Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek: Voyager or the characters used in this story. I just like to borrow them for my own amusement.
Author's Note: This is my first posted Voyager story and I can't really believe I'm posting it but here it is! This is the first of seven stories based off of something stillboldlygoing said on tumblr. My muse was immediately enthralled with the idea and wouldn't leave me alone until I posted this. It's unedited and I don't have a beta, so all mistakes are mine.
Standing in front of her door with a padd clasped in his hands, he wonders for the thousandth time why he's here and not waiting until tomorrow. They're not enemies, exactly, but they're certainly not friends. She's polite on duty and always offers him coffee when they have meetings in the Ready Room, and lately he's noticed the quick face she makes when he asks for cream and sugar in his, but it's not like they see each other socially outside of work. Of course, life in the Delta Quadrant hasn't been easy and the constant red alerts from the attacks of the Kazon means he sees a lot of her, but she's always in uniform and always the captain. She's always the captain and that's all she'll ever be; he keeps telling himself that as he presses the chime and he's surprised when her door slides open almost immediately.
"What can I do for you, Commander?"
It takes him a moment to spot her since the lights are off in her quarters and he has to blink several times to adjust to the difference from the corridor. She's by the viewport, one hand on her hip and the other resting against the transparent aluminum as she stares out at the streaking stars. She's not in uniform and it startles him; he loses his train of thought at the sight of her loose cotton pants and tunic, but he recovers quickly and takes a few steps into her quarters to allow the door to slide shut.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Captain. I can come back if you'd like," he says, not wanting to pull her away from what's probably her first moment of solitude since Voyager's arrival in this quadrant. She looks over at him and smiles faintly, shaking her head.
"It's fine, Commander. I was just doing a little stargazing, nothing impor-" Her eyes meet his and he feels a tightness of unfamiliar emotion form in his chest but she's still talking so he sets the feeling aside for later examination. "-get you anything to drink?"
He mirrors her smile with a dimpled one of his own and nods slightly as he shuffles a little closer. She's intriguing and while he knows it's not proper protocol for the first officer to be in the captain's quarters so late, he'll be damned if he's leaving now. "Hot tea would be nice, please. I really don't mean to bother you, Captain. I just needed a quick approval on a personnel change and I'll leave you to enjoy your solitude."
He sees the glimmer of tears in her eyes as she turns to the replicator but her voice is strong as she orders their drinks. Quickly doing a mental rewind of what he's said, he can't pinpoint what's bothering her and without really thinking about the propriety of what he's doing, he moves to stand behind her and lightly touches her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I've said something to upset you and that's not my intention," he says and when she turns to look at him he realizes how close they're standing. He doesn't move, and neither does she. Her eyes are the bluest he's ever seen and he's surprised she's not moving. Instead she rests her hand on his chest and he feels his heart pounding against his rib cage at the simple contact.
"It's okay, Commander. I was doing some thinking earlier and realized that today's my birthday but I'm not celebrating it for the first time in the thirty-some-odd years I've been alive. I never realized that taking this mission would end with such a solitary existence," she says quietly and he notices that she's been staring at her hand on his chest as she speaks. The tightness in his chest is back and he recognizes it for what it is; it's been a very long time since he's felt this particular emotion. He realizes that she's finally looking up at him and he doesn't want to frighten her with his feelings, so he smiles instead.
"I didn't know when I joined the Maquis that I'd be back on a Starfleet ship, standing in my captain's quarters on her birthday," he replies and he softens the seriousness of the statement with another dose of his dimples. "I would have brought you a present if I'd known it's your birthday."
She manages a small smile at that, though he can still see the lingering sadness in her eyes. He knows she's a very tactile person (she's forever patting his arm or touching his shoulder, to say nothing of the hand still on his chest) so he makes an impulsive decision that he hopes won't land him in the brig and leans down to give her a quick hug. It's impossible to ignore the way she stiffens in surprise before relaxing slightly and he can't miss the mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
"That was a suitable birthday present, Commander. Consider yourself off the court-martial list for not knowing your captain's birthday," she quips and he grins as he watches her fetch their cups from their waiting spot in her replicator. They settle at her desk and she quickly gives her approval to the addition of several Maquis crewmembers to key duties with a touch of her thumb to the padd. As she hands the padd back to him and takes his empty cup, she graces him with a smile, genuine this time.
"You don't have to bring everything to me for approval, you know. I trust you to know the former Maquis and what they can handle; personnel changes are within the purview of the first officer," she states but he hears no reproach in her voice so he chuckles.
"Yes, but if I'd exercised my right to change the duty roster I would've missed the chance to celebrate my captain's birthday," he replies and he's pleasantly surprised to see her blush. She walks him to the door and just before he triggers the sensor, she reaches out to stop him. Looking down at her, he's struck again by how small she is without her shroud of command.
"Thank you, Commander. I do appreciate what you did tonight."
"You're welcome, Captain. Happy birthday."
He smiles for the rest of the night.