Notes:
Yes, physical activity is known to help with menstrual cramps/pain. Research has shown that penetrative intercourse helps reduce pain due to the pressure to the vagina and increases women's pain threshold (Oh, that word in this fandom!) by 75%. If women reach orgasm even better, it increases the threshold by 100% for up to one hour post-orgasm.
Also, due to the oxytocin release triggered by orgasm uterine contractions intensify and more blood may be released and shed, causing the length of the period to shorten - for some women significantly - and prostaglandins (those chemicals that cause the painful cramps) are shed together with the uterine lining, causing a notable reduction of menstrual pain.
PS: This story has never seen the eyes of a beta reader. I checked it twice (who am I kidding, I only checked it once!) but I'm positively certain there's a bunch to be corrected in here. I'd say feel free to let me know, but there's no messaging system here. In any case, if something is really bad or bothering you, tell me in a comment. I won't bite (maybe a little, in a sexy way...)
I'll stop being weird now - there, lying again, I'll stay weird, but I'll let you get on to the story now.
So, if you feel like sex during your period - and many women feel quite horny a few days before and into their menses - go for it, it has great benefits AND it's awesome for bonding with your partner!
Yay for sex!
Yay for getting KJ off every day of the month.
(See the end of the work for more notes.)
Four glorious months.
Chakotay rubbed his eyes after a failed attempt to open them and see clearly. He was incredibly tired, but something had woken him up long before his alarm. With his arm half over his eyes to keep some of the bright sunlight at bay, he stared at the ceiling for a while, waiting for the weariness to ebb from his brain. When he heard the rushing of the real water shower start, he knew what had pulled him from slumber so early.
He rolled over towards the bathroom and into the spot Kathryn had occupied earlier. It was cold, so he knew she had been up for a while. He looked at the closed bathroom door and wondered what had driven her out of bed so early. Thinking back, he realized she had been behaving different for the last two days. She had been slightly more distant, but also extremely affectionate. A little like a push and pull game, when she would draw him in and then change her mind before he could get too close. And except for the occasional snuggling or heated kiss, she hadn't let them get any further. It was a stark contrast to the last 4 months and Chakotay tried to remember if she had behaved similarly before.
Yes, now that he thought about it. Kathryn had made it a short-lived habit to arrange her work schedule so she couldn't stay overnight a few weeks ago. She had been just as affectionate then and during their comcalls he was sure she had been particularly flirty with him.
Before that?
They were still in debriefings and had trouble making time for each other anyway. They had kissed a lot whenever they found time, but with both of them being exhausted beyond measure they rarely had found the energy to do anything more. Not that he was complaining. It had been devastatingly explosive when they could make the time.
Chakotay felt the familiar stirrings in his groin at the thought of their early racy encounters. Everything was still new and they were still learning each others' bodies. But even when they had practically fucked each other raw the first few nights and days before debriefings started, there seemed to be an endless supply of new discoveries in the swells and crevices of their naked bodies. The sounds and smells and touches of those early days had fueled many a wet fantasy in the nights they had spent apart since then.
Chakotay sighed at the memories and wondered what he was still doing in bed relishing past times when he could be creating new memories right now. With both of them up this early, they had plenty of time and nothing spoke against him joining her in the shower. Suddenly feeling very energetic, he jumped out of bed and went into the bathroom.
The mirror and shower stall had steamed over so he could only see Kathryn's vague form. He stepped further in and closed the door behind him to keep the heat inside. As he did so, his foot hit her pile of clothes on the floor. He looked down and recognized her old Academy training outfit. He groaned quietly at the mental image of a sweaty Kathryn in her skimpy exercise shorts and drenched tank top, chest heaving with her labored breathing after a good training session. The last time he had seen that about a month ago.
A month ago.
Suddenly it clicked and Chakotay shook his head for being so dumb for so long. It all made sense to him as he remembered the hushed conversation between his mother and grandmother he had overheard late in his teens. He had not been supposed to hear them. They had been careful to find a secluded spot and speak quietly. But he had wandered off and when he spotted them his mother seemed to be in pain, so he stopped and listened. It didn't take him long to understand what they were talking about and he filed the information he had gained away for later use. Or so he thought.
