------------------------------
Wakeup Call
by Lianne Burwell
November 1998
------------------------------

Another morning in the Delta Quadrant, just like all the others before 
it. Then again... maybe not.

Tom groaned and rolled over in the bed. The alarm would be going off at 
any minute, but he was too comfortable to leave the cocoon of blankets. 
Warm and comfy and... naked?

Tom frowned, his eyes still shut. He'd put on his pajamas the night 
before. He clearly remembered taking them out of the drawer and putting 
them on. He usually slept like a log, so it wasn't likely that he'd 
managed to kick them off in the night. Besides, the blankets were too 
tidy for that.

Then he heard a groan. A masculine groan. Someone *else's* groan. This 
was not a good thing.

Tom turned towards the groan and opened his eyes.

"Aaaaaahhhh!!!!!"

Tom jumped backwards, as did the other man.

"Chakotay, what are you doing here?!"

The other man looked around. "I think that's my question, Paris. These 
*are* my quarters, after all."

Looking around the room, slightly wild-eyed, Tom realized that the man 
was right. Well, he had to take it on faith that this was *Chakotay's* 
bedroom, but it certainly wasn't *his*. Tom's brain quickly ran over the 
events of the evening before, but could find no explanation. He had been 
drunk, and he *clearly* remembered going to his *own* quarters, putting 
on his pajamas and going to bed.

"How did I *get* here?" he said, almost in a wail.

"Good question," the Commander replied. "If this is some sort of a joke, 
Paris..."

"Computer, what time did I arrive in Chakotay's quarters," Tom called 
out, ignoring the possible rant that was forming.

"0237," was the calm reply.

"What time did I leave *my* quarters?"

"0237." The same time? It took at *least* three minutes to get from his 
quarters to Chakotay's, Tom knew. This was not good.

"How did I get *here*?"

"Unknown." Definitely *not* good.

Tom looked at Chakotay, and the Commander looked back at him.

"Ummm... Can I borrow a toothbrush?"

* * * * *

At the start of the Alpha shift, the Captain always had a briefing with 
her command staff. Tom was only half-listening this morning. All his 
thoughts were focused on what had apparently happened overnight. He'd had 
to use the replicators in Chakotay's quarters to replicate a uniform, 
since he didn't have anything to wear on the trip back to his own 
quarters. The last thing he needed was for the rumor mill to see him 
coming out of the Commander's quarters wearing something that belonged to 
the other man. Not to mention the fact that anything of the Commander's 
would be both too short and broad for him.

Of course, coming out of Chakotay's quarters properly dressed probably 
wasn't a much better option. He could have called for a site-to-site 
transport, but that *really* would have gotten the rumor mill churning. 
All in all, it was a no-win situation.

"Does anyone else have something to bring up?" The Captain asked, pulling 
Tom's attention back to the briefing.

"I do," Chakotay said, glancing over at Tom. Tom closed his eyes and 
prayed for an alien attack or something else to save him from the 
embarrassment about to descend on him. "Lieutenant Paris was in my bed 
this morning."

The Captain grinned. "Congratulations, Chakotay. But I don't see that 
this needs to be part of the briefing."

Tom groaned. She thought that... "Captain, I wasn't there when I went to 
sleep! I went to bed in my *own* bed and woke up in Chakotay's."

"Maybe you wanted to be there so badly that you sleep-walked your way 
there," B'Elanna suggested, her grin echoed by Harry's. Both of them 
ignored the glare that Tom shot their way. Chakotay ignored the whole 
interchange.

"According to the computer, Tom disappeared from his quarters and 
appeared in mine instantly. The computer can't explain *why*, though. 
There were no unusual energies and there's no record of a transport at 
that time."

The Captain frowned thoughtfully. "Well, no one was harmed, so I'm 
inclined not to worry too much. Maybe someone is playing a joke on the 
two of you and just did a good job of fixing the transporters logs."

"Maybe," Chakotay said, but Tom wasn't so sure.

* * * * *

The next morning, Tom woke just before the alarm. He was warm and comfy 
and... yes, he was wearing his pajamas. One eye opened and verified that 
he was in his own quarters. That was a relief.

Hmmm... Oh yes. He was so warm. So comfortable. So...

