The BLTS Archive-  Like Pasta for Hangovers
by Astarte

---

Disclaimer: Paramount/Viacom owns Star Trek: Voyager. I am only taking
the characters out for a little fun and will return them unharmed. No
infringement is intended and I'm not making any money.

Note: I had a really hard time thinking of a title until
Mykkhal pointed out that I use food a lot through the story and I
thought of the lovely book/movie "Like Water for Chocolate." Also, the
pasta recipe is what I use for my own hangovers and it does make me
feel better.

I would like to dedicate this story to Mykkhal.

I would also like to thank all of my beta readers, Mykkhal, Janie,
Jane, Tirinar, Bridget and Sue for doing an excellent job in helping
me with my story. They really helped me smooth out the rough spots!

Thanks a million to all of you!!!

Do not archive, distribute or link directly to this story without the
express permission of the author.

---

"Paris to Kim..."

"Yeah, Tom?"

"You coming to dinner tonight?" Harry could hear the worry in Tom's
voice. He hadn't been out of his quarters in five days, except for
duty. Harry had spent the last several months trying to help Seven of
Nine to understand human emotions. Suddenly, she fell ill and died
several days later. The Doctor had spent all of his time trying to
make her well, replacing each of her organs as they failed, only to 
have the new organs fail even more quickly. His medical opinion was 
that Seven had caused herself such stress over trying to understand 
emotions and be more human that her body lost its ability to 
function.

"I don't really feel like it, Tom."

"I know, Har, but you can't stay in your quarters for the rest of your
life. You need to get out and be with people again."

"I know, Tom, it's just hard. I really felt like I was getting 
somewhere with her, you know?"

"I know... Hey, would it be okay for me to come and see you, instead?"

Harry sighed "I suppose so. I'm not the best company right now."

"I know, but I'd like to feel like I was doing *something*, Har!
You're my best friend, you're hurting and I can't stand not being able
to help."

Harry's heart warmed just a little. "I understand, Tom. I went through 
the same thing after you and B'Ela broke up. Come on over."

"I'll be there in 30 minutes. Dinner's on me."

"Alright. Kim out."

---

Upon arriving at Harry's quarters, Tom was startled to see just how
badly off Harry really was. He was gaunt and pale. He looked like he
hadn't eaten or slept in a week. Tom thought about that and figured it
was probably true.

Tom sat Harry down and went to the replicator. "Here you go, Har.
Tomato soup, the ultimate comfort food, grilled cheese sandwiches with
tomato, I know how you like them that way, and a big salad."

Harry grinned "You're so good to me, Tom."

"HA! As much as I owe you, this doesn't even come close to it!"

"Tom! You don't owe me anything."

Tom got a wistful look in his eyes, "This man is my friend," he said.

Harry fought the sudden lump in his throat. "No one touches him."

"I choose my own friends," Tom said, harkening back to an
even earlier experience.

"Oh, Tom."

"It's okay, Harry. You've been the best friend I've ever had, by far.
I will never, *never* forget that."

The pair ate in silence for several minutes.

"Thanks a lot, Tom. You're a good friend."

"I try, Harry. You're not such a bad friend, yourself." Tom looked
around and noticed the absence of Harry's music stand. "Haven't felt
much like practicing, eh?"

"No, not really. I... I could play something if you'd like. You know,
play for my supper, so to speak..."

"Well, when you put it that way... Sure Har, I'd love to hear you
play."

Harry began with a long, melancholy piece that Tom had never heard
before. It seemed to match his mood. Then he played several pieces
that he knew Tom enjoyed.

Tom took his leave of Harry when he saw Harry begin to yawn. "Time for
me to hit the sack, Harry."

"Yeah, it is late."

"Get some sleep, alright?"

"Yeah."

---

For the next few weeks Tom spent as much time with Harry as possible.
After the first week Harry had begun eating in the mess hall and
playing pool at Sandrine's. He was eating more and sleeping more. He
didn't look quite so gaunt or haunted. He obviously wasn't the old
Harry yet, but he was getting there. Tom believed that Harry was
making progress.

---

The mood on Voyager was celebratory. Tom had flown the ship through
yet another amazing set of maneuvers, allowing them to escape a fight
with some weird hostile race with very little damage.

There had been a celebration in Tom's honor at Sandrine's. B'Elanna
had even provided some real, Maquis whiskey to thank Tom for keeping
her ship intact.

