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Blue
Pavel was sitting on a biobed in the Medbay with his leg in a cast. He broke it while he was helping in engineering. The Enterprise had to take a surprise and lurching ride through an asteroid belt to get away from some errant Klingons. McCoy would call it a win if all that happened during an encounter with Klingon’s was a couple of bruises, two instances of whiplash, and one broken leg.
“What’s your favorite color?” Pavel asked after McCoy finished explaining his healing plan.
“What?”
“You asked me when you set my leg.”
“That’s just something I say to distract people” The doctor answered waving his hand.
“Is it blue?” The young man continued on. McCoy laughed out loud at the question.
“Is that why your favorite color is yellow? Because it’s the color you wear everyday?” He said instead of answering. Pavel smiled for the first time since entering Medbay.
“That is just a happy coincidence!” After a moment of silence he pressed on. “Is that it? Your favorite color?”
“I hate to tell you but I don’t have a favorite color, kid. I’m equally apathetic to all colors.” Pavel’s face scrunched in dissatisfaction. “Blue is good to keep patients calm I guess, like laying in the grass and staring up at the sky. Peaceful.” McCoy said in a rare unguarded moment.
“Blue is useful, then?” Pavel said smiling softly at him. “But no good for your favorite. I will find what your favorite is.” He said definitively. It made McCoy smile begrudgingly.
“Knock yourself out, kid."
Pink
Pavel was getting used to maneuvering around with his crutches and managed to get to a seat in the canteen with a sandwich. He decided to sit opposite of the doctor who was staring at his PADD in concentration as his leafy salad sat untouched. He looked up when he realized he was no longer alone.
“Hey, how are you feeling?”
“Good!”
“Good?” He quirked is eyebrow.
“Well…I do wish I wasn’t so limited in movement. And my leg itches. A lot.”
“Sounds like your healing just fine.” The doctor chuckled.
“What are you doing?” Pavel asked pointing to the PADD. McCoy sighed.
“Looking through the nebula’s we’re mapping.”
“Really? I didn’t think you would like that.”
“I don’t know, it’s fine when their just on this thing. I’m looking for the pinkest one.”
“Pink? Is that your favorite color?” Pavel asked excitedly.
“I told you I don’t have a favorite color…but my daughter does.”
“You could have the same! What is that you say, ‘the apple is not far from the tree’?”
“I don’t think that’s quite it. She’s stubborn, but that could come from either of us…she’s not afraid of flying.”
“Perhaps she will be in Starfleet too?”
“Maybe, she is pretty bright.” He said pride clear in his voice.
“Here, let me see,” Pavel took over the PADD, “I know the perfect one.” Pavel moved swiftly through the charts and landed on a very Pink nebula.
“That’s perfect, thanks!”
“Anything I can do to encourage space travel. Are you sure pink isn’t your favorite?” Pavel asked hopefully. McCoy studied the picture for a moment.
“Sorry, it’s not doing anything for me.” He said setting the PADD aside and finally digging into his lunch. Pavel nodded.
“Not pink, or blue. Don’t worry I will find it!” McCoy didn’t answer, just shook his head a small grin on his face.
Red
Pavel’s cheery face was a new staple in McCoy’s life. He showed up promptly for his check ups, eager to get back on his feet. He did, however like to linger, engaging the busy doctor in conversation. Though he would claim he didn’t have time he always seemed to make time to talk to the young ensign. Eventually Pavel’s cast came off and he was almost immediately put on an away mission. After accosting Jim about it, ‘What I thought you said he was cleared for duty!’ Jim decided the only way to assuage the doctors worries was to send him down too. The shit-eating grin on his face when he assigned him to the away team was NOT because he was trying to get on Bones’ nerves.
They were down on a particularly lush planet, with Bones grumbling about everything.
“Perhaps it’s red.” Pavel posited suddenly.
“What’s red?” He asked looking around.
“Your favorite color. Because you’re so angry.” He explained.
“I’m not angry!” The doctor burst out in an emotion that sounded a lot like anger. “I’m not angry.” He repeated like the adult he was. Pavel raised his eyebrows in judgement. “I don’t have a favorite color. And if I did it most certainly wouldn’t be red.”
“What’s wrong with red?”
“With the exception of Spock and a few other crew members, red is a usually a very bad sign in my experience.” McCoy stood with his brows furrowed hands on his hips. Pavel took a moment to understand what he was talking about.
“Right, so definitely not red.” Pavel reached out and squeezed the other man’s arm. McCoy still complained, but it seemed less after that.
Black
Pavel hadn’t bothered McCoy about his favorite color for a while after that, but he did continue to swing by his office to talk. He had to admit that he had really started looking forward to these visits. It was one such time that the subject came up again.
“So, I had to walk home in my boxers and I still owed him 50 credits!” McCoy was relaxed, telling Pavel stories from his misspent youth, although he wasn’t sure he should have been telling him these sort of embarrassing stories. Pavel was clearly enjoying seeing this side of the doctor.
“I wish I had stories like this.” Pavel said after he recovered from laughing.
“You didn’t do any dumb, teenager things?”
