Summary:  Tom and Chakotay get caught with their hands on each other
and are forced to become a not so happy couple.
 

The ceremony the next morning was private.  Only he, Tom, the
Governor, the guard, Tuvok and with Kathryn officiating, attended.
There was no reception or well wishes afterward.  With the trade
negotiations completed and the condition of their release satisfied,
they returned to Voyager.  They left orbit, with his new husband at
the helm immediately.

While Tom finished his shift, Chakotay in a shell shock stupor, made
arrangements to have the pilot's personal affects moved to his
quarters, reassigned Tom's cabin, wrote a marriage announcement,
posted it to the ship's public comm site, unpacked Tom's things,
changed both his and Tom's personnel files to reflect their new
marital status and then tried to meditate.

After several unsuccessful attempts to reach the spirit plane, he
gave up cursing the spirits for deserting him.  He had done all this
for them, and they withheld the council he dearly needed.  Chakotay
felt bitter and betrayed.

In a sour mood, he finally just sat on the couch staring at the door
and waited for his husband to come home.

He would wait a long time.

********

"Tom!"

He'd been fighting with the door pad to his quarters when Harry
hailed him in the corridor.  Giving up on the stubborn little device
for the moment, Tom turned to his friend.

"Hey Har, how's it hanging?"

"Is it true?  Did you really marry the commander on the planet?"

"You heard?  How?"  Tom replied surprised.

Most of the crew knew about the incident in the bathroom, it was hard
for them not to since quite a few of them had seen Chakotay's brown
ass shoving into his white one and the ones that didn't, heard the
news through the ship's ever efficient grapevine.  But the marriage
itself had been kept secret.  The incarceration was also public
knowledge but no one knew the terms of their release.

"I read the announcement but it's a joke, right?"  Harry ran his
fingers through his jet black hair.  "I mean, I knew you've been
messing around with him, but married?  Oh, come on."

Harry knew?  Wait a minute.  Since when did Harry know about him and
Chakotay?   The fact the marriage was posted on the comm channels
didn't faze him half as bad.   It was typical of First Officer
Chakotay to be so efficient but this?   They'd been careful, hadn't
they?  He cringed inwardly.  Well, maybe not lately.  Tom wondered
how many other people knew.  He didn't however, want to get into in
the hallway.

"Harry can we go to your quarters?"  He thumped the access pad behind
him with his elbow.  "I can't seem to get into mine."

"Yeah, sure."  His friend looked at him oddly and then escorted him
down the hall.

When they where seated comfortably on Harry's couch, Tom asked,

"So how long have you known about me and Chak?"

"I take it you're not talking about the wedding?  No, I didn't think
so.  Well let's see, I guess it's been about four months.  I came by
Sickbay one day to ask if you wanted to go to Sandrine's after your
shift and saw you in the Doc's office with the commander you know ah,
ah," Harry stuttered and looked up at the ceiling searching for the
word.  "Doing it."  He said finally blushing deep red.

"Oh shit."  Tom was horrified.  "Does anyone else know?"

"No, I don't think so.  I haven't heard anything anyway and after
that bombshell about your marriage, I'm sure I would have."

That was true.  Harry heard everything.  He was the gossip hub of
Voyager.  His friend shook his head confused.

"Why does that matter?  So you fooled around a bit before you got
married.  Lots of people do that."

Oh Harry, god bless his wonderfully naïve heart.   He actually
thought Chakotay had courted him.  That was also probably why he
wasn't completely blown away by the marriage.  Surprised, yeah sure,
but not totally knocked on his ass.

"Harry, you can't tell people what you saw, okay?"  A horrible
thought struck him.  "You didn't already, did you?"

"No, I didn't even tell you.  I thought that maybe you and he were,
you know just doing for the sex and if you wanted me to know, you'd
say something.  I didn't know it was serious."

Tom laughed sardonically.  "Oh yeah Har, it was serious.  It's always
has been, serious hard-core fucking."  Seeing his friend's stunned
face at his inappropriate mirth and language, Tom sobered.  "Harry,
Chak and I had to get married.  We broke the law and they wouldn't
let us go any other way."

