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Tuvok and Janeway sit in the Delta Flyer taking readings of a nebula from just outside it. Voyager floats far away, unable to navigate the field of asteroids separating the ship from this nebula. As soon as they realized this would be a shuttle job, Tuvok volunteered to go, and asked her to come with him. Of course Tom Paris had offered to tag along, but for some reason Tuvok insisted the job was simple enough for himself and her. It’s rare for him to insist on a shuttle mission that’s just the two of them.
“Captain, I have a question.” Clearly, there was a reason.
Janeway looks up from the scanner readings. “I was wondering when you would ask.”
Tuvok lowers his head slightly and moves the shuttle closer to the nebula. Janeway doesn’t miss how it barely takes them out of Voyager’s communications range.
He raises his head and looks at her with a serious expression. Janeway could feel her heart skip a beat.
Tuvok locks the delta flyer in place. “What are you doing?” Janeway asks as he rises from his seat.
The vulcan approaches her chair. He rests a hand on the top of its back, and leans down. His free hand glides down. Tuvok gently trails his fingers up the slide of her neck. His thumb stretches out and trails over her cheek for a moment, before he rounds his hand around her ear, brushing some hair out of her face.
“Really, Tuvok? Now?” She places a hand on top of his and moves it away. “What happened to nothing on the job?” Her tone is light, but she truly feels confused. That was one of the very first rules they put in place back when this first began.
“We often bend the rules,” he starts curling his hand around hers. “I see no reason why this can not count as a bend.”
She has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. That still wasn’t enough to keep the smile from her face. “Because it could lead to more than just bending them next time.” Janeway tilts her head away, and does her best to look stern.
“And you would be opposed to that.” His voice remains certain, even as eyebrows furrow. They barely move more than two centimeters, but that speaks volumes to her.
He’s feeling doubtful. Uncertain.
While they’re so far away from home, away from T’pel it is up to her to treat those doubts.
“What we have, it works.” He lets out an almost impercivable sigh as Janeway lets go of his hand. Tuvok moves it back to her neck, as she cups his face. The vulcan moves to press his face deeper into her palms. His forehead mere inches from her own.
Such a small thing, and he is much more grounded. It’s not often Tuvok needs the touch of another, but when he does it feels so much more noticeable than it had been with Mark, or even T’pel. “I don’t want anything to ruin it.”
Tuvok looks away. Her hands fall away. A dull red light from the monitor behind her catches in his brown eyes.
She has heard many people call Tuvok cold. Detach was another common term they assigned him. It’s true that he can behave in such a manner, but she has rarely seen it. Deep down she wonders if that rebellious, emotional streak from his childhood shines through now in his work as chief of security. Janeway wants to hold his face again.
She decides against it. What good would it do to interrupt Tuvok’s deep considerations over her words?
“What if it is not enough?”
Janeway’s heart falls deep into worry. He’s still not facing her. His left eye peers at her sideways, but Tuvok does not move. She finds her legs feel heavy and numb.
“What?”
“Our rules,” Tuvok begins though he sounds as if it should have been impossible for her to forget. “we have lived by them for years. They have worked steadfastly for all of that time.” Tuvok begins to pull away. Janeway starts to reach out to hold him there by his shirt, but she stops herself. She closes her hand into a tight fist, and listens. “What if there arises a situation where the rules keep us from something we find we may need in the future?”
“Tuvok-” Janeway begins before forcing herself to take a deep breath. “Is there something you need that you aren’t recieving?”
“Such as?”
It’s all she can do to hold back a frustrated huff. Instead she leans further out of her chair.
“You were the one who provided the hypothetical.” Janeway points out briefly unclasping and reclasping her hands.
He sits rigidly straight in his chair. “Merely as a thought exercise.”
“Uh huh.” Janeway looks away towards the back of the delta flyer. She starts to bring a finger to her lips, ready to chew on the nail, but stops herself. She steals a few moments to sift through her thoughts. before daring to ask, “Are you worried about going through your pon farr without T’Pel?”
“It is a matter of concern,” There’s a moment of palpable silence. Tuvok closes his eyes. “but not the only one.”
“What are the others?”
Tuvok slowly turns his chair back towards her. She reaches out and takes his hands. “There are various illnesses vulcans can suffer from without certain contact from other individuals.”
“Contact as in physical?” She lifts up their hands as she asks.
“Some, but mostly of a telepathic nature.”
Janeway nods along piecing it together, “And since vulcans are a species of touch telepaths, naturally physical needs work themselves into the psychic ones.”
“Indeed.” He runs a thumb across the side of Janeway’s hand. His fingers are calloused along their pads. His trigger finger the most so. Janeway could almost “I am also aware of many conditions humans suffer when lacking in physical needs.”
That’s true, but Janeway knows he’s merely tacking those on in addition to his true concerns. This was his way of asking if she would be willing to change what they have, who they have been, for what they might need.
Where will they go from here?
“Well then,” Janeway gently squeezes his hands. They move up and down slightly as she reaches a decision. “I guess we’ll adjust the rules as needed if said problems arise.”
The pair raise their heads. As their eyes meet, Janeway smiles. Even now they’re in sync.
“That is the logical approach.”
“So glad you approve.”