In the warm and overwhelming afterglow of their second time, they lay wrapped up in each other's limbs on Hikaru's narrow, small bunk. Their first time had been quick and frantic and paranoid, hiding away in a locked turbo-lift in the aftermath of the chaos, fully clothed, Hikaru worried about Pavel's inexperience, both of them breathless: and at the end of the day it wasn't really anything to write home about.

The second time, however - Pavel would say "izumítelnyj!" The second time had been slow and lazy and it felt everlasting, and when they were too exhausted to continue, Pavel lay naked atop Hikaru, panting and lazily running his fingers over the pilot's chest and arms, fluttering eyelashes against skin.

"Oof," Pavel murmured, turning to lie on his left side, taking his aching legs from around Hikaru's waist and settling in sleepily like a cat curling up in it's basket.

"You okay?" Hikaru asked gently, holding the younger man tightly. He reached for forgotten sheets and pulled them up around their bodies.

"Da," Pavel yawned. "Is wonderful," he murmured into Hikaru's chest. His right hand stroked Hikaru's ribcage gently, and passed over a long, raised scar. "What is this?"

"Hmm?" Hikaru glanced down at the curly head on his chest, his head fuzzy with bliss. He felt Pavel's fingers on his old scar, the one he had almost forgotten about. "Oh that. It's nothing. Just an old scar from fencing."

"How old?" Pavel asked.

"Oh god, years," Hikaru said. "When I had first started at the academy, when I was like sixteen. I was younger than you are now. I've had worse since," he felt the boy tense and hugged him tighter.

"Who did it?" the navigator asked, his voice lower and steadier.

"Another cadet. I forget his name."

"How did it happen?" Pavel turned his head to look up at Hikaru, all unruly curls and deer-in-the-headlights eyes. Hikaru smirked and put his hand through those curls, smoothing them down unsuccessfully.

"Hey, it was no big deal," he said. "He got in a good thrust and I didn't block properly. It was a wooden katana. I wasn't really hurt, it was just a big cut and bruise really."

"Is bad place to get hurt. Is so close to heart."

"I guess so," Hikaru said. When he was sixteen he hadn't thought too much about it, except for how cool the resulting scar looked.

"And this cadet, did he graduate?" Pavel's brows furrowed, and Hikaru smothered a chuckle.

"Yeah. He did. I don't know where he ended up though."

"Hmmph," Pavel grunted, and he turned his face back into Hikaru's chest, and his fingers back to his scar. "I do not like idea that someone hurt you," he said sadly.

This time Hikaru did chuckle.

"I am not doing jokes!" Pavel said indignantly, wrapping his arms around the pilot, not lifting his face. "I nearly did not catch you and Keptin. I almost watched you die. I do not like that someone hurt you," his voice almost shook. He leaned over and kissed the scar, the scar on Hikaru's left ribcage, just beneath his nipple. The pilot sighed.

Pavel leaned up and rubbed his face gently against Hikaru's. "I will never let anyone hurt you, my 'Karushka," he said.

Hikaru felt a smile tug as his lips, and he put his hands on the ensign's face. "Likewise," he said, and pressed his lips against Pavel's. And then again, and again, and again.

--

izumítelnyj - изумительный - amazing