"So you're not in love?"

"No, in fact most of the time we can barely stand each other and
before you ask no, we don't have to like each other personally to
have sex.  We've been at it for years and it's in all likelihood the
only reason we haven't killed each other."

"I, I don't understand."

"You don't have to Harry, it's above your sensibilities but I would
ask you to keep quiet about it."

"Why?  Oh geez, you were doing it while you were with B'Elanna
weren't you?"  Harry crinkled his nose at him.  "Aw Tom that really
sucks."

"Hey give me a break, I may be a slut for the commander but not while
I was with B'El."   Tom didn't add that Chakotay was however the
reason behind their breakup.  "But nobody's going to believe that if
they find out that Chak and I have been fucking like animals for
three years.  Shit Harry, you're my friend and you automatically
thought I'd screwed around on her.   What are others that are not
quite so fond of me going to think?"

"That you cheated with the commander."  Harry said flatly.

"Yeah and then she'll be hurt.  I was shitty enough to her as it was,
I don't want to humiliate her in front of the crew too.  She doesn't
deserve that."

And it was he admitted, another way of saving his sorry ass but at
least this time his intentions were better.  Although having the crew
not think he was a cheating piece of shit would benefit him too, he
really didn't want to see B'Elanna hurt.  He may not have been able
to love her but he was quite fond of her.

"Okay my mouth's sealed but how do you intend on explaining your
elopement?"

Elopement?  Oh hell, that almost sounded romantic.

"We plan on telling people we suddenly realized the feelings we've
fighting all these years, went crazy in the bathroom and when the
dust settled, asked the captain to marry us."  He said using the same
story they had told the Verdanians.

"Just like that?"  Harry regarded him skeptically.

"Yep."

"What are you going to tell people when you break up?  That you came
to your senses?"

"We're not breaking up Harry.  We made a lifetime commitment to each
other on the planet.  We're going to stay married."

"Then you are in love."  Harry punched his arm affectionately.  "I
knew it.  I could tell every time you looked at him.  You'd get this
real dreamy look and then bang!  The two of you would disappear.
Sometimes it kind of shocked me, especially when it happened on the
bridge but now I get it.  You just love each other too much to keep
your hands off each other."

Oh shit he was just like the captain, a die-hard romantic.

"Har, I told you we don't get along."  Tom said calmly but firmly but
Harry wasn't listening.  The fairy tale his friend was weaving hurt.
It scraped painfully against his guilt.

"No, no.  I'm young but I'm not stupid.  I know that look and.-"

Tom stood and screamed.  He couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop it!  Just fucking stop it!"  He balled his fists against his
temples.  "Harry he hates me!  I love him but he hates me, okay!"

Collapsing back down on the couch, the tears he had avoided when
Chakotay had told him their marriage would never be real finally
broke free.  Tom held his head in his hands and let them out in great
wracking sobs.  He felt Harry's arm slowly slip around his shoulders.

"Oh Tom, you have to get out of it.  Look what it's doing to you.
It's not healthy being in a one sided love affair."

"I can't."  Tom raised his head and wiped his face with the back of
his sleeve.  "He won't divorce me and he won't leave me."

"Then leave him.  What's he going to, chain you to him?  Besides, if
he doesn't ah, care for you he'll probably be happy to let you go."
Tom noticed Harry was careful not to say `H' word and smiled at his
kindness.  Harry smiled back thinking he'd hit on the solution.
Tom's next words put the frown back on his face.

"He can't Harry, as much as he wants to, he can't get rid of me.  His
people only marry once and it's for life.  And the only reason he
married me at all is because I called him on a slip of the tongue.
I'm the one that instigated this, not him.  I did this to myself.
Chakotay was ready to spend a year in jail to avoid making me his
husband but I took advantage of his beliefs and made him marry me."

"You actually wanted this?"

