The BLTS Archive- Claustrophobic Consequences
by Joanne Collins (luchenbackoutlaw@gmail.com)

---

DISCLAIMER:  Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager, and everything you
recognise belongs to Paramount.  I'm just playing with them for a
little while (and doing things with them that Paramount can't or
won't).  They can have them back when I've finished (unless they want
to come up with an arrangement about Tom or Chakotay ;-)).  All
original characters and ideas are the property of the author.

For Mona.  A *slightly* belated birthday present.

This is an answer to the story challenge of C/P first time in a
Jeffries tube recently issued on the CPSG list.

Well, I'm actually finally managing to come up with titles and stories
not necessarily involving songs.  Hope you all enjoy.  And I blame
this story *entirely* on the consumption of chocolate.  Oh, and the
stray thought I had of "what if Chak were claustrophobic?" after
reading another list member's effort.  Oh, and I know my technobabble
doesn't make a lot of sense, but then again, neither does the show's.
Hey, it's just a plot device to get the guys into the tube, after all.

This story is slash, and contains consensual sex, in intimate detail
between two men, in this case Tom Paris and Chakotay.  You don't like
it, don't read it.  It really is that simple, you know.

ASC archive:  Yes. BLTS:  Yes. R'Rain's archive:  Yes. Anywhere else
(except personal use, sharing with friends, etc):  Ask first!  I'll
probably say yes.

---

The ship was shuddering.  Voyager had, yet again, run across a hostile
alien race who were more interested in shooting first and asking
questions second.  Tom Paris was at the helm, trying to keep the ship
on an even keel.  Janeway was in her place on the bridge, with
Chakotay beside her as usual.  Even while he was maneuvering the ship
out of danger, Tom was acutely aware of the First Officer behind him.
He didn't know when he'd started becoming more aware of Chakotay's
presence behind him on the bridge, or missing him when he wasn't
there.  It had been after the ship had left the Captain and Chakotay
on that beautiful planet, expecting it to be forever, but before that
ordeal on Akritiria with Harry.  He knew it had been before then,
because that was when he and Chakotay had finally started to forge the
first beginnings of a social friendship.  He knew that the Commander
had been gaining a steady respect for him as an officer, his efforts
to prove himself finally paying off, and had been pleasantly surprised
when Chakotay had first suggested working out together in the gym one
evening, soon after Seska's death.  He remembered that time again,
with part of his mind, while the rest of him concetrated on keeping
the ship out of danger.

**Tom entered the gym, already wearing his workout gear, black and
form-fitting.  He was unable to suppress a gasp at the sight of
Chakotay, already warmed up, in his olive-green workout gear.  'Gods,
he's ezquisite,' thought Tom, 'Whoah, where did *that* come from?' Oh,
Chakotay was certainly an attractive man, and Tom had certainly had
his share of experience with men as well as women, although certainly
*not* the amount that rumour would have it, but he'd never felt a rush
of desire as intense as the one he'd just felt.  Making a murmured
excuse, he'd made his escape from the gym before Chakotay could see
his growing erection through his tight pants.  He had gone back to his
cabin, not knowing where these new thoughts were leading.

"Why Chakotay?  I mean, the guy's just started *trusting* me.  How
could I *ever* expect it to be more?  Even if he were ever to want me,
sexually, it'd just be for one night, a pleasant diversion...and I
*couldn't* stand that.  Gods...I couldn't.  Well, I *know* it'd never
be more, so I'll have to settle for friendship.  It could be worse. At
least I'll have that."  And Tom had returned to the gym, hoping to
burn the desire out of himself with physical exertion.  After that
first evening, he'd spent many a pleasant hour with Chakotay, pool in
Sandrine's, vids in his quarters, talking long into the night, all the
little things that formed a friendship.  But always, underneath the
pleasant, easy familiarity, was Tom's awareness of Chakotay, his body,
his warmth, and the knowledge that he would never know that warm,
bronze flesh under his lips in any way other than in his dreams and
fantasies.**

