Balancing the Equation: part 5, Interloper
Title: Balancing the Equation: part 5, Interloper
Author: jessofthebugs
Disclaimer: I beseech you, punish me not with your hard thoughts; wherein I confess me much guilty, to deny so fair and excellent ladies any thing. I shall do the world no injury for I have nothing in it.
Pairing: Chekov/Sulu
Rating: Adult 17+
Type: Series, #5/20, sequel to Victor, Victor
Warnings: Attempted non-con
Word Count: 2105
Summary and Notes: Sulu and Chekov, the second day of their research mission. There is some trouble adjusting to the new environment. Posted to chekov_sulu, Archived at awfully_clever
There was a soft rapping on the doorway and a sing-songy voice, "Good morning, boys!"
Chekov pulled the covers over his head and grumbled, "Nnghuhspyatmeenut."
"I have tea and pancakes." Elle touched Sulu's shoulder, patting his arm until he snorted and woke. "I know it's still dark, but we've got the harvest today."
"Snnxghn, humnh?" Sulu pushed himself up and opened one eye, still not quite awake, "Yeah, umn - we'll be up in a minute. Thanks." She smiled at him and shut the door behind herself as she shuffled out. Sulu pulled the covers down, but Chekov pulled them up again over his head and curled around Sulu as though he were his teddybear. "C'mon, Tigger. We gotta get to work."
"Work? No. Sleep, yes."
Sulu pulled the covers off again and tousled Chekov's hair. He curled into a tighter ball next to Sulu, pushing his cold nose into his lover's side. "C'mon, Tigger." Chekov sat up like a marionette being pulled up by its strings and rubbed his eyes as he moaned like the undead. "Aww, who's my zombie boy?"
"Nnngh, you haf brains to eat? I will eat them for my breakfast." He gnawed at Sulu's shoulder and then frowned. "No brains."
Sulu laughed and kissed the top of Chekov's head, mussing the curls again. Chekov combed through his hair with his fingers, hoping to tame it a little, but to no avail "You've got all the brains you need, Tigger. C'mon, let's get dressed. We've got work to do."
Breakfast was tea and a simple dish of something that resembled potato pancakes with a dollop of tart preserves on top. The flavors were a little odd, but not so alien as to be unpalatable. They both ate two helpings each and Elle was all smiles and cheer as she served them tea, but less exuberant than she'd been the night before. The morning was church-quiet and frosty and even as the villagers gathered in the field, bundled up and carrying baskets for the chirrit, conversations were hushed and short as though something might wake if they spoke too loud. When this system's sun rose, pink turning into yellow against a sky not quite as blue as a San Francisco summer, most had shed their gloves and scarves as their work warmed them. Sulu took readings in one corner of the field while Chekov continued to pull roots from the ground. One particularly large one refused to come out and he cursed and pulled at it without success.
A thick hand wrapped around his, working the root back and forth before pulling it out. Chekov looked into the eyes of the man who'd helped him and moved his hand away, "Thank you."
"I'm glad to help." The man had broad shoulders and chestnut hair that he kept braided and pinned up. His thick moustache and beard were neatly trimmed and did not hide his white teeth as he smiled. "Your teacher isn't doing his job. Perhaps you need someone stronger."
"No. I am fine." He looked away and resumed pulling chirrit, tossing it in the basket without looking at this new person.
"My name is Rennit. You're Pavel, right?" Chekov continued down the row, trying to move away without seeming impolite. "I like you, Pavel. I'd be a better teacher than your sailor." Rennit moved closer and brushed Chekov's cheek with his calloused fingers. "I'd be more attentive, too. He doesn't even kiss you, don't you find that odd?"
As politely as he could manage, Pavel pushed Rennit's hand aside and backed away, "I like Hikaru. He is a good teacher and I do not wish for another, thank you."
"I don't have to ask, you know. I can just take you for mine." He touched Chekov's face agan, but the Ensign pulled away and moved to a different row.
"No, thank you," he said in a firmer voice, "I am wery happy with Hikaru." He knelt by the row and pulled the chirrit from the grey-brown dirt as he felt a prickle rise around the edges of his thoughts. Rennit felt wrong, like a bad proof where half the assumptions were false or a quick-and-dirty equation with made-up numbers as nuisance parameters.
