Author's Note:
Hey there. This is my first proper McChekov fic. Obviously, if you don't ship it, then do not read it.
It will probably be a series of oneshots, perhaps 3, I haven't decided yet. It really depends how soon you want me to write the smut?
This first one has some 'dark' themes/conversations, so I've added a trigger warning below. Honestly, this is mostly fluff with a tiny bit of smut. Rated M to be safe.
Please review, and let me know if you have any ideas for what might happen next!

Some notes:
- I used google translate for the Russian used, so if you speak Russian and it's awfully incorrect, I do apologise.
- Leonard (English) = Leonid in Russian = Lyonya (nickname/diminutive) in Russian
- Pavel (Russian) = Pasha in Russian (nickname/diminutive) = Paul in English
- (I don't use the name Paul in this, I just thought it was interesting to know haha).

Trigger warning: pedophilia mention.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, or any characters. The image I have used for this fic is also not mine, and I unfortunately don't know the author.

"Hey, did you hear about McCoy and Chekov?"

"Yeah, the kid follows him around like a little puppy. It's pathetic."

"I bet the geezer laps up the attention, too. Miserable old bastard must get lonely."

These were the sorts of snickers Leonard McCoy first started overhearing aboard the USS Enterprise, not too long after Ensign Chekov had started, as they put it, "following him around". They hadn't been entirely wrong on that part, he must admit. Pavel truly had been following Bones around like crazy, ever since the kid had injured his wrist pretty badly and McCoy had been the one to treat him. He rarely had accidents, and therefore Bones didn't usually have a lot to do with Chekov. But after tending to his wound for a few days, and spending a relatively good amount of time with the kid, he was suddenly besotted with McCoy. And Bones wasn't going to lie; he did enjoy the attention, and he was pretty lonely.

It was 7AM, and McCoy was sitting at his usual table in the mess hall, trying to figure out what the grey slop was in his bowl and also deciding if he wanted to eat it or not. God damn space food. What he wouldn't give for some bacon, eggs, and hash browns right now.

Chekov chirped with conversation across from him, seemingly not minding the gruel in his own bowl as he shovelled it in between sentences. Sometimes McCoy forgot how hungry teenagers got. Chekov was still carrying on about some physics thing when Bones noticed he was eyeing off his own bowl of muck, and he smirked, pushing the still full dish over to the kid who happily began eating it.

This happened a lot, actually. The two of them would almost always eat together in the mornings, because Jim and Spock were usually arguing somewhere on the ship about mission plans, Sulu did his fencing training, and Uhura had been bonding quite well with Carol and the two of them ate together. So, it was just Bones and Chekov in the mornings. He liked that.

"I bet he's molesting the kid."

"Oh, no doubt. And Chekov would totally fall for his charms. Poor kid."

McCoy froze as he heard the murmurs, the heated whispers. He was used to the general snickers, but this was new; this was just sick. Maybe he hadn't heard right. He couldn't have. Chekov was just his friend, and even though he admittedly had stared at the kid a few times, he was very strict with himself on things being platonic. He frowned a little.

"Leonard, are you listening to me?" Pavel asked almost sulkily.

Bones regained his attention quickly. "Sorry, kid. What?"

He rolled his eyes. "I asked if you would like to have dinner in my quarters. I know you strongly dislike the food here, so I would love to make you my favourite Russian dish." He blushed a bit.

"Uh…" McCoy hesitated. He looked around, hoping nobody had heard what Chekov said. Everybody was eating and talking, minding their own business. "Sure, kid."

Chekov beamed. "I cannot wait! You will love it, Leonard, I promise!"

Bones just shook his head in response. The kid was too sweet. It was damn near killing him, and suddenly the ensign shot up from his seat.

"I am going to be late for Captain Kirk! I will see you later, Lyonya?"

McCoy almost felt himself blush at the nickname he had recently gained. "I'll be there."

The kid looked hesitant for a moment, before reaching down and wrapping his little arms around Bones in a surprisingly strong hug. This time he did blush, and sat there awkwardly, unsure of an appropriate response.

"Fucking child molester." He heard a voice sneer as said person walked past them.

This made Chekov let go in a heartbeat. He stared at Bones. "W-what did they just say?"

