Fic ~ Nothing to Lose
Hello, random fic. It's been so long since I've written one of you!
Title ~ Nothing to Lose
Fandom ~ Star Trek
Rating ~ PG
Pairing ~ Sulu / Chekov
Disclaimer ~ I do not own any version of Star Trek.
Notes ~ Okay, here’s where I write myself into a corner. This story is one of the “missing scene” sort, but from a book instead of the movies. It’s from the “Janus Gate” trilogy, written by the truly awesome L.A. Graf. In the series, the crew of the Enterprise stumbles upon a time/dimensional shift machine. Captain Kirk is accidentally exchanged with a 14 year old version of himself, and an alternate dimension appears where his absence has led to a massive intergalactic war. From that timeline comes older and scarred versions of Sulu and Chekov, and they spend a little while aboard the present day Enterprise (with their younger counterparts) while a plan is put into motion to send the 14 year old Kirk back where he should be and retrieve their captain.
Got it?
Nothing to Lose
“What do you think of him?”
Sulu looked up from the table top covered with a dead man’s belongings. Sitting on the bed, Chekov was frowning hard at the floor.
“Who?”
“Me. The younger me. Ensign Chekov.”
Sulu smiled. “I like him.”
Chekov scoffed.
“No, really. It’s been so long…I’d almost forgotten what you were like when you were young.”
“I am not so different now.”
“You are.”
Chekov was quiet, and Sulu glanced at him again. He was touching his face, the places that used to be patterned with old scars, now smoothed.
“You’re more handsome now.” Chekov’s eyes narrowed, and Sulu sighed. “I don’t mean now that the scars are gone. I told you I never minded the scars. I did miss seeing you smile, though.”
Chekov frowned harder in response, and Sulu had to fight not to grin at him.
“I meant that you’re more handsome because you’re not a boy any more. You’re a man now. I never thought of you that way when you were that age. You were just a kid I had to look out for.”
Chekov swore at him in Russian. Sulu gave in and laughed. Crossing the room, he dropped down beside him, close enough to jostle his shoulder. Chekov gave him a bit of elbow, but he stayed where he was.
“What about me? Lieutenant Sulu. Do you like him?”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on. You spent more time with him than I did with you.”
“He was…good. The same. You haven’t changed.”
“You don’t think so?” Sulu asked, holding out the stump of his wrist.
Darkness passed over Chekov’s face. “If I could trade with you…”
“I know.”
They sat quietly for a long time. Sulu wanted to stretch out and pull Chekov down next to him. He would grumble, but he’d let him. They used to sleep piled together on Basaraba, he and Chekov and Uhura, for both comfort and safety. It was the thought of Uhura, their Uhura, that kept Sulu sitting upright. He hadn’t had a chance to process the pain of her loss, and now wasn’t the time.
“If they find a way to send their Kirk back to where he should be, to correct their timeline, what do you think happens to us?”
“I don’t know,” Chekov said. “I think maybe we just cease to exist.”
He didn’t sound unhappy about that, and Sulu put his good hand on Chekov’s back. He didn’t pull away or move closer. Sulu thought of the younger version, who hadn’t yet learned to hide his fear or disappointment or pain.
“If they get their captain back and their timeline reasserts itself, do you think that we’ll still be together? You know, that our other selves will still find each other?”
Chekov nodded solemnly. “Yes.”
“How can you be sure?”
Chekov turned toward him then, and Sulu was startled by the intensity of what he saw in his face. “Hikaru, I am sure.”
Suddenly, Sulu was too. He caught Chekov’s face in his hand and pressed his lips just below Chekov’s right eye, where the scar had been. Chekov let him.
“Then we have nothing to lose.”
The End
Title ~ Nothing to Lose
Fandom ~ Star Trek
Rating ~ PG
Pairing ~ Sulu / Chekov
Disclaimer ~ I do not own any version of Star Trek.
Notes ~ Okay, here’s where I write myself into a corner. This story is one of the “missing scene” sort, but from a book instead of the movies. It’s from the “Janus Gate” trilogy, written by the truly awesome L.A. Graf. In the series, the crew of the Enterprise stumbles upon a time/dimensional shift machine. Captain Kirk is accidentally exchanged with a 14 year old version of himself, and an alternate dimension appears where his absence has led to a massive intergalactic war. From that timeline comes older and scarred versions of Sulu and Chekov, and they spend a little while aboard the present day Enterprise (with their younger counterparts) while a plan is put into motion to send the 14 year old Kirk back where he should be and retrieve their captain.
Got it?
Nothing to Lose
“What do you think of him?”
Sulu looked up from the table top covered with a dead man’s belongings. Sitting on the bed, Chekov was frowning hard at the floor.
“Who?”
“Me. The younger me. Ensign Chekov.”
Sulu smiled. “I like him.”
Chekov scoffed.
“No, really. It’s been so long…I’d almost forgotten what you were like when you were young.”
“I am not so different now.”
“You are.”
Chekov was quiet, and Sulu glanced at him again. He was touching his face, the places that used to be patterned with old scars, now smoothed.
“You’re more handsome now.” Chekov’s eyes narrowed, and Sulu sighed. “I don’t mean now that the scars are gone. I told you I never minded the scars. I did miss seeing you smile, though.”
Chekov frowned harder in response, and Sulu had to fight not to grin at him.
“I meant that you’re more handsome because you’re not a boy any more. You’re a man now. I never thought of you that way when you were that age. You were just a kid I had to look out for.”
Chekov swore at him in Russian. Sulu gave in and laughed. Crossing the room, he dropped down beside him, close enough to jostle his shoulder. Chekov gave him a bit of elbow, but he stayed where he was.
“What about me? Lieutenant Sulu. Do you like him?”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on. You spent more time with him than I did with you.”
“He was…good. The same. You haven’t changed.”
“You don’t think so?” Sulu asked, holding out the stump of his wrist.
Darkness passed over Chekov’s face. “If I could trade with you…”
“I know.”
They sat quietly for a long time. Sulu wanted to stretch out and pull Chekov down next to him. He would grumble, but he’d let him. They used to sleep piled together on Basaraba, he and Chekov and Uhura, for both comfort and safety. It was the thought of Uhura, their Uhura, that kept Sulu sitting upright. He hadn’t had a chance to process the pain of her loss, and now wasn’t the time.
“If they find a way to send their Kirk back to where he should be, to correct their timeline, what do you think happens to us?”
“I don’t know,” Chekov said. “I think maybe we just cease to exist.”
He didn’t sound unhappy about that, and Sulu put his good hand on Chekov’s back. He didn’t pull away or move closer. Sulu thought of the younger version, who hadn’t yet learned to hide his fear or disappointment or pain.
“If they get their captain back and their timeline reasserts itself, do you think that we’ll still be together? You know, that our other selves will still find each other?”
Chekov nodded solemnly. “Yes.”
“How can you be sure?”
Chekov turned toward him then, and Sulu was startled by the intensity of what he saw in his face. “Hikaru, I am sure.”
Suddenly, Sulu was too. He caught Chekov’s face in his hand and pressed his lips just below Chekov’s right eye, where the scar had been. Chekov let him.
“Then we have nothing to lose.”
The End