Chapter Text
Next morning dawned over San Fransisco.
Chekov woke up, at first he thought he had managed to avoid the hungover, but it hit the moment he opened his eyes. Headache, vague nausea. It could be worse, he thought. He looked around his dorm room, walls and the ceiling too had been covered with star maps and such. Printouts of old Russian memes. Houseplant by the window, dead. Sulu had given it to him, but the poor plant had just died. Dirty clothes on the floor. Dead flowers on empty vodka bottles. His watch said it was 7.02. Pavel groaned and pulled the blanket over his head. He knew that when he woke up the second time the hungover would hit him for real.
Then things began to come back to him. The party, the handsome lieutenant, that apparently spoke Russian too – they had switched to that the moment they realized they had a common language. Another navigator, but he had switched from guard-section. Apparently he was strong as hell, he had carried Pavel to his apartment, even up the stairs to the seventh floor – because the elevator had been out of order (as it usually was).
The moment they had managed to get inside the dorm room and closed the door Chekov had attempted breaking word records in undressing, the shoes were a drunken puzzle-game, but in the end he had just kicked them off, Joachim accidentally ripping his jacket in the shoulder seams when he took it off too fast. Joachim was gorgeous, had Pavel thought. Beautiful, he had thought. Joachim had pulled Chekov on top of him, both laughing when Pavel had needed some extra support because the sudden movement had interfered with his sense of balance – Joachim had held him by the waist, both laughing at Pavel’s ”I think the last three shots were an overstatement”, until they had realized that Pavel had to lay down or it wouldn’t have worked, and they had switched. Joachim had felt heavier than he looked like, but Chekov hadn’t minded, at all.
Chekov remembered the night in somewhat clarity, tried turning around in the one-person bed to see if Joachim looked just as handsome through sober eyes -and yes, he did. Joachim had awoken to the movement, he looked disoriented and confused for a second, until he realized where he was. He checked his communicator in a sudden panic and relaxed when there was nothing.
Chekov tried laying on top of him for warmth, Joachim had stolen the blanket, but apparently he realized this and managed to wrap both of them under it.
”When do you need to be back to work,” Joachim asked, not bothering opening his eyes unless he had to.
”Tomorrow at 21, blessed evening shift,” Chekov said, mindlessly trailing obscenities in Russian on Joachim’s chest.
”I don’t know about mine, usually it’s at 18, where you work in? Some ship?” Joachim said, trying not to put together the messages.
”Yea.. the legendary Enterprise.. I have no idea how I got – what?” Chekov stopped when he realized that Joachim looked like he had been hit with a total shock.
”… nothing, umm.. nothing. . my Captain will kill me, he will actually kill me-” Joachim panicked.
”Don’t get caught then?” Chekov of course had no idea, he had started to to trail the words again.
”You don’t understand – he’s the devil,” Joachim whispered. I’ve fucked up and I’m dead, he thought.
”He’s against romance? Sounds boring to me,” Chekov said.
”Not against romance but -” Joachim said, desperate. He realized he had given in too much information.
”..against Enterprise in general? Why would anyone - hold the fuck up, wait- hold the fuck up! Are you one of Khan’s (Chekov read the answer from Joachim’s face) that’s why I haven’t seen you anywhere before – okay – okay I join you on that – Jim will fucking kill me too – I’m dead, I’m dead,” Pavel despaired, he had even placed one hand on his temple like a medieval maiden in dismay. The only hope was that 1. this would not happen again and 2. if it did, they would not be caught.
”Well at least I’ll die a happy man,” said Joachim, who had accepted his fate.
”What is the lieutenant implying here, hmm?”
”I’m not implying anything – that was a fact,” Joachim said, eyes twinking in the dark.
”Facts need proving,” said Chekov, and took over the situation.
**
Jim woke up several hours later, in much more hungover state than in years. Spock was already awake, but hadn’t got up from the bed.
