Rated J/P friendship, flirtation. PG-13
Disclaimer: I never said the characters were mine.
Summary: Kathryn, Tom and Jose enjoy a few moments under the influence.
Written for the Halloween ficlet exchange. My first sentence prompt was, "Kathryn was drunk" which I slightly amended. I was asked for any pairing other than J/C, so J/P it is!
Kathryn Janeway was drunk. He could hear it in the thickness of her voice and in the weighted and precise choice of each word. She was drunk. No doubt about it.
As captain of the ship, she had a right to get drunk. Hell, as a human being, she could choose any way she wanted to spend her free time. God knows, he'd spent years of his life staggering around the Alpha Quadrant. But her isolation bothered him. She was getting drunk by herself, in the quiet of her quarters. Very out of character, or so he hoped.
He had a report to give her, one that could wait until morning, but her slurred words on the link changed his mind. Deciding to deliver it in person, he figured he could at least offer…what? Companionship? Who the hell are you kidding? She's getting drunk by herself for a reason… But it didn't hurt to make the offer. What did he have to lose? First, he'd make a quick stop by sickbay.
Holding a PADD, he was surprised when her door swished open. Immediately, the medicinal aroma of strong booze assaulted his nostrils. The Captain stood half-way between the doorway and the low table in front of her sofa. Her position successfully hid most of her sitting area. Noticing the slight sway to her upper body, he watched her concentrate on her own composure. He'd been there more times than he cared to remember.
"Tom. I'm in the middle something. Can't this wait until morning?"
"I guess so." He walked around her without an invitation and nodded to the bottle, sitting on the table. "I was thinking about running Sandrine's. You want to join me?"
"No. Thank you," she glared at him.
"Looks like you got started on your own." He walked over and picked up the glass bottle. "Tequila. Jose Cuervo and I are old friends. And I see you know how to drink it." He gestured toward the lime and salt.
"I didn't realize I'd invited you in." Her frosty response didn't faze him.
"You know what they say about drinking alone, Captain. Besides, I haven't had a good shot of tequila since I don't know when. I'm off for the next 16 hours, too." Tom raised his eyebrows in a silent plea.
The emotions that scurried across her face amused him. Doubt preceded irritation, followed quickly by a sort of resignation. Must be the booze. Usually, Kathryn Janeway had one hell of a poker face.
"You're here. Sit. But I'm not much company, I'm afraid."
Tom dropped the PADD on the sofa and leaned forward. As the captain retrieved a shot glass from the cabinet, he licked the back of his hand between his thumb and forefinger and then liberally shook salt over the moist skin. Then he picked up one of the lime wedges between those two fingers.
Managing to spill only a couple of drops, Kathryn shakily poured the amber liquid into two glasses. Tom waited while she repeated the same preparations with the salt and lime.
Both of them picked up their drinks and looked at each other.
"What are we drinking to?"
"Whom."
"Okay. Whom are we drinking to?"
"Edward and Justin." Kathryn unsuccessfully hid the pain in her eyes and her voice.
"To Edward and Justin." Tom licked the back of his hand, squeezed the flesh of the lime between his teeth, and swallowed the alcohol in one gulp, watching as his captain followed suit.
Placing his glass on the table, he leaned back on the sofa, his body angled toward her. He spoke tenderly. "So…This is an anniversary of the accident, is it?"
Kathryn's eyes flashed with anger and hurt. "How do you know? Did Chakotay send you up here?"
"No." Like Chakotay would send him up here to get drunk with her! "I've read your Starfleet history. Hell, my dad went to the funerals. Tighe served under him."
"I know. Owen…your dad…set us up, in a way."
"I didn't know that." And then, "I'm sorry you lost him." And he was. Sorry that it had happened to her and sorry that she still hurt enough to drown the date every year. "How many years?"
"Fourteen. You know, in some ways it seems like a lifetime ago and then again, it hurts like it happened yesterday." She shook her head and leaned back into the sofa cushions next to him.
"I knew your dad. Not well, but through mine. I met him a couple of times when I was still a kid. But I never knew Tighe. You want to tell me about him?"
She looked toward the ceiling. "He was…wonderful. Amazing… Yet such a wounded soul." She was obviously struggling to keep from slurring her words. "I was desperately in love with him. But then, that happens with your first."
Tom watched the sadness in her eyes. "First? He was your first love?"
"I had a crush in high school, but Justin was my first…well…"
Tom sat back up and narrowed his eyes at her. "You mean your first lover?"
When she nodded, looking at an invisible point in front of her, he let out a harsh sound before he could check himself. She cocked her head and met his eyes in a question.
"You mean you were, what? Twenty-four before you lost your virginity?"
"Twenty-five. And don't look so shocked."
"Pardon me for asking, but how did a beautiful young cadet like yourself get through the academy with your virtue intact?"
"I can assure you that it was quite easy. The…affair with my high school sweetheart ended badly." Her body shook with an unexpected hiccup, and then she continued. "It took some time to get over it, and when I was finally ready to jump back into the game, I learned that academy cadets will stop at nothing to get in good with the higher ups. It was impossible to tell who was interested in me and who wanted to date me so my father could mentor them."
Tom couldn't help but smile at her recollection. He'd been an admiral's son, after all. "I suppose it's different for a woman. I practically wore a T-shirt that said, 'My dad's an admiral. Want to fu-…go out?'" Tom felt himself blush. No doubt, the tequila talking for him.