A thick hand gripped the back of Chekov's neck and pulled him up to standing, "I'm taking you for mine. I would have liked to hear you say 'yes,' but it's obvious you need a better teacher so that you will learn manners." He took Chekov by the hair, pulling hard toward the edge of the field, "Come, my little pet. You're mine now and I will teach you better than he can."
Rennit did not know he was unbalanced, that the way he held Chekov by the hair made him vulnerable. Sulu had, in fact, taught him well and as soon as he'd figured out that self defense was no less math and physics than navigating the stars, he began to make progress. It took him a moment to figure out the weak points, the elbow, the back of the knee, the angle of the shoulder, but as soon as he'd worked it out, Rennit was on the ground. "No. I do not wish another teacher, thank you." The man lay stunned on the ground and out of breath as Chekov stalked back to the rows of chirrit and pulled up more roots.
Sulu ran the dozen or so meters to where Chekov knelt, "Are you alright, Pavel?"
"Yes. Fine." In truth, Chekov was a little shaken, and with good reason, but he didn't want to show it.
Rennit stomped toward them, stepping over the rows of chirrit, his face red. "Your student does not know his place." Sulu stepped between Chekov and Rennit, though he did not raise his fists. "He'll be mine and I will teach him to respect his elders."
"Stand down." Sulu used his command voice, the same as the one he used while sitting in the captain's chair. "I don't want to fight you."
Rennit rolled up his sleeves, "Then stand aside, Tiny, and let me have the boy."
"The boy has a name." Rennit stepped too close and was on the ground once again, his arm twisted behind him. "And don't call me 'Tiny.'" Rennit picked up the pieces of his pride and left.
"I told him no, but he tried to take me like I am property! I do not belong to anyone. I am not a thing!" He kicked a rock in Rennit's direction and grunted, spouting curses in Russian that would make his Babushka blush.
"Hey," he stroked Chekov's back until he started to relax a little, "I'm sorry. I'll stay by your side in case he comes back. That guy's going to be trouble later."
"No. I am not a child." He picked up his basket and walked to another part of the feild. "I can take care of myself."
"Pavel!" He jogged to catch up, "It's my job to look out for you."
Chekov continued walking away, "I do not need it. I can manage for myself, Hikaru, and I am not a child."
"I know you're not," Chekov's walking pace was almost as fast as most people ran and it was difficult for Sulu to keep up. He managed to grab one of Chekov's shoulders and spun him around so that they could talk face-to-face. "It's just that I don't want to see you get hurt. You're..." He sighed and turned his face toward the midday sun, "God, Pavel, if anything happened to you, I'd never forgive myself."
"Hmmph." was Chekov's only answer.
"Pavel, we're still on a mission and I'm still your commanding officer." He lowered his voice, but the tone of command was clear. "Our job is to blend in, so I'm going to need you to suck it up and play your part. Is that understood, Ensign?"
Chekov clenched his jaw and straightened his spine, "Yes, sir." Sulu stayed nearby, but they did not speak the rest of the day and as the sky darkened they gathered the baskets of chirrit and took them to the large barn at the edge of the village.
He lost sight of Sulu in the crowd as they all made their way to the common house and he almost didn't care. Wrapped up in his grousing, he didn't notice Rennit behind him until a hand clapped over his mouth and he was pulled away to a dark corner. "If you make so much as a sound, I will kill you." He felt a sharp object press against his back and fear burned in his throat like cheap vodka. Rennit pulled him into a dark empty house and pushed him down to the hard floor. "You're too pretty for him, so now you belong to me. Take your clothes off, boy, or I will cut them off." Chekov shut his eyes tight and tried not to cry. He took a deep breath and tried to push the fear down with anger as he removed his shirt and pants. "Good. Face down."
"No. I do not want you. I want Hikaru." Rennit's thick hand grabbed Chekov's shoulder too hard and flipped him over, then pushing his face to the floor.
"What you want is irrelevant. You're mine now, and you will obey me." Chekov struggled, but could not escape the other man's grasp. He felt Rennit's weight on top of him and anger and fear stuck at the point of the knife that pressed against his throat.
"No, no, no!" he cried, words coming out in sobs, "I do not want this!"
"Quiet, boy!" Rennit hissed and pressed the knife harder into Chekov's neck. He felt hard flesh against him, but he could not get free. He could only whimper and pray to a God he wasn't sure was on this planet.
