Chapter 2: A Happy Birthday, Maybe?

A/N: Just an FYI, I'm planning to keep up this same chapter format, write half of it from Chekov's point of view, and then the second half from Sulu's point of view, because I really like the way it's working out. Hopefully this doesn't give anyone fits. Oh, and I did go back to the first chapter to make it a little more obvious where the point of view changes, just a simple line, nothing major, but I'll try to remember to keep doing that to make it more obvious.

Also, I have managed to finish chapter 3 as well, but chapter 4 is giving me absolute fits right now... If I can just get through that chapter, I think it'll be smooth sailing, but until then... Grrr... So I'm not gonna post chapter 3 until chapter 4 is done, and hopefully that will be soon! I'll try my best! Until then, enjoy this one, and reviews might inspire me to write faster! (They usually do)

Oh, and I hope I'm doing an okay job with Chekov's accent... It's really difficult! I didn't think it would be that difficult, but it is! So I'm trying my best, and hopefully it's turning out pretty well at least.

Disclaimer: I don't own any Star Trek characters!


It had been a couple of months since Pavel Chekov had woken up in Hikaru's bed. He hadn't seen the handsome Asian since that fateful day, and Chekov simply wasn't sure how he felt about that fact. On one hand, he realized it was probably good. Their parting had been awkward… very awkward… and Chekov would just as soon erase that particular morning from his memory forever. And certainly Hikaru would not want to share a bed with an underage teen again. Yes, it was definitely for the best that they not meet again.

And yet… Whenever Chekov closed his eyes, all he could see was that faintly bronzed skin, those mesmerizing dark eyes… Chekov had a crush, big time, and he was drowning in his own obsession. He fantasized about Sulu constantly, and often caught himself staring off into space when he was supposed to be doing schoolwork. It didn't take long for Jason to call him on it.

"Are you fantasizing about that hot Asian again?"

Chekov was yanked out of his fantasy, which had involved his tongue and Hikaru's very well-toned chest. "Huh?"

"That hot Asian that you hooked up with a couple months ago? Seriously, smoking hot. No idea how you managed to land that guy. You should get some kind of award for it. But seriously, man, why are you still hung up on him? You know he's gonna run as fast as he can in the opposite direction if he sees you again."

"Da, I know," Chekov agreed.

"So why are you still daydreaming like a lovesick teen over him? You have Erica, man! You shouldn't need to fantasize about anyone else when she's around!"

Chekov glanced sharply over in Jason's direction. Jason rarely spoke about Chekov's sometimes-girlfriend, except to inquire if this was one of the weeks where they were together or one of the weeks where they were apart. This was certainly the first time Chekov had had any hint that Jason might be… attracted to Erica.

In all fairness, Erica was incredibly pretty. Petite with poofy blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes, she would have looked amazing hanging off of Jason's arm, trailing alongside him down to the beach to lay in the sun while Jason surfed. But she'd never glanced twice at Jason, and he'd never shown an interest in her… until now. Chekov was confused, but he had no time to get lost in this train of thought as the door chime sounded.

"PASHA!" Erica squealed, hurling herself into the room as soon as she was let inside. She threw her arms around her boyfriend and kissed him happily. "Are you ready to celebrate your birthday?"

"You know dat my birthday is not until tomorrow, da?" Chekov asked.

"You'll be seventeen at midnight. Close enough," she said with a shrug. "Jason's coming too, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Jason replied with one of his devil-may-care grins. Erica linked her arm with Chekov's and the trio hurried off to dance in clubs and drink at bars until they collapsed.

After a wild night of fun and youthful mayhem, they wandered back to the boys' room. They got to the door and Chekov turned to say goodnight to Erica, but she pushed her way into the room too. Chekov was confused. Jason was with them still, and Erica and Chekov had never hooked up with Jason around. But to Chekov's surprise, there they were in his room, and Erica was kissing him and pulling his shirt off and Jason was just lying there on his bed, enjoying the show. And then Erica was taking off her own shirt and placing kisses down Chekov's chest and stomach, and then she turned to Jason with the most endearing 'what are you waiting for' expression. And then Jason was stripping off his clothes too, and Erica was looking up at Chekov and asking what he thought of his birthday present and before long the three of them were rolling around on Chekov's bed together and for a little while, there was no place he'd rather be.

