Spock was quite excited to get home from school today. Of course, he would never admit such a thing, or show any signs on the outside, but he felt it all the same. Currently at the age of eleven, Spock had long-since decided that feeling a few things every now and again was alright, as long as he still let logic dictate his decisions. He also allowed himself positive emotions only –and this was quite positive.
"Mother, I have fascinating news from school." He walked in the house and hung his coat and bag on the hook. He walked into the kitchen where his mother was feeding a snack to Spock's sister.
"What, dear?" Amanda held the spoon out to Sanara. She attempted to grab it from her, but Amanda pulled it back with a sigh. "Why won't she eat this? You used to love it!"
"Perhaps she does not like the way you do it. See? She is trying to do it herself. Let her hold the spoon." Spock often vouched for Sanara's independence. He understood what it was like to be babied. He was the baby for the first nine years of his life, until Sanara had been born almost two years ago.
"She just makes a mess when she tries to do it." Amanda scooped up some of the paste and tried to feed it to her once more. "I already gave her a bath this morning."
"May I try?" Spock asked.
"Sure." She got up from the table and Spock took her place.
"Come on, Sanara. Eat the yummy food…" Spock's favorite food did not look very yummy in this state, but he did not show his disdain.
"No. Sa-kai. No." She scowled, knitting her eyebrows together in a perfect imitation of their father.
"Perhaps she is just not hungry." Spock sighed, giving up. He picked her up from her booster seat and put her down on the floor, where she toddled around the kitchen. Spock went to the refrigerator to get his own snack.
"What were you telling me, dear? About school?" Amanda asked.
"Ah, yes. Our instructor says he will announce the details of an important research project tomorrow." Spock emerged from the fridge with a carrot. "I do enjoy research."
"Sa-kai, give!" Sanara held her hands out to him.
"No. This is mine. You already had a snack, and you did not want it." Spock was not going to give in. He was not. He tried not to look at her or think about how cute she was.
"Sa-kai give, sanu." She looked up at him. He stared down at her, tiny bits of emotion wavering in him at the sight of her. He truly loved her immensely. Her large brown eyes were pleading, and her dark hair was tied with a pink ribbon. It was much too cute to resist.
"Fine." He snapped the carrot in half and handed her a piece.
"Lesek." She toddled off, crunching loudly.
"So, what are you researching?" Amanda followed Sanara into the living room to make sure she didn't touch anything she shouldn't. Spock followed.
"I am not sure yet. We will get our topics tomorrow." Spock went to his school bag and got out his PADD. His mind was still racing with the possibilities.
"Sa-kai, up!" Sanara now wanted him to pick her up. Spock enjoyed holding her, but she was quite heavy these days.
"Not right now." Spock did not look up.
He wasn't worried about making her cry by denying her request. She was quite the logical Vulcan for someone who was just learning to walk and talk. Instead of whining, she just moved on to the nearest person.
"Ko-mekh, up!" She held out her arms to Amanda, who smiled and picked her up.
"Come on, let's go in the garden. We can check the vegetables." She kissed her daughter's head and took her outside.
Spock went to the window and watched his mother put on her gardening gloves before handing Samara a plastic trowel and showing her how to dig. Behind them, Spock's latest patch of sunflowers were almost taller than the fence. If the surrounding Vulcans needed another reminder that this was a family with Earth heritage, they would soon get one. Spock hoped they liked the flowers.
He went upstairs and started his homework. He finished six pages of math, and was just idly flipping through his textbook, thinking about his research project, when he got a message.
What's up, nerd face?
Greetings. How was band?
Stupid. I like playing music with you better. I wish I could quit, but mom says I have to stay for the whole semester.
Spock always felt so content when talking to Jim, even if Jim was complaining about his band class. Spock understood that playing music with others was not as fulfilling as playing with one another, but it was one of Jim's current goals to be some sort of musician, and his band lessons were supposedly helping him practice guitar.
"I have a research project coming up." Spock told Jim when they video called later that evening.
"Sounds perfect for you." Jim was doing his usual routine of eating snacks with his homework out. He occasionally tried to trick Spock into doing part of his homework for him, but Spock hardly ever relented. "What'cha researching?"
"I am not sure yet. We will know tomorrow." Spock was already imagining receiving his high marks.
"You've got a goofy look on your face." Jim chuckled. "You're such a nerd."
"I believe being placed in two advanced classes would classify you as a nerd as well." Spock pointed out.
"It's just good sense." Jim said. "These count at credits for seventh grade, so next year, I won't have to do these. I'll get to go home at one. With no stupid band class, that's like, so much more free time I have to watch tv."
"How is your class really going?" Spock did not want to pry, but he was curious.
"It's okay, I guess. I mean, I know all the chords and stuff, I just wish they had us play better songs. If I wanna learn anything good, I gotta practice on my own."
"Are you?" Spock perked up slightly. The idea of Jim playing something he actually cared about was appealing.
