Having grown tired of memorizing Ferengi Rules of Acquisition for her liaison certification, Naomi looked up at Icheb. They were in his sparsely decorated quarters. Chakotay had encouraged Icheb years ago to get his own living space, complete with a regeneration alcove. Over time Icheb had collected a few knickknacks, but generally as presents from others. Most of his decorations had been acquired on his birthday after being assigned quarters. Everyone had banded together to decorate the place for him, because all agreed he'd suck at it. There had been such an outpouring of gifts that they'd had to add extra shelves, which Icheb kept meticulously clean. So now his walls were covered in a mish-mash of cultural objects, from Tom's poster of some ancient Earth mode of transportation to a Bat'leth from B'elanna. Tuvok had presented Icheb with a lovely Kal-Toh set, which sat in a place of honor on his table. At Naomi's insistence there was a vase of flowers there, too, even though he didn't see the need for it. However, he had replicated a few traditional Brunali decorations (out of a sense of duty rather than sentimentality, but it was still a good step). Chakotay had told Icheb to make a few holoimages of people he considered family, and these were scattered throughout the room. Chakotay and Seven's wedding photo hung from an ornately carved wooden stand. Chakotay had made that by hand from actual wood, collected during an away mission. Near the replicator sat a miniature version of Mezoti's old science project, the ants dutifully scurrying around inside the cube. Next to it was a picture of the four Borg children at Azan, Rebi, and Mezoti's going away party. Her smile was genuine, and the boys all did a pretty good job of faking. Other images of the children surrounded this one, showing happier times. Icheb had spent a lot of time on that. On his desk sat pictures from his Starfleet graduation ceremony, as well as his promotion to Lieutenant Junior Grade. Those had been gifts from Naomi, as well as the collage of photos of him with various crew members. It was funny to see how his posture changed as he grew older; he shifted closer to the other person and he looked more comfortable and happy. When she'd been making it she'd felt like the collage was practically tracing his deBorgification (as she liked to call it). She was pretty proud of her work.

But her favorite photo hung across from his regeneration alcove. It was a large holoimage of Naomi herself, caught mid-laugh, her face smeared with sooty thermal grease. Icheb had been wandering around for days, updating the crewman images, when he'd stopped by Engineering. It had been short-staffed that day, so when a minor fire broke out in some overheated wiring, Naomi had volunteered to handle it. She had just climbed out of the Jefferies tube when he showed up. Her work buddy, having noticed her hands were dirty, had jokingly wiped them off on Naomi's already messy uniform. Words and thermal grease had been playfully exchanged, and Icheb had just stood there unnoticed and snapped away. Out of all the pictures of her, Naomi would not have guessed this would be the one he would choose to see every time he regenerated, and she'd told him so. But he had just smiled and said that it 'encapsulated the beauty and chaos of Ensign Naomi Wildman perfectly'. She wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but he'd kissed her so she guessed so. After all, that was the last thing he saw before sleeping, so he must not find it too revolting.

Smiling at the thought, Naomi looked up at Icheb. They were sitting together on his sofa, him straight-backed as ever and her stretched out along its length, leaning against him. Her feet were propped up on the arm, which used to horrify him. He'd adapted to a lot of her so-called rule breaking. Presumably feeling her weight shift as she turned to see him, Icheb glanced over at her.

"I appear to be under surveillance," he commented calmly, lowering his PADD of astrometrics data.

"Indeed you are, Lieutenant."

"Might I ask the cause?"

"You're cute," she replied instantly.

He blinked, clearly not having expected this answer. Then a smile stretched across his lips.

"Not as attractive as you are," he murmured, leaning over to press a light kiss on her forehead.

Sitting more fully upright, Naomi put her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him into a reclined position in the corner. His brow furrowed slightly in confusion, but he allowed it without complaint. Curling her legs on the sofa, Naomi rested her head on Icheb's chest and initiated Cuddling maneuvers. After a moment's nervous stillness on Icheb's part, Naomi prompted quietly, "You can put your arms on my back. It's called cuddling."

She heard the clink of his PADD on the window sill, and then the warm weight of his arms around her.

"Yes, I know," he said stiffly, awkwardly, "I remember reading about it."

Naomi sat up a little so she could look him in the eyes. "Icheb, if this is making you uncomfortable-"

"No, not at all," he cut in hastily, "I just... I am glad we have reached this level of intimacy. According to Earth customs, cuddling does not begin until the participants feel safe and comfortable together. I understand it is an important milestone."

"Well, I wouldn't say it's a big deal-" Naomi stopped herself when she looked up at him and saw the slight drop in his expression. "Not that it's not-... Nevermind. Of course I feel safe and comfortable with you, Icheb. I always have. It's hard not to trust you, ya know." To emphasize the point, she snuggled closer. She could hear his heartbeat, the chambers rhythmically expanding and contracting. It was very soothing, much as her mother's had been when Naomi was a little girl. It was a constant in a chaotic world, though of course in reality it was most certainly not; heartbeats stopping was a leading cause and/or result of a chaotic world. Icheb's heart better not stop beating any time soon. Naomi was most definitely not prepared for that chaos in her world. She needed him. She'd always needed him, to some extent. First as someone closer to her age, then as an older and more mature friend, then as a friend/schoolgirl crush, and finally as her boyfriend. Later he would take on the role of fiancé and then husband and she'd need him even more.

