Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek.
...
He did not understand what he had done wrong.
The replicator was a very fascinating piece of machinery. It was only logical to want to examine the wires and technology and things beneath it, and there were only a few ways to do that without damaging it. He could scan it with his tricorder, but that could only tell him so much. He could ask Mr. Scott, but he was probably all the way down in Engineering on shift, so that wasn't an option. The most efficient and interesting way was to disect the machine carefully and then reassemble it when his curiosity was sated.
It had taken a lot longer to take it apart than he had planned, and Mama had come back to their quarters when he wasn't even halfway done. When she had asked (very angrily and unnecessarily) what he was doing, he had told her the truth; he was taking apart the replicator. This answer had obviously not been the right one, because he had been exiled to his room until Baba came home. Mama had said it was "time-out". What had he done wrong?
Sorin stared at his feet, which were dangling off of the edge of his bed where he sat. He heard the entrance to the quarters swish open, and then Mama and Baba talking... they were talking about him. Sorin worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he heard Baba's heavy, but graceful, footfalls pass the room into his and Mama's.
He still had a few seconds while Baba got out of uniform. The anticipation formed a soild ball of dread in the bottom of his stomache, and he didn't know why. Baba wasn't going to hurt him- he never had- but looking at Baba's eyes when he was in trouble was near impossible. It made his own water. He didn't want to talk to Baba!
So immersed in dreadful anticipation, he didn't realize the footfalls had come back until his door opened, and he jumped when he heard the airy hiss that accompanied this action. Baba walked in and sat in the chair that was always near his bed, and faced him. Sorin stared determinedly at the floor.
"Sorin."
Sorin's gaze didn't move an inch. "Yes, Baba?" Although he couldn't see, Sorin could almost feel the lifting of an eyebrow.
"It is considered disrespectful in Vulcan culture to not look at your elders when they are speaking to you." Wearily, Sorin lifted his eyes to his Baba's face, but was careful not to look directly into his eyes. "Sorin, your mother tells me that you were disassembling the replicator; would you explain to me why you did this?"
Sorin felt his mouth twist into a frown. "I was examining it out of curiosity. Why is that bad?" Maybe he was imagining it, but Baba looked almost... amused? No, now he looked... concerned... and... exasperated? It was immensely difficult to read Baba.
"You cannot do such things without permission first, Sorin."
"Why?"
"For a few reasons. Your mother may have been planning to make use if the replicator when she arrived home, for example." Sorin's eyebrows furrowed. "You could have made an error, and you might have mildly burned yourself due to the electric content of the machine." Sorin's frown deepened. "And, you could have damaged it during reassembly," Baba raised an eyebrow. "You were planning on reassembling it, correct?"
"Of course!" Sorin was very nearly angry at his father for thinking otherwise, no matter how illogical it was for feeling so.
"It was very irresponsible of you, sa-fu." Baba ignored his tone. Sorin's ire drained away and he looked to the floor. "Your mother told me to inform you that you will be staying here until suppertime." And with that, Baba stood, pressed a hand to the top of Sorin's head, and left the room.