The head of the board of studies is a particularly tall Vulcan woman, who seems a little sympathetic if anything. There's no signal or emotion in specific that makes her seem any different but Pavel just gets a weird vibe from her. She sits the two of them down and starts reciting protocol, how if a student's attendance rate is below 85% they are not allowed to legally pass the course. Pavel's attendance is closer to 30% and he looks glumly at the ground as McCoy starts arguing. Normally most people wouldn't bother arguing with a Vulcan, but the doctor is a special kind of stubborn and continues to argue anyway.
"Pavel? Did you hear that?" Pavel's focus quickly returns to McCoy and his hand tightly squeezing his shoulder.
"You hear that? You can do the exams and still pass."
Pavel breathes a huge sigh of relief and thanks the Vulcan woman. He doesn't know what McCoy said but it worked. As he walks out of the office building with McCoy, Pavel grabs him and pulls him into a hug. McCoy is pretty taken aback by the gesture initially but he loosens his shoulders and hugs the young Russian back. The boy has been through a lot and McCoy can't help but feel sorry for him. It was about time something went in Pavel's favour.
Sulu congratulates Pavel by cooking him lunch, a Japanese dish called katsudon that he has never tried before. Pavel promises he will one day return the favour by making him something traditionally Russian. The katsudon is amazing and Pavel ends up eating what was going to be leftovers for dinner. When it gets later in the night and Sulu has a shower the young Russian thinks about calling someone back home. There are a few friends that he hasn't spoken to in a while that he feels he should contact again. He's gotten a few PADD messages from them asking if he's okay after the whole Romulan incident but the few replies he has given have all been short and not very heartfelt.
A week before final exams Pavel and Sulu go into a study hibernation where they spend all their time copying out notes and practising physics equations for their practical. Studying seems to keep Pavel's stress levels under reasonable control and for the first time since the incident he can focus on something for nearly as long as he used to. Sulu notices this and feels a little calmer knowing that his mental condition is improving slowly.
Pavel aces his first two exams, he can answer all but one of the questions and as much as he hates admitting it, he reckons his marks will be as high as they were before. Sulu does equally as well but doesn't say anything about it to Pavel. He tries to get him to focus more on his own things going right to keep him in a good mind space.
Minutes before the practical simulation exam Pavel has a panic attack in the bathroom. Seeing the controls that caused his last downfall make him feel uneasy and frightened. Sulu notices Pavel missing and checks the bathroom first. He swears he can tell Pavel's there even before he hears the Russians heavy breathing. He knocks on the bathroom door gently and Pavel opens it, knowing he'd see Hikaru on the other side.
"The console Hikaru- I just can't..."
Sulu places a hand on the boys shoulder and pulls him into a hug. He knows Pavel likes hugs, and Pavel will always deny it but he loves any form of affection. Pavel hugs him tightly and lets go, nodding.
"I need to do this. I can't keep being afraid. I don't want to stay like this."
Hikaru nods and steps back, allowing him to exit the cubicle.
The results of the exams are posted three days later and Pavel nearly drops his PADD when he sees 92/100 for his console practical. The only comment was "marks deducted for unnecessary hesitation and self-doubt." Pavel shows Hikaru the PADD shaking a little and can barely register his praise. Hikaru calls McCoy and tells him and Pavel sits quietly on the couch looking up at the ceiling. In a way, he doesn't feel like he deserves the marks. He hasn't done as much study and he has spent most of the time sulking rather than focusing. He feels like there is some kind of mistake in the marking and it quite turns his happiness into guilt.
Sulu gets off the phone with McCoy and studies Pavel's concerned impression. The tiny pout on his face is cuter than Sulu can admit. The way the Russian's curls fall around his dark blue eyes... Sulu pulls his eyes away. Pavel is a lot younger than him, there's something wrong about the way he's feeling. Pavel looks across at the Asian and shoots him a confused glance. Sulu smiles and shakes his head as if it's nothing, and leaves the room quietly.
