The BLTS Archive - The Food series
#8: Smorgasbord
by Kiff (Kiff47@yahoo.com)

---

Disclaimer: Paramount owns 'em, I find interesting things for them to 
do.

Archiving: Permission granted to Sileya to archive at TSU. All 
others, please ask first.

Feedback: Constructive comments accepted.

Warning: This story contains intimate and sexual scenes between two 
adult males of different species. If this disturbs you, stop right 
here.

Sequel to "Food for Thought," "Ruminations," "Ingredients," 
"Simmer," "The Purge," "Just Desserts," and "The Spice of Life."

---
Corridor, 1730 hours....

"Tom, why are we doing this? I'm not supposed to be back at work 
until tomorrow. I mean, I feel fine, but I don't want to get in 
trouble with the Doctor."

"I *told* you. Ensign Smith needs your help with the apple pie 
recipe. She can't figure out what spices go into the filling. I 
promise, we'll just slip in and slip out. No one else will know."

Neelix sighed. "All right. But I don't understand why she didn't just 
comm me."

Tom paused outside the entrance to the Mess Hall. "Guess she likes 
your personal touch."

Neelix smiled, raising an eyebrow. "She's not the only one."

"Don't get me started here, Lixi, or I won't be responsible for the 
consequences."

The Talaxian chuckled. "I'll take you up on that later."

Tom licked his lips. "I'm counting on it."

Neelix tore his eyes away reluctantly from his lover and stepped to 
the door. It opened upon total darkness. "Ensign? Ensign Smith?"

No answer. Neelix took a few steps forward. "Lights on."

"*SURPRISE!!!*"

The sound came from dozens of voices as the room suddenly lit up, 
revealing all of the off-duty crew, along with a table heaped with 
food and a hand-painted sign reading "Welcome Back Neelix, We Missed 
You."

The Talaxian looked around him in shock, and then suddenly found his 
arms filled with an excited half-human, half-Ktarian child. "Neelix! 
It's a surprise party for you! Isn't it great?"

He squeezed Naomi Wildman close to him, just as her mother came up to 
embrace them both. "Samantha, this is -- I don't know what to say."

The beautiful blonde officer kissed his cheek. "You don't have to say 
anything, Neelix. We're all so glad you're safe and back with us."

Naomi tugged at his hand. "Look! Look at all the food we made! I 
baked some more of my cookies, and Mom made the salad, and Commander 
Tuvok made the soup, and Ensign Smith did just about everything else."

Neelix followed her to the table. It was certainly a fabulous spread, 
equal to those he usually did for Prixin. He saw a few dishes he did 
not recognize, deducing that they must have been created from the 
food plants found on the planet below.

Ensign Smith came out from the kitchen, looking tired but happy. "My 
last night of this for awhile, thank goodness. I tried to arrange 
things the way you usually do, Neelix. I hope it meets with your 
approval."

"It's beautiful, Priscilla. And I want to thank you for holding 
things together down here."

She leaned toward him confidentially. "Believe me, *everyone* will be 
glad to have you back here full-time."

Neelix patted her on the shoulder, then turned as he saw someone else 
come up to him. It was Captain Janeway, looking as pleased and 
relaxed as he had seen her in some time.

"Good to have you back with us, Mr. Neelix." She gave him a warm hug.

"Why, thank you, Captain. This is fantastic. You all did such a good 
job at hiding this from me. I had no idea."

"Credit Tom for keeping you occupied."

"Uh, yes." Neelix flushed, thinking of the many different ways that 
Tom *had* kept him -- occupied.

The Captain helped herself to some salad. "He hasn't gotten in your 
way at all, has he?"

"Not at all. He's been -- a great help to me." Neelix was not quite 
sure what to say. He and Tom had not talked about making their 
relationship public, and he didn't want to embarrass the pilot by 
saying anything out of line. He changed the subject. "Have we 
finished our harvesting project, Captain?"

"We have indeed."

"Then why are we still in orbit?"

"It's a secret. You'll find out a bit later. I'll have an official 
announcement." Janeway looked absurdly pleased with herself.

"No advance warning even for Voyager's Morale Officer?"

