The inspiration of this story came when I noticed a few odd occurrences between the Captain, Chakotay, and Paris in Dreadnought and Threshold (but I won't give too much away). These events are explained in later episodes; however this story is an exercise in perception before the explanation, and of course my own musings. Oh yeah and I own nothing and Paramount owns all.
Disguises
Chakotay felt… unsettled.
As though a slight electric current was running throughout his body, and what was worse, he was being plagued by fidgeting… and fidgeting is by no means a dignified activity for a Maquis Captain or for that matter, Starfleet Commander.
So another factor adding to his discomfort was his present location. At Sandrine's. Surrounded by almost half the crew.
Chakotay snorted and took another drink then swiveled his stool away from the bar. All eyes were glued on the pool table. Everyone was watching the suspense unfold. Tuvok was about to be beaten by the Captain, making him her 14th no 15th conquest of the night.
Chakotay faced her profile. She was leaning across the table and appeared to be smirking just barely, while her body and stick, remained almost frozen in position.
Thin arms, pale delicate hands ending in graceful and long fingers, orange light highlighting strands gold amongst auburn, here and there, as it lay against her back, which dips down slightly before rising with the swell of her hips—entirely still and perfect.
No wait… he just caught a bit of movement.
The electric current intensified. Had she just wiggled her hips?
If so, it was barely perceptible. Yet the fact remained, Captain Kathryn Janeway had just wiggled her hips. The buildup of energy, adrenaline, was so strong Chakotay could hardly suppress the urge to stand up and start jumping or running. His blood was pumping too fast for his current lack of activity.
Applause shattered the moment, and Chakotay realized his vision had blurred from lack of blinking and he'd missed her more obvious movements, which resulted in a victorious shot.
Her smile was radiant, her face was even slightly flushed, though probably due to her discomfort with the less than professional (and in the case of some, very rowdy and inappropriate) attention from the crew. Still it was huge step in the right direction. Kathryn was finally beginning to break her shell and open herself up to being a part of the fledgling community.
Chakotay was pleased. Well… he should have been pleased.
It was at that moment Paris distorted the vision of Kathryn, literally, by walking into Chakotay's line of vision, to address the crowd. As the organizer of this "morale boost" event, Mr. Paris was thanking everyone for coming and hailing the Captain as the undisputed Delta Quadrant billiards champion.
The muscle at the corner of Chakotay's eye quivered just slightly.
Paris placed his arm across the Captain's shoulders and she in turn glanced up at his face, still radiant and even dare he say… shy? It was a ridiculously attractive combination, tainted only by her proximity to Paris and the fleeting touch she brushed against the lieutenant's chest.
Chakotay stood quickly and methodically began navigating a path to the holodeck doors. His evened steps and open manner in which he said his farewells to those he crossed, contrasted heavily with the pulsating current under his skin.
Now purposefully striding towards the exit, Chakotay lost the opportunity to turn back and glimpse the blue eyes which had followed his form as he traveled from the bar to the exit. He also missed the flicker of emotion in their depths as the doors swooshed close.
