A/N: hey, just a massive shout-out to everyone who paid this story some attention; I was not expecting the response I got at all. Thank you all!

If he was honest, there was plenty of paperwork sitting behind him that he should have been doing, but Bones wasn't sparing it a thought. His mind had been preoccupied ever since the bizarre incident of Pavel Chekov that he'd witnessed yesterday. After that, he had found it hard to concentrate on anything. The lies the kid had tried to feed them were weak, no hint of back-story or logic, just firm denial…Well to be honest, he'd barely given them that.

And in his experience, that meant something was being hidden.

Now he was no mind-reader, but being a seventeen-year-old genius and head navigator of Starfleet's flagship was a match made in hell and he was willing to bet his worth that there was someone out there, someone bigger and stronger, that wasn't too happy with the situation. Hopefully that someone hadn't been handling the situation the way he thought.

The opening of his door was a relief, even if the fact that there was no knock prior did annoy him immensely.

"Dammit Jim, some courtesy even now and then wouldn't go astray!"

For his part, his friend simply waved a hand. "Whatever Bones, you love me anyway. So," he continued, pulling over the closest chair and dropping into it backwards, "You wanna tell me what this is about? I mean, it's not every day you call me down here first thing."

There was a pause and Jim's eyes widened as he simultaneously leant back as far as his spine would allow.

"Wait, you're not here to hypospray my ass, are you?"

For a moment, Bones almost wished he was. But instead, he shook his head. "No, 'fraid not. I wanna talk some more about our friend Chekov."

Jim's eyes darkened, not in anger, but concern. "What about him?"

The doctor ran a hand over his face. "I'm thinking the kid may not have been lying when he said he didn't do this to himself."

"What? But he-"

"I reckon he was forced into it," Bones continued. "He's not the type to go through a mental breakdown or what have you." He leant closer to his captain. "I think there's something else going on underneath. I think he's getting…bothered, shall I say?, by some other members of the crew."

Now there was anger in Jim's eyes. "Who?"

"Well, if I knew that-"

His communicator buzzing cut him off and Bones flipped it open without thought. Consequently, both he and Kirk jumped in fright when a panicked shout came their way.

"McCoy to Deck 14 NOW!"

McCoy swore as he recognised Sulu's voice, already on his feet. "Mr Sulu? Mr Sulu report!"

The communicator remained dead though and that was what had Jim sprinting away, Bones hot on his heels. If Sulu was so concerned that he couldn't even keep the damn line open…Bones swallowed thickly. He didn't want to think of what he was going to find. It wasn't until they reached the turbolift that Jim broke the silence.

"Do you think it's Chekov?" his voice was barely a whisper.

"The hell if I know," Bones shot back, but there was that strained 'yes' behind his words.

Reaching Deck 14, Jim was taking off in a random direction before Leonard could question him and while he was tempted to argue, Jim's instincts hadn't been wrong yet. They ran through one corridor, then another, then two more turns and Bones was on the verge of ordering Jim to stop so they could use the computer to help them, when a voice rasped out:

"Help me!"

Heads whipping around, Kirk went white while Bones became a flurry of movement. A red shirt was lying on the floor, eyes flying between Hikaru and the recently arrived Captain. Hikaru was kneeling on the floor, glaring at aforementioned crewmember and in his arms…in his arms was Ensign Chekov. The boy was trembling and white, oh so white, except for his arms, which were dyed a deep scarlet. His eyes were shut and no amount of coaxing and shaking on Bones' behalf could get him to open them.

"Mr Sulu, what the hell happened?"

Sulu's eyes finally broke away from the lieutenant on the floor and instead turned to the boy in his lap. "I…I don't know…I-I just…I found him like this."

Stammering. Confusion. Diagnosis: shock.

Bones grimaced, not having time to deal with that now. His tricorder was already scanning over Chekov's arms, detecting what it could beneath all that blood. "Why don't you start by telling us why Lieutenant Fraser's lying on the ground with what appears to be a dislocated shoulder?"

He was maybe expecting a blush, but all he got was a black scowl. "He did this." Sulu's voice was a growl. "He did this and he's been doing it all along. Pavel was missing, I tracked him here. And when I arrived…"

Both Hikaru and Leonard lost their respective trains of thought when a cry of pain came from beside them. The doctor's 'JIM!' was ignored as Kirk pinned the red shirted lieutenant to the wall. His blue eyes were burning with fury and Bones swore he had never seen Kirk as angry as he was in that one moment.

"You have just attempted murder!" Kirk's voice was like thunder. "You never hurt my crew and so help me I would kill you where you stand but the only reason I am letting you live is because I know Mr Chekov would not want your death on his head. I will make sure no mercy is shown to you and- hell!, I might even maroon next time we pass a Class M planet."

The hallway was deathly silent as Jim pulled back, running a hand across his face before pulling his communicator out. "Kirk here, security to my location."