The head of the board of studies is a particularly tall Vulcan woman, who seems a little sympathetic if anything. There's no signal or emotion in specific that makes her seem any different but Pavel just gets a weird vibe from her. She sits the two of them down and starts reciting protocol, how if a student's attendance rate is below 85% they are not allowed to legally pass the course. Pavel's attendance is closer to 30% and he looks glumly at the ground as McCoy starts arguing. Normally most people wouldn't bother arguing with a Vulcan, but the doctor is a special kind of stubborn and continues to argue anyway.
"Pavel? Did you hear that?" Pavel's focus quickly returns to McCoy and his hand tightly squeezing his shoulder.
"You hear that? You can do the exams and still pass."
Pavel breathes a huge sigh of relief and thanks the Vulcan woman. He doesn't know what McCoy said but it worked. As he walks out of the office building with McCoy, Pavel grabs him and pulls him into a hug. McCoy is pretty taken aback by the gesture initially but he loosens his shoulders and hugs the young Russian back. The boy has been through a lot and McCoy can't help but feel sorry for him. It was about time something went in Pavel's favour.
Sulu congratulates Pavel by cooking him lunch, a Japanese dish called katsudon that he has never tried before. Pavel promises he will one day return the favour by making him something traditionally Russian. The katsudon is amazing and Pavel ends up eating what was going to be leftovers for dinner. When it gets later in the night and Sulu has a shower the young Russian thinks about calling someone back home. There are a few friends that he hasn't spoken to in a while that he feels he should contact again. He's gotten a few PADD messages from them asking if he's okay after the whole Romulan incident but the few replies he has given have all been short and not very heartfelt.
A week before final exams Pavel and Sulu go into a study hibernation where they spend all their time copying out notes and practising physics equations for their practical. Studying seems to keep Pavel's stress levels under reasonable control and for the first time since the incident he can focus on something for nearly as long as he used to. Sulu notices this and feels a little calmer knowing that his mental condition is improving slowly.
Pavel aces his first two exams, he can answer all but one of the questions and as much as he hates admitting it, he reckons his marks will be as high as they were before. Sulu does equally as well but doesn't say anything about it to Pavel. He tries to get him to focus more on his own things going right to keep him in a good mind space.
Minutes before the practical simulation exam Pavel has a panic attack in the bathroom. Seeing the controls that caused his last downfall make him feel uneasy and frightened. Sulu notices Pavel missing and checks the bathroom first. He swears he can tell Pavel's there even before he hears the Russians heavy breathing. He knocks on the bathroom door gently and Pavel opens it, knowing he'd see Hikaru on the other side.
"The console Hikaru- I just can't..."
Sulu places a hand on the boys shoulder and pulls him into a hug. He knows Pavel likes hugs, and Pavel will always deny it but he loves any form of affection. Pavel hugs him tightly and lets go, nodding.
"I need to do this. I can't keep being afraid. I don't want to stay like this."
Hikaru nods and steps back, allowing him to exit the cubicle.
The results of the exams are posted three days later and Pavel nearly drops his PADD when he sees 92/100 for his console practical. The only comment was "marks deducted for unnecessary hesitation and self-doubt." Pavel shows Hikaru the PADD shaking a little and can barely register his praise. Hikaru calls McCoy and tells him and Pavel sits quietly on the couch looking up at the ceiling. In a way, he doesn't feel like he deserves the marks. He hasn't done as much study and he has spent most of the time sulking rather than focusing. He feels like there is some kind of mistake in the marking and it quite turns his happiness into guilt.
Sulu gets off the phone with McCoy and studies Pavel's concerned impression. The tiny pout on his face is cuter than Sulu can admit. The way the Russian's curls fall around his dark blue eyes... Sulu pulls his eyes away. Pavel is a lot younger than him, there's something wrong about the way he's feeling. Pavel looks across at the Asian and shoots him a confused glance. Sulu smiles and shakes his head as if it's nothing, and leaves the room quietly.