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Disclaimer time once again! Eighteenth verse same as the first . 
.everybody *sing*:

I don't own these characters, (chorus) Paramount does!
I don't own this venue, (chorus) Paramount does!
I am making no money off of this, (chorus) Paramount does not 
either!

This story involves sex between two men, aka: slash.  If that is 
*not* your cup of tea, sweet as it is, then don't read it!  (simple, 
ain't it??) Feedback is *very* much appreciated, and always 
answered.  Flames will be passed around to friends and 
chuckled over.  :)

This is the sequel to 'Ignition', 'Famished', 'Escalation', and
'Evaporation'.  Number five in the 'heat' series.  Yet another 
PWP.  Series still not over; it's hot as hell *somewhere* in the 
world and I have three more of these to go.

87 damned degrees out when I wrote this.  Guess what *that* 
means . . <g>

'Lassitude' by Amirin


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Harry lay quietly as his lover drew idle patterns on his chest with 
gentle fingers.  He felt wonderful.  They had the whole day off 
together, with nary a crisis in sight.  He remembered wondering 
briefly what Tom had planned for them to do today, when he'd 
met his love's bright eyes earlier this morning, upon awakening
 . . .


                    <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Tom woke slowly, coming out of his dreams easily to find Harry 
asleep on him, warm breath lightly stirring the hairs of his chest. 
He smiled softly, running his fingers with a soothing touch over 
the jet black hair spilling onto his shoulder.  Harry stirred, 
surfacing slightly, arms tightening reflexively around Tom, before 
he drifted back into peaceful slumber.  Tom sighed, dropping a 
kiss on the forehead of the man in his arms.  He loved mornings 
like this, when they could laze in bed and cuddle together.  It 
was one of the nicer aspects of bringing their relationship out 
into the open; Chakotay was generous enough to give them time 
off jointly, on occasion.

Tom smiled, going back in time to the night he and Harry had 
first enjoyed a night of lovemaking, following a brief session of 
teasing and torment in Sandrine's.  They had both realized the 
timber of their physical relationship had changed that night. 
Being in love, spiced with lust, had made it even better, more 
intimate, more intense.  They'd had sex many times previously, 
warpcore-shatteringly, hull-breachingly, deck-crashingly, 
incredible sex.  But that had been the night they'd first made 
love with each other.

Tom grinned, feeling himself stir in recalled arousal.  The touch 
of his hand in Harry's hair subtly shifted from soothing to 
something else, and the something else woke Harry, who lay 
quietly for a moment, enjoying the warmth of Tom's arms around 
him. He tilted his head up, eyes closing again as Tom brought a 
hand to his cheek, before leaning down to kiss him. He moved 
upward into it, fingers tangling into silky blond hair, as the mouth 
caressing his own opened, seducing him with its sweetness.  A 
soft moan-sigh was heard, as tongue greeted tongue, and 
neither was sure which one of them it had come from. 

Harry moved slowly up Tom's tensing body, his thigh following 
the hot length of his lover's erection.  Tom tore his mouth away, 
regretfully needing more air than kissing Harry was permitting 
him, and wrapped his arms around the beautiful body within 
them.  His mouth traveled a familiar journey across Harry's 
temple, until the ear was reached and lovingly licked.  

Harry shivered deliciously, neck arching briefly, before he 
nuzzled Tom's throat with his nose and lips, his own tongue 
leaving a steaming path up to his lover's chin.  He groaned, 
moving against Tom when warm hands caressed his ass, 
bringing them even closer together.  "Oh, *yes*," Harry 
breathed, wrapping a hand around his love's hardness, as 
Tom's talented fingers followed the cleft guarding the entrance 
to his body.  He began sliding and thrusting against Tom, 
bringing his own hard cock into contact with Tom's long leg.  For 
all that they'd spent hours the night before enjoying one another, 
it still felt like it had happened too long ago.

"Want me?" Tom asked on a warm breath of air, tip of his finger 
sliding into Harry.

"Constantly," Harry groaned, moving restlessly against Tom's 
leg.

"Then take me," Tom offered, withdrawing his finger as Harry 
whimpered.  "I need that hard cock inside me, Har.  Now."

Harry grabbed the small tube next to the bed and covered his 
fingers with the slick fluid, as Tom drew his knees up to his 
chest.  Harry let his fingers slowly trace a path along the cleft of 
Tom's ass, before sliding a finger into him, watching his lover's 
face tighten in pleasure.  The second and third quickly followed 
and Tom was moving against him, breath sounding ragged in 
the silence.

"Oh, gods, Harry, please.  Fuck me. Please, baby, gods, I 
*need* you.  Fuck me," Tom alternated between pleading and 
demanding as Harry positioned himself just outside his lover's 
body and slowly sank into him. 

Tom cried out, head thrashing on the pillow and Harry wrapped 
a hot, slick hand around his cock, feeling it throb with Tom's 
pulse beneath his fingers.  He stroked Tom as he stroked *into* 
him and soon had the man rising to meet his thrusts, pushing 
him onward.

Harry leaned forward, his mouth claiming his lover's and kissed 
him until the man groaned against his lips, tongue echoing the 
movements of his cock.  He sped up and Tom rose beneath him, 
gasping, unable to speak but knowing Harry didn't need any 
instruction.

Tom dug his fingers into Harry's thighs, hanging onto him as the 
pressure built up to unbearable levels within him. He could feel 
his body tighten around his lover and grinned slightly when 
Harry moaned aloud at the clenching of the hot muscle 
surrounding him. One of Tom's hands slipped off and began 
pounding the mattress under him. He missed Harry's returned 
grin and felt only the increase in pleasure as Harry's movements 
became a little wilder, passion making him lose the rhythm 
they'd made together.  His whole being was crying out for 
release and Harry granted it, stroking him rapidly to orgasm as 
Tom answered the cry with one of his own and filled his lover's 
hand over and over again.

