Summary:  C/P.  A light and fluffy romance in which Tom gets quite giddy and Chakotay gets analyzed.
Copyright July 2001 Cassatt

It all started too innocently. Megan Delaney was just slightly this side of inebriated and doing what she usually did under those circumstances. She was flirting shamelessly with Commander Chakotay. It was a familiar game they both played. He less than her, but still, he put up with it good-naturedly. Just tried to shoot pool and let her have her fun.

It drove Tom a little crazy. Tonight more than other nights because the commander had done something that day which put him back up on the pedestal in the crew's eyes. He'd saved the life of Billy Telfer on an away mission. The young man had fallen down a ravine during a surprise attack by a group of aliens, intent on disrupting the mining expedition. Fighting off two aliens, Chakotay had climbed down the ravine to give Telfer his commbadge so the injured crewmember could be beamed to sick bay. Damn him, Tom sighed. Ever the hero. More perfect, more superior, more unreachable. And to watch Megan flirting with him just pissed Tom off.

"That was really something, what the commander did for Telfer today," Harry said.

Tom turned to him slowly. "Yeah, something," he said, dully.

"Although, come to think of it, he does tend to do stuff like this every other week, doesn't he?"

"A regular John Wayne," Tom muttered, louder than he'd planned.

"What's with you, you jealous? Wish Megan looked at you that way?" Harry teased.

Tom stiffened. Careful, helmboy... "I'm not jealous."

"Who the hell is John Wayne?" B'Elanna said, sitting down with her beer. She was followed immediately by Sue Nicholetti and Joe Carey. Jenny Delaney pulled up a chair and set a pitcher down in the center of the table.

"John who?" Jenny said. She appeared to be just a little less drunk than her sister.

"Wayne. John Wayne," Harry explained.

"Well, who the hell has two first names? And who is he anyway?" Jenny continued.

"Joe has two first names, don't ya, Joe? I had a cousin named 'Carrie'," Sue said.

"I don't think they're spelled the same, besides 'Carey' is Irish...."

Joe was interrupted by an exasperated B'Elanna. "Who the hell is John Wayne?"

Chakotay chose that moment to join the crowd, having won his pool game, sitting down on another pulled up chair.

Tom glanced at the first officer and sighed. "John Wayne was an actor in the twentieth century. He played in westerns."

"And so why were you comparing him to Chakotay?" B'Elanna said, still confused. She held out her glass to Jenny, who refilled it.

"Well, the characters he played were hero types, you know, larger than life..." Tom felt a faint blush beginning. He could also feel Chakotay's eyes on him and stole another glance. As usual, Tom thought. He couldn't read the man at all.

"Well, that explains it," Megan said definitively. "Our first officer is a hero."

Chakotay grunted.

"What's a 'western', Tom?" Joe asked.

"Horses, guns, ranchers, women in distress, hero saves the day, you know..."

"Macho," Jenny said with relish, grinning at Chakotay.

Chakotay grunted again, a bit louder this time. Tom refused to look at him, though he could feel the older man's eyes on him.

"I don't think that sounds like Chakotay, no offense, big guy," B'Elanna said. "I've never seen you as particularly macho, more of a smooth type..."

Tom chuckled at that. "James Bond."

Chakotay spoke for the first time. "And who exactly is James Bond?" he said sarcastically.

Tom met his eyes directly. "A spy character, in fiction and they made movies about him, too, a real ladies man, always using his brain, always a step ahead of the bad spies." He kept looking at Chakotay, who wouldn't break the eye contact.

"You're just talking about hero archetypes. They are found throughout mythology, Tom..."

The sound of a glass banging on the table brought their attention back to the group. "The hell with mythology," Megan said loudly, "I wanna see some movies, Tom. Let's see one of each, then decide which is more our intrepid commander! We could take a vote! Come on, it'd be fun!"

"Wait a minute," Chakotay said hurriedly, "Let's get one thing straight - I'm no hero..."

But Tom was feeling perverse, irritated still. "I think that's a great idea, Meg, I'd be happy to show a couple of movies. Why don't you tell, I don't know, about twenty or thirty of your closest friends," Tom smirked, "and we'll open up the theater tomorrow evening..."

Chakotay interrupted him. "Look - I'm not going to sit and be measured against some movie characters..."

Tom returned the favor. "What's the matter? Afraid you won't live up to the comparison?"

The First Officer's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Not at all, Paris, go ahead, set it up. I'll even tally the votes," he said with almost a growl.