"Yeah, I was pissed off at him, I have been for a very long time and
wasn't thinking straight.  I thought he would buckle sometime down
the road but I don't think he will now.  It was the righteous First
Officer that agreed to the marriage and not as I expected, my lover
but that doesn't matter.  It hurts like hell being married to him
knowing he doesn't want to be, but I'm not going to leave him either."

"Why?"

"Because it would hurt more not being with him."  Tom fell back into
the couch trying to melt into the pillows.  "And I don't even really
like him very much anymore."

"That's nuts."

"Yeah," Tom managed a weak smile.  "But he's made me crazy since the
first day I kissed him, so go figure."

"Oh Tom,"

His comm badge went off, interrupting Harry.  Tom slapped it.

"Paris here."

"You mean Chakotay don't you?"  Came the terse reply.

"Sorry baby."  He sat up straight and tried again.  "Tom Chakotay
here."

"That's better, now come home."

"Home?"

"Do you want me to come get you or can you find deck two on your
own?"  Chakotay said sarcastically.

Oh shit, that home.  No wonder his door wouldn't open for him.  It
was his door anymore.  Home was on deck two not three, in the first
officer's cabin.

"No I can find it, I'll be there shortly.  I'm just talking to Harry."

"You can talk to Harry later.  Get your ass home now."  Chakotay cut
the connection abruptly leaving an embarrassing silence in the room.

"Oh geez, what a brute." Harry said finally.  "I would have never
figured the commander for that."

"He's not.  He's just having a really, really bad day."

Harry took a moment to digest that and then squinted at him.

"He doesn't hit you does he?  I mean you said you don't get along."

"No, Harry he doesn't hit me."  He bites and scratches but so do I,
Tom thought but kept it to himself.

"But he does scare you when he's mad, doesn't he?"

"No, well not really."  Tom replied vaguely.  He couldn't tell his
friend that he liked it when Chakotay got angry.  Harry wouldn't
understand about the `animal'.  Not many people would, including him.

"Don't go then, stay here.  We can call Tuvok."

"No, he won't hurt me.  I'm his husband now and he promised to treat
me with respect.  And Chakotay always keeps his promises."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because even though he hates me, he married me anyway and that was
all because of a promise."

********

"Hello Commander.  Tom?  You there?  No?  Anyway it's Neelix.  Just
wanted to say congratulations on your marriage.  Bit of a surprise
and not much notice but if you like, I can arrange a little
celebration this Saturday in the mess-"

Chakotay cut the playback.  After the tenth call he had stopped
answering the comm and started letting the messages go to archive.
Most people had wanted to give Tom their well wishes too and he was
tired of coming up with excuses for his absence.  He was now sick of
hearing them all together and turned off the audio, setting on the
comm to accept direct calls from the captain and Tuvok only.

He was still standing at the computer terminal on his desk seething,
when Tom wandered in looking bewildered.  He had been ready to blast
the younger man for not coming home right away after his shift but
the open amazement on his face gave him pause.

"It just let me in."  Tom turned back to the door watching it
close.  "I raised my hand to ring the chime and the panels just slid
open."

"That's what doors do, Tom."

"Yeah but it's the first time yours ever did."

"They're your doors too now or have you forgotten?"

"Yeah about that," Tom moved from the door and began to roam around
the cabin touching his things.  "You could have mentioned that you
were going to uproot my entire life to another deck."  Tom picked up
one his vids off the antiquated visual monitor B'Elanna had given him
and then turned to him.  The amazement was gone and indignation had
replaced it.  "And did you have to be such a shit in front of Harry?"

In a wave so forceful it sucked the breath from his lungs, Chakotay's
anger came back.  He made the two steps to the younger man, snatched
the vid from his hand and pitched it against the wall.  While Tom
watched it shatter against the bulkhead, Chakotay grabbed him with
both hands by the front of his uniform.  He inadvertently ripped it
opened, exposing the gray undershirt and pulled his face close to
his.  Tom yelped and stared at him wide eyed.