Bones almost shoved the kid away from him, his face burning with embarrassment. "You'd better get out of here."

"What did that person say? I want to know." Pavel demanded.

"You're going to be late."

"But will you tell me later? When we eat dinner?"

"I… I don't think I will be coming."

Pavel's face was grief stricken, those blue eyes wide in horror. "But… Why?"

"Listen, kid. This isn't going to work anymore. We can't… We can't hang out." McCoy tried to be stern, gruff; but his heart was aching at his own words.

"WHAT. DID. THAT. PERSON. SAY?!" Chekov shouted, his eyes wet.

The entire mess hall went quiet, staring at the two of them. Bones had to get the hell out of there. He took Pavel roughly by the arm and dragged him outside the mess hall, down the corridor and into a secluded corner where he hoped they would be less audible.

"Child molester, Chekov. He said I was a child molester." He very nearly exploded.

"Child molester…?"

"I don't have time to explain what that means. We can't spend time with each other anymore."

Pavel had tears falling now. "This is not fair on me, Leonard. You cannot just… Just 'drop' me like this! I have… There is an attachment!"

Bones grimaced. "Don't. Don't make me feel guilty."

"I will! I will make you feel guilty if it will make you stop saying these things. It is not fair, Lyonya. It is not!"

"Don't call me that anymore. I'm not Lyonya, I'm Doctor McCoy. I am your doctor and that is it. Understood?"

Chekov clenched his fists at his sides, still weeping, but visibly angry. "They are right, what they say about you, doctor. You are… A miserable bastard."

Bones scowled, but inside he was hurting like hell. "See? This is why we can't be friends. You're such a child."

Chekov looked like he was going to say something else, but his face just crumpled into more tears. He turned on his heel and fled down the corridor of the ship, leaving McCoy to stand on his own, internally cursing himself for causing the poor kid so much pain. Yep, miserable old bastard. Always was, always will be.

It had been almost three weeks since the incident in the mess hall, and Bones had successfully managed to avoid Chekov at all costs, with the exception of him once making a visit to med-bay with Sulu, who had somehow injured himself during his fencing training. During this visit, Bones had done everything in his power to avoid eye contact with the kid, and almost succeeded, until Chekov managed to fixate him with an icy glare right before the pair left. It had been excruciating to witness.

But, even though McCoy damn near hated himself for doing what he did, he also knew it was the best option. There was no other way, otherwise there would be even worse rumours spreading around the ship about him and Chekov. The kid was so naïve, he probably thought that Bones should just ignore what other people said and continue their friendship. But unfortunately, it wasn't that simple. Hell, McCoy should have known better when he first starting spending time with Pavel; that a thirty-something year old hanging out with a seventeen-year-old, was bound to start gossip.

Deep in thought about the situation yet again, Bones sighed deeply and covered his face with his hands. He was about to consider pouring himself a bourbon when his office door chimed. Nurse Chapel entered.

"You've been requested in Engineering, but it was an anonymous call. You'd better go see what's going on, just in case."

McCoy frowned, but then nodded and picked up his tricorder, striding out the door and down the corridor. He wondered who could have requested him, and especially anonymously. Of course, it could easily be Scotty playing a prank on him, since for some reason he had been doing that lately, but he had to make sure somebody wasn't actually in need of medical attention.

As he stepped into the great big Engineering part of the ship, he was suddenly aware of how quiet the place seemed, considering it was usually full of crew members in red shirts, running about and keeping the ship up and running. Bones frowned, and walked deeper into the ship's Engineering level, slowly coming to an understanding that he was well and truly alone in here. He rolled his eyes, feeling incredibly annoyed that he had been pranked yet again.

"Yeah nice one, you Scottish bastard. I'll get you back for this." He shouted at nobody, shaking his head.

Abruptly, he heard footsteps. Bones swivelled around toward the sound, and saw feet beginning to step out of some shadows. Small feet that belonged to very slim legs. He followed the rest of the body emerging from the darkness, immediately feeling his heart beat a little faster in his ears as he realised who the body belonged to.

"Hello, doctor." Pavel greeted, Russian accent stronger than usual.