Now Tom knew he was going to have fun. He felt, at that moment, the flutter in his stomach that signaled something was going to happen.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The following evening found a group of crew members milling around the corridors outside holodeck two, talking and laughing amongst themselves, bags of food and bottles of synthehol in their hands. After the night before, no one wanted any more alcohol. Tom approached them quickly. He'd had a grueling day on the bridge, with the commander making his life fairly miserable by the mere fact that he either ignored Tom completely, or barked orders at him. He wasn't surprised that Chakotay was not among the people waiting for the movie theater to be opened. Figuring the big guy wouldn't set foot anywhere near the place, Tom looked forward to hearing his friends dissect Chakotay's personality while they watched the movies. He never wanted to miss an opportunity to talk freely about the man.

But barely five minutes before the show, Chakotay walked in, quickly. He sat at the opposite end of Tom's row, taking some heat from B'Elanna for showing up so late, claiming the captain had kept him in a dinner meeting. Tom didn't know if he bought it, but was surprised to find the man being willing to put up with the banter that instantly surrounded him with such good humor.

The James Bond movie that Tom picked was one of his favorites. He liked them all, he found the character of 007 a little intriguing, overblown of course, but the suaveness with which he handled everything thrown his way was something Tom admired. The movies were inadvertently funny as well. He planned to just sit, relax, and lose himself once more in the ridiculous plot, the sex and the overdrawn enemies. Goldfinger, indeed.

So when the people around him continued to banter and talk even after the movie started, no matter how many times Tom told them to 'shush', he finally got up and moved to the very back row, at least ten rows behind everyone else. Settling into his seat, putting his feet up, picking up his popcorn, he sighed in contentment. His friends' voices were no longer as annoying. He watched James Bond speed off in his absolutely beautiful car, hugging the roads tightly, Tom's body swaying with every turn. He loved this part.

He was suddenly aware that someone sat down next to him. He turned his head to see the smiling eyes of the man who sat behind him on the bridge each day. His heart jumped, just a bit, the smile throwing him. After all, this same man had spent the day giving him nothing but hostility.

"So, Tom, hiding out?" Chakotay said quietly.

"Not really," he said warily, "just wanted to enjoy the movie without the chatter."

Chakotay made a move to get up. "Sorry, I'll go sit somewhere else..."

Tom stopped him with a hand on his arm, shocking the hell out of both of them. "No. It's okay, I don't mind." He wondered if he was crazy, or just a glutton, or maybe something else entirely that he usually tried to ignore with every fiber in his being.

Chakotay sat back down. Tom was still looking at him doing so when the other man glanced down at his forearm. That's when Tom realized he was still holding it and pulled his hand back sharply, glad it was dark and the blush he felt couldn't be seen.

He turned his attention back to the screen and his popcorn, offering to share it with Chakotay, pleased when he accepted. They watched the movie in silence, until one of Goldfinger's minions came on screen, causing Chakotay to chortle loudly.

Grinning, Tom said, "What, you wouldn't like a woman like that filling your every need?"

"Not exactly," he said, turning to meet Tom's eyes.

"Well then, how exactly?"

But Chakotay didn't answer, just took a little more popcorn and went back to watching the movie.

Tom was disconcerted on a level he didn't want to think too deeply about. A few minutes later, after Bond had deftly and permanently removed an enemy, Chakotay leaned a little closer to him.

"So, Tom, you think this guy is like me?"

"You mean, do I think you could do that without a phaser? Yeah. I do."

"Aside from that part..."

Tom was surprised. "It makes a difference what I think?" he asked, instantly regretting the question. Stupid, Tommy, of course it doesn't matter what you think...

"That surprises you?"

"I guess it does. And you didn't answer my question, not really," Tom said, wishing that he would.

"Well, you didn't answer mine, either," Chakotay replied, grinning.

Tom's heart started to beat a little faster. Is he flirting with me? Whatever it was, his pulse was responding to it. "Okay," he said, trying to sound normal, "I'll answer yours if you answer mine."

Chakotay reached down, picked up his beer bottle from the floor and took a healthy swig. Tom found himself watching the process with fascination, the man's full lips opening just enough for the bottle to slip past them... He shook his head harshly.

"You changed your mind?" Chakotay asked, putting the bottle back down.

"No, sorry, thinking about something, no, um, so, answer mine..." Tom kicked himself for sounding like a babbling idiot.

Chakotay studied him. Tom squirmed and ate some popcorn to give his hands something to do.

"Okay - yes, your opinion does matter. I'd like to know if this Bond character reminds you of me. 'Cause I can't see it, to tell you the truth," Chakotay stated softly.

"Well.... maybe a little. He's cool under pressure. So are you..."

"Lots of us are. I certainly don't have the personality he does. That's more you than me."

Tom looked at him closely. There was a definite twinkle in his eye, even in the dark theater he could see it. "I'm not sure how to take that..."

"In the spirit with which it was given is always a good choice..."

"And what spirit would that be?" Tom couldn't keep the cynicism out of his voice. He wondered if this conversation was getting out of control.