After Tom had flown Voyager out of danger yet again, to the relief of
all aboard her, his duty shift was over.  He gratefully surrendered
the conn to Ayala, trading a smile with the attractive Maquis crewman.
Ayala was another crew member whose relationship with Tom had become
more friendly of late, and Tom often thought that if it weren't for
his attraction to the First Officer, he might have pursued a
relationship with Ayala.  It would certainly be more genuine than the
relentless pursuit he tried to engage in of B'Elanna Torres.  Oh, he
*liked* B'Ela, but he knew that Harry was falling for her, so he'd
held back on that, especially since he'd realised his feelings for the
Commander.  He blushed, leaving the bridge, as he remembered his
reaction to B'Elanna when she'd been infected with Pon Farr.  He'd
almost...  But that was over now, and hopefully Harry would finally
get up the courage to do something about it.  It wasn't within his
power to do more.  He looked up as the doors halted in their closure.
Chakotay stepped onto the turbolift, and Tom just managed to suppress
a groan.  This was the *last* thing he needed right now, especially
considering that just last night, he'd dreamed of Chakotay taking him
in his arms and kissing him in the turbolift.  He noticed, as he often
did, that Chakotay looked a little...tense as he got into the lift. As
the only times he'd ever been in a lift with Chakotay were after
shift, he presumed that as usual, there were more problems than
Chakotay could cope with.

"Commander...Chakotay, is something wrong?" asked Tom, concerned.

"I..." Chakotay began to speak, only to be interrupted by the klaxons
sounding red alert.

"Chakotay and Lieutenant Paris, report to Engineering, possible warp
core breach in progress, we need all hands, repeat all hands," came
B'Elanna's voice over the comlink.

"Lieutenant, the Commander and I have just finished our shifts," Tom
said, activiating his combadge.

"I know that, Lieutenant.  Unfortunately, I can't tell the warp core
that.  I need your help, as soon as possible."

"Well," Chakotay smiled, "It looks like we have been put under
orders."

Tom couldn't reply, he was too stunned by how beautiful Chakotay
looked when he smiled.  He'd never seen a *real* smile from Chakotay
before, not directed at him, just the occasional grin.

Chakotay looked at Tom, as they finished the journey to Engineering in
comfortable silence.  If only Tom would give *some* indication that he
might possibly be interested in Chakotay as more than a friend, then
Chakotay could tell him of his feelings.  But as a senior officer, he
*couldn't* approach a junior officer romantically.  It would have been
difficult enough if it had been a woman, maybe he should have taken
B'Elanna up on her offer long ago, but he had still been hurting too
much over Seska, and thinking of Kathryn Janeway.  But after Kathryn
had finally rejected him, polite as she had been, he had decided that
maybe he wasn't meant to find someone to love again just yet.  That
had been when he'd decided to get to know Tom Paris better.  He'd only
*ever* intended for it to be friendship, if indeed *that* were
possible.  But in those long, comfortable evenings spent with Tom,
playing pool, watching vids, or, more and more frequently, just
talking, he'd become aware of Tom's smile, Tom's beautiful eyes, Tom's
soft-looking hair and Tom's body.  That last had been a surprise.
Although he'd had a few male lovers before, fondly remembering his
relationship while he was in Starfleet with Benjamin Sisko, he'd
decided a long time ago that he really preferred women as lovers.  But
Tom...there was something about him that Chakotay couldn't explain or
analyse that drew him to the younger man like the proverbial moth to
the flame.  So Chakotay kept thinking of Tom, dreaming and fantasising
about him, and hoping that one day, Tom would give that indication,
and he would be able to do something about it.

Engineering was in chaos.  B'Elanna was giving orders, making sure
that things ran as smoothly as possible.

"Tom, Chakotay," she said, as soon as she caught sight of them, "I
need you to manually lock down the Jeffries tubes.  Automation is
completely bollixed up, and we need to make sure that if the worst
happens, we won't spread the results to the rest of the ship.  Oh,
you'll probably have to crawl inside and do it, I think the top ends
will be open as well."

Chakotay looked a little pale at that, but Tom didn't notice as he was
accepting the laser wrench B'Elanna handed him.

They moved over to the first Jeffries tube, but Tom could see that the
top was closed, so all that had to be done was to close their end and
seal it off.

They weren't so lucky with the second Jeffries tube, unfortunately.
Tom raised himself up into it, and Chakotay allowed himself a
lingering glance at his buttocks and legs as the rest of him
disappeared into the tube.

"Come on, Chakotay, I need help getting this cover down," Tom called
to him.

"All right," Chakotay said, not really wanting to go into it, but knew
that explaining why would be more of an ordeal than just getting in
and out of the tube.

"Damn, this thing won't come down," groused Tom.  Chakotay smiled in
the semi-darkness at the tone, he even liked Tom petulant.  Tom
eventually got the cover down, with Chakotay's help, and they were
heading down the tube again, when suddenly the ship lurched.

"Warp core breach in progress, all non-essential systems to be shut
down," came the voice of the computer.  Unfortunately, the circuit
that controlled the cover of the Jeffries tube that Tom and Chakotay
were in was not one of the affected ones.  The cover began to close
before the two men were aware of it, and they only realised that it
was closing when they heard the metallic thud of the lid.