"Not even for you, my friend. Only Commander Chakotay knows, and I've 
sworn him to secrecy. Now, why don't you grab a plate of this food 
before it disappears?"

Seeing that he was getting nowhere, Neelix did as she asked. Tom soon 
joined him at the table.

"So what do you think?"

The Talaxian smiled up at him. "This was all your idea, wasn't it?"

"No, it was Naomi's. *My* part in this was to keep you in the dark."

"You are a very clever man, Tom Paris." Neelix lowered his voice. 
"And I love you."

Tom threw a quick arm around his lover's shoulders. "I love you, too, 
Lixi," he said, just as quietly. "Harry's here. I hope you don't mind 
if I go talk to him for a few minutes. I haven't seen much of him in 
the last week or so."

"Of course, Tommy, go ahead. I'll see you later." Neelix watched as 
Tom crossed the room to be with his friend. He smiled, secure in the 
knowledge that he had nothing to fear, that there was no need to be 
jealous of anyone else in Tom's life.

Several of the engineering staff came up to Neelix, welcoming him 
back. He was kept busy shaking hands and accepting friendly backslaps 
for the next few minutes. Finally, he was able to pick up his plate 
and sample some more of the excellent food.

He sensed someone behind him and turned. It was Commander Chakotay, 
looking at him with an enigmatic but pleasant expresssion.

Neelix, remembering his manners, finished chewing his dinner roll, 
then grinned at the big ex-Maquis. "I can tell there's something 
going on in your head behind that smile, Commander. Anything to do 
with the secret that Captain Janeway's keeping from all of us?"

"Actually, no." Chakotay's glance strayed to the far side of the 
room, then returned to Neelix.

The Talaxian followed his gaze, saw Tom talking to Harry, then turned 
back to Chakotay, puzzled. "Then what is it?"

"He's good for you, isn't he? Really good for you. I'm pleased for 
you both."

Neelix stared at the Commander, amazed. "How did you know?"

"I saw you together in Sick Bay the other day. Tom adores you, 
Neelix. I can tell. Every time he sees you or talks about you, he 
lights up like a little kid on his birthday."

Neelix flushed. "Are we that obvious?"

"No, not really. Not to anyone who's not looking for it. I just 
happened to be in a position to observe a few things. Your secret's 
safe with me. I haven't even mentioned anything to Kathryn."

"I -- I appreciate that, Commander. Not that we're ashamed of it, but 
this is all very new to both of us, and we'd like to take our time 
with it."

Chakotay smiled. "I understand. So you feel the same way about Tom?"

"I do. I love him so much I can't even see straight sometimes. As 
wonderful as this party is, what I want to do most of all, right now, 
is to drag him straight back to my quarters and...." Neelix stopped, 
flustered. "Sorry, Commander. I'm getting carried away."

Chakotay actually laughed. "It's the real thing, all right." He put a 
friendly hand on Neelix's shoulder. "Enjoy it. Be good to him. This 
kind of love doesn't come around too often."

"I will. And thank you."

"Any time." Chakotay served himself a cup of coffee and went over to 
talk to the Captain. Neelix glanced over at Tom and Harry, who were 
still deep in conversation. He smiled to himself, pleased that the 
Commander had given his blessing to his and Tom's relationship. The 
rest of the crew might not come around as easily, but it was nice to 
have a powerful ally on their side.

Naomi appeared, took him by the hand again, and pulled him over to a 
table where Samantha and Seven of Nine were sitting. He took a seat 
with them and managed to lose himself in their conversation about the 
recent food-gathering expedition, with the full knowledge that he 
would have Tom all to himself again before too long.....

---

"Hey, Harry."

The Ops officer gave Tom a wide grin. "Hey yourself, stranger. Long 
time no see."

"Been behaving yourself with Megan Delaney?"

Harry punched the pilot playfully on the arm. "Aw, Tom, cut it out."

Tom threw himself into a chair. "*Harry Kim*. Harry, Harry, Harry, 
what are we going to do with you? You *desperately* need to get laid."

"Tom, *sheesh*." His friend sat down next to him. "All this time off 
has gone to your head."

The pilot stared ahead for a few moments, tapping his fingers on his 
knees.