"Sometimes." He shrugged. "You wanna hear?"
"Yes." Spock nodded.
"Okay! Hold on, I gotta get my rock star attire." Jim laid his PADD facedown, so all Spock could see was darkness. Spock took this opportunity to read his science book, tuning back in when Jim turned his PADD back over.
"This is your rock star attire?" Spock asked. Jim was just wearing a warm-looking flannel shirt over the clothes he already had on.
"Yeah. I'm going for a 1990s vibe, Spock."
"Ah, I see." Though, really, he didn't.
Jim sat on the bed and held his guitar. Spock watched Jim play a pretty song Spock did not recognize. If Spock did not recognize it, then that must mean it was likely something popular on Earth at a time before Spock was born.
"I haven't really practiced that much." Jim said nervously. "Sorry if it sucks."
"I thought it was beautiful." Spock replied.
"Ha. Well, maybe I'll play it at school tomorrow. Some of my other classmates have guitars too, and they're always playing cool stuff. Maybe band doesn't suck that bad."
Before bed that night, when Spock would either review his school notes or do his own research, he found himself opening one of the recent notes he'd written over Christmas break. That was when he and his family had spent time on Earth. His parent's had apparently seen the positive effect that spending time on Earth had for Spock, so they decided that Sanara should have that exposure as well.
Despite taking her to the park and to the beach by their hotel, Sanara had not done much other than babble and crawl around. That was actually perfect for when he and Jim pretended she was their baby when they played house. It wasn't as if she could complain. Still, she seemed happy, so it seemed that his parent's analysis had been correct.
Spock reviewed what he had written at that time.
Jim Kirk is very good with small children.
Jim Kirk would make a good house-husband and father.
Spock had reminded himself that just because Jim seemed to get along with a baby, did not necessarily mean he would make a good father. Yet, he recalled the way Jim was so gently with Sanara and held her hands to help her take wobbly steps.
"Come to Dad." Jim had stood a few feet away when they were playing in the hotel. Sanara crawled to him, and he hugged her before pointing to Spock. "Now, go to other dad."
"Sa-kai…" Sanara may have been a baby, but she knew that Spock was her brother, not her father. Spock tried to explain to her that they were just pretending to be her parents, but the concept was lost on her.
"Sa-kai."
Spock was so lost in thought that he had not noticed the noise. He jumped up from bed and opened his bedroom door. Sanara was sitting on the floor in the hallway outside the door.
"Hello, ko-kai." Spock picked her up. "It is past your bedtime."
"No bed." She said firmly.
"Would you like to sleep in my bed?" He only allowed it sometimes.
"No bed, Sa-kai." She said again.
"Well, what do you want?" He asked. He knew it was important to treat Vulcan children like they were capable of rational thought and opinions, but Spock couldn't help but think Sanara was still a tad too young to decide her own bedtime.
"Var." She tugged at the sleeve of his pajama robe.
"You want me to read you a story?" Spock greatly enjoyed reading aloud, whether it was for Jim or Sanara. "Alright. Which one do you want?" He carried her to his bookshelf. He liked that she preferred the physical copies to digital, because he did not want her tiny messy hands all over his PADD. He knew she liked the illustrations as well.
"Yel-nel-dath." She pointed at one.
"Constellations?" Spock recognized the flat picture-heavy book as one he'd received for Christmas once. He took it and sat with her on the bed. He wrapped her up in the blanket and they both leaned back against the pillow.
"Tikky…" She looked at him.
"I thought I was going to read to you."
"Tikky."
"I do not understand why you need a stuffed animal to enjoy my reading to you." He sighed. She stared at him, her bottom lip wavering as a barely-audible whimper came from her throat.
"Fine. I will get Tikky for you." He got up. "Stay here."
Spock had a slight fear of Sanara breaking his things ever since an incident a few months ago when she threw her teething ring at the video screen in the living room. Spock did not understand how she could have summoned enough force to break the screen, but ever since then, Spock was extra careful about leaving her around his things unsupervised.
He quickly went down the hall to Sanara's room and grabbed her stuffed sehlat from off her bed. He went back to his room and gasped when he saw she was standing on top of his nightstand, reaching up at a shelf above his bed.
"Get down from there!" Spock dashed over and quickly put her back on the bed. "What were you doing?"
"Tikky!" She pointed at something on the shelf.
Behind the sea globe of Terran ocean water he'd gotten from Jim for his eleventh birthday, there was the stuffed cat Jim had given him after the first summer they spent together. Spock had kept it safe up there, deeming it a sentimental item, but also deeming himself too mature and logical to need a comfort toy.
"No. This one is yours." He reminded her, holding up the stuffed sehlat.
"No. Want that one!" She pointed again.
"This one is much better." Spock lied. It was true that it was of very fine quality. Romar's bond-mate had actually made it for Sanara before she was born. She was apparently a talented tailor, and had also made a lot of baby's clothes for