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After they had finally kissed, it was the one in the corner of his mouth; the one just barely touching his lip.
"That's it," Hikaru decided, touching it softly with his finger. "That's my favorite freckle."
Pavel laughed at him. "You haven't even seen all of them yet."
He was still laughing when he was gently shoved backwards and his face was covered in kisses.
A few weeks later, it was the one on the highest point of his left hip bone; raised perfectly like the spot on a map every explorer clamored to find. When Hikaru had said that out loud in the almost dark, Pavel was glad the sudden flush of his cheeks was too faint to be seen.
He wanted to spend weeks in the sun, the real sun, too, not the artificial one that shone in the greenhouse or the gym, so that even more would appear on his skin. Pavel secretly hoped this would last forever.
The next Saturday, it was the one on the inside of his right thigh; the lone freckle right next to a small cluster formed like a constellation seen back on Earth. Hikaru had mused that it was sort of like them, or how he imagined it was the two of them.
"And how is that exactly?" Pavel asked, the smile on his face could be heard in his question.
He was staring up at the ceiling, breathless. Hikaru had tacked a couple of the old Earth novelty glow-in-the-dark stars to his ceiling. Their light was a soft green.
Hikaru's face was pressed down against the comforter to suppress a nervous laugh. Pavel felt it shudder under his leg which was slung lazily over Hikaru's bare back. He pushed himself up on his elbows to get a better look at him.
"You and I...just floating out here in space together." Hikaru glanced up to him. "Y'know?"
Pavel bit the inside of his lip and lifted his arm to beckon him.
A couple weeks after that, it was the one on the small of his back that was split apart by a scar.
"A sledding accident," Pavel murmured, sleepy and content. "My brothers never heard the end of it from Mama."
"Can't really blame her," Hikaru said. "It's a shame to have ruined such a great freckle."
"Ruined?" Pavel scoffed and then barked out a laugh at Hikaru's feathery touch.
"You're right, ruined isn't the right word." He leaned up to kiss Pavel's curls. "I suppose they enhanced this one."
A month later, it was the one hidden in the crease of his furrowed brow. They were on shore leave, the first in many months, and they were stuck in a week-long torrential downpour. Pavel was feeling stir crazy in the small cabin.
"I didn't think I've ever seen you this annoyed," Hikaru said as he held out a hand to him. "At least not with something that didn't involve Engineering."
Pavel took it reluctantly and was pulled in close. Hikaru poked a finger at the small freckle, which at any other time would have been cute, but everything was infuriating today. He hissed in Russian, staring out the window.
Hikaru just scoffed and shook his head. "Love you, too."
The focus on the rain was lost, and Pavel quickly turned back to face him. "You what?"
A blush swept over Hikaru's face faster than Pavel had ever seen. He tried to steel his expression and swallowed hard.
"I love you, Pav."
Pavel surged forward to kiss him, trying to pour every ounce of love he'd ever felt in his entire life into it. He could feel Hikaru's grin against his lips, but he was determined not to stop until the rain did.
Six month from that day, it was the one under his right eye. It was blurred by tears which Hikaru gently wiped away before kissing. They were alone in his quarters for the first time in a month.
"It's fine now, I promise," he whispered and held Pavel close.
"I thought you were never coming back," Pavel gasped, fingers twisted in the fabric of Hikaru's uniform. "It'd been two weeks!"
"That'll never happen. I'd fucking fight my way through anything to get back to this ship, back to you."
They pressed their foreheads together. Hikaru cupped Pavel's face in his hands.
"They'd rather take you on these stupid dangerous missions because you have better combat training. Meanwhile I have to stay here and...and clean up a bunch of shitty mistakes," Pavel ranted.
He wiped more tears from his eyes, starting to feel foolish. He started at Hikaru's face which was really only a little bruised; honestly he had been worse when he'd tripped down the stairs one night, drunk after a get together in Engineering. The memory caused a smile to twitch at his lips.
"What was that for?" Hikaru asked.
"Promise me you'll always come back."
"As long as you're here waiting for me, I promise."
A year from then, it was one on his hand; his left ring knuckle to be exact. Pavel was wiping tears from his eyes again. He hiccupped a laugh and knew he had made the right decision.
"Now is not the time to swoon over a freckle, Hikaru!"
Hikaru looked up, his face flushed and split with the biggest grin Pavel had ever seen him wear. "I can't help it! It seems a real shame to cover up such a perfect freckle, dare I say the most perfect-"
"You realize you say that about all of them, da?"
"C'mon Pav, give me this moment."
Pavel smirked and ran his free hand through his curls. "I said 'yes,' isn't that a little more important right now?"
Hikaru pecked the freckle before slipping the ring the rest of the way on Pavel's finger. He stood and enveloped him into a rib-cracking embrace. Pavel leaned back enough to steal a kiss.
"Better?" Hikaru asked.
"Perfect."