Title: Time Will Tell
Rating: T
Summary: Takes place during "Revulsion." Fictober 2018 prompt #7: "No worries. We still have time." P&K friendship, P/T, K/7.
Tom stopped in his tracks when he saw Harry slumped over the table, his head buried in his hands.
"Harry? Are you all right?"
"No, I'm not all right," was the muffled reply.
"What happened?"
Harry groaned. "I asked Seven if she wanted to see the Ktarian moonrise simulation on the holodeck. She thought I wanted to 'copulate' and told me to take off my clothes."
Tom wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. "She told you to what?"
"Take off my clothes," Harry repeated, finally lifting his head off the table.
"Well, did you?"
"No, of course not!"
Tom shook his head in exasperation.
"Harry, Harry, Harry. What did you expect?"
"I didn't think she'd be so blunt about it!"
"Seven doesn't understand the nuances of social interaction. A month ago, she was a Borg drone. Weren't you listening to me at all earlier? I warned you to be careful. To take it slow."
"I know! I tried! But I just couldn't stop thinking about her. Resistance is futile and all that," he joked feebly.
Tom rolled his eyes. "Why didn't you take her up on her offer to 'copulate,' then?" he said sarcastically.
"Why didn't you take B'Elanna up on her offer when she was throwing herself at you?" Harry shot back.
Tom reeled, looking stunned, and Harry immediately regretted his harsh words. He of all people knew just how deep Tom's feelings for B'Elanna were.
Neither of them would ever take advantage of a woman, but Tom hadn't quite managed to resist B'Elanna's advances when she'd undergone the pon farr. He felt guilty about losing self-control and kissing her back when she'd kissed him.
"Sorry. That was a low blow," Harry said. Particularly now, when Tom still didn't know exactly where he stood with B'Elanna.
"Forget it," Tom said brusquely, brushing off his apology. "So what are you going to do now? You still have to work with Seven on this project."
"I'm going to ask Chakotay to take me off the assignment. Now that we've finished the schematics for the Astrometrics lab, a team from Engineering can take over the construction. They won't need me at all," Harry replied unconvincingly.
Tom eyed him skeptically. Knowing Chakotay's twisted sense of humor, that wasn't likely to turn out well.
"Okay. Good luck with that," he said. "And what are you going to say to Seven?"
Harry sighed. "Nothing. I figured I'd lie low for a while. Let the dust settle, then try again eventually."
"That's probably a good idea," Tom agreed.
"Yeah. Besides, we're all stuck on this ship together for the next 60 years," Harry added. "That should be plenty of time for me and Seven to figure it out. And for you and B'Elanna too."
"Right," Tom said with feigned nonchalance. "No worries. We still have time."
Their false bravado couldn't quite disguise their unspoken fears, nor the longing and hope in their hearts.
What if Seven's mad at me for rejecting her?
What if B'Elanna changes her mind?
I hope she gives me a chance.
I don't want to be alone anymore.
Only time would tell.
The End!