Harry broke the silence. "I know that look, Tom. Something's going 
on."

"*Oh*, yes."

"You gonna tell me or not?"

Tom ran his hands nervously over the fabric of his chair. "This can't 
go any farther than you, Harry."

"O-kaay. No problem. Now *tell* me."

"I'm in love."

Harry groaned. "Not *again.*"

"I'm totally serious."

Something in Tom's voice told Harry that he meant it. "Okay. Uh, 
that's great. So who is she?"

"He, Harry. *He.*"

Brown eyes widened in disbelief. "Well. I haven't heard *that* angle 
from you in a *long* time."

Tom snorted. "Not since my little escapade with Ayala three years 
ago, you mean."

Harry smiled at the memory. "I'll never forget the time I caught the 
two of you making out in the turbolift."

"God, I was an idiot back then, Harry. I can't believe some of the 
crazy things I used to do."

"So, tell me who the lucky guy is this time?"

Tom looked around, making sure no one else could hear him, then 
leaned in close to Harry. "Neelix."

The Ops officer burst out laughing. "You *can't* be serious. Come on, 
quit screwing around."

"Keep it down, Harry," hissed the pilot. "And I'm *totally* serious."

Kim stared at his friend for several seconds. "I honestly can't 
believe this. Neelix? He's not really your type."

"Meaning?"

"Well, he's -- he's not --"

"Megan Delaney, maybe? And thank god for that." Tom ran a nervous 
hand through his hair. "I love him, Harry. He is so good to me. He's 
kind, he's funny, he's warm, he's everything I've ever wanted. And he 
loves me, too. I want *you*, of all people, to understand --"

Harry interrupted, shaking his head. "How long has this been going 
on, Tom? I know you've spent a lot of time taking care of him since 
he got sick. Are you sure this isn't one of those 'nurses falling in 
love with their patients' kind of things?"

"It's not that way at all, Harry. You've got to trust me on this one. 
You know that he and I have been friends for a long time. Now, as to 
when it started becoming something else -- I think things began to 
change after he had his death experience last year. When I thought he 
was gone forever, I felt like a part of me had been torn out and I'd 
never get it back. And then Seven performed her little miracle, and 
it was restored to me. After that, I started realizing, little by 
little, how much I liked being around him. I saw him every day when I 
was in the brig, and it was the highlight of my miserable existence 
there. He was also the first person to visit me after I'd been 
released. Things just snowballed from there, Harry, and the next 
thing I knew, I was in love."

His friend listened raptly, still amazed at what he was hearing. When 
Tom paused, Harry cleared his throat. "Have you -- did you -- sleep 
with him?"

"Yeah, I *slept* with him, and we even had sex. Quit looking at me 
like that, Har. You're making me feel like I've committed a crime or 
something."

Kim made a deliberate effort to rearrange his features. "Sorry, Tom. 
This is just so -- unexpected, you know. I'm still trying to get used 
to the idea."

"Get used to it quick."

"Does B'Elanna know?"

Tom sighed. "No, she doesn't. You're the first person I've told. I 
really don't know what I'd say to her. I mean, it's not like she and 
I ever had that kind of relationship. But it came awfully damn close. 
I suppose I do owe her some kind of explanation."

"Don't wait too long to tell her, Tom. It wouldn't be good for her to 
hear it from someone else."

"I know. But not tonight, Har. Please. You did promise to keep this 
between you and me."

"Okay, Tom. And, for what it's worth, I'm happy for you."

Tom clapped Harry affectionately on the shoulder and rose from his 
chair. "Thanks. It means a lot to hear you say that."

Harry grinned at him. "Well, what are friends for, anyway?"

"Being honest with each other. See you around." Tom disappeared in 
the direction of the food. Out of curiosity, Harry scanned the room 
for Neelix. The Talaxian was sitting at a table with Seven and the 
Wildman family. Harry watched as Tom walked right into Neelix's line 
of sight. He saw Neelix's head jerk up and his eyes track Tom all the 
way to the buffet. Even from this distance, Harry could see the broad 
smile on the Talaxian's face.

