Nobis ✴︎ Pavel Chekov

Chapter Eight - Us

Pavel stays the night again and they share Emory's bed this time. They don't do anything other than sleep but it relaxes them both a little. Pavel doesn't feel any guilt cuddling her this time and he doesn't feel the need to leave in the morning. They're both sleepy and warm and happy to have one another's company. They're pressed up close together and laughing, a little tempted to not even get out of bed at all. Emory has class in an hour and a half but they don't bother rushing. They try and cook pancakes, three of which Pavel burns but find a solution by smothering the whole thing in ice cream. Emory has a shower while Pavel cleans up and she's a little tempted to invite him to join but she doesn't, knowing that there's no kind of need to rush things. Pavel walks Emory to class and when she comes back out he's there waiting with a smug kind of grin. She comes over to him and gives him a hug, trying not to smile. Pavel grins in response and starts walking with her, hand curled around her waist. They head off towards the city to find something to eat and sneak one last smile at one another.

Emory has a thought while she's eating and she looks up at Pavel.

"Wait, what's going to happen when you're deployed back into space? What if we get assigned to different ships?"

Pavel puts his fork down and thinks for a second. "I don't know. I never thought about it..."

Emory bites her lip and sighs. "Pavel, is this a bad idea?"

"Lunch?" He asks, confused.

"No, not lunch. Us."

"Us?"

She nods.

Pavel swallows and it at a loss of what to say. "Are we... Are we what you want?"

"Yes. It's just..."

"Just?"

"I don't think I can do long distance."

Pavel blinks for a second and furrows his eyebrows. "You didn't think about this before you kissed me?"

"No, I didn't," she says, a little coldly. Pavel can feel the tension rising a little and he swallows uncomfortably.

"I could be deployed tomorrow, you know. Maybe there isn't much point in us being together if you don't want to bother as soon as I'm far away. If you wanted another semipermanent fix I'm sure there were plenty more desperate guys at the bar."

Pavel condescending tone surprises himself a little as well but he doesn't apologise. He takes a sip of his water without making eye contact and waits for her response to fill the awkward, tense silence.

"Desperate? I'm sorry, what happened to the 'I didn't want to disrespect you or anything' Pavel?"

"What happened to 'I really like you and want to date you' Emory? Where did she go? Back to the bar with the cadets that aren't being deployed?"

Pavel stands up, sending her a final cold look and picks his bag up off the back of the chair. Emory is still too in shock to say anything. He pays at the counter and leaves, not saying another word. Emory feels her eyes start to water and she rubs them, quickly tearing up badly. She shoves one more bite of food in her mouth and leaves, heading towards one of the bathrooms, where she can break down in peace.

Pavel gets a few questions from Alec, which he pretty much ignores. He throws his bag down on the couch and Alec stops with the questions when he sees Pavel rubbing tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Not even twenty-four hours. I've broken my record for my shortest relationship ever."

Alec passes him a glass of water, which Pavel sips quietly.

"The one night stand girl?"

He nods.

Alec shrugs. "I told you it was a bad idea man. You need a drink, not near another girl though, that's probably, um yeah."

Alec passes him a drink and Pavel doesn't even know what it is but he skulls it quickly and hopes it takes him over.

(A/N)

Because relationships aren't perfect, have problems and don't always go as planned.
Because things happen, people can change and be different to who they seem.
Because things get messy; but that's okay :)

Nobis means 'us' in Latin by the way.