Harry gasped when Tom tightened around him again, muscles 
pulling his climax from him, as he watched his lover's take him. 
The heat poured over his skin, went through his blood and left 
him trembling in the aftermath before his exhausted body 
collapsed on top of Tom's.  

Long, shaking legs fell to Harry's sides and Tom frowned, 
reaching under the left one, finding the small tube his lover had 
left there.

Harry looked up and rolled, groaning, off of him, coming to rest 
next to him.  Tom looked over at him, brushed the black hair 
from his eyes and tenderly kissed his forehead.  "I think we need 
a bigger one of these," he said, indicating the tube in his hand.

"What, you think we do this too much?" Harry asked, grinning 
tiredly, then sighing in delight as his lover's arms came around 
him.

"When I run out of rations from replicating it, *then* I'll think 
we're doing this too much," Tom answered, smiling at Harry's 
sleepy chuckle.

"Too bad the stuff doesn't grow on trees," Harry offered, 
yawning, as Tom pulled the covers up over them, and settled in 
next to him. The sleep weighing down his eyelids caught up to 
him and pulled him down into it, to join his lover, his breathing 
becoming deep and even.

A short time later, Tom woke, seeing Harry still asleep and 
watched him with love-softened eyes.  A slight smile crossed his 
face as he felt the man in his arms stir and dark brown eyes 
opened to meet his own.

"Good morning, again," Tom whispered, kissing Harry slowly.

"Good morning," Harry said against his mouth, before grinning at 
him.  Tom eased back.  "What?" he asked, slightly wary on the 
look in his lover's eyes.

"Nothing, Thumper," Harry said, laughing at the expression on 
Tom's face. "Nothing at all."

Tom rolled his eyes, groaning.  He'd been pounding the 
mattress, as Harry nailed him to it, again.  Damn, like he could 
help it, for crying out loud.  He sighed, giving up, and lay on 
Harry's chest, hearing the steady beat below his ear.  Nice.  He 
drew tiny circles over his lover's chest with gentle fingers and felt 
Harry's contented sigh.

"Do you want to spend the whole day in bed?" Tom asked, his 
voice telling Harry he had something planned.

"We don't have to," Harry said, looking down at him. "Why, what 
do you want to do?"

"I want to go for a walk," Tom said quietly.  "On the holodeck. 
There's a place I want to show you."

"Then, I want to see it," Harry smiled, then frowned as Tom 
pulled away.

Tom tossed the covers aside and rose out of the bed, turning to 
offer Harry a hand. "Shower with me?" 

Harry smiled again and rose to follow Tom into the bathroom, 
both still too worn out to make the shower anything other than a 
delightfully sensual experience.

Dressing in comfortable clothing, they quickly grabbed a late 
breakfast and headed to the holodeck.

Tom shot Harry a quick look before keying in the program and 
stood aside to let the other man go in first, when the doors 
swooshed open.

Harry stood open-mouthed in amazement and delight as he 
looked out on a huge rolling meadow, small snatches of woods, 
fences, horses, gods, it was almost too much to take and he 
walked dazedly inside, smiling when he found Tom's hand in his 
own.  His lover wasn't leading them anywhere, so he just started 
walking, seeing the wildflowers on the grassy hill to their right as 
they walked up to the fence, following it toward the trees ahead 
of them.  

It appeared to be morning here, sun low in the sky, fresh dew 
making the green grass sparkle as the light hit it.  Harry sighed, 
breathing in the scent of the flowers, the grass, even the horses. 
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

He headed for the woodsy area and found a faint path leading a 
little deeper into them.  A small, nearly-hidden pond filled one 
corner of the fence-enclosed area, willows swaying gently in the 
early-morning breeze.  He made as if to move around it and 
Tom tugged gently on his hand, leading them under the pale 
green branches to the mossy spot near the main trunk of the 
tree.

Tom sat down and motioned for Harry to sit with him, which he 
did.  Tom leaned back against the tree and Harry moved up 
against him, sitting between Tom's long legs, crossing the man's 
arms over his chest and holding them there.

"I love this," Harry said softly, watching the horses chase each 
other in the field before them.  They could see out, through the 
slender, waving branches, but they couldn't be seen unless 
someone was actively *looking* for them.

"It's so peaceful, so serene," Harry continued, not knowing why 
he felt it necessary to whisper.

"That's why I wanted you to see it," Tom said quietly, nuzzling 
black hair with his lips, happy that Harry appreciated it.  He 
wasn't too surprised, just pleased.

Harry laced his fingers through Tom's, raising one hand to kiss 
the back of it.  "Thank you.  For sharing it with me," he clarified, 
twisting around to kiss Tom.  Warm arms came around him and 
he found himself being laid back on the ground, on the carpet of 
soft moss. 

"I want to love you here, Harry," Tom murmured, lips sliding 
along Harry's neck, tongue tracing the jaw.

Harry groaned softly, hands splayed on his lover's back, 
caressing his shoulders.  "Make love with me, Tom" he 
breathed, hearing the man's sigh in his ear.  Tom backed off and 
Harry gazed up at him, puzzled.

Tom reached up into the willow and snagged something, pulling 
it off as the branch snapped back into place.  He smiled, a 
slightly mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Sweetheart, in my reality, it *does* grow on trees," Tom said, 
tossing the tube onto his lover's chest, before throwing back his 
head and joining Harry's laughter.

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