Christopher Pike (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
theoriginalcaptain) wrote2014-01-02 07:11 pm
theoriginalcaptain) wrote2014-01-02 07:11 pm
Entry tags:
Raspberry Muffins
It was a Tuesday, and that meant Pike stopped by Blue Bottle Coffee on his way to the Academy. They didn't have particularly good coffee, but they were attached to the best bakery in San Francisco, and that was reason enough to come here. He waited patiently in the long line, not having beat the morning rush like he hoped.
It was a small place, popular with student and faculty alike at the Academy because of its proximity, but anyone from Starfleet needing coffee was sure to be in a rush, so a place to sit was hardly necessary. Still, with a line that reached out the door, the few tables the shop had were filled. They were all clearly tourists, judging by the fact that not a single one of them had a PADD or comm device out and they all seemed to be rather leisurely enjoying their coffee and chatting with their tablemate. Everyone in the queue, however, had their nose buried in a PADD, or were trying to discreetly talk on a TCD; anything to avoid interpersonal contact while they waited for their turn and their caffeine.
Not Pike. The captain had all his devices shoved deep in his pockets so that he could enjoy his last few minutes of calm before he had to deal with the bright-eyed and idiotic students that had somehow become his life. His yeoman knew not to call him before he'd entered his office, his superiors never bothered him before noon, and his students could all learn a little patience. He had absolutely no reason to have his TCD on at all, and so it stayed in his pocket. On silent.
As he stepped up to the counter for his turn, he offered the barista a small smile.
"Captain Pike!" She smiled back in recognition. "The usual?"
"I'm a creature of habit, Ezri." He said almost deprecatingly and pressed his thumb to the pay station in front of him as she rang up his order. Medium coffee with a splash of milk and a raspberry muffin. A small hologram popped up from the pay station, asking him to select the account he wished to charge and then for his PIN, and by the time he'd finished and added a tip, his breakfast was waiting for him.
"See you next week?" Ezri asked hopefully.
"See you next week." The captain took his order with a smile and a nod and left.
By the time he got to his office, his coffee was half-empty and almost cold. He really didn't go to that place for their coffee. At least his yeoman had the coffee pot brewing just by his desk. They'd gotten off to a rocky start, Yeoman Barrows and him, but she learned quickly. More quickly than any of his yeomans previously, at least. All he needed was a fresh pot of coffee and total silence until he greeted her. Today, it would probably take a little longer than most days, but he'd get there. He tossed the offensive coffee into the trash compactor, set the still untouched raspberry muffin off to the side of his desk, and poured himself a fresh cup of coffee.
Now he could feel his head starting to clear, and the persistent, nagging thought immediately popped to the forefront: he should comm him.
"Him" was scattered all throughout Pike's office, from the holos that constantly changed in the digital frame next to the window to the crew rosters of almost every ship Pike had captained during his twenty year career that were framed and hanging on the walls to the damn raspberry muffin that was still sitting on the plate, as pristine as the second it came out of the oven. Dr. Philip Boyce, Pike's most constant doctor, CMO, and best friend. They'd parted ways a few years ago, after Pike had taken another tour aboard the Yorktown, but Boyce decided to take a position as CMO of a space station.
Pike still wasn't sure what had made his doctor accept that position, and it was something he had pondered a lot the past few years. That and the fact that he still considered Phil his best friend even after three years of little more that quick, impersonal comms that eventually tapered off to silence spoke absolute volumes about Pike's social life. He didn't mind, though. He preferred being alone.
Maybe that was part of the problem. Pike was very private, preferring to keep his personal life and his career quite separate, despite the fact that he lived in the same enclosed space as his co-workers day in and day out. It made him come off as cool and aloof, but he hadn't once encountered a situation where that made a difference in a mission. It might have kept potential friends away, but the ones that mattered, like Phil, had had the patience for him to slowly warm up to them, and it made him cherish those friendships even more. At the end of the day, though, Pike was never going to be voted Friendliest Captain in Starfleet.
