For Peter's Sake, Dress Sharpe

Posted on Thu Nov 5th, 2026 @ 3:05am by Petty Officer 2nd Class Sakura Tanikawa & Petty Officer 2nd Class Bradley Sharpe & Petty Officer 2nd Class Peter Kozlowski
Edited on on Tue Nov 10th, 2026 @ 2:09am

2,234 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Chimera and Deep Space 16
Location: Brad's Quarters
Timeline: En Route to SB16

Bradley's chime rang, then rang again, then rang again in quick succession, someone outside rapidly pressing the trigger.

He sighed at the first chime, but as they got more frantic he did his best to get to the door quickly.

As soon as the doors opened, Peter walked into Bradley's quarters and started pacing. "Okay, here's the situation, Bradley Boy, I am in a bit of a panic and I need your cool, calm, rational thinking, plus I need to tap your brain about Erika so I don't completely fuck things up tonight. Sound good?"

“Um, Peter—” Bradley began, but was cut off.

"I have, what, eight hours? How the hell do I figure this out in eight hours?" Peter said, continuing to pace, running his hands through his hair. "Fuck, I felt under less pressure defusing a bomb! And I didn't even have nearly that much time! How am I going to figure this out? The computer was no help, and I'm about ready to dismantle it if it doesn't give me something useful!"

“Don’t forget to breathe, man,” Bradley said. “I’ll help you out but I gotta understand what you’re asking for.”

“And we don’t want him passing out.” Sakura came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her. “Hi Peter!” she said, waving at him playfully.

Peter stopped dead in his tracks and stared at his favorite teammate. "Oh...hey, Sakura," he said, turning a bit red. He looked back at Bradley in nothing but loose sweatpants and realized what he'd done. "I um...I'm interrupting...aren't I. Shit, man, I'm sorry," he said, looking at Bradley.

“No worries man,” Bradley said, grinning, clasping his friend on the shoulder and walking him over to a chair. “Let me get you a drink.”

“We make time for our friends,” Sakura told him. “So wait… you actually asked her out? And she said yes?” She was grinning excitedly.

Peter looked up at her. "You didn't know?"

“You never told me he actually liked her!” Sakura said, punching Bradley in the arm. “Just that they were fucking!”

“I wanted to see where this went first,” Bradley says as he comes back from the replicator with a glass of water. He’d have offered a flask but it was a little early for it. “What exactly are you asking about?”

"Hold on," Peter said, sipping his water. "Okay so...she started her shift twenty minutes ago...she likes to take her break thirty minutes past the halfway mark so her day is 'more over' and she'll eat something first while she plans what she says..." He looked at Sakura. "She's going to be calling you in just under five hours to ask about stopping by your quarters to dress for our date tonight. Evidently, she's going to 'blow my socks off'."

“Sounds right,” Sakura said. “Isn’t it sweet that he notices her break time routine?”

“Yeah, he's serious about her,” Bradley replied. “And if you had any semblance of routine I could probably tell you. Anyway, bro, why is this bad?”

"It's bad, because...this?" He gestured to his black t-shirt and shorts. "In Asbury Park, New Jersey, this is practically a tuxedo. What in the ever-loving-eff was I thinking?" Peter said, standing up and pacing again. "A pressed shirt and tie? I know next to nothing about ties! Hell, the last time I wore a tie was at my pop's funeral! And that one was when I was seven, so it's a bit short for me now. And now she's going to be dressed to the nines, and I'm going to look like I just picked out my best pool party wear."

“She’ll notice too,” Bradley said. “She’s been tying ties for her brothers half her life and making sure they looked like little gentlemen. You show up for the date like that…” He shook his head.

“The computer’s usually good for this,” Sakura suggested.

"I asked the computer for recommendations, but it wanted to know what she's wearing, and I'm not in the Circle of Trust on that one," Peter said, sighing.

“Well,” Sakura told him, “As you say, I am in the Circle of Trust. So I can give you a head start. I’m going to be recommending red. Not all the way Jessica Rabbit, but a red number that blows your mind. We can probably work with that.”

“We can get you looking good, while still being you,” Bradley said. “Not full tuxedo.”

Sakura shook her head. “No, not full tuxedo. Splash of colour though. What’s your favourite colour?”

"Blue," Peter said. "Like, Pacific Ocean blue."

“We thinking shirt in that colour?” Bradley asked his girlfriend. “Maybe a darker tone of it, and try and make the dress go light?”

Sakura nodded. “Pass me the robe, babe. We’re gonna be here a while.” She traded her towel for the robe Bradley handed her, causing Peter to quickly look down as he got a familiar eyeful, and put it on as she walked to the replicator. “Computer. Pull up quartermaster uniform files for Petty Officer 2nd Class Peter Kozlowski. Apply those to future clothing requests.” The computer chimed. “Alright we’re in business.”

"So, what, a blue suit? Peter said, sipping his water and looking at Bradley. "I'm going to feel like a fool having you help me with my tie."

“No, let’s keep the suit black,” Sakura said. “That shade’s too light for a suit, at least this time. No, that’s your shirt. With a complementary tie.” She programmed the replicator to produce a black suit and Pacific Ocean Blue shirt, along with six tie options.

“And I’m not tying it,” Bradley said. Sakura handed him the pile of clothes. He set down the pants, jacket, and belt, but gave Peter the shirt and all the ties. “You are. Get the shirt on. I’m gonna teach you, and you’re gonna tie all of these. And then you’ll do it again. And by the time you’re done, it’ll be muscle memory.”

"Or I'll have something long enough to hang myself with," Peter muttered, taking the shirt and putting it on, grumbling as he fumbled with the buttons. "Back home they'd joke that making you wear this for court should be considered cruel and unusual punishment."