"Well, *would* you believe *that*?" He hadn't realized he'd spoken 
the words aloud until Megan Delaney appeared at his side, giving him 
a quizzical look. Harry just grinned at her and shrugged.

---
Mess Hall, 1820 hours....

Chakotay banged a spoon into his water glass. "Attention! Attention 
everyone!" The room slowly quieted down. "The Captain has an 
announcement."

All eyes turned to Kathryn Janeway. She cleared her throat. "First of 
all, I want to officially welcome Mr. Neelix back to his duties as of 
0700 tomorrow morning. That is, assuming the Doctor finds you fit, 
Neelix."

"I have no doubt that he will, Captain, and I thank you all for this 
most wonderful surprise."

"You're quite welcome. And, now, I have a surprise for everyone. As 
you all know, our food-gathering efforts on this planet succeeded 
beyond our wildest expectations. Everyone on this crew has pitched in 
to help. I know that we all have put in exceptionally long hours on 
this project. And, so, I am hereby ordering three full days of shore 
leave for every single member of this crew. You've earned them."

The room erupted in applause and cheers. Janeway allowed the noise to 
continue for a few moments, then raised her hand for quiet.

"I have just one more thing to say. We've been in the Delta Quadrant 
for over five years now. During that time, you have all performed 
your duties as a crew exceptionally well. Because of the efforts of 
everyone on board, we're ahead of schedule. We're nearly halfway home 
to the Alpha Quadrant. I have never -- *never* -- been so proud of a 
crew as I am of this one. And I will continue to demand excellence 
out of each and every one of you as we make our way home. I ask this, 
knowing that you won't let me down."

She paused. Her audience was absolutely still, waiting for her to 
finish.

"I want everyone to enjoy these three days. This is a beautiful 
planet, as anyone who has been down there can attest to. Relax. Have 
fun, and come back refreshed and ready to go back to work. Again, my 
deepest thanks to you all."

There was another brief round of applause, and then everyone went 
back to their food and conversation. Janeway and Chakotay exchanged 
broad grins, both feeling greatly satisfied at how their idea had 
gone over.

Tom made his way over to Neelix. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm having a wonderful time, Tom. Seeing all these people so happy, 
so energized, it does this old Morale Officer a world of good."

"So you want to stick around for awhile?"

Neelix smiled. "It's still early. It would be rude for me to leave so 
soon. I know exactly what you're thinking about, and, believe me, I 
want to be alone with you, too. Hold those thoughts until later."

Tom sighed. "Okay, Lixi. But if you change your mind, let me know."

"I will." The Talaxian watched his lover walk away, admiring the view 
as he did so. He turned to see Commander Tuvok approaching him. "Mr. 
Vulcan, so nice of you to come."

The Security Chief nodded. "I am pleased to see you well and ready to 
resume your duties, Mr. Neelix."

"Thank you, Tuvok."

The Vulcan paused for a brief moment. "I am -- curious about a 
certain matter, concerning you and Ensign Paris."

Neelix felt himself reddening again. "And what matter would that be?"

"The nature of your relationship."

The Talaxian frowned. "Commander, I'm not sure where you're going 
with your question. Is this a security concern or a personal one?"

"Purely personal, Mr. Neelix. I do not mean to intrude upon your 
business or offer any judgement. I merely observe, reach a tentative 
hypothesis based on my observations, and then attempt to verify it 
through appropriate inquiries."

Neelix laughed. "Mr. Vulcan, you have a most roundabout way of 
speaking sometimes. But I know I can trust you to keep a secret. In 
answer to your question, Tom and I have become involved in a romantic 
relationship. You have my absolute guarantee that we will keep it 
discreet, and it will not interfere with our obligations to the ship."

Tuvok nodded. "I have no doubt that you will keep your word. I must 
admit that I had never considered the possibility of you and Mr. 
Paris becoming a -- couple. However, what appears to be illogical in 
the beginning may become logical over time. I wish you and Mr. Paris 
all the best."

Neelix fought off a sudden urge to hug the Vulcan. "Thank you, Tuvok. 
I appreciate your kind thoughts."

