Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of the characters
Another sigh unconsciously escaped Harry Kim's lips. He was on his usual station on the bridge, Janeway commanding them through space and back towards the ever distant Alpha Quadrant. He was as efficient as ever, but was pressing the buttons without any real focus as he stared at the back of his best friend – Tom Paris.
When he'd first met Paris he hadn't liked the guy at all, he was the sort of guy who Harry had always been afraid would take his girlfriend Libby from him – there was an arrogance about him that Harry disliked – after all, just cause the guy was attractive didn't mean he had the right to act like he was a god, right?
But then Harry got to know the guy and realised his sometimes arrogant remarks were to mask his insecurities that he would never be a good Starfleet officer.
Things had been changing his feelings for a while, but it wasn't until he and Tom Paris were accused of terrorism and were then thrown into prison on a planet that he had become fully of his feelings.
He kept lapsing back into memories now, as he idly stabbed at sections on his screen...
'Did Tom always look so handsome?' Harry Kim thought, half dreamily, half dozily from dehydration, as he stared down at Paris on the bed. The young man was a little more yellow in complexion than usual due to his stab wound but all the same still emanated vibes of a handsome lovable rogue. Heavily lidded, he gazed down at the man, breathing with difficulty.
"Come on Tom," he urged him in a low voice, mopping his brow gently with a slightly dirtied cloth (it had been all he could find in the prison) and then stroking his forehead lovingly. "You're going to be fine."
"Har-Harry?" Tom's eyes fluttered open with difficulty. "H-Harry?" He croaked his name again, before breaking out into a cough.
"Ssh, it's okay Tom. I'm here," Harry smiled, wondering a little deep down why he was so happy just to be alone with Tom. But that didn't matter right now.
"Harry I'm so happy that you came," Tom smiled.
'Oh boy, he's delirious,' Harry thought to himself.
But then suddenly, Tom loped an arm around Harry's neck, pulling him down into a kiss, mashing their lips together. Harry was too surprised to do anything but open his mouth a little in shock, and Tom used that as his opening to begin kissing him over and over, before collapsing back on the bed.
"I hope you didn't mind," he smiled, before his eyes slid closed again, leaving a very confused Harry to try and figure out what had just happened.
"Mr Kim? Mr Kim?"
Janeway's voice cut through, and Harry blinked as the kiss shifted out of his mind. The whole crew – Torres, Tuvok...oh no, even Paris – were staring at him.
"Ah, yes, Captain?"
"I asked you if the inertial dampeners needed to be reinitialized." Janeway struggled to keep the bemused look off her face and Harry felt his blush steadily deepen as he did what she asked – everyone was still looking at him.
"So what had you in such a daze, huh?" There it was – Tom Paris' mischievous smile that always, always had Harry's heart in a messy knot as they made their way to the dinner hall for Neelix's latest sloppy mess of weirdness.
"I don't think we should be friends any more." Harry had stopped dead in his tracks, the words falling out of his mouth. Paris halted in his tracks, turning to Harry.
"This is because I kissed you, isn't it?" His words went straight to the heart.
'So he remembers,' Harry thought, his heart quickening rapidly until it was almost one continuous beat.
"Gee, Harry, this is the 24th century. Who would've thought you'd be such a homophobic?" Tom had tried to laugh but Harry could hear that he was hurt.
"It's not that," Harry muttered, feeling frustrated with himself – what was he supposed to say – "Hey, Tom, you know how we're best friends? Well, guess what, I'm sexually attracted to you now!"