Bones gulped, trying to find the means to respond. "Uh, I uh – Kid. You pranked me?"

"I needed to talk to you."

"For Christ's sake, kid. I have things to do, you know. Why didn't you just come to my office?" McCoy was feeling rather irritable now.

"Doctor, you know you would not let me in if I did come. You would simply pretend you did not hear your door chime. I know this because I have been trying for weeks."

The kid had him there. Damn it. He ran a hand over his face, defeated. "Fine. What do you need to talk to me about?"

"You know what."

"I'm not doing this again, kid. I made myself perfectly clear – "

"I turned eighteen today, doctor." Pavel interrupted, matter-of-factly.

McCoy almost blushed at the thought. "Congratulations, kid."

"I think the congratulations should be for you, doctor, since now you will not be considered a rastlitel'. A pedofil as we call it in Russia. Child molester." Pavel's cheeks were red, and his eyes full of anger.

McCoy's chest swelled, and his mouth went dry. "So you figured out the translation then."

"I did."

"Listen, kid - "

"I am not a kid, doctor!" Pavel shouted. "Even when I was seventeen, I was not a kid. I never got to be a kid. And you knew this. And you never stood up for me."

"Pasha, it's not that simple. Those guys - "

"You do not get to call me Pasha anymore. That is only for my friends. And my friends stand up for me." Pavel's eyes were shiny with tears. "When I told Hikaru and Nyota what people were saying, they were furious. With both the offenders, and with you. They thought you cared about me."

Bones was now very red in the face. "I do. I do care, Chekov. So much..."

Pavel softened a little. "Then why? Why did you let them say that? Why did you never tell them they were wrong? That I am not a child, and you are not a molester."

"Because I..." McCoy's voice cracked. "I was worried that they might be right."

Pavel was silent for a moment, taking this into consideration. He kept his stare on the doctor, those pale blue eyes never leaving his own. He began to chew his lip. Damn it. The kid was too gorgeous for his own good.

"You... Were worried you might be... A child molester?" Chekov asked carefully, slowly.

McCoy snapped to attention. "What? No, of course not. That's insane. I'm not a child molester. I just..."

"What?" Pavel demanded impatiently. "You just what?"

"Kid, I... This is really not - "

Suddenly, Pavel had stridden over to McCoy in a few long steps. They were chest to chest. The young ensign was positively fuming now. He looked like he was considering something for a moment, and then he shoved Bones backward.

"Stop calling me that. I do not want to keep asking you."

Bones was stunned. "Jesus, Pavel. I'm sorry. No need to shove me."

"Perhaps I do need to if it will get you to listen."

McCoy sighed. Shit. Alright. It was time to come out with it. He moved closer to Pavel again, and very cautiously reached out. Chekov flinched a little, before letting Bones rest his hand gently on his shoulder.

McCoy tried his best, softest smile. "Pavel. I'm about to be honest with you. I ask that, ah hell... I ask, that you please for the love of God, don't laugh at me. Please don't be mad either, Christ."

Pavel's eyes widened in curiosity. "Okay, doctor."

"Truth is, I was worried what those guys were saying was true, because... I had started to... Develop... Shit, this is hard to say."

Pavel's cheeks turned a little pink. "Go on."

"Feelings, Pavel. I got feelings, okay? Feelings that I thought I was hiding reasonably well, but the other crew members noticed and that's why they called me..." He trailed off, then cleared his throat. "That's why that day... That you hugged me... They thought I was... But I would never, Pavel. Never. You've got to know that."

For a split second, the young ensign looked hurt. "It is okay, doctor. I understand now."

"It's not okay, Pavel. It's not okay, damn it. I shouldn't... I shouldn't be having - "

"Feelings for a child?" Pavel responded, clearly upset. "I am not a child. I am eighteen now."

"That's not even the point anymore. I'm well into my thirties. I'm an old man. Plus - "

"You would never, you said. You would never act on your feelings for me. You think I am too young. I am not good enough."

"That's not - Jesus, Pavel, of course you're good enough. That's the damn problem here. You're more than good enough, and I'm just a grumpy old git."

Bones felt his ears go red after realising what he had just said. Pavel was looking equally red in front of him, only the colour was all over his entire face. There was the smallest hint of a smile at the ensign's lips, too. Oh, hell.

