Chapter 14: Unforeseen Complications
A/N: (incoherent squeaking noises for twenty-odd minutes)
Okay, I need to stop reading JohnLock fics, goddamnit. Or I need to read more of them. I get SO inspired… It's kind of retarded. Not to write Sherlock fics (after some of the amazing things I've read, I don't think I ever could… I would fail to live up to the genius I have seen), I'm inspired to write more Chulu fics. I went from thinking "oh, I'd like to write another Chulu someday, after this one is over" to "HOLY COCKSUCKING CATSHIT I NEED TO WRITE MORE NOW!" and it's all Sherlock's fault! (twitch)
I was going to go into a little rant here about the fact that chapter 13 had over 100 views and absolutely zero reviews, but I changed my mind. I'm not gonna lie; that really hurts… I want to know what people think of my writing. But I can see from the traffic that this fic is being read by a lot of people and that really means a lot to me. So I hope that everyone's enjoying the fic so far, and I hope this chapter is staying up to standard. Little angsty this time around, but I think next chapter will finally have some romance, which makes me happy cuz I need some of that… Ahhh, Chulu…
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, or the different things I rant about in my author's notes (for the most part… I'm sure it's perfectly obvious what's mine, honestly…)
Pavel Chekov was pacing around his quarters. Hikaru hadn't been in his room… Chekov had gone over to check. And now he was desperately pacing and waiting for his friend to return.
"I knew dis vas a bad idea," he muttered under his breath. "Dis is vhy I promised myself I vould vait until after my birthday…"
And now Hikaru was in trouble with Spock, who would definitely be keeping a close eye on both of them after today's little incident… He was trying hard to be relieved that Kirk hadn't seen fit to punish Hikaru for Chekov's rare lapse in judgment. He had those lapses with alarming regularity around Hikaru though…
Halting his pacing, he tilted his head towards Hikaru's quarters. He was almost certain he'd heard the whisper of a door opening and soft footsteps crossing the room. Chekov chewed on his lip. Part of him wanted to dash right over there and apologize… But part of him wondered if Hikaru was mad enough to throw him right out of his quarters. And he was scared to find out.
But finally he could stand it no longer, and he crept over to their shared bathroom. He hesitated at the door to Hikaru's quarters, staring at the door as though it might bite him, wondering if he should knock or go right in. 'Damnit, now everything is going to be awkward between us,' he thought bitterly. 'If only I'd kept my mouth shut, and kept my hands to myself…'
Hearing footsteps in Hikaru's quarters, Chekov backpedalled as fast as he could, standing at the sink and pretending that he hadn't just been staring intently at his best friend's door.
The door swished open, and Chekov turned his head to finally get a good look at Hikaru. He looked like he might have a headache, and Chekov's stomach twisted uncomfortably.
"Hey," he said, feeling a little shy, and not knowing what to say. Asking if Hikaru was okay seemed just silly… and apologizing seemed necessary, yet not a good idea at the same time.
"Hey," Hikaru said, just the barest edge of caution in his voice.
"I'm really sorry," Chekov blurted out before he could think about it any longer. "I vas being stupid and not thinking about vat vould happen is someone saw us…"
"It's okay, really," Hikaru said, trying to stem the words pouring from Chekov's mouth.
"It is not okay!" Chekov yelped, feeling hot tears sting his eyes. "You could haff been court-martialed and thrown in jail and it vould haff been all my fault!"
"Pavel!" Hikaru exclaimed, bringing Chekov up short. "It's fine. Honest. Nothing bad happened, so let's just…let's just move on, okay?"
"But shouldn't ve…"
"Talk about it? Yeah, probably, but I really really don't want to do that tonight, okay?"
Chekov licked his lips. He really wanted to talk, but Hikaru was obviously not ready, so he nodded.
Hikaru exhaled, a look of relief appearing briefly on his handsome features. "Okay. Great. You… uh… wanna come over and watch a vid?"
"Sure," Chekov agreed, relieved that he wasn't being exiled for his impulsive behavior.
Hikaru grinned and turned back into his quarters. Chekov followed him. Hikaru sprawled onto his bed, hands interlocked behind his head and a sigh of contentment escaping his lips. Chekov perched cross-legged next to him and selected a cheesy sci-fi movie. As it was queuing up, Hikaru tilted his head in Chekov's direction.