"Listen very carefully you little bastard, you wanted to be my
husband so yes, this is your cabin, your life now."  His voice was
low and menacing.  "It's what you wanted and now you've got it.  So
don't you dare give me hell about acting the role you forced on me.
You're a married man now Tom `Chakotay', so you better get used to it
and get used to it real fast because I will not put up with any of
your `shit' if you don't.  You hear me!"  As yelled the last part, he
gave the younger man a shake.

"Yes!  Now let me go you fucking asshole!"  Tom screamed but made no
attempt to escape.  His arms hung loosely at his sides and knees that
could have easily been weapons of freedom, remained at ease.  Tom
didn't want to be let go any more than he wanted to let him.

Keeping the flashing blue eyes in sight, Chakotay jerked him forward
and kissed him hard on his snarling mouth.  Tom's long limbs finally
moved.

With quick efficiency born of repetition, Tom deftly worked his way
down the front of his uniform, undoing his jacket and his trousers.
He then finished baring his own front and stepped into him bringing
their exposed erections together and he did all of it while kissing
him back at the same level of ferocious intensity.  They both used
their arms to bring each other closer.

As their body temperatures rose with their passion, Chakotay could
smell their heat as it wafted up between their bodies.  His flaring
nostrils brought the musky scent up into his nasal passages, coating
them, bathing them and fanning the flames hotter.  The hair at the
nape of his neck rose as a tingling sensation started there and
traveled down his spine to curl up around his balls.

He was angry, he was incensed and he was incredibly turned on by the
beautiful man in his arms.  And the beautiful man in his arms was
just as angry, just as incensed and just as turned on.

"Oh baby, now.  Let's do it now."  Tom teetered as he peeled off his
jacket and kicked off his boots at the same time.  Chakotay slipped
his fingers into the open vee of his pants to hold his bare hips and
to keep him from falling.

When Tom attacked his pants by tugging on the cuffs with his feet,
Chakotay slid his hands upwards skimming the undershirt from his lean
torso and pulling it over his head.  With his husband now completely
bare and open to his touch, he leaned forward to take a rosy nipple
in his mouth but Tom pushed him back with the heel of his hand to his
forehead.

"You're not laying a hand on me until you're naked too."

Chakotay leered up at his defiant lover.  "I don't have to be naked
to fuck you and you do want me to fuck you, don't you?"  He said
confidently as he latched on to his slim hips again.

Tom twisted out his grasp.  "Strip you fucking asshole or all you're
going fucking is your hand."  He demanded.  Tom was shaking but
Chakotay wasn't sure if it was from cold, anger or arousal, probably
all three.

Chakotay flirted briefly with the idea of tripping Tom, pushing down
into the couch and just jamming himself between his legs.  He could
do it and the younger man while he might yet again call him an
asshole, would raise his hips to meet him but he was too angry and in
the mood for a little revenge.  Since he'd been unable to relieve his
tension through meditation, he would relieve it another way.

"All right love, I'll strip for you."  He replied in a silky voice.

"Don't call me that."  Tom spat.

It was funny how it never bothered Tom when he called him something
nasty.  It was the nice that set him off.

Chakotay smiled and shrugged one shoulder out of his jacket and then
the other.  "Why not love?  We're married now, it's more than
appropriate."

"It's not and you know it."  Tom's cheeks and his upper chest bloomed
a bright pink.  His bottom lip trembled.

It always amazed him how incredibly attractive the younger man was
when he was flushed with extreme emotion.  Whether it was irritation
or arousal, Tom was remarkable in his beauty.  It had driven Chakotay
crazy for years but tonight it also inspired him.  There was a new
twist.

Tom was no longer a stolen pleasure.  This beauty belonged to him.
He was his, for life.

Finding he was now more interested in that luscious body than
retaliation, he made quick work of the rest of his clothing.  As he
stripped he noticed Tom's sapphire eyes darkening with desire to a
steel gray blue.  It seemed his body affected the younger man just as
greatly.  That pleased Chakotay, putting a small dent in his anger.
He held his arms out and Tom flew to him.

Bending at the knee, he lifted the younger man, wrapping his long
legs around his waist and carried him into his bedroom, `their'
bedroom his turbulent mind corrected.

Oh spirits!

TBC