Angels (Pavel Chekov)

38 - Right Now

They stay together the night and Vienna's whole body feels warm. Pavel can't keep away from her and she loves it. He kisses her cheek as she brushes her teeth and he whispers soft Russian to her as they fall asleep. He tells her he loves her in English so that she understands and she smiles, her hand on his cheek. She tells her she's glad he's getting better and that she loves him too, kissing the end of nose before falling asleep.

Pavel's phone is ringing in the morning and he opts to ignore it. Vienna lays on his chest and digs her fingers into his hair. He moans appreciatively, muttering in incoherent Russian.

"You've missed this?" She guesses, smiling at him.

"Da," he breathes, finishing the sentence in more Russian. He phone rings again and he groans, sitting up a little.

"You might wanna go get that," Vienna says, moving off him so he can get up. He mumbles to himself and finds his phone, frowning at the screen.

"It's my mum," he mutters. "She doesn't normally call."

He picks up the phone, starting to speak in Russian and taking a seat on the edge of the bed. He seems to be listening more than speaking and as the call goes on, he seems to get more and more uptight. His eyebrows are knitted together and she can't tell if he's angry or upset. He suddenly goes very quiet and Vienna sits up. He stutters a little and shakes his head, standing up and disappearing into the kitchen. Vienna doesn't know whether to follow or not.

She steps quietly into the kitchen and he finishes his call, putting his phone down. He looks defeated and lost, she asks what's going on.

"I... I need to... My... Fuck," he mutters, shaking his head and running his hand through his hair. "Where's that spray," he says to himself, digging through on of the kitchen drawers. He sprays some into his mouth and tries to take a few deep breaths but his eyes are starting to water and his lip is quivering.

"Pav," she mutters, coming over to him. She puts a hand on his shoulder and he pulls her into a hug, breaking into tears. His breaths are sharp and short and she worries that he'll start hyperventilating. "Hey," she whispers, trying to calm him down. "Come sit down with me and calm down a little."

"I, I can't," he says his breath catching in his throat. "I need to go to Russia. I need to go now."

"Russia? Right now?"

"Right now," he confirms, letting go of her and slowing his breathing a little. It looks like the spray is starting to kick in and he manages to slow his breathing back to a normal pace. "Okay, I'm okay. I need to pack a bag."

"I can find you a shuttle there?" She offers. He thanks her and starts throwing some clothes into his bag. He disappears into the bathroom and comes out fully dressed. He puts his toothbrush in his bag and Vienna shows him a flight leaving soon. He nods and she passes him his spray and tells him to put it in his bag.

"Are you going to be alright? I know this is sudden but if you need me there with you, I could-"

"Yes," he says, cutting her off. "Yes. Please, I need you there with me. I really need you Vienna. I was going to ask you but I was worried you'd say no. We need to... You have to pack."

He grabs his bag off the floor and takes her hand, quickly heading over to her room. Her roommate isn't there and she's glad she isn't getting questioned. She finds a bag under her bag and pulls clothes from her draws straight into it. She takes it into the bathroom and grabs some toiletries, wondering how long she'll be there for. She comes back and kicks her shoes off, pulling a better pair for walking from her cupboard and lacing them up quickly.

"Ready?" he asks, noticably restless. She nods, grabbing her bag and quickly heading off with him. As she stands at the transporter bay, she realises that she has no idea what's actually going on. He's gone pretty quiet and she worries about what's going on back home.

"Is it your brother?" She asks, he just shakes his head.

"I... It's my father. He's really not well. My mother said... He, he mightn't make it by the time I get there..."

"Oh Pavel," she says quietly. "I'm so sorry. We'll get there. I'm sure we will. It's only an hour there. The shuttles are pretty fast."

He nods and squeezes her hand. They're allowed to board and Vienna encourages him to sit in the window seat. He stares out the window for take-off and Vienna closes her eyes until they're in the air. She finally opens her eyes and looks over to Pavel. He's looking out the window and she nudges his side gently.

He looks to her briefly before looking back away and wiping his eyes. She realises he's crying and squeezes his hand, trying to get him to look back at her.

"Pasha," she whispers, leaning forward a little. "Hey, talk to me. I don't want you to sit here upset when I'm right here."

He leans into her and says nothing, just wiping his eyes again.

"Things were getting better Vienna," he mutters, his chest heavy.

"Things are better," she says firmly, digging her fingers into his hair. "They are better, Pavel. We'll work through this. We don't even know what's happening yet, you know?"

"I'm scared," he whispers. "I'm so scared Vienna. The last time we spoke was this huge fight before I came here. I told him I was glad to finally get away from him and he said he'd been waiting for me to leave the house since I was born. It was awful Vienna."

"Pasha," she says softly, kissing his head. "I'll help you through this. We'll be okay."

He's incredibly unsure but doesn't say anything, just staying on her shoulder and trying to dry his tears. He doesn't like crying in front of Vienna, even though he knows she won't make him feel bad about it. He stays there for the duration of the shuttle ride and Vienna closes her eyes, dozing off with her head resting on his.

(Author's Note)

Do I update this too often? Probably.
Will that stop me from continuing to update at a similar pace? Probably not.