Angels (Pavel Chekov)

69 - Blue

Vienna falls asleep on Pavel's chest. He doesn't wake her, just closing his own eyes and resting his head on top of hers. Erik is working on his PADD and trying to get in touch with a few people after everything that happened. Starfleet Academy is eerily silent and far too sombre for anyone's liking. There're flowers all over the place. Makeshift shrines, crying people and services being carried out left, right and centre. No one seems to be getting the closure they so desperately crave.

It only takes half an hour before Vienna wakes up. She jolts awake and Pavel opens his eyes, asking if she's okay. She nods, rubbing her eyes. She gets up, realising she hasn't brushed her hair in days. It's still a little damp and horribly messy. She brushes her hair, changes her clothes and looks at her expression in the mirror. She notices the deep bags under her eyes and leaves the bathroom, telling herself she needs to get up and move around instead of continuing to sulk on the couch. She starts cooking, making a soup and getting lost in thought.

Both Erik and Pavel feel better after eating a large serving of soup. Vienna struggles to eat much but feels a satisfaction in seeing the boys enjoy her cooking. They thank her and make a start on cleaning up together. Vienna watches them, glad that they're both there. Her PADD buzzes and it's Selwyn again. He's messaged and asked if she minds having him over. She wonders if he has bad news, messaging him her room number.

As soon as Vienna opens the door for Selwyn, she notices his hair looks different to usual. It has an odd blue tinge and she wonders what it's from. He thanks her for having him and brushes his head back.

"Oh, Selwyn," she says softly. "You met Erik, right? This is Pavel, his brother."

Pavel shakes his hand and asks where the two of them met. Vienna explains that they danced together and that's how Erik knows him as well.

"Did you get in contact with your cousin?" Vienna asks softly, once they're sitting down.

"My... My cousin has passed," Selwyn says quietly. "He was on the USS Hood."

"Your hair just..." Vienna is a little mesmerised by his hair, which is now a much more obvious blue tinge than a few seconds prior.

"It's not uncommon for Kelzenone people," he mutters. "Emotions can manifest into pigments. I didn't think mine really changed much but I'm guessing it's going blue. If I wash it, it'll stop but there's really no point."

"Can I do anything to help you feel better?"

"I don't think so," he says, looking up and meeting her eyes. "My cousin was the only Kelzenone I knew on the planet. It's hard to come to terms with the fact that everyone else around me doesn't understand my culture, my language, our traditions. I'll adjust, it just feel far more lonely here now."

"I can imagine," Vienna replies. "Do you think you could go visit your home planet for a little while?"

"I could, it's hard to get to but I could. We have a lot of trade ships pass through. I'm sure I could get there."

Selwyn comes and goes over the next few days. Erik stays in Amahle's room and Pavel stay with Vienna. They don't readdress their fight but seem to just keep one another close. All their classes are suspended indefinitely and they spend their days studying anyway. Pavel has befriended the chief engineer of the Enterprise and has a lot to learn from his theories. He spends a few hours a day in engineering but Vienna can't bring herself to dance when the academy dance club is depressingly empty. Selwyn offers to dance with her and she takes his offer, dancing with him in their small living room. Erik watches but doesn't ask to join.

Pavel comes back one afternoon and Erik is asleep on the couch with his PADD in his hands. Pavel goes to walk past him and Erik's PADD catches his eye and he stops, leaning close so he can read what's written.

"Pav, what are you doing?"

"It's a journal," he mutters, almost to himself.

"Don't read it. You'd be angry if he read yours," she says, neglecting to tell him that Erik does anyway.

"Oh my God, he applied to Starfleet," Pavel mutters. He slaps Erik's shoulder to wake him up. Erik jolts awake and tells Pavel to leave him alone to sleep. Pavel starts in frustrated Russian and gestures to his PADD. Vienna picks up a lot of swearing from Pavel and watches the two of them. Erik stands up, seemingly annoyed about Pavel reading his PADD.

Pavel starts yelling and Erik starts yelling. Erik gets up in Pavel's face and Pavel pushes him backwards. Push turns to shove and Vienna starts yelling at the both of them to cut it out. Erik goes for Pavel's hair and he blocks him, pushing him backwards again.

Selwyn appears and has them both sitting in separate couches. Vienna doesn't even see how he does it, he just knocks them both backwards and they end up sitting.

"You're upsetting Vienna," he says simply, looking at the two of them. "I won't have the two of you fighting like that."

Vienna has her arms folded over her chest and she stands opposite Selwyn, asking them what's going on. Pavel and Erik don't look at one another, just sitting in silence with similar frowns.

"Tell her or I will," Pavel says bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I- How am I supposed to-" Erik finishes his thought with a sigh. He stands up and asks if Vienna wants to take a walk with her. Pavel looks to her and nods in encouragement. She follows him, wondering what's going on.

(Author's Note)

Roses are red
I'm not usually picky
But writing on my phone is really damn tricky