Phil, on the other hand, was a very people-oriented person, making sure everyone felt welcomed and included in whatever he put his hand to. He had a bright smile and a warm handshake that made reporting to sickbay for a regular physical almost seem like a joy. He was a phenomenal baker (all the captains and commodores in the 'fleet referred to him as the muffin man and teased Pike endlessly about guarding him jealously from everyone else) and if the situation called for it, he would arrive with specially prepared for the receiver.
And he always made Pike raspberry muffins.
These were supposed to be the best muffins in San Francisco, and despite going there every week for almost a year now, Pike still hadn't been able to take a single bite.
Right, that was enough reminiscing for one day.
Pike set down his coffee and slid into his chair, pressing the comm button. "Good morning, Barrows."
"Good morning, sir. You only have one appointment today, lunch with Commodore Nogura," came her crisp reply. "Oh, and I'm told Cadet Kirk is headed this way."
"Thanks for the heads-up." He closed the comm channel and rolled his eyes, trying to keep the smile away. Ah yes, his favorite idiot genius. There was no use starting on any actual work if Kirk was on his way - and he was definitely coming to see Pike, as the idiot was at least smart enough to stay away from the faculty building except in the most dire of circumstances.
Or if he was bored and wanted to pester Pike, which happened quite regularly.
While he waited for the human hurricane to blow into his office, Pike pulled up his inbox to check his comms. Most were general information, there were a couple updates from the building crew of the Enterprise, and, most surprisingly, one from Phil. Pike didn't fight his smile this time.
He selected the comm and a hologram rose from his desktop. It was Phil, looking as handsome and happy as ever - and a red-headed woman. They were embracing, giant smiles on their faces, and happily announced their engagement. Pike's heart sank as the message read on, inviting him to their wedding and giving all the various details, but the captain had stopped listening.
Just then, Kirk burst into his office, midway through some rant about stuffy instructors who were clearly playing favorites and who the hell did Tikhonov think he was anyway? Kirk was too busy wrapped up in venting his anger to notice Pike quickly shutting the comm down and shaking his head slightly to forget about his best friend getting married without him even knowing he was seeing someone. Pike was able to at least pretend he was listening to the tirade until Kirk had gotten it out, slumping down in the chair in front of Pike's desk.
"You gonna eat that?" Kirk asked, pointing at the muffin.
"No, have it. I lost my appetite."
Pike was never going back to Blue Bottle Coffee.
It was a small place, popular with student and faculty alike at the Academy because of its proximity, but anyone from Starfleet needing coffee was sure to be in a rush, so a place to sit was hardly necessary. Still, with a line that reached out the door, the few tables the shop had were filled. They were all clearly tourists, judging by the fact that not a single one of them had a PADD or comm device out and they all seemed to be rather leisurely enjoying their coffee and chatting with their tablemate. Everyone in the queue, however, had their nose buried in a PADD, or were trying to discreetly talk on a TCD; anything to avoid interpersonal contact while they waited for their turn and their caffeine.
Not Pike. The captain had all his devices shoved deep in his pockets so that he could enjoy his last few minutes of calm before he had to deal with the bright-eyed and idiotic students that had somehow become his life. His yeoman knew not to call him before he'd entered his office, his superiors never bothered him before noon, and his students could all learn a little patience. He had absolutely no reason to have his TCD on at all, and so it stayed in his pocket. On silent.
As he stepped up to the counter for his turn, he offered the barista a small smile.
"Captain Pike!" She smiled back in recognition. "The usual?"
"I'm a creature of habit, Ezri." He said almost deprecatingly and pressed his thumb to the pay station in front of him as she rang up his order. Medium coffee with a splash of milk and a raspberry muffin. A small hologram popped up from the pay station, asking him to select the account he wished to charge and then for his PIN, and by the time he'd finished and added a tip, his breakfast was waiting for him.
"See you next week?" Ezri asked hopefully.
"See you next week." The captain took his order with a smile and a nod and left.