"Leonid…" Pavel used the Russian version of his name. "Lyonya."

The ensign had mentioned once or twice that Lyonya was the shortened version of Leonid, like a nickname, and used it a lot before they had their fallout. McCoy felt his stomach flutter a little. He watched the younger crew member as he stared at the floor, cheeks rosy, trying to hide a relatively large smile. Slowly, he looked up at Bones with an incredibly bashful expression on his face.

"You have feelings for me, and you do think I am good enough."

It was like they were having a competition to see who could blush the most right now. McCoy cleared his throat. "I mean, I uh, I was supposed to say that in my head, not out loud."

Pavel shook his head, openly smiling now. "No, you meant to say it to me."

"Shit."

"You are not as you say, a 'grumpy old git', Lyonya. You are the opposite. You are ideal'no."

"That… That's a compliment, right?"

Pavel gently touched McCoy's hand that was still on his shoulder. "Perfect. You are perfect, to me. Vy prekrasny dlya menya."

"That sounds way better in Russian."

Pavel grinned and shyly leaned his head over so to press his cheek against McCoy's fingers, who responded by stroking the ensign's soft skin. To hell with it, he couldn't hide this anymore.

"You are so god damned beautiful, Pasha." He said softly.

"B-beautiful? You flatter me, Lyonya… I too, think you are krasivyy."

"I wouldn't normally do this, but, I want to be careful with you, okay?" Bones very slowly cupped Pavel's cheek. "Can I kiss you, Pasha?"

"Pozhaluysta." Pavel nodded. "Please, Lyonya."

Bones heard himself breathe a sigh of relief, and then he leaned down to very slowly and tenderly bring their lips together. He could feel the inexperience in Pavel's response, but that didn't stop the ensign from mirroring McCoy's every action. Bones slid his hand up to Chekov's curls, and the young navigator did the same, grasping a fairly tight handful of McCoy's own thick locks. He tried not to moan.

Pulling away for a moment, he looked into Pavel's doe-eyed expression. Lips still parted, cheeks red, almost out of breath. Jesus. How was he supposed to control himself when Chekov looked like that?

"I need to know what you want, Pasha. Okay? Be completely honest with me."

Pavel almost went beetroot. "Mm, I want… Well I want… You. I am not sure what you mean…"

God, he was so cute. Bones chuckled, pulling him close. "I mean; I can't do anything unless I know you absolutely want it. Physically and emotionally."

"You want to know if I am interested in a relationship with you?"

McCoy suddenly felt nervous. "Well, yeah. Let's put it that way."

Pavel beamed up at him. "Da." He nodded enthusiastically. "Very much so."

He stood on his toes to kiss McCoy, surprising him when he felt Chekov's tongue nervously flicking against his lower lip. He opened his mouth wider for the ensign, who let out a very quiet moan as he let himself explore Bones' mouth. Again, he was very messy and inexperienced, but Bones didn't care. He was kissing Pavel Chekov, something he had wanted to do for a few months now. He was more than happy to show him the ropes of making out, amongst other things. Maybe.

McCoy very cautiously placed his hands over Pavel's chest and rubbed them up and down over the material of his uniform. A few times he stopped at Pavel's nipples, grazing his thumb and fingers over them. This made Chekov whimper and Bones suddenly remembered they were in a very public part of the ship and stepped back.

"Did I do something wrong?" Chekov asked, looking worried. "I know I am not experienced, but since you… Have an erection… I assumed you wanted these physical things with me."

Bones felt himself shudder. "Trust me, Pasha, I want them. But in case you don't remember, we're in the middle of the Engineering department. We really ought to get out of here before somebody catches us."

"Okay." Pavel grinned cheekily. "My quarters or yours?"

McCoy just rolled his eyes and took the ensign's hand, tugging him out of there in a hurry.

Russian used:

"Da" = yes
"Pozhaluysta" = please
"Krasivvy" = handsome/beautiful
"Vy prekrasny dlya menya" = you are perfect for/to me
"Ideal'no" = perfect
"Pedofil" = pedophile
"Rastlitel'" = molester (child)