[fic for defying_grawity] meet me under the mistletoe
Christmas Eve was supposed to be a big deal. Anywhere else in the universe with people that celebrated, it was. On the bridge of the Enterprise, filled with people who totally did celebrate, it was the smallest deal ever. Aside from the blinking string of tiny lights Hikari wore around her neck (much to Kirk’s delight and Spock’s disapproving eyebrow) and the festive hat Pavel had been wearing, until it got too hot and he had to take it off. It’s draped across the middle of their shared console now, looking droopy and pathetic as their shift comes to a close.
They’re about fifteen minutes shy of getting to leave when Pavel starts grumbling about something and slips off his chair, disappearing under his console, apparently to fix something or other. Hikari looks over at his chair, back out the front viewer, to her computer, and then leans over to tap a few things on his while eyeing him.
“What are you doing?”
“Reviring the readout power loop. It’s not vorking optimally.”
Hikari sighed, just a little, and rested her hand on his chair, still watching him. “It couldn’t wait?”
“I highly doubt Lieutenant Leslie wants to vorry about it on Christmas Eve,” Pavel replied easily, intent on his work. And as much as Hikari wanted to point out that this was definitely going to wind up cutting into their Christmas Eve plans, she had to admit the last thing she wanted was misery for Leslie tonight. Not that she actually thought anything could cut into his Christmas cheer. He’d been at it for days.
“Oh, fine. No blowing yourself up.”
“Yes, Mister Sulu.” He paused his work to glance up at her, grinning, and she returned the smile with a little bit of a blush before straightening up to go over the current condition of the engines and course again, raising her voice to report Pavel’s problem to Kirk, sitting behind them as usual.
Things were quiet then for a few minutes; Leslie showed up to hover, waiting for the shift change, and Hikari was faintly aware of her replacement chatting with M’Ress at the back of the bridge. And then there was a sizzle of sparks and a yelp, followed by a string of Russian curses.
“Chekov?” Hikari was leaning over again, trying to figure out just what had went wrong. The way Pavel was clutching his hand seemed to explain enough. She made a worried sort of sound and straightened, spinning in her chair. “Captain? Permission to take him to Medical now?”
“Did he really --?” And Kirk was sounding a bit exasperated, though not at his helms officers, rather at the helm console itself for never failing to add trouble just when things were going all right. “Yes, go. You’re both off for the evening. Merry Christmas.”
She was already sliding off her chair to help Pavel up, who had his apologetic puppy look on already. Probably for use on not only his girlfriend, but whatever nurse or doctor was on shift and having to patch him up. “You too, sir.”
“Ehhh, I am sorry?” Pavel tried, once they were in the turbolift off the bridge.
Hikari sneaked a peek at his hand. “You should’ve just left it for Leslie.”
“Then he would haff had this.”
“Yes, but it wouldn’t’ve been my problem,” she said, one hand on his back and the other on his arm as she guided him off the lift and down the short corridor to Medical’s main entrance. And then she got to do the awkward hovering things while Chapel looked over Pavel’s hand, gave it a quick treatment with a dermal, and wrapped it up to send him on his way.
In the hall, Hikari managed to keep up a rather annoyed expression until Pavel’s increasing pout got the best of her and she had to reach down to take his hand. The one still with adequate amounts of skin, of course. “You shouldn’t make me worry on Christmas Eve, you know.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“I know. But you still did.”
“I’m sorry.”
Glancing at him, she bit back a laugh at how utterly sorry he really did look. “I know.” And then she had to kiss his cheek to make him smile again. “C’mon, we can still watch movies with you all burnt up.”
“So Hikari is not too angry?” Pavel verified, looking more hopeful than pathetic now, as they stopped outside her door so she could enter in her codes to get in.
“I’ll be okay, so long as you don’t get injured again at least until after the Terran new year,” she said, letting go of his hand once they were inside. Her eyes had lighted on a sprig of mistletoe she’d taken down from the bridge lift doors after she’d met Spock under it one day. It had been embarrassing then, but, hey, mistletoe had its uses. Grinning, she snatched it up to dangle it over her head. “And you kiss me. You’re not too sore for that, are you?”