As the evening progressed, Tom saw Harry grow more and more drunk,
which was somewhat unusual for Harry. Tom also noticed hat Harry's
mood seemed to worsen with every drink. He became loud and obnoxious,
also very unusual for Harry. Finally Tom heard Harry say something to
an innocent Ensign from Engineering about being a murderer. Tom
decided that it would be best for Harry to turn in early, which meant
to Tom and he should go too.

Tom walked Harry to his quarters and went in with him, at
Harry's invitation. They sat for a few minutes talking about the
latest ship's gossip. There had been several new couples and a few
splits in evidence that evening.

"I blame myself, you know..."

"Har?" Tom had wondered if Harry had been getting depressed thinking
about Seven.

"She would have lived longer if I hadn't pushed."

"What are you talking about?"

"Tom, I pushed her and pushed her to try and feel normal human 
emotions, to try to understand us, to get away from being a Borg. If I 
had left her be... If I had allowed her to learn at her own pace, this 
wouldn't have happened!"

"Oh Harry! You can't blame yourself! You were doing what you thought
was right! What you thought was best for her!"

"Not really, Tom. I was doing what was best for me. I wanted her to
feel, so that she could feel something for me. I was trying to cure my
own loneliness."

"Oh Harry." Tom moved from the chair he'd been sitting in and took
Harry into his arms.

"I didn't really love her, Tom. I don't think I could have. I was just
using her to fill the void."

"Shhh, Harry. Don't talk that way. You couldn't treat anyone that way.
Ever. You'll see when you get more distance. You can't blame yourself,
whatever your motives *might* have been. You had no idea that she
could die that way. None. Nobody could have known that!"

Harry began to sob.

"Shh, Harry. Shhh. It's going to be okay. I promise. You'll find
somebody. You will! You just have to keep looking and not give in!"
Tom gently led Harry to his bed and helped him off with his boots. He
sat down, took Harry in his arms and held him while he cried himself
to sleep. When he was certain Harry was asleep, he loosened his
clothing friend's before covering him with the blankets.

Unable to resist, Tom reached out and stroked Harry's cheek. "Someday,
Harry love, you'll be happy. I'll see to it."

Somewhere, deep in Harry's subconscious mind, he heard what Tom said
and slipped into a deep, untroubled sleep.

---

"Paris to Kim"

"Mrrumph"

"Harry?" "Yeah? What?"

"Heh. It's a good thing we're not on duty this morning, my friend. You
don't sound like you're in such great shape." Tom heard Harry moan in
response. "Hang on, Harry. I'll be over in a few minutes and I'll fix
you a sure-fire hangover cure."

"Murmmel"

"I'll be there in ten minutes. Paris out."

-------------------

"Sandrine used to fix this for me, Harry. It really works. It seems  a
little gross, but eat it and you'll feel better in short order."

"Pasta?"

"Yeah, it'll help buffer your stomach so that you don't get sick."

"Okay, but what's this yellow stuff?"

"That, Harry, is yeast."

"YEAST?!"

"Yes, Harry. It's a blend of several, very specific strains of food
yeast. It's not like bread yeast or anything."

"I still think it's weird."

"I know, Harry, but the yeast will help replace the B Vitamins that 
the alcohol took out of you last night, which will help you feel 
better. The butter and parmesan just help it taste good. Oh! I just 
realized I left out one tasty ingredient." Tom rushed to the 
replicator and came back with what Harry thought were Chow Mein
noodles.

"Chow Mein noodles?"

"No, Sev."

"Sev?"

"Yeah, it's made from chickpea flour, oil and spices. It's really
good. It's... um... Indian food, I think. Dig in, Har!" Harry did as
Tom said and was surprised at how good the dish was. It did help
settle his stomach, just as Tom had said.

"Wow, Tom. I'm surprised. This is good."

"Told you so, Harry." Tom grinned.

When Harry was done with his meal he stood up and began to stretch his
back.

"Back sore?"

"Yeah. I slept in a weird position last night."

"Go lay down on your bed, with your shirt off. I'll get you fixed
right up."

"Huh?"

"A back rub, Harry. You remember those, right?"

"Yeah, uh... alright."

Harry took off his robe, put on a pair of sweats and settled onto his
bed. A moment later Tom came in carrying a small bottle. "Massage
oil," Tom explained when he saw Harry's curious glance. Tom sat next
to Harry, poured a small amount of oil on his hands and spread it onto
Harry's back. Once he had the oil distributed, he went to work.

