Hi!
We'll just say this is set post season 2. Based on a Tumblr post I came across.
Just a short little puff piece I hope you enjoy.
Her spoon clanked against the white ceramic with more vigor than necessary as she stirred, irritated. She could feel his eyes on her and looked up to see her first officer looking at her with concern, but she knew better. To the untrained eye the concerned look on his face seemed genuine, but it was the humor dancing in his eyes that gave him away.
His eyes always gave him away.
"Is something the matter?" The cheekiness in his voice was not lost on her.
Kathryn sat her spoon down and raised the cup in front of her to her lips, taking a slow sip, holding his gaze. The smooth, sweet taste paled in comparison to the pungent bitterness that she craved. "You know Chakotay," she started as she sat the cup back on her desk, "I was told the most interesting fact yesterday, would you like to hear it?"
His eyes shifted from slight confusion to curiosity before responding, "love to."
She got up and moved to stand in front of her desk, close to where he was on the couch. "In 15th century Turkish culture coffee was regarded as highly valuable. So valuable, in fact, that women had the right to divorce their husbands if they weren't provided with enough." Her right thumb and index finger fiddled with the gold titanium, jewel incrusted ring adorning her left ring finger.
The thinly veiled threat was not lost on Chakotay. Eyes went down to her hands and back up as he smirked, "that is is interesting, though I don't think they had things like replicator rations and lacking resources to contend with when they included that clause." His thumb ran across a similar ring sitting on his own left ring finger.
Kathryn huffed out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Semantics" she grumbled.
Rising from the couch he came over to her and kissed her temple, "I know it was the day you usually get coffee and you were looking forward to having." His tone softened her irritation. Neelix having given out of coffee beans yesterday and both of them having used up their allotted replicator rations. They'd given themselves a limit of only so much to use in a given week, outside of necessities. "Besides, we have more important things to spend our rations on."
Kathryn regarded the small baby that had settled herself in her father's arm, distracting herself with the little Flotter toy in her hand. She caressed her daughter's soft cheek. She got a smile around the pacifier in her mouth in response, dimples on full display. Any residual irritation she still felt melted in that moment.
"Some things are more important than coffee."
Baby on board Voyager is a fave trope of mine. No regrets.
Let me know what you think!
