The Mylar Cat: Star Trek Voyager (Complete)

Star Trek Voyager: The Mylar Cat (Chapter 11)

It took four days before Aki felt safe enough and energised sufficiently to transition back into his human form.
Not wanting to be on his own, he spent much of those four days trying to remain in the company of all the people he trusted, either in the mess hall, or waking around Voyager's corridors, eagerly running up to and greeting anyone he met.
Many of the crew would happily stop to pet and fuss over him or even pick him up for a cuddle. Most knew Aki had been traumatised by the attack and that he could only return to his human form when he felt safe enough, so the crew were keen to offer compassion, kindness and reassurances to the little furry creature, hoping it would expedite Aki to re-take his form as the beloved young cat-boy they all missed.

Aki eventually emerged from his quarters on the fourth day, back in human form.
The first person he encountered was Tom. The lieutenant was in the same corridor heading for the bridge.
On sight of the human cat-boy, Tom called out and hurried over. Before Aki could say anything, the helmsman had pulled him into an urgent hug, clearly borne of relief.
"Oh thank goodness! We've all been worried about you," gasped Tom, embracing the youth warmly, "welcome back Aki, I'm so glad to see you back with us."
Aki was a little surprised by Tom's overly affectionate gesture, but also quite moved by it. He keenly returned the heartfelt hug, enjoying how it bolstered his feelings of family, and being genuinely loved and cared for.

Tom gripped the teen at arms length by the shoulders, and looked sincerely into those big azure blue eyes, "I'm sorry you got so frightened during the attack. You must have been terrified for it to make you change back into your cat form. I know doing that was a big deal for you, it's why we've all been so worried. So how do you feel now? Are you okay?"

Aki nodded, "thanks, Tom. I'm okay," was the short, muted reply.

"I have to do my shift on the bridge now, but I'm free later if you want to hang out? We could get Harry to join us, maybe do something fun in the holodeck?"
Aki nodded, "okay," came another muted reply.
Tom could hear an unusual level of despondency in his voice. He looked concernedly at the boy, "You sure you're alright? you seem a little down."
Aki looked up straight into his eyes, "are we going to be attacked again?"
"Is that what's bothering you?" Replied Tom, sounding surprised.
Aki nodded, hesitantly, "maybe, a little."
The helmsman felt a pang of sadness as he could clearly see how much the attack had got the cat-boy worried and had dented his confidence; there was real concern and worry behind those big blue eyes and Aki's whole demeanour had changed.
Without hesitation, Tom pulled Aki back into another firm hug, "Listen, Aki, you don't need to worry about things like that, okay? What happened the other day was rare, and we came out of it just fine, just like we always do. You've got nothing to be worried about. Voyager is a tough ship with a very capable crew, you let us Starfleet personnel worry about things like that, okay? We've always got your back and we'll protect you. You just need to concentrate on getting your strength back for now, I understand it takes a lot out of you of to change form."
Aki nodded, looking a little more relieved after hearing Toms words.
"Thanks Tom," he whispered, "That makes me feel better. I'm glad I ran into you."
Tom smiled, he reached up and gave Aki's hair an affectionate ruffle between his big cat ears.
Just like a normal cat, Aki automatically closed his eyes and pushed his head up into Tom's hand, clearly enjoying the gesture.

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Over the next few days, Aki got back into the swing of things and settled back down, his worries reducing after some gentle nurturing from Janeway and the crew. They ensured he became more informed and knowledgeable about life aboard Voyager and their carefully curated coaching, gave him the tools he needed to make him feel more able to cope in the event of any future problems aboard the ship.