"Gods, no," whispered Chakotay, "I can't take this."

"What is it, Chakotay?" Tom asked.

"Tom, I...I suffer from claustrophobia."

"Oh dear Gods no.  Chakotay, don't worry.  I'm sure B'Elanna will let
us out of here ASAP."

"Chakotay to Torres," he said, hitting his combadge.

"Torres here, what is it?" came the irritated tones of the chief
engineer.

"B'Elanna, Tom and I are stuck in a Jeffries tube.  Can you get us
out?"

"Not right now.  I'm still hoping I can contain the breach, but I'll
need  more time to be sure.  Can you wait a couple of hours?"

"If we must," Chakotay replied, turning pale at the idea of staying in
this narrow space for that long.

"Paris to Janeway."

"Go ahead, Tom."

"Can you beam Chakotay and myself to the bridge?  We're kind of  stuck
in a Jeffries tube."

"Really?" came the startled exclamation over the com line, "I'm
sorry, but the transporter systems have shut down.  Red alert will do
that, you know.  Will you be all right?"

"I'm sure we will, Captain," Tom said, looking doubtfully at Chakotay.
He moved down to sit beside Chakotay, wanting to help the man get
through this as best he could.

"Chakotay," he said, slipping an arm over his shoulders, gods, that
felt good to do, then he chastised himself for getting pleasure from
the older man's fear.

"Tom...what are you doing?"  'and stop doing it before I do  something
that I'll regret ,' he finished, mentally.

"Chakotay, I'm trying to convey to you that you're not alone.  I'm
here  for you, and I always will be," 'oh, what the hell,' he finished
mentally,  and hugged the Commander as tightly as he could.

Chakotay returned the hug, it was helping, a little.  He was more
aware of Tom's presence than he was of the situation, althought it
was still there in the back of his mind.  He realised that Tom was
holding him gently, murmuring soothingly to him, trying to calm him.
He tightened his grip on Tom, holding onto him like he was an anchor
in the semi-darkness.  He could hear Tom's breathing becoming  more
laboured, and wondered why.  It certainly wasn't stuffy in  here...or
was it? He was breathing rather heavily himself, but he'd  thought
that it was due to Tom's closeness to him.  He tore his mind  away
from Tom, difficult as it was, and tried to concentrate on  breathing.
No, definitely not stuffy.  In fact, the air circulation system  was
still working, which was a good thing, come to think of it.  So why
would Tom be breathing so heavily?  Chakotay stopped thinking, as  Tom
pulled him back against him, cradling Chakotay's body between  his
legs, and he felt an unmistakable hardness pressing into him.

"Tom?"

"I'm sorry, Chakotay.  I just can't help it when you're near me.  I
never  meant for you to find out."

"Why not?"

"Because you're finally beginning to think of me as a friend, and I
don't want to jeopardise that with a one-night stand."

"Is that all it would be for you, Tom?" Chakotay asked, wondering if
that was why Tom had never given any indication that he was
interested in him sexually.

"Gods, no.  But I know damn well that you aren't interested in a
relationship with me.  All it would be would be one time.  And I would
rather *never* be with you, than be with you once and never again."

"What if...if it weren't just once?  What if I *were* interested in a
relationship?" Chakotay asked.  Hell, if nothing else, this was
certainly helping to keep his mind off the situation.

"Well," Tom began, choosing his words carefully, knowing that  saying
the wrong thing now might make *all* the difference, "I'd ask  you why
you hadn't said anything before now."

"And I would answer that question like this.  Because I am your
superior officer, and even under the circumstances of our unique
situation, it would still be very difficult for me to approach you
first.   And as you have never given me any indication that you would
be  interested in any relationship other than the friendship we have
been  forming, I have chosen not to push my luck."

"I wish you had, Chakotay."

"Are you saying..."

"Are you?"

Tom didn't answer in words.  Instead, he captured Chakotay's lips in
a light, tender kiss.  Chakotay moaned, and deepened the kiss,
turning towards Tom, pressing his body against the younger man's.
Tom gasped as Chakotay's erection met his through their uniforms.

"Chakotay...oh, yes," he said as Chakotay began kissing his neck.

"What?" asked the older man, looking into Tom's eyes, still bright,
even in the semi-darkness.

"I...how can we do this?  We're in a *Jeffries tube*, of all places.
I  mean, I suppose there are ways  around the...obvious problems.
It's  certainly not the place I imagined being with you for the first
time...or  any time, come to think of it.  I think the closest was the
turbolift."