He heard the door slam open before he saw the lamplight, and then a familiar voice, deep and smooth like a heavy satin, spoke. "Get off him or I swear I'll cut you into so many pieces they'll have to use a spoon to gather your remains." Rennit did not move. "Get off. Now. If you want to fight me for him, then fight me. Pavel is my student and no man will take what's mine without a fight."
"I have my knife to his throat and my root at his backside. You'll back off if you don't want him injured." What he meant by "root" was apparent and he pushed his filthy rude flesh into Chekov's behind.
"Face me, or you will die a coward." Rennit moved slowly off and Chekov scrambled away, grabbing his clothes and holding them over his privates as he cried. Sulu had one of his more primitive swords, a thing that curved slightly with a flat blade unlike the fencing foils he usually used. Elle stood behind him with the lamp. Sulu flicked his wrist and sent Rennit's knife skittering across the floor.
The interloper raised his hands in surrender, but a lewd smile crossed his lips, "There are three days until planting. We will fight for the boy at dawn on planting day."
Sulu might have killed him with the hate in his black eyes, but he held back with quiet control, "Agreed."
He picked up the knife, put it in his belt, and sauntered away "You'd better watch him until then. He's too pretty, your boy."
When Rennit was a safe distance away, Sulu ran to where Chekov had curled himself into a little ball and wrapped his arms around him as he sobbed. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" Chekov just cried and shook his head, "It's okay, Tigger. I'm here."
Elle took a blanket from a chair and wrapped it around the young Ensign, "Let's get you dressed and back home, dear. I'll make you some hot soup and tea and you'll be alright. He's a little rough, that one. He's perfectly within his rights, of course, but he shouldn't hurt a precious boy like you."
He pulled on his clothes and managed to hold it together until they were back at Elle's house, but he did not want food. He only wanted his Hikaru and to be wrapped in his gravity, safe and protected. He hadn't been this scared when he faced the Klingon or when fighting the Narada or any other time in his life. Sulu took him to their room and curled around him, stroking the bridge of his nose as he cried himself to sleep, whispering "I'm here. You're safe."
Part 4: Field Notes
Part 6: Planting Seeds
Author: jessofthebugs
Disclaimer: I beseech you, punish me not with your hard thoughts; wherein I confess me much guilty, to deny so fair and excellent ladies any thing. I shall do the world no injury for I have nothing in it.
Pairing: Chekov/Sulu
Rating: Adult 17+
Type: Series, #5/20, sequel to Victor, Victor
Warnings: Attempted non-con
Word Count: 2105
Summary and Notes: Sulu and Chekov, the second day of their research mission. There is some trouble adjusting to the new environment. Posted to chekov_sulu, Archived at awfully_clever
There was a soft rapping on the doorway and a sing-songy voice, "Good morning, boys!"
Chekov pulled the covers over his head and grumbled, "Nnghuhspyatmeenut."
"I have tea and pancakes." Elle touched Sulu's shoulder, patting his arm until he snorted and woke. "I know it's still dark, but we've got the harvest today."
"Snnxghn, humnh?" Sulu pushed himself up and opened one eye, still not quite awake, "Yeah, umn - we'll be up in a minute. Thanks." She smiled at him and shut the door behind herself as she shuffled out. Sulu pulled the covers down, but Chekov pulled them up again over his head and curled around Sulu as though he were his teddybear. "C'mon, Tigger. We gotta get to work."
"Work? No. Sleep, yes."
Sulu pulled the covers off again and tousled Chekov's hair. He curled into a tighter ball next to Sulu, pushing his cold nose into his lover's side. "C'mon, Tigger." Chekov sat up like a marionette being pulled up by its strings and rubbed his eyes as he moaned like the undead. "Aww, who's my zombie boy?"
"Nnngh, you haf brains to eat? I will eat them for my breakfast." He gnawed at Sulu's shoulder and then frowned. "No brains."
Sulu laughed and kissed the top of Chekov's head, mussing the curls again. Chekov combed through his hair with his fingers, hoping to tame it a little, but to no avail "You've got all the brains you need, Tigger. C'mon, let's get dressed. We've got work to do."