"Live long and prosper, Neelix." Tuvok unfolded his hand into the 
traditional Vulcan split-fingered salute, bowed slightly, and turned 
to make his exit. Neelix watched him, moved beyond words for the 
moment, wiping sudden tears from his eyes.

---
Mess Hall, 1930 hours....

The party was beginning to break up. Tom had searched for B'Elanna, 
on and off, for the past hour but was unable to find her. He finally 
caught up with Joe Carey, who told him that she had been working on a 
special project in Engineering and was not certain that she would 
make it to the party. Tom vowed to himself that he would speak to her 
at his earliest opportunity.

Neelix accepted final congratulatory hugs and handshakes from his 
departing guests. Finally only he, Samantha Wildman, Ensign Smith, 
and Tom remained in the Mess Hall. Out of habit, the Talaxian started 
to pick up some of the discarded dishes, only to receive a sound 
smack on the arm.

"Put that down, Neelix," Samantha said sternly. "Priscilla and I will 
take care of it. Go get some rest. That's an order." She took him by 
the shoulders and shoved him towards Tom. "He's all yours, Ensign."

"That he is," replied the pilot in an easier tone than Neelix could 
have believed possible. Before the Talaxian could recover, or figure 
out how much Samantha actually knew, Tom was hustling him out the 
door. "Thought we'd never leave. I've had this crazy urge to kiss you 
for about the last hour or so."

Neelix smiled at his lover and gave his hand a quick squeeze. Tom led 
him quickly through the corridors. Neelix soon realized something. 
"You're not taking me back to my quarters."

Tom stopped for a moment. "My place tonight, Lixi. I have a bigger 
bed."

The Talaxian raised his eyebrows, giving Tom a sidelong glance. "I 
*see.*"

"Oh, *hell*, don't look at me like that. You know I can't resist it," 
and Tom pulled Neelix into his arms for a passionate kiss, which was 
just as fervently returned. They broke it only at the sound of 
footsteps coming down the corridor in their direction.

"Let's go," whispered Tom, and the two men practically ran the rest 
of the way to the pilot's quarters. Tom quickly keyed in his privacy 
code, grabbed Neelix's hand, and pulled him inside.

The Talaxian looked around. Tom's quarters *were* more spacious than 
his own, if not quite as neatly kept. And that bed *did* look *very* 
inviting indeed.

He felt strong arms encircle him from behind and soft lips caress the 
back of his neck. He closed his eyes and leaned into the embrace, 
permitting Tom to stroke his body.

The other man loosened his grip suddenly. "Computer, play selection 
'Paris fifty-seven.'" Soft jazz music poured out of the overhead 
speakers. Tom held out his hand to the Talaxian. "Dance with me, 
Lixi?"

"Of course, Tommy." Neelix stepped back into Tom's arms and allowed 
the human to lead him in rhythm to the music. He felt himself relax, 
concentrating only on the man who was holding him so gently, the man 
who was running his fingers through his hair. The man he loved.

//Kes, sweeting, wherever you are, I hope you can see me. See how 
happy I am right now.//

Tom swung Neelix around in a slow circle, enjoying the feel of the 
other man in his arms. He kissed the top of the Talaxian's head. 
"Love you," he whispered, and was rewarded with an answering squeeze.

They danced together for a few more minutes, until the music ended. 
Tom stepped back from his partner. "That was nice. Thank you."

"I enjoyed it, too."

"What would you say to a massage?"

"I would say yes, but only if *you* were giving it."

"I think I can accommodate that request. Take off your clothes. 
Computer, raise temperature in this room by ten degrees."

"*Acknowledged.*"

Neelix sat down to take off his boots, then unfastened his jacket. 
Tom, having removed his own clothing, crept up behind the Talaxian 
and ran his hands over the spotted skin. Neelix shivered. "Tom, if 
you don't stop that, I won't be satisfied with only a massage."

"That's the idea," leered his partner. "But, okay, you win, for now. 
I'll go get the body oils. You finish getting naked and come over to 
the bed."

Neelix hastened to comply, though all of this suggestive banter was 
causing a definite tightness in his groin. He pulled back the covers 
and lay down on his stomach.

