#them just talking life and ideals and whatnot though hnnnn | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ensnchekov-a · 1 year

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@gottgenug, x.

KIRK HAS LIVED TOO LONG, he likes to say, only to be chided for it by spock. though, he’s unarguably lived a long time— whether it’s an appropriate amount or not, he’ll leave for someone else to decide.

so, when the crew members of this timeline come to him or spock for conversation, and maybe a bit of advice, james has to remind himself not to talk too much all at once. there are boundless stories, anecdotes, tales that sound too made up, but remain truthfull nevertheless. and pavel is young, younger perhaps than the counterpart james has spent a lifetime with. he doesn’t want to overwhelm him, or worse, look silly in front of him.

he might be old, but age hasn’t turned him stupid. not any stupider than he already was in the first place, he thinks.

‘ a valuable view of the world we live in, mister chekov. ‘ nodding slowly, kirk gives him a jovial smile, still thinking about how to best put this. ‘ the universe we traverse, we wouldn’t exist without. at the same time, without exploration, we’d know nothing about the universe. ‘ and exploration has been his life’s work. james closes his eyes for a moment, dwelling on memories. ‘ but it’s the people that give it meaning. space is unforgiving, but full of life. it’s up to us to traverse it respectfully, to share in the care you’re speaking of. ‘

Pavel thinks the word family in a whisper, as if even daring to think it would invite fate to rip it all away from him. Two, almost three years on the Enterprise has made the word real where it only previously existed as flashes of memory for the past decade of his life. A longing that sometimes stung in his chest.

He might not ever admit that out loud, but Pavel can scarcely imagine, at this moment in time, exploring the dangerous unknown reaches of space without the crew of the Enterprise at his side.

As he stands on the receiving end of older Kirk's smile, he can't keep from wondering if he feels the same way about his own crew, the one he left behind in the other timeline. Running in tandem to that, he finds his thoughts centred on that Enterprise, on the differences between who he was there and who he is here, now.

Already, in the short time he has been here, Pavel has noticed many differences between this Kirk and the man he calls Captain—and, quietly, friend—that extend far beyond the obvious physical ones.

Those, he keeps to himself.

Instead, he says, "Not valuable—realistic, sir. This"—he emphasises this with a flourish of his hands, as if to say fate or the universe or any iteration of those things—"doesn't care what we do. But it does matter what we do. If we fight wars for planets or or we coexist peacefully, like you say, it is all up to us. The Federation, it is not perfect, but I believe in it. It has the right ideas, if not always the right execution."

#welp there are worse fates than being taken under the wing of a great captain from another timeline #this is an acceptable fate #gottgenug #v | постоянная миссия #also not pavel quietly intrigued by the presence of both prime kirk and spock in their timeline nah #them just talking life and ideals and whatnot though hnnnn #also your kirk isn't safe from pavel challenging him to a game of chess and some potentially charged conversation a;ldjf fair warning

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