Title: The beauty of our weapons
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/character(s): Mirror!Pavel Chekov/Mirror!Hikaru Sulu
Word Count: ~800
Disclaimer: Gene Roddenberry has it.
Summary: Sulu meets Chekov after the agony booth incident. A missing scene from "Mirror, Mirror".
Warnings: It's a Mirrorverse story. You do the math.
Notes: Wrote for Prompt#1 from Star Trek Ship Wars. Theme: Our First Date. Yes. First date plus Mirrorverse. I must be doing it wrong.
Thanks to: the lovely Dibbler (theotherdibbler. livejournal. com) for her awesomely beta-reading. ;)

The beauty of our weapons
by Dana Norram

"Ah you loved me as a loser,
but now you're worried that I just might win."
(Leonard Cohen - First We Take Manhattan)

He was fully awake when you stepped in. If you didn't know him that well you probably couldn't have said he was in the booth just a couple of hours ago. Most people wouldn't notice the minor signals displayed here and there. But you aren't most people. So you did see his trembling hands and you noticed the unsteadiness of his voice.

"What's that, Lieutenant? The convict's last meal?" Chekov cracked a half-smile, looking to the tray you brought him.

"Shut up and eat it, Ensign" you said sharply. And it was a mistake, clearly. After all, he knew you that well, too.

"You're upset," he said, his half-smile gone.

You sighed and sat by his side on the bed. "That was a stupid, stupid move. I'm surprised the Captain didn't give the order to dispatch you outright."

Chekov took a sip of the wine that came with the food. He shrugged and looked away. "He's probably just waiting for the Halkan situation to be resolved. I'm guessing he will take care of me properly once that's over."

"You seem pretty calm for someone who probably will be tortured and dead in the near future."

"And you seem pretty stupid for someone who shouldn't be in the traitor's quarters just after the treason in question has been committed." Chekov's half-smile was back. "People could think you had something to do with it."

And you knew you wished you had. But Chekov wouldn't let you to take part in his little revolution. He wanted to take Kirk by himself, as he'd said to you so many times. And once Kirk was out of way then you should take care of Spock. You should become Captain and Chekov your First Officer. That was the plan.

"What's wrong? Feeling regret? So soon? You shouldn't worry yourself. You know I won't tell anything to anybody about what you-"

"You really like the sound of your own voice, don't you?" You cut him off.

"Not as much as you do, Mister Sulu." He toasted you and you took the cup out of his hands with such force that the wine spilled all over your fingers. "Alright, I guess you can drink too. Here," he said, refilling the glass. "You should enjoy the occasion, you know. It's probably the closest thing to a date you'll ever get, since Lieutenant Uhura's way out of your league."

You chose to ignore the bit about Uhura. You weren't in the mood for Chekov's innuendoes. You both knew that was just about the game. A game that Chekov used to play a lot better.

"It's not my fault we never had a proper date, Pavel." You changed the subject with a grin. "A first date, for instance, implies you not letting me go after first, second base tops. And if I remember correctly the first base was the only thing I didn't get from you."

Chekov smiled a full smile this time. An amused, victorious one. "Well, since I'm probably facing certain death very, very soon you shouldn't let this opportunity slip away, Hikaru."

You choked on your wine. Chekov raised a hand to pat you on the back. Then he let the same hand lay on your shoulder, his fingertips rubbing the skin beneath your uniform's fabric.

"What?" Chekov asked as you remained silent. "The idea of a kiss is too much for a last request?"

You put the glass aside and stared at Chekov. He wasn't smiling anymore. Instead he had an anxious, serious look on his face. You suddenly realized that could be fear.

"You never wanted to be kissed before."

"Well, I also never spent hours in the agony booth before. I suppose that could be affecting my best judgment."

You expected him to smile after those words, but he didn't. He stared at you and licked his lips, still swollen, chapped by the hours he had spent screaming. You didn't think twice and leaned over, covering his mouth with yours.

Chekov tasted bitter. A bit of wine, a bit of insolence. He tipped his head aside, making room so you could run a hand over his neck, feeling him shiver under your fingers. You brought him closer, piercing his mouth with your tongue. You bit his lower lip until it bled. The blood tasted like Chekov did. Fresh and new.

You broke the kiss a minute later and got up to leave. His voice hit you before you had the chance to reach the doorway.

"Be careful with Spock. He doesn't want the captaincy and he can be a lot more dangerous than Kirk."

You can't really say there's more in Chekov's voice than simple friendly advice. Still, you could wonder. And you had this feeling. You weren't over.

"Thank you for your time, Ensign," you reply and look over your shoulder, briefly, before you leave the room.

Note: This was originally posted at my Live Journal (dana-norram. livejournal. com/ 39169. html). English isn't my mother language. Any constructive criticism is welcome. :3