DISCLAIMER: Star Trek: Voyager belongs to Paramount/CBS.
A/N: This story was written for VAMB's 10th Anniversary Smut / Wet Fic Challenge inspired by the wonderful picture from Elorie. Many thanks to KJaneway115 for the beta!
"Hello, Chakotay."
"Kathryn! It's good to hear from you." He sat in front of the terminal in his living room and leaned back in his desk chair.
"We haven't talked in a couple of weeks. Things have been kind of crazy."
"I suppose a vice admiral would be kept very busy."
She was smiling, but her eyes looked tired. "It's been six months since we got back to Earth. I would like to say I'm settling in, but some days I had less to do on Voyager. What about you? Your classes started last week, right?"
"That's right. They're going well. I enjoy being at the Academy and teaching again. Writing the curriculum on Delta Quadrant cultures was a challenge, and I'm sure I'll be tweaking it and making some changes as the semester progresses. I've been given a good deal of leeway, though." He leaned to the edge of the desk for the tea he had set down.
"That's great, Professor Chakotay." Her blue eyes sparkled over the rim of her coffee mug.
He cradled his cup between his hands and chuckled. "Yeah, I'm still getting used to that. I've been 'Commander' or 'big guy' for so long."
She flashed him one of the half-smiles he loved so much. "Don't forget 'old man'."
He laughed. "B'Elanna won't let me. I'm waiting for the day Miral picks it up."
Kathryn shifted in her chair, and her eyes squinted for a split second. Anyone else would pay no attention to it, but Chakotay knew that for Kathryn, it was a wince. "What's wrong, Kathryn?" he asked with concern.
"Nothing, I'm fine," she said, trying to brush him off.
"That may work with somebody else, but not me. You're hurt."
She sighed. He knew her too well. "No, not really, only sore. I decided that days on end behind a desk weren't good for me, so I ran a holodeck training program. Let's just say that starting with one of Tuvok's programs was not the best idea after months of no real exercise."
"I know the perfect way to help. You should come to the Academy training pool with me."
She laughed sharply and said, "That's exactly what I need to remind me I'm not in shape – me next to a bunch of cadets in bathing suits."
He set his tea on the desk and grinned at her. "No, it wouldn't be like that. I go after hours when the pool is closed to the students. Usually I'm there around 2100 hours. By that time, even the other staff members are home with their families or going to bed." He shrugged one shoulder and said, "I don't have a family and I'm still a night owl."
"So you're a swimmer now?" she asked.
"I've always been a swimmer when I could be. It's a good way to cool down after a boxing match, or to keep in shape. I know it would help you, and I can show you some exercises to do."
"That does sound better than Tuvok's training, and I love to swim."
"Great. Meet me at the pool tomorrow night. Use your staff code to get in the door. Is 2100 hours too late?"
She twitched an eyebrow at him. "If I remember correctly, I'm more of a night owl than you are."
His cheeks dimpled, and he tugged his ear. "I seem to remember that, too. I was hoping maybe you got more rest nowadays."
"I do rest better, just not any longer."
"That's something, at least. So I'll see you tomorrow?"
"I'll be there. Goodnight, Chakotay."
"'Night, Kathryn. Thanks for calling."
***V*V***
Kathryn arrived the next night right on time at the Academy Training Gymnasium. She keyed her Starfleet staff code into the control panel beside the doors and then heard the locks engage behind her when she entered. Quite a few years had passed since she had been in the building, but she remembered the swimming pool was in the back through another set of doors. She entered her code again and walked through to the pool area.
Chakotay was already in the water, and she watched as he made his turn at the far end and began the bottom of the lap, executing a near perfect butterfly stroke. Water rolled off the broad muscles of his bare back with each flexing sweep of his arms, the black swim trunks clinging to his narrow hips and round buttocks as they broke the surface with each kick of his powerful legs. She stood at the edge of the pool and waited for him, a soft smile lighting her face.
Chakotay heard her enter and was careful not to splash too much as he neared her. Instead of taking the last three strokes, he dove under to the end, coming up directly in front of her. He swept the water from his hair and off his face, then lifted himself to sit on the edge of the pool.
"Kathryn," he greeted her. "I'm glad you came."
"I'm a good swimmer, but not that good. If you're expecting to teach me how to do that, we may be here for a while."
He chuckled. "No, not right away. You're too weak, remember?"
Her eyes sparkled. "Do you motivate all your students by insulting them, Professor?"
"Only the stubborn ones."
She laughed and replied, "I'll readily admit to that."
He grinned and pointed to an open doorway to her left. "The locker rooms are that way. You can change in there."
"I have my suit on." She set the small bag she was carrying against the wall and shrugged off her lightweight white cardigan. She lifted her pale yellow dress over her head and folded it neatly on top of the bag, then stepped out of her white shoes. She was wearing a pastel blue swim dress and adjusted the shoulder straps before walking back to Chakotay. He slipped back into the water, and she sat on the edge before lowering herself in beside him. They were at the shallow end, and the water came to just below her waist.
"So, how sore are you?" he asked, his brow knitted with concern.
"It's not too bad. It's just that I went from the activity of Voyager to sitting most of the day almost overnight. I was so caught up in the debriefings and then the promotion that I didn't realize I was still working my mind as hard as ever, but not my body."
"You haven't lost enough muscle tone that I can see it, so it won't take long to get you strengthened up again." He eyed her warily. "But, stay away from Tuvok's training programs for a few weeks."
She smiled at his reticence, knowing she had a reputation, built from necessity, of pushing herself past her limits. After a lifetime of doing so, she was ready to scale back a bit, at least for a little while. "Don't worry," she told him, "I'm not planning to invade any Borg cubes this week."
"Good to know. We'll start with some stretching and then a few laps in the pool."
