Chapter Text
Paul comes home to the fantastic smell of corn that’s been freshly cooked. The glass bowl is kept on a hotplate to keep it warm. Another pan holding Lasagna rests on the stove top while Hugh hand mashed the potatoes in a bowl. His husband has always preferred to cook manually than have the replicator make food for him. The doctor looks over his shoulder towards the door when he hears it swoosh open. His face automatically brightens, a smile spreading across his face. “Hey honey. How was work?” He turns back towards the cooking. Paul smiles just a little and grabs the necessary dishes to set the table. “Oh, it wasn’t too terribly exciting. We’re mainly just trying to test the reactions between the mushrooms and the reaction cube. It’s slow going but we’re getting there.” The plates, wine glasses, and silverware have been set. Paul lights two white candles in the middle of the smaller table, placing the bowl of corn and the lasagna on the table as well. Hugh listens to every detail of Paul’s day, smiling softly. He sets the potato masher in the sink and brings the big bowl to the table after he’s mixed butter and sour cream with the seasonings. Paul, now dressed in relaxing clothes, sits at the table with his doctor. A quick prayer is said by Hugh, and then both men dig into the food. Paul compliments the food, continuing to eat.
Paul places the dirty dishes in the sterilizer while Hugh places the uneaten food in the fridge. The couple spends the rest of the evening relaxing, cuddling on the couch together. Hugh reads a love story about two Starfleet captains, while Paul fills out reports on his PAAD. As the evening grows late and the candles burn themselves out, Hugh finds it difficult to stay awake. His eyes drift shut after many attempts to keep them open, the older paper book now lying on his chest. Paul doesn’t seem to notice his husband dozing off on top of him. Once he finishes, he saves his progress and submits it to the Captain. Setting the PAAD aside, he wakes Hugh up. “It’s late, honey and you’re dozing off. Let’s head to bed.” The doctor gets up, rubbing his eyes and sets his clothes out for the next day. Tomorrow is a Saturday so both men have a day to just relax. He changes into maroon pajamas and joins the Chief Engineer in bed, covering them both up. He lays his head on Paul’s chest, closing his eyes and falling asleep.
Paul groans as his alarm goes off. The computer’s voice echoes thru the room. “It is currently 7am. You do have a shift today.” It repeats the same sentence over and over until the man tells it to stop. He looks around at his surroundings, confused as to why Hugh isn’t making breakfast. The shower isn’t running either. Did he get called into work while I was sleeping? Paul sits up, running his hands down his face. “Hugh? Are you here?” He asks to the empty quarters. “Computer, locate Dr. Culber.” Only a few seconds pass until the Computer replies. “Dr. Culber is no longer on the employee manifest.” Then the memory of everything hits him like a ton of bricks. He remembers being catatonic after the jump to the Terran universe. Being behind a security field in medbay. When it was just him and Hugh in the room, the doctor liked to bring down the field. He always hated to have Paul locked up. Paul remembers hearing the resonating snap of his husband’s neck. Seeing him in the Mycelium Network broke his heart. Hugh helping guide the ship back home to their universe. He’s reminded that he’s not on Discovery anymore. He’s a teacher at Starfleet Academy, preparing the new students for their futures aboard starships.
Sitting up, Paul replicates his own breakfast of oatmeal and fruit. As he eats, he pulls a PAAD towards him to read up on his new students. His mind wanders to Hugh and how much he would’ve enjoyed seeing the faces of the new potential captains or engineers or even medical officers. He uses his work as a way to distract himself from the one year anniversary of Hugh’s death. He hasn’t properly grieved or dealt with it, just found something to distract himself each time he thought about it. After he’s eaten and sanitized his dishes, he makes his way to the academy and steps into his classroom. He walks through the rows of desks, making sure trash has been picked up and chairs are pushed in. He goes to his own desk, straightening PAADs. He replicates a cup of coffee and sits in his chair. He watches as his student’s file in one after the other. One familiar face nearly makes him spit out his coffee. He grabs his PAAD and rereads his student manifest. He sees a name he never thought he’d see again. It makes him question the past several years. Hugh Culber in the flesh. Paul clears his throat to focus. “Welcome to Starfleet Academy. I will be teaching your science requirements to be ready for your future jobs aboard starships. Let’s go around the room and tell a little bit about ourselves. I’ll go first. I am Paul Stamets. I was born on Earth. I was an engineer aboard the USS Discovery and after several years, I decided to come here to teach the next generations of Starfleet officers."
Each student stands up, says where they were born and a little bit about themselves. Several are from Earth, Vulcan, Andoria, Trill. He fills out paperwork on each one, wanting to build a profile for them. He jots down everyone’s name, age, and birth planet. He comes up with lesson plans for the next week. Paul zones out until he hears a familiar voice. He had thought the student manifest was a sick joke. He's actually here, in the flesh. Brown eyes, dark hair and skin. That wide, happy grin he always wore. The twinkle in his eye when he talked. Toned body dressed in a white uniform. “I’m Hugh Culber and I was born on Mars. I’m hoping to become a doctor for Starfleet.” He smiles at his classmates and sits back down. Paul moves his eyes over every student before he comes face to face with his dead husband.