jackwabbit | New Fic: Mirror Image

Mirror Image

Fandom: Star Trek Discovery
Rated: G
Category: Double Drabble. Culmets. Angst. Sad. I'm Sorry for This One. Real Life Medical. But Not Graphic. I'm OK, Honest. Though Cases Were Tough Today. Well, One Case. But I Really Am OK.
Season: Any.
Spoilers: None.
Summary: The reasons are different, and not really equivalent, but Paul and Hugh are both disappointed.
Note: Written for the random word prompt of "candle."

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The candle burned low.

Paul had lit it hours ago, with hopes of surprising Hugh with a quiet night in.

It wasn’t their anniversary, anyone’s birthday, or a holiday.

He’d just wanted to do something nice - to prove he wasn’t the completely self-absorbed asshole so many assumed he was.

Not that Hugh didn’t already know that, but Paul still enjoyed showing him every now and then.

So he’d lit his candle and made plans to have food delivered to their quarters at his call. (Cooking was going a bit far, after all.)

And then he’d waited. And waited. Eventually, he called to cancel the food, experience telling him how the night would go. He’d only messaged Hugh twice, but neither missive had been answered, and Paul knew what that meant.

Hugh was busy with work. He was pretty good at replying in between patients most of the time. But no answer for hours meant surgery or something else he couldn’t pull away from. Paul couldn’t fault him for that.

Still, as he blew out the candle, Paul sighed.

And on the other side of the ship, as a life was snuffed out in much the same way, so did Hugh.