Tom could feel quite a bit of tension in the area between Harry's 
shoulder blades, so he concentrated on working it out. Once he felt 
that the muscles in that area were relaxed enough, he went to work on 
the shoulders and neck and then the lower back.

"I think you're set, Harry, " Tom said, not stopping.

"Mmmmmmmm," moaned Harry in appreciation.

After several minutes, Harry realized that the "tone" of Tom's touch 
had changed. Rather than a soothing, comforting touch, it was now 
loving, and arousing. Harry turned onto his side and looked up into 
Tom's eyes and saw the burning desire there, and the love. He had just 
enough time to wonder why he had failed to see that look in Tom's eyes 
sooner, when Tom's mask slid firmly back into place.

"Well Harry, I recommend a shower," Tom said, quickly standing up. "A 
water shower. By the time you're done with that you should feel human 
again." Tom went into the bathroom to wash his hands. "Dinner later in 
the mess, Harry?"

"Sure, Tom."

"I'll com you when I'm ready."

"Alright."

Harry discovered that Tom's suggestion of a real water shower was 
indeed a good idea. As he stood there, letting the hot spray pound his 
skin he couldn't help but wondering what was going on with Tom. He was 
certain he'd seen love and outright naked desire in Tom's eyes. He 
would need some time to think about this development.

---

The next few weeks were routine and boring. The Voyager crew traveled
through a portion of space where the few life forms present had not
yet achieved space travel. The crew took time to give the ship some
babying, gather food and minerals from the local planets, and take
some much-needed time for rest and relaxation. Tom, Harry and B'Elanna
had enjoyed working on some new holo programs both for recreation and
training.

Tom and Harry ended up on the final rotation for shore leave and food
gathering on a lovely forest planet devoid of animal life, save for a
few harmless insects. Some very delicious fruits and vegetables had
been found and the crew was eager to incorporate them into their 
diets. The boys beamed down with two days to themselves, followed by a
day of food gathering before they had to return to Voyager.

Tom and Harry had decided to take half a day to hike around the area
and found a lovely place to camp. The ground was amazingly flat and
soft, a stream ran slowly by, creating a very nice swimming hole,
there were plenty of fruit trees, and to the  east a cave provided
extra shelter in case of bad weather.

Tom had the tent set up in five minutes flat. Once the sleeping bags 
were in and the rest of camp was unpacked, Tom got up and ran towards 
the swimming hole, shedding clothes as he went. "Last one in cooks 
dinner!"

"Hey! No fair!" Harry tore off after Tom but Tom had too much of a
lead. Harry waded into the water and found it to be very pleasantly
warm. Tom tried not to look back at Harry as he waded into the water,
but he couldn't help it. When he did look, he regretted it 
immediately. The intense hunger that a naked Harry inspired in him was
nearly overwhelming. He swam away into a deeper portion of the stream
where the current cooled the water a little more and got himself under
control. Once he felt he could control himself, he swam back to Harry 
and splashed him. Harry responded by grabbing Tom by the ankle and 
pulling him under. The two men splashed and played for several hours 
until they began to feel hungry.

Harry got out and gathered up armloads of two fruits that looked like 
bananas and apples. He then unpacked several packets from his pack and 
went to work making dinner. The result was a delicious fruit 'stew'. 
Tom was surprised at how good it was when Harry told him how it was 
made.

"Your base is a thick, chicken flavored gravy. You can add chunks of
meat, if you want, but I prefer it without. Then you add apples,
bananas and nuts and serve it with a savory rice dish. My mother used
to make this dish all the time and when I saw the fruits that were
coming back with the away teams, I just knew I had to make it."

"Wow, Harry. This is really good. I'm impressed. What other hidden
talents should I know about?" Harry didn't answer, he just grinned.

Following dinner the men went for a short hike to check out the
surrounding area. They ran into Chakotay and Tuvok setting up camp in
a similar valley. They were shocked to come upon their superior
officers making out like a couple of high school kids.

"Uh, oh. Tuvok, I think the cat's been let out of the bag."

"An interesting expression, T'hy'la, are you troubled by this
development?"

"No, not at all. I had just wanted to get used to us for a little
while before the rest of the crew found out."

"Commander," said Harry, "You can trust us to keep this private until 
you're ready for the rest of the crew to know. Really."

