Hey, guys!
I've been meaning to write this one for a while, so now I release it in celebration of the DVD release... And my birthday. Not one of my best pieces of work, but I'm pleased all the same.
Little thing that made me very happy - I finally started writing this fic when, suddenly, John Cho appears on the television in that old Disney movie Big Fat Liar! I took it as a sign from heaven to finish this story. :D
I found the ending to be very weak - especially since this is the only ever actually slashy fic I ever wrote (None of my other Sukov's get to even kissing, I don't think...) - so excuse that. Feedback is always appreciated, but no flaming, please!
R&R
The young boy sighed, his chin resting in his palms as he stared down at his meal longingly. "Oh, how do you do eet, Keptin?" the young boy asked, blowing a long, blond curl out of his face.
Jim looked up from his lunch to look at the distraught Pavel. "Do what?"
"They all fawn on you, like beeg roller!" he exclaimed, his words dripping with envy as he began to stab the replicated food.
James Kirk laughed after a contemplative swig of his replicated beer. "Having a babe problem?" he asked him in a hushed tone, glancing around the Mess conspiratorially. Of course, the "babe" in question wasn't in there, unbeknownst to the Captain.
"Yezzir, a babe problem," he parroted with a miserable nod. He pushed away his food, unable to bear the sight of it, and returned his face to his hands.
Jim smiled pityingly at the kid, giving him a small shrug. "I guess it's just my natural hotness. And I can't really help you with that," he said apologetically, causing Chekov to look up at him with a raised eyebrow, "But maybe I can give you some pointers. You know, man to man."
"Man to man," he said with an eager nod, hero-like adoration filling his blue eyes once more. Kirk chuckled softly, noticing with some amusement how Pavel's english became even more broken when he was distraught or excited.
"Well..." he started, glancing around once more to make sure no one overheard them, "For one thing, I love pointing out my awesome Star Fleet position. They just love a man with power..."
They were so close.
Close enough for Hikaru's warm breath to blow across his face, disorienting him momentarily. Close enough for the young russian's curls to brush across Hikaru's smooth forehead. The boy was at a loss for words, trying to mumble out an apology for his clumsiness, but the only thing he could think of was how right Sulu's chest felt, pressing up against his.
"You know," the pleasantly accented voice whimpered breathlessly, "I am Enterprise Nawigator."
Sulu cocked an eyebrow, suddenly regaining his breath, and looked up at him incredulously.
"Yeah, Pav, I noticed. Seeing as I'm the Enterprise helmsman...?" he muttered, causing Pavel to sigh dejectedly and push himself off the floor.
As Hikaru tried to steady his rapidly beating heart, he watched his best friend walk away, not helping but to wonder 'What did I say?'
"But, zir, what eef theez person already knowz my position? And eez not eemprezzed?"
"Well..." Jim said, fingering his chin thoughtfully, "that's where good pickup lines come in handy."
The botany lab was probably the place on the ship that reminded Chekov the most of earth. The lights were timed specially above each individual plant to cycle as the sun did and it was the only room with greenery and dirt in the entire ship - besides Sulu's room, of course.
He watched as unrestrained joy flashed across Hikaru's face at the sight of an exotic bud finally blooming. The light, positioned above at the best angle for stimulation and growth, shined in his golden eyes as he caressed its smooth petals - the very way Pavel always longed to caress his cheek or...
... Or something.
"... Commonly called Sleeping Beauties. They take so long to bloom, and sometimes they never do! But in exactly the right environment," he sighed happily, "They're indigenous to..."
Pavel sighed softly, his eyes filled with adoration for the older man whose mood deflated when he heard the sound. "I'm sorry, am I boring you?" he asked him softly, a grimace marring his beautiful face.
"No, no! Of courze not... Eet eez just..."
His cheeks grew warm and he averted his gaze, causing Sulu's brow to wrinkle in concern.
"What's the matter, Pav?" he asked him softly, forgetting the flower for the time being and moved to sit beside him.
He cleared his throat, before reciting one of the many lines he had been researching earlier that day...