"Is that the only thing you regret, that you almost got me in trouble?"
"Yeah," Chekov said, staring at those soft lips and wanting to taste them again. "I vish I had vaited until ve vere back here…"
Hikaru's dark eyes met Chekov's hazel ones and they stared at each other for a moment, tension thrumming in the air between them. Chekov shifted slightly, wondering if he dared lean in for another kiss. And then there was a knock at the door.
Hikaru blinked, his expression caught between relief and exasperation at the interruption. "Enter," he called as Chekov casually shifted to a more appropriate position. And he was immediately relieved that he'd done so because in walked none other than Commander Spock.
Hikaru's eyes rolled up to stare at the ceiling. "Commander, to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"
"Since the captain refuses to take the threat of an illegal relationship between the pair of you seriously, I have taken it upon myself to observe your behavior and prevent opportunities for intimate encounters."
"Wow, subtle," Hikaru muttered. He gestured towards the vid being projected on the wall across from the bed. "As you can see, we're engaged in the terribly nefarious activity of watching a cheesy movie."
"And you are watching the movie from the same bed."
"We're both fully-clothed, on top of the blankets, with a good six inches of space between us," Hikaru snapped.
Spock's eyebrows moved just a bit. Chekov coughed nervously.
Hikaru got to his feet. "If you'll both excuse me for a minute," he said icily, stepping out into the hallway.
Chekov glanced down at the comforter he was sitting on, his fingers idly tracing random patterns across the cloth. Spock was still standing stiffly at attention, his eyes fixed on the door Hikaru had just departed from. The silence was awkward between the pair of them, but Chekov wasn't inclined to break it, and Spock seemed in no rush either.
A few minutes later, Hikaru walked back in, trailed by none other than Kirk.
"Keptin!" Chekov yelped, completely thrown by his appearance. "Vhy are you here?"
"Sulu called me," Kirk said with his usual easy grin, jerking his thumb in Hikaru's direction. "He was making an argument that this kind of behavior is harassment, but I think an equally fine argument could be made that this is a great bonding experience for all of us."
Hikaru blanched, and Chekov bit the inside of his lip to stop himself from smiling. Spock just stared at their captain.
"Captain, I do not think…" Spock began, but Kirk crossed the room and threw himself down on the couch, propping his feet on the end of the bed. He patted the seat next to him and gave Spock a pointed look. Spock made a noise that might have been a sigh of frustration, but he seated himself primly on the couch.
Hikaru glanced at Chekov, who just shrugged. Hikaru then returned to his former position sprawled on the bed, while Chekov remained perched cross-legged next to him. It was awkward sitting there with their two superior officers mere feet away, but Chekov was still pleased that Hikaru was even talking to him, and he grinned at Hikaru, who managed to smile back.
The movie was every bit as cheesy as advertised, and Kirk seemed to enjoy it, laughing uproariously at the terrible special effects and over-exaggerated acting. Gradually Hikaru also seemed to relax, though the little frown line between his eyebrows seemed to deepen every time Spock's black eyes landed on him. Chekov made himself more comfortable on Hikaru's bed, propping his head up on one hand, and making sure to keep space between himself and Hikaru at all times. Gradually his eyelids began to droop, and he found himself nodding off, feeling content and comfortable with his crewmates.
Hikaru Sulu was NOT HAPPY. First Spock has to be a meddling prick, then Kirk decides to make this some kind of weird double-date or something… But he couldn't let himself be too angry because if there was company, then Pavel wasn't going to be able to talk with him or ask any questions about the events of the evening. And Sulu needed more time to think. Really, he shouldn't have even invited Pavel over, but seeing those huge hazel eyes, practically brimming with panic and desperation… He couldn't reject that for fear that Pavel would read more deeply into it than he should.
He wasn't really paying attention to the movie, only laughing when he heard Kirk's uproarious howls, and Pavel's soft chuckles. But he did start paying attention when a warm weight dipped down, resting partly on his shoulder and partly on his chest, pinning his arm to the mattress.
Sulu glanced down. Pavel had been sitting cross-legged on the bed several inches away, yet somehow had decided to use Sulu as a pillow even in his sleep. This was actually a pretty normal occurrence, and usually Sulu wouldn't even have thought twice about it, but he could feel Spock's eyes on him.