”Spock – I’m going to die. I want Sabotage to be playing when I’m returned to the earth,” he wailed. He got no answer. Spock was far too familiar with these ”after-party-meltdowns”. Right now Spock was leaning against the bed end. He vaguely reached for his communicator, found it from the floor, and looked at the screen. More than hundred different missed calls and twice as many unread messages. Nyota – 15. Bones -21. Christine -9 – the list went on and on. Something serious had happened – had someone got too drunk and hospitalized?
He opened the first messages, from Nyota. It was written in a hurry, or drunk, maybe both.
MARLA KISSED KHAN!!!
MARLA WSA WAZLIGN WTIH KHAN REPLT ME!!
A picture was attached, but it was just a blur of shadows and light.
”What the hell?” Jim asked. Hundreds and hundreds of messages with the same information. What the hell had Marla done? He gave the communicator to Spock, let him see the messages too. Apparently after they had left the party, and several hours later, at 4 in the morning, Khan had danced the last walz with Marla. Then they had left together, on a jumpship called Non Serviam.
Jim tried calling Marla, but got no reply. In fact, the call didn’t even go through. Fuck, he thought. He remembered the hold the singularity had got on him, somewhat still had on him – and understood. He remembered bits of his dream -and then he remembered Marcus’ demise in the room. Khan had tortured a man to death and returned to the party, and apparently walzed with Marla right afterwards, all smiles and all the rest of it. It was concerning -more than concerning. He’s not human, he thought. Humans don’t act like that.
Jim considered his options. In the best case this was a good thing. Khan had spoken about trust. Maybe Marla could connect the two sides? Worst case scenario was that she had sold their secrets already, had switched sides. Answer me, Jim begged mentally while trying to call her again.
Nothing.
Only person who hadn’t tried notifying him about the new turn of events was Chekov -but he had left before it had happened. Likely that kid hadn’t even woken up yet.
**
Three hours later he received a message.
”What is it?” from Marla.
”What the hell have you been doing?” Jim sent.
”Is there any regulations against romance?”
”No – but this is different and you know it. What the hell are you doing! He’s dangerous!”
”He’s not dangerous to me.”
”You don’t know what he’s capable of!!”
”Neither do you.”
Jim didn’t know how to answer to that one. It was true, though. He didn’t know what else that .. mortal Shiva was capable of. He had damn good close guesses though.
”Where are you?” Jim knew it was a stupid thing to ask.
”Somewhere.”
”Marla.. I’m serious. Get out. He tortured Marcus to death moments before he asked you for the dance.” Stupid thing to say via the messages, but whatever.
”What does that have to do with me?”
”He’s dangerous!! Use your common sense!!”
Marla didn’t reply. Jim cursed and used all of his patience to not slam the communicator against the wall.
**
Lakashmi had seen Khan leaving with Marla, he had taken her hand and they had left on Non Serviam. She had also seen Chekov leaving with Joachim. She didn’t give either of them in. Instead the next day she called Jim.
”Hello, it’s me,” she greeted.
”What do you want again,” Jim replied, likely Spock was there too, listening.
”We don’t have much time. You likely remember Khan saying that there’s a chance that there’s another version of me and him on the loose -waiting to take you out,” Lakashmi said.
Jim had thought that this had something to do with Marla. Apparently it did not. Apparently Lakashmi didn’t care about that at all.
”That’s -that’s bad then?”
”Yes. There’s also something rather interesting going on in Starfleet. I don’t know yet what – but I’ll keep you updated,” Lakashmi said.
”Why are you telling me all of this?” Jim wondered.
”Because I’m trying to keep you alive,” Lakashmi said with a hint of annoyance.
”Oh.”
”You didn’t believe that, didn’t you?”
”..no.”
”How many times do we have to say it? The world is more interesting with you in it, I tried phrasing it as clearly as possible,” Lakashmi sounded actually annoyed, her accent got through.
”Try staying out of trouble while we sort this out – will you?” Lakashmi said, and hang up.