The Shattering of the Mask 38
By MorticiaSee part 1 for disclaimer
"Lieutenant," Chakotay said politely, keeping his eyes fixed on the turbolift controls.
"Commander," Tom nodded, equally politely, stepping inside and moving to the far corner of the lift, his eyes fixed firmly ahead.
Between them, John Ashmore and Tim Curran exchanged surprised glances but said nothing. The turbolift halted on the next deck and the doors opened. John and Tim stepped forward to leave, then paused uncertainly.
"You okay, Paris?" John asked, gesturing rudely at Chakotay.
"Fine," Tom said softly. "Thanks, but I'm fine."
The two crewmen hesitated a moment longer, then realised they were not only going to be late for shift but possibly up on charges if they didn't get out of the lift. Tom had his comm. badge on, after all. He could soon summon help if that mad bastard Chakotay made a move on him.
The door closed, Chakotay quickly keyed in an over-ride to freeze the lift and Tom was in his arms, smothering his mouth with a hungry, desperate kiss.
"Four minutes," Chakotay warned, when he broke free of Tom's suctioning lips to grab a breath. "Then an alert will sound in Security."
Bitter frustration flashed over Tom's features, followed just as swiftly by a wry grin.
"Then let's stop wasting time," Tom purred, sinking to his knees.
"What are you doing?" Chakotay asked stupidly, as Tom began wrestling with Chakotay's pants.
Tom didn't even bother replying, not that he could have anyway with his mouth filled by Chakotay's cock.
~~~
"May I speak with you, Lieutenant?" Tuvok's voice rang from down the corridor.
Tom froze halfway into his quarters, fixed a blank look on his face and turned to greet the Vulcan. He pointedly didn't step back to allow Tuvok inside, deciding that keeping the conversation in the corridor would keep it short and hopefully unproductive.
"Crewman Ashmore went to see the Captain this morning," Tuvok said, gesturing vaguely that Tom should step back and let him in.
"Really?" Tom said coolly, pretending not to notice the gesture.
"He was concerned about an incident that happened yesterday," Tuvok explained.
"Incident?" Tom asked innocently.
"Apparently he had to leave you alone in a turbolift with the Commander and he was sufficiently concerned about the situation to inform the Captain."
"Chakotay and I both work on the Bridge," Tom replied. "It's inevitable that we will sometimes share lifts, and equally inevitable that we will sometimes be alone in them."
Tuvok nodded.
"Nothing happened. I'm still in one piece. I haven't slit my wrists," Tom said, deciding a sarcastic offence was the best defense. "Do you want to check for yourself?"
"I checked the computer, there is no record of the lift halting, neither has the Doctor advised me of any problem with your daily medical," Tuvok replied, completely unembarrassed about his blithe admission of having already spied on Tom. "However, for your own safety and to prevent the possibility of any future unfortunate occurrence, the Captain has asked me to install monitoring devices inside the lifts. I decided it was only courteous to advise you."
As Tuvok turned and strode away, Tom sagged against the doorframe. He knew. Somehow, the bastard knew.
Even so, it was weird that he'd warned Tom about installing the cameras.
~~~
"Poker," Chakotay asked cautiously.
"Yes, Poker," Harry agreed. "Tom said you knew the game well."
Chakotay flushed with mingled anger and embarrassment.
"So?" he hissed.
"So B'Elanna and I were hoping you'd come over to our quarters and play tonight, since we're all off duty."
Chakotay shook his head.
"I appreciate the offer, Mr. Kim, and I also appreciate your continued efforts to befriend me in public, but I'd rather not, if you don't mind."
"I do mind, and B'El will be really pissed with you if you refuse," Harry replied staunchly. "We can't play alone and besides, I already told Tom you'd be there," he added in a near whisper.
"Tom?" Chakotay choked, then looked around warily to see whether anyone had heard him. Fortunately, everyone was still deliberately ignoring him, despite the fact that Tom had been back on duty for two weeks.
"I know they're monitoring you both, but you're allowed to socialize with each other in company. As long as there's four life-signs in our quarters there's no reason they'll suspect it's anything more than a friendly game of Poker."
"I…I…" Chakotay was speechless, he had to shake himself visibly to force back the tears of relief that were prickling at his eyes.
Harry reached over and squeezed his shoulder.
"Be strong," he whispered. "Tom needs you."
~~~
Chakotay barely stepped through the door to Harry and B'Elanna's quarters before he was almost bowled over by six foot of hurtling pilot. Tom wrapped himself around the older man, his lips and tongue devouring Chakotay's, his erection so prominent and hard through his trousers that it almost bruised Chakotay's hips as it ground against them. Chakotay realised there was little likelihood of them playing poker after all.
Tom refused to let him go, but he stilled enough in Chakotay's arms to allow Chakotay to speak to B'Elanna. Harry was awkwardly pretending to be busy with the deck of cards, his face flushed scarlet from witnessing Tom's display of wanton desire.
