Chapter Text
marry me a little
The first time he says it, it's a joke, obviously. They're tens of thousands of light years from home, the Val Jean is gone, Janeway has all the cards, and she offers not just to join forces, but to make him - make all of them - a real part of her crew. She could easily throw them in holding cells and dismiss them as too much risk, he wouldn't even blame her, but here she is offering them a home, offering him a position of trust and authority.
"You'd really do this?"
"Of course," she says, as if it should be obvious. "We'll need each other, if we're ever going to get back home."
He searches her face for the catch, but it isn't there; she's open and honourable, she reminds him of the best of Starfleet, of the reasons he joined so long ago, before disappointment and disillusionment set in. She is, against all odds, the real deal.
"Marry me," he says with a smile, without thinking it through - it's a joke, an offer of allegiance, a show of gratitude. She has quite possibly saved their lives, and it's the only thing he can come up with as a response.
She looks at him wide-eyed, flushing pink over her cheekbones, and although she quickly covers it up with a laugh, even on their short acquaintance he can tell he took her by surprise. She smiles back, and places a hand on his shoulder. "Ask me again when we reach the Alpha Quadrant," she says, voice husky, grin turning into a mischievous smirk, and he both admires her swift recovery and half-wishes either of them were serious.
They stand there for a moment; he can't help wondering what Torres or (Spirits forbid) Seska would make of this little tableau if they stumbled upon it, two rival captains in each other's space, Kathryn touching him possessively, the pair of them grinning at one another like old friends or... something else. (And when did he start thinking of her as Kathryn?) But he very much wants to stay here in the circle of her regard, wants that smile turned on him as often as possible. There's something captivating about her; some gravity he can't and doesn't want to escape.
She squeezes his shoulder lingeringly before she draws back and starts to walk away; his breath catches, then he's striding after her. One thing's for certain already; he would follow this woman anywhere.