"... and thanks to the heroism of my very dear friend, Lieutenant Tom Paris, and my own skills as an investigative reporter, we managed to root out a threat to Voyager, and make us all a little safer. A toast, to Voyager's own Tom Paris!"
Neelix clapped Tom on the shoulder, raising his glass.
"To Tom Paris!" came the cheerful reply from the dozens of people who had gathered to celebrate in Voyager's mess hall.
"Thank you, Neelix, everyone," said Tom, trying to look humble, and failing. "I'm just glad I was able to do my part."
Harry Kim sat in the corner, moodily pushing food around his plate with a fork. It was an unappetizing hodgepodge of replicator rations, vegetables from the airponics bay, and whatever Neelix had managed to scrounge up during their last stop at an M-class planet. Harry was not hungry, and he did not feel much like celebrating. Of course he was relieved that Tom had returned safely from his undercover mission to the Kazon, and his betrayal of Voyager had been only a ruse, but he could not look at him without remembering the moment in the Transporter room when Harry thought he was saying goodbye to his best friend for the last time - and Tom had offered him a handshake.
"Is everything all right Mr. Kim?" Neelix slid into the chair across from him. "You don't seem to be enjoying yourself."
"I have a headache," Harry said shortly.
"I'm sorry to hear that," said Neelix. "I wanted to thank you for your suggestion to go deeper with my reporting. If it hadn't been for your advice, I might never have uncovered Mr. Jonas's duplicity."
"That's great, Neelix. Glad I could help."
Harry looked distractedly across the mess hall to where Tom sat cozily between the smiling Delaney sisters. Abruptly, he stood up, pushing his plate away.
Neelix gave him a worried look. "Maybe you should stop by Sickbay. You don't look very well."
"Yeah, maybe," said Harry. "Good night, Neelix."
The lights came on when Harry entered his quarters. Too bright. He ordered the computer to dim them, and to play some soft instrumental music. Lying down on the bed, he closed his eyes. It was not a headache, precisely, but with everything on his mind, Neelix's stupid party was simply too much to bear.
Harry understood now why Tom had been acting so strange lately. Irritable, reckless, belligerent, insubordinate. It was all part of the act, to convince the Kazon and their mole onboard Voyager that he might be willing to turn traitor. But his abrupt departure from the ship had shaken Harry. That Tom could part ways with him so casually, even for show, had wounded him more deeply than he would have thought possible. He thought their friendship meant more to Tom than that.
From the early days of Voyager's exile in the Delta Quadrant, Harry basked in the glow of Tom's friendship. He had never had a friend like him before. Handsome, charming, fun-loving, a bit of a playboy. Harry looked up to him, delighted that someone like Tom would take notice of him. Over the past year, their friendship had deepened and grown. Sometimes, when he looked at Tom, or thought about him, there were other feelings - feelings Harry had not yet put names to. And then, just like that, Tom was gone. Not through any accident, or twist of fate, but because he had chosen to go. Chosen to leave Harry behind.
Then, Harry had been bereft. Now, he was angry, though he was not sure he had any right to be. Tom had not actually left him. None of it had been real.
The door of his quarters chimed. Harry clenched his teeth. He did not need Neelix checking in on him.
The door chimed again, followed by a knock.
"Harry, it's me. Can I talk to you for a minute?"
With a sigh, Harry sat up.
"Come."
The door slid open, and Tom Paris stepped into the darkened room.
"Neelix said you weren't feeling well."
"I'm fine," said Harry. "You should go back to the party."
"It's not the same without you." Tom attempted one of his usual charming smiles.
"I'm not really in the mood."
"You're mad at me aren't you? Because I didn't tell you what was going on? I couldn't Harry. It had to be a secret. Captain's orders. If I could've told anyone, you'd've been the first to know."
Harry stood up, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "I get that. Of course you couldn't say anything. But you couldn't have acted even a little bit sad about going? You tried to leave me with a fucking handshake, thinking I'd never see you again."
Tom's shoulders slumped. He took a step nearer, a hand on Harry's arm, bright blue eyes filled with pleading.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't know what else to do. I was supposed to be leaving on bad terms. It had to be convincing."
Harry ground his teeth together. "I know that. But you could've - could've -"
Without warning, he grabbed Tom by the shoulders, pulling him close, kissing him hard on the mouth. Then he pushed him away.
"Oh." Tom blinked.
Harry stared him down, wordless, angry, defiant.
"I didn't know, Harry." Tom's voice was gentle.
"Yeah, well, now you do," Harry said savagely, turning away.
