by Choirboy
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Spoilers for the episodes "Blood Fever" and "Favourite Son".

Still no sex, so PG or 13.

FEEDBACK, PLEASE!!!!!

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Harry settled back into his routine on Voyager quickly enough. The dreams of Tauresia persisted for a few days, but the doctor's course of suppressants soon removed all trace of them. He soon began to circulate again, stopping by the messhall to chat with Neelix, spending time in Engineering where B'Elanna swore that he only took up room, and that she preferred him with the spots. The one person that seemed determined to avoid him was Tom.

Apart from duty shifts, they very rarely saw each other. The pilot dropped out of sight after his workday was over, apparently content to spend time in his quarters reading rather than socialising with the crew. Chakotay kept a weather eye out for trouble, but to all intents and purposes, Tom was the same as ever, just a little subdued.

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"Damn!"

Tom rolled out from underneath the shuttle and examined his hand. It looked a pretty severe laceration, he thought glumly to himself, and headed for the shuttlebay doors.

As he walked along the corridor, he mused on just how many shuttles Voyager would get through during its long mission. As the best pilot on board, he had a personal interest in keeping the support craft operational, which is why he and some of the Engineering crew regularly gave up some of their off duty hours constructing and refitting the small fleet. They had lost so many shuttles that the replicators were having trouble keeping up with the energy needed to reconstruct them, and the captain was even considering outfitting the shuttle belonging to Neelix with phasers, as a last resort.

Now there would be an interesting gamble, he speculated. Simply guess the number of shuttles destroyed on the journey back to Earth and win. . .

He was interrupted by the captain's voice over the intercom. "Janeway to Paris."

"Paris here."

"Tom, Mr Kim would like to go over some of the shuttle modifications with you. Do you have some free time later?"

Tom swore silently. Just what he didn't need. "Aye, captain, although it will have to wait a while. I've cut my hand and I'm enroute to sickbay. Can Harry wait?"

"No problem. Call him when you're free. Janeway out."


The doctor grumbled as he passed a scanner over Tom's wound. "Honestly, Mr Paris, anyone would think no one ever cut themselves. This is a minor wound, hardly worthy of my attention. If only. . . "

"I know, if only we had more doctors on board," finished Tom. "But we don't so until Voyager opens the Delta Quadrant University of Medicine, we're stuck with you. OK?"

The doors swished open as Harry rushed in. "Tom, are you all right? The captain said you'd cut yourself. . . Oh my God." He stopped as he saw the slash across Tom's arm, the red meat showing through the white lips of the wound.

The doctor sighed. "Mr Kim, this will take approximately thirty seconds to regenerate. Please feel free to wait - in my office."

Harry retreated as the doctor finished his work. When he was pronounced fit, Tom left to return to the shuttlebay with Harry in tow.

"So, how have you been, Tom?"

Keeping his voice deliberately non-committal, Tom replied, "Fine thanks, Harry. You?"

"Oh, fine, fine. You know."

The silence between them stretched out to an eternity. Harry was the first to break it. "Only, we - that is, Bel and me - we haven't seen you around much . . . these last few days."

"Well, you know how it is on Voyager, Harry. Busy, busy, busy."

Harry shook his head. "Tom, why are you push. . . "

"Gotta run, Harry. Send me a schematic about the modifications." And with that he was gone, quickening his pace to move away from Harry.

The young Ops officer shook his head, wondering how he could break through the wall that Tom seemed to have built around himself.

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The days began to drag on Voyager. The day to day routine wore on the crew. Although the captain granted as much shore leave as was possible, considering the number of hostile species they ran into, tempers became short and arguments flared. Chakotay rearranged schedules, granted extra R and R, and even authorised the conversion of one of the cargo decks into another holo area, but to no avail. The captain was forced to realise that there would soon be a major incident amongst the crew, but even she was not prepared for who it would involve.

As Chakotay keyed the command code that opened the quarters, he could sense the anger in the air. This was not going to be easy, he thought. Bracing himself, he moved into the living room.

Tom sat on the floor, his shoulders slumped. An untouched tray of food sat on the small table in front of him. In the corner a padd was lying face down.

"How's it going?" offered the commander.

Tom turned to glance blandly at him. "Oh, fine," he replied sarcastically. "Just fantastic!" He turned back and kicked the padd, which offered a small bleat of protest before again subsiding into silence.

"Assaulting a fellow officer is a court martial offence, Tom. The captain could have stripped you of rank and privileges, you know. Confinement to quarters is a very lenient punishment."

Tom grunted noncommittally. Chakotay knew this was the only sign of agreement he would get from the proud pilot. "Do you want to tell me what happened? Before we get started, I thought you might like to know that Harry's jaw will set just fine. The doctor told me that the swelling on the black eye will also subside in a few days."

Tom shrugged, apparently unconcerned. "He deserved it."

This took the commander aback. "Harry? Asking to get beaten up by you? Come on, Tom, no-one's going to believe that."

"Suit yourself," was the laconic reply.

"Come on, Tom, tell me what happened."

The pilot sighed, and moved to the couch. After a second, Chakotay joined him. Tom took a deep breath and started. "I take it you know about Harry's feelings for me?"

The Commander nodded. "Well, ever since he got back from Tauresia, he's been hanging around my quarters, talking to me at all hours. I thought he was trying to get over some issues with the women from that planet . . . You know, trying to get his life back in order. Then, after he's been there a few times, he starts pumping me for information about Vorik and B'Elanna. Eventually, it comes around to the fact that he wants to know about the pon farr. After some more questioning, he finally admits that he wants to know, not about B'Elanna, but what kind of effect it had on me!"

Chakotay was aware of where this conversation might go, but he felt powerless to interrupt, sensing that Tom needed to share this revelation about one of his closest friends.

"Anyway," Tom continued, "I got rid of him, but the next day I was in my quarters when Harry came round. He asked to see my wound. . . Where the doctor healed it? I rolled up my sleeve to show him it was okay and the next thing I knew, he was kissing it! I snatched my arm away and tried to make a joke of it, but the look in his eyes! He suddenly grabbed me and shoved his tongue down my throat. I shoved him away and told him I wasn't interested. Told him to fuck off,actually."

"And now he's sitting in Sickbay with a broken jaw and a swollen eye," finished Chakotay.

Tom nodded glumly. "Well, the swearing escalated, then it turned into name calling and eventually became a full blown fight. Tuvok needed three guards to separate us!" The last was said with some rueful pride.

Chakotay grinned. "If it's any consolation, Harry's just as embarrassed at being beaten up by you as you are about thumping him."

Tom smiled sadly in return. "I hope this isn't going to alter our friendship. Harry and I have a great time, but when he gets an idea into his head, he can be so stubborn. It's as if a wall goes up and he won't let anyone talk him round."

Chakotay stood up to leave. "Are you sure you really want to talk him round?"

And with that, he was gone.

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End