Harryitis
By starstruck
Author's Note: Poor Harry. He always gets into the bad situations. But we love him anyway!
Disclaimer: Voyager & Harry Kim are property of Paramount. Another reason to feel sorry for Harry.
**
The absolute worst thing about having Tom Paris as your best friend was the way he just barged into your quarters uninvited. It was disconcerting, the way he just invited himself over. And Tom, being Tom, always chose the most inconvenient times to barge in.
Like during Harry's clarinet practice, for example. Tom didn't seem to understand the importance of practicing. And he always made snide comments about how much cooler the saxophone was, and would attempt to subtly imply that the clarinet was beyond annoying.
It just made the barging in that much worse.
So when Tom walked in during Harry's clarinet practice for the day, it was all Harry could do not to groan aloud. Luckily, Harry had remarkably good self-control, and he just ignored Tom.
"Harry . . ." said Tom.
Harry continued the Clarinet Concerto.
"Harry . . ." said Tom again.
"What, Tom? Why did you come barging into my quarters this time?" asked Harry.
Okay, so patience wasn't everything.
"I'm in love, Harry," said Tom.
"AGAIN? Tom, you need to understand something. You're NOT in love. We've been down this road before, and you've just made another crush, probably another unreachable one! Oh god Tom, not again! Why did you drag me into this again? It's so ruddy annoying, and . . ."
Harry stopped at the look on Tom's face.
"Are you done yet?"
"I guess I am, but . . . who is it this time?"
Tom fell back onto Harry's couch and put his head in his hands.
"That bad?"
"Worse," said Tom
"Who is it, Tom?"
Tom made a muffled noise.
"I'm sorry, could you please repeat that?"
"B'Elanna," said Tom quietly.
"B'ELANNA?" yelled Harry.
"Don't yell it, Harry!"
"B'Elanna?" asked Harry, quieter, but shocked skepticism still evident in his voice.
"Yeah, B'Elanna," muttered Tom.
"But Tom . . . why?"
"I dunno," said Tom miserably.
"B'Elanna," Harry repeated.
"B'Elanna," Tom confirmed.
"As in, feisty half-Klingon engineer?"
"How many B'Elannas do you know, Harry?"
"Tom."
"What?"
"You can't let this happen to us," said Harry. "I mean, B'Elanna's my friend. I can't just get involved in your impossible plans to court her! She'll never forgive me. And don't give me that innocent look, Tom, I know exactly what you were thinking. How about you 'fall in love' with Sue Nicoletti again, hmm? I know she was hard, but she'll be a breeze compared to B'Elanna! Why do you always go for the hard ones, anyway, Tom?"
"I dunno," said Tom. "I just do."
They both sat in miserable silence.
"So," said Tom. "Are you gonna help me?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "I suppose I'll have to."
