Disclaimer: I don't own this series, only the right to write about it.
Pavel always loved it when Sulu gave him flowers. He knew it seemed girly to receive flowers from his boyfriend and to be doted on as much as he was, but he had always been the more feminine of the two. He loved to hold the blossoms close and inhale their sweet scent, loving how there was no faint after scent of replicated molecules. His flowers had been homegrown, tended by his lover's hands, brought to bloom under his watchful gaze. Anyone could just replicate flowers, but only his Sulu would plant a seed with him in mind and set environment perfect for its growth just for him.
Pavel could never return such a favor. Every plant he touched either never sprouted or withered away no matter how much he tried to make it grow. He would boggle his mind for hours to try and find a way to give Sulu as precious a gift as he was so often given.
It wasn't until his first away mission with Captain Kirk that he discovered a way to repay his lover's kindness.
They were visiting a world that's temperature never rose above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and had forced them into their warmest clothing.
Spock was especially well covered because of his desert heritage and it seemed like every square inch of him was coated in thermal wear. All that could be seen of the Vulcan were his eyes and they seemed to take no pleasure in having been forced to dawn such clothing.
But Pavel was sure he saw a flash of fondness appear in the Vulcan's gaze when he laced a light blue scarf around his face, the only item he'd ever seen the commander wear that wasn't Star Fleet issued.
When he had inquired as to where Spock had obtained it the Vulcan had just turned his gaze to their Captain and replied that it had been a gift from him. Hand made for this trip.
Pavel had a hard time imaging the Captain sitting in his quarters knitting, but he knew that Vulcan were an honest race whenever possible.
The Captain had made his first officer, and perhaps something more if the rumors were true,a scarf just for this occasion; no doubt having done each stitch with care in order to keep the Vulcan warm.
The though filled Pavel with inspiration and the moment the away team was beamed back aboard he rushed to his quarters to prepare his own gift for his lover.
Sulu had had a bad day. It seemed like everything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong. His beloved Pavel had been on an away mission all day and that alone had would have made even the best day dreary, but today that was just the beginning. The replicator had gotten his lunch and breakfast wrong, making both dishes taste like prunes, and his stomach was still reeling from it.
Half the bridge crew was gone and the replacements were all lower ranking staff that Sulu didn't know personally. What was worse was that none of them could say his name right. By the end of the day he'd been ready to kill the next person who called him Mister Zuloo. He'd gone to the botany labs in hopes of calming his nerves with some gardening only to find that the whole lab was under quarantine because of one of the younger officer's failed experiments. He was ready the kill the ensign when he found out his newest strain of lilies had been killed by the resulting vapors. They were supposed to be his anniversary gift for Pavel next month and now they were ruined.
By the time he'd made his way to his quarters after shift he just wanted to lie down and wait for his lover to return home. Especially since Pavel always made all his problems seem a thousand miles away when he smiled at him.
Sulu was completely caught off guard when he opened his door and was met with the mouth watering scent of chicken noodle soup. It was his favorite dish and it warmed his heart to think of Pavel preparing it with that in mind.
As he stepped further in he saw that the entire room was covered in scentless candles and the low lighting was beautiful; especially when he saw it shining on his lover's face.
Pavel himself was wearing his best non-Star Fleet regulated outfit, a long sleeved white button up top with real Russian made buttons and tastefully folded cuffs on the sleeves along with black pants that highlighted his lithe figure.
All of which made him look even more gorgeous than usual.
"Welcome home Hikaru." He muttered, his face flushed bright even in the low lighting. The Russian had set up a table in the center of their main room and had a bowl of soup for each of them with a set of candles in between.
"I thought you might like a little treat after a hard day's work."
Sulu felt all the tension leave his body as he approached his love. Only Pavel would know how badly he needed something like this after the day he'd had.
"You read my mind Pavel. You have no idea how much I needed something like this today" He admitted; hugging his boyfriend tightly and placing a quick kiss on his cheek.
Pavel smiled brightly and motioned for Sulu to take a seat when they parted. The soup smelled even better up close and had Sulu's mouth watering before he even sat down.
"It smells delicious Love. I can't wait to try it."
Pavel smiled and shifted nervously as his lover took his seat and picked up his spoon.
"Pavel, what's this?" Sulu asked, holding up his spoon into the light.
The utensil was made of polish wood and held an assortment of carvings.
Pavel's face was bright red at this point as he fiddled with his own regular spoon.
"It's a lovespoon. You are always giving me such beautiful flowers from your gardens Sulu and I wanted to make you something special in return."
Sulu traced the carvings with his finger gently and looked at them closely.
"You caved all this?"
Pavel nodded so hard his curls went bouncing adorably a top his head.
"I carved a bit as a boy and thought I could put that skill to use and make a gift for you."
Sulu reached out and placed his hand on top of Pavel's.
"It's beautiful Pavel. I never knew you were so gifted at carving. Do the carvings mean anything?"
Pavel flipped their hands to intertwine their fingers and then squeezed Sulu's hand.
"The vines made me think of you and mean 'love grows', the wheel is for 'supporting a loved one', and the lock is for 'security'."
Sulu was touched at the thought and care put into his gift; no one had ever made him something so unbelievably special and personal.
"I love it Pavel. This is so amazing I can't even describe it. I definitely won't be eating with it though."He joked.
Pavel let out a breath he hadn't noticed he'd been holding and beamed at his boyfriend.
"I'm glad you like it Hikaru. I wanted it to be as personal and special as the flowers you grow for me."
"It is Pavel. It really is." The older man assured him.
Sulu got up and placed the spoon on one of his shelves with his personal belongings, right alongside one of the vases where Pavel kept his newest batch of flowers.
It looked perfectly right to see them together; just like how it looked when the two of them stood together. Sulu returned to Pavel's side and didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around the younger man in a tight hug.
"Thank you for this."
Pavel smiled brightly in return as he nuzzled against him.
"I'm thankful for every day I get to spend with you. Every moment of this life we share."
The Russian blushed as he continued. "Maybe someday I'll even make you a spoon with bells."
"Why bells?"
Pavel shook his head and didn't answer.
"I'll tell you someday. I promise. Until then let's eat our soup before it gets cold."
Sulu accepted his answer and the pair spent the evening enjoying their dinner and talking about trivial things.
They had each other and that was the best gift of all.
Bells on a love spoon stand for marriage, so Pavel is saying that sometime in the future he'd like to marry Sulu, but not right now. I apologies for any cultural inaccuracies in this story. I'm not from a county that commonly uses lovespoons.
Yours truly,
Jessica499499/Lacy Fairgold
