With a skill Geordie sometimes thought his fingers had all on their own, he blindly touched the view port in his quarters, the very tips unerringly brushing the surface. It was cold, bitterly so, with the reminder of what lay on the other side, and he smiled in rueful satisfaction. One of his favorite instructors had said over and over that Mother Nature always won in the long run, and the successful engineer was the one who never forgot that. The trick was to let Her have Her own way as much as possible, holding Her at bay until the job was done.

He'd lived that philosophy personally, every day of his life since he'd been fitted for his first visor. Now it looked as though She was going to collect Her due from him and return him to the darkness he'd been born to. If his visor failed, there were no alternatives for him to turn to besides what She had intended for him all along.

A chime from the door drew Geordie from his thoughts, and he automatically answered, "Come," though he didn't move from where he stood. He heard the door hiss open, but whoever it was didn't enter. "Hello?" he called out questioningly, finally turning.

"Perhaps it would be prudent to raise the level of ambient lighting before I enter," Data said from the corridor.

Chuckling, Geordie said, "Computer, lights, thirty percent, please." To Data, he added, "Sorry; sometimes I forget."

"Understandable, as your visor does not depend upon the radiant spectrum, and without it, it is hardly necessary," Data said, crossing the room to stand beside him.

His momentary flash of good humor died, and Geordie went back to contemplating a view port that he couldn't see, arms crossed over his chest. "Did Dr. Crusher ask you to check in on me?"

"As the design that allows your visor to work is similar to my own optic transmitters, Dr. Crusher requested that I assist her in attempting to diagnose the source of your difficulties. The decision to confirm your well-being was my own."

Uncharacteristically, Data was close enough for Geordie to be able to feel his presence, though it was really more of an intellectual awareness of a heavy mass close to his skin than true sensation. Though he knew Data had to have logically reasoned that a blind man would appreciate having more than a voice to locate a visitor by, it was surprisingly comforting that it would occur to Data to do so. Despite that, Geordie said lightly, "I appreciate the thought, but it's not like I'm a stranger to being alone in the dark."

"That does not mean that you prefer that state." With a strange hesitation, Data gently lay his hand Geordie's shoulder. "Dr. Crusher is a gifted physician and competent researcher. I am sure she will be able to discover why your visor has ceased to adequately transmit information to your neuroreceivers."

Still trying for casual, Geordie said, "It's the most common failure for them - nobody really knows why. Over-stimulation seems to be the key, since taking a break from them is the usual cure."

Mercifully Data didn't follow that comment to its logical conclusion -that it didn't always work. Instead he said, "We *will* solve this, Geordie."

Something about the tone, though it was delivered in Data's normal level tones, along with the unusually considerate behavior, set off an alarm for Geordie. "Don't get me wrong, but you seem to be taking this almost personally."

Geordie couldn't help but wonder if Data's pause before answering was for effect, or if he were truly having trouble choosing his words even with the speed he had available to make up his mind. Finally, Data said, "Dr. Crusher seemed extremely concerned about your state of mind if you were forced to return to complete blindness. In an attempt to understand why readjustment would be so difficult, I confined myself to my quarters and deactivated my visual centers for a preset length of time."

"Oh, Data."

"I was confident of my ability to compensate. After all, my memory contains every aspect of the ship, let alone my own rooms, in precise detail. I set about to attend to my customary tasks and promptly stepped on Spot and fell."

Capturing the hand on him, Geordie reached for his friend, feeling along the length of his arms and torso. "You weren't hurt, were you?"

"Physically, I was undamaged." Again Data paused, then admitted, "If it could be said that I have an ego, however, it is seriously dented. Despite being able to calculate to the fourth decimal how fast and far I must have fallen, I became disoriented. It took repeated attempts to feel my way from where I thought I was to the nearest recognizable object. Once I was again confident of my location, I proceeded to return to my pre-determined course and immediately stepped on Spot again."

Geordie couldn't help it - he laughed loud and long, leaning onto Data for support. Whether Data meant to tell his story so humorously, he couldn't tell, but that uncertainty just made the whole thing funnier. Eventually he gasped, "I take it the cat is all right, too."

"I was unable to ascertain that with any certainty as he would not respond to my calls. Nevertheless, it seemed logical to assume that he would be underfoot as soon as I attempted to walk again, and I took the appropriate precautions."

Still sniggering, Geordie said, "That's a safe bet since that's how cats *are.*"

"So I have learned." Uncharacteristically, Data enclosed Geordie in a loose hug and said against his cheek, "I have also learned that while one may become accustomed to being blind, it is an all together unpleasant condition, made more so when one must suffer through it without aid. While I am capable of automatically adjusting my sight to available light, I find I am unwilling to enter a darkened room, now."

"That's the worst part of it, isn't it?" Geordie said, finally accepting what his friend was trying to give and hugging him back. Somewhere along the line someone must have given Data hugging lessons, because he cradled Geordie snugly, rubbing soothing circles into his shoulder blades. He murmured into Data's shoulder, "The sense of helplessness, I mean. It's not been too bad for me. Until Q meddled in my life, I didn't know what true sight was and didn't miss it or what it could mean to my life."