"Harry -"
"Just go. You don't have to let me down easy or anything. I know you're not - we're not -"
His throat tightened. He squeezed his eyes shut, everything he had felt over the last three days threatening to overflow, spilling out of him. He did not want to cry in front of Tom.
He heard movement behind him, and then strong arms enfolded him, pulling him back against Tom's chest.
"You could've told me," Tom said quietly.
"How could I? I didn't even know until you - you left." A shuddering sob escaped Harry's throat.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I never wanted to hurt you. You've been a good friend to me, ever since I arrived on Voyager. Maybe the best friend I've ever had."
Soft lips brushed the side of Harry's neck, just below his ear. His breath caught in his throat.
"You don't have to do that. I'll get over it. Really."
"What if I want to?" murmured Tom, kissing his neck again.
"I didn't think you liked men."
"Some men. It wouldn't be my first time."
Harry drew a shivering breath, heart hammering. "It would be mine."
Tom stilled.
"Turn around, Harry. Look at me."
Harry summoned up his courage, turning to face him. He raised his chin, meeting Tom's searching gaze.
Whatever Tom saw in Harry's eyes seemed to decide him. Tilting his head, he captured Harry's mouth in a kiss. His lips moved against Harry's, tender and inviting. The tip of his tongue teased another shiver from him. Tom kissed him the same way Harry had seen him kiss a hundred girls on the Holodeck, and on shore leave. Harry melted, lips parting eagerly.
Breaking the kiss, Tom leaned his forehead against Harry's.
"Let me make it up to you," he said, low and sultry.
Harry swallowed. "How?"
"You know how. Do you know how long it's been since I was with someone I actually cared about? Someone who gave a damn about me?"
Harry thought of Libby. They had only been seeing each other for a few weeks when Voyager was stolen away into the Delta Quadrant, more than a year before. It seemed unlikely she would still be waiting for him, though Harry had seen another reality where they were engaged to be married. It might be years, or even decades, before he saw her again, if he ever did. If any of them survived the journey home.
How many times in the past year had he or Tom almost died? How many of their crew mates had died already? How many times had the ship nearly been lost? Voyager was a fragile island, floating in a hostile sea. Its crew had only each other, with no guarantees beyond the present moment. Time spent waiting for another future was only time wasted. In his heart, Harry let go of what might have been. He needed to live his life now.
"Too long," he growled, and kissed Tom fiercely, tugging at his uniform.
"That's my boy," Tom chuckled breathlessly.
Something in his voice shot straight to Harry's groin. He was already half-hard. How could he not have known this was what he wanted, when he had never wanted anything more?
Their shirts were off, Tom's hands groping for the fly of Harry's trousers, when they stumbled into the edge of the bed. Harry grappled him over, landing on top of him. He kissed Tom again, grinding down as Tom moaned into his mouth.
"Take your pants off," Harry ordered.
"Yes, Sir," Tom laughed, hurrying to obey.
Harry shed the rest of his own clothing swiftly, keeping one eye on the enticing view of Tom undressing. It was not the first time Harry had seen Tom without any clothes on, but the other times had been hijinks-related, which was very different from the sight of Tom, naked in his bed, a teasing smirk curling the corner of his mouth.
"You know, I didn't think you'd be like this," said Tom. "I always imagined you more ... demure. Maybe in need of a little seduction."
That caught Harry by surprise. "You 'always imagined'? You've thought about this before?"
"Sure. I just didn't know you'd be interested."
Harry reclined on the bed, facing him. "What happened next, when you imagined it?"
Tom ran a slow finger down the center of Harry's chest. "Well, see, when I imagined it, we were on the Bridge, and I was in the Captain's chair, and you were on your knees ..."
The teasing finger reached Harry's navel, and kept going. Harry swallowed, fascinated gaze fixing on Tom's rapidly stiffening cock.
"You want me to suck you off?"
Tom bent his head, lips trailing lightly over Harry's throat. "That sounds like a good time. But I'm supposed to be making up for my bad behavior. So this is really about what you want, isn't it?"
Tom's hand curled around him. Harry felt dizzy. What did he want?
"I've never sucked cock before, but it sounds like you have. Show me how it's done?"
Tom grinned against the angle of Harry's jaw. "With pleasure. Lie back."
Harry reclined against the pillow, watching as Tom pushed his knees apart, and settled between them. It was hard to believe it was really happening. And then Tom's mouth was on Harry, lips dragging over the head of his cock. His tongue teased delicately at the slit, then curled around the underside, tugging at his foreskin. Harry's breath escaped in a ragged gasp, hips angling upwards.
