Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, my school starts soon, so I haven't had much time to sit down and pour my soul onto a page for you all to pick at and scrutinize... Oh well, before I start another tirade, onto ze awkward adventures of Chulu!


Lt. Hikaru Sulu was never easily stressed. That was, until he had to prepare his first date with the love of his life. Said lieutenant had finally paused his frantic pacing to glance guiltily at a small clump of black hair he had ripped off of his head in his panic. Sulu only had an hour and a half left until he had to go get his date, and he still had to prepare the blanket, candles, basket, and something else he had misplaced. The plan so far was that the two were going to have a picnic in a quiet, secluded place where they wouldn't be disturbed; however, Sulu had conveniently forgotten to: discreetly slip the blanket into the laundry to be washed, grab the artificial(but convincing) candles from storage, pack the basket, and synthesize the dinner. And then he had to get showered and changed and set up. What a mess.

"Alright, so, first thing's first, the blanket needs to get washed, then I'll pick up the candles on the way back, set up, and I'll make dinner right before we leave, so that leaves me about half an hour to get myself ready, okay?" Sulu muttered to himself, then straightened up, nodded to himself, and headed out the door.

Even though he had to get this done quickly, Sulu was careful to watch out for Captain Kirk, not because he didn't like the man, but because he was afraid of what would happen if the Captain found out about his date. Just as he was rounding the corner to get to the laundry area, Sulu ran headlong into wall of some sort and crashed onto the floor. Sulu wondered briefly why there was a new wall until said wall extended a hand to help the helmsman to his feet. "C-Commander Spock! I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going-" Sulu began as Spock pulled him up.
"That much was obvious, Mr. Sulu." The commander interrupted coolly, then quirked an eyebrow at the blanket Sulu was carrying, "I assume that you intend to wash that for your evening picnic tonight?" Spock inquired. Sulu stared at the Vulcan,
"How did you know?" He asked, too shocked to remember to call him by his rank. Spock's quirked eyebrow rose higher,
"You set up in a secluded shaft and expected privacy?" He pointed out, and Sulu mentally kicked himself for being so stupid as to not think that others might find solitude there.
"Umm... I guess not, Commander. You haven't told the captain about it, right?" Sulu asked apprehensively, glancing furtively at Spock. Spock's eyebrow disappeared into his hair,
"There are no security breaches concerning that section and I am confident that you are not the only crewman who seeks sanctuary there, therefore it is of no importance to the captain. May I inquire as to why you desire secrecy?" Spock asked, his focused gaze giving Sulu the feeling as if he was being interrogated. The helmsman decided that honesty would be best in dealing with the Vulcan, so he told Spock the entire truth about his date, "...and that's why Captain Kirk can't know." He finished. Spock considered for a moment, "I see. I will respect your wishes and not inform the captain. I have duties to attend to, good evening, Mr. Sulu." Spock excused himself and strode away, leaving Sulu to return to his endeavor.

Sulu continued quickly to the laundry room and checked that the coast was clear before hurrying in and putting his blanket in the wash. After making sure that the hall was Kirk-free, Sulu rushed out and down to cargo bay for the candles.

Upon his arrival at the cargo bay, Sulu realized that this wasn't going to be as easy as he planned. The bay was filled with boxes, none of them were marked, and he wasn't sure if the computer knew where to find them. Figuring that he ought to try, Sulu walked over to the computer, "Computer, locate artificial candles." He ordered. "Unable to complete reque-" it replied after a moment's pause. "Dammit! You've gotta be kidding me!" Sulu muttered, then turned around to go see if he couldn't synthesize some instead.

Sulu walked back into the laundry area in hopes that the blanket would be ready, which it was, so he grabbed the now warm, fluffy blanket and headed off to the shaft to set it up. Once it was set up, Sulu headed back to his room to go get himself ready and make dinner.

Sulu stood in his dress uniform in front of his mirror, making sure he hadn't missed anything and that he looked presentable. The basket was packed, and after a few failed attempts, the candles had been hand made from synthesized scratch, and it was time to go pick up his date. Sulu grabbed the basket and headed out, thankful that Chekov's quarters were only three doors down from his. He arrived at the door, took a deep breath and knocked. Maybe this was going to be perfect after all.


Well zen, that wasn't as awkward as it could've been... THEY SHALL SUFFER NEXT CHAPTER FOR ZIS! Review with you good ideas for torturing our favorite awkward couple!

~Wildthunder~