talk to Major Pattisson first, and Alexander when he's able."

Opportunely, his wrist com beeped at that moment to let him know a message had arrived. He smiled faintly at Duran. "Well that's one piece of good news, Alexander has only mild concussion. Roy expects him to be on his feet again by tomorrow but he wants him to take it easy for another day because of the gassing. He's still not fully over that."

He stopped smiling as he continued, "I don't want you to see Alexander again until I speak to him. Do I have your agreement?"

"Yes sir," Duran agreed in a subdued voice. To be honest he really didn't want to see Jack in public either, he needed to talk to him privately. He couldn't bear to have any witnesses if Jack told him their friendship was over.