A/N: sorry for the long delay. I've been writing and reading a lot of fic over at the Star Trek Kink Meme on livejournal. And then…school happened. Again.
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He was far too young to be here, but he didn't really care. He knew what the instructors were talking about and he was perfectly capable of handling the workload. Even the hand-to-hand combat classes weren't too difficult; they taught him arts that capitalized on his smaller frame and his speed. He loved running track and made top scores in all his classes and in general, the recruiter who had told him "you could do great things, and Starfleet Academy can help you achieve them" was proven correct.
Other cadets were not always very understanding, though. He had been accepted on scholarship two or three years before they were even considered. It was no good to say his parents had always accelerated his studies. It was pointless to remind them that he produced his first published work, exploring a new theorem in mathematics he'd discovered, had been received with pleasure by the scientific community, an act he felt confirmed his belonging here.
They were cruel, at times, defacing his door, breaking into his room and stealing or destroying his things. After the first week, he kept everything he cared about or didn't want to recreate in a locked steamer trunk made of dense wood covered in thick leather and braced with steel. The hinges were, of course, interior, and the lock was solid. The top drawer often carried his homework. A false bottom hid a few bottles of vodka his mother had sent with him.
His parents loved him, Pavel thought cheerfully when he looked at the vodka. He didn't drink it, not because he couldn't handle his liquor, but because opening a bottle and not finishing it was terrible luck, and while he could down a whole one in a single sitting, it took most of the night and left him with a slightly upset stomach the next morning. He would rather share.
And so far, he had met no one in this place worth sharing with.