"We can't leave you completely alone," B'Elanna explained, "but the security sensors on this deck aren't precise enough to tell whether we're in the same room. I'm going to put some music on in here so that you have some privacy. There's fresh sheets and everything you need in the bedroom, including a fully charged regenerator since the Doctor is bound to find an excuse to give Tom a full examination tomorrow when he finds out you were here. Don't worry if you fall asleep, we'll come and wake you if it gets too late."
"Why are you doing this?" Chakotay asked, once again having to battle tears of relief at this totally unexpected kindness.
B'Elanna shrugged.
"Because we love Tom, and he loves *you*, and besides, it feels good to get one over on Starfleet."
"Thank you," Chakotay said. The words sounded inadequate, even to himself, but he couldn't think of anything else to say, not with Tom squirming in his arms, his tongue hot on Chakotay's neck and his cock so aroused that Chakotay could feel the damp trace of Tom's pre-cum seeping through his own uniform. So he just swung Tom up into his arms and carried him into Harry and B'Elanna's bedroom.
Tom was trembling so much he could barely undress himself and as soon as Chakotay had stripped and revealed his own jutting, hungry cock, Tom just froze, too overwhelmed to even continue trying to remove his own clothes. He simply stood there, like a starving man presented with an unexpected feast and tears began to trickle down his face.
"God, I've missed you," he whispered helplessly.
Chakotay stepped forward and enveloped him in a hug, trying to infuse Tom's trembling body with his own strength.
"What do you want, Tom?" he asked gently. "How do you want me to be?" Tom seemed so fragile, so lost, that Chakotay was suddenly uncertain whether Tom really wanted anything more than a hug.
Tom pulled back and spoke clearly as he finished pulling off his pants.
"I don't want you to fuck me through the mattress, Chak," he said quietly. Then, before Chakotay could promise he'd be gentle, Tom continued. "I want you to fuck me into the next DECK."
Chakotay roared with laughter. "I think that would put us somewhere in the middle of Sickbay. We'd end up humping right in front of the Doctor."
"I know," Tom replied with a smirk.
A new worry struck Chakotay.
"It's been weeks, Tom. You're going to be tight. Are you sure you can handle me being rough?"
Tom's smirk just increased.
"I know I got thrown out of the Academy, Chak, but I still remember the cadet drill about always being prepared."
He bent over the mattress of the bed, spreading his legs wide to reveal the fat, glistening end of a well-lubed butt plug. Chakotay leaned forward and worked it carefully free, his own cock jumping at the guttural sounds Tom made as the rubber plug scraped over his prostate. Chakotay gazed in disbelief at the plug.
"How the hell did you walk with that inside you?" Chakotay asked.
"Chak?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you gonna talk all night?" Tom asked plaintively.
Chakotay chuckled.
"Not all night, no," he assured Tom, proving his point by bending between Tom's open legs and licking the back of his scrotum. Tom squealed in surprise, arched his back and wriggled his ass pointedly. Chakotay decided to save the teasing for another night, pressed his cock against the well-lubed entrance of Tom's ass and drove home to the hilt in one smooth thrust.
Tom screamed and howled so loudly, as Chakotay took him with the relentless passion of six weeks of deprivation, that even the loud music in the next room didn't mask the sounds. When they finally emerged back into the living room after a long session with the shower and the regenerator, it was hard to tell who blushed more, Tom or Harry. B'Elanna on the other hand was grinning from ear to ear.
"Hell, Tom. If I'd known you were THAT hot in bed, I would have kept you," she laughed, although she squeezed Harry's hand tightly to reassure him she was joking. Kind of.
"I don't know how to thank you guys," Tom whispered, still blushing sheepishly but too ecstatic to worry about something as irrelevant as embarrassment.
"No problem," Harry said. "I think maybe we should play Poker EVERY Saturday from now on, don't you?"
And so, a new but infinitely sweeter version of Poker Night was born
~~~
Several months later, the four friends were sat in Harry and B'Elanna's living room, sipping wine. Tom, still flushed from the shower and the earlier sex, was curled on the floor at Chakotay's feet, his head resting on Chakotay's thigh with such obvious devotion that it hurt to observe.
"What are you going to do?" B'Elanna asked.
Chakotay stroked Tom's head and stayed quiet, leaving the younger man to reply.
"I've got my six month medical next week. The Doctor has no excuse to refuse to cite me fully sane. It means the Captain's temporary guardianship of my affairs will be cancelled and my normal rights will be restored. If I say I want to go out with Chakotay again, she won't be able to refuse."
"She could just have the Doctor pronounce you crazy again," Harry replied.
"No, it doesn't work like that. Unless I do something wrong, she'll have no excuse to have me assessed again, and without the assessment, I can't be found incompetent. She *has* to let me date Chakotay."
"I don't want to rain on your parade, Tom," B'Elanna said, her expression dour, "but I think you are underestimating how much the Captain cares about you."
"Cares about me?" Tom demanded angrily.