They stood side by side holding the edge of the pool, and he took her through some light exercises designed to stretch the muscles and use the resistance of the water for strengthening. After a half hour, he suggested a break. "I don't want you going to see the Doctor tomorrow worse off than you were. I'd never hear the end of it."
She grinned and leaned back against the wall beside him. "How do you know about this stuff?"
He chuckled. "Now you're asking?"
She laughed and nudged him with her shoulder. "I didn't doubt that you could help when you said so. I'm curious."
"When I was growing up, many of the people in the colony wanted to retain the traditional ways of doing things, including medicine. They often used hydrotherapy to ease various pains or to recover from certain injuries. We didn't have a pool, but we did have rivers and lakes." He told her about helping his grandfather do water exercises after a fall down the back steps, and listening to the older people teach the younger ones what movements were best for which joints. He could see the changes the exercises made in his grandfather and always remembered what he had learned.
Chakotay liked talking about the traditions of his people with Kathryn, even if he didn't adhere to many of those traditions. His history meant much more to him than it had when he was younger, and there were precious few people left with whom to share it after his home world, family, and the Maquis were decimated. He knew she had an insatiable curiosity about other cultures as he did, and she had never judged his people for their seemingly archaic beliefs.
He looked over at her after he finished the tale about his grandfather and saw the same openness and fascination her face had shown when she'd first asked him about his spirit guide. She had often had that look in the beginning of their journey, before the full weight of responsibility and the stress of the Delta Quadrant had settled so heavily on her. She was beautiful to watch.
He smiled softly and asked, "How do you feel?"
"Fine," she answered. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she laughed. "I really do feel fine. I don't have any pain."
"Good, then we'll do a couple of laps across the pool. Computer, place a buoyancy cushion in the center of the pool." A flotation cushion appeared. "You haven't done this in a while. I don't want you going under if you cramp in the deeper water."
"You don't have much confidence in me, do you?" she teased.
"I have every confidence in you, Kathryn. I'm also confident that I'm not taking any chances." He smiled at her, and she squared her shoulders and raised her chin defiantly before diving under the water. She resurfaced to begin a decent freestyle stroke, and Chakotay followed her. After they made the turn to come back, he increased his speed to come alongside her and called for her to wait at other end.
Kathryn stopped at the pool edge and slicked her wet hair back off her face. Chakotay stood up beside her and did the same, their eyes locking for a moment before he cleared his throat. "Your hips are moving too much when you kick," he told her. "You're putting more strain on your lower back than you need to."
"You were watching my hips?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.
He grinned at her. "I was watching your form. It's very good, but your legs kick slightly to the side. You're twisting your back and hip joints too much. Grab onto the edge and I'll show you."
She held the edge of the pool and he said, "Now bring your legs up and kick." She moved her legs a few times, and he put his hands around her hips to hold them in place. She startled at his touch and stood up with him still holding her.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked with a confused look on his face.
She laughed. "No, you surprised me."
He chuckled. "Sorry. Try it again. I'm going to keep your hips and lower back in place so you can feel the difference in your kick."
She lowered her body in the water again, keenly aware of his strong hands wrapped over her pelvic bones. There was a time when she would have felt obligated to make an excuse to move away from him, to break that physical connection. She had no such obligations now, and his touch reminded of her of the latent attraction she had always felt toward him.
Kathryn lifted her legs out behind her and slowly imitated the kick she used when swimming. His grip tightened and held her, and she did feel the difference that forced her legs to move straight up and down.
"Can you feel that?" he asked.
"Yes, I can," she answered, fighting to keep her emotions out of her voice.
"Remember what it feels like when you're swimming."
His words took on a double meaning for her, and a soft flush stole through her body. She lowered her feet to the bottom of the pool and stood up.
Chakotay kept his hands on her hips as she found her footing. He didn't want to let go, though he did lighten his grip to a gentle touch. "Are you ready?" he asked, his voice sounding deeper to her.
"I believe I am," she replied quietly. She slowly turned to face the other end of the pool, breaking his hold. His hands dropped to his sides as his eyes rose to hers briefly. They both took a deep breath, then she started another swimming lap while he followed. She swam two laps, but when she stopped, he turned and kept going. She watched his form as he powered through the water and wondered at her heightened awareness of him, an awareness she had felt quite often in the beginning of their time in the Delta Quadrant but had eventually tamed and tamped down deep. This time, she allowed herself to feel it.
She swam to the float in the center of the pool and pulled her upper body onto it, letting her chest and elbows rest on it and her hips and legs dangle in the water. He completed two more laps as she watched, and then swam to her and mirrored her position on the other side of the cushion. They slipped into easy conversation while their legs lazily kicked under the surface, taking them in slow circuits.
He tried to keep his gaze from falling to her cleavage, just visible in her swimsuit where she was propped across from him, and she tried to keep her eyes from roaming over the tan skin and taut muscles of his bare chest. They both caught the other looking from time to time. She talked to him about struggling to find her place in her new position at Starfleet Headquarters and how the organization had changed. They brought each other up to date on members of their old crew, and that led to memories of Voyager. They were surprised when they finally looked up and noticed it was after 2300 hours.
They made their way back to the shallow end of the pool and got rid of the float. She took her bag into the ladies locker room while he went into the men's where his clothes were already stored. When they met back at the doors, she took his arm as they made their way outside.
Chakotay stopped on the sidewalk and turned to her. "Do you want to come back the day after tomorrow?"
She thought for a moment. "Friday? Yes, that should be fine. Same time?"
"Same time. Take care of yourself."
"I will." She waved her hand toward the building. "Thank you for this, Chakotay. I do feel better."
He laid his fingers over hers briefly before slipping his arm from her hand. "I'll see you soon."