But then morning dawned and Chekov's first thought was of Hikaru. And his second thought was of Erica and Jason. But how could it not be when the two of them were curled up together with his arms around her waist and her hand on his thigh? And Chekov was quite alone on the other side of the bed and suddenly the room seemed too small and stuffy and he had to get away. Taking a shower didn't seem to help at all, so he threw on his jeans and went for a walk to clear his head.

Happy birthday indeed. He was seventeen and far from home, his girlfriend and his best friend were cuddled up in HIS bed, and he was at a school that was just like all the other schools where fellow students teased him because of his intellect, and the guy he wanted to sleep with again had vanished from his life as quickly as he entered it. Chekov couldn't help but smile ruefully. Today was a hell of a day for teenage angst to decide to rear its ugly head.

His wanderings took him to the Academy gym, and he glanced idly through the window, and his heart nearly stopped. Hikaru was there, wearing karate pants and a sleeveless shirt and he was FENCING! Chekov couldn't tear his eyes away as Hikaru moved, graceful as a dancer or a gymnast. The quick fancy footwork, the agile thrusts and parries as he bounded around the training dummy… Chekov's heart melted a little as he watched, fingernails digging into his palms. Okay, this was probably the best birthday present he could have ever hoped to receive.

Realizing that he should really not be standing here drooling over a guy who would in all likelihood never want to see him again, Chekov reluctantly turned away. He'd barely started walking when he found himself surrounded by several other older cadets. This particular group had tormented him more than once, but usually he was able to outrun them before they became too abusive. But this time they'd caught him by surprise.

"Well look what we have here… the boy wonder, out for a walk all by himself. Where's your babysitter, little one?" one of the cadets taunted. He was taller than Chekov by at least a foot, and very broad-shouldered and solid-looking. Chekov took a few steps backwards and found himself against a wall.

"You know, you wrecked the curve on our last physics test," another cadet said. "We shouldn't be putting up with this from someone who still needs a glass of warm milk from his mommy before bed."

Chekov knew there was no safe response to this, so he kept silent. The first cadet punched him in the face. Chekov turned with the blow and was able to deflect most of it, but his face still stung and he wasn't quite ready when that same cadet stepped forward and grabbed a handful of Chekov's dark curls, yanking the teen towards him.

"What do you think, should we take him someplace a little quieter where we can really teach him a lesson about what happens to punk-ass children who think they can play with the big kids?" he asked. The others in his gang nodded and they started walking and Chekov was really thinking this might be the worst birthday of his entire life and hoping that they wouldn't go too far so he could drag himself back to his room in a reasonable time after being pummeled when a voice spoke nearby.

"What the hell is going on here?"

It was a voice that Chekov had not imagined he'd hear again… the one that had haunted his fantasies, invaded his blurry memories of heavy petting and low curses as hips ground together… He managed to glance up, even as his head was still bent forward in the grasp of the older cadet. Sure enough, there stood Hikaru in those karate pants and sleeveless shirt that would be featured prominently in Chekov's next fantasy… He was sweat-drenched and gorgeous and very VERY angry… Wait, angry? Yes, definitely angry, with one hand on his hip and the other hand clutching the foil he'd been practicing with.

"None of your business," the cadet still holding Chekov's hair snapped, but he sounded just a little nervous.

Hikaru's eyes narrowed. "Cadet Roberts, unless you release that kid right now, I WILL report you to security for assault on a fellow student, and I WILL proceed to thrash you to within an inch of your life until they arrive. Don't act like you think I can't."

The behemoth (Roberts, apparently, Chekov had never actually stuck around long enough to find out the names of his tormenters) finally let go of Chekov's curls, and Chekov stumbled a little before regaining his balance. Hikaru glared at the other cadets until they walked off, leaving Chekov and Hikaru alone, regarding each other warily.

"Um… thanks," Chekov said shyly, running his hand through his curls and massaging his scalp a bit. Hikaru's eyes seemed to soften for a moment as he studied the Russian.

"No problem. I hate bullies. You okay?"

"Da. Zey had not done much besides taunt me," Chekov said with a shrug, deciding not to mention the implied threat of a severe beat-down if Hikaru hadn't shown up when he did.

"Well then how did you get that bruise?"

Chekov blinked, fingers moving automatically to the spot where Roberts's fist had connected. "Zere is bruise?" he asked, rubbing the spot gently.

Yes, Hikaru's expression had definitely softened. "It's not that bad. Really. Do you… have to deal with those guys a lot?"

Chekov blushed. Only his second real conversation with this guy, and both of them were ranking among the top twenty most embarrassing conversations he'd had in his life... maybe even top ten! "Sometimes. Usually zey cannot catch me… I am too fast for zem."