Chakotay knew that after his sister's birth his mother had been plagued by monthly pains and when he was old enough to learn about reproduction he understood what the pain meant and where it came from. So he wasn't surprised when his grandmother had laid her warm hand soothingly on his mother's lower belly, rubbing in circles to take a little of the pain from her. What had surprised him was when they stood up and started doing exercises that he couldn't imagine wanting to do while in pain. But to his astonishment, his mother had smiled and had obviously started to feel better.
"As long as you're up to it, exercise can help you lessen the pain," his grandmother had assured his mother.
"It's already helping," his mother had replied, slightly out of breath.
"The right kind of exercise," his grandmother had smirked and winked, "can do wonders."
It had been unmistakable to his teenage ears and eyes what kind of exercise his grandmother had referred to and when both women laughed Chakotay had pulled a face and turned around, really not wanting to hear about their sex life. Not even wanting to think that they still had one. Although, he was thankful for it now.
Everything fell into place now. The way Kathryn had acted towards him had been - for lack of a better term - horny, with the problem that she didn't seem to act on her urges. It definitely explained why she had stayed away or pulled back from too much intimacy. And she must have tried to lessen any cramps with more exercise than usual. That, or she had tried to dampen her body's natural urges by wearing it out.
Well, he could help with both, he decided and shed his clothes, adding them to her pile on the floor. He quickly stepped into the shower, careful not to let too much steam and heat escape.
"Chakotay!" Kathryn let out a surprised yelp when she felt him against her back. "What are you doing here?"
"I missed you in bed," he simply said as his lips found her exposed neck and his hands settled low on her hips.
Her skin was warm and slick from the water and she smelled of fresh air and sunshine and something that was uniquely her. His hands roamed, one gliding up to cup her breast while the other settled low on her belly, holding her to him, while she steadied herself against the wall.
"Chakotay," she started, her breath catching as his thumb caught on her nipple.
"Do you want me to stop?" He had every intention to if she told him so, but the way she arched against him told him what he had expected. Her back bent pressing her ass into his straining erection and her breast into his palm and she leaned her head to the side to give him better access to her neck. She was horny as hell and didn't think they could have sex while she was on her period.
Kathryn on the other hand was fighting an inner battle and by her count she was losing rapidly. She had tried to stay away from Chakotay for the last two days. She knew from experience that she got more sensitive and terribly aroused a few days into her period and she had a hard time keeping her hands off him. She had been in a constant battle between wanting to jump his bones and feeling miserable and irritated because of her cramps.
With Mark she had somehow come to a silent understanding after a few months. Without her having to say anything he had known exactly how far to go and when to back off. But although she had reached a deeper level of intimacy with Chakotay, she had not yet dared to bluntly tell him to back off. And so far he had not seemed to catch on by himself.
She had kept her workout routine, and while it took the edge off her pain, it didn't do anything for her heightened arousal. If anything the running had made it worse. The constant movement of clothes against her skin when she was running sensitizing her even more. She had meant to take a shower to calm her down and with any luck be out of the apartment before Chakotay woke up.
Kathryn had almost panicked when he stepped into the shower and had been about to make up some excuse and tell him to leave. She could fake a migraine, but he would see through that and she didn't actually want to lie to him. And when his thumb made another pass over her nipple and his fingers spread on her belly, straying against her curls, she forgot why she wanted him to stop in the first place.
"No," she groaned and pressed herself into his embrace.
Chakotay let his hand roam then. While his one hand stayed on her belly, securing her to him, keeping her anchored against his pelvis, his other hand explored the vast expanse of wet skin. Down her side over her hip and along the muscles of her outer thigh as far as he could reach, then up the back, over the round curve of her ass, his thumb dipping into the crease as he passed the small of her back. He caressed up her spine and along her shoulder, up and around her neck to slightly take her chin and tilt her head backwards and to the side, letting his mouth suck on her tender skin. He grazed her neck with his teeth then smoothed the spot over with his tongue.
