Angels (Pavel Chekov)

21 - Discussions, Discussions

When they sit down for lunch, Vienna goes to the bathroom and Sydel moves a little closer to him.

"So, Vienna has been talking about me, hm?" He asks, deciding to ask her questions before she can ask him any with Vienna elsewhere. She grins, nodding.

"Since her first week at the academy, you're all she mentions in messages. She adores the hell out of you, if you're not already dating I think you should definitely ask her out."

"Interesting," Pavel mutters, surprised that Vienna has been talking about him so much. "What exactly has she said about me?"

"She mentioned that you keep a journal. She also told me how she took a photo of it and felt super guilty about it. She did genuinely feel bad about that. She also told me you're freakishly smart and that English isn't even your first language. I went through a phase a year or two ago where I tried to learn Russian. It was super hard. The whole thing with the gendered nouns and the different cases, that just screwed my head in completely. I gave it up and tried French."

Vienna comes and sits back down, narrowing her eyes at Sydel.

"You're not grilling him, are you?"

She shakes her head, a slightly amused grin on her lips. Vienna doesn't believe it for a second and sits opposite Pavel, picking a menu up off the table.

They get about two minutes into waiting for their meal when Axel asks whether or not they're a couple. Pavel stays quiet, deciding to let Vienna answer.

"We... Yes, we are," she mutters, deciding there's little point in hiding it anymore. Sydel claims that she knew it all along and Vienna just rolls her eyes. She expected the question at some point in the day but sees no point in hiding their relationship. Pavel is a definite improvement from the only other boy she's ever let her parents meet.

As they're walking, Sydel pulls behind with Pavel a little as they're talking about the mathematics she does at school when she quickly changes the subject.

"Do you love my sister?"

"Wait, what, sorry?" Pavel asks, mildly surprised that she's asking something quite personal about their relationship. She repeats the question and Pavel has no idea how to answer, swallowing nervously.

"Didn't Vienna say something about you asking too many questions?"

"Come on," she laughs. "I want an answer."

"I'll say this much," he starts. "I'm not good at articulating how I feel, not in English anyway. How I feel and what I've told Vienna are two completely different things."

"Interesting," Sydel mutters. "I think I get what you mean. Though, I still think she'd be keen to hear what I think you're implying."

Pavel smiles a little, not making eye contact but amused by the idea. Vienna checks behind her and sees Pavel and Sydel talking quietly. She had a feeling they'd get along well. Her parents have a lot of questions and she worries how Pavel would cope with answering them. She knows Sydel won't push him too hard for answers but they're all close in age and that probably makes quiet a difference.

They see the city, enjoy dinner and walk around for hours. Pavel gets a chance to talk to all of Vienna's family and he finds himself far less plagued by anxiety than he thought he'd be. He can enjoy his time with them and not constantly worry about what he says.

Before they go in to pick up Quantro, they say their goodbyes. Vienna's parents are meeting up with a few other friends over the next three days and they plan to meet up again after. Pavel apologises again for freaking out this morning and they tell him to think nothing of it. Vienna walk back hand in hand and talking about their day together.

"Your family is lovely," Pavel smiles. "Wait, is or are?"

"What do you mean?"

"Singular or plural noun? Your family is lovely... Your family are lovely. Which one is correct?"

"Oh," she says, thinking. "I think you were right the first time. 'Your family is...'"

He nods, getting lost in thought. She squeezes his hand, bringing his attention back to her. She tells Pavel about how much she enjoyed getting to see her family again and that she's glad he seemed relaxed.

"I still feel bad about freaking out with your dog this morning though. That was pretty embarrassing."

Vienna kisses his cheek. "We sorted it out. I'm just glad we found somewhere to keep him for the day."

"I like the story of his name."

She rolls her eyes at his comment, walking back to his room with a smile on her face.

Pavel thinks about Sydel's comment as he waits her Vienna to put pyjamas on. He stares up at the ceiling and thinks about how easy it would be to just tell her. He adores her, he doesn't know why the thought of voicing it aloud is so daunting. He smiles as she joins him under the covers. He likes how relaxed their relationship feels. She cuddles up to him and he kisses her, wishing he wasn't so nervous about speaking his mind.

They're a mess in the morning again. Vienna's half on top of him with her hand in her hair. He only stirs a little, not wanting to get up any earlier than he has to.

"Pavel," Vienna says sleepily.

"Mhmm?" He grunts.

"Your hand," she prompts, waiting for him realise where it's resting.

He opens his eyes a little, wondering what she's trying to tell him. He has a look at his hand and see that it's draped across her chest and he pulls it away, feeling his cheeks start to burn.

"Oh! Vienna, I'm so sorry, I didn't realise that... I didn't mean to. I'm really sorry." He switches to Russian then, muttering incoherently and brushing the hair from his eyes.

"Pavel," she says, closing her eyes and pulling him close again. "Calm down. I know you didn't mean to."

He lies back down and takes a deep breath, trying to calm down himself down. His cheeks are still red and she decides not to tell him how adorable she thinks he is. Vienna goes back to sleep and Pavel manages to drift back off.

(Author's Note)

Naming chapters is harder than I anticipated

Please let me know what you think!
Enjoy
~Clover