"Thank you Ensign, that would be most accommodating of you," replied
Tuvok.

"No problem, Tuvok. Uh... Tom, we should head on back to camp now,
don't you think?"

"Sure Harry. Let's go. Oh, and Commanders... have an
excellent time!"

---

The two young men spent most of the hike back to their encampment in 
silence.

"Have you ever been in love with another man, Tom?"

Tom visibly paled, but Harry wasn't looking. "Yes," he almost
whispered.

"I was once, but nothing came of it. He already had somebody."

"Wh... when was that?"

"It was while I was in the Academy. He was my best friend's roommate.
He was... he was everything I wanted in a 'mate' at the time. He was
strong, smart, attractive, fun..."

"Wow, Harry. I never knew you were... um... interested in men."

"There haven't been all that many that I would consider, and I've
never actually had a relationship with a man, so there wasn't much to
know."

"Yeah."

The men returned to camp just as the sun began to set. Harry built a
fire while Tom took a quick dip in the swimming hole to clean up. Tom
warmed by the fire and unpacked some snacks he had brought while Harry
cleaned up.

"Cheese and crackers, Tom?"

"With wine and fruit, young man."

The two ate and chatted well into the night. There wasn't enough wine 
to get more than a pleasant buzz, or not as far as Harry knew. Tom had 
saved a bottle for the next night.

"Well, Har, I think I'll turn in."

"I'll be there in a minute." Harry sat, staring up at the
stars, wondering about recent developments. He hoped that things were
going the way they seemed to be.

---

The next morning Tom fixed breakfast after both men had a brisk, 
morning swim. "Tom! Coffee? Real coffee? Eggs, bacon, toast and
hashbrowns? Where did you get all this stuff?"

"What do you think I do with all those extra rations? I save
them for special occasions."

"Tom! You're spoiling me! This is exactly my favorite
breakfast!"

"Well, I do know a thing or two about you, Har."

After breakfast the boys went for a long hike, avoiding the
Commanders' camp. They found a small grove of trees that resembled
maple and oozed a thick syrup. Tom scanned it and found it to be
edible. "Mmmmm, Harry, we're having pancakes for breakfast tomorrow!
This stuff is great!"

They continued hiking and found the planet to be abundant in beautiful
flowers, tasty fruits, and wonderful views.

---

After a long day of enjoying nature the boys were ready for a swim and
supper. Harry again cooked dinner, this time a lovely stir fry with
noodles. Tom provided the late evening snack and wine again. As they
sat chatting Tom noticed that Harry was stretching his back in an odd
way.

"Is your back alright, Harry?"

"Yeah, I just strained something when I slipped on that rocky patch."

"Hey, why don't I get one of the bedrolls and you can lay
down by the fire while I rub it for you?"

"Tom," Harry sighed, "you don't have to do that. I'll be fine."

"I know, Har, but I want to."

"Okay."

A few short minutes later Harry was laying face down and shirtless 
enjoying Tom's expert touch. "Where did you learn how to do this?"

"I dated a massage therapist once. She taught me."

"Remind me to thank her in person if we ever get back." Tom was
surprised at the way Harry said 'if we ever get back'. It sounded as
though Harry wasn't so upset at the prospect of spending the rest of
his life in the journey anymore. Tom was very pleased.

After a while, Tom's hands stilled, as he became lost in thought.

"Tom?"

"Hmmm, oh! You must be getting chilly. Here, put your shirt on. I'll
get the dishes cleaned up."

"Tom?"

"Yeah, Har?"

"We already did the dishes."

"Oh."

"Tom, why is it that you look like you've seen a ghost or something?"

"Me? I'm fine, Harry. Really." Tom didn't sound fine.

"Tom, I'm your best friend. You can tell me the truth."

"Uhhh... Har, it's just that... well, I was thinking about what you
asked me yesterday about men."

"Oh, you mean when I asked you if you'd ever been in love with a man?"

"Yeah."

"So...?"

"So, I am, Harry."

"No, I am Harry, " Harry joked. "No, seriously Tom, are you telling me
that you're in love with a man right now?"

"Yeah."

Harry thought for a minute and remembered Tom's reaction to the
question. "Oh no, Tom. I'm so sorry! I had no idea!"

"It's okay, Harry. It's not like you did it on purpose."

"Did what? Tom, aren't you talking about Chakotay? Aren't you in love
with him?"