Tom set two bottles and a towel on his bedside table and sat down 
next to Neelix, stroking his back. "I want you to feel good, Lixi. I 
want this to be special. I want you to know how much I love you."

"Tom, I can't feel anything *but* good around you."

"Sweet man." The pilot kissed the top of his head. "What kind of oil 
would you like? Coconut or peppermint?"

"Coconut, please."

Tom picked up the appropriate bottle and squeezed some of its 
contents into his hands. He rubbed his palms together and straddled 
Neelix's hips. He began the massage at the Talaxian's neck. Neelix 
sighed audibly at the feel of Tom's hands on his skin, strong but 
gentle.

"Computer, play selection 'Paris thirty-one.'"

Soft baroque strains came out of the speakers. "That's lovely," 
Neelix said after a few moments. "What is it?"

"Bach's Air on the G-String. Earth, eighteenth century."

"It's wonderful," the Talaxian murmured, then fell silent as Tom 
continued to rub his back in an expert manner, releasing tension from 
his muscles, making his skin tingle delightfully.

"Don't fall asleep on me, Lixi."

"I'll try not to, but it's so tempting to do just that."

"I'll pinch you to keep you awake, if you'd like."

His lover chuckled. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"You are *so* naughty, you know? Underneath that straight-laced 
exterior, you're a true wild man after all. I love it."

"And you haven't even discovered my real talent yet."

The Talaxian said this in such a suggestive tone that Tom paused his 
massage and let out a low whistle. "I can't *wait* to see this one."

"All in good time." Neelix was enjoying the tease.

Tom sighed and went back to rubbing Neelix's lower back. They fell 
silent again. Tom reached the Talaxian's buttocks and squeezed them. 
"Like that?"

"You know I do."

Tom rubbed his ass slowly, taking care not to reach too far 
underneath, at least not yet. He then moved to Neelix's thighs, 
calves, and finally to his feet. By the time the pilot was finished, 
Neelix felt as if his muscles had turned to pudding. "That does it, 
Tom. I can't move. I don't *want* to move."

"Then don't. I'll do it for you." Tom rolled him over onto his back, 
looking him up and down with a critical eye. "God, you are beautiful. 
Different from anyone I've ever been with before, but still 
beautiful."

Neelix found the will to raise one hand to stroke Tom's arm. "I love 
you."

"I love you, too. And I'm going to show you just how much." Tom bent 
over and gave the Talaxian a long lingering kiss. Neelix, rapidly 
finding more energy, opened his mouth and pushed his tongue into the 
pilot's.

Tom finally broke it with a gasp. "*Damn.*" He bent back over his 
partner, biting at his neck and right shoulder. Neelix hissed in 
approval, feeling the stirrings in his groin yet again. He dug his 
fingernails into Tom's back.

"Oh, *shit.* God, Lixi, you drive me crazy," gasped the pilot. He ran 
his tongue over Neelix's collarbone, then down to his smooth chest. 
His exploring fingers found one of the Talaxian's nipples and pinched 
it. His lips and teeth quickly followed.

Neelix moaned under Tom's ministrations. He was fully erect now, and 
his need for the pilot was becoming overwhelming. "Love me, Tom. 
Please."

"I do," his lover whispered, kissing a moist trail down Neelix's 
belly. He made his way to the Talaxian's swollen cock and took it 
gently in his hand to stroke it.

"Yess.....Tommmmeeee...." Neelix was starting to lose control.

Tom bent over him, then hesitated. Neelix opened his eyes and stared. 
Yes, Tom was going to, *was*, oh, by the Great Forest, he was 
actually taking his cock into that beautiful mouth. It was all he 
could do to keep from coming right then and there.

Tom sucked him gently, almost reverently. The Talaxian closed his 
eyes. Looking at the pilot was just too exciting. He felt his blood 
pounding in his veins, felt an incredible pleasure building up in his 
pelvis.

"Tommy, *milaxi*, beloved one...."

The pilot took him in even deeper. Neelix shrieked as his orgasm hit. 
His love burst out of him with such force that Tom was caught by 
surprise, barely maintaing his hold on his partner. Neelix shook, 
screaming his joy to the ceiling, pulling at the sheets with such 
force that one corner was actually ripped out. Tom grabbed the 
Talaxian's hips and held on for dear life as warm spicy semen filled 
his mouth.