"Aye Captain."

Bones looked up from where he was just finishing bandaging one of Chekov's arms, giving Jim a single second of his time to nod with pride and respect, showing him he agreed with the decision, before starting on the other arm. He wanted to limit the flow of blood as much as possible before moving the kid. He couldn't say for sure how much blood had already been lost, but it was well beyond what he was comfortable with and every drop now had to be treated as precious.

…And then the kid stopped breathing.

"SHIT!"

Jim dropped Fraser without hesitation and flew over and Sulu was watching him with wide eyes. "Sulu grab him now! We don't have time to waste. Jim, get us a gurney now. When I'm coming out of that turbolift I want an entire med-bay's worth of supplies, do you hear me?"

Both officers nodded, flying into action. Sulu slipped one arm around Chekov's knees, keeping the other around his shoulders and then hoisting him into his arms as he stood. Jim was rapidly speaking into his communicator, waving absently behind him to the security personnel that had just arrived. Bones kept step with Sulu, swearing at and encouraging the kid in his arms the entire way, providing what little care he could with what little he had. All he could do now was hope the tiny Ensign had it in him to live.

Sulu didn't sit on the floor. He wasn't one of those people. He could never just sit on the floor, no matter how clean or comfortable it was. If he was ever going to sit, it would be in a chair, thank you very much. Sulu did not sit on the floor…Which was why, when Kirk found him sitting on the floor outside the med-bay, he sat down next to him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Hikaru?"

It was the use of his first name that did it. If he'd been addressed as 'Lieutenant' or 'Sulu', he might have been able to hold it together. But it hadn't been and so his wall shattered, everything tumbling out even as he tried to rein it in to only quiet sobs.

"Hikaru…"

"Two days." Frightened brown eyes met his. "Two days Kirk-"

"Jim."

"Jim…Two days and nothing! He hasn't even moved, sir! He just…I didn't even get to say I understood, that I didn't blame him, that it wasn't his fault, that…that I was sorry I even thought…"

Jim nodded – what else could he do? – and moved that hand to the other shoulder so that it became a one-armed hug. He didn't say it would be alright, because heaven knew that while he wanted to believe it, he didn't know for sure. He just tightened his grip and held on.

"Jim."

The quiet call came from his right and Kirk turned his head to find Bones standing in the med-bay doorway. The doctor's eyes softened at the sight of their helmsman but there was something in his expression that made Kirk dare to hope.

"Is he…?" he mouthed. Bones nodded and Kirk's face split into a grin. He then indicated towards Sulu with a nod of his head.

"Mr Sulu." The young man snapped to attention, slightly disorientated but desperate to find that voice, the voice that held everything for him. "I think there's someone that wants to see you."

The pilot's mouth opened in shock and then he was scrambling to his feet, tripping over Kirk's boots as he ran into the med-bay. It only took him a second to find him. Tucked into a corner so curious crew-members couldn't just peer in and get information was Pavel, the Russian looking weary despite his only just waking up. But the smile he gave upon seeing Hikaru more than made up for it. He reached out a hand before starting to take it back, seemingly unsure and that was the moment that Hikaru ran to him. He grabbed the hand and nearly crushed it in his own, refusing to let go.

"Damn Pavel," he whispered, hating how his voice shook. "I was so scared. I didn't…I couldn't…You're okay now, right?"

His friend smiled sadly. "Hikaru, please don't cry. I am sorry. Sorry I did not tell you the truth and that it got me so hurt. I'm sorry. But Doctor McCoy has made me all better now. You will see. I am okay."

Hikaru let his hands slide to Pavel's wrists, running over the cuts that were no longer there, having been fixed with a dermal regenerator. The wounds that Pavel had stitched up himself still left scars, they were too old for anything to be done about, but the newest ones had been erased, gone from his skin as though they had never happened. Hikaru thumbed the scars before taking Pavel's hands in his once more.

"I'm your best friend," he said quietly. "If I didn't say so before, I want you to know now, that you can tell me anything, anything. Don't hide from me again, don't be scared."

The grip on his hands tightened. "I won't. I won't, I won't. I won't."

"Sweet as that may be," Bones muttered from where he was standing with his own respective best friend, "It's still disgusting that the kid had to go through that in the first place. Fifteen years old and stitching himself together! Could've bled out several times! Damn the kid's stupid pride!"

Jim gave a tight smile, clapping Bones' shoulder. "We all have own downfalls. Besides," he continued, locking eyes with Pavel and sending the kid a smile, watching the kid blush and nod in return. "I think he's learnt his lesson this time."

And with that, he went and sat on his Ensign's bed, ruffling his hair playfully.

Because Jim knew, through the rising and falling apart, you discover who you are.

A/N: so, shorter than chapter 1 but it just turned out that way and felt right. I didn't want to force things, so hopefully you still like it. Hope you enjoyed reading this and thanks for all the kindness!

~Neilsy