Whoa, hold up. Fiancé? Husband?! Where had that come from? Geez, she'd barely been dating the guy a few months and she was already thinking about that? Seemed pretty premature.

But was it, really? Naomi craned her neck again to catch his gaze. His lips were turned up slightly at the corners, his eyes unusually soft and warm. Naomi's heartbeat sped up. It kinda looked like he felt the same way. Of course, she could just be projecting her feelings on him. Her observations were heavily susceptible to bias. She needed independent analysts.

"Naomi... This is... wonderful," Icheb murmured, pulling her closer to kiss her temple.

For the moment, she was quite content to accept her biased analysis.

"Mom?"

She looked up from her PADD of information about a new species Dad was researching (Naomi's parents were such nerds, which was awesome).

"Yes, honey?"

"I... Yesterday, I was cuddling with Icheb and... It'd be crazy to even be thinking about the long term at this point, wouldn't it?"

A knowing smile slowly grew on Mom's face.

"I don't think so," she replied, lowering the PADD, "How long term are you talking?"

Naomi swallowed and idly poked at a gently spinning Ktarian kinetic sculpture that Dad had sent the replicator specs for.

"...marriage," she answered after an internal battle.

The reasonable reaction would have been for Mom to say that no, that's nuts, you two have only been dating a few months, there's no reason to even consider that at this point. But what Mom actually did was smile wider. "Well, I wouldn't advise it immediately-"

"No, of course not!" Naomi interjected hurriedly.

"- but we all know that's what's going to happen eventually," Mom finished, incredibly satisfied with herself.

Naomi's heart pounded against her ribs. Really? So she wasn't crazy?

Mom reached out a hand across the table to squeeze Naomi's wrist. "Honey, the entire ship has known since you were fifteen that you two will eventually get married. To be honest, I first suspected when you were twelve."

Naomi's cheeks flushed Red Alert red, or at least they felt like it.

"I think you two complement each other quite nicely," Mom continued, clearly recognizing that Naomi was in no state to carry a conversation, "And to be honest, honey, neither of you has a lot of options. Unless we gain an incredibly charming crew member, I don't really see what could distract you two from each other. Tuvok said that you and Icheb getting married is the only logical conclusion, as a matter of fact."

Well then, if Tuvok thought it was logical, there was no arguing. But there was still one concern...

"But... How can you be so sure Icheb would want to marry me?"

Naomi had seen that smile before, when she'd asked as a child if it was even possible that she'd get into Starfleet Academy. It was the smile Mom had when she was one hundred percent confident in her answer.

"Honey, your Lieutenant Junior Grade has been in love with you as long as you've been in love with him."

It took Naomi's brain a moment to process. He... he loved her? Wait a minute, she loved him?! Since when?

Since she'd been capable of being in love with someone, she realized. As she had grown and matured, as romance and all it entailed became a part of her worldview, she had slowly but surely fallen in love with Icheb. There was no moment of sudden clarity, no event she could point to as the cause. He had simply become a fixture in her life; a stalwart ally, a good friend, and a trusted confidant. Naomi always delighted in his company (almost always, anyway), as he seemed to with her. When she got good news, he was the one who heard second (Mom, of course, being first, though even that had been changing recently). Though the crew of Voyager was and forever would be her family, Icheb ranked somehow higher. Their relationship was closer, dearer, than any other she had.

Ensign Naomi Wildman was in love with Lieutenant Junior Grade Icheb. And, it seemed, Lieutenant Junior Grade Icheb was in love with Ensign Naomi Wildman. Holy crap.

This revelation was too pivotal to be based on a single datum point, though. Naomi needed a larger sample size before any meaningful conclusions could be drawn.

(Icheb loves me!)

"So, what can I do for you?" Commander Chakotay asked, his mouth stretched into a broad but thin smile. He put his tray on the table and slid into his seat, politely not noticing Naomi's fingers drumming nervously on the surface.

"I... need your advice, Commander," she replied, regret growing with every second for asking him to meet with her. This was ill-advised. This was madness. But she was stuck now, and Captains don't wimp out on missions.

"Well, that's what I'm here for," Commander Chakotay grinned.

Naomi glanced around the lounge again, just to make sure Icheb hadn't left his shift halfway through or something. Coast was clear... so far. Best to be on yellow alert.

"I... To be honest I don't really need to know, I mean, most people don't and they do just fine, but I'm really curious and it's not like we're normal in any other way, but still maybe it's better I don't know." She sighed. "I don't know."

Chakotay chuckled as he took a bite of his breakfast. "Sounds like a real problem," he commented, his voice lilting in that familiar, teasing way of his.

Naomi stared at him for what felt like an eternity, trying to find the words to describe her problem.

Then an image of Icheb's warm, smiling face flashed through her mind.

"I'm in love with Icheb," she blurted out, to her shock but apparently not Chakotay's.

