something to do (Pavel Chekov)

22

Eadie wakes up screaming and shaking uncontrollably. Pavel scrambles out of his bed and to her side, trying to calm her down. Her screams turn into sobs and she realises she's in medbay, not the cell like she was dreaming of. Her voice is failing and she starts signing.

NIGHTMARE. VISITORS. EAT. ME.

He holds her hands and kisses them, and a nurse comes over, asking Eadie if she's alright. She nods, muttering about bad dreams again. They eat breakfast and try and figure out what they might be doing for their session today. Pavel wonders if they're having a joint session and Eadie thinks it'll be something more than that.

The doctor that comes over tells them that they will be spending a session together and Pavel smiles.

"You were stuck in a dark room for so long. We're looking after your skin today. You're deficient in a lot of nutrients and vitamins but rather than just injecting you with them all, we're sending you into the sunlight for a little."

"Sunlight? We're on a starship."

"Well, the holodeck is a close as we can get but it still does the job. Trust me, you'll notice a difference after a few hours. Also, I don't say this often but try and keep the clothing to a minimum, okay? No shirts, no shoes or hats, just swimwear. That kind of thing. We've chosen a nice beach and park setting. Just try and relax for a few hours and we'll come get you later."

"That sounds great," Eadie says softly, thinking of a day in the sun after being inside for so long.

They walk through the corridors together and find the holodeck, setting up the program and going in. The black room changes into a beach and they look at each other, smiling stupidly. There's a few beach huts and they find a sign on the door.

'Minimal clothing but don't get up to anything. – McCoy'

Eadie rolls her eyes and steps inside one of the beach huts, finding plenty of different swimwear options. She finds a pale purple coloured pair. She steps out and finds Pavel already there, shirtless and in a plain pair of black board shorts. She asks him to tie up the back of her swim top and he nods.

"Are you sunburnt already or just blushing?"

"I'm not blushing."

"You're definitely blushing."

He takes his hands off of her back and picks up a blue beach towel, tossing her one as well. They walk for a while and Pavel seems a little standoffish. Eadie takes his hand and he doesn't look up, lost in thought looking at the sand below his feet. Eadie worries she's upset him and thinks about it as she throws her towel down.

Pavel rolls his towel out and takes a seat on top of it.

"My skin feels warm," he says softly. "It feels nice."

"The sun is really nice. It feels so real. We needed this." She lies down beside him and feels the sunshine on her back. Her hair is out a little messy. "Are you alright? I didn't mean to upset you earlier or anything."

"It's nothing," he says quickly. "I'm just a little awkward with the whole swimwear thing. I know it's stupid and I shouldn't be but I still am. I don't why I fixate on trivial things, but I do."

"Is it bad? I can find something a bit more covering if it really bothers you..."

"No, it's not bad. It's not bad at all. It's good and I like it, that's why I'm anxious. I mean-! Ah, I'm sorry I don't like talking about this."

She puts a hand on his shoulder and he looks to her briefly. "Pavel. Why don't you talk to me, tell me about these things? You do realise that what you're feeling is normal, right? It's not something you have to hide away or be ashamed of. I like seeing you shirtless. I'm not angry if you like seeing me dressed like this either."

Pavel looks to Eadie, nodding his head just a tiny bit. "Why do I feel so guilty then? Why do I feel like I'm feeling something wrong?"

Eadie can probably pinpoint exactly why he feels guilty but just puts her hands in his hair and ruffles his curls. He mutters something in incoherent Russian and sits up, pulling her in for a hug. He thanks her for her kind words and squeezes her just a little tighter. She suggests they lie down and get some sun and they do, on their stomachs and talking about how nice it feels to have weather again, real or fake.

Pavel falls asleep for a little while and Eadie reads, putting some soft music on and humming to herself. Pavel wakes up with a start and groans.

"What were you dreaming of? Are you alright?"

"Nothing," he says coldly. "I'm fine. Want to eat something? I'm getting hungry."

Eadie has a feeling that he was dreaming of something he doesn't want to talk about but finds something to eat anyway. They have a picnic basket and it has all sorts of nice foods packed inside. Eadie starts on some pieces of melon and Pavel has a piece of sushi in his mouth. His chopstick skills aren't great. Sulu used to tease him about it when they'd eat Japanese food so he uses his fingers and smiles a little as Eadie rolls her eyes at him.

They eat and rest a little more. Eadie lies on her back this time and Pavel seems like he's trying keep his eyes away. Eadie doesn't know how to talk about it again. She suggests they go for a swim and Pavel just nods. He's not a super strong swimmer but Eadie promises they don't have to go in too deep.

The water is beautifully cool and refreshes their bodies. Eadie breaks into a grin and grabs Pavel's hand, pulling him with her and trying not to trip over. She stops and he bumps into her, apologising for a second or two before Eadie interrupts him with a kiss. For a few seconds, the waves crash over them as their lips collide and Pavel swears he's in a dream or a movie.

They trip over into the water and Pavel falls right on top of Eadie. Her hair is in her face and she has the brightest smile he's ever seen. He stops worrying about the fact that he's on top of her. He kisses her feels the sun on his skin and the ocean against his hips.

"I love this," Eadie grins, sitting up a little and digging her fingers into his hair.

"And I love you," he says, standing up and helping her to her feet. They're so close together, she can feel his heart beating in his chest. She puts her hands on his chest, kissing his cheek. He smiles at her, taking her soft hands and bringing her a little deeper into the water. He splashes her with the water and she splashes him back, laughing stupidly. He runs over and picks her up, making her erupt into giggles and they fall into the water together. Her hands are all over him and he seems to be quite alright with it.

"This is the best," she laughs, pushing the wet hair from her face. His wet curls drip into his eyes and his genuine smile is something she never got to see in their time trapped together. He kisses her again, glad to see her so happy.

They get out of the water and dry off in the beach huts. There's a beautiful park that they walk through together, hand in hand. They lie down on the grass and stare up at the impossibly blue sky. They're dreaming of shore leave and getting to spend time in the real weather. Pavel dreams of rain and falling asleep to the soft noise of it falling on the roof.

Eadie shuffles closer to Pavel on the grass and starts kissing him. He has an anxiety in his chest that he can't name. He's lying beside her and his body is pressed up right against hers. His mind starts overheating and he scrambles to his feet, breathless and hurting.

"Pavel?"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I can't. I don't know what's going on. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she says softly, trying to calm him with her voice. She waits for him to sit down and join her but he doesn't, telling her he'll be back in a few minutes.