At the breathy moan that Kathryn emitted, Chakotay dared to move his other hand down and along her thigh. Kathryn's breath hitched and she tensed for a moment.
"We can't." The regret was clearly audible in her voice.
"Do you want me to stop?" Chakotay stopped his hand, ready to retreat if she asked him to, but when she failed to respond, her breathing uneven, he knew that it wasn't her lack of want that kept her from giving in.
"I don't mind," he mumbled against her neck and felt her swallow heavily against his hand. "I love everything about you," he continued as his hand slipped from her throat to her breast, his other hand slipping between her slick folds.
Kathryn's brows furrowed instantly, her nose crunching up as her pelvis ground against his questing hand of its own volition and a breathy "Yes" escaped her, granting him the clear permission he had been seeking. Her teeth ground together and she emitted a sound somewhere between a growl and a moan when his fingers found her clit with uncanny precision.
She slid her legs further apart, giving him more freedom to roam and sagged against him almost imperceptibly when his widened his movements from his clit to her opening, spreading her moisture in a maddening rhythm. She felt her walls clench around nothing and tilted her hips at his next pass, signalling where she wanted his fingers.
Chakotay got the message and started circling his middle finger around her wet entrance, dipping just the tip in every few seconds, his other hand tightening around her breast in tandem with his dips. He added a second finger and curled both against her front wall, but found that the angle didn't allow him to effectively stimulate her clit at the same time.
His gaze fell on the cylindrical shower head and an idea began to form in his mind. He took the shower head from its mount and lowered it between her legs. The form allowed him to hold it comfortably against her while his other hand moved unhindered.
Kathryn let out a wail as his fingers curled against her g-spot and the warm spray hit her directly on her swollen clit. The movement of his fingers inside her and the constant warm pressure against her bundle of nerves had her hurtling towards orgasm. The explosion behind her eyelids was happening so fast she could do nothing but hold on to Chakotay and helplessly twist and jerk in his embrace.
Chakotay didn't let her come down from her orgasm, but nudged between her thighs and placed himself against her opening. The spray of the water still on her clit, Kathryn arched back into Chakotay, effectively pushing herself onto his erection, his weeping head easily slipping past her initial barrier. Chakotay grunted when he felt himself slide home and the warmth of Kathryn's tight heat envelop him fully. He was already so hard he didn't think he would last long, but from the way Kathryn pushed against him and whimpered he didn't think she it would take her long to reach another peak either.
With Kathryn steadying herself against the shower wall and Chakotay's hand on her hips, securing her against him they had enough leverage to find a satisfying rhythm against each other. Each time Chakotay thrust into her, he pushed her clit into the shower head, causing her to let out a loud, high-pitched moan. Unable to hold himself in check his thrusts became faster and harder and despite his best intentions he felt his control slip and the sweet pleasure of his own release shooting in hot jets into her.
He trembled against her backside, his fingers digging into the flesh of her hip and Kathryn knew he would leave bruises but she didn't care. What she did care about was the orgasm that had been just out of reach that she now felt slipping away. The water was still incessantly pounding against her bundle of nerves, and she tried to push back against Chakotay again. Just a few more thrusts and she would get there. Just a little more in the right spot.
He got the hint and pushed back into her before he could soften. He held the shower head securely against her now, while pounding into her with abandon. The way she shrieked with every thrust told him he was hitting the right spot and it was only a few seconds before he could feel her vaginal muscles contracting around him so hard she forced him out of her. Chakotay moved the hand from her hip and cupped her twitching and pulsing mound.
He calmed her down by moving his fingers along her outer folds and drawing wide circles around her clit, careful to avoid her oversensitized areas. He waited for her muscle spasms to calm before he went back in. He turned the pressure of the water down, took the shower head that he had redirected away from her clit and moved it back between her thighs. It was now a slow, steady stream against her lower body, more soothing than exciting and Kathryn lay her head against his shoulder as he gently washed her, still keeping her arousal on a plateau.
