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Chapter Text

mangifera indica: experimental applications in deep space exploration

"When they're just perfectly, overwhelmingly juicy, and your mouth can't even contain it all."

Kathryn blinks and looks over to where Chris is... she's not even sure what he's discussing with Chakotay, but whatever it is sounds so delicious, she can't resist.

They're apparently deeply absorbed in their conversation, neither of them noticing her approach. She's relieved (okay, mostly relieved) when she realises Chris is cutting a mango in half, and that was presumably what he was talking about. (She apparently has a very dirty mind.)

She hovers a couple of metres away as he expertly extracts the pit, then takes half and cuts the fruit inside the skin into little cubes before offering it to Chakotay.

Chakotay carefully tugs one of the chunks of mango off and pops it into his mouth, then makes a noise that's frankly borderline obscene. "That's a very good mango."

Chris is watching him as if he found that noise obscene, too, and is very pleased about it. "It is, but you're only getting half the fun that way."

He takes the mango half from Chakotay, and... oh, hell.

Watching Chris Pike eat mango isn't borderline obscene; it's practically porn. He buries his face in the thing and makes absolutely filthy noises, and Kathryn can't help it, she's instantly imagining what else he might bury his face in so enthusiastically. She moves closer before she can talk herself out of it.

He notices her, and pops up from his feast. He has mango all over his mouth and chin, which really isn't helping. "Kathryn! Kes grew some spectacular mangoes, come try them."

He passes the mango he's partially demolished to Chakotay, who with less confidence but similar enthusiasm dives in, and okay, now she's imagining them sharing her, damnit. This set of underwear, and possibly her uniform pants, will have to go in matter reclamation at this point, there's no way they can be rescued.

She clears her throat. "Um."

"It's so good!" Chris deftly cuts a cube from the half-mango Chakotay isn't currently defiling and holds it up close to her lips, and because she apparently completely lacks self-preservation instincts, she leans in and lets him feed it to her, her lips grazing his fingertips.

He clears his throat; his eyes have gone dark. Kathryn chews and swallows the chunk of mango. "Delicious," she manages, in a strangled voice. "But I have to, to go-"

Chris looks like he's about to say something, and then Chakotay looks up from his mango and his chin's also soaked in juice, and she does the only thing she can think of to preserve her sanity: she flees.

Chapter Text

It's foolish to invite Chakotay for breakfast in his quarters, foolish to tempt him with fresh mangoes, to tempt himself, because Chris almost kissed him right there, mess hall be damned. But he's weak, and Kes was kind enough to let him have his pick of fruit fresh from the tree; when he thought about Chakotay and more mangoes, he was sending the unwise invitation before he could help himself.

He'd invite Kathryn too - maybe a couple of mangoes shared between friends would get the two of them to finally admit how they feel about each other, or at least convince them to kiss - but based on the way she stared and then all but sprinted from the room when Chakotay was eating one, it seems unlikely she'll let herself be seen in the same room as a mango for quite some time.

It's too bad, because Kathryn Janeway chowing down on a mango would be... wow... but at the moment, he has more pressing concerns, like how to have mangoes for breakfast with Chakotay without hitting on him.

The door chimes. "Come in!"

It's always nice to have Chakotay in his space, though Chris isn't usually so... distracted. It's not like the mango incident's the first time he noticed Chakotay's attractive, he's been nursing that crush almost as long as his crush on Kathryn, but it was the first time he had to fight down the urge to lick Chakotay's face in public.

But, he points out to himself as they talk and laugh and he cuts mangoes for them, this isn't about that, this is about sharing something delicious with his friend, and if maybe he sometimes wants to kiss said friend all over his stupid adorable face, well that's Chris' problem, and no one else's.