"You like that, do you?" asked Tom, drawing back. "I bet I know something you'll like even more. Where's your sex box?"
Harry gestured toward the nightstand. "In the drawer."
Reaching over, Tom pulled out the Starfleet standard issue sexual wellbeing kit, dumping it onto the bed. The box contained various contraceptives and abortifacients, sterile wipes, lubricant, a small vibrator, antibiotics, and a mini PADD loaded with Starfleet's regulations regarding consent, relations with fellow crew members, and relations with non-Federation alien beings. Tom triumphantly plucked the bottle of lubricant from the pile.
"Getting your dick sucked is great, but getting your dick sucked while being fingered is sublime," he informed Harry.
"You're just gonna assume I've never been fingered, huh?"
Tom's eyebrows rose. "Have you? Sounds like you've been dating the right kind of girls." He patted Harry on the thigh. "Pull your knees up."
Harry did not hesitate. Planting his feet wide apart, he spread himself open, on display. The first touch of Tom's slick fingertip, lightly circling his hole, made him gasp. Then he felt pressure, and held his breath, allowing the finger to slip inside him.
"Is this all right?" murmured Tom.
"Just the one?" Harry gave a breathy chuckle. "I guess that's fine."
"Oh, so it's like that, is it?" said Tom, amused. "I've got plenty more where that one came from."
He pulled back, inserting a second well-lubed finger alongside the first, stroking slow and deep. Harry drew a long, shaky breath, his body relaxing into the rhythm.
"Is that better?" asked Tom. "Or do I need to call in reinforcements?"
"I'm hearing a lot of talk from someone who's supposed to be sucking my dick."
Tom laughed, and then his mouth was sliding over Harry's cock again, hot and slick. A rumbling sound of satisfaction escaped Harry's throat. His eyes nearly fluttered closed, but he wanted to watch Tom do this - to see his lips slide down, taking him deep, his cheeks hollowing with every suck, his fingers thrusting, curving, thrumming against his prostate. Nothing had ever looked or felt so good.
Harry lifted a hand, running it through Tom's hair. Tom opened his eyes, raising them to Harry's face. Harry wanted him to see. To know what his touch did to him.
His breath came in panting gasps, chest rising and falling to the rhythm of Tom's fingers inside him. He moved his hips, urging him deeper, harder, faster.
"I'm going to come in your mouth, Paris," he rasped, "and you're going to swallow every drop."
Tom's eyes widened, and he redoubled his efforts, bobbing his head, taking Harry deeper into his throat. When he pushed a third finger inside him, Harry groaned loudly, grinding down on Tom's thrusting hand. He bit his lip as a shuddering climax washed over him, coming in long pulses into his friend's obedient mouth.
His head dropped back onto the pillow, gasping, chest heaving. As his thundering pulse faded from his ears, he dimly heard Tom rummaging for the sterile wipes, then felt the sag of the mattress, as Tom moved to lie down beside him.
"Am I forgiven now?" he asked hoarsely, pushing back the sweat-damp hair from Harry's forehead.
"You think I'm done with you already?" Harry mumbled. "Just gimme a minute ..."
Tom's hand rested on his chest, toying with a flat, brown nipple. "You have no idea how sexy you look right now."
Harry opened his eyes. He took in Tom's tousled hair, his flushed cheeks, eyes smoky with desire, swollen lips curved in a sultry smile.
"Shame I can't say the same about you."
"Oh, it's way too late for that," Tom grinned. "Cat's out of the bag. I already know you want me."
His arm snaked around Harry's waist, pulling him close for a long, hungry kiss. The taste of his spunk on Tom's tongue sent a shiver through Harry's belly.
Tom's erection rubbed languidly against his hip. Harry clenched his hand intp a fist, resisting the urge to touch it.
"So you think it's your turn now, do you?" he asked.
"If you keep on being this hot, 'my turn' is going to happen pretty soon, whether you do anything about it or not."
Harry turned his head, tasting salt on Tom's throat. "Even if I never touch your cock?"
He felt Tom shiver.
"Here, I thought I was bedding a shy young ensign, but you're a tease, Harry Kim."
"It was your mistake, assuming I was some sort of inexperienced novice, just because I said I'd never been with a man before. I don't need you to teach me how to fuck."
He pushed Tom onto his back, and rolled on top of him, sinking his teeth lightly into the soft skin of his neck. Tom released a shuddering breath, hands sliding over Harry's hips, massaging his ass.