"The turbolift?" Chakotay sounded surprised.

"Actually, I think I've imagined it happening in just about every
place  on the ship.  Your quarters, my quarters, Sandrine's, even the
bridge.  But most recently, I've been fantasising that we're in the
turbolift, then you take me in your arms, kiss me, and well, we can't
wait to get to either of our quarters, so we end up doing it right
there."

Chakotay laughed, unable to help it.   "I'm sorry, Tom, but I can't
quite imagine that.  Or the bridge, come to think of it."

Tom chuckled, "Well, I don't *really* imagine we'd ever do it on the
bridge, but hey, it was a fantasy.  We were alone, actually."

"Oh, I'm so glad you don't have any exhibitionist fantasies, Tom.
The ones you do have are *quite* enough," Chakotay said dryly.

'Well, it's working,' thought Tom, relieved that the Commander was
obviously thinking of things other than their situation.  'Of course,'
he  thought, shifting to accommodate his increasingly hardening
erection, 'There are *other* things we could do.'

"Uniform a little tight?" Chakotay asked, teasingly.

"A little.  How about yours?"

"The same.  Tom, are you sure about this?  Because I'm in this for a
hell of a lot more than a quickie in the Jeffries tube."

"Good.  So am I.  I'm in love with you, Chakotay.  I want to make love
with you, and at least we'll always have somewhere completely  unique
to bring up as the first place we ever did it."

Chakotay kissed him again, and whispered, "I love you too, Tom."

Tom opened his mouth, welcoming Chakotay's tongue inside.   Tom's
hands, meanwhile, started fumbling at Chakotay's uniform,  slowly
undoing the zipper of the top, then he pulled back to slip the  top
and his turtleneck off.  Chakotay had been doing the same for  him, so
all that needed to be done was to slip out of the boots, pants  and
boxers both men wore.

The two men gasped at the shock of skin on skin, feeling the  hardness
of the other.

"How *can* we do this?" Chakotay gasped.

Tom winked at him, and began kissing a trail down his chest,  stopping
to tongue his nipples into hard points.  He continued  moving down
Chakotay's body with his lips and tongue, loving the  needful sounds
his new lover was making.  He *loved* this.  Making  Chakotay gasp and
moan for him, knowing that his feelings were  returned.  He knew that
this was in no way a one-time thing, and that  added an urgency to his
movements.  Chakotay groaned deep in his  chest as Tom's mouth
engulfed his erection.  Tom's tongue danced  over the heated flesh,
and Chakotay was unable to keep from moving  his hips.  Tom kept
licking and sucking, driving his lover closer and  closer to the edge,
pulling back just before he exploded in orgasm,  catching the milky
fluid in his hand.

"Genius," Chakotay smiled, as he came down from the heights.

Tom grinned, and replied, "When you don't have access to a
replicator, you learn pretty quickly about alternatives.  I spent a
summer while I was at the Academy in a cabin that my grandfather
owned.  I was dating a med student at the time, and, well, he knew a
few things about the...natural alternatives."  Tom smiled at the
memories.

"Good times?"

"Very.  It was my first serious relationship with anyone.  I never
thought I'd feel like that again, Chakotay, not till I met you."
Chakotay  leaned in for a warm kiss.  Tom returned the kiss, moving
over  Chakotay's body with his free hand.

"I love the feel of you, Chakotay.  I can't believe that this is
really  happening to us."

"It is, Tom.  This has been happening for a long time.  We've just
realised it now, that's all."

"Meant to be, you mean?"

"Something like that....ahhhh, *yes*," Chakotay moaned as Tom took  a
nipple into his mouth.  Meanwhile, Tom moved his semen-covered  hand
down to Chakotay's buttocks, probing gently with a finger,  entering
slowly, loosening him up.  Chakotay moaned, and pushed  against the
finger, making it easier for Tom to lubricate him.  Tom  added a
second, then a third finger, moving them in and out of  Chakotay's
body, loving the sound of his moans, which echoed  loudly in the
Jeffries tube.  Tom, in a moment of rational thought,  hoped that no
one would hear him, although the red alert klaxons  were still
sounding.  Tom pulled his fingers out, scraping gently  across
Chakotay's prostate, drawing a muffled scream from the  older man.
Tom smiled, and caught Chakotay's eye in the  semi-darkness.  Chakotay
smiled back, then arranged  their uniforms  underneath him, lying on
his back in the flat part of the tube.  Tom  lubricated his erection
with the rest of the semen on his fingers, then  began moving slowly
into Chakotay, first just the head past the tight  ring of muscle,
then slowly moving in deeper and deeper with each  thrust until he was
buried deep inside his lover.  Chakotay locked his  legs around Tom's
waist, then Tom leaned forward to kiss Chakotay,  feeling Chakotay's
renewed erection pressing into his stomach.   Tom pulled back from the
kiss, keeping eye contact with his lover,  and began thrusting in and
out of him, moving slowly at first, then  increasing the speed of his
movements.  Chakotay anchored himself  on his hands and pushed up to
meet Tom's thrusts.  Tom gasped,  knowing he was close to climax,
pulled back, then thrust forcefully  into Chakotay one last time, and
came deep inside his lover.

