Hikaru Sulu always considered himself open-minded about many things. Heck, jumping off the ship and onto a giant drill can do that to a person.
But the one thing he just didn't understand was the optimistic attitude his best friend always had. He noticed it all through the academy, and he noticed it the few years they'd worked together.
There was just no bringing the kid down. It was like someone stuck a pot of everything nice into his soul. He just didn't understand.
So it was on the day the two of them got stranded on a planet with arctic temperatures that he found himself the most intrigued by his best friend.
"What do you mean the transporter isn't working? You literally just beamed Riley and Spock!" Sulu yelled, his cheeks were red from the cold wind, and his fingers were beginning to lose feeling.
" 'Am so....y lad...e! B...t the..e's too muc... Inter...fen...ce!" Scotty's voice echoed through out the dark ice cave, and Pavel felt his heart drop.
"Scotty? Scotty!" Sulu groaned in frustration, and made his way back into the cave. "I'm afraid we're just going to have to tough it out until they can get us back."
Pavel nodded, his face never losing it's signature smile. "That's okay Sulu. This can be like an adventure!" He replied, his accent sounded even more echoey in the small cave they were huddled in.
"You wouldn't happen to have anything we can use to keep warm, do you? I'm freezing." Sulu cupped his hands and brought them his mouth, trying to warm them up with his breath. It didn't have much effect, and he glanced at the skinny boy in front of him.
Upon being selected for the mission, all of them had been outfitted with high quality winter gear. But they could only keep the cold out for so long. Uhura had mothered Pavel into wearing extra layers, but Sulu could tell the cold was getting to him too.
The mission had been to check out the surface, and to try and locate any remnants of the civilization that developed there. They'd been there all day, and now the sun was starting to go down. He shuddered at the thought of having to endure the nighttime temperatures.
Eventually the two men found themselves sitting in the floor of the glacier cave, each one shivering as the night wore on. Sulu was no stranger to cold temperatures, growing up in San Francisco, he was used to bitter winters by the sea. But this was different. This was a bone chilling cold.
Sitting across from his, Pavel sighed, his cheeks were bright red, and Sulu could see the tips of ears were too. "Hey Hikaru," he asked. His voice was kind of slurred. "D'ya think they'll get us in time?"
Coming from anyone else, Sulu would have simply laughed, and given the 'jim-kirk-can-do-anything' speech. But hearing those words come from Chekov made him realize just how bad this situation was.
Pavel's voice sounded so.... Worried.
"What are ya talking about Pav? If course they will!" He replied, though it sounded more like he was trying to reassure himself than anyone else.
Pavel merely nodded his head. His eyelids were very heavy, and he found himself unable to stay awake. "Pavel? Pavel! C'mon man, stay awake!"
Pavel had never heard him sound so panicked. It made him feel a shot of fear too. But before he could process just why he was supposed to be scared, his eyelids dropped, and he felt himself losing consciousness.
Sulu found himself at his friends side quicker than he thought possible. His movements felt so sluggish, and his found that he couldn't wiggle his fingers. Raising his shaking hand, Hikaru reached up and tapped his young friend on the cheek.
Pavel's lips were blue, and his skin felt cold to the touch. "Dammit Pavel..." He mumbled. Thinking quickly, Sulu unzipped the the jacket he had on, instantly noticing the cold. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Pavel needed it more than he did. Carefully, Sulu draped the jacket over the unconscious Russian, tucking it in around his shoulders like a blanket.
The cold invaded much more quickly than before, his many later doing nothing to protect him from the biting temperatures. His own eyes feeling heavy, Sulu found himself leaning against his friend, doing everything he could to share what little body heat he had.
Just as his eyes closed, he felt the tingling sensation of the ships transporter, he sighed in relief when he felt the warm air aboard the Enterprise. Then, everything went black.
~
A few days later, Hikaru woke up to the big green eyes of his best friend.
"Good thing you woke up, Hikaru. I was just about to draw a mustache on you." Chekov giggled.
Sulu laughed too, glad to see the teenager back to his always happy personality. He decided that day, the instant Chekov began telling him what all happened, that he'd do anything, just to keep that smile on the young boys face.
Well, this is more Sulu than it is Chekov, but I thought it was good....
~Clieo