"Tom," Chakotay said, "the spirit of trying to mend fences. I simply meant that Bond is witty, he has a way with women, he thinks fast on his feet. You don't think that's like you?"

Tom heard the emphasis given to the second item. His heart started to beat faster again and he made a clear decision. "I'll accept the witty and fast thinking. In the spirit with which it was given." He concentrated on his popcorn and the screen again.

Chakotay was silent. Too silent. Tom could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. There was a certain tension in the air between them, it felt as though they were both concentrating just a little too intently on the movie. What the hell is going on here? Tom reached into the popcorn and ran into a warm hand, feeling the shock of it all the way to his toes. He didn't pull away, however, and neither did Chakotay. On the contrary, the older man very very slowly increased the level of contact, eventually brushing his fingers in between Tom's.

Tom's heart was pounding now, his pulse was racing and blood was beginning to surge into his groin. In his wildest dreams he never actually thought his feelings could ever be reciprocated, he still wasn't even sure he was reading things correctly, or whether it was just the close proximity of the man affecting his perceptions. Yet, Chakotay's fingers were still moving, gently caressing his hand, the sensations exquisite. He risked looking to his right and met eyes that appeared almost black. Though the light was so low, there was no mistaking what he saw in Chakotay's face. His heart took a flying leap against the wall of his chest.

He willed his hand to get beyond its frozen passivity, moved his fingers and clasped Chakotay's hand completely, pulling both out of the bag and onto his thigh. The heat where they touched was almost unbearable. He couldn't seem to break the eye contact, nor could he think of anything to say. It was then he realized he wasn't going to have to say anything, for Chakotay's face was getting closer and closer to his. Now his heart stopped. Just before it happened he closed his eyes and then... contact. Those beautiful lips that he had lusted after, dreamed about, wondered about, were touching his, moving over his luxuriantly, so gently, so sensuously, that he sighed. The rational part of his brain was trying to make sense of this. But as he returned each slow, amazing kiss, he heard and felt Chakotay sigh, too, with a little noise that came from the back of his throat. Tom knew right then, he was a goner. Take me, I'm yours.

The sudden noise of their friends laughing loudly and clapping startled them apart. Tom glanced at the screen. Bond had just won the final confrontation and saved the world. The movie was almost over. He turned back to Chakotay, still not knowing what to say, still holding his hand, now more tightly than before. The man was smiling at him. Tom found himself simply smiling back, and relaxed into his seat to watch the movie finish. Every once in awhile, Chakotay would rub his thumb slowly on Tom's, or tighten the pressure of his hold, each movement making Tom's heart skip. But he didn't let go until the movie was over and the lights were readjusting and their friends were getting up, chatting loudly, finally noticing the two men sitting in the very back row.

Tom looked at Chakotay one more time before they were descended upon. The older man winked with a warm smile but said nothing. Tom had a million questions. Clearly, this wasn't the time to ask them. He didn't exactly know what this was. Chakotay bent down to pick up his beer bottle, took another healthy swallow and then leaned a little closer.

"Thanks for the popcorn, Tom. I can bring some tomorrow, if you'd like," he said quietly.

Tom smiled. "Sure. Yeah, that would be great, Chakotay."

"So, you two, did you have fun back here away from the rowdies?" B'Elanna plopped herself down next to Chakotay.

He turned to his oldest friend. "Yes, I had a nice time, enjoyed the movie. Can't speak for Tom, however." He stood. "But, I've got an pre-alpha shift meeting with a crew member in the morning, so I'm heading home..."

Tom jumped up. "I had a nice time, too." Chakotay met his eyes warmly, but briefly, as he was moving out to the aisle, B'Elanna getting up with him and moving away as well. Tom made his feet follow.

"Well," B'Elanna said as the three of them made their way to the holodeck door, "I loved the movie, Tom! What a hoot. And yeah, I can see big guy here in James Bond. Can hardly wait to see the Wayne fellow tomorrow - although I think Jenny and Meg are gonna try and make a holographic 007 for a playmate...."

Her words washed over Tom as other people joined them, the talk continuing, the discussion of male qualities in Bond and Chakotay getting more and more vivid.   Too soon, they were all in the corridor, and then Chakotay bid everyone good night and walked away. All Tom could do was say a 'good night' in return and watch the man leave. He sighed and shut down the holoprogram.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~

Tom paced his quarters repeatedly, not able to sit, or read, or play a game, or really concentrate on anything. He asked the computer for the millionth time in the past hour what time it was. Now it was closer to 0100 hours than before, and Tom groaned. He tried to lie down on the bed and sleep but knew that was useless. Maybe another hot shower would do it. Damn that man! Kissing me like that and then just leaving. What the fuck is going on?! He contemplated waking Harry up to talk, but only momentarily. He didn't have the heart. He sighed and put some shoes on, heading for sick bay. Perhaps the Doc had something to relax him, help him get some sleep or his piloting skills would be nonexistent and he'd be in deep shit. Perversely, yet again, he thought about waking Chakotay up and demanding to know what his intentions were. Bridge duty would be fun then, he thought, ruefully.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Either way, it turned out, bridge duty that morning was anything but fun. The Captain and Chakotay were in conference in the ready room until almost lunch break, so Tom didn't get to even lay eyes on the man. He heard the doors swoosh open and deliberately did not turn around, though his heart jumped at the sound.

