The BLTS Archive- A Gentle Touch
by Bronte (bronte62fan@yahoo.com)

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Late at night in the Chakotay-Paris household...
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"It's about time you came home," Tom chided, clearly irritated that
his husband was two hours late. "It's 2200 hours. Is your comm badge
broken?" Tom kept his face directed at the old-fashioned book he was
attempting to read, purposely not making eye contact with the older
man.

"Tom, baby, I'm sorry," Chakotay began apologetically, "I completely
lost track of time."

"No kidding," Tom replied sarcastically, his blue eyes continuing to
stare at the pages of the book.

Tom was in no mood to hear Chakotay's excuses. The younger man's body
language spoke volumes as to his current state of mind. Tom hadn't
moved from his present prone position on the couch. To a casual
observer, he appeared to be relaxed. But Chakotay could tell that his
lover was tense and hiding behind the barrier that the young man
raised when he's upset. Chakotay had his work cut out for him if he
was going to improve Tom's mood before bedtime.

"Let me make it up to you, Tommy," Chakotay said with a suggestive
smile, a smile that Tom didn't see. Chakotay moved to the end of the
couch, motioned for Tom to lift his legs so he could sit down. Tom
didn't budge.

"Tom, honey," Chakotay pleaded, "Can I sit down by you......please?"

Tom didn't say a word, but lifted his legs, glancing briefly at his
husband. Chakotay sat down and guided the younger man's lower legs and
feet to rest on his lap. He felt better now that Tom had finally
looked at him. Chakotay removed Tom's socks and began massaging his
feet, trying to lessen the tension that permeated his husband's body.

"Did you have dinner with Harry as you planned?" Chakotay asked
benignly, continuing the gentle massage of his husband's feet and
lower legs.

"Yep," Tom replied crisply, making it clear that he didn't want to
talk.

Chakotay didn't say anything for a couple of minutes, letting only his
touch try to soothe Tom's hostility. He had been late several times in
the past week and, up until today, Tom had taken his inattentiveness
in stride, or so he thought. Clearly, Tom had reached the limit to his
tolerance.

Chakotay continued the massage. He could tell that Tom was beginning
to relax by the way he was responding to the steady, deliberate
strokes. He waited patiently for Tom to resume the conversation,
hoping that his husband would talk to him about it instead of shutting
him out. Chakotay knew that in the long run, Tom only ended up hurting
himself through the isolation that the emotional barrier
provided...and he vowed to himself a long time ago that he would do
anything in his power to protect his love from that pain...any pain.
The problem was that he was only human, a workaholic, and prone to
screwing up, especially when it came to leaving work on time. 'Maybe
it's genetic,' he thought grimly to himself. 'Why do I want to work
when I have this loving, adorable man waiting for me at home?'
Chakotay had no answers, but promised himself that he would make it up
to Tom.

Eventually, Tom broke the silence. "Chakotay," he asked sadly, "why
don't you want to be with me anymore?"

"Oh, Tom," Chakotay responded, his eyes filling with unshed tears. "I
want you more than anyone or anything else in the universe. I always
have and I always will."

"You say the words, but your actions speak differently," Tom
contended, as he put the book to rest on the coffee table. "What am I
supposed to think when you ignore me like this. If you would only call
and tell me that you're busy, that you'll be late...anything! If I'd
known that you were going to work late, I could have stayed out with
Harry instead of waiting here, alone, for you. If you thought at all
about me, you'd do it."

Chakotay sat quietly as he let the words sink in. He always thought
about Tom. He was constantly in his thoughts and daydreams. But he had
to admit that he sometimes failed to consider what Tom felt...how his
actions affected the younger man. Chakotay reached over, pulling Tom
into a sitting position beside him. He wrapped his arms around his
husband, gently, so that Tom's head rested on his shoulder.