"You run from them?"

"Vell, I cannot fight zem," Chekov said with a shrug and a half-gesture towards his slender frame.

"Are you fast?"

"Da. I ran cross-country back in Russia," he admitted. "I haff not done dis here at Academy though."

"Cool," Hikaru said, one corner of his mouth turning up. "That's really cool. But… they caught you this time."

Oh, that was not a direction he wanted this conversation to go. Chekov stared determinedly at the floor. "I vas not paying attention. Zey surprised me."

"I see." And Chekov had the uncomfortable feeling that Hikaru did see… all too well. "So… um… what were you doing before those punks caught up with you?"

Chekov shrugged. "Just going for a valk."

"At this hour? By yourself?"

"Da... I vas thinking about getting breakfast," Chekov added as his stomach gave a rumble, reminding him that he hadn't eaten in quite a while.

Hikaru's tumultuous dark eyes narrowed. "Roberts and his gang might still be around. Where's your roommate at?"

"Back at room. Probably still asleep. Vit my girlfriend." Oh crap… Why did he say THAT? Hikaru's eyes had widened and his mouth opened a little. Chekov shook his head quickly. "I'm sorry. Please forget I said anything. I haff to go." And he turned and started walking away when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Hikaru had somehow closed the distance between the two of them and was stopping him from leaving.

"Hey, I know it's not really any of my business, but if you need to talk… or, you know, if you need some company…"

Chekov was so tempted to say yes. So incredibly tempted… But he could not do that, not to Hikaru… someone he barely knew, someone he wanted too badly to know… But something must have shown in his face because Hikaru just nodded as though Chekov had accepted his company.

"I really need to shower and change… but if you want to come back to my apartment… it'll take ten minutes and then we can go grab some breakfast."

"Zat… zat vould be wery nice…" Chekov admitted, because it really would be nice to spend some time in Hikaru's company, and it was his birthday, damnit! It was about time he got something he wanted today. So he found himself walking alongside Hikaru, back to his apartment.

Hikaru seemed to be regretting the invitation by the time they got there because he looked very awkward as he glanced around the living room. "Um… yeah… you can just… um… look at whatever you want… Just, you know, put anything you pick up back where it belongs, okay? I'll… be back." And with that, he strode into his bedroom and slammed the door, leaving Chekov feeling rather awkward himself.

He walked across the living room to study Hikaru's bookcase. It was packed with textbooks, which wasn't very shocking. Many were botany textbooks, while the rest appeared to be related to physics and had a number of sticky notes sticking out from the pages. Chekov wondered why Hikaru had so many physical books when PADDs could hold so much more material. But there was something to be said for the feel of paper beneath one's fingertips. Chekov couldn't stop his own fingers from tracing the leather covers of a few books. The bottom shelf had several well-worn novels, and Chekov was amused to discover that they were Westerns and 19th and early 20th century-era crime noir. He pulled one of the most worn-out books and skimmed the back cover when Hikaru's bedroom door opened, and Chekov nearly had a heart attack as he stumbled away from the bookshelf.


Hikaru Sulu could not for the life of him figure out what was wrong with him. At random times, he would close his eyes, and then he'd be assailed by the image of glimmering hazel eyes and soft slightly pouty lips and thick brown curls. He'd gone to a bar the night before, hoping to drown those visions in alcohol, and maybe pick up someone who could help him forget that innocent teenager. But that plan had failed spectacularly.

He'd been nursing his fourth beer when the door opened again and Pavel had walked in. Sulu's heart had nearly leapt into his throat, and he panicked. He was just wondering how fast he could settle his tab and bolt before he did something he regretted when he saw Pavel's companions. The blonde surfer-dude roommate was there, leaning over Pavel like a protective guard dog. And the petite blonde girl next to Pavel was clinging to the Russian's arm, leaving Sulu in absolutely no doubt about what their relationship was. Now Sulu relaxed. Pavel had plenty of other options tonight, if his roommate's hand on the boy's thigh was any indication. Sulu could enjoy his drink in peace without having to worry about making himself look foolish. But his eyes kept straying back to the trio. Pavel looked happy, but was it Sulu's imagination, or did the boy look a little… distant? He shook his head. Now he was just fantasizing.

Eventually Sulu went back to his apartment. Alone. And he slept, but not well. He woke with a sense of restlessness, but he had the cure for that. Sulu dressed in workout clothes and went off to the gym, eager for some solo fencing practice. Just the thing to work off all that excess nervous energy that he seemed to have plenty of over the last couple months.

