Yay for quick updates! I made this a Pavel chapter to make up for absolutely no Pavel in the last chapter, which I apologize for. This chapter is basically just a filler, and won't have much plot development. I know, I know, I don't really care for fillers much either, but they must be done. You'll get to see Pavel's thoughts on Vienna and so on and so forth, but it's basically just an average morning in Pavel's life. Anyhow, time for reviews!

Katiesgotagun: Oh, well that's good to know, that it's just from a… a… song. Oh :l Here's an update with added adorableness!

The Sorceresses Apprentice: Ahhh! Thank you! I'm excited for the Avengers story too; I've been working really hard on it. I've already written about 10k for my rough draft of the first few chapters, and I'm not even close to done editing yet, so it's gonna be a long one, but hopefully still a good one.

NightShadeMoon: No need to hold your breath for very long, it is here! :D To answer your question, I don't quite know yet. I've been going back and forth with that same question ever since I started writing AIL. It really depends on how these next few chapters turn out. When I know, you'll know very soon afterwards.

And without further ado: AIL, chapter 7!

Pavel Andreievich Chekov opened his startlingly blue eyes that particular morning feeling like something was missing. Shrugging the feeling away, the Russian man pulled off his blankets and hopped out of bed, intent on going about the day with his usual energetic ways despite the tiny nagging sensation in his mind telling him that something was off.

And so, he went about his usual routine upon first waking up: shower, change into running clothes, and stretch. As he did the latter of the three, Pavel debated on how long he would run this morning. It was his day off, after all, and he didn't have anything of importance to do… Maybe 15 miles to start out with and a 5 mile cool down, he decided. Pavel grabbed his gym bag and filled with the necessities: water bottles, a towel, and a change of clothes. Perhaps, the young man mused, I could go to the combat simulator after my run. After looking at the replicator in his room for a moment, he ordered a few health bars for after his run so he didn't pass out during the simulator and placed them carefully on the top of the rest of his things.

Finally, Pavel took off to the gym. Today there weren't too many people, and there was nobody on the treadmills, and for that, Pavel was somewhat glad. He usually didn't like running with anybody else other than Vienna and Hikaru; partially because not many other people could keep up with his rapid pace. Setting his bag on the floor next to him, Pavel tapped in to the computer how fast and how long he wanted to run and started. He ran at a light jog at first (well, a light jog to him, and a mild running pace for anybody else) to acclimatize his body, and after a few miles, really took off.

Pavel let his mind wander to Vienna after a few idle minutes of thinking about nothing in particular. The frown on his face went unnoticed by the other crewman in the gym as he remembered that he had told Vienna the truth on her birthday. It was in Russian, true, but he knew her like the back of his hand. She wouldn't relent until she figured out exactly what it was he had told her. Pavel winced. And then there was the slight matter of the cheek kiss. Der'mo.

It wasn't as if he hadn't kissed her cheek before. But he didn't mean to make it so… intimate. Well, maybe he had, but he regretted it. Only just a little. Part of him wished he had told her in English, just so his years of wondering if she felt the same could come to an end no matter what she answered. Another part of Pavel, the part that always won out every time he had almost told Vienna, screamed that if she didn't know by now (Hikaru told him that 'it wasn't exactly hard to tell', but then again, Hikaru knew Pavel almost as well as Vienna did) then she didn't need to know in the first place.

But he wanted her to know, he needed her to know. Pavel loved her more than he knew was possible to love somebody. Boleye sobstvennoy zhizni. He would lay down his life for her in an instant. The man was just at a loss of whether or not she felt the same. And he was supposed to be a genius. And if he was going to take that route, well, she is a genius too! Pavel just didn't know how Vienna didn't know already. And he had gotten desperate in the past few months. He had asked Hikaru if he thought she knew, and his response was to throw his hands up in surrender.

Kid, women are a mystery to me, he had said, and if you of all people can't figure it out, then who the hell knows?

Pavel had even asked Nyota Uhura, one of Vienna's best friends next to himself and Hikaru. It's not up to me to tell you how she feels. You have to ask her yourself, otherwise things get complicated, The woman had advised, her face betraying nothing.

It had made the Russian want to throw his hands up in frustration. Were 'yes' and 'no' answers so hard to come by these days? He just had to know. Sure, it wounded his pride every now and then that he couldn't tell what his best friend was thinking when it came to this (Vienna had sworn he was a mind reader when it came to everything else), but he could get over it if it meant him knowing the truth.

Pavel sighed as he glanced down at the computer screen on the treadmill when it made a quick beeping sound, signifying that it was time for his cool down. Maybe he shouldn't do combat training this morning after all. Instead of filling the man with a sense of accomplishment and pride, all this run had accomplished was making him want to shake Vienna's shoulders and ask her what in the world she felt about him. Not that he would do that, of course. He probably couldn't even if the opportunity had slapped him in the face. And knowing Pavel's luck, it probably would.

After the cool down, Pavel grabbed the towel in his bag and wiped his face off. Taking gulps of cold water helped calm the man and snap some sense into him. He couldn't go to Vienna and ask her straight out what was going on, that would be ridiculous. But maybe, just maybe, if he asked her in the proper way, he could get some answers, and possibly a lot of relief.

He smiled as he chewed on the granola bar he had packed. Yes, he was going to ask her. Tonight, even. After her shift got off, he was going to send her a message to meet him in his room and they would finally have a serious talk. The thought scared Pavel, of course, but he had to know. He knew he wouldn't be able to live his life with all of the 'what if's'.

Nichego sebe, Pavel thought as he walked to the showers, ya deystvitel'no poluchil eto plokho.

Translations: Der'mo= Sh*t

Boleye sobstvennoy zhizni = More than his own life.

Nichego sebe, ya deystvitel'no poluchil eto plokho = Wow, I've really got it bad.

And when I said "added adorableness" in the first authors note, what I really meant was more of Russian. It means the same thing in my mind. Anyways! Thank you so much for sticking with me throughout this little filler here, and I hoped you enjoyed. Review and tell me what you liked, what you didn't, or any questions or comments you might have. ALSO! Another reference to my previous authors note: Dear NightShadeMoon, I have made my decision on whether or not to add, as you so awesomely put it, "Star Trekk-y battle scenes", and my decision is