"Captain," Tuvok's voice resounded in the relative quiet, "I'm detecting an alien vessel approaching. At present speed, it should arrive in approximately 4.32 minutes."

"Harry, can we hail them?" she responded.

The beeps of the computer were heard.

"Negative, Captain, they are not responding."

Damn, Tom thought. Not today, please? No crises...

But Tom didn't get his wish. The aliens were hostile and apparently pissed off at Voyager. They were in no mood to negotiate anything at all, much less some travel through this part of space. As usual, Voyager got into a fight it didn't want, and Tom's skills were put to the test repeatedly. He took the ship up and down, through dips and turns, using every evasive maneuver he had ever learned, making up some as he went along as the fight went on and on. His adrenaline was pumping and he had to admit he was, on some level, enjoying the flying. When he could allow himself to think that they might not die in the next five minutes, that is. Eventually, the damned aliens retreated for good. Tom was suddenly exhausted. And hungry.

"Good flying, Tom," Chakotay said for everyone to hear, after giving his usual damage report to the Captain and sending out assignments to the various departments. Tom's heart swelled. He felt a blush creep across his cheeks. It wasn't the first compliment the commander had ever given him, but it meant more right then than it ever had before. He turned around and for the first time that day, their eyes met. The brown ones were warm, and tired. A small smile was playing on the corners of Chakotay's mouth.

"Thank you, Commander," Tom said, giving a slight smile himself. He wished that it wouldn't be inappropriate for him to ask Chakotay to go with him to a very late lunch. But it was. As if she was reading his mind, the captain came up to him, squeezing his shoulder and telling him to go and eat something, ordering Chakotay to get replacements for the bridge crew. Within five or ten minutes, his fill-in was there and he had no choice but to leave the bridge with Harry at his side.

But perhaps the fates were with him after all, he thought, as he watched the big guy come into the messhall fifteen minutes after he and Harry had sat down. And he was alone, no captain at his side. Tom's heart started to flutter just a bit, more so when Chakotay's eyes, roaming over the room, found his. Neelix interrupted them to serve the man and then, finally, he was coming to their table. Tom thanked the fates again for the empty chair next to his, wishing someone was still sitting in the one across the way.

"May I join you two?" Chakotay asked.

Harry beat him to it. "Of course, Commander."

He took the chair next to Tom, gracing him with a smile. Tom thought, idly, that he'd never seen Chakotay smile as much as he had since he'd joined him in the back row the night before. His next thought was that he should do it more often. His following thought was that he hoped he'd get the chance to put an even bigger smile on that gorgeous face. His final thought was that he'd better stop those pictures very quickly, or he'd be plenty embarrassed upon standing up.

"Tom, you still here, man?" Harry's voice brought him out of his reverie.

"Yeah, sorry," he said, trying to be cooler than he felt. He didn't look, but he could feel, one more time, Chakotay's eyes on him.

"So, Commander, what did you think of the movie last night?" Harry asked.

Chakotay swallowed some of Neelix's latest creation with only a slight hesitation. "I liked it, though I still contend that Mr. Bond does not exactly remind me of me."

"I don't know, how about when he was fighting Goldfinger in that last confrontation? It reminded me of the away mission a few months ago, you remember, don't you?"

Tom looked at Chakotay, perversely wondering what he would answer. Chakotay glanced his way and Tom could see one of those dimples appearing. "Actually, Harry, I missed that scene. Tom and I were, talking, and I guess my attention was elsewhere." Chakotay still wouldn't turn and meet his eyes, returning to his lunch instead. Tom shifted his gaze to Harry, who was looking at him with a slightly quizzical expression.

"True, Harry, we were distracted," Tom added.

"Well.... I thought at that point Bond acted just like the commander would under similar circumstances. Anyway, what are you going to show tonight?"

"Yes, Tom, what are we going to see tonight?" Chakotay asked, looking a bit too innocent.

Not much if I have anything to say about it... Tom smiled at him. "A good John Wayne movie, 'Stagecoach.' A classic of early American cinema. Will definitely show the heroic side of Wayne. I don't want to tell you too much about the plot, though. Just wait, Har, I think you'll love it," he finished, meeting his best friend's eyes.

