[For Those Two Crazy Kids]

[nyota_uhura24]

Nyota hadn't been joking about the room spinning, but as long as she didn't stand up there seemed to be no danger of her tumbling over. Scotty's drunken ballads were even louder than the music - and weren't even in the same genre as the pop rock that was playing - but that hardly seemed relevant to anyone. Any minute now Sulu should be showing up

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[polarisbound]

Pavel had only had five shots, so he was hardly drunk. The security officer he was arguing with at the bar, however, was another story entirely. Over six feet tall and all muscle--even in his head, Pavel thought as he slammed down another glass when the man made another snide remark about his age.

His voice rose until he was shouting, and several people around them were beginning to stare.

[nyota_uhura24]

In spite of the decision she'd made not five minutes prior that she should stay seated, the moment she saw Hikaru she forgot all about it and grabbed hold of the table to push herself to her feet. "Hey!" she said in greeting, smiling warmly and swaying dangerously until he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Mmmmhm. I think half the crew must be here, though -" She paused mid sentence when she heard Chekov yelling. "Uh-oh... He might need backup." Not that she was really in any shape to help out. Still, she tried to stumble her way towards the bar, pulling Hikaru along with her.

[lt_swashbuckle]

"Woah, Uhura--" Hikaru laughed again as Nyota pulled him towards Pavel. Being the sober one--and probably the only sober one from what I could tell--he felt the need to try to break up this fight. Resting a hand on Pavel's shoulder, he smiled amicably at the security officer.

"Hey Duncan, is everything alright here?"

[polarisbound]

Duncan stared down at Hikaru and grunted. "Just your little friend," he said and shoved Pavel toward Hikaru.

Pavel knocked his hand away from his shoulder and punched him as high as he could reach--which was only chest-height, to his benefit. He pulled his hand back and shook it, swaying a little on his feet. "I've got it," he assured them, looking between Hikaru and Nyota. They probably thought he was drunk, surely, but he wasn't, so he repeated: "I've got it!"

[nyota_uhura24]

As soon as they got to the bar, Nyota grabbed hold of it, as the room was still spinning a little more than it should be. Hikaru might be smiling at the security officer, but Nyota was glaring. No one messed with her friends and got away with it, and even if Pavel thought he could handle this himself, Duncan was twice his size.

"That's enough," she said when Duncan shoved Pavel, waggling a finger at him, but when Pavel threw the first punch she let out a short exhale, knowing this was headed to a full on bar brawl if no one stopped it. "Guys, stop it!" she said firmly, not really expecting them to listen.

[lt_swashbuckle]

This would turn into a bar brawl if no one stopped it, and Hikaru hadn't had enough to drink for a bar brawl to be even remotely worth it. He placed a firm hand on Pavel's shoulder and another against Duncan's, holding him back without too much force.

"Chekov, come on, it's really not worth fighting over. Guys, we're drunk, we're on shore leave, just let it go, alright?"

[polarisbound]

Pavel stared at Hikaru and his hand for a few very long seconds, dimly considering whether or not he was a threat, and then shrugged, peering up at Duncan with malice. "He is lucky," he mused and leaned against the bar.

"Lucky--!" Duncan began, but then he looked down at Nyota, and at Hikaru, and sighed. "Keep your friend in line, then," he said gruffly and bumped past them, unable to resist knocking Pavel askew, who reacted immediately, and barely pulled himself back under control.

"Fine," he said irritably and motioned for another round of drinks. Pavel pushed one toward Hikaru. "And I am not drunk," he declared.

[nyota_uhura24]

Nyota continued to glare at Duncan until he backed off, but didn't say anything more. As soon as he left she flopped down on a bar stool and waved towards the bartender. "I'm not drunk either," she said uselessly, though it obviously wasn't true.

"What was all that about, anyway?" she asked Pavel, waving a hand in the direction Duncan had gone and then laughing when she heard Scotty singing another Scottish ballad.

[lt_swashbuckle]

Hikaru just shook his head in passive amusement, downing half of his drink right away. He had some catching up to do. "Right, you're not drunk. And I'm not completely sober."

[polarisbound]

"Right, you are not anymore," Pavel rationalized easily, indicating Hikaru's drink with his head. When he had a moment to finish his own drink, he turned his attention to Nyota's question.

"He is a stinking Cossack, that is what that was about," he explained earnestly. "And he was pushing his way around."

[nyota_uhura24]

Nyota happily clinked her class against Hikaru's, glad to see that he finally had a drink in his hand. "You have some catching up to do," she told him, because most of the crew had already been drinking for hours.

At Pavel's answer she arched a curious eyebrow. "Political troubles?"

[lt_swashbuckle]

"It hasn't hit me yet," Was Hikaru's reply as he finished his drink, waving the bartender down for another one. Once he got it, he leaned over to Nyota. "Everyone's a Cossack to him, remember the last shore leave we had?"

[polarisbound]

"He was a Cossack, too," Pavel interjected as soon as he heard Hikaru's response. He gave them a skeptical look, and then grinned at both of them. "What shall we do with this shore leave, then?"

[nyota_uhura24]

"Oh, God," she replied, laughing wryly as she remembered the last shore leave. "Let's not have a repeat of that." It amused her endlessly that of the three of them, Pavel was by far the most likely to get into a fight.

"Drink!" was her initial answer to Pavel's question, but then she laughed and added, "And visit the crystal caves on the North Peninsula, but that'll have to wait until tomorrow."

[lt_swashbuckle]

Hikaru just laughed, drinking more and starting to feel the alcohol in his system. One of the perks--or downsides--of being a lightweight, really.

"Mm--That's a great idea. I've been wanting to see those. But I'm back on shift in the evening tomorrow. What about you guys?"

[polarisbound]

"So am I," Pavel grunted. "At least I will have good company back on shift." He pushed another drink toward Hikaru with a smile. "We will have to make the best of it while we can."

And then, toward Nyota, he offered her his own drink absently. "We should go to the caves tonight! It would be fine, right?"