Kirk somehow picked up on the awkward tension, and he looked confused. "How did he move there? I swear just a minute ago, he was sleeping two feet away from you."
Sulu managed a one-shouldered shrug. "I have no idea." He uttered a muffled curse as he tried to move his pinned arm and realized that it was asleep and not moving anytime soon. "Damnit, Pavel…"
In his sleep, Pavel shifted a little, letting Sulu slip his arm free. He stretched it out, flexing his fingers and getting the blood flowing back into the limb. He pretended not to be looking at the couch, and therefore pretended not to see Kirk kick Spock's leg and glare at him. Sulu didn't know what he'd done to get Kirk on his side, but it was a relief to see. Still… there was no sense tempting fate. He laid his arm out flat on the bed, trying to keep it from falling asleep again.
But as the movie began to draw to a close, he found his arm moving to its normal position when Pavel fell asleep on him… draped loosely around his shoulders, in something that wasn't quite an embrace, just a light touch that he liked to think reassured the teen that he wasn't alone. His fingers threaded themselves in Pavel's curls for a minute before resting on his shoulder again.
Kirk was watching with interest. "Damn, how come you get to do that? Does he really feel as much like a puppy as he looks?"
Sulu rolled his eyes. "He's not a puppy, Captain."
"Come on, Sulu, we're off duty. If you won't call me Jim, at least call me Kirk."
Sulu shrugged. "Okay, Kirk. He's still not a puppy though."
Kirk grinned. Then he glanced over at Spock, whose eyes had finally closed and whose body had finally taken on some degree of relaxation. Kirk suddenly had a wicked grin on his face and he moved his hand and brushed the fringe of Spock's hair with his thumb. The hairs fluttered for a moment, then fell right back into place, as though magnetically drawn there. He repeated the action while Sulu watched with growing horror.
"Captain, I must request that you cease your actions," Spock said, though his posture didn't change.
"Nope," Kirk said, and emphasizing his point by brushing those bangs again.
"Captain Kirk…"
Kirk ignored him.
Spock's eyes snapped open. "Jim. Please. Stop." He sounded so ferociously angry that Sulu nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Good, you're awake!" Kirk said cheerfully, not seeming bothered by Spock's tone of voice. "We do have to be on the bridge bright and early, and Sulu may be a gracious host, but I don't think he wants us to sleep here." He stood up and winked at Sulu. "This was fun. Maybe next time, I'll host."
"Uh… yeah…" Sulu said, feeling a little confused.
Spock didn't have to voice his objection to the plan, the direction his eyes were looking made it plain enough.
Sulu tightened his grip on Pavel's shoulder and he gave the teen a gentle shake. Long dark eyelashes fluttered and sleepy hazel eyes were finally visible. "Hmm?" he mumbled.
"Wake up, Pavel," Sulu said. "Spock's being a good watchdog, and he doesn't want you to stay in here where I could prey on your vulnerable sleeping body." And he didn't sound annoyed AT ALL.
Pavel managed a chuckle before he had to stifle a yawn. "Gotcha. Okay, see you on the bridge in the morning, Hikaru. Goodnight Meester Spock, Keptin." And with that, he exited the room through the shared bathroom.
Spock nodded curtly to Sulu and stepped out. Kirk waved goodbye. And Sulu was by himself once again.
For a while he just lay on the bed, his fingers interlaced behind his head. But eventually he fell asleep, thinking that things might yet be okay.
Two days later, Sulu returned from the gym. Pavel had joined him there, and they'd enjoyed some sparring and racing. As they approached their quarters, Sulu's PADD beeped. It was a message from his sister Miko, asking him if he was free to chat.
"Nothing is the matter, I hope," Pavel said, peeking over Sulu's shoulder to read. At one time, Sulu would have swatted him away and told him to mind his own business, but lately they seemed to be sharing even more…
"Oh, I doubt there's anything wrong. She probably just wants to chat. I haven't comm'd home in a while," Sulu said, feeling just a little guilty about that.
"Vell then you better talk to her. You should not let her vorry about you," Pavel said with a disarmingly sweet smile. He waved as he stepped into his room, and Sulu waved back before heading straight to his desk and comm'ing Miko.