"Mmhmm," he acknowledged, taking a bite of a Bajoran pancake.

"... What, that's it? No surprised gasps or anything?" Naomi asked, trying to sound teasing to cover up her embarrassment at such a blatant admission.

"First officers don't show surprise," Chakotay joked, "Ever." He partook of some scrambled eggs before adding, "Besides, that's hardly news to me, or anyone on this crew. Except Icheb," he amended quickly, when Naomi's expression momentarily fell.

"But... does he...? Is he in...?"

"That is a question you should be asking him, not me," Chakotay advised. But his eyes were still twinkling mischievously, so she waited for his next statement: "But let's just say I'd wager the ship on it. Personal opinion only, of course," he added, holding up his hands in a gesture of openness.

Ensign Naomi Wildman had a difficult time focusing on her work that day.

The evening had been wonderful. Icheb had, unsurprisingly, put a great deal of effort into it. First off, he'd somehow managed to get them both the day off. Given how crappy Naomi's shift was, that part of the planning had probably been the most difficult. But it had been so worth it, which was admittedly easy for her to say since she hadn't been the one making the plans. It was wonderful to spend the whole day with Icheb. He'd come up with the right balance of planned activities and time to relax, which indicated to Naomi that Chakotay or Tom or someone had a hand in all this. Icheb probably would have booked the day solid in a sweetly misguided attempt to keep her entertained. He probably wouldn't understand the pleasure to be gotten from simply chilling together.

Even with the breaks, Icheb still managed to get a lot done. They went skydiving on Vulcan, swam in a coral reef on Risa, and played a friendly game of Velocity at Starfleet Academy. They picnicked in a forest that was too perfectly beautiful to actually exist, with imposing, snow-capped mountains reflecting in a mirror-like pond. It was really too romantic for him to be as surprised as he was when she tackled him to the ground and made out with him. He didn't seem to mind, though. And he was getting better at it, too, not that she was an expert. A few clandestine, hormonally-driven visits to the holodeck did not an expert make. Especially given how innocent she'd been at the time - the hot boy she'd made up had kept his hands very much to himself. Icheb did too, of course, and frankly Naomi wasn't quite ready for him not to. But she had this low, burning feeling that soon she would be. Besides, it wouldn't be like he'd be feeling anything new, since she had tackled him backwards and was laying on top of him. God, his legs tangling with hers, his strong arms holding her so tightly against his chest... She would be ready very soon at this rate.

After a very enjoyable while they both seemed to near their point of no return. Sensing this in the other, they broke apart and settled for cuddling. There was no point in rushing things, after all. And anyway, the waiting and the tension were half the fun. As they laid there in the sun, Naomi began to drowsily hope Icheb didn't have much else planned for the day. She could definitely go for a nap here in the sun, Icheb's chest warm against her cheek.

So naturally the Red Alert warning started blaring. Both young officers bolted upright as the holographic forest faded away to reveal the holodeck grid.

"All hands brace for impact!" Captain Janeway commanded over comm. The impact followed shortly after, rocking the ship. Naomi and Icheb exchanged a glance; they recognized that sound. That wasn't stray asteroids or confused baby space creatures. That was weapon blasts.

Time seemed to slow for Naomi. It had been a long time since Voyager had seen battle. Before she and Icheb had started dating, actually - seven, eight months maybe. She looked at him. His frame was pulled upright into full official position, ready for anything. Even in one of his geometric-design sweaters and casual slacks, Icheb looked like an officer. The only thing that wasn't professional was his expression. There was a little fear there, certainly, but mostly it was... desperation, almost. A stiller fear, not panicked rushing for safety. Fear of a future which was uncertain and yet so easily and terribly imagined. They could each think of a hundred ways this day could break their heart.

Well, at least they could stay together a while longer; their stations were relatively close to each other, so they could travel part of the way together. When they reached the doorway, though, Icheb stopped and grabbed her wrist. Pulling her back towards him, he cradled her head in his hands and leaned in. His forehead very carefully resting on her horns, Icheb said quietly, "I wanted to tell you over dinner, but I think it would be best if I say it now."

As urgently as she wanted to get to her post, Naomi could sense the weightiness of his coming proclamation. She grabbed the back of his hand and held tight, watching him expectantly.

"Naomi Wildman, I am in love with you," Icheb breathed fervently, his eyes searching hers.

Wow. The impact had certainly been dulled by her foreknowledge, but it still hit her hard. Icheb loved her, powerfully enough to say it. God, he loved her! Burying her free hand in his hair, Naomi turned her head enough to allow her lips to safely reach his. Though brief, the kiss was passionate enough that she felt it adequately expressed her feelings. Nonetheless, when she released him she whispered, "I'm in love with you, too, Icheb."

He had such a handsome smile. If there hadn't been a Red Alert, he would already be on the floor again. But alas, duty called. They pulled apart, but Naomi retained custody of his hand. Even as they sprinted down the corridors, she held onto him. In the back of her mind, all she could think about is what she would regret not doing if one of them died today. Hence the hand-holding. He didn't seem to mind.