Breakfast was tea and a simple dish of something that resembled potato pancakes with a dollop of tart preserves on top. The flavors were a little odd, but not so alien as to be unpalatable. They both ate two helpings each and Elle was all smiles and cheer as she served them tea, but less exuberant than she'd been the night before. The morning was church-quiet and frosty and even as the villagers gathered in the field, bundled up and carrying baskets for the chirrit, conversations were hushed and short as though something might wake if they spoke too loud. When this system's sun rose, pink turning into yellow against a sky not quite as blue as a San Francisco summer, most had shed their gloves and scarves as their work warmed them. Sulu took readings in one corner of the field while Chekov continued to pull roots from the ground. One particularly large one refused to come out and he cursed and pulled at it without success.
A thick hand wrapped around his, working the root back and forth before pulling it out. Chekov looked into the eyes of the man who'd helped him and moved his hand away, "Thank you."
"I'm glad to help." The man had broad shoulders and chestnut hair that he kept braided and pinned up. His thick moustache and beard were neatly trimmed and did not hide his white teeth as he smiled. "Your teacher isn't doing his job. Perhaps you need someone stronger."
"No. I am fine." He looked away and resumed pulling chirrit, tossing it in the basket without looking at this new person.
"My name is Rennit. You're Pavel, right?" Chekov continued down the row, trying to move away without seeming impolite. "I like you, Pavel. I'd be a better teacher than your sailor." Rennit moved closer and brushed Chekov's cheek with his calloused fingers. "I'd be more attentive, too. He doesn't even kiss you, don't you find that odd?"
As politely as he could manage, Pavel pushed Rennit's hand aside and backed away, "I like Hikaru. He is a good teacher and I do not wish for another, thank you."
"I don't have to ask, you know. I can just take you for mine." He touched Chekov's face agan, but the Ensign pulled away and moved to a different row.
"No, thank you," he said in a firmer voice, "I am wery happy with Hikaru." He knelt by the row and pulled the chirrit from the grey-brown dirt as he felt a prickle rise around the edges of his thoughts. Rennit felt wrong, like a bad proof where half the assumptions were false or a quick-and-dirty equation with made-up numbers as nuisance parameters.
A thick hand gripped the back of Chekov's neck and pulled him up to standing, "I'm taking you for mine. I would have liked to hear you say 'yes,' but it's obvious you need a better teacher so that you will learn manners." He took Chekov by the hair, pulling hard toward the edge of the field, "Come, my little pet. You're mine now and I will teach you better than he can."
Rennit did not know he was unbalanced, that the way he held Chekov by the hair made him vulnerable. Sulu had, in fact, taught him well and as soon as he'd figured out that self defense was no less math and physics than navigating the stars, he began to make progress. It took him a moment to figure out the weak points, the elbow, the back of the knee, the angle of the shoulder, but as soon as he'd worked it out, Rennit was on the ground. "No. I do not wish another teacher, thank you." The man lay stunned on the ground and out of breath as Chekov stalked back to the rows of chirrit and pulled up more roots.
Sulu ran the dozen or so meters to where Chekov knelt, "Are you alright, Pavel?"
"Yes. Fine." In truth, Chekov was a little shaken, and with good reason, but he didn't want to show it.
Rennit stomped toward them, stepping over the rows of chirrit, his face red. "Your student does not know his place." Sulu stepped between Chekov and Rennit, though he did not raise his fists. "He'll be mine and I will teach him to respect his elders."
"Stand down." Sulu used his command voice, the same as the one he used while sitting in the captain's chair. "I don't want to fight you."
Rennit rolled up his sleeves, "Then stand aside, Tiny, and let me have the boy."
"The boy has a name." Rennit stepped too close and was on the ground once again, his arm twisted behind him. "And don't call me 'Tiny.'" Rennit picked up the pieces of his pride and left.
"I told him no, but he tried to take me like I am property! I do not belong to anyone. I am not a thing!" He kicked a rock in Rennit's direction and grunted, spouting curses in Russian that would make his Babushka blush.
"Hey," he stroked Chekov's back until he started to relax a little, "I'm sorry. I'll stay by your side in case he comes back. That guy's going to be trouble later."
"No. I am not a child." He picked up his basket and walked to another part of the feild. "I can take care of myself."
"Pavel!" He jogged to catch up, "It's my job to look out for you."
Chekov continued walking away, "I do not need it. I can manage for myself, Hikaru, and I am not a child."