"And the voting? Is Meg still taking care of that?" Harry finished his drink with one gulp.

"I thought Chakotay said he would tally the votes," Tom said.

Chakotay dropped his fork and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'd love to tally the votes, gives me more control over the outcome, you know." He glanced sideways and Tom didn't mistake that look, not any longer.

"Our commander, the epitome of honesty and good faith, planning to cheat for his own gain? I'm shocked," Tom responded with an equally straight face.

"Well, I'm not the good boy that everyone seems to think I am," Chakotay said with a grin just barely showing. He stood. "Thanks for the company. See you both tonight, and don't forget, Tom, popcorn's on me this time."

"I haven't forgotten, trust me," Tom said. He watched as Chakotay nodded to them both then turned and walked away. Tom sighed to himself, his heart still jumping a bit.

"Hey, Tom - what the hell was that about?"

He looked at Harry, who was sitting back in his chair, staring at him. "What do you mean?"

"Since when are you and the commander such buddies? He's bringing the popcorn?"

"Yeah, he ate most of mine last night. That's all."

"So you two are sitting together tonight?"

"Well, we worked some things out during the movie, and he said he wanted to continue, in a relaxed setting, so, yeah, we'll be sitting together again, far away from all of you and your rowdiness. You ready to go back to work?" Tom got up before the conversation could proceed any further.

Harry followed him out of the messhall without responding.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tom looked at himself in the mirror for the third time. No, no, no. He tore off the tunic and threw it on his bed. The hell with it. He went to his closet again and found his favorite shirt, a soft brown tunic with blue threads, worn enough to be comfortable but not sloppy looking. He didn't look at himself again, ran a comb quickly through his hair, replicated himself a syntheholic beer, slipped on his shoes and prepared to leave. At the door, he thought of something else. Walking quickly back to the bathroom, he put a small amount of after shave on his hand and applied it to his neck, then washed his hands. He trotted back to the door with a smile on his face and left for the holodeck.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Once again, there was a small waiting crowd that followed him in, talking and laughing loudly. Once again, Chakotay was not among them, but this time, Tom knew he'd be there soon. He sat with his friends, telling everyone a little more about John Wayne, when his eyes were drawn to the holodeck doors that opened for his superior officer. Tom almost gasped at the sight. Chakotay came in wearing a maroon shirt and dark brown pants, a combination that made Tom's fingers tingle. He came up to the group just to say 'hi' and take some more ribbing about his heroic counterpart they were all about to see, then glancing Tom's way, he headed directly to the back row and got himself settled. Tom's heart began to thud dully in his chest. He started the movie, lowered the lights and grabbing his beer followed the other man to the back of the theater.

"Hi," Tom whispered, sitting down.

"Hi."

They grinned at each other. Tom noticed an absence of something. "I thought you said you were bringing the food..."

"The popcorn? I didn't forget, it's here."

"Well, where the hell is it?"

Chakotay laughed quietly. "Under my seat, didn't want it getting in the way...."

The introductory music swelled to a crescendo as the credits rolled and the scene was beginning to be set, drawing Tom's eyes to the screen. He looked back again.

"In the way of what?" He felt slightly confused, though again whether it was just the close proximity of the man, looking so amazingly handsome or what he wasn't sure.

He suddenly understood. Once more Chakotay's face was getting closer and closer with each passing nanosecond. Tom's heart went flying again. His eyes closed and his breath caught in his throat. Their lips touched and this time they both sighed, small groans coming from the back of both throats. This time the kiss wasn't quite as soft, a little more insistent, more passionate. Tom was collapsing under the intensity of it, feeling his mouth open without much resistance as Chakotay's tongue began to push it's way in. At the moment of first contact, Tom's reserve went completely out the holodeck doors, he pushed against Chakotay's mouth with equal intensity, sending his tongue in to taste what he could, exhaling forcefully, trying to breathe, not wanting to move away, falling into the man with a speed that shocked even him. Yours, God help me I'm yours... He felt Chakotay begin to pull back, trying to catch his breath and he let him go, though not all that willingly.

"Jesus, Chakotay..." he said with a small moan. "Where have you been all my life...."

"Right in front of you, Tom...." Chakotay began to trail kisses down Tom's neck, causing an instant reaction between his legs.

"Damn right, and don't I know it," Tom said, chuckling.

"Oh yeah? Why the hell haven't you ever let on?" The kisses continued.

"I guess this delayed gratification was ridiculously long in coming, now that you mention it."

Chakotay started to laugh, Tom joined in, both the men trying to contain it and not draw attention to themselves but knowing they might be failing. Tom felt like letting loose and yelling at the top of his lungs, his emotions seriously out of control.

