Falling asleep
When a tired captain falls asleep where she should not, the Commander watches over her. – Drabbles. Definitely fluff. Not betaed.
…
"What do you think you are doing, Ensign?". In a very soft voice.
"She fell asleep around the 12th act, Commander". Quiet as can be.
The other spectators take no notice of the three humans.
"So you put your Captain's wellbeing ahead of her duties as a Federation representative?".
"Yes, Commander".
"You'll have a sore shoulder tomorrow. And you know she'll kill you when she wakes up".
"The thought crossed my mind, Commander".
"Well done Ensign. Carry on. But wipe that silly smile off your face. That's an order".
…
"B'Elanna to Chakotay".
"Chakotay here. It better be good B'Elanna. We are up to our necks in repairs up on the bridge".
"It is about the Captain".
"I am coming".
…
"She has been working in this Jeffrey tube for five hours straight. And now she has fallen asleep in there. I am not going in and waking her up because she'll just go on working. But she'll chew my ears off if my staff sees her sleep there". The Chief Engineer is gesticulating towards the access door.
"She did two full shifts on the bridge before coming to Engineering. She is exhausted". He taps his comms badge. "Transporter. Site to site transport, program Sleeping Kathryn. Authorisation Chakotay Alpha 2".
"Sleeping Kathryn?".
He finds it amazing to see how much amusement a half-human eyebrow can convey.
"I had to create the program when I found the Captain asleep in the mess hall one night and I could not wake her up. The transporter puts her straight into her bed without disturbing her". The Commander feels a tang of annoyance. He has never meant his meddling with the Captain's sleeping arrangements, or lack of, to become public knowledge.
"And she has never questioned how she got there?".
"Not that I know of. She probably believes she was too tired the night before and cannot remember getting to her quarters by herself", he muses.
"Better check one day that she has not moved her bed. Or you'll get a very cranky Captain tearing you apart when she wakes up falling two feet through the air onto her bedroom floor".
"Mmmh.. I had not thought about that".
There is a wide smile on the Chief Engineer's face.
…
"You are going to be sore tomorrow if you insist on sleeping on the floor".
"I assure you Commander, I would much prefer to be in my quarters right now." She avoids looking at him, feeling rather testy. "But you crashed the shuttle so I'll take the floor and you stay in the remaining bunk bed".
Chakotay ignores the non-sequitur in her last words. The ion storm was among the largest they have encountered so far in the Delta Quadrant. Her impractical sleeping arrangement is the problem right now, not his flying skills.
"There is plenty of room for the two of us, Captain. You'll wake up much more rested if you sleep on the mattress".
"I'll probably move in my sleep and risk bumping into your broken leg during the night. You need your rest too, Chakotay. I'll be fine. Good night". She contemplates using the medical kit as a pillow, then settles for a piece of conduit instead.
She won't be fine. She'll be even more worn-out after a night on the hard floor and no coffee in the morning, sighs Chakotay. He settles on the bed, moving towards the wall as much as possible.
She wakes up before him, feeling somehow refreshed. A ray of sunrise illuminates the shuttle interior through the large tear on the aft wall. She gently retrieves her arm from under his neck and carefully moves his ankle off her leg. She wonders how he can sleep with such a big smile on his face.
…