Pavel opened his eyes and blinked at his clock, then looked over at his calendar, a smile breaking out on his face.

April 23rd. His birthday.

He got up and stretched, then did a ballerina-like pirouette, flouncing off into the bathroom and turning on the cold shower.

After he was washed and dressed, he literally skipped down to the Mess, singing an old Russian song under his breath lightly, the same silly smile stretched across his face.

He found Uhura and Sulu sitting together beside the window, talking about something quietly. When the young navigator approached them, however, they stopped and went back to what they were eating; Ready Break and Sushi.

"Good morning," Pavel sat beside Sulu, smiling at his two friends with delight.

Uhura blinked back at him, "what’re you so happy about?"

Pavel felt a small part of his joy to melt away, "er…ken’t you two remember? Something important today?"

They looked blank for a moment, then Sulu closed his eyes with obvious pain and announced in a voice that would have made Shakespeare proud, “oh, God, Uhura, you know what we’ve forgotten, don’t you?”

"Yes," her tone was equally distressed, "that inspector’s arriving today!"

Pavel made a dead-pan face.

"No, it’s somevuns birthday today." He told them, "somevun wery close to you."

They both seemed to go back into a thought pattern, then Uhura made a guess, “er…it’s DeSalle’s birthday and we’ve forgotten to put pins on his chair?”

"No," Pavel was getting quite upset them, "somevuns who’s close to you in a friendly vay."

Sulu shook his head in a mocking way, "Pavel, if it was someone was that close to us then we’d remember, wouldn’t we?"

Pavel blinked back a few tears, then got up and left them together, hurrying out of the Mess before he could embarrass himself.


*


No-one looked up when he entered the Bridge, nor when he sat at his station, even though he was three minutes early, and that, for him, was very good.

Oh, vell, He thought angrily, if my two best friends ken’t remember my birthday, then no-vun vill. Just like vhen I vas a kid.

He kept his eyes glued to his screen when Sulu sat beside him, only allowing them to flicker once to see if Sulu was looking at him. He wasn’t.

Pavel went back to his screen, then jumped as the sound of an Email dropping itself into his inbox filled the small space they shared.

To: MelnkiRhus@Enterprise.com

From: SwordOfTheSamuri@Enterprise.com

Subject: You

Pav,

What’s wrong? Why aren’t you speaking to me?

Su.

The young Russian threw a glance at Sulu, who was, once again, not looking at him.

He sighed and looked back at the Email, just as a shadow fell across him.

"Ensign Chekov," Kirk snapped, "we have an inspector arriving in twenty minutes. What will he think when he sees one of my most trusted officers checking his personal Emails during work time?"

"Er…" Pavel faltered slightly, then carried on, "he von’t be wery impressed?"

"No. He wont." Kirk shook his head, "consider yourself in over-time shift. Three hours. At the end of today. I think Riley could do with a break."

"Yessir." Pavel whispered. He’d only been awake ten minutes and already his two bestest pals in the Universe had forgotten his birthday, and he’d just landed himself in overtime.

Then he felt angry. Kirk could see Sulu had sent him the Email. Why didn’t he get told off? Why did he never get told off?

"Sorry." Sulu muttered to him a few minutes later, as though reading his mind.

Pavel ignored him, knowing that if he opened his mouth he’d end up yelling.


*


The Navigator stumbled home that night, over-tired, hurt, upset, dejected, lonely…exactly the opposite of what he wanted to feel on his first birthday away from home. Away from Earth.

He stopped outside his door and leant against the wall, ducking his head and blinking at the floor, “Stupid friends that ken’t remember a thing. Stupid Captain. Stupid over-time rule. Stupid inspector. Stupid existence in general, really.” He blinked and felt a few tears fall down his cheeks, then, feeling his dam about to seriously break, he dived into his room, onto his bed – landing on Sulu.

"Pavel! Can’t I sit in your room waiting for you without getting crushed?" The Asian inquired, sitting up and spotting his friend’s face, "hey, what’s up?"

"You." Pavel choked, "you didn’t remember my birthday and then I got into trouble with Kirk and had to do ower-time and I’m tired and sleepy and vhy’re you here?"

"One thing at a time, please." The pilot requested, "first of all, I didn’t forget your birthday. Why d’you think I’m here now? Second, sorry, that was my fault for sending you the Email, third thing I should have warned you that Kirk was in a bad mood and fourth…er…go to bed?"

"Vhatchu mean you didn’t forget my birthday?" Pavel demanded hotly, wiping his eyes, "I hinted this morning and you didn’t get it."

Sulu grinned and poked the end of his nose, "duh. I wanted this to be a surprise."

"Vhat to be a surprise?"

"This." Sulu pcked up a parcel from the floor and handed it to him, "and this." He kissed Pavel’s cheek, grinning when he blushed.

Pavel undid the paper, thinking how this would be his frst ever birthday present, then laughed when he saw what it was.

A book. Entitled: Russian Inventions And When They Were Invented.

"Er…thank you." He giggled, "vell, at least now I ken stop lyink…"

"Yes." Sulu nodded in mock-seriousness, "that’s half the reason I brought it."

"So…do I only get a kiss vunce a year?"

"No. Of course not…"