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She hadn’t said anything about it during their velocity match after shift. Or over their dinner of rigatoni arrabiata after she’d beaten him 3-1. Or even while they were relaxing on the sofa after that, reading reports and lazily feeding each other spoonful's of tiramisu.
The whole evening had been a delightful reprieve from the chaos surrounding them of late, so Chakotay was trying his best to really sink into the moment despite the lingering dread or perhaps anticipation of what he hoped wouldn’t come.
She still hadn’t said anything as they began to straighten up the living room for the night, recycling sauce-stained plates and placing the padds they’d need later on the table. Or while they were taking turns in the shower, erasing the grit from the day off of their bodies. Or even when they were discussing their schedules for tomorrow while she towel dried her hair.
So he really thought he just might’ve gotten away with it.
Except he forgot to consider just how cunning she was, how calculated and mischievous she could be when there was something she wanted, or when she felt like she was in a particular position of power over something. Like a cat baiting a mouse, she lulled him into a false sense of security, waiting for the precise moment to attack.
In the end, it only took one carefully articulated word for him to know that he was, in fact, doomed.
“Chakotay,” she drawled out, trying and failing to appear nonchalant as she paused to inspect the edge of one of the nails she’d been filing. The corner of her mouth curved slightly as his head popped up to look at her through the mirror, his eyes wide and his lips coated in minty toothpaste foam. “We’ve talked about this before, and now it’s really starting to get out of hand.”
Her voice had a hard edge to it, the frustration and exasperation she clearly felt seeping into her tone. “I almost put you on report earlier, you know, but I don’t even want to imagine the comments Tuvok would probably make after reading it. It’s getting to the point where I don’t even know what to do about it anymore! And you’d better pray Tom or Harry didn’t notice, because so help me if they did… I mean really, Chakotay, that type of behavior is seriously unbecoming of a First Officer, or an Officer of any station actually! I thought you were stronger than that, and I’m disappointed that it keeps occurring. So tell me, what am I supposed to do with you?”
He at least had the decency to look chagrined after she was through, his exhale heavy as he rinsed off his toothbrush and wiped the foam from his mouth before turning to untangle her hands from where they were tightly crossed against her chest. “Look Kathryn,” he said, rubbing gentle circles on her palms, “I know that shouldn't have happened, especially on the Bridge, but to be honest, it wasn’t really my fault.”
“Oh? And just who are you going to try to pawn the blame onto then?”
“Well technically,” he began, and she knew immediately by the sheepish expression he wore that his answer was going to irritate her. “It was your fault.”
She was right.
“My fault? How on earth do you figure that, you overgrown sea monkey!”
Dropping her hands, Chakotay doubled over laughing at her attempt to insult him, knowing that she’d never actually try to hurt him. “Kathryn,” he started, only to cut himself off with another round of laughter.
“Kathryn, wait!” He called out, grabbing her arm before she had the chance to storm out of their bathroom.
“Could you please let go of me,” she said, feigning disinterest as she looked anywhere but at him.
“In a second.”
Wrapping his other arm around her waist, he placed a fast kiss to her neck and smiled as she rolled her eyes at the action, knowing that she wasn’t actually mad at him.
Probably.
“Okay, first off, I shouldn’t have laughed at you, but I couldn’t help it... That was one of your more memorable insults, I have to say. And secondly, I know I shouldn’t have checked you out on duty; that was unprofessional; but honestly… is it my fault that you have such a great ass?”