"Yes. I know she's been wrong to keep you two apart. If we didn't support you, Harry and I would hardly have been putting our jobs on the line for months to help you see each other in secret. However, the fact remains that everything the Captain has done has been with the best intentions. She's not going to appreciate being made to feel a fool. She's far more likely to read your decision as being proof that you *are* still unwell and she'll find an excuse to have you committed again, even if she has to invent a reason."
"She's right, Tom," Chakotay agreed sadly.
Tom surged to his feet in agitation.
"It's not fair, not fucking fair. I'm going to tell her exactly what she can do with her fucking committal and her *care*. She can stick her fucking care up her fucking.."
"TOM," Chakotay warned.
"I'm sick of this, Chak. Why won't people just leave us alone? I don't…I can't..Oh, shit, Chak, what are we going to do? I can't live like this anymore. Sneaking around. Pretending I don't care about you. It's not fair. It's not fucking FAIR!"
"Tom, calm down," Chakotay said softly, as Tom began pacing up and down the room in increasing panic.
B'Elanna and Harry were exchanging worried glances as Tom's thin veneer of control shattered in front of their eyes.
"It's not fair. Not fair. I won't do it, won't..can't…won't give you up Chak. We're forever. FOREVER!" Tom screamed the last word, his fist powering into the wall of the cabin. Then he howled in pain as his knuckles fractured against the unyielding metal.
Chakotay was already on his feet, charging to Tom's side, grabbing Tom into his arms. Tom struggled like a wild beast, his eyes wild with panic, too blind with terror to recognise his lover. Chakotay swung Tom into his arms, hauled him over to the sofa, and sat down heavily, twisting Tom's squirming body face down over his lap.
He pinned the small of Tom's back with his left hand and used his right to land a firm blow on Tom's backside.
Tom squealed and yelped in protest, the unexpected pain breaking through his panic as Chakotay continued to spank him in front of Harry and B'Elanna's disbelieving eyes.
"OW!" Tom yelled as the sixth blow descended on his thinly padded ass.
Chakotay stopped abruptly and pulled Tom up into his arms.
"Bastard," Tom sniffed but he tucked his head into Chakotay's neck and clung tightly to him for comfort.
"Was that really necessary?" Harry spat, appalled to see his friend disciplined like a hysterical child. Even if Tom *had* been acting like a hysterical child.
Chakotay met his eyes unapologetically.
"I know what Tom needs," he said simply.
"Well what he obviously *doesn't* need is a run in with the Captain," B'Elanna said. "He's not as stable as he looks, is he?"
"Exactly," Chakotay agreed. "If the Captain insists on him having a thorough psychological examination he hasn't got a chance."
"But I thought he was better," Harry said hesitantly.
"He is," Chakotay replied. "The thing is, Harry, that he's never going to be *completely* well. Between his childhood, Caldik Prime, Auckland, the last eight years and then the grand finale of three months as my fuck toy, he's never going to fit any textbook definition of sanity. If he wasn't so fucking strong, smart and brave, he'd be sitting in a padded room just rocking like an idiot."
"Which is how he'll end up if the Captain puts him in the brig to keep him away from you," B'Elanna pointed out.
Harry still looked unconvinced; he was glaring at Chakotay with righteous indignation.
"That doesn't give you the right to hit him," he spat.
Chakotay opened his mouth to defend himself, but it was Tom who interrupted. He twisted on Chakotay's lap so he could look his friend in the eyes, and although his face was still tear-stained, the panic had fled his eyes, replaced by a soft happiness.
"He's got the right, Harry, because I gave him the right. I'm his, and he's mine, and we need each other," Tom said with quiet dignity.
Harry swallowed, unable to deny even to himself that Chakotay had known how to calm and comfort Tom, even if his methods seemed bizarre.
"What are you going to do, Tom?" he asked.
Tom twisted to look searchingly at Chakotay's face, but the older man just smiled gently, allowing Tom to decide for himself.
"We're going to have to get off the ship," Tom replied finally.
"Leave Voyager?" Harry asked in horror.
Tom shrugged.
"Maybe, unless we can somehow get ourselves married."
"Married?" Harry said in confusion.
Now it was Chakotay who explained.
"Kathryn obviously won't agree to marry us, but once Tom gets diagnosed as competent we could jump ship on some planet and get ourselves married. Then, even if Tom is later judged insane, *I* become his legal guardian."
"We can't be separated," Tom added. "Starfleet rules are clear about non-interference between married couples."
"Sounds like a plan," B'Elanna agreed. "Let's hope we come across a suitable planet soon."
"And stay there long enough for Tom and Chakotay to do it," Harry pointed out.
"Well," Tom said thoughtfully, "a minor crisis in engineering could ensure we need to stop and trade somewhere long enough for the Captain to agree to general shoreleave."
"You want me to blow up my own engine room? You ARE mad!" B'Elanna spat.
Tom just smiled angelically.
TBC