An Unlikely Pet

The planet was, to say the least, humid. With every breath the group took, it felt as though they were getting more water than oxygen. From his position at the back of the group, Spock made multiple observations about the different plant and animal life they'd run into.

In his hand, he carried a small cage, he checked the sleeping lizard inside one more time as they reached their destination and were beamed about the Enterprise.

It was no secret that Chekov and Spock worked well together. The two were both extremely smart, and Pavel's constant enthusiastic personality made up for Spock's plain, professional one. But while the two had many differences, their intellect won out, and Pavel was chosen as his observation partner more than any other.

Spock and Pavel walked into the Lab, both clad in safety goggles and experiment aprons. They were observing the animals and testing them for reactions to certain things like water or food.

"What animal is this?" Pavel asked, pointing at the cage with the lizard. The little guy seemed to have disappeared, but Spock knew it was still there.

"Droanian Lizard. It has properties similar to an earthen chameleon. It can blend into its surroundings with scales that reflect the light around it." Spock answered, his voice monotone as usual.

Chekov tapped on the glass and watched as the lizard jumped into sight before disappearing again. "Cool!"

"Come along Mr. Chekov, we are test out the plants first." Together Spock a d Chekov walked to the other side of the lab, clipboards in hand, and the test materials set up.

Some could say that Pavel was an animal magnet. He had befriended Marlo, Admiral Jones' pet parrot, and even that weird, horse-like animal on Zelta-9.

So, when Spock entered the the lab later that day to observe the lizard, and found it no longer in it's cage... Well, he had an idea as to where it went.

On the bridge, Pavel was sitting at his post, working through math problems while he and Sulu made small talk. The captain listened, amused about the topic of the conversation.

"I'm telling you, Pavel. Dogs are better than cats."

From his seat Pavel feigned heartbreak as he placed a hand to his chest. "Why, Hikaru, I'm offended. I thought you'd be smart enough to realize cats are the superior species." He replied, watching as Sulu repeated his gesture.

The doors behind them swooshed open, and everyone turned to watch as Spock entered the bridge. He didn't say a word as he made his way to Pavel and lifted the small, invisible lizard from the back of his shirt. "It would appear you have acquired a new pet, Mr. Chekov."

Pavel glanced at the lizard, then felt his shirt, confused. "I didn't even know it was there!" He laughed.

Spock merely lifted an eyebrow, then turned and made his way back to the lab, ignoring the laughter that erupted on the bridge as he left.

"I guess he really is an animal magnet!" Sulu said, and Pavel shrugged. He didn't know why animals liked him so much.

Though, he did hope he could keep the lizard, it was a cute little guy.