~This story is dedicated to my Best Friend and fellow fic writer who wrote a McKirk story in return for this.~

A child prodigy, Pavel Chekov was assigned to the USS Enterprise as a navigator at the age of 17. His intelligence and mathematical skills gained him respect among his fellow crew members, especially when he was able to calculate beaming coordinates much faster than the computer, saving two members of the crew from plummeting to their deaths on Vulcan. The respect only went so far though.

I sat nursing a drink at a bar on the starstation we were currently docked at. I was tired of being the youngest person and I was tired of having to prove myself all the time. It was exhausting and in all honesty I was sick of it. If I didn't love my job and the crew I worked with so much I would quit. I would go back to earth and work on computers where my age wouldn't be an issue.

I finished my third glass of vodka as I worked my way through the bottle. I was working hard to drown my misery, so hard so that I was oblivious to my surroundings. I didn't notice the people gathering around me. They were all crew of the starstation and thus lower ranking than me. From the looks on their faces they were some of the ones who weren't happy about having a 17 year old being higher ranking than them.

"Look who it is boys! It's the baby of the USS ShitShip!" One of the petty officers teased, shoving me slightly. I was tipsy enough that I almost fell off my stool. I grabbed onto the bar to keep from tumbling to the floor.

I tried to muster up all of my authority as I stood to face them. "Enough. Leave me be." I ordered , my voice shaking a little. I leveled a glare at them. They just laughed and shoved me again.

"Look at that, the baby is trying to order us around. He thinks we're going to listen to him." The one that seemed to be the leader joked. I tried not to flinch and to stand my ground. They shoved at me again, causing me to stumble backwards again.

I threw a punch at the leaders face. I supposed I had just the right amount of liquid courage in me to make it seem like a good idea. In hindsight it wasn't because I wasn't that good of a fighter, I was more of a brainy type. I was just so sick of people treating me like a child.

My punch was good and solid, sending the leader back a step and splitting his lip open. As soon as my punch connected two others of the group jumped on me, throwing punches and kicking at me. I punched and kicked back, doing my best to defend myself and injure them some in the process.

A few minutes later Captain Kirk was stepping in to the fight to yank us apart. He stepped in front of me protectively, ordering the petty officer's to back off.

"If I see you anywhere around any of my crew I will have you kicked out of Starfleet so fast your head will spin. Now get to your housing units, now!" Captain Kirk ordered them, causing them to flinch away from him. He had a reputation that everyone believed.

As soon as the officers of the starstation fled he turned to me. "Are you okay Chekov? Lets get you to the medical bay." He gripped my arm and started leading me back to the ship. He refused to let me just go back to my room once on board though.

He dragged me straight to the medical bay and made me sit down on a biobed as he went to go get CMO McCoy, also known as his boyfriend. I sulked a little as I stayed seated on the bed. I just wanted to go and hide in my room. I was embarrassed over the fact I had been beat up over my age again.

McCoy came over quickly with a sad smile. "Got in a fight did you Chekov?" He started checking me over with Captain Kirk hovering worriedly behind them. I smiled a little at how they were acting, much like worried parents. When I nodded shyly McCoy chuckled. "Well I hope you gave as good as you got. From the bruises on your hands I'd say you did."

As McCoy kept checking me over, a blush of slight pride on my cheeks over his praise Sulu came rushing into the medical bay. He looked worried as he hurried over to the bio bed I was sitting on surrounded by my two surrogate parents.

"Pavel! Are you okay?! I heard you were in a fight." He looked worried as his eyes traveled over my bruised and slightly bloody body. It was oddly flattering to have so many people worried about me because that means they cared about me.

"I'm okay. Really I am, all of you can stop vorrying about me. I'm just a little bruised is all. Kaptian Kirk rescued me before they could really hurt me." I told them, slightly embarrassed about needing to be rescued.

"Well I couldn't very well leave you there to be beaten up." Kirk said with a fond smile before ruffling my hair and indicating to McCoy with his head to head towards the CMO's office, leaving Sulu and I alone.

Sulu muttered "Very subtle Captain." I glanced at him confused as he sat down next to me, still looking me over. "Are you sure you're okay?" He reached up tentatively to touch a bruise that was forming on my face.

I flinched a little as it stung but smiled at him. "Yes Hikaru. I'm fine." I told him, patting his leg gently. I was trying to reassure my friend, the person who I was secretly in love with.

I gave a squeak of surprise as he wrapped his arms around me in a hug. "Good. Don't you ever do that again. I was so worried about you." I felt his chin rest on the top of my head as he held me close to him.

I gave into the part of me that wanted to get closer to him and wrapped my arms around him, pressing myself closer to his body warmth. I pressed my face into his neck and muttered "I'm sorry Hikaru. I didn't mean to vorry you. I didn't even mean to get in a fight."

I felt him shudder a little as my lips brushed against his neck. "You worried me so much. I don't like the fact you could have gotten hurt and I wasn't there to protect you." His voice was a little strained, I didn't know if it was from the situation of me being in a fight or if it was from my lips brushing his neck.

I pulled back a little to look up at him. "I'm sorry." I apologized sadly before looking at him seriously. "You don't have to vorry about me though; you don't have to defend me all the time. I'm sure you have better things to do." It killed me to say that but I had to. I couldn't have him defending me all the time because he felt like he had to. I wanted nothing more than for him to want to defend me but it wasn't his responsibility, I wasn't his responsibility.

His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at me. "I want to defend you. I care about you so much Pavel that it's not an imposition for me to do so. I have nothing better to do because nothing means more to me." He looked at me seriously and cupped my cheek gently. "I… I love you Pavel. I want to be the one to save you."

I felt a grin spread across my face as he said that before I wrapped my arms tightly around him, ignoring the twinge of pain in my side. I buried my face in his neck, smiling in pure happiness as I pressed closer to him. "You mean it?" I mumbled against his neck, happiness clear in my voice.

I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head. "I meant every word of it." He whispered into my hair. I smiled brightly before looking up at him and kissing him gently, wrapping my arms around his neck to hold him close.

When I pulled away after a few seconds I murmured against his lips "I love you to Hikaru. I love you so very much." He smiled brightly at me and kissed me back, cupping my cheek gently.

I was so lost in the kiss I didn't notice Kirk and McCoy approaching before they started clapping and whistling. I pulled away from Sulu with a blush to look at my two surrogate parents. "About time you two get together!" Kirk said with a grin, giving his blessing before leveling a stern look at Sulu. "If you hurt him though I will leave you on the next barren planet we come across after beating the crap out of you." His voice was completely serious and I couldn't help but smile at the fact he was so protective of me.

McCoy smiled at the two of us and patted me gently on the shoulder. "I'm happy for you two. You'll be good for each other." He looked at Sulu with a look that equaled that of the captains in sternness. "If you hurt him I will cut off your hands and feet before we leave you on that barren planet. I might be kind enough to use an anesthesia but no promises." Sulu paled a little at the brunt of both of their threats, knowing full well they were one hundred percent serious.

He tightened his arms around me as he looked down at me with a tender look on his face. "That will never be necessary. I would rather die than hurt him in any way." He kissed my forehead after he said that. I smiled brightly, feeling so loved at that moment.

At that moment I decided I didn't care if I was the youngest person around or the 'prodigy child' on board. It was because of that and so much more that I had gained this family and the love they had for me. I wouldn't trade that for anything. Their respect was enough.

~I hope you enjoyed it. Please R and R. Also if you have any requests, complaints, declarations of undying love just message me. I would love to hear from you. Any requests I will take into account and most likely write.~