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"Can you shut up!?"
Chekov turned bright red as he stopped mid-sentence, pursing his lips together and ducking his head. He’d been in the middle of telling Sulu excitedly about a date he’d had with Maria as they were sitting at the quad, complete with acting out portions of it, and Sulu had been enjoying listening to his friend tell the story of their date. He looked around Chekov to glare at the beefy thick-necked student standing nearby Chekov. “This is a private conversation,” Sulu said, his voice even. “If you don’t like it, leave.”
“Hikaru,” Chekov said, his voice low. “It’s not worth it.”
The rude student moved away from where he was standing and came over the few steps to the two of them, looking down at the spot on the grass where Sulu and Chekov were sitting. “You know who you’re messing with?” he asked Sulu.
Sulu looked the student up and down. “Someone I can take quite easily,” he said with a slight shrug.
A small vein popped in the rude student’s neck. “Listen here, you punk--”
Sulu stood to his full height and looked at the student. The other student was a few inches taller and definitely larger; he had more muscles, certainly, and as he was turning red with rage it was obvious he had anger control issues. Sulu, however, was the epitome of calm. The angry student took a swing at Sulu but Sulu deflected it, and with a few swift moves deflected each clumsy punch the other student swung at him and then laid a few key jabs at him and soon the other student was on the ground, whimpering. Sulu then sat back down and looked at Chekov, nodding to him. “So you and Maria were at Fisherman’s Wharf?”
Chekov looked over at the whimpering ball that was the other classmate, and then back at Sulu. A small crowd had gathered, and the other student’s friends stared at Sulu in something that resembled fear and awe. “Well, there wasn’t much more after that. She had to come back to her dorm, and so we had to find a way back.”
“And how did that go?” Sulu asked.
Chekov glanced back at the student. “Could you teach me to do that?” he asked. “It would be a useful skill, to be able to defend myself like that.”
Sulu nodded. “It would be a lot of lessons,” he said. “I mean, it took me a long time to get to be as good as I am.”
“I can make time!” Chekov said, his eyes bright. “I want to learn. I know some ways to defend myself. I know how to box, a little. My mama had me take lessons when I was young, but I was not big and burly like my brothers. I was small and svelte like my father. He taught me some skills, but nothing like that. But you are small and wiry like me.”
Sulu grinned slightly. “I know some martial arts, but I also know other things.”
“Like what?” Chekov asked.
“Like fencing,” Sulu said.
“Vau,” Chekov said. “I’ve always wanted to know how to fence.”
Sulu’s grin grew. “I have me epees with me. If you want lessons in that, I can teach you that as well.”
Chekov’s head bobbed up and down enthusiastically. “Da! I would enjoy that immensely. And perhaps I could teach you something as well?”
“What do you know how to do?” Sulu asked.
Chekov thought for a moment. “Ballet,” he admitted, looking slightly embarrassed. “And Russian.”
“I don’t think I need to learn ballet, though we could consider it for the future,” Sulu said. “You never know when learning some of the moves could help with fencing. But Russian could be interesting. So I’ll teach you fencing and self-defense, and you can teach me Russian. And we’ll see if there’s anything else you can teach me as well.”
“That sounds like a good deal,” Chekov said, sticking out his hand. Sulu stuck out his as well, and the two men shook on it. “So, what should the first lesson be?”
“I think the first should be a lesson in finding your center. So...a lesson in meditation. And I think the best place to do that would be in our dorm room, away from this crowd,” Sulu said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever tried meditation before,” Chekov said. “Is it hard?”
“It can be,” Sulu said. “Are you able to clear your mind easily?” he asked as they began to gather their things.
“Not often,” Chekov admitted. “Usually my mind whirs at a million miles an hour. Thoughts zoom so fast I can’t keep up, and getting rid of them is easier said than done.”
Sulu thought for a moment. “Then we’ll have to tackle that first, I think, before we can even start with actually meditating.” He got his things together and glanced over at the student he’d knocked out cold. “The sooner we get out of here, the better, though.”
“Oh?” Chekov asked, gathering the last of his things.
Sulu nodded. “Yeah. Chances are someone might want to have a few words with me, so if I’m not here…”
Chekov nodded. “Right. Absolyutno. Let’s be off.” The two of them started to make their way towards their dormitory. “I am thankful you stood up for me,” he said after a few moments. “I am used to being picked on. I’m not used to having someone stand up for me.”
“Well, you’re my friend. I stand up for my friends,” Sulu said, giving Chekov a grin. “I’d do it anytime. And I’ll teach you to do the same if I’m not around.”
Chekov grinned back. “And I am most appreciative, tovarish.” Even though they lapsed into silence as they walked, it was all right. Chekov knew they didn’t need to talk. Even though Sulu let him ramble at times, he knew he didn’t need to fill up every moment between them like he felt he had to with other people because silence was all right between them. That was how he knew they were good friends, and he appreciated the friendship he had with Sulu greatly.