"I know you're not," Chekov's walking pace was almost as fast as most people ran and it was difficult for Sulu to keep up. He managed to grab one of Chekov's shoulders and spun him around so that they could talk face-to-face. "It's just that I don't want to see you get hurt. You're..." He sighed and turned his face toward the midday sun, "God, Pavel, if anything happened to you, I'd never forgive myself."
"Hmmph." was Chekov's only answer.
"Pavel, we're still on a mission and I'm still your commanding officer." He lowered his voice, but the tone of command was clear. "Our job is to blend in, so I'm going to need you to suck it up and play your part. Is that understood, Ensign?"
Chekov clenched his jaw and straightened his spine, "Yes, sir." Sulu stayed nearby, but they did not speak the rest of the day and as the sky darkened they gathered the baskets of chirrit and took them to the large barn at the edge of the village.
He lost sight of Sulu in the crowd as they all made their way to the common house and he almost didn't care. Wrapped up in his grousing, he didn't notice Rennit behind him until a hand clapped over his mouth and he was pulled away to a dark corner. "If you make so much as a sound, I will kill you." He felt a sharp object press against his back and fear burned in his throat like cheap vodka. Rennit pulled him into a dark empty house and pushed him down to the hard floor. "You're too pretty for him, so now you belong to me. Take your clothes off, boy, or I will cut them off." Chekov shut his eyes tight and tried not to cry. He took a deep breath and tried to push the fear down with anger as he removed his shirt and pants. "Good. Face down."
"No. I do not want you. I want Hikaru." Rennit's thick hand grabbed Chekov's shoulder too hard and flipped him over, then pushing his face to the floor.
"What you want is irrelevant. You're mine now, and you will obey me." Chekov struggled, but could not escape the other man's grasp. He felt Rennit's weight on top of him and anger and fear stuck at the point of the knife that pressed against his throat.
"No, no, no!" he cried, words coming out in sobs, "I do not want this!"
"Quiet, boy!" Rennit hissed and pressed the knife harder into Chekov's neck. He felt hard flesh against him, but he could not get free. He could only whimper and pray to a God he wasn't sure was on this planet.
He heard the door slam open before he saw the lamplight, and then a familiar voice, deep and smooth like a heavy satin, spoke. "Get off him or I swear I'll cut you into so many pieces they'll have to use a spoon to gather your remains." Rennit did not move. "Get off. Now. If you want to fight me for him, then fight me. Pavel is my student and no man will take what's mine without a fight."
"I have my knife to his throat and my root at his backside. You'll back off if you don't want him injured." What he meant by "root" was apparent and he pushed his filthy rude flesh into Chekov's behind.
"Face me, or you will die a coward." Rennit moved slowly off and Chekov scrambled away, grabbing his clothes and holding them over his privates as he cried. Sulu had one of his more primitive swords, a thing that curved slightly with a flat blade unlike the fencing foils he usually used. Elle stood behind him with the lamp. Sulu flicked his wrist and sent Rennit's knife skittering across the floor.
The interloper raised his hands in surrender, but a lewd smile crossed his lips, "There are three days until planting. We will fight for the boy at dawn on planting day."
Sulu might have killed him with the hate in his black eyes, but he held back with quiet control, "Agreed."
He picked up the knife, put it in his belt, and sauntered away "You'd better watch him until then. He's too pretty, your boy."
When Rennit was a safe distance away, Sulu ran to where Chekov had curled himself into a little ball and wrapped his arms around him as he sobbed. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" Chekov just cried and shook his head, "It's okay, Tigger. I'm here."
Elle took a blanket from a chair and wrapped it around the young Ensign, "Let's get you dressed and back home, dear. I'll make you some hot soup and tea and you'll be alright. He's a little rough, that one. He's perfectly within his rights, of course, but he shouldn't hurt a precious boy like you."
He pulled on his clothes and managed to hold it together until they were back at Elle's house, but he did not want food. He only wanted his Hikaru and to be wrapped in his gravity, safe and protected. He hadn't been this scared when he faced the Klingon or when fighting the Narada or any other time in his life. Sulu took him to their room and curled around him, stroking the bridge of his nose as he cried himself to sleep, whispering "I'm here. You're safe."
Part 4: Field Notes
Part 6: Planting Seeds