His sister had obviously been home from work for quite a while. Her long dark hair was loose and she looked young and sweet, just like ten years ago when she was eighteen… Sulu couldn't stop himself from smiling when he saw her. "Hey Miko. Long time no see."
"Yeah, and it's all your fault, you know," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.
Sulu laughed. "Fine, I deserved that. And I'm sorry."
She relaxed and smiled sweetly at her younger brother. "Don't be, really. It must mean you're keeping busy and having fun on the ship. Too much fun to think of your poor earthbound sisters…"
"You just won't let it go…" Sulu sighed. "I'll make sure to bring you back something nice."
"Make it multiple somethings. You know you'll be gone for five years. That's five missed birthdays, five missed Christmases…"
"You just can't let up on the guilt trip, can you?"
"Never. I'm a lawyer and you're my baby brother. It's in the contract."
"I never signed any contract."
"You signed with an X the day you were born."
"I should get a lawyer and contest this."
"No lawyer, and you get to go against me."
"Well now, how's that fair?"
"It's fair to me," Miko smirked.
Sulu chuckled. "So how's Rina?"
"She's fine. I think she misses you."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah… I'm glad we all got to see each other before you left."
"The five years will be over before you know it."
"I hope so."
They talked inconsequentially for several minutes when Sulu heard the swish of the bathroom door opening. He turned towards the door.
"Hey Pavel, what's up?"
Pavel was only half-dressed, Sulu couldn't help but notice. He was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants, but he had no shirt… the only thing covering his torso was a towel draped around his shoulders and stopping his hair from dripping on the floor. The teen brushed a damp curl away from his face.
"I am sorry to interrupt… but haff you seen my Academy sweatshirt… the dark blue one? It is not in my room, and I think I vas vearing it here one night."
"Yeah, it's over here," Sulu said, jumping up and opening the second drawer of his dresser, retrieving the neatly-folded shirt from the top of the pile. "Here you go."
"Ah, thank you… Vat is da saying… good thing my head is attached?"
"Close enough," Sulu said with a grin. Pavel turned and walked back out, and Sulu turned back to his sister, but he was taken aback by the venomous look on her face. "Uhh… Miko…"
Her hands were clenched on the edge of the desk and her lips were pressed in a thin line. "Goddamnit, Hikaru…" she whispered, and her voice was shaking.
"Miko, what? What's wrong?" Sulu asked, feeling suddenly sick.
"Hikaru, how could you?" she nearly screamed. "How old is he? Sixteen?"
"What? No! Wait… No! Miko! Jeezus, no, I'm not sleeping with him!" he exclaimed.
"You really think I'll believe that!" she exclaimed, an edge of hysteria in her voice. "You're all flushed and sweaty, and he just came out of the shower… And you have his clothes in your room, and he was shirtless!" Her voice was rising as she spoke and Sulu tried to find room to diffuse the situation.
"Miko, please… just… breathe, okay? Please, it's not what you're thinking."
"You wouldn't tell me if it was true!" she screamed. "God, Hikaru, what are you doing? What's wrong with you? You… just… How could you? Do you have even half a clue what Rina is going to do when she finds out?"
"Miko, it's not like that!"
"I don't believe you!"
"But we aren't…"
"I don't want to hear it! Fucking hell, you're turning out just like HIM!"
Sulu thought his heart might have stopped. "Miko…"
She pressed one hand to her mouth, tears pouring from her eyes. "Goddamnit, Hikaru…" she sobbed. "How could you do this to us?"
"But…"
She just looked at him, tears making her makeup run, her eyes so full of hurt and betrayal. "I… I can't… Goodbye, Hikaru." And the screen went black as she cut the transmission.
"Damnit…" Sulu whispered. He tried to comm her, but she refused to pick up, and she had disabled her voicemail, so he couldn't even leave her a message. "Fucking hell…" Sulu groaned, resting his head on the edge of the desk. Could his life get any worse?
He actually didn't want to know the answer to that question.
A/N: No, I don't know why I did that Kirk playing with Spock's hair thing… I was typing and it popped into my head and I thought it was funny. Whatever. You already knew I wasn't quite right in the head.
I'm about 90 percent sure that next chapter I'll finally start talking about the Sulu family past! There's always a small chance I'll go off on a tangent and have to save it for chapter 16, but I think I'll manage to get it into chapter 15.