Tom collapsed, spent, beside Chakotay, catching his breath.  After a
moment, he looked at his lover, smiling at him.

"That was..."

"Yeah, it was," Chakotay agreed, with that slow, quiet smile Tom
loved.  Tom couldn't resist kissing those lips again, he thought that
he might be becoming addicted to Chakotay's lips.  He didn't realise
until he heard the other man's quiet chuckle that he'd said that
aloud.   Tom blushed, which Chakotay could see even in the dim light,
and  he added, "Of course, I feel the same way."

Tom smiled gently, then pressed his lips to Chakotay's again.
Chakotay moaned, and deepened the kiss, and Tom became aware  of
Chakotay's unsatisfied erection.  Smiling against his lover's lips,
he moved a hand down between them, stroking it gently, then more
firmly as Chakotay began thrusting into his fingers.  He increased the
pressure and speed slightly, and before he knew it, Chakotay was
coming into his hand, uttering more glorious moans of pleasure.
Chakotay collapsed, totally sated, into Tom's arms.

Tom laughed, as they lay there together.

"What?"

"Oh, just that if you'd told me that *this* would be our first time, I
would never have believed it.  Of course, I didn't think we'd *ever*
have a first time, but this was *definitely* not it."

"Would you change anything?"

"Yes and no."

"Yes and no?"

"Well, I would have told you how I felt much sooner.  But other than
that, not a thing, Chakotay."

"Tom, much as I like lying here with you, I think we'd better get our
clothes back on.  We don't really want to be beamed onto the bridge
or let out into engineering naked."

Tom agreed, and they began the task of identifying their clothing,
which was easier due to the fact that Chakotay's uniform top and
turtleneck were wider than his, and his uniform pants were longer
than Chakotay's.  Just as they were pulling their boots on, the
klaxons stopped.

"Saved by the bell," Tom quipped.

Just then, they heard the cover open, and heard a voice calling.

"Tom?  Chakotay?  Are you all right?"  It was B'Elanna.

"We're fine, B'Ela," Tom answered.

"How about you, Chakotay?  I know this can't have been easy for you."

"She knows," Chakotay whispered to Tom.  More loudly, he said,
"Tom...kept my mind off it, B'Elanna."

The two men lowered themselves out of the tube, and found a  puzzled
B'Elanna looking at them.

"So just how did you do it, Tom?  I remember a time when Chakotay  and
I were in a very tight situation, and we ended up...you didn't?"

"Chakotay, you and B'Elanna?"

The Commander blushed, and said, "Yes.  It was in a cave that got
very....narrow.  You know that B'Elanna and I had a relationship
before Seska, right?"

Tom nodded, B'Elanna had told him and Harry long ago.

B'Elanna smiled, and said, "Damn, but I'd *never* have thought of
pairing you two off.  But you know, it seems kind of inevitable, too."

"I know what you mean," Chakotay said, smiling at both of them, then
leading Tom out of Engineering.

"So," Tom smiled as they began ascending in the turbolift, "How  about
acting out one of our fantasies?"

Chakotay blushed, and replied, "As long as it's not the turbolift."

"Oh, no.  I don't think so.  Not just yet.  I don't know about you,
but I  don't think I could...rise to the occasion again just yet.  How
about  Sandrine's?  We can run it on holodeck two, just the two of
us."

"That sounds good.  Maybe we could dance or something too."

"Oh, yes," Tom agreed, an unusual gleam in his eyes.

The two men were unable to resist the pull of desire, and moved
toward each other, kissing passionately until the turbolift reached
it's  destination.  "Who'd have thought," Tom chuckled, "That the
first  time we'd be together was in a Jeffries tube during a red
alert?"

"Not me," Chakotay said, holding Tom tightly to him.

The turbolift stopped, and they headed towards their respective
quarters to shower and change clothes, with one last kiss before
parting.

---

The End