So not alone. Someone else was there. Someone snoring softly. Someone 
curled up behind him, arms wrapped around him. Someone... Tom looked over 
his shoulder.

"Aaaaaahhhh!!!!!"

Tom jumped out of bed, as did a very startled Chakotay. A very startled 
and very *naked* Chakotay. A very buff Chakotay. A very...

Tom shook off the distraction, dragging his eyes up to look *above* the 
man's neck.

"Shit!"

Tom started laughing, the sound only slightly tinged with hysteria. 
They'd both said it at the exact same time.

"Shall I replicate you a uniform, Commander?" he asked, still laughing. 
The man just glared at him before heading for the bathroom.

Wow. Who would have guessed that the man was hiding that *body* under his 
uniform? Tom wiped the mental drool off his chin and started getting 
dressed.

* * * * *

"Any other business to report?" the Captain asked at the end of the 
morning briefing. Her eyes darted back and forth between Tom and 
Chakotay. Tom shook his head.

"I woke up in my own bed this morning," he said with a grin. She almost 
looked disappointed.

Chakotay heaved a deep sigh. "And so did I. Wake up in *his* bed, that 
it."

His timing was perfect, too. The Captain was just taking a sip of her 
coffee, and promptly snorted it across the tabletop. Tuvok looked down at 
the splatter marks across his uniform top, unperturbed in the way only a 
Vulcan could be under the circumstances.

Harry and B'Elanna were practically falling off their chairs laughing. 
Tom glared at them suspiciously. "If I find out that either of you..."

"Tom," Harry said in a wounded tone. "How could you think that?"

"Because I *know* you," Tom shot back. Harry grinned.

"True," he admitted. "But I promise, I have *nothing* to do with this."

"Me neither," B'Elanna said, trying to sober up. She wasn't very 
successful.

The Captain wasn't laughing anymore. "All right, people. I want to know 
who's doing this. It might be amusing, but it isn't safe. If someone is 
playing with the transporters and the computers, I want it stopped. If it 
*isn't* someone playing with the transporters, then I want to know who 
and how and *why*. Give me answers, folks."

Everyone was sober now.

* * * * *

The next morning Tom woke up and sighed in resignation. He was definitely 
naked and he was willing to bet that it wasn't his bed. On the other hand 
it was kind of nice being cuddled like an over-sized teddy bear.

"Chakotay?"

"Hmmm?"

The Commander didn't seem ready to wake up, so Tom decided to enjoy it 
while it lasted. Oh yeah, it had been a long time since he'd shared a bed 
with someone. In fact, the only thing he missed more than the early 
morning cuddles was the early morning sex.

Whoops. Wrong thing to be thinking about, he realized as a certain part 
of him decided to wake up. It wasn't helped by the memory of seeing 
Chakotay in the all-together the morning before.

Now, letting *Chakotay* know what he was 'up' to was probably a *very* 
bad idea, so Tom decided that discretion was the better part of valor. He 
managed to ease his way out of the bed without waking Chakotay up. The 
older man just rolled over into the space Tom had occupied and cuddled 
his pillow. Tom grinned at how sweet the guy looked in his nightshirt, 
then beat a hasty retreat to the bathroom.

After a cold shower -- and a jerk session when the cold shower failed to 
have the desired effect -- later, Tom headed back to the main room, a 
towel wrapped around his waist. Chakotay was awake and holding out a 
newly-replicated uniform in Tom's size.

"You know," Chakotay said, stopping as he headed for the bathroom. "Maybe 
I should drop a uniform off at your place later. Just in case."

Tom blinked, realizing how sensible that sounded. "Sure. Maybe I should 
do the same."

"Okay." They stared at each other, both turning a little pink and unsure 
of what else to say.

"Ummm... I'll see you later, Commander," Tom finally said, breaking the 
silence. Then he made his escape before he embarrassed himself again.

* * * * *

After that, mornings fell into a pattern. Every night they fell asleep in 
their own beds. Every morning they woke up together. They had tried 
everything to stop it, but nothing had worked.

First the Captain had tried scanning their quarters. The computer never 
registered anything, except that the shift had occurred.

Then she tried *shielding* their quarters. No good. By this point, they 
had both started leaving not just uniforms, but toiletries as well in 
each other's quarters.

