So I finally got my bum in gear and realised that there's no point in having an account if I never use it- this is the first update I got round to. I'll probably move on to the little Drabbles and such next (because I'm too lazy to do any big chapters), and I'll see what I can do about the other stories at a (probably much) later date.
He had walked this corridor more times than he could ever care to recall-tramping back and forth almost every week for some minor injury that needed addressing, or to bring hard copied triplicate reports to McCoy- and yet, he groaned to himself, it had never felt as long as it did now.
The sterile chrome walls seemed to stretch on forever, the familiar twists and turns seemed more frequent than ever, and to be quite honest, the lights were obnoxiously bright today.
They were bright every day, he supposed. He was on a Starship. But for the love of all things sacred, they were so blindingly bright on this particular day.
The staccato pounding of his heart thrummed in his ears, accompanied by the heavy thud of his footsteps as he forced his numb body to keep moving forwards. He remembered to breathe a little way into his journey, and he took a deep, shaky breath, savouring the cold recycled air as it entered his lungs. He felt warm - too warm. His shirt stuck to his back as he stumbled on, barely able to move one shaking limb in front of the other.
Sucking in another shuddering breath as he wiped his palms on his thighs, Pavel began to take note of the intense heat that was building in his chest. His body temperature was rising, and he was finding it more and more difficult to stay upright as his symptoms worsened.
It had been like this for as long as he could remember. He would begin another day as usual, and there would be no sign at all that the little prodigy child was abnormal in any way other than his intellect. He would go to school, learn, listen, learn some more. He would talk to his friends. Laugh with them.
Maybe someone would deliberately trip him up in the hallway or in the playground, or call him an unkind name. This was okay. He could manage it-brush it off, even.
These days were his favourite days.
On other days however- sometimes all it would take was a cruel word from a jealous child, or a corrected teacher- the warning signs would come. He excused it as his proneness to illness, that fevers were a normal occurrence for him; he got away with his little lie. He had never been the shining example of health, after all. However, the small changes in his behaviour had to be carefully concealed; his sudden short temper was easily noticed, him being such a sweet child, and his insatiable appetite for meat on those days couldn't be blamed on any fever.
On these days, he wouldn't return home until the wee hours, covered in dirt and blood and rapidly vanishing bruises.
Father's wrath would soon replenish them.
He found himself leaning into the cold metal wall, his shoulder supporting him as his sweat slicked palms scrabbled for purchase on the sleek surface.
With a heaving intake of breath, he pushed himself up and braced his elbows against the wall, letting his head drop between his shoulders.
He had learned to control the wildness that he had inherited on that night. For the majority of the time, he found that channelling his excess energy into his Running helped him subdue The Beast, and recently, he had discovered that Yoga and Fencing practice with Sulu was perfect for the days when running was unable to calm him.
He was unsure if breathing exercises would be enough to quell the panic and fear that stirred The Beast at the sight of that man [he'ssupposedtobeGONE/howishehere/why/WHY/dead/hewasDEAD]
After a long ten minutes, raised his head and exhaled one final calming breath, raising his head with his eyes closed and rolling his shoulders. His shaking had lessened significantly, and his chest didn't feel so tight as before. The heat had subsided…but he could still feel the stirring presence of the wolf. He could almost see it pricking it's ears, twitching in its sleep with the anticipation of it's freedom.
Turning once again, he continued his march towards Sickbay.
He was going to have to be very, very careful.
So here you go, the drama is just beginning (although I hope as much as you that we don't have to wait another fucking eternity for another chapter) and you now have a tiny glimpse into Pavel's past with his…disease.