"We'd better be careful," Tom said in between laughs, "or one of them is going to come back here and see why we're having so much fun..."

"We could just leave..."

"Oh and that wouldn't be too obvious, would it...."

Chakotay pulled back, still laughing, to relax against his seat. Tom wanted to follow him, crawl right on top of him, bury his face in the man's neck, wrap his arms around him and be wrapped up in him, all the things he couldn't do there, with the crew fifty feet away. Chakotay reached down and pulled out the popcorn bag, asking Tom to fill him in on what they'd already missed of the movie, taking some popcorn for himself, passing the bag as he listened to the basic plot of 'Stagecoach.'

"Okay, let's watch it..."

Tom saw that gleam in his eye, however. "I can tell you the entire plot if you'd like," he teased.

"Word for word?"

"Almost, I've seen it many times."

"Okay," Chakotay said calmly, putting the bag back on the floor, "fill me in every ten minutes or so..." and promptly resumed where he'd left off, turning to Tom and laying more open mouthed kisses along his neck, up to his ear, across his cheek and finally landing back where they both wanted him to be as they melted into one another's mouth. They necked, then talked some, feeding each other popcorn, then returned to the intense necking....

"You know," Tom said at one point, trying desperately to catch his breath and control the urge to rip the other man's shirt off, "I don't really think of you compared to this role of John Wayne's..."

Chakotay pulled back and looked at him seriously. "No? Is there another one?"

"You really honestly care about what I think?"

"Of course, Tom, I care a great deal about what you think of me. Why do you think I give you such a hard time?"

"You've lost me here..."

"Well, you've spent alot of energy trying to push my buttons over the years, haven't you?"

Tom blushed. "Yeah, but..."

Chakotay interrupted him, saying softly, "You were trying to rile me up, weren't you?"

"Yes." Tom decided it was best to keep his explanations to himself until he heard more.

"And you succeeded, you got completely under my skin and almost drove me insane, and I, I was desperate to know what you really thought of me, so I returned the favor, trying to rile you up..." he slowed down and Tom could see that he was getting distracted, his mouth heading back to Tom's. Tom stopped him by touching the approaching lips with his fingertips.

"Look, I apologize for being such a bastard."

"Apology accepted if you accept mine, too," Chakotay said quietly.

"Accepted. So you want to know which movie always makes me think of you?" Tom smiled softly at him. Chakotay nodded. "It's a John Wayne movie called 'The Quiet Man.' He plays a boxer who travels back to Ireland and gets into some trouble but falls in love with a strong-willed Irish woman who gives him as much lip as he gives her."

Chakotay looked at him warily. "Tom, you're not going to bring the captain in between us, are you?"

"Only if she needs to be here," Tom answered just as warily. "But that's not what I was thinking of in terms of the movie..."

"She doesn't. She made it abundantly clear to me a very long time ago that she'd never give me what I wanted, whether or not she wanted it, too. I let it go, also a long time ago. Besides, there's been a certain pilot driving me to distraction," Chakotay said warmly. "A man who likes to give me a really really hard time..."

Tom smiled broadly. "And did you know that I'm part Irish..."

They began to laugh again as quietly as they could, but apparently not quietly enough. B'Elanna's voice could be heard floating from the front seats, "Shut up back there! Kah'les! We're trying to watch a movie!"

This made the laughter even harder to stifle, but in an effort to comply, Tom covered Chakotay's mouth with his own and kissed him deeply, thrusting his tongue into the softly moaning man, again falling into him with need, and want.

"Tom..." Chakotay said against his lips, "we've got to get the hell out of here..."

"This is only our first date, Chakotay," Tom teased gently.

"Well, trust me, I don't consider you easy, by any means," he teased back.

"You saying I'm difficult?"

"A challenge, Tom, a delicious challenge," he answered with a grin.

Tom felt that one in every cell of his body, the tightening in his groin becoming uncontrollable, desire replacing reason at an alarming rate... "Screw it," he said with a mild groan. "Can you be seen without too much embarrassment? Cause I can, just barely."

"Enough to get to the corridor, if we're too bad off, I'll just order a site to site. There are some perks to being second in command, you know..." Chakotay finished off the sentence with a deep kiss. Then he got up and pulled Tom to his feet. Still holding his hand he walked him quickly to the holodeck door. Tom didn't protest the public display at all, on the contrary, he found in incredibly endearing. Yours, I tell you, I am yours...

"Hey!" Again it was B'Elanna's voice that came to them. "Where the hell are you two going?"

Chakotay stopped their progress and turned them around. Tom saw the look in his eye and began to laugh to himself. "Lieutenant Torres," Chakotay boomed across the theater, "I expect a full report on this movie on my desk in the morning, is that clear?"