“Here, babe,” Sakura said, handing him one of his own shirts and a tie from his closet, which he put on and readied the tie.

Peter finished buttoning up and straightened the collar a bit. "So do I look respectable yet?" he joked, smirking.

“Closer than you think,” Bradley said. “Pop the collar, the tie goes under it. Now follow me.” He went on to slowly and deliberately—without being condescending—show Peter every step on how to tie a Half-Windsor knot. He purposely explained positioning and length, demonstrating on his own tie where and how it should go.

“And then pull the knot until it’s up under your chin. Yeah, just like that. Your knot looks alright. Now, look at the two ends. How far do they go? You want the front to be roughly to where your belt should be, and the back to be just long enough to slide through the little hoop underneath the other piece. But it’s okay if that’s not perfect.”

Peter winced as he pulled it a bit to tightly around himself. "Now I get why Dad called this a 'gentleman's strangler'." He adjusted it slightly and looked down, the back of his tie slightly too long and the front slightly too short. He tried tugging the front down and hiding the back, then sighed and pulled it apart, trying it again. "You know, the first time I put on my uniform, I thought I looked ridiculous? Felt like I was wearing a costume. Still do sometimes." He readjusted and began again, wrapping his tie carefully. "I never liked the idea of uniforms. Always seemed so formal. Last thing I needed was some stuffed shirt officer reprimanding me because I didn't have my pips spaced correctly."

“At least Commander Espersen stopped enforcing that rule,” Sakura mused, while Bradley also undid his tie so Peter could follow him if he wanted to.

“Impressing the officers is one thing,” Bradley said. “Impressing Erika is another. A crucial difference is you care what she thinks.”

“But you’re a step up from where you could be,” Sakura added. “She likes you. I mean, she likes likes you.”

That got Peter's attention and gave him pause. "She does?" he said. "I know we were kind of in an intense situation together, and things were said, promises were made...still, I don't want her doing this just because we didn't die in a horrible explosion."

“You’ve known her as long as I have,” Sakura said. “Not as long as Bradley has, but a long time. Does she seem like the type that would go on a date to fulfill an agreement? Or if she did, that she’d ‘knock your socks off’?”

Peter thought for a moment, staring down at the end of the tie. "I suppose not," he finally said.

“Keep practicing with the tie and think about this,” Sakura offered. “You know how sometimes you come home and interrupt her having some ‘me’ time?”

Peter blushed and glanced guiltily at Bradley. "She um...she told you about that?"

“Peter, she writes smut and all her best friends are nymphos,” Bradley told him. “It would be weird if she didn’t confide in Sakura.”

"To be fair," Peter said, "Kally thinks they're all normal and the rest of us are just 'less enthusiastic about it.'" He gave Sakura a small smile.

“And most of the time, she invites you into bed,” Sakura explained. “But not every time. Sometimes she gets flustered and stops. Ever wonder why?”

He finished his next attempt with the tie, this time slightly too long, and sighed, restarting. "I assumed it was because she wasn't as far along and desperate for a finish," he said. "Or because when she did, it was because she'd been working on a scene in her head and used my help. If she didn't invite me, I assumed it was because she didn't have a reason to want me there."

"Nooooooo," Sakura told him, grinning. "She was thinking about you, doofus. And when you walked in she got all flustered."

Peter froze and stared at her, jaw hanging open. "Are you serious? All this time, I'm five feet away! She could've had the real thing! Why didn't she just tell me?"

“Like how you told her that you’re in love with her months ago?” Bradley asked.

"Touche," he said, straightening the tie and looking down at it, judging the length to be correct. "I suppose it's as much my fault being intimidated by her that I couldn't speak up." He sighed and straightened the tie. "Just hoping it doesn't take another bomb to get us further along." He looked at them and held his arms out and smirked. "So, what's the verdict? Can I pass for someone respectable?"

“Just the shoes,” Sakura said, replicating him a new pair. “Oxfords, not brogues. Clean and elegant. Style without pretension.”

“You’ll do fine, man,” Bradley said. “Remember to shower right before. Deodorant, not body spray.”

Peter gave him a look that shouted "no kidding" but held his tongue. "Your faith in me is appreciated," he said. He walked over and gave Sakura a kiss and a tight hug, then went to Bradley and gave him a tighter hug. "Appreciate you both saving me from myself." He carefully bundled his clothes together and put the shoes with them. "But fair warning," he said, pointing at Bradley, "if she disapproves of the tie, I'm telling her you chose it."

“And if she approves of the whole outfit, do we get credit?” Bradley asked.

"Of course," Peter said, dramatically. "I am nothing if not generous with praise."

“And after it goes well,” Sakura added, “we’ll schedule a double-date.” She playfully nudged her boyfriend in the ribs with her elbow and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Bradley held the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. “No we aren’t doing a swap, babe.”

"Aw c'mon, Bradley Boy," Peter said. "I keep saying we need to have some more bro time." He laughed at the look on Bradley's face. "Man, sometimes it is too easy with you."

“You and Erika have sooooo much in common, what with your love of messing with me,” Bradley said dryly. “Besides, bro, you know as well as I do my hang-up would be not wanting to fuck someone that’s basically my sister.”

“Not that it stops Doctor Kellerman,” Sakura observed.

Bradley shrugged. “Fair enough. Anyway.” He smacked his friend on the arm. “You got this. Come on by in the morning, let us know how it went.”

Peter nodded. "Will do," he said. He gave Sakura one more kiss on the cheek and Brad a pat on the shoulder as he walked out the door to meet his fate.

 

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