The captain smiled. "I'm betting that shirt got you quite a few…dates."
"More than I care to remember, yes. It was heaven for a hormonally-driven teenager. You know how it is for guys. I had new skills I wanted to practice."
"I can imagine."
Tom eyed the bottle in front of him. "Hey. You want another one?"
"I'm fine for now, but help yourself." She gestured toward the table.
"Maybe I ought to catch up a bit." Tom noted the missing liquid in the bottle as he poured a second generous shot. He figured she was about four shots ahead of him. You've got more than a little catching up to do.
He felt her watching him as he ritually licked the salt, sucked the lime and swallowed the booze. A pleasant tingle reddened his ears and not all of it could be attributed to the alcohol. He truly enjoyed her company, especially unguarded as she seemed to be. Kathryn Janeway was nothing, if not a fascinating and attractive woman.
Tom leaned back into the seat. "You were telling me about your first love."
"I suppose I was." She looked back at the ceiling. "Justin…He was really something…"
"The sex was good?" Tom waggled his eyebrows at her.
A low, satisfied moan rumbled from deep in her throat before she could stop it. She looked sideways at him. "Why I am talking to you about my past sex life?"
"Because you want to remember it. And it's a rule that anything discussed in front of Jose stays forever confidential." They both glanced at the bottle on the table and then back at each other.
A silent moment passed, the two of them looking at each other frankly. "Yes. The sex was…um…great."
Tom absently licked the remaining salt off the back of his hand as she watched him, eyes glassy and heavy-lidded.
"He had this thing he could do with his tongue…"
Both of them froze, wide-eyed with the acknowledgment of what was passing between them. Finally, Tom broke the moment with a smirk. "Now I know you're drunk, Captain. 'Cause I could swear you were coming on to me…"
Kathryn rolled her eyes and snorted in disgust. Her words were thicker now with the alcohol and her control was slipping. "Dream…dream on, Tom. Just because I've had a too few many doesn't mean I'm ready to bed my pilot." Hearing her mixed up words, she stifled a giggle by hiccuping.
Tom reached for the bottle again, pouring them both a shot. "Nothing to worry about, anyway. I have far too much respect for you to take advantage of a weak moment." Make that fear, you coward!
Looking down at the full glass, she tried to ready her shot with the lime and salt, sprinkling more on the table than onto the back of her hand. "But you don't have too much respect to get me even drunker, I see."
Tom's laugh rang in the quiet room, drowning out the hum of the engines. "Hey. I'm human! What's not to like about seeing you a little wasted and allowing yourself to feel something for a change!"
Kathryn dramatically held her glass up in the air toward him. "To feeling something!" And together they wolfed their drinks and sat back.
"I don't get it, Captain… If what you say is true, then you had the best sex of your life 14 years ago, right?"
"True…" She absently picked at the salt granules on her hand.
"What about Johnson, the guy you left behind?"
"Comfort…He was a way to keep from being alone."
"But the sex was…?" Tom left the unfinished sentence hanging in the air.
"Comforting. Nothing special. Mark was good to me. Took care of me when I needed it. But not…no…the sex wasn't anything to speak of…"
"And since then?"
Kathryn shook her head slightly, lacking understanding. "Since then?"
"Yeah, since we got out here to never-never land. How's your sex life been?"
"Non-extent-extortent-existent." It took three times to get the word out correctly.
"No sex all these years?
"Some of us have a ship to run. It's not the love boat for all of us, you know!"
"I know that, but nothing? Not even the holodeck?"
Kathryn grimaced. "Holosex isn't my style."
"Hey. It's a release."
"I'm perfectly capable of releasing myself whenever I need to. I don't need some walking talking dildo to get off."
"I didn't mean that you did, but you're at your sexual peak, Captain. Don't you know that women reach their peak around your age? Men are past theirs by the time they're 18…"
"Your point, Tom."
"I'm just saying that I hope you don't have to miss out on all the fun. Sex is fun. It feels good. And you haven't had nearly enough of the good stuff in your life."
She slumped back in her chair. "Now I am depressed."
"No. We just need to get you laid."
Kathryn arched an eyebrow at him. "Now you're coming on to me."
"Only if you're still interested when you're sober." He smiled to reassure her, but leave the issue open for later discussion. "I'd be very happy to help you out, and believe me, I'm no dildo." He paused. "Maybe I act like one sometimes…"
Now Kathryn guffawed loudly. "You took the merds right out of my wouth!" Hearing herself, she slapped a hand over her lips in a feeble attempt to block her laughter.
Tom watched her, grinning with affection. Finally, he leaned forward and picked up the bottle, swirling it contents around in a silent offer to pour another one.
Shaking her head, Kathryn grabbed it and moaned. "No. And speaking of getting laid…" She lifted her feet to the sofa and flopped down onto her side, her head bumping up against Tom's thigh. "If I could just get my own internal…inertial dampeners back online…"
Reaching out to stroke the hair out of her face, Tom watched her eyes close at his touch. "Well, just remember, Captain. I'm always available if you need me. For anything…"
"Umm… I'll take that under advertisement."
He continued to soothe her hair until her body twitched with the telltale signs of unconsciousness. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out the detox hypo he'd picked up in sickbay. With a hiss, he unloaded it at her neck, watching as her face screwed up at the sensation and then went slack.
Tom found a blanket on her bed and covered her lightly with it, adding a cushion from the end of the couch under her head. Leaning down, he kissed her cheek.
"Sweet dreams, Kathryn…"
End.
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