"Chakotay..." she countered.

By now others were turning around, too. Tom was ready to laugh out loud at the absurdity of the situation.

"Is that clear Lieutenant?" This was said in Chakotay's best command voice.

"Yes, SIR!" B'Elanna responded with just a touch of sarcasm.

"Computer," Tom said loudly, "Reset movie five minutes prior to now and restart on my mark." He looked at Chakotay, who nodded his head. "Mark," Tom said. And chuckling, they left the holodeck hand in hand.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tom thought he couldn't possibly be more out of his mind. The man hovering over him, whose face was dropping to his neck was as incredible a lover as he was a kisser. How he had come to be here, in bed with him, he really had no idea, but he wasn't about to question it too deeply. They had managed to make it through the corridors to the first officer's quarters, and once inside, had dispensed with any pretense of a drink, or tea, or niceties. Chakotay had taken his hand again and simply led him to the bedroom where they stripped each other as slowly as possible given the level of desperation they felt. Then they simply half fell, half crawled onto the bed and came together, finally giving in; entangling strong arms, and long strong legs, and mouths, and erections in a dance of seduction and submission. Sometimes Tom rolled to be on top, sometimes he let Chakotay roll him back, it didn't matter. They explored each other with hands and mouths. Tom was out of his mind at that very moment because Chakotay had just, finally, moved his mouth off Tom's erection with a long extended lick, as one more tease, Tom begging him to keep going, then to stop, then go, then stop... The other man did as requested with dimples showing but then declared forcefully they would come together and moved back up to fall on his neck and cover Tom's body with his own.

Tom heard a groan and realized it came from him. "Chakotay...."

"Anything you want Tom, just tell me," Chakotay said in between suckling his neck and taking a nip.

"Take me first... I need you inside me, I've wanted it .... for so long," Tom said, huskily, turning his head and latching his own mouth on the smooth bronze skin next to his face.

Chakotay gave a low growl in response, pressing Tom even further into the mattress, rotating his hips into him, their erections rubbing slowly, making Tom dizzy with want. His face still against Chakotay's neck, he inhaled deeply. It was the smell of this man that nearly drove him insane. The faint whiff of him that he got as his superior officer leaned over him at the helm, or moved by him while they played pool, or piloted the Flyer together was nothing compared to this. This was heady, spicy, faintly of leaves, and woods, fresh air and passion. Tom was mystified where it all came from.

He felt Chakotay move his arm and heard the drawer open by his head. The arm returned. "Tom," he said, his voice deep. His eyes were nearly black, burning right down through Tom, so intensely it almost frightened him. "I want you, but not as a one night thing..."

"Oh, God, Chakotay..." Tom pulled his hands up until he could cup the man's cheeks. I am yours... "No, not a one night thing, not at all ..." He raised his head and pulled at the same time, kissing Chakotay, feeling him give over to it, both of them submissive at that moment, falling back down to the pillow, tongues entangling deliciously. Chakotay growled again, a soft, deep, intense growl that went straight through Tom's body to his erection, still moving slowly against Chakotay's.

"Take me..." he whispered against Chakotay's lips.

Chakotay flipped open the tube in his hand and Tom pulled his legs wide, settling the other man between them, then up, getting his feet on Chakotay's shoulders, getting harder just from that action alone. His eyes were now locked with the black ones. He felt the coolness of the lubricant and heard another moan come from his belly. Then one finger went in him and his heart leapt, two went in and he groaned loudly, three went in and he almost begged. When the emptiness returned he did beg, answered by soft words that he barely understood and the feeling of Chakotay pushing into him that he did understand, wanting it so desperately he thought he'd die of it, his eyelids dropping. Slowly he was filled until it stopped and he opened his eyes.

"I'm yours," he said, watching the other ones change color from black to brown, then black again.

"Spirits, Tom..." Chakotay said as his face came to him, lips took his intensely, his erection was squeezed and he felt the man begin to move inside him. Stars that were already gathering in his head slowly multiplied as they thrust against each other, faster and harder, speaking with sounds and panted words and moans passing back and forth between them. His orgasm was building, moving throughout his body, every inch of him inside and out touched, stroked, the need of it, the all of it taking him and the man with him far away as they spiraled up, and up, and up until he lost control of it, and the stars reached the point of no return, everything stilled, and the one thought crystal clear for merely a nanosecond in his mind was that he only wanted to be there, with Chakotay, then he fell over the edge, the stars exploded, his body followed, hot liquid spurted onto their bellies, the man with him followed right behind shooting his heat deep inside, and blackness came as a wonderfully heavy weight pressed down on him and he was gone....

