something to do (Pavel Chekov)

48

McCoy makes them do another group session in medbay even though he’s not there. Eadie says very little and Pavel looks at her briefly and wonders if she’s paying attention. He puts a hand gently on her knee as he talks and he looks to her again, not sure if she’s really there with them.

“Eadie,” Doctor Kotir says softly. “Do you have anything to add?”

She looks up and shakes her head.

“You really haven’t said all that much. I can wait for you to type something out if need be. Pavel can translate for you maybe?”

Eadie just shakes her head and signs ‘tired’ looking to Pavel to translate. Doctor Kotir just nods and lets them go, telling them to get a little rest before coming in for a physical in the morning.

Pavel has trouble waking Eadie up. She just grunts at him when he tries to shake her awake. He rolls her eyes at her and has a shower, coming back and trying again. He tells her they’re going to be late and she just nods, tying her hair up. She heads into the bathroom and he replicates some juice. Eadie comes out and gets herself a coffee, still silent.

“Good morning,” Pavel says softly. “Did you sleep alright?”

She nods in return and their conversation ends there. Pavel doesn’t push her any further. They eat listening to music and head to medbay. Doctor McCoy scans over her and pulls up the scans on his PADD. Eadie looks at them and McCoy tells her they’re good. She doesn’t ask anything else.

McCoy bothers Pavel next, checking that he still has a standard amount of kidneys, which he does, and lets them go. He asks if they need more time on the holodeck and Eadie quickly answers for them.

“Y-y-yes. Again. P-please.”

“I’ll book it. You guys can head there now. I think it’s empty at the moment anyway.”

The holodeck is empty and Pavel walks in, asking Eadie if she has any idea where he should put them. Eadie goes to the control panel and starts typing in a few things. Pavel steps back and lets her take the wheel. The holodeck changes and they’re standing in the middle of a mountainous track. Pavel notices a railing and looks down, swallowing.

“This feels very real. This feels very high.”

Eadie smiles and starts walking, gesturing for him to follow. He does, walking beside her and reaching for her hand. She squeezes it gently and presses a kiss to his cheek. He tells her he loves her and she squeezes his hand again.

The sunshine helps their mood. They walk a little before Pavel mutters of having sore muscles and they stop on top of a hill and sit down. Eadie breathes in the fresh air and rests her head on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry I’ve been cold,” Pavel mutters. “Sorry I get lost in my own head so much. I mustn’t be easy to deal with.”

“W-w-wo-worth it.”

“I’m worth it? I hope so.”

She sits up a little and he cups her chin. She smiles at him and he pulls their lips together softly. It’s been a lifetime since their last kiss like this and Eadie melts into it a little. She hooks her arms around his neck and places his other hand on her hip.

Their kisses turn playful. Pavel pecks her over and over and smiles as she giggles at him. She starts kissing along his neck and he bites back a moan. He whispers her name and she grins at him, placing a kiss on his nose. The fake sun is keeping them warm and they keep kissing, losing track of time.

They leave the holodeck eventually with a warm glow from the sun. Pavel spins Eadie around as they walk and she breaks out into a huge smile.

“It’s good to be back here,” Pavel smiles, spinning her around once more as they get through the door. “It’s good to be back with you again. I love you, Eadie.”

She takes his hands and they start dancing together, spinning stupidly around the room and giggling. Pavel puts on some music and dips her, making her laugh. He stops and just looks at her, a little breathless and shaking his head.

“I’m so glad I met you. I’m so glad you’re mine.”

I love you, she signs.

“Think there’s anywhere on the ship I can get a ring? Are we too young to get married? Was I just being a little stupid?”

You, many questions, she signs, forgetting the sign for ask. She finds his PADD on the bench and comes and sits down with him. She sits cuddled up in his lap and he kisses her tenderly as he waits for her to finish writing. She giggles as she writes, occasionally stopping to kiss him back.

I don’t see any reason to wait. It feels like we’ve spent a few lifetimes together already. I trust you completely. I would be more than happy to call you my husband. I don’t think we’re too young. We’ve been on the planet long enough. I love you. My heart is yours already, Pavel.

She watches as he presses save after reading the note. He puts his PADD down and kisses her head. “Are you sure you want to commit to that already? It’s okay to wait. I mean... I’m sure you want to marry someone who can give you a sex life of some sort. I’m not at that stage now but what if I just don’t get there? What if I never get over my fears and we just… What if it’s something I can’t give you?”  

She puts a hand on his knee and looks at him like he’s a little crazy for even suggesting it. Her eyes say a lot and Pavel just sighs, knowing that how she feels now mightn’t always be the case.

“What if,” she says quickly. “Y-you s-say that a lot.”

“There’s a lot of ‘what ifs’ to consider. I want you to be fulfilled and happy and not feel like I’m holding you back. I know you want kids someday, if I’m going to be a part of that then we have to have this conversation. Of course I’m a little love drunk and jumping ahead of myself but Eadie, I’m serious about marrying you.”

Eadie stops him with a kiss to the forehead. It lingers. He feels his breath loosen once she’s pulled away. There’s real love in her eyes and he knows she’s being just as serious as he is.

“I-I’m in. W-what-whatever h-happens.”

Pavel gives her a soft smile and thinks of a ring and how much it’s been on his mind. They’ve got plenty of time to figure things out. They’ve got no reason to wait but he looks at Eadie and realises there’s no reason to rush either.

(Author's Note)

Thank you for following and staying with this story even though I forgot about it. After a long time I finally started writing again (on a different fic oops) but hopefully I can channel that back to this piece. I did finish this story only to hate the ending so I will fix what I can and I'm the meantime try and publish a few lil bits.

Thank you for reading. It means the world to me.

Much love,
Clover