Chapter Text
Tom's combadge chirrupped just as he was leaving Holodeck One with Harry.
“Paris here”. He nods goodbye to Harry, wondering who was calling him on his day off, and whether he would have time to change before having to present himself wherever he was needed now.
To his surprise, the Computer's voice answers him. “This is your requested alert: Proton”.
“Huh”. Tom's eyebrows shot up. That was unexpected. He'd set up an alert because he was almost ready to share his holonovel with the wider crew, and he wanted to be able to ask people for their feedback when they'd played it. It was only a small invasion of privacy, he'd reasoned. After all, it was his holonovel and he deserved to know who accessed it, so he could hound them for praise. Not praise, constructive criticism, he reminded himself.
Maybe he hadn't set up the alert correctly, and it had been triggered by him and Harry playing it just now. He turned to the Holodeck controls to check, discovering that he had been accurate in his coding of the alert, and that his work was now being loaded on Holodeck Two. Which shouldn't yet be possible without his authorisation, he'd only just got done fixing it after the highly unfortunate incident with the photonic lifeforms. His brow furrowed and he turned down the corridor to investigate what was happening.
He rounded the corner just in time to see the Captain disappear through the doors with a container. He stopped. “Huh” he said again, eyebrows returning to their expression of surprise. He fought with himself for a moment, then approached the controls to see which chapter she had chosen. A wide grin appeared on his face.
Janeway had chosen the chapter in which Arachnia and Captain Proton have a showdown. Tom knew he shouldn't intrude, but well… he was already dressed for the part… and the Captain had been so scornful of this holonovel a few weeks ago, even though she'd tried to bite her cheek and hide it from him, it might be fun to tease her about it. His curious impulse drew him through the doors.
Kathryn whirled around, eyes flashing, ready to bring the full might of her Captain's anger down on whoever dared trespass on her personal time in the Holodeck. She stopped, the threat of demotion lingering on her lips unsaid, as she took in the invader. Tom Paris, in his full ridiculous Captain Proton outfit. She didn't know whether to feel outraged or pleased, so she settled for outrage, at both Tom Paris and herself.
“What do you think you're doing?”
“Apologies ma'am, I'm just checking it's working properly, after… y'know.” Tom made up an excuse on the spot. He was staring at her, agog. She had changed into the Arachnia outfit he'd made for her a few weeks ago. He'd never imagined…
Kathryn regarded him coolly. “And is it?“
Tom started and looked around. “Seems so”.
“As long as you're here, help me with this zip. The collar gets in the way of doing it up fully on your own. Something to consider when adjusting the costume specifications”. She turned to face away from him expectantly.
Tom took the couple of steps towards his Captain and reached for her zip, only to realise the pull had broken off. Something else to adjust when he gets back to his quarters, he noted.
“Well?” Kathryn was impatient for this intrusion to end.
“The zip pull is broken. Think I can do it anyway, one sec.” He placed one hand on the small of her back to stabilise the fabric, and with the other he slid two fingers inside the zip and gripped the slider against them with his thumb, moving it steadily up to the top. He felt the smoothness of the skin between her shoulder blades, and uncomfortably caught himself noticing she wasn't wearing a bra.
Kathryn stilled, breath caught by the sensation of his fingers running up her spine.
She cleared her throat. “Thank you. I'll let you know if there are any malfunctions”.
Tom knew he was being dismissed, but he didn't turn to leave. He'd always been impulsive, often knowing something he was about to do was going to get him into trouble and unable to change course. He knew this was really pushing his luck, that this was overstepping and about to land him in a whole heap of trouble, but he couldn't resist the opportunity to find out what his Captain was doing, reprising the role she had been so reluctant to play. Or to be more honest, he couldn't resist the opportunity to watch her reprise the role she had embodied so magnificently.
“I'll stay”. He gulped. He hadn't consciously meant to say that at all, let alone like that. “I mean, maybe I should stay.”
Kathryn turned to regard him over her shoulder, eyes flashing. He couldn't tell if it was from anger or… something else…
He decided to go all in. He was in trouble already, why not see how far he could push it.
“I mean, Captain, with your permission, perhaps I should stay, to, umm, monitor it, as this is my holonovel and I am better placed to notice any glitches.”
Kathryn watched his cheeks flush as she raised her chin to appraise him and his request in the way that seemed fitting for the Arachnia character. His reaction sent a little thrill through her, giving her a taste of why this part had felt so good to play.