"I am not capable of hatred," Data said reflectively. "At times I should like to be, simply to be able to hold Q in the contempt he deserves."

Wearily, Geordie said, "It's not worth it. And I did get something precious from him." He timidly traced the line of Data's jaw. "I know what you really look like. I know what 'beautiful' really means."

"You said that to Tasha," Data said, sounding as surprised as he ever did.

"Everyone on the bridge was beautiful as far as I was concerned," Geordie confessed. "At the time, I didn't think anybody would understand, least of all an android."

"I do now," Data said simply. He nuzzled at the hand on his face, then placed a soft kiss in the palm. Startled, Geordie breathed his name questioningly, and Data answered by lifting Geordie's chin with a forefinger, thumb tracing the outline of his lips. It was the only warning he had before Data kissed him with a surety that was as shocking as the kiss itself.

For a moment it was all weird - taste, texture, movement - then Geordie deliberately relaxed into it because it felt *good,* too. A sharp scent that he'd always associated with Data teased his nose, reassuring him as he luxuriated in the simple enjoyment of being held. He returned the kiss tentatively at first, not sure how Data would respond, but a few heartbeats later he was eagerly teaching him by example what he liked best. Though he tried to be mindful of what Data might want, he didn't have any cues to work with, and he pulled away.

"More," Data demanded, and recaptured Geordie's mouth, delving deeply and insistently. His erection pressed hotly against Geordie's thigh, and while the tiny part of his mind that was still rational that didn't necessarily mean Data was enjoying himself, his libido took it as permission to go into action. His maleness rose high and hard, prodding at the unyielding surface of Data's body.

Never ceasing his plundering of Geordie's mouth, Data eased him back toward the bed and laid him on it, covering him a second later. He balanced his weight perfectly over Geordie, barely touching him at all, and that inhuman restraint was enough to break through his erotic daze. Breaking their kiss and turning his head away so Data couldn't resume it, he sucked in a harsh breath. Undeterred, Data turned his attention to the curve of Geordie's ear, teasing it with tiny licks.

"Tell me you're getting something out of this," Geordie said, trying not to moan at the wonderful things happening to that most sensitive spot. "Please."

With a final nip in parting, Data lifted his head, fingers coming up to play with Geordie's earlobe. "Dr. Soong would not have made me fully functional if he had not intended for me to take away more from intimate encounters than the satisfaction of a task well-done. It is not sexual release such as you know, but I assure you it is very, very pleasant for me."

Conscience somewhat appeased, Geordie touched Data's face, fingertips spread wide as if to read emotions that didn't show there. "Good, 'cause otherwise it would feel too much like I were taking advantage of you. You've probably got a thousand sex manuals stored in here, but do you *know* what you're doing?"

Quietly, almost in a whisper, Data answered, "My previous experience is...limited, and I was not the aggressor, but Geordie, I am sure of what I want, and that you are the one I wish to give it to me."

Sighing, both in relief and pleasure, Geordie said, "I'm past 'want' and seriously into 'need,' myself." He hesitated, idly exploring Data's features. "It would help if you could express that, somehow, while we make love. Give me some guidance as to what I'm doing right and how to make it better for you."

Rocking into him carefully, nudging their hard-ons into each other, Data asked, "Is this not adequate?" Not giving Geordie a chance to answer, he reclaimed his lips, a free hand working to remove clothes.

It was just as well. Geordie couldn't think of a thing to say, and moments later, he couldn't think at all. Feeling was taking up every neurocell he had, leaving him reveling in pure sensuality. The best he could do was help Data undress, as sporadic as that was, and even that was lost when he discovered just how sweet and soft Data's skin was.

Hands every where, Geordie stroked and petted, Data doing the same to him with a touch so light that it would have been ticklish if it hadn't been so assured. He quickly found all the places on Geordie that made him writhe and cry out, and to Geordie's delight he found an area that actually made Data shudder. Every time he skated his fingers close the deactivation switch hidden under Data's shoulder blade, Data would pause as his body quaked. Whether he was doing it for effect or not, it aroused Geordie as much as his caresses did.

When he could bear it no more, Geordie fumbled open a drawer next to the bed and took out a bottle of mimosa oil to set where it could be reached, not missing Data's sudden stillness even through his passion-drenched haze. With a practiced wiggle, he turned in Data's arms, strategically tucking a small pillow under himself and hugging a larger one. There was an instant of doubt, of something close to fear, but he buried it under the insistent clamoring from his cock.

Then the last niggling bit of it died when Data palmed one ass cheek with what could only be called reverence, thumb lightly following along the divide between. He teased the opening hidden there, not penetrating, but revealing the pucker for a tiny trickle of oil to find its way over it. It felt delicious, and that only improved as Data carefully probed the tight portal, prompting Geordie to lift his hips invitingly.

"Tight," Data said worriedly. "Are you quite sure...."

