something to do (Pavel Chekov)

32

The shower isn't all that large but fits the two of them in it. Eadie's in a plain black one piece and her hair is up in a messy bun. Pavel's in pale blue board shorts and he seems a lot less tense than he has in the past few weeks. He puts his hands on her hips and starts kissing her softly. Her arms hook around his neck. Their kisses are firm and warm, a lot more than the soft pecks they'd gotten used to. They kiss for a long while, warmed by the water running over their heads and the body heat they're sharing being so close to one another.

"I love you," Eadie says, digging her fingers into the curls on the back of his neck.

"I could never get sick of hearing that," Pavel returns, kissing her cheek.

He pulls her a little closer and she starts kissing along his jaw down to his neck. He hasn't been kissed on the neck before but he quickly decides he likes it. He wonders if this is what intimacy feels like, not what he went through as a child. He feels his anxiety start to melt away under the warm water and Eadie opens her eyes to see a smile on his lips she hasn't seen before. There's a subtle glint in his eyes and he pulls her close. She looks at him curiously.

"Is this okay?" She asks softly. "We can stop..."

"This is better than okay... I feel so.... So... I don't know. Is this what it's supposed to feel like? This feels so... So warm."

"It's supposed to feel exactly like this," she whispers. "This is what it's like when you love someone"

"I like it," he smiles, pushing her up against the shower wall.

"Oh?" Eadie chirps, bitting her lip.

She places a hand on Pavel's chest and winks at him. He starts making out with her again and he presses her softly against the wall. She's quite surprised that he's the one initiating this kind of contact but she has no objections. Pavel presses a little tighter and she smiles at him cheekily.

They kiss for a little longer before deciding to get out. Eadie is fixing her eyebrows in the mirror as Pavel dries his hair. He hugs her from behind once his hair is a little more dry and she giggles as he wraps around her.

"Your chest is so warm," she notes.

"This is how it was supposed to feel coming back from the cell. Warm and quiet. Together and calming. Clean and full of good food. I'm feeling a lot better today. Maybe it's just the time with you."

"I'm feeling better too. Something in the air, hm? Want to get dressed and go to the holodeck?"

He nods, though one part of him wants to stay in the room just a little longer.

Pavel chooses a smooth path go running this time. He makes sure it has a path Eadie can skate on and he opts for mountains again as the scenery. Eadie waits beside him as he's plugging things into the holodeck computer. The black and yellow fades and Eadie breaks into a grin, looking at the world Pavel has put them in. There's a box with skates her size and she sits down tying them up while Pavel stretches. He warns her that he's pretty fast an she rolls her eyes at him. By the time she does get on her feet, she realises he's actually right. His feet pound the pavement and she skates cordially behind him, humming to herself.

"Having fun?" she calls out.

He turns to give her a grin and keeps running, his heart pounding in chest. He's breathless but he's free. He's feeling better than he has in a while and his mind finally starts clearing up. He smiles to himself and listens to Eadie's soft humming. She catches up and skates beside him, giving him a soft smile. She puts her hands on his shoulders and laughs, letting him pull her along for a little bit.