"Chakotay! No! Where did you get that idea?"

"Well, the way you reacted yesterday, I thought it must be him.
Tuvok?"

"No! Harry!" Tom started laughing and had to sit down.

"I don't understand Tom," Harry nearly whined in frustration. "Who,
then?"

"Oh... H... Harry. It's you!"

"Me?" Harry squeaked and he too had to sit down. "Me?"

"Yeah, Har. I hope I didn't upset you. I just couldn't keep it in
anymore."

"Anymore? How long have you been keeping it in?"

"Since the day we met, Har, since the day we met."

"I don't know what to say, Tom."

"It's okay, Har. I understand if you don't feel the
same."

"No, Tom, it's just that I'm surprised. Why didn't you tell me
sooner?"

"I had no idea how you felt about that sort of thing, Harry. Men, I
mean. I just didn't know how you'd take it. You never gave me any
reason to believe you might be interested."

"Oh. I guess you're right."

Silence reigned for several minutes.

"Tom?"

"Har?"

"I'm interested."

Tom's stomach jumped into his throat. He just looked at Harry, unable 
to speak.

"Tom?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Did you hear me?" "Mmmm, yeah. I guess I was just stunned. Are you
sure?"

"Tom I've been thinking about this for months, ever since you helped
me out after Seven... died."

"Harry, I would have helped you, no matter what. You're my best friend
and that's what friends do."

Harry could see that Tom was still having trouble processing so he
scooted over next to Tom and put his arms around him. "Are you
alright?"

Tom leaned into Harry's embrace, "oh, Harry. I've never been better."

Tom could not hold back any longer. He leaned in and brushed his lips
against Harry's. Harry's mouth opened to him and Tom felt himself
falling all over again. They kissed for what seemed like hours, gently
at first, then with growing urgency. Soon they were tugging at each
other's clothes, kissing deeply. Somehow they made onto the bed roll,
by the fire.

Harry was a little afraid and told Tom so.

"You have nothing to worry about, Harry. I would never hurt you."

"You've done this before?"

"A few times," Tom said, grinning.

Harry relaxed and let Tom show him the way. Tom began very slowly.
First he explored Harry's neck and found some deliciously sensitive
spots. Working his way down Harry's chest, Tom found, to his delight,
that Harry's nipples were hard with anticipation and arousal. Finally,
Tom couldn't resist any longer. He had wanted to taste Harry for so
long. He took Harry into his mouth, with no warning. The suddenness
overwhelmed Harry who could not contain his equally sudden orgasm.

"Tom! Oh my god, TOM!"

Once Harry was coherent again, Tom began to prepare him, very gently.
Harry tensed a little at the first intrusion of a slick finger into
his body. "Shhh, it's okay. I won't hurt you Har."

Harry forced himself to relax. He wanted this. Suddenly a bolt of pure 
pleasure shot through his body. "TOM! AH!"

"That was your prostate, Harry."

Harry moaned in appreciation. Before he knew what happened, Tom had
worked three fingers into him and was driving him mad with pleasure.
"Tom, please. I need you. Please!"

"It's alright, Har. I'm here. I just want to be certain that you're
ready."

"I'm READY!"

"Okay, Har," Tom chuckled, withdrawing his fingers. Harry groaned at 
the sudden emptiness, only to feel Tom shift up and place himself at 
Harry's entrance. Harry took a deep breath and willed his body to 
relax while Tom entered him very slowly. Once he was fully inside 
Harry, Tom stilled. Harry couldn't believe the incredible sense of 
fullness. After a minute or two, Tom began to move. Harry was lost
in the amazing sensation of having Tom moving inside him and began to
meet him, thrust for thrust.

After what seemed like an eternity, and a blink of an eye, Harry felt
Tom take hold of his cock and begin stroking. Awash in pleasure, it
took only a few strokes before Harry was coming again. The power of
his orgasm ripped through him and nearly caused him to pass out. Just
as he was coming down, he felt Tom begin to come inside him and came
again.

"Oh Tom."

"Harry."

"Love you," said Harry, drifting off to sleep.

"Love you too, Harry."

Tom felt a sense of peace wash over him. There was no going back, but
he wasn't afraid. He was not afraid that Harry would react badly in
the morning. He knew deep in his heart with unshakable certainty that
Harry would love him back. Harry was *finally* his. Tom fell asleep
holding his Harry. *HIS* Harry.

---

The End