After a thoroughly satisfying workout, he walked out of the gym, debating what to do once he was showered and presentable. Really, he should be working on that big thesis of his… but that wasn't really appealing right now. Before he could go any further down that train of thought, he spotted a familiar head of curls in front of him, being yanked about by an older cadet that Sulu knew well enough… a jock, one of those asshole bullies who thought he was such tough shit, but he'd had his ass handed to him more than once by different combat groups, including Sulu's own fencing club. And now he and his cronies looked like they were ready to thrash Pavel right out of existence.

"What the hell is going on here?" he heard himself demand. Roberts and his crew turned to face him, and he did not miss the flash of fear that shot across Roberts's face. Pavel's hazel eyes had a sheen to them, unshed tears from his hair being yanked about. There was a red mark on his face, with a rapidly darkening center, and Sulu felt his protective instincts flare up as Roberts tried to protest that none of this was Sulu's business. Barely holding back his temper, Sulu couldn't resist threatening the older cadet, knowing that he could back up his own tough talk. "Cadet Roberts, unless you release that kid right now, I WILL report you to security for assault on a fellow student, and I WILL proceed to thrash you to within an inch of your life until they arrive. Don't act like you think I can't."

And now Roberts's fear was perfectly obvious, even as he shoved the teenager away and tried to act nonchalant as he walked away with his mates. Sulu watched them leave before turning his attention back to the Russian teen, whose relief was all too obvious on his youthful face.

Color rose to the boy's cheeks as he looked up at Sulu with an expression that was nearly hero-worship, but not quite. "Um… thanks," he said, touching his head and wincing a little as he touched the skin that had been so mistreated when his curls were yanked about.

"No problem. I hate bullies. You okay?" Sulu asked. The kid may have seemed okay, but Sulu wasn't willing to rule out the possibility that he'd been kicked in the stomach or somehow mistreated in other ways that weren't immediately obvious.

Pavel shrugged as he denied it, but something in his eyes… he'd been threatened, it was obvious even without it being said. The kid was an open book to Sulu, and he wondered for a moment if everyone else felt that way, or if it was just him.

"Well then how did you get that bruise?" Sulu found himself asking.

Pavel looked stunned as he touched his cheek, right where the red spot was. It was almost as though he'd forgotten about being hit during the encounter. "Zere is bruise?" he asked.

Okay, that accent was too cute. It should not be legal for someone to have an accent that was that freaking adorable. Sulu found he had to reassure him. "It's not that bad. Really. Do you… have to deal with those guys a lot?"

And now the kid was blushing. Stupid… of course he was bullied. He was a teenage genius attending a prestigious academy with people several years older than him. And somehow the conversation had turned to Chekov being a runner and Sulu found himself unbearably distracted by the idea of the kid running, wind blowing back his curls and stinging his cheeks into an adorable shade of pink… And now the kid was embarrassed about something else, but for the life of him, Hikaru didn't know what. He tried frantically to recall the thread of the conversation and not make it obvious that he'd been fantasizing.

"So… um… what were you doing before those punks caught up with you?"

Pavel shrugged. "Just going for a valk."

Sulu was surprised. Pavel didn't strike him as a particularly early riser, and surely he would use this time for running rather than just strolling around. "At this hour? By yourself?"

"Da... I vas thinking about getting breakfast," Chekov said, although the rumble of his stomach might have influenced that answer just a little.

Sulu thought about the encounter with Roberts and his cronies. They would be feeling deprived of their victim. Surely they would not expect Sulu to hang out with the kid all day. They'd try to ambush him again later, and the cafeteria was a likely place for just such an attack. Again, protective instincts were rearing their heads and Sulu didn't have time to stop and analyze these feelings. "Roberts and his gang might still be around. Where's your roommate at?"

"Back at room. Probably still asleep. Vit my girlfriend." And the way the teenager's eyes widened and the frantic way his hand flew to his mouth, as though he could somehow stop those words from escaping even though it was far too late for that… It would have been hilarious if Sulu hadn't been so stunned by those words. Hadn't he just seen the trio the night before? What on earth…? But Pavel was speaking again and trying to run, clearly embarrassed beyond all human reason at the incredibly personal details he'd just revealed. And he looked so upset and young and vulnerable and Sulu couldn't just let him go like that… And before he knew it, he'd reached out and grabbed the kid's shoulder, stopping his retreat.