"Tom, I am so sorry. You're right. I am inconsiderate and thoughtless
a lot of the time," Chakotay declared. "But don't think for one minute
that I don't love you or care for you. I do think about you all of the
time, and I miss you desperately when I'm not near you. But I have to
admit that I get wrapped up in my work...I lose track of time."
Chakotay sighed, completely at a loss, not knowing what to do next.
Maybe Tom had an idea. "How can I fix this, Tom? What can I do to make
sure this doesn't happen again?"

It was Tom's turn to let out a deep sigh. He loved Chakotay with all
his heart, but sometimes he didn't like the way he acted and the past
week was a prime example of that. On the other hand, Chakotay's tender
touches, his apologies, and his thoughtfulness now certainly made up
for a lot of the older man's inattentiveness. "Chak, I don't know what
to do either. I try so hard to not let it bother me, but there is only
so much I can take," Tom explained.

"I understand, and I'll try to be better from now on," Chakotay vowed.

"But you've said that before," Tom said dejectedly.

"I know," Chakotay admitted, "but I don't know what else to say."

Tom paused and took a deep breath, thinking about what to do. "Let's
not decide on anything tonight," Tom stated. "Tomorrow is another
day...maybe a good night's sleep will inspire us. Let's just go to
bed."

"Okay, I guess that's best," Chakotay replied. The two men rose from
the couch and walked to the bedroom hand-in-hand. They silently got
undressed and climbed under the covers, both lying on their backs
facing the ceiling. "Computer, lights at 5%," Chakotay ordered. The
computer obeyed. The silence continued.

After a few moments, Tom rolled over, draping half of his body over
his husband, his head resuming its position on the older man's
shoulder. "I love you, Chak," Tom whispered.

"Do you forgive me, Tommy?" Chakotay asked quietly.

"Of course I do," Tom declared. "I forgave you the minute I looked
into your eyes...I always do. Why do you think I never look at you
when we're fighting?"

"And that is one of your best fighting tools," Chakotay confirmed. "It
really rattles me when you won't look at me."

"I know," Tom responded with a chuckle.

Chakotay growled, rolling on top of his husband, pinning him to the
mattress in one forceful move. "Are you teasing me, Tommy?" Chakotay
sneered, playfully.

"No....of course not....I wouldn't do that," Tom snickered, relishing
the change in their somber moods.

Chakotay leaned down and captured his husband's mouth in a hot,
bruising kiss. Tom's lips parted hungrily, allowing Chakotay's tongue
to explore his mouth unchecked. It had been far too long since they
last touched like this. Both men needed to release their pent-up
emotions and instantly became lost in sensation, neither conscious of
their rapidly hardening cocks, nor aware of the nearness of their
impending orgasms. Chakotay began instinctively moving his hips
forcefully against Tom, with his partner responding in kind. Their
frantic movements all too quickly caused the friction their erections
needed for completion.

"Chak, I'm coming..." Tom screamed suddenly into his lover's mouth, as
his seed splattered between the two men's stomachs.

"Tommy....I can't hold on...," Chakotay shouted at the same time, as
his own climax quickly overtook him.

After a few moments, Chakotay rolled off of his lover and reached for
the towel that was kept in the drawer at the side of the bed. He
cleaned both of their bodies, tossed the towel to the side and drew
his lover into his arms. "Tom," Chakotay said seriously, "I hate it
when you get so upset, especially over something that I should be able
to change. What can I do?"

"Don't worry, Chak. We'll figure something out." Tom replied, not
convinced that anything would change. "Let's just get some sleep and
worry about it in the morning. Goodnight, Chak."

"Goodnight, my love."

---
The next day.....2000 hours....
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"It is 2000 hours. Do you know where your Tommy is?" the computer
chimed.

"What?!" Chakotay said aloud, as he looked up from the datapad
containing the latest operations report. 'Spirits,' he thought, 'it's
time to go home!' The commander broke into a wide grin and reached for
his comm badge. "Chakotay to Paris."

"Paris, here."

"Tom, I'm coming home...now. Thanks for understanding."

"I'll be waiting," Tom replied happily.

"Oh, and Tom," Chakotay said sincerely, "I love you...always."

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The End