Title: Courtship of Wolves
Author: Briana L. Wright
Rating: PG-13
Codes: C/T
Author's notes: A shameless piece of sexy fluff. I use wolves in reference to Chakotay & B'Elanna.
SUMMARY: Chakotay and B'Elanna commit. Where there's plenty of sex, loyalty can be found.

 

A certain engineer and commander aboard Voyager had become experts in making excuses to be together. B'Elanna did the best she could to accompany Chakotay on away missions, even when her area of expertise wasn't necessarily needed. Naturally, curiosity was raised. Their constant companionship meant they had surpassed the boundaries of friendship. They were lovers, but without the zeal of naive, impetuous youth. It became a known fact that neither was ashamed or willing to conceal their affections. The captain was forced to intervene on a few occasions, reminding them both of discretion between officers.

So they kept their sexual escapades hidden behind closed doors--either hers or his. Evenings were enriched with passion. Nudity. Clothing strewn about. Broken furniture. Broken bones. Bruises. All common ingredients to quality time together. They had a hell of a time trying to explain themselves to the Doctor at first. Eventually, he grew accustomed to seeing them in sickbay a few times a week and learned that as long as it wasn't fatal, it was best not to ask how they had injured themselves.

It was in those nights that they became immersed in their more private courting ritual, a ritual that Chakotay once compared to wolf mating habits in the wild. "The males grow up predominately independent, rebellious. But once they find a female and mate, they bond for life."

B'Elanna responded with a sly grin. "Is this your idea of foreplay?"

He roughly pulled her to him from behind. "Maybe." Chakotay bit her on the shoulder, breaking the skin. The half-Klingon relished the mixture of pain with her pleasure. And he knew how much she enjoyed bringing out his aggressive side. She purred in his ear.

"I want you, Chakotay..."

With any other pair, it could've been considered merely an act. But for them, the skin-to-skin contact was almost necessary. It was more than gratification, it was an affirmation. The permeation of sweat in the aftermath of their erotica solidified their bond.

 

One morning, after a rambunctious round of lovemaking, Chakotay teased his lover. They lie in bed staring at one another contently. "I think I'm falling in love with you, B'Elanna Torres." He absently traced the curve of her hip with his index finger, slowly drawing it across her bare skin. It still bore the marks of their previous endeavor.

She gave him a lazy smile. "I think you're right."

"And?"

"You're a fool."

He raised an amused eyebrow. "Am I?"

B'Elanna touched his face, tracing the tattoo at his forehead with her fingertips. "You are, Chakotay." She lovingly inflicted his name in a way he'd come to appreciate. "But I love you anyway."

He reached for her, pulling her close. "You are my heart," Chakotay whispered, taking her hand to his chest. "I can't live without you."

She grinned mischievously beneath him. "You are hopeless," she breathed, just as his lips touched hers.

Another volley ensued before they appeared for duty.

 

Before his usual stop to B'Elanna's quarters that evening, Chakotay went to sickbay. He needed to get rid of a headache he had developed late in the afternoon. He winced slightly at the throbbing in his temple.

"What is it this time? A broken arm? Ruptured spleen?" The Doctor took out his tricorder. Honestly. Those two are worse than animals in heat, he thought to himself.

Chakotay overlooked his sarcasm. "Just a headache, Doc."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, but continued with his scan. "I'm surprised you'd let something as trivial as a headache get in the way of your healthy libido."

"Watch it, Doc," the first officer warned.

"Touchy," the hologram muttered. He administered Chakotay a hypospray. "Off to see Lieutenant Torres again, I presume?"

"I thought I might." Chakotay rubbed the back of his neck where the hypo had been.

"You know," the Doc began, "with all the time you two have been spending together, I'm surprised you haven't made any kind of announcement. Not that it's needed--the entire ship knows you're an item."

"Announcement, Doctor? Forgive me, but since when was my personal life anyone's business other than my own?"

He shrugged. "It wasn't my doing, trust me. I have a strict confidentiality policy with my patients. They, on the other hand..."

Chakotay chuckled to himself. "And I suppose further ship-wide privileges would do nothing to persuade you to casually violate that policy, would it?"

"How did you--?"

"I'm the first officer. I make it my job to know everything."

The hologram went into his office, making notes on a padd. "As I said, it's not entirely my fault. You two don't exactly try your hardest to be discreet about your relationship."

Chakotay folded his arms in front of him. "While crew fraternization isn't highly recommended, it's hardly illegal."

To that, the Doctor looked up from his notes, serious now. "Do you really love her, Chakotay?"

It was hardly a question. "Of course I do," he said.

"Then maybe you should tell her. It wouldn't hurt."

Though he knew what he had with B'Elanna was indeed something deeper than physical attraction, he realized he hadn't seriously made any declarations. He hadn't told her about how he felt, let alone that he loved her more than life itself. Chakotay folded his arms and regarded the Doctor with a smirk on his face. "Doc, have you been considering a career in psychology?"

The Doctor smirked. "I'm an emergency medical hologram," he said rather pointedly. "I make it my job to take care of the emotional as well as physical well-being of my patients."

 

Weeks after debating on how to approach the subject, Chakotay finally settled on spontaneity. Before either of them had a chance to get ready for duty, Chakotay found a small box he had been keeping at his bedside. He opened and took out one of the two items inside. He held the small trinket between his thumb and forefinger, examining it carefully. "The custom of this is probably more familiar to your father's ancestors than to mine," he said to B'Elanna as he displayed it to her, "but I still respect what it symbolizes."

She saw that it was a single, silver band. Aged, judging by its lack of luster and few scratches, but still beautiful. "Chakotay--" she started to protest.

Chakotay took her hand and slid the ring on the appropriate finger. "It doesn't have to mean anything you don't want it to. It's merely a token of my gratitude."

She met his brown eyes with her own. "Gratitude?"

"For having me as your friend and lover." He flashed her an irresistible grin at that. "I know you're not big on sentiment, but I thought it was time. And it does state my intentions."

"And just what are your intentions with me?" she asked matter-of-factly.

He held her gaze. "I want more. More of you, more of us."

For a moment, B'Elanna considered his words. Chakotay's idea of something more--something permanent--scared her. She knew all that he implied: today it was rings, next they'd be moving in together. Nothing had ever been permanent in her life. What she understood was tragedy to the things that had ever been good: the departure of her father, the estrangement of her mother. That she had even lasted this long with Chakotay, she considered herself lucky. Maybe even a miracle. her newfound stability was something she was foreign to.

Chakotay caressed her cheek, sensing her anxiety. "I know you're scared, my love. I understand. I just want a chance to make you happy...if you let me." He retrieved the second ring from the box.

B'Elanna met his eyes, still hesitating. If she insisted, nothing would change. Chakotay had been generous that way, letting her choose the direction of their relationship. But if she gave him the devotion he wanted--Was it possible that she wanted that, too?

He was asking for a partnership, to equally share what was his. And by the rings, he was proud enough to want everyone else on board to know that she was apart of that.

"Love me," Chakotay whispered finally. "That's all."

It wasn't a demand or a sacrifice; it was a simple request. One that meant facing her fear of losing him, even if their future together was uncertain.

B'Elanna took the ring from Chakotay. She parted her lips and leaned into him just so that her teeth grazed the corner of his cheek. It was a Klingon gesture of submission and loyalty that she had used only once before, when Chakotay had first invited her to his bed. Gently, she slid the ring on his finger. She nuzzled him affectionately. "Okay."

He met her mouth with a devouring kiss that sealed their promise to one another.