Tom watched her turn fully towards him and step intimidatingly into his personal space, staring up at him with steely determination.
“Whether I invite you to stay or dismiss you, and I have not yet decided which, you are under strict orders not to mention this to anyone. Not the fact that I have run your Holonovel, not the fact that I am playing it as Arachnia, not the fact that I have not yet recycled this outfit. You have not seen me on the Holodeck at all, and you are entirely unaware of any of this. If you make the tiniest utterance of this to anyone it will be considered rank insubordination and you will be held accountable appropriately.”
He stood to attention. “Understood Captain”. He looked down at her, a slight smile playing about his lips, though he tried to suppress it. “What happens in the Holodeck, stays in the Holodeck, Ma'am”.
Kathryn's pulse quickened, not only in response to the implied meaning that phrase carries, but also as she realised that she hadn't scared him off through highlighting just how private this was supposed to be. That cheeky twitch of his lips, the way he called her Ma'am… She had tried so hard to discourage the crew from addressing her that way, but Tom Paris had made that impossible.
She hadn't let anyone else get away with it before him. Something about the way he says it makes her want to hear him repeat it, makes her want to hear him breathe it, gasp it, mean it. Maybe it's the daring in his eyes, the knowing smile, the challenge he laid down when they first met again: “well then, I guess I'm yours…”. It was a small indulgence she had allowed herself, or rather, that she didn't have the will to deny herself, and as a result felt she should allow the rest of the crew to call her Ma’am with no corrections from her to use “Captain” instead, lest they notice the difference.
Janeway's eyes flicked to his lips. Tom watched her raise her eyebrow.
“I will be taking the lead. I might make some changes to make the scene suit me better, which might fly against your original intentions for the storyline. If that is so, you, as the author, are welcome… to keep it to your damn self.”
Tom opened his mouth to say something, and shut it again, sensing that any objections at this point would get him summarily ejected. He decided to trust that she wouldn't be making changes to his database directly.
“If you wish to play along, presumably ” she paused, stepped back, and slowly looked him up and down, a smile forming at one corner of her lips “ - as Captain Proton, you are welcome to.“
Tom was fascinated. He was watching Kathryn, his Captain, someone he thought he'd gotten to know pretty well, transform into Arachnia, bringing the character to life in a way that he'd never imagined. He'd missed most of her performance during Chapter 18, but the glimpses she'd shown him had been enough to get her a starring role in a few dreams of his since. He nodded, strangely thrilled at being invited to play his own character. He definitely wanted to be the Captain Proton to her Queen Arachnia.
“You are also welcome to leave at any moment. Once the chapter starts, you are to address me as Queen Arachnia. I will not be Kathryn, Janeway or Captain. You will not be Tom Paris. Any break in character, by either of us, will be understood as communication of a desire to stop the scene.“
Tom's eyes widened. That Kathryn Janeway wanted full immersion into this story, with him, was beyond what he had hoped for.
Kathryn was stunned at herself. She had never believed she'd be this bold in this sort of situation. This outfit though, this character, it felt freeing. It buoyed her, gave her permission to access a sort of sensual power she normally didn't allow herself.
“Is that all understood and agreed?”
“Yes Ma'am” he grinned. Tom understood a lot more than Kathryn was saying. He could see it in the way she was relishing his attention, in how she was lingering on certain words, on how she was holding herself.
Kathryn bit her lip. “Ma'am will also be acceptable.” She turned away so he couldn't see just how acceptable it was to her. “Computer, remove character Captain Proton, it will be played by Tom Paris.” She lifted her hand and poised it. “Computer, apply Arachnia's nails and makeup to myself.”
Holographic long black nails appeared, with twisting lines creeping up her fingers. Kathryn tested them out, moving her fingers around luxuriously, getting to know the feel of them. She ran her fingers over her hair and neck, and down over her dress, preparing herself, checking she was ready. Kathryn's now darkened eyes were aflame, framed with long spidery lashes. She turned, slowly, sensually, and fixed them on Tom. She stepped back into his personal space, studying his reaction.
“Are you ready?”
He flashed her one of his knowing smiles in reply, eyes twinkling. “Oh yes.” He didn't dare hold out any specific hopes, but he was on board with wherever this was headed.
“Computer, run program”.