Nobis ✴︎ Pavel Chekov

Chapter Fifty One - Nightmares

Pavel finds Emory's room and kisses her as soon as the door opens. She seems a little flustered, Pavel can't read if it's a good or bad kind.

"My roommate is around. Just keep it to a minimum okay?"

He nods, feeling the wind knocked out of his sails a little. He was feeling so affectionate fifteen seconds earlier and now and embarrassment is creeping over him instead. She brings him in, introducing her roommate.

"Pavel, this is Sawyer. She's an engineer."

"Nice to meet you," he says, smiling at her politely.

"Hello, my name is Sawyer, nice to meet you," she says in one quick breath. She seems tense and doesn't make eye contact, Pavel wonders if he's made her uncomfortable.

"We'll be in my room, okay?"

"You're not going to have intercourse, are you?"

Pavel widens his eyes, surprised by how straightforward she is. "No, we're not. I promise." Sawyer nods and goes back to her PADD, Emory pulls Pavel by his wrist before he can stare too long. "She isn't too good around new people. I think she said she has autism or something like that but I can't quite remember."

"Scotty mentioned an engineer named Sawyer that he liked working with. Very precise and good at her job... I'm guessing that's her."

"Probably," she mutters, shutting her door. "Now, where were we?"

Pavel grins and takes her by the waist, kissing her gently. He pulls their bodies close together, enjoying the connection he feels. She breaks the kiss to pull him onto the bed, climbing under the covers and pulling him back in for another kiss. He smiles when he kisses her, forgetting all about Irina. He's on another planet for a while, it's just her and the bed around them.

There's a knock at the door, which opens just as they separate.

"Sawyer, I've asked before about waiting after you knock," Emory mutters, trying to seem a lot less frustrated than she is.

"You're the one who wrote the theory on two-function warp," Sawyer says, completely disregarding what Emory is trying to point out. "Mr. Scott told me you had died but he mentioned recently you came back to life; that the transporter rematerialized you."

"Yes, that's me."

"I've been studying your theory."

"I haven't had a chance to relook at it yet after testing it on myself. I'm sure we could work on it together sometime."

"Yes," she says, still not making contact. "Yes, sometime."

Sawyer leaves then, not saying anything more. Emory raises an eyebrow and looks at Pavel.

"Does she come in like that often?"

"Yeah, I need to make a habit out of locking the door when I need privacy. Which I might do now," she mutters, standing up and locking the door. She gives him a grin from across the room.

"What?" Pavel asks, not entirely sure what her expression means.

"Just... Having you here, with me. I was dreaming about it when you were lost in a transporter somewhere, I'd imagine laying here just kissing or making you fall asleep like I did back on Earth. Remember? When I had my hands in your hair."

"Of course, I remember. It's not something I could forget easily. I loved that more than anything."

"Are you sleepy now?" She asks, climbing back onto the bed and giving him a warm smile. She brings her hands to his hair and he lies down with her, content and comfortable. His head rests on her stomach while she plays with his hair slowly, making him progressively sleepier.

"I love this," he mutters, eyes closing.

"Do you love me?"

His eyes open again and he sits up, making sure he can see her properly. "Is it too soon to say love? That's an intense word, Em, I don't want to go using it lightly. I adore you, you know that but I feel like it may be a little early to say love... Is, is that okay?"

"I don't expect anything that big from you yet Pavel, I just found a chance to ask. Lie back down, I want you to fall asleep with me."

He mumbles incoherently, already close to sleep. He wonders how long he thinks about how warm she feels before falling asleep.

Pavel wakes up shaking, screaming and covered in sweat. Emory's hand is on his back but it takes him a while to calm down.

"It was just a dream," she whispers, hugging him gently. "You're safe now." He hugs her back gently and takes a few deep breaths. "What was your nightmare about?"

"I've no idea," he admits, pulling his sleeves up to cool himself down a little. "I woke up like this after I had a vaccine in medbay, I don't remember what that one was about either."

Emory nods, placing a hand on his back. "Go have a shower or something, I've got a shift soon anyway so I can't stay with you. It's best to leave now before Sawyer gets back."

He nods, getting up and taking his shirt off. He needs to cool off a little before heading back to his own room. He's still covered in sweat and thinks it could easily be misinterpreted coming out of a girl's room.