"I'dleeeektaa..." he mumbled softly.
"What?"
"I'd like to play on your laptop!" he blurted out, his cheeks rosey and eyes wide.
Sulu just looked at him in confusion.
"Uhm, Pav, laptops haven't been around in years...?"
Instead of listening to anymore, Pavel muttered something about being late for a nonexistent shift and ran out of the Botany Lab, as if he was once again running in the marathon he was so famous for winning.
Sulu shook his head.
He just didn't get it.
"And if that doesn't work, they all love these babies right here," Jim said, raising his arms and flexing them for all to see, distracting a few young yeomen as he did.
"What babiez, zir?" he asked him, his eyes wide and innocent.
"The muscles! All babes love a guy who works out."
Chekov pulled his uniform shirt over his head and tossed it into a corner before searching for an old T-shirt. He knew it was in here somewhere...
"Hey, Pav, you in there?" he heard Sulu call through the door.
"Come on een, Heekaru," Pavel called in the direction of the bathroom that adjoined the two rooms, not bothering to turn around.
He didn't notice how Sulu's eyes raked his half naked figure, or how he had to lean against the doorframe to brace himself. He simply pulled the T-shirt out of the dresser, also not paying attention to how Sulu's gaze followed his every movement.
"You know, I found a cool old movie on the network, and I was thinking about watching it... I could use some company?" Hikaru asked him after having to clear his throat.
Pavel smiled, about to accept his offer, before remembering the Captain's wise words...
"I'm zorry, Heekaru. I was about to go running," he said apologetically, stumbling a bit over the words as he imagined sitting on Hikaru's couch, lights out, close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body...
"Well, maybe when you get back then," he offered once more, playing with his fingers nervously.
"Yeah, I would lowe zat," Pavel responded, walking over to where his roomate was standing before pulling the shirt over his head and walking out the door.
It closed before Pavel could witness Sulu's miniature heart attack.
"... Which leads me back to my first tip - pure hotness."
Pavel frowned, shaking his head. "But I thought you said I didn't have any. That you couldn't help me..."
The Captain thought about this for a moment. "You know what helps everybody, Chekov?" he asked, his smile growing.
"What's that, Keptin?"
"Hair gel! Hair gel, a white T-shirt, a leather jacket... Oh, and don't forget the sexy smile and wink," he said, punctuating the words with one of his famous winks.
Pavel took a deep breath to steady himself, hand poised in place. With a last, unsure glance into the bathroom mirror, he knocked.
"Hey, come on in!" he heard through the door, causing his heart to flutter with anticipation.
He walked into the familiar room and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. The jacket was much too big on him and rubbed him uncomfortably and the hair gel was beginning to harden, but he ignored the unpleasant sensations, allowing his eyes to rest on the man facing away from him.
"So, how was your ru - Pavel, what the hell, man?" Sulu exclaimed, turning from the microwave oven, popcorn in hand.
"What do you mean?" he asked him insecurely, dropping his gaze to the floor.
"What I mean is: why the hell do you look like a miniature Jim Kirk?"
He dry-swallowed, his eyes filling up with tears - nothing was working. Maybe they were just destined to be friends, nothing more...
"Well, I - "
"I mean, why do you have to worship the guy? I get it, he's a hero, whatever! You have been acting so fucking weird lately!"
Pavel's head snapped up at him as he blinked back tears. "Maybe I wouldn't haf to go to zis extreme eef you can get zimple zings zrough your zick zkull!"
"Wait, Pav... Are you crying?"
"Leafe me alone," he snapped before walking back through the door, slamming it shut behind him.
"And you are sure zees will work?"
"I swear by 'em! Trust your captain, Chekov," he said with a rueful grin.
"I don't want to talk about eet," he said softly, gazing out at the stars before him on observation deck 4.
The situation ate at him. He couldn't speak to Sulu anymore, and that left a hole in him. He would sit silently next to him during shifts, only to run off once the replacement arrived, innable to notice the broken expression on his face. The doors remained closed between their rooms, merely a few feet of space, but it seemed like an entire galaxy that rested between them.