By the time he got to his office, his coffee was half-empty and almost cold. He really didn't go to that place for their coffee. At least his yeoman had the coffee pot brewing just by his desk. They'd gotten off to a rocky start, Yeoman Barrows and him, but she learned quickly. More quickly than any of his yeomans previously, at least. All he needed was a fresh pot of coffee and total silence until he greeted her. Today, it would probably take a little longer than most days, but he'd get there. He tossed the offensive coffee into the trash compactor, set the still untouched raspberry muffin off to the side of his desk, and poured himself a fresh cup of coffee.
Now he could feel his head starting to clear, and the persistent, nagging thought immediately popped to the forefront: he should comm him.
"Him" was scattered all throughout Pike's office, from the holos that constantly changed in the digital frame next to the window to the crew rosters of almost every ship Pike had captained during his twenty year career that were framed and hanging on the walls to the damn raspberry muffin that was still sitting on the plate, as pristine as the second it came out of the oven. Dr. Philip Boyce, Pike's most constant doctor, CMO, and best friend. They'd parted ways a few years ago, after Pike had taken another tour aboard the Yorktown, but Boyce decided to take a position as CMO of a space station.
Pike still wasn't sure what had made his doctor accept that position, and it was something he had pondered a lot the past few years. That and the fact that he still considered Phil his best friend even after three years of little more that quick, impersonal comms that eventually tapered off to silence spoke absolute volumes about Pike's social life. He didn't mind, though. He preferred being alone.
Maybe that was part of the problem. Pike was very private, preferring to keep his personal life and his career quite separate, despite the fact that he lived in the same enclosed space as his co-workers day in and day out. It made him come off as cool and aloof, but he hadn't once encountered a situation where that made a difference in a mission. It might have kept potential friends away, but the ones that mattered, like Phil, had had the patience for him to slowly warm up to them, and it made him cherish those friendships even more. At the end of the day, though, Pike was never going to be voted Friendliest Captain in Starfleet.
Phil, on the other hand, was a very people-oriented person, making sure everyone felt welcomed and included in whatever he put his hand to. He had a bright smile and a warm handshake that made reporting to sickbay for a regular physical almost seem like a joy. He was a phenomenal baker (all the captains and commodores in the 'fleet referred to him as the muffin man and teased Pike endlessly about guarding him jealously from everyone else) and if the situation called for it, he would arrive with specially prepared for the receiver.
And he always made Pike raspberry muffins.
These were supposed to be the best muffins in San Francisco, and despite going there every week for almost a year now, Pike still hadn't been able to take a single bite.
Right, that was enough reminiscing for one day.
Pike set down his coffee and slid into his chair, pressing the comm button. "Good morning, Barrows."
"Good morning, sir. You only have one appointment today, lunch with Commodore Nogura," came her crisp reply. "Oh, and I'm told Cadet Kirk is headed this way."
"Thanks for the heads-up." He closed the comm channel and rolled his eyes, trying to keep the smile away. Ah yes, his favorite idiot genius. There was no use starting on any actual work if Kirk was on his way - and he was definitely coming to see Pike, as the idiot was at least smart enough to stay away from the faculty building except in the most dire of circumstances.
Or if he was bored and wanted to pester Pike, which happened quite regularly.
While he waited for the human hurricane to blow into his office, Pike pulled up his inbox to check his comms. Most were general information, there were a couple updates from the building crew of the Enterprise, and, most surprisingly, one from Phil. Pike didn't fight his smile this time.
He selected the comm and a hologram rose from his desktop. It was Phil, looking as handsome and happy as ever - and a red-headed woman. They were embracing, giant smiles on their faces, and happily announced their engagement. Pike's heart sank as the message read on, inviting him to their wedding and giving all the various details, but the captain had stopped listening.
Just then, Kirk burst into his office, midway through some rant about stuffy instructors who were clearly playing favorites and who the hell did Tikhonov think he was anyway? Kirk was too busy wrapped up in venting his anger to notice Pike quickly shutting the comm down and shaking his head slightly to forget about his best friend getting married without him even knowing he was seeing someone. Pike was able to at least pretend he was listening to the tirade until Kirk had gotten it out, slumping down in the chair in front of Pike's desk.
"You gonna eat that?" Kirk asked, pointing at the muffin.
"No, have it. I lost my appetite."
Pike was never going back to Blue Bottle Coffee.