Her eyes tore open when he felt him nudge the shower head against her opening, though, and she tensed and grabbed his wrist. He stopped immediately but didn't move it away.
"Trust me," he whispered just when his finger flicked over her clit again.
Kathryn whimpered and released her hold on his hand. She steadied herself against the shower wall when he moved both hands between her thighs. Using the fingers of one hand he held her open to him as he gently nudged the shower head inside. Kathryn was surprised when she didn't feel any of the expected discomfort. Instead she felt the soothing warmth of the water against her cervix.
Experimentally she clenched her vaginal muscles and sighed when she felt the fullness as the water filled her and the resulting relief when she released her muscles and allowed the water to flow out. She repeated the action a few times, finding that the play of pressure and release felt incredibly good, not unlike being able to relieve her bladder after having to hold it in forever, or like a small, comfortable orgasm.
When Chakotay felt her starting to get comfortable he moved the shower head inside her in a thrusting motion. The weak spray and the silicone nubs massaged her inner walls as Chakotay pushed and turned the shower head while two fingers of his other hand pinched and nudged her clit. Kathryn felt her knees buckle and a strange noise escape her throat as trails of fire rippled up her spine again and then she squeezed her eyes shut as light exploded and everything around her turned into static, her own blood rushing through her veins like rolling steam drowning everything else out. She heard someone curse loudly and then her vision faded to black for a few seconds. Then she felt herself take a huge gulping breath and sagged into Chakotay's strong arms.
"Wow," was the first thing her brain formed when she had enough air to spare some for speaking. She took a few more deep breaths and tried to me more articulate, but all that she managed was another "Wow."
Chakotay held her quivering form upright until he felt she could stand on her own legs again. Her knees were wobbly but she found she could manage with a bit of help as he turned her around and she leaned back against the shower wall.
"That was…" she stopped searching for the right word, still breathing open-mouthed and staring at him as if she had never seen him before.
"Wow?" Chakotay offered with a chuckle, causing Kathryn's shoulders so shake in breathless laughter.
"Helpful," she blurted and immediately wanted to slap her brain for spontaneously settling on the worst possible description. Although it was true. She felt relaxed and free of pain, so obviously it had been indescribably helpful. "Unexpected." She tried again and found that any word she could think of besides wow fell short, so she just gave up and grinned at Chakotay.
"How do you feel?" He asked, his caress gentle against her warm skin, still soothing her down from her high.
"Clean." She smirked, slowly starting to feel like herself again. Then she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Thank you. I do feel a lot better."
"Anytime you need to feel better," Chakotay said with a little wriggle of his eyebrows, "you don't even need to say the word. I don't think I'll ever want to say no."
"I'm sorry. I know I'm not easy to, uhm, handle some days."
"Kathryn," Chakotay leaned back into her and in between quick kisses assured her, "I love you - every day - of the month."
"Maybe on some days we can keep the loving restricted to the shower?" Kathryn asked good humouredly as she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a large towel, holding one out for Chakotay as well.
"I'll love you any day, anywhere, in any way you'll let me and any time and way you need me."
"And you don't get to have a say?" She wrapped her arms around his waist, her fingers playing along the line of his towel.
"I say yes, Kathryn."
"Always?"
"Always."
Notes:
I realized I should warn about the whole flushing out your privates. With a low water stream it's fine as long as it's not done regularly interrupting the normal vaginal flora, but the stream should never be directly on your cervix and VERY important, never do this right after giving birth. It may feel good at first because the warm water is soothing and cleans you "down there", but it can lead to heavy bleeding and clotting after giving birth, making the whole process afterwards even MORE painful.
Also, the concept is based on the idea that the shower head is clean AND the water is clean. Never do this with unsanitary shower heads or water that isn't regularly heated to at least 60°/ 140 F - to avoid any harmful bacteria in the water!