Nurse-ing a Hangover

Posted on Mon Feb 2nd, 2026 @ 3:42am by Ensign Henry Taylor & Tessa di'Orion

Mission: Lower Decks
Location: Henry's Quarters
Timeline: Morning after Drunken Miss Orderly

Henry woke up feeling Tessa still against him, her breast still in his palm and her breathing slow and steady. He kissed her cheek in her sleep and stayed cuddled close. He knew she would wake up feeling less than stellar, but knew when the time came, he'd be ready.

There was a slight groan even as Tessa snuggled in closer to him, but the groan turned into something that told Henry that she was indeed in the process of waking up. It had gone from the sound of someone fighting the urge to consciousness, to one of discomfort. Her legs tensed up as the groan trailed into more of a whine, “Urd take me…” Tessa whimpered, eyes now squeezed tightly. “Lind’s tits, my head hurts…”

Henry gave a snort of laughter and made a mental note to learn more Tialan profanity. His hand reluctantly left her breast and reached over to the nightstand, grabbing the hypospray he'd left there. He put his thumb on the trigger and pressed it to her neck, delivering her new favorite medication. As he saw her expression relax, he kissed her temple and put the hypo back down, returning his hand to her chest and holding her body against his. "Good morning, Angel," he said.

The eyes creaked open for a moment, but shut again even though the pain was rapidly going away, “Whatever that was, you are my hero.” She managed to get out as she tried to kick her lips to moisten them, “But I don’t suppose you wanted to be my knight in shining armor again and have something at hand to drink? That doesn’t have alcohol in it? My mouth is a desert..”

"How can I resist that offer?" he said, quietly, kissing her neck. He slipped over her and walked to the replicator, getting her a glass of cold water.

As he left the bed to get up to go get her something, Tessa shivered as his warmth departed. It wasn’t cold in the room, but the stark difference was clear. She clutched the blanket around her and shifted onto her back and further up so she was propped up a bit even as her eyes opened to start to get used to letting in the light again, this time without violating her brain, “Whatever time is it?”

"0933," Henry said, then noticed the blinking light on his terminal. He pulled up the waiting message and let out a sigh of relief. "And good news, you aren't late for your shift. Kally has graciously given you the day off to recover." He sent a quick reply to the message, and then walked over to Tessa, put the glass of water in her hand, and then grabbed the hypospray, programming it with a dose of electrolytes and pressing it to her neck. "Sip it gently," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed by her side.

At the sound of the time, Tessa had started to throw aside the covers in panic, but quickly found she wasn’t up to it quite yet and settled down as he mentioned the message, drawing the covers back up again to her waist, accepting the water and somehow resisting the urge to chug it. “I guess she’d know, wouldn’t she?” She asked between sips. “And how much of a fool did I make of myself last night, and did we…?”

"Not foolish at all," Henry said. "Although I did think your demanding I sire a child then and there or you would have me bound in chains and flogged until I complied was rather amusing." At her horrified expression he broke into a grin. "I'm teasing, Tessa. You were...well you were very insistent." Despite the view, he only had eyes for her eyes, and he leaned in, looking directly into them. "But as Sworn Protector to the Heart of Heart's Forge, I made sure no one would take advantage. Not even me."

“Not your job, milord.” Tessa said as she felt warmth in her stomach from the pledge of protection. “Though, if you’re serious about that, then I suppose I’ll just have to find someone else to fall in love with. You see, a Baroness can’t be in a relationship with their Sworn Protector, makes for all sorts of bad decisions.” She maintained a straight face for a few seconds as the expression on his face mirrored the one she’d had before as he recoiled and then she giggled. “But I shall be gracious and make an exception this time.” She took one more sip of the water before placing it on the side table and beckoned with her finger to him, drawing him in for another kiss.

Henry took a breath and shook his head, smiling. Turnabout was fair play, and he was glad she was comfortable bantering back. "Of course, Your Grace," he said, leaning in and kissing her.

After several more minutes of kissing, Tessa released him and gave him a questioning look. “Wait a minute, you said I had today off, but what about you? Did she let you stay with me all day to recover from… Well, whatever it’s called when you feel like a vehicle has run you over?”

"We call it a 'hangover'," Henry said. "And I told Kally I'd be a bit late today to make sure you were all right. I was actually thinking of just calling out for the day." He gave her a grin and leaned in to kiss her again, his hands grabbing her hips and pulling her to him.

"Actually, I think it may be better if you go in and help out." Tessa said a couple minutes later with her arms around his neck, "For one, I need a shower really badly and then since I did get given the day off, there are a few things I need to do. Besides, you need to take a shower still, don't you?" She leaned up to press a kiss on his lips, "But tell you what, we can go to dinner right after you get off?"

Assuming I ever will, his brain moaned in frustration. Outwardly, he kept his face calm and neutral. "Deal," he said, kissing her one more time. He stood up, turning so she wouldn't see how much she'd affected him. He briefly contemplated grabbing her and carrying her to the sonic shower with him, but knew if he did that they'd never make it out. After a moment to get himself under control, he turned back to her with a smile. "Dinner at 1800. Did you want to meet in the mess hall? Or back here?"

“I’m not sure yet.” Tessa replied, swinging her legs out over the floor and bending over to pick up the borrowed pajamas from where they had apparently decided to sleep on the ground, starting with the top and working on the buttons, “Let’s assume my room? If things change, I’ll send a message to your comm, all right?”

Somewhere in the recesses of Henry's mind, the fact that Tessa had said words and they were directed at him was duly noted and logged. The rest of it was focused on the sight in front of him and how good she looked in just a half-buttoned flannel shirt. "I um...right," he said, shaking himself. He found himself unsure of how to respond. He'd been used to taking the lead in their relationship thus far, mostly out of necessity. Having her now take the reins for their next date wasn't something he was against, but it was taking him a moment to wrap his blood-deprived brain around it. Finally, he smiled a genuine smile and relaxed. "I can't wait," he said.

"Then go and have a good day at work, all right?" She finished the buttons, then pulled on the pants and tied them off as well before stepping up to him, looking up, "I'll try to have everything ready when you get back."

"Yes Ma'am," he said playfully, leaning down and giving her one final kiss. "I love you," he said.

She smiled back up at him, her hands behind her back, "I love you too." And then she flounced off towards the door and out.

He watched her walk out of his quarters, drinking in the sight, and then turning to go take the highest-pitched sonic shower of his life.