"See, now I know you want me, too," Harry murmured. "But I'm gonna make you beg for it."
"Go on, then. Let's see what you can do."
"You sure about that?"
"I think I can take whatever you can dish out."
Reaching into the nightstand drawer, Harry plucked out a circular object, lined with soft silicone. Careful not to touch him, Harry slipped the ring over Tom's erection, settling it snugly at the base. When he pressed a button on the ring's outer edge, a translucent glowing forcefield enclosed Tom's cock, a few millimeters away from his skin.
Tom's eyebrows rose. "Oh, you were serious about that."
"You thought I wasn't? Your cock's in the Brig, at my pleasure, Lieutenant. If you want it released, I'm going to need to hear actual pleading. Otherwise I might just leave it in there until I'm in a more forgiving mood. The ring is keyed to my fingerprint."
Tom gave a helpless laugh. "I should've fucked you months ago."
"Yeah, maybe you should've."
He bent to drag his lips over Tom's chest, enjoying the ticklish feel of the hair that grew there, breathing in the scent of sex and musk and the faint hint of whatever cologne Tom habitually wore. He smelled wonderful. Harry felt the tingle of his own arousal re-awakening. His tongue flicked at a pink nipple. When it tightened into a hard bead, he bit down. Tom gasped sharply, then moaned as Harry sucked it.
His hand curved around Tom's ribcage, over his side, his hip, his thigh. Stopping just above the knee, Harry dug in his fingernails, raking slowly upwards, leaving long, red welts on Tom's pale skin.
Tom arched up, making a whimpering sound, arm tightening across Harry's shoulders. Harry grinned into his chest.
"You like it a little bit rough, huh?"
"I think I'd like a lot of things, if it was you doing them to me."
His words sent a thrill through Harry's belly. A dozen steamy scenarios played out in rapid succession before his mind's eye. He wanted to do them all, but tonight was only one night, with no telling what tomorrow would bring. If this was all he ever had of Tom Paris, he intended to make it count.
Slipping out from under Tom's arm, Harry continued his journey south, nuzzling at his abs. Tom must have been ticklish, for the muscles twitched and quivered under his lips, and a startled breath of laughter burst from Tom's throat. Harry mouthed the soft skin until it rippled with goosebumps, enjoying the shivering tremors.
Following the path of hair that grew downward from Tom's navel, Harry bypassed Tom's trapped cock. Neatly trimmed hair tickled his nose as he drew one of Tom's balls into his mouth and sucked at it, as if savoring some rare delicacy.
Tom made a needy sound, and Harry stifled a grin, leaning up on his elbows to admire his friend's taught, flushed face, wide eyes clouded with lust. Harry tilted his head, and rubbed his cheek against the confining forcefield. It was smooth as glass, and made his skin tingle. Holding Tom's hungry gaze, he gave its glowing surface a long, slow lick. It fizzed on his tongue like the bubbles in a carbonated beverage.
"That's not fair." Tom's voice was strained.
"Ready to start begging already?" asked Harry, amused. "I thought you'd last longer."
"Not quite. I want to see what else you'll do."
Harry knew a challenge when he heard one. He reached for the pile of wellness supplies, and found the Starfleet-issue vibrator, Medical blue, inlaid with a gold Delta insignia. It was not large - a little longer and thicker than one of his fingers - meant more for external stimulation than any deeper exploration, though it had the necessary flared base. The smooth, skin-like surface warmed instantly to his touch, and a light tap of his finger set it humming silently.
"What are you going to do with that?" Tom asked.
Harry gave the device a considering look. "I dunno. I guess we'll find out."
Experimentally, he touched the vibrator's tapered tip to the sensitive skin of Tom's inner thigh, then lightly traced a lazy, spiraling path, drawing ever nearer to his groin, but never quite reaching it.
"Oh," gasped Tom, the muscles of his thigh quivering with tension.
When Harry repeated the experiment on his other thigh, Tom's feet slid up the bed, knees drawing up, and falling wider apart.
"Is there somewhere else you want it?" murmured Harry.
"I'm - ah - open to suggestions."
"I can see that."
The sight of Tom offering up his twitching hole was enough to make Harry rock-hard. For one dizzy instant, he considered tossing the vibrator aside, and fucking Tom right then and there.
Tom must have seen it in his face.
"I've fantasized about that, too," he said softly. "Go ahead, if that's what you want. I'm all yours. We don't have to play games."
Harry swallowed, tearing his eyes away from the tempting sight.