Tom woke up to the sound of soft snoring next to his ear and breathing against the side of his neck, an arm across his chest and a hand touching his hair. He felt smooth warm skin under his hands and muscles beneath that and legs entwined with his. Yours... He wondered, finally, how they had ended up there and prayed it wouldn't end. He let himself fall back asleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They entered the bridge together the next morning, having had breakfast in Chakotay's quarters, then meeting again at Tom's after he'd gotten dressed for duty there. Tom felt a moment's nervousness in the lift, the first of the morning, as they approached the bridge. By now, he knew, word of what people had observed on the holdeck the evening before had spread. The moment passed when Chakotay smiled that smile and squeezed his hand just before the lift doors opened, releasing the grip with no particular haste as they walked onto deck one.

He relieved the gamma pilot just as he heard Chakotay make a strange noise, then begin to chuckle. The captain started to laugh and Tom had to turn around.

There was a large pile of PADDs on Chakotay's chair. He was standing with his back to Tom, hands on his hips, finally picking one up and tapping it on. He turned completely around and addressed his lover, Tom's heart pounding from the attention. Their eyes met.

"Tom, it appears that there are votes that need tallying here," Chakotay said, his dimples showing in full force. "Our friends were very busy last night."

Our friends...  Tom didn't know what to say, how to be professional, when all he wanted was to grab a pile and start counting with the man. He smiled. "Well, is Lieutenant Torres' report there, sir?"

Chakotay winked. "I don't know, but thank you for reminding me."

"Anytime Commander," he said, turning back to the helm, barely stifling his laughter. God, life is good...

"Chakotay, would you care to enlighten your captain as to who's voting and for what?" Captain Janeway's voice was full of warmth, to Tom's surprise.

So Chakotay gave a very minimalist explanation of the vote, which the captain seemed to get quite a kick from, practically ordering him to start counting. He agreed, and Tom listened to the beeps of PADD after PADD being turned on. He finally risked turning around again, and Chakotay instantly met his eyes with a grin, dropping another PADD onto one of two piles on the deck. Tom smiled back, broke the eye contact and returned to his post. The beeps finally ended and after another minute, he heard the captain ask impatiently who won. Tom turned around again.

"Well, this pile," Chakotay pointed to the smaller of the two, "is for John Wayne. Obviously the other one is for James Bond." He raised his eyes to look at Tom once more. "But I seem to recall that I get to have the final say. And, I have it on the best authority possible," he turned back to the captain, "that John Wayne is the archetype closest to me. So, for whomever cares, John Wayne it is."

"And who exactly is this best authority possible?" The captain's eyebrows raised significantly.

Chakotay smiled at him then turned back to her. "The only one that matters, and that's all I'll say on the subject."

Tom thought he was going to die right there, wanting nothing more than to kneel in front of the man and take his mouth forcefully. He did get up for just a moment, grabbing one of the PADDs from the floor. "I haven't cast my vote yet," he explained, turning back to the helm to put in his entry. "I said it last night and I'll say it again. I am YOURS," he typed. His heart pounding, he spun around one more time, holding his PADD out. Chakotay got up and took it from him, his eyes locked firmly on Tom's. Sitting again, he opened the message.

Tom's heart swelled to see the various emotions cross Chakotay's face.

"Well, Tom," the captain said, "come on, tell us, who did you vote for?"

But Chakotay answered for him. "John Wayne, of course." He raised his glance and Tom saw everything in that look. He smiled at his lover and returned to his piloting duties, his mind a million miles away for the most part, the course heading and commands given to him by his superior officers acted upon automatically. His heart and his soul sitting in the chair behind him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This time the theater holoprogram was being run for a private screening. Four seats in the very back row had been reprogrammed to a double wide soft chaise lounge. They had a large bag of popcorn and a few syntheholic beers. "The Quiet Man" was showing and they were both following it with rapt attention. Tom was sitting between Chakotay's legs, leaning back against his chest, enjoying the occasional fingers through his hair, or kisses to his cheek, running his own fingers up and down the legs that hugged him.

"You know, Tom, you were right. This character I can identify with," Chakotay said. The movie had just finished.

"Well, I was right and I was a bit off. Something was missing." He turned around in Chakotay's arms. "This man wasn't enough of a lover," he said, smiling.

"Oh. Any suggestions?"

"Yeah, I think so. Cary Grant. Let's see, in, hm-m, what was he heroic in and a lover? Computer, run film 'Notorious'."

"I like the name of it anyhow," Chakotay teased.

"Renegades, that's us..." Tom put his arm around Chakotay's neck, pulling himself to those full lips, kissing him deeply, hearing and feeling the man respond instantly as their bodies moved and adjusted to get as much contact as possible. They melted into one another as the heated hardness between them increased with each passing minute.

Yes, yes, yes... definitely Cary Grant...
 
 
 

The End.

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