Exams start rolling around and Sulu starts spending more time studying with Pavel. Veesa is an okay study partner but often they just get distracted. Sulu hasn't told his friend any details about Veesa. With any other girl he probably would share some stories but it just seems disrespectful to talk about it with him. Pavel doesn't seem overly concerned about exams. His attendance rate has gone back up to a nice 96% and he has been studying since the start of term. Pavel assignment is a generous 80 thousand words and Scotty reckons it's one of the best assignments he has read. Sulu helps check the English in the assignment and Pavel occasionally points out math inconsistencies in Sulu's work. The Asian finds it so easy to forget just how smart his friend really is.
A lot of preparations start going into the five-year mission and Pavel gets an online application quizzing him about who he'd prefer to share quarters with. He talks to Scotty about it and the Scotsman encourages him to write Sulu down. It doesn't take much convince him. Pavel can't help but love the fact that Starfleet doesn't generally allow men and women to share quarters. It's purely because they think it's easier for an individual to room with someone of the same gender, especially if they've never met. But it's a huge help to Pavel. As much as he enjoys sharing a dorm with Scotty, he would really enjoy being that close to Sulu again.
Sulu brings up the room application in conversation and Pavel decides not to lie about who he put down. Sulu seems quite surprised that he was the Russian's first choice.
"I'm surprised you put me down and not Scotty," he mutters. Pavel is unsure of what Sulu's reaction is. He seems surprised that's a certainty, but he can't tell if it's a good or bad surprise.
"Well, I think Scotty was keen to share a room with Keenser, you know the Roylan engineer? They haVE a theory that they want to work on or something." Pavel's statement is semi-true. Scotty probably will room with Keenser and he does want to work on a theory but Scotty never actually said anything about rooming with him for that reason. Close enough though, Pavel figures.
"I'd like to room with you again. I should admit that I do miss having you here." Sulu ends his comment with a small laugh. "Like it's nice having Veesa around but she can get tiresome and the whole thought reading thing makes me feel so…. Violated."
Pavel nods "I don't think I'd like someone reading my thoughts like that. It's an invasion of your privacy, no?"
"Yeah, I guess. A lot of the time she can't help it, but I don't know. It really gets to me."
Pavel tries to look concerned and not smile to himself. He's developed a theory that Veesa figured out he was never interested in her.
There's a small click from across the room and Sulu looks briefly at Pavel and then at the door. It opens and Veesa's there smiling.
"Hey, I just finished my prac report. We should celebrate."
Sulu looks at Pavel. "I did mention I was hanging out with Pavel this afternoon. Didn't I?"
Sulu's tone is cold and Veesa seems bothered by it. "I must have forgotten," she says flatly, yet smiling. Pavel tries not to roll his eyes and pulls his water bottle out of his bag and drinks from it, purely to avoid talking.
"Maybe we can celebrate another time," Sulu says firmly, getting a kiss on the cheek from Veesa as she passes him.
"It's fine," Pavel says quickly. "There's always tomorrow afternoon or another day."
Sulu opens his mouth to say something but closes it. Pavel starts putting his things into his bag. Sulu turns around and mutters something to Veesa, who promptly ignores it. She looks over at Pavel and studies him for a second. Her eyes widen and her mouth opens a little. The subtly confused expression on Pavel's face makes her quickly look at Sulu and rapidly pretend to be fine.
As Pavel is walking away from the dorm he can hear the door open again, and he expects Sulu to come after him but it's not him. Veesa's speed walking and Pavel stops, confused about why she's come after him.
"Sulu thinks I've come to apologise but you…"
Pavel can feel his face turning white.
"You like him. I can hear it, you like him a lot."
Pavel swallows. "Your telepathy must be broken."
She frowns. "Look, I really like him okay. You stay away from him, he's mine."
"I'm not after him. You're being ridiculous. What happened to you? You were so nice to me and now you just hate me or something…"
Veesa purses her lips. "I liked you, a lot. Like a whole lot, and you turning me away hurt. I figured it out way too late that you like guys…"
"Is that any reason to hate me…?"
"It is if you're competition."
"Are you saying that Sulu likes-"
Veesa cuts him off with a snarl, "I'm not saying anything Pavel. Stay away from my boyfriend okay. Stay away."
She turns around and walks back to the dorm and Pavel breathes a sigh of both relief and anger. He has a lot to tell Scotty when he returns.