"Then how will you ever learn your lesson?" he asked hoarsely.
He teased the tip of the vibrator lightly over the puckered skin of Tom's scrotum. Tom squirmed and shifted, as if trying to direct the vibrations elsewhere.
"Where do you want it?" Harry asked in a low voice. "Here, maybe?"
The buzzing toy nudged the underside of Tom's trapped cock, its vibrations transferred momentarily to the confining ring. Tom drew a sharp, shaky breath, his head falling back onto the pillow.
"Or maybe here?" Harry continued.
He drew the vibrator downward, between Tom's balls, to the tightly-stretched skin of his perineum, pressing the tip into the bundle of nerves. Tom made a sound that was almost a yelp, rocking himself against it, cock jumping inside its prison.
"Fuck, Harry!"
"That's what you want, isn't it?" murmured Harry. "You want me to fuck you."
"What if I do?" Tom panted.
"That's too bad. Maybe some other time, when you've been a better friend."
"Harry -"
Harry sat back on his knees, picking up the bottle of lube, and giving it a thoughtful look. "I think I'd like you to call me 'Captain'."
"If that's what you want, 'Captain'."
Drizzling a pool of lube into his palm, Harry ran his hand over the vibrator, spreading the slippery fluid over every square centimeter. Tom watched, licking dry lips. Another tap of Harry's finger returned the toy to its lowest setting.
Tom let out a shuddering breath when the slick tip touched him, his hole quivering and gaping in anticipation. Harry's own harsh breath was loud in his ears as he applied slow pressure to that eager opening, watching the toy ease inside, imagining what that tight ring of muscle would feel like, sliding down his cock, the hot, slick feel of Tom's body, welcoming him.
Next time, he promised himself. If there was a 'next time'.
"Are you just gonna fuck me with that thing?" Tom asked raggedly.
"No," said Harry.
"You can do whatever you want to me, Captain. I know you want to fuck me. Don't punish yourself, just because you want to punish me. You can be rough with me, if you want. Plow me hard and deep, until I'm so raw I feel it for days after -"
"No," repeated Harry, with an intensity that startled him.
The anger he felt over Tom's perceived abandonment was still there, bubbling just below the surface, and a part of him did want to punish Tom for it. He pushed Tom's knees down, urging his legs together, and climbed up to straddle his hips, glaring imperiously down at his captive.
"I'm not going to fuck you, Lieutenant. You're going to fuck me. And unless I hear actual pleading, you're going to do it with that thing on your dick."
Harry picked up the lube again, spilling it onto his hand in his haste.
Tom's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."
"Why shouldn't I?" demanded Harry, snaking the slippery hand between his thighs to finger himself open.
"Because - if we're going to do that, I need to feel it."
"Then you'll have to convince me you deserve to."
Harry eased back onto the frictionless prickle of the forcefield, angling his hips so that the rounded end pressed and fizzed against his hole. The knowledge that Tom's cock was only millimeters from him made Harry's heart race, and his breath come fast and shallow. He wanted it.
Tom gripped his thighs, as if to restrain him.
"Please, Harry -"
"Captain," Harry reminded him, voice rough.
"Please, Captain," Tom corrected himself obediently. "This should be something we do with each other, not to each other. I need to feel you with me, and you to feel me with you. I need to know it's good for you. When you come, I need to know it's because I did right by you - me, not some forcefield - and I need you to know it, too. Please, Harry - Captain -" Tom's voice cracked. "I know I hurt you. I'm sorry. I'll do whatever I have to, to make it up to you. But you and I will only ever get one 'first time' together. Don't let it be this."
Harry stared down at Tom's anguished face. "Swear to me that you'll never leave me like that again."
"Never again," Tom promised. "Of course I won't."
"You better not."
Harry slid a hand between them, feeling for the edges of the ring. Finding the indentation, Harry swiped his fingertip across it. The forcefield vanished, the ring split apart, falling away, and the tip of Tom's cock kissed Harry's well-lubed hole.
"Ohhh," Tom groaned, eyes widening at the sudden intensity of sensation.
"Is that better?" panted Harry.
"It's - um - fuck, Harry. I don't think I'm gonna last very long."
"Captain," Harry insisted. "And you'll last long enough."
"Yes, Captain."
Harry bore down on him, moaning as the head of Tom's cock opened him - entered him - filled him. Tom's breath came in ragged gasps. His hands gripped Harry's hips, urging him on, as Harry sank down onto him, taking him deeper.
"That's it," Tom slurred. "Oh, fuck, yes."