"Hey, I know it's not really any of my business, but if you need to talk… or, you know, if you need some company…"

Conflicted… that summed up the emotion in Pavel's eyes perfectly. He looked so eager, so desperate… yet something was stopping him, making him drag his heels. Pavel looked up at him with those huge innocent hazel eyes, practically begging Sulu to make the decision for him. So he did.

"I really need to shower and change… but if you want to come back to my apartment… it'll take ten minutes and then we can go grab some breakfast," Sulu said firmly, in a tone that suggested he would not be taking no for an answer.

"Zat… zat vould be wery nice…" And Pavel's expression lit up like the sun and he looked so thrilled and Sulu's heart nearly swelled with joy that he was the one who'd put that expression there.

They were only halfway back to Sulu's apartment before doubt started creeping in. Seriously, what the fuck was he doing? All those resolutions to stay the hell away from this unbearably sexy not-legal-adult had flown right out the window. And did Pavel really get that this was not a trip back to his apartment for a quick fuck? Sulu did NOT need to be repaid for saving Pavel from those bullies (although the idea of Pavel being a damsel in distress was also very arousing). And was Sulu himself going to remember that hitting Pavel up for a quickie was a very bad idea?

Some of his anxiety must have shown, because Pavel looked surprisingly wary as they stepped into Sulu's apartment. Sulu felt himself starting to panic as he quickly blurted out a few instructions that Pavel not move his things around too much before he practically ran to his room, nearly gasping for breath. Damnit, why was that kid so freaking hot? This jailbait thing… Sulu really didn't appreciate it… Well, that was a lie; his very hard cock was proving that right now. Sulu stepped under the stream of hot water and quickly took care of that little problem, past caring that he was remembering Pavel's giant hazel eyes staring up at him rapturously on that very drunken night.

Sulu dressed quickly in jeans and a blue t-shirt that was just a little too tight across the shoulders, which was probably a very bad idea… And then he finally felt ready to face Pavel, so he walked out into the living room. It didn't surprise him at all that the kid was enamored with the bookshelf, although seeing The Maltese Falcon in his hands was a bit of a puzzle. Then Pavel looked up and saw him and actually jumped backwards, dropping the book and turning bright red.

"I am so sorry!" he yelped. "I should not… I should not hawe been looking through your books!"

"Why not? I told you to look at whatever you wanted," Sulu said, bending to pick up the book and make sure that none of the pages had bent in the tumble.

"I… had thought you meant only textbooks. Zat is… is personal. Private book." Pavel was practically stammering now, clearly under the impression that he had crossed some kind of boundary.

Sulu shrugged. "If they're out in the living room, anyone can see them. I don't mind if people know I have an unnatural fondness for Westerns and noir thrillers. If it was really that private, I'd keep it in my bedroom." And he wished he could take those words back because now both of them were blushing. Sulu ran his fingers through his hair, making it stand on end, sticking in wet spikes. "So… um… brunch?" he said finally, needing to get out of this room.

Pavel nodded and they headed down to the cafeteria. Sulu's theory about Cadet Roberts and his cronies proved correct as he spotted two of them loitering near the entrance to the cafeteria, but he gave them both dirty looks and they scampered away. Then they sat down across from each other at one of the tables and ate in silence for several minutes before Pavel cleared his throat shyly.

"Um… Hikaru?"

"Yeah?"

"…Vhy did you inwite me to eat vit you?" he asked, practically stuttering.

Sulu frowned. "Because… you seemed like you could use some company," he decided at last.

Pavel played with his fork for a minute. "I do not need your pity," he said finally.

"I wasn't trying to offer you pity. You just… you seemed very alone. I thought the least I could do was offer to share a meal with you."

"You are not feeling guilty, are you?"

Now it was Sulu's turn to stammer. "Why would you ask something like that?"

Pavel shrugged. "You vere not happy ven I told you my age. It vould make sense." The kid looked up from under those ridiculously cute curls. "But you don't hawe to."

"Right, of course… Sixteen years old, but you have that supposed girlfriend of yours, and that roommate…"

Pavel winced. "I do not vish to speak of them."

Open mouth, insert foot. It had been intended as a snarky comment, but this was clearly a bad time for it. Sulu winced. "Sorry…" he muttered and quickly turned the conversation to classes and such and brunch ended without becoming too ridiculously embarrassing. Sulu walked with Pavel back to his building and the teen waved goodbye as he stepped inside. Sulu found himself waving back and wondering if just maybe there was a possibility for some sort of friendship with the adorable kid.