About half a minute later, Neelix finally began to quiet down, 
whimpering and whispering. Tom could barely hear him.

"...love you, *milaxi*, love you...."

He pulled himself up on the bed and took Neelix into his arms, 
kissing his hair, his forehead, his cheeks. For one of the few times 
in his life, he was at a loss for words. He had been with many 
partners over the years, both men and women, but none of them had 
ever had responded to him so ecstatically. It just made him love 
Neelix more than ever.

He stroked the Talaxian's hair. "You're not asleep, are you?"

A long sigh. "No. Oh, Tommy...."

"That was something else. I thought for sure you were going to pass 
out and I would have to comm the Doc."

"I came close." Another sigh.

"What does 'milaxi' mean?"

Neelix was quiet for a moment. "It doesn't translate well into your 
Terran language. The closest phrase I can think of is 'beloved mate.' 
We only use it for those who are exceptionally close to us, those 
with whom we have a life commitment."

Tom considered the implications. "So, when you called it out to 
me...."

Neelix pushed himself up on one elbow. "You're not under any 
obligation to me, Tommy. I got a little carried away, that's all."

"You're assuming I don't want to be under any obligation to you."

"It's too soon, sweet man. We've only been together a few days."

"Lixi, listen to me. I love you. More than I've ever loved anyone in 
my life. And you love me. I'm starting to understand just how much 
you do. And you can call me anything you want when we're making love, 
as long as you're enjoying yourself."

Neelix leaned in and kissed the pilot. "Sweet Tommy. What did I ever 
do to deserve you?"

"About five years ago, you showed up at Ocampa just in time to meet 
my ship. Timing is everything."

The Talaxian ran his hand over Tom's chest, still fascinated by the 
hairs he found there. "Speaking of which, it's time for me to return 
the favor."

"I'm okay, Lixi. I don't need anything."

"Be quiet now." Neelix's eyes darkened. "Where's that oil?"

Tom gave in and passed him the bottle. Neelix set it down next to him 
on the bed and straddled his partner. "*Milaxi*, beautiful one." He 
kissed Tom again, tasting the faint echo of himself on the pilot's 
lips. His hands wandered over the Terran's body, finding his growing 
erection. He squeezed there. Tom grunted.

Neelix applied the massage oil to his hands, then reached again for 
Tom's cock. "I have only one more wish for tonight, Tommy. I want to 
feel you inside me."

Speechless once more, Tom stared at the Talaxian as he ran the 
lubricant completely over his cock, then reached up between his own 
legs. Neelix stretched himself slowly, closing his eyes with the 
effort.

He finally found his voice. "God, Lixi...."

Neelix raised himself up once more, took Tom's erection in his hand, 
and guided it into his body. Tom gasped as the hot tightness 
surrounded him. His lover began to ride him slowly, sensuously. Tom 
groaned. He was not going to last long at this rate.

"Like that, Tommy?"

"Oh, god, *yes.*" He began to thrust upward. Neelix went with him, 
matching every stroke. Tom closed his eyes as the explosion built 
within him.

"Oh, *damn*, Lixi, you feel so good. I *love* you!"

He came powerfully into the Talaxian, shaking, groaning, and cursing. 
Neelix held still as Tom filled him with his warmth and love. When he 
sensed that Tom was finished, he lifted himself up and leaned over 
his lover. Tom pulled him down for a kiss.

"That was the best, Lixi. Thanks. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Not at all, Tommy. I enjoyed it."

"Say that name again."

"*Milaxi.*"

"Milaxi. I like it. I'm keeping it."

Neelix laughed, kissed Tom once more, and grabbed the towel from the 
bedside table. He wiped his lover and himself down as best he could, 
then settled back beside the pilot, who put his arms around him.

"Sleepy now, Lixi?"

"I could talk myself into it."

"Good." Tom stroked his hair for a few minutes, then stopped. His 
breathing became slow and even. Neelix allowed the steady rhythm of 
his lover's chest to rock him into a deep and relaxing sleep.

---

The End

(Continued in part nine, "Aftertaste")