Harry braced himself on Tom's chest, head bowed, breathing deep, giving himself a moment to adjust to the feeling. Tom, too, needed to adjust. He shifted his hips, drawing up his knees behind Harry.
"Oh," mumbled Harry. "Almost forgot."
He reached behind him, hand sliding up Tom's thigh to feel for the base of the vibrator, and tapped it twice.
"Sweet mother of Zefram Cochrane!" Tom gasped, arching up, as the intensity of the vibrations sharply increased.
Harry almost thought he could feel the echo of the vibrations passing through Tom, and into him. He shivered, rising up on his knees, and easing back down again. The delicious glide of flesh through the tight ring of muscle made him moan, and he did it again, eyes fixed on Tom's face. His friend gazed up at him, lips parted, an almost worshipful look in his eyes. Harry could see the tension in Tom's chest and shoulders as he strained not to come just yet.
Taking himself in hand, Harry stroked his cock at the same pace he rode Tom's, slow at first, then with increasing urgency, as the need for release coiled tighter within him, until the feel of Tom fucking him, and the feverish movements of his hand blended into one sensation.
A quaking sob broke from Harry's throat as his balls contracted, and orgasm surged through him in long, shivering pulses. He ground down on Tom's cock, inner muscles throbbing, until Tom shuddered and cried out, fingers digging into Harry's thighs.
When the waves subsided, and the harsh sounds of their breathing slowed, Harry eased himself up, knees and thighs trembling from effort. Tom's softening cock slipped out of him with a wet sound, and Harry felt a sudden self-consciousness. It had been a long time since he so completely let himself go in front of another person. He rolled over onto his back, gazing up at the ceiling.
Tom sat up, gingerly extracting the vibrator and shutting it off, before fishing around among the wellness supplies for the sterile wipes to clean Harry's spunk from his chest and belly.
"You all right, Captain?" he asked.
Harry winced. "Yeah. Fine. I'd offer to get some water, but I'm not sure I can stand up right now."
Tom laughed and got out of bed. Harry tugged the blanket over himself, letting the rest of the wellness supplies slide onto the floor to be dealt with at another time. He watched Tom walk across the room to the dispenser, and return with two glasses of water. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he handed one to Harry, who drank it gratefully.
"Let me guess," said Tom. "You had a girlfriend who was into pegging."
"At the Academy," admitted Harry.
"Seems like maybe you were into it, too."
"Maybe I was."
"Lucky for me," Tom chuckled. "Remind me to look up these exes of yours when we get home. I need to send them flowers."
"Yeah," said Harry, staring into his empty glass. "Look - it's late. You don't have to stay."
The laughter faded from Tom's face. "Are you kicking me out?"
"No," said Harry uncomfortably. "I just know that you don't usually spend the night with the people you ..."
"Hey," said Tom, pushing the sweat-damp hair back from Harry's face with unaccustomed tenderness. "You're not some girl I just met on Planet X, or dreamed up on the Holodeck. I'll stay if you want me to."
"I wouldn't mind. If you want to, that is," Harry added awkwardly.
"That settles it, then."
He pulled back the covers and slid into the bed, wrapping a comfortable arm around Harry's chest. Harry's shoulders relaxed, and he let out the breath he had been holding.
"You sure you're all right?" Tom asked.
"Yeah. It's just - strange, I guess."
"You've never slept with a friend before? Or is it different because I'm a man?"
"Maybe," admitted Harry. "It was kind of unexpected ... and intense."
Tom chuckled, pulling Harry closer against him.
"Yeah, it was. I'm glad it happened."
"Me, too. Even if it's just a one-time thing."
Tom pushed himself up on an elbow, staring down at Harry in disbelief.
"Sex that good, and you're telling me you don't want to do it again?"
"I didn't say that," said Harry uncomfortably. "I just know you usually like spending time with women."
"That doesn't mean I wouldn't be glad to have a friend I could do things with." Tom's fingers trailed lightly over Harry's chest. "Especially one who's ... creative, and not afraid to take charge."
Harry captured his hand, holding it still over his heart.
"I wouldn't mind having a friend like that, either. As long as you've learned your lesson."
"Oh, I have: Never underestimate Harry Kim."
Harry gave a huff of laughter. "Don't you forget it."
"I won't," Tom promised. "And next time -"
"Next time," interrupted Harry, "you, me, the Holodeck. I'll be the one in the Captain's chair, but if you're very good, I'll let you sit on my lap."
Tom grinned. "Yes, Captain."