They tried staying awake, but sooner or later they both fell asleep and 
*it* happened. They did figure out that *it* didn't happen while they 
were awake, though.

They even tried spending the night in sickbay, under the Doctor's 
watchful eye. Unfortunately, the Doctor had finally turned away to work 
on reports. The next morning they woke up in Tom's quarters, *both* 
naked. Their pajamas were left behind on the diagnostic beds in sickbay. 
By now, the Captain was getting really pissed off.

Naturally, by now the entire ship knew about it. The reactions ranged 
from quiet grins to ribald jokes. Tom was beginning to think that he was 
going to have a permanent blush. And the speculations! Everyone had an 
idea about what was going on, and each was wilder than the last.

The most popular theory -- and the most likely -- was that Q was behind 
this. The Captain had even called out, demanding that he show himself. No 
answer. Strangely, Tuvok didn't think it was Q. As he pointed out, the 
entity had never been shy about claiming credit for some trick or feat. 
Unfortunately, that argument made too much sense.

So, they were no closer to finding out who was behind this than they'd 
been before.

But Tom didn't really mind. He was getting used to waking up with 
Chakotay curled around him. The man certainly knew how to cuddle. Okay, 
so he was taking more cold showers than usual, but it was worth it.

However, if something didn't happen soon he was going to snap. He could 
just see it now. One of these days, he was going to wake up, turn over 
and jump the man's bones. Or Chakotay could jump him. It didn't matter to 
him. He was easy.

In a manner of speaking, that is.

* * * * *

Tom grinned as he beat Harry for the third time that evening. With a 
resigned sigh, Harry headed to the bar to order the next round of drinks.

"Well, the stress certainly hasn't dulled your pool skill," he said, 
coming back with the synthol beer.

"What stress?"

"Doesn't it bother you? Waking up with the Commander every morning, I 
mean."

Tom frowned. "No. In fact, I'm getting used to it." Tom's frown deepened 
at the resulting grin on Harry's face. "What?"

"Nothing," Harry said, plastering on an innocent expression that Tom 
didn't buy for a second. Admitting that he *liked* waking up with 
Chakotay obviously would *not* be a good idea. "Another game?"

"Nah," Tom said, after draining his glass. "It's been a long day. I'm 
going to head to bed."

"Whose turn?" Tom blinked in confusion, then realized what Harry was 
asking.

"His."

As he headed for the door, Chakotay and the Captain entered Sandrine's.

"Good night, Captain," he said as he passed them. "See you later, 
Commander." He grinned at the faint blush on the other man's face as he 
headed for his quarters. Behind him, he could hear snickers from everyone 
within ear-shot of his comment.

And was that a smile on the big man's face?

* * * * *

Tom looked at his pajamas drawer, trying to decide what to wear. His usual 
flannels? Or maybe something a little... skimpier. Maybe nothing at all!

What a wimp, he told himself, pulling out his usual flannel pjs. Then he 
tossed the top back into the drawer with a grin. Why not live a little? 
Who knows, he might get lucky. Boy, he'd like to get lucky.

He was climbing into bed when the door chimed. Tom briefly considered not 
answering it, but knew that his curiosity would plague him if he didn't.

The door opened to reveal Chakotay standing in the hall holding a bag. He 
also looked rather uncomfortable. "Commander?"

"Lieutenant. May I come in?" Tom stood back and let the other man in. "I 
thought... well, since I'm going to end up here anyway, maybe if I 
*start* hear, I'll get to keep some clothes on."

Tom choked back a snicker. "Good idea. It's worth a try."

Chakotay went into the bathroom and came out a couple minutes later 
wearing the same nightshirt that he'd had on every time that Tom had woken 
up in his bed. Tom was already under the covers, and carefully ignoring 
the dip of the mattress as Chakotay climbed in next to him.

Tom closed his eyes and tried to will himself to sleep, despite the 
highly distracting presence of Chakotay at his back. This wasn't going to 
be easy. On the other hand, Chakotay didn't seem to have a problem with 
it. Within a few minutes, the man was snoring lightly. Tom sighed. This 
was *definitely* not going to be easy.

A few minutes after *that*, Tom nearly jumped out of his skin. Chakotay 
had thrown an arm over him and was now cuddling him for all he was worth. 
This was *not* conducive to sleep.

