Barely Dressed
Disguised
They did not realize until they had gotten to the Bridge that they had put on the other's uniform, and were ordered to stay in them for the rest of their shifts.
(Based off of 'Sentences', by Soul of the Wind...so blame her!)
"Ah, Lieuteniant Sulu...", starts James Kirk, as the half-Japanese man sits down in his usual spot at the helm; he himself already seated.
"Yes, Captain?", Hikaru replies, swiveling his chair around slightly to catch a better look at his captains' slightly - oddly, especially for him - pink face.
"I - ah...Never mind.", the Captain says, waving a hand and suddenly going back to working something-or-other out on the PADD he had brought on-deck with him that morning. Sulu failed to notice the grin that the youngest captain in Starfleet was hiding, and wouldn't realize that this would spell his doom later on.
There is the usual 'whoosh' noise - mute and barely thought about now, after so much time aboard the starship - as other personnel arrive or leave the deck. And Hikaru only glances over and trades a small smile with him as Pavel settles, wincing slightly, Hikaru notes with some pride, down into his own usual seat.
Someone - and it sounds like a female, definitely not Nyota, but Hikaru cannot tell who it is without turning to look - giggles slightly from somewhere behind the two of them.
He hears this over the murmuring of the rest of the crew, all of the usual creaking and whirring and muttering of Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk and - ah, wait, wait, why is Spock heading this way, with the usual quiet, distinguished nearly-not-a-sound his footsteps make? Normally, Hikaru wouldn't be worried - Commander Spock isn't mean or cruel, he's just...Vulcan. Distant, Hikaru decides is the best descriptor - distant, although the CMO and Captain both seem to be drawing him out into the open a bit.
"Lieutenant, may I enquire as to why you are wearing Ensign Chekov's uniform instead of your own? If there was a malfunction with your quarters' clothing generator, I am certain that it can be fixed without the breaking of regulations.", the straight-backed Vulcan asked and noted, and Sulu glanced down, confused, at his clothing -
How could the Vulcan tell? They both wore the gold shirts that denoted their respective stations - the same shade of gold, the same pin, even. Then it hit him - those damned rank stitches on his wrists...but they blended in so well with the gold color of the uniform, how had he been able to tell? Hikaru was only able to think about the how of the matter for a second or so before the senior officer leaned forward a bare twitch and raised his eyebrow slightly, non-verbally prompting him for a response of some kind. Hikaru, to his own displeasure and embarrassment, blanched and fumbled for an answer.
"Uh, no sir, no malfunction - it works fine!", Hikaru finally replied, licking his lips and trying to give the Vulcan a congenial smile, although from Uhura's raised eyebrow - was that contagious or something on this ship? - he had the feeling that it came out as forced as he felt it was.
"Ah. Very well. I must have been...in error, then.", Spock states, and although his tone is bland and he moves away after another moment, the Vulcan also gives off the air of knowing he was in the right - which, Hikaru thought frankly, he usually does and usually is - and that he has been lied to but cannot logically state that fact. And it is a fact; Hikaru now recognizes the shirt he is wearing as Pavels', because the tear in the left wrists' hem is the same one he mentioned to Pavel about getting repaired when he was taking it off of him the night before.
It seems, as Hikaru Sulu turns around, back to his station, that Pavel Chekov has also come to this conclusion, if the slightly panicked look he covertly sends Sulu is anything to go by, which Hikaru decides it is. After a few long moments, wherein the bridge returns to its normal state of orderly chaos, Hikaru gets a message on his PADD.
...From the Captain.
Inwardly, he curses, and steals another look over at Pavel as the curly haired Russian also gets a message - or that is what Hikaru supposes those raised eyebrows mean. Of course, considering that Pavel had had those same eyebrows raised while Hikaru had been taking advantage of his shirtless state the other night as well... Sulu shook his head slightly, deriding himself for getting distracted on-duty. The message sat before him, still, blinking gently and bright blue.
Fumbling for something else to do - anything else to do - than read the missive from his superior officer, Hikaru finished the calculation he'd been working on in what felt like much to short a time. Then he messaged Scotty about some few-second delayed reaction time, knowing it was only for lack of anything else to do. He'd have to apologize to Scotty later, for worrying him needlessly - the few seconds' delay was with an unimportant process, but something sticklers for rules would be reporting anyway. Then he made an excuse to go to the bathroom, and finally ran out of excuses when he got back to his station and found not a thing to do. Hikaru cursed in his head; now, of all times, did he catch up with his work! The Fates did not seem to pity him at all.
Pressing the correct keys, Hikaru Sulu opened the message and waited for it to load with bated breath.
Mr. Spock's right, and we all know it. You and Pavel will just have to stick it out, Lieutenant.
Sulu blinked, reading the first line of the rather short, semi-formal missive.
And remember to change properly the next time, so Chapel doesn't bust a lung trying not to laugh where we can hear her. I told Pav the same, too - I didn't know his face could get that red naturally.
Face flushed, Hikaru considered that that sounded much more like his captain the ass and hero James Kirk.
Catching sight of Chapel's face at the end of his shift, Sulu wasn't certain that this was a good thing. He really would have to be more careful when dressing, if he didn't want everyone and anyone staring at him and Chekov like that!