"It's been a while," Geordie broke in hastily, "but I've done this before. You won't hurt me."

"I must accept your judgment on that, however, I believe that it would be advisable for me to reduce the size of my erection to ensure minimum risk." Data sat back on his heels between Geordie's thighs, fingertip still gently oiling the folds of Geordie's center.

Geordie looked over his shoulder, intending to question that statement, but before he could, Data finally slid a finger inside him. Moaning, Geordie reared back, taking it in farther, already too close to climax to be able to do anything else. Mercifully the finger was quickly replaced by the head of Data's erection, and when it breached him, Geordie shouted wordlessly, carried to the brink by the incredible rush from it.

Data settled back on him, lips worrying a line down Geordie's shoulder blade, hips snapping in a rhythm that Geordie could just barely match. It took the edge off of the necessity of coming, but then Data picked up speed, sighing softly to himself in way that arrowed straight through Geordie. "Good," Geordie whimpered. "Good, just like that...just... oh....OH!"

Without warning his finish burst through him, flooding his seed out in spurts of shocking ecstasy that left no possibility for anything but itself for long, delicious moments. Instinctively he tightened around Data's cock, forcing another shout of joy from himself, and an echoing sigh from Data. Eventually Geordie's mind cleared, and he shifted under the steady, inhumanly fast pounding Data was giving him, raising his backside to get the most of the last waves of pleasure.

"Geordie," Data whispered in his ear, sounding surprised. "Geordie!"

Despite his release, Geordie felt a sharp pang of lust at the wondering tone in his lover's voice, and he clenched his opening even tighter in response. With a last hard thrust, Data froze, cock deep inside Geordie, throbbing slightly. Not sure if it were the release that Data had told him about, Geordie waited patiently, his own body limp and warm from his climax.

Seemingly content to simply lie atop him, Data rested his forehead on Geordie's back, keeping most of his weight on his knees and elbows, but leaving enough for Geordie to feel sheltered and safe. He caught himself from drifting off to sleep with a jerk, and said reluctantly, "You'd better ease out of me, now. Nice as it is to have you inside, I'd be pretty sore if I spend the night this way."

"My apologies," Data said promptly, lifting up.

Before he could move away completely, Geordie caught his hand, turning to his side to face him. "Look, I'm not going to ask you for what you can't give, and I'm not going to expect what you can't do. If anybody, *anybody* on board this ship knows who and what you are, it's me. Trust me to tell you what I need without being angry about it, and to understand that you don't know the nuances of some social behavior."

Apparently studying him intently, to judge from the tense silence, Data laid down on his side beside him after a moment. "Much of what I have observed seems to indicate that most males prefer to fall asleep after coitus, thus avoiding those interpersonal nuances."

Grinning, Geordie said sleepily, "Pure cowardice. They've gotten what they want and don't want to have to make any promises in return for it, even if it's just not to treat their partner like they've never been together."

"That was my thought as well." Data pulled a blanket up over both of them. "Perhaps it would benefit us both if you told me what you do wish of me now."

"Stay with me until I nod off?" Finding Data's face with his fingertips again, Geordie confessed sheepishly, "That's the worst part for me. Being alone when I go to sleep. Left over from my childhood I guess."

"I can stay the night if you wish," Data offered. "My dream program could help me spend the night productively."

"Unless you have something more pressing, I'd really like that." Geordie snuggled in closer, tangling his legs with Data's. "Wake me an hour before my shift?"

"As you wish."

"Mmmm," Geordie said agreeably, nestling his cheek against Data's chest. A damp length nudged into his belly, and he said, not really awake, "You're still hard. Do you need something from me before I nod off?" Another question hit him out of nowhere, and he woke up enough to add, "And what did you mean, reduce your size?"

Sounding indecently alert, Data answered, "I find the press of your body against my maleness very gratifying; it is my intention to remain erect during the night. And I am capable of sustaining hardness at varying length, for optimum pleasure for my partner."

Chuckling, Geordie said, "I can tell you were designed by a man. What's your minimum and maximum parameters?"

"Nine to twenty-five centimeters," Data said.

"Four to ten inches?" Geordie translated unnecessarily, wide awake again. He wormed a hand down, circling Data's hard-on. "Show me?" At a miniscule hesitation from his lover, he added, "I won't leave you frustrated, if that's what you're thinking."

"It did not occur to me that you would be so rude." Data pushed into Geordie's hold, sighing - which sounded suspiciously like Geordie's own. "Perhaps you could also touch my back."

"I noticed that you liked it if I played around the deactivation switch."

"It is... the possibility that is enticing," Data admitted. "You would not deactivate me, especially under the circumstances."

Understanding, Geordie said, "But I could. I get it." Having trouble circling Data's shaft with one hand, he shifted his grip and added, "But I could have had more, I see. A lot more."

Lovingly turning Geordie to his back, Data said, "I believe the appropriate response is - the night is young."

Laughing, Geordie opened his thighs and let Data keep him from being alone in the dark.

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