“I was at the academy,” he explained, “I supposed I did some things, not too much trouble. I worked hard to make sure my peers would take me seriously.” Pavel admitted. McCoy was quiet.
“Guess it doesn’t help that one of those peers keeps calling you ‘kid’, huh?” He said softly. Pavel smiled.
“I am used to it now, I know you don’t mean any harm in it. It is your way of…being familiar with people. At least you’ve never called me a hobgoblin!” He chuckled again.
“Still, maybe this old dog should learn a new trick.” Pavel smiled at the generous offer.
“You’re not old.” McCoy grumbled his dissent. Pavel played with the tiny cactus that sat on the desk. “What was your favorited color as a kid?”
“This again? Why are you so hung up on this?” Pavel shrugged.
“The colors people like best can tell you a lot about them.” McCoy stayed silent. “What about this? Can see what number it is?” He asked impishly, holding up a red/green color blind card that was among the things in the office.
“I’m not color blind!” The doctor insisted.
“Just checking.” Pavel giggled.
“I didn’t have a favorite color back then either, I usually just told people my favorite color was black.”
“No, your favorite color isn’t black.”
“Oh, isn’t it? Why don’t you just tell me what my favorite color is then?” McCoy prodded good-naturedly.
“No, that is too harsh for you.”
“Too harsh? I’m sorry have we met?”
“Yes, too harsh, you are a very caring man.” McCoy wanted to tease him more, but didn’t know what to say in the face of the unexpected compliment.
“Well,” He started eventually, “I guess you’ll just have to keep looking.”
Yellow
The Captain decided to throw a big party for some damn reason. He also decided that McCoy had to be in attendance. He supposed it wasn’t terrible as and excuse to drink and Scotty was always entertaining at a party. Even though he was officially ordered to be there by the captain, he had to admit he was having a pretty good time. His mood improved even more when he saw Pavel, wearing a t-shirt covered in little limes, make a bee-line toward him.
“You havin’ a good time?” He asked the very flushed ensign.
“Yes! Are you?”
“Yeah, I actually am.”
“Dance with me!” He was standing very close, had they ever been this close? Outside of a medical procedure that is. His hands were pulling on the doctor’s shoulders and suddenly McCoy was dancing with the other man before he had the chance to utter, ‘I don’t dance’. He looked around self-consciously as he shuffled awkwardly. Pavel looked quite comfortable with himself, either from natural self-confidence, or alcohol consumption he didn't know. “You don’t have to look so scared.” Pavel giggled looping his arms around his neck.
“Yeah well, you didn’t pick the galaxy's best dancer.”
“You need to loosen up a bit. Tell me doctor,” Pavel purred before pulling him close to whisper, “what’s your favorite color?” That elicited a genuine laugh form the older man.
“You’re just never going to let that go are you?” He chuckled, his dark eyes sparkling. Pavel smiled having gotten his wish of loosing up the doctor.
“I will find out what it is!” McCoy rolled his eyes, but was still smiling wide.
“Let’s just say my favorite is yellow too.”
“No, that would be cheating.” McCoy stared him down a minute, or rather tried to. Pavel was unfazed. “What will you give me when I figure it out?”
“What will…when you figure out something that doesn’t exist? A million credits.”
“You shouldn’t bet like that, you might loose your pants again.” He said wiggling his eyebrows as though he really liked the idea. It left McCoy a little lost for words. “Perhaps my prize should be a real date.” Pavel was very close, his voice low and husky.
“What?” McCoy said intelligently. Before the younger man could explain they heard the unmistakable sound of the captain shouting ‘Bones!’ Pavel winked at McCoy and just like that the dance was over and he was left standing there desperately wishing he did have a favorite color.
************************
Dr. McCoy’s favorite color
It had been a couple of days since the party and Bones could get the event out of his mind. Did Pavel want him to ask him out? They had been getting closer lately and the younger man certainly brightened his day. It had never occurred to him that feeling might be mutual. He wondered if he would see Pavel in his office that day. If he did, what should he say? His shift came and went without any kind of welcome interruption. Now he was going to hide out in in his room like a moody teenager.
That plan was thwarted when he opened his door to find his room full of plants.
“What the hell is this?” Up popped the curly head of the person he had been thinking of all day with a bright smile.
“The captain let me in!”
“Well, that answers half of this. Why does my room look like a botanical garden?”
“I have found it! Your favorite color!” Pavel flung his arms wide, bushing through the leaves a large bush.
“My favorite color is green?” He said still not sure where this was going, but very interested in where it would lead.
“It’s perfect! Green is bright and warm, “He said holding up some long grass in a terracotta pot, “but it can also be dark and serious.” He gestured to what looked like a small evergreen tree sitting on the floor, “Just like you!” Pavel closed the distance between them. He stood close like when he had asked the other man to dance. “Your favorite color is green.” He stated assuredly. McCoy smiled as he lifted his hands to cradle Pavel’s face, the shorter man leaned into the touch. He took a few minutes to admire Pavel’s beautiful green eyes.
“You know I think you might be right.” McCoy leaned in to kiss Pavel slow and sweet. Even though he had never agreed to the wager, he was intent on giving Pavel his prize.