Disclaimer and A/N see chapter 1.
*****
"I feel like I'm back at the Academy." Tom mumbled under his breath from where he sat in his chair, watching as Chakotay sat down on the sofa, dropping his overnight bag on the floor. Apparently the words hadn't been low enough, as Chakotay replied,
"Come on, the Academy wasn't all that bad."
"Don't you think I feel childish enough as it is?" Tom suddenly shouted.
Chakotay looked up and stared at Tom with surprise at his sudden outburst. Chakotay regained himself and said in a calm voice, "Why would you feel childish?"
"What else would you expect?"
"I don't know, Paris, because you refuse to talk to me." Chakotay replied in a somewhat strained voice. Tom just dropped his gaze to the floor, so Chakotay carried on, "Explain it to me. Tell me why you feel childish."
Tom looked around the room as if looking for a distraction of some sort. His gaze finally came to rest upon Chakotay.
"My *Captain* has referred me to a *shrink* because I get *nightmares*! How the fuck would you feel?" he ran a tense hand through his hair.
"I realise that..."
"No. You don't. Why don't you just get your things and leave, because I don't need your help. I don't need anyone's help. Why can't you realise that?"
"Because, Paris, *you* need to realise something. When I walked in on your nightmare, I saw a truly scared man, a scared man who was in pain. It's not possible for me to pretend I didn't see that, the same way I couldn't just walk past someone who was badly injured and needed help. And you're just the same Paris, whether you like it or not, you are, because otherwise, you would have just ignored the fact that I was in trouble and left me to die in the cave on Ocampa, instead of getting me out and saving my life."
Tom looked up at Chakotay for a few moments, considering what he had said. He finally got up and strode into the bedroom. When he came back, he threw a blanket that Chakotay just managed to catch before it dropped to the ground.
Before Chakotay had time to look back up at him, Tom simply said, "Goodnight." Tom then walked back into his bedroom, leaving Chakotay to contemplate the winning of a small battle.
*****
"I feel like I'm back at the Academy." Tom mumbled under his breath from where he sat in his chair, watching as Chakotay sat down on the sofa, dropping his overnight bag on the floor. Apparently the words hadn't been low enough, as Chakotay replied,
"Come on, the Academy wasn't all that bad."
"Don't you think I feel childish enough as it is?" Tom suddenly shouted.
Chakotay looked up and stared at Tom with surprise at his sudden outburst. Chakotay regained himself and said in a calm voice, "Why would you feel childish?"
"What else would you expect?"
"I don't know, Paris, because you refuse to talk to me." Chakotay replied in a somewhat strained voice. Tom just dropped his gaze to the floor, so Chakotay carried on, "Explain it to me. Tell me why you feel childish."
Tom looked around the room as if looking for a distraction of some sort. His gaze finally came to rest upon Chakotay.
"My *Captain* has referred me to a *shrink* because I get *nightmares*! How the fuck would you feel?" he ran a tense hand through his hair.
"I realise that..."
"No. You don't. Why don't you just get your things and leave, because I don't need your help. I don't need anyone's help. Why can't you realise that?"
"Because, Paris, *you* need to realise something. When I walked in on your nightmare, I saw a truly scared man, a scared man who was in pain. It's not possible for me to pretend I didn't see that, the same way I couldn't just walk past someone who was badly injured and needed help. And you're just the same Paris, whether you like it or not, you are, because otherwise, you would have just ignored the fact that I was in trouble and left me to die in the cave on Ocampa, instead of getting me out and saving my life."
Tom looked up at Chakotay for a few moments, considering what he had said. He finally got up and strode into the bedroom. When he came back, he threw a blanket that Chakotay just managed to catch before it dropped to the ground.
Before Chakotay had time to look back up at him, Tom simply said, "Goodnight." Tom then walked back into his bedroom, leaving Chakotay to contemplate the winning of a small battle.