On the other hand, he might as well enjoy it while he could. Tom twisted 
around so that he was facing Chakotay and cuddled him right back.

* * * * *

Waking the next morning was leisurely. The alarm hadn't gone off, and he 
was very comfortable. 

As he shook off the residual drowsiness, he realized two things. First 
off, he was very aroused. Secondly... Chakotay was nuzzling one of his 
nipples.

Tom froze and opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, looking up at 
the ceiling, with Chakotay draped over him like he was some sort of 
pillow. And Chakotay was *definitely* nuzzling at his nipple. He also was 
still asleep.

Tom breathing started to accelerate, and he held perfectly still. What 
the hell was he supposed to do? Besides enjoy, that was.

Then it stopped. Tom looked down and saw that the Commander was now 
awake. He was looking at Tom with a speculative look on his face. Tom 
held his breath, wondering if he was going to end up on the man's shit-
list again. Of course, what he would *really* like was...

Chakotay grinned, then went back to his nuzzling. This time, though, it 
was deliberate and obviously intended to arouse. And if it weren't, the 
hand that slipped into Tom's pajama bottoms to grasp his erection 
*definitely* was.

"Oh, yeah..." Tom moaned. He closed his eyes and let Chakotay do what he 
wanted.

The nuzzling had escalated to sucking, and the hand was doing 
delightfully wicked things to his cock. Slow strokes, from base to crown, 
with only light pressure made him gasp. A firmer grip on his balls, 
rolling them back and forth, like those damn ringing balls of Harry's, 
had him moaning. A caress of his scrotum had him groaning.

Damn, the man was good at that.

And he didn't seem inclined to hurry, either. He pushed Tom to the brink 
of orgasm, then kept pulling back at the last minute, holding Tom on the 
edge, but not letting him go over. Finally, Tom gave up on pride and 
started begging.

"Cha-kohhhh-tay! Please, stop *teasing*."

"If you insist, Flyboy," came the chucked reply. Then the grip tightened 
on Tom's cock, this time pumping faster and harder until he came, making 
a mess of the pajama bottoms that he was still wearing.

Tom lay there gasping, while Chakotay chuckled. "You'd think that you 
*enjoyed* that, Lieutenant," he said. Tom started to bristle before he 
realized that the tone was amused, not sarcastic. He flipped over on top 
of the other man and pulled the night shirt up. My, my, my, he thought to 
himself. *This* Commander didn't wear anything under his nightshirt. All 
the better to...

"I'll *show* you how much I enjoyed it," Tom said, the bent his head to 
suck the Commander's little Commander in.

Oh, yeah, he was *definitely* enjoying this.

* * * * *

Tom ran his fingers through his hair, checking his reflection to make 
sure that he looked okay. Well, other than the grin that wouldn't go 
away, he looked the same as usual.

He looked up as Chakotay came out of the bedroom, tugging his uniform 
into place. The man had a smile plastered all over his face too.

"So, Commander. Your place tonight?"

Chakotay's grin widened, making his dimples even deeper. "I'm looking 
forward to it," he said, then swiftly kissed Tom. Tom was tempted to try 
going for seconds, but they didn't really have time before they had to be 
on the bridge. Later.

Yeah, he thought as they headed out the door. Another morning in the 
Delta Quadrant, just like all the others before it.

Or at least just like all the ones to come, he hoped.

* * * * *

Kes smiled at the two men as they left Tom's quarters. She had known that 
they would be good together.

She wanted Tom to be happy. He'd been so good to her and Neelix when 
they'd joined the crew. Even when he and Neelix had been going through 
that silly jealousy thing, he'd still been there for them.

But he was also lonely, and she wanted to help him with that. It was so 
obvious that he and Chakotay should be together. She'd known that from 
the start. Unfortunately, they'd both been too dense to notice the subtle 
clues she threw their way. Finally, she'd given up on subtle and gone to 
blatant, impossible to ignore and *very* unsubtle.

Well, it had worked, she thought with quiet pride.

That just left dear, sweet Neelix. His only attempt to date after she'd 
left had been sabotaged when the young woman had been killed. He hadn't 
tried again.

He *needed* someone. Someone to look after, to protect. The way he'd 
protected her. He deserved it.

Maybe Geron...


THE END