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“Tell me again why we can’t install an open wood fire?” Kathryn called from her room as Chakotay gave a small chuckle as he placed two bowls of steaming vegetable bouillon on the table.
“Just think of the neighbors! I don’t think they’d appreciate all that smoke.”
“Why don’t we invite them over? I’m sure they’d appreciate some warmth.” she entered the room, making him laugh a little harder. She was donned in an incredibly thick jacket that looked big enough for Chakotay. A scarf was wrapped around her neck, and her hair was sticking up at the back where it hadn’t all been tucked in. She was beautiful when she was cold, Chakotay thought to himself.
“ Oh, shut up.” she glared at him, taking a seat across from him.
“ I’m sorry...but, you look utterly frozen.” he couldn’t keep the grin from his face, and as it turned out, neither could she.
“ You’re one to talk, Mr Furnace. Honestly, I’ve never met anyone so warm.” she took a sip of soup. Chakotay’s heart lurched at that, and he rose an eyebrow.
“Furnace?”
“Chakotay, it’s about two off zero and you’re wearing a shirt. No sweater or jacket. Not even a thick shirt, and you aren’t even chilly? You sure you’re human?” she raised an eyebrow. He smiled, taking a mouthful of soup.
“ No, just super warm.”
“I might have to employ you as our new heat source.” she held her hands over his arm like she would over a fire, sighing.
“ Do you have enough blankets in your bed?” he asked, ignoring the tingling in his arm where her hands were still held. She paused, frowning, giving a silent answer.
“ Don’t worry, you can have some of mine.” she shook her head, removing her hands from over his arm and rested her shaking head on them.
“ Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll be fine. If I get cold, I can just join you.” that particular comment almost made him choke on his soup. Recovering quickly, brushing it off as a cough, he looked up at her.
“Sorry?” he silently chastised himself for the noticibly higher pitch to his voice.
“Two sources of body heat is better than one, especially when one is a human furnace and the other, well-”
“ A human popsicle.”
“Hey!” she swatted at his arm, smiling. “Well, you aren’t wrong.” she shrugged, taking another sip of soup, sighing. “That is some lovely soup.”
“Thanks, I replicated it myself.”
“ A true master chef!”
~
She found herself standing hesitantly in her doorway, duvet wrapped around her like a child. She honestly had no idea what she was doing, no clue what had impulsed her into thinking that could actually seek warmth somewhere else. After all, she had suggested it earlier, a slip of the tongue which she was shocked he agreed to, if worse came to worse. She had felt her heart pound a little harder, skin growing a little colder and her mind wishing it was cold now. But that wasn’t cold compared to now, she mentally and physically shivered. She was already standing and halfway out the door, so it was almost too late to turn up, she tried to reason. After all, he had said if worse came to worse....
She found herself standing in a new doorway, even more hesitantly than the first. He was asleep, absolutely calm, and no doubtably absolutely warm. She couldn’t help but notice how utterly at peace he looked in his sleep- a different type of peace than what he experienced with his animal guide. This peace was almost...more than tangible. His whole body was invitingly calm. She suddenly tore her eyes away from his face as she realised she was staring, and then made her way over to the side of the bed.
“Chakotay,” she whispered reaching a hand out from the duvet and placing it on his exposed arm. He didn’t stir.
“Chakotay.” she said a little louder, giving his arm a light squeeze. Perhaps this was a mistake, she thought to herself, biting her lip as she considered leaving.
“Look who’s come crawling back,” a husky voice broke through the silence, and she looked down to find him smiling up at her. “Cold?”
She grinned a little embarrassingly, nodded. “Does your offer still stand?”
“No, absolutely not. You’re going to have to leave, freeze your ass off.” he said as he pulled back the covers, letting her in, duvet and all. Snuggling close to him and pressing her back against his stomach, she felt his arm drape over her as she tried to maneuver the duvet to cover them both. The heat from his bare chest washed over her, soaking her bones and making her sigh.
It was warm.