It had been two months. They'd been on 11 different dates, not that Pavel was keeping track. (He was, obviously.) All of them had gone perfectly, in Pavel's opinion. He loved being able to talk about it and everything. He wrote all the small details in his journal, (not a diary) which would sometimes just be things Hikaru said or small details about the way he'd smile when Pavel got nervous or the way he would scratch the side of his head when he got nervous.
There were only two people he could talk to about this, however. Hikaru, if he didn't seem annoyed. Most of the time, Hikaru didn't want to discuss dates, he just wanted them to let them happen. He knows what happened, he was there. But Pavel also liked to talk to Casey, his closest friend, along with Hikaru.
Casey was half Betazoid on both her parent's sides. Her mother and father were both half Betazoid as well. She was telepathing, so Pavel often found it hard to think around her, knowing she could tap into his mind any time. She had promised only to hear his thoughts at his discretion, but Pavel still got a bit nervous thinking around her. She had surprisingly bright green eyes, although Betazoid's eyes are typically black or dark brown. Both her parents had dark eye coloring, and it's still a mystery why her eyes turned out to be so light. Her dark hair was cut short, just barely curling below her ears.
"So, why are you looking so pouty today?" Casey sat down next to Pavel on the bench they always sat on every Monday.
"Because," Pavel said. "I've got a zero gravity sim today. I hate those things."
"Oh, yeah. I know you do. Almost everyone hates them," Casey said. "Not me, though. I think they're fun."
"They're completely unnecessary. I mean… What are the odds of the artificial gravity being disabled in combat? It's extremely unlikely."
"Not too unlikely," Casey said. "I mean, if you're on a short mission it's pretty unlikely. But… I have a feeling you'll be doing more than small tasks. One of the brightest minds in Starfleet… You'll do great things, Pavel."
"I don't need to navigate a ship in zero gravity. I won't be doing it any time soon," Pavel said. "And if an opportunity comes along when I need to, I guess I'll figure it out."
"That's not what Starfleet is about, Pavel. You've got to be prepared for everything. Speaking of which, have you taken the Kobayashi Maru test yet?"
"No," Pavel muttered.
"It's usually done in alphabetical order. You should be sometime this week," Casey said.
"Did you take it yet? You have a 'B' name," Pavel said.
"Yeah, yesterday."
Pavel sat up. "How did you do? Is it hard? Do you have any advice?"
"Woah, calm down, kiddo. It's the Kobayashi Maru. Just go with your gut, alright?"
"I do not do that. I have to… Work it out. I have to know that what I'm doing is right the right thing, and the only right thing," Pavel said.
"Well, then that's something you've got to work on," Casey said. "What do you do when something unexpected happens? Sometimes you can't sit around and follow the rules. You go with your instincts and do what you think is right. What'll you when you're the captain of your own ship?"
"I do not want to be a captain. I just want to be a navigator," Pavel said.
"Yes, but if you do become senior navigator, you'll be… The fifth person to have the conn if the captain is away. You never know if he'll give you control."
"Yeah, well… I don't want to think about it. I'm very busy this week. The fifty-first annual Starfleet marathon is on Saturday," Pavel said. "And later today is that stupid zero gravity shuttle simulation."
"The marathon! I almost forgot! Going for two years in a row, are we?"
"I guess. Are you going to be there?"
Casey shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. Tomorrow I leave to visit my parents on Betazed, and I won't be back for eight days. But I'll love hearing about it when I get back. That, and your zero-g simulator test. And possibly the Kobayashi Maru."
Pavel groaned and sank down into the bench. "I can't wait until next it's week."
Pavel was in his quarters, changing into the clothes he wore for running. They were very specific, of course. Pavel liked to compare his time from the previous day, and any change of clothing could throw of the data. He wanted everything to be very precise.
Hikaru came through the doors while Pavel was pulling his shirt on. "Hey," he said, stepping in.
"Hey, get out! I'm not wearing pants," Pavel squealed, his shirt still over his eyes. "Get out of here!"
"Woah, easy there. Just calm down and put your pants on," Hikaru said.
Pavel's cheeks were pink and he quickly pulled his tight shorts on. "What do you want?" He flopped back on his bed.
"Well, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to watch a movie or something tonight," Hikaru said. "I'll let you pick, since I picked last time."
"Sorry, Hikaru. I can't. Have to run," Pavel said, springing up and picking up his water bottle from his desk. "And I also need to study for the Kobayashi Maru test, and set an alarm for five-thirty tomorrow." He kissed Hikaru's cheek and dashed out the door.
"Oh. Alright," Hikaru said. "Have fun."
Pavel was most certainly not having fun. He ran for twenty minutes straight, then looked down at his stopwatch. Not good enough, Pavel. You were much faster last year. You have let yourself get lazy since then. He started running faster. The treadmills at the Academy were perfect for him. It was like running on a track. So far he was on fifteen laps, which was two laps behind what it usually would be last year. This was not going to get him first place this year.
He kept running and looking down, every twenty minutes, again, and again. Finally, he checked the time on his stopwatch. Eleven o'clock?! I just got here…
He picked up his water, which was mostly full. He drank the rest of it, knowing he wouldn't be able to race if he was dehydrated.
When he got off the treadmill, he stumbled and fell. His legs still thought they were on a moving belt. Slowly, he leaned on the wall and allowed himself to adjust to the non-moving floor for the second time today.
The door to his quarters swung open, and he stepped in, only to find Hikaru snoring on his bed. At this point, he really didn't care. He laid down next to him, and Hikaru turned over.
"How was running," he said. It really wasn't spoken as a question, but Hikaru was like that when he was sleepy.
"It was okay," Pavel said. "I have gotten lazy this year."
"No, no. You're not lazy. You've just been busy," Hikaru said. "By the way, I forgot to ask how your shuttle simulator rest went today. You were really worried about that."
"It was terrible, just like I said it would be," Pavel said. "Zero gravity makes me space-sick. Literally. If I had landed the simulation a moment later, I would have been sick."
"Oh, poor Pasha," Hikaru said, kissing his cheek.
"What is with that? Why have you been calling me Pasha? That sounds like a girl's name," Pavel said. "Do I look like a girl to you?"
Hikaru smiled. "You look like a very beautiful girl."
Pavel tried to hide his smile by throwing a pillow at Hikaru's face.