"Tell me what's wrong. And that's an order," said the gentle voice of Captain Kirk from behind him.
Pavel took a deep breath. "You really want to know what's wrong, Keptin?" he snapped, all of the hurt and frustration from these past few days flowing out of him, "Your stupid adwice didn't work. And you - you swore by them."
Jim sighed, not daring to sit next to the poor kid, but rested his hands on the head of the chair. "Listen, I'm sorry. Really, I am. I didn't realize - "
"Didn't realize what, Keptin? It shouldn't matter who I was trying to - to..."
"If it makes you feel any better, I have one more trick up my sleeve?" he said a tad unsurely.
Pavel turned to face him, wiping the tears from his face hastily. "Why should I do zat?"
"Because you have nothing left to lose," he said, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder.
- - -
"Chekov, it'll work."
"Do you promeez?"
He sighed. "I promise."
Pavel looked up at him unsurely before extending his littlest finger. "Pinky swear?"
"Are you sure zis is going to work, Keptin?" he asked him softly, his stomach suddenly somersaulting in place. The door seemed to grow before him in height and width, looming over him dangerously.
"I promised you it would, didn't I?"
"Da, you pinky swore," he remarked in all seriousness.
"Then it'll work."
And before Chekov had the chance to run away, the Captain knocked steadily on the door before turning down the hall. There was movement inside, shuffling as Sulu moved to answer the door. "One sec!" he heard him call. But the possibility of running was once more thwarted when Hikaru answered the door, hair wet and beads of water dripping down his neck.
"Pavel," he said distantly before shaking his head, bringing him back to the real world. Chekov's cheeks grew warm with embarrassment.
"Ah, you look beezy. Perhaps I should come back - "
"No, please. I've been trying to talk to you for... Please, just come inside," he pleaded and Chekov told himself that he would only go inside because of that look, just because Hikaru wanted him to.
But it was a little bit for himself, too.
He passed through the door, hearing it slide shut behind him - imperceptible to someone unused to the soft, automated noises of the ship, but now easy for him to pick up. His eyes averted after a few moments of staring, causing the man leaning against the kitchenette counter to sigh.
"Listen, Pav, I'm sorry - "
But he wasn't going to fail again. He could hear the captain's voice in his head, telling him all he had to do, how easy it was, and how he couldn't chicken out again. So that was when he did it. A slight upturn of his mouth, a batting of his eyelashes...
"... Do you have something in your eye?"
Chekov swore loudly, his hands reaching up to pull at his curls in frustration. "Nyet! Nyet, nyet, nyet..." he sighed, averting his eyes once more. He wasn't sure if he could handle the sting of rejection anymore. The feeling in his heart was similar like the ting of tapping a wine glass with a fork - only it would continue vibrating, growing in volume and intensity until he could understand how to stop it, for once and for all. The melancholy sound drowning out all other thoughts, wants, and feelings.
"You know," he heard, looking up to see Sulu stepping towards him, his nimble fingers trailing the edge of the countertop, "Uhura was giving me some interesting advice earlier today."
When Chekov didn't make a sound, Sulu's eyes snapped up to discreetly meet his. The eyes that Pavel was usually so good at reading, just as he was good at reading the ship that carried them, were now hooded and secretive.
"Da?" he supplied, spurring the man before him on - giving him whatever assurance he needed to finish.
"She said that sometimes... 2 + 2 doesn't always equal 4."
Chekov looked at him incredulously for a moment, eyebrow raising in a way very similar to their first officer's. "Heekaru, I beg to differ - "
But gentle lips were already pressing against his, causing the rest of his sentence to be lost in space. For the first time in days, the melancholy vibrations of his heart were over. They finally separated, and Pavel immediately missed the warmth of Hikaru's lips on his.
"Just do me one favor," the man said, pressing his forehead to Chekov's.
"Anyzing," he said breathlessly, his eyes closed.
Sulu smiled, looking down at the one thing that could cause him so much heartache and enticement all at the same time.
"Never take advice from Captain Kirk ever again."
R&R! Feedback is always appreciated. No flaming, please. :)