Pavel was eagerly mirroring her grin as he stepped closer, uninjured hand falling to Hikari’s waist to keep her still. “Never.”
They’re about fifteen minutes shy of getting to leave when Pavel starts grumbling about something and slips off his chair, disappearing under his console, apparently to fix something or other. Hikari looks over at his chair, back out the front viewer, to her computer, and then leans over to tap a few things on his while eyeing him.
“What are you doing?”
“Reviring the readout power loop. It’s not vorking optimally.”
Hikari sighed, just a little, and rested her hand on his chair, still watching him. “It couldn’t wait?”
“I highly doubt Lieutenant Leslie wants to vorry about it on Christmas Eve,” Pavel replied easily, intent on his work. And as much as Hikari wanted to point out that this was definitely going to wind up cutting into their Christmas Eve plans, she had to admit the last thing she wanted was misery for Leslie tonight. Not that she actually thought anything could cut into his Christmas cheer. He’d been at it for days.
“Oh, fine. No blowing yourself up.”
“Yes, Mister Sulu.” He paused his work to glance up at her, grinning, and she returned the smile with a little bit of a blush before straightening up to go over the current condition of the engines and course again, raising her voice to report Pavel’s problem to Kirk, sitting behind them as usual.
Things were quiet then for a few minutes; Leslie showed up to hover, waiting for the shift change, and Hikari was faintly aware of her replacement chatting with M’Ress at the back of the bridge. And then there was a sizzle of sparks and a yelp, followed by a string of Russian curses.
“Chekov?” Hikari was leaning over again, trying to figure out just what had went wrong. The way Pavel was clutching his hand seemed to explain enough. She made a worried sort of sound and straightened, spinning in her chair. “Captain? Permission to take him to Medical now?”
“Did he really --?” And Kirk was sounding a bit exasperated, though not at his helms officers, rather at the helm console itself for never failing to add trouble just when things were going all right. “Yes, go. You’re both off for the evening. Merry Christmas.”
She was already sliding off her chair to help Pavel up, who had his apologetic puppy look on already. Probably for use on not only his girlfriend, but whatever nurse or doctor was on shift and having to patch him up. “You too, sir.”
“Ehhh, I am sorry?” Pavel tried, once they were in the turbolift off the bridge.
Hikari sneaked a peek at his hand. “You should’ve just left it for Leslie.”
“Then he would haff had this.”
“Yes, but it wouldn’t’ve been my problem,” she said, one hand on his back and the other on his arm as she guided him off the lift and down the short corridor to Medical’s main entrance. And then she got to do the awkward hovering things while Chapel looked over Pavel’s hand, gave it a quick treatment with a dermal, and wrapped it up to send him on his way.
In the hall, Hikari managed to keep up a rather annoyed expression until Pavel’s increasing pout got the best of her and she had to reach down to take his hand. The one still with adequate amounts of skin, of course. “You shouldn’t make me worry on Christmas Eve, you know.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“I know. But you still did.”
“I’m sorry.”
Glancing at him, she bit back a laugh at how utterly sorry he really did look. “I know.” And then she had to kiss his cheek to make him smile again. “C’mon, we can still watch movies with you all burnt up.”
“So Hikari is not too angry?” Pavel verified, looking more hopeful than pathetic now, as they stopped outside her door so she could enter in her codes to get in.
“I’ll be okay, so long as you don’t get injured again at least until after the Terran new year,” she said, letting go of his hand once they were inside. Her eyes had lighted on a sprig of mistletoe she’d taken down from the bridge lift doors after she’d met Spock under it one day. It had been embarrassing then, but, hey, mistletoe had its uses. Grinning, she snatched it up to dangle it over her head. “And you kiss me. You’re not too sore for that, are you?”
Pavel was eagerly mirroring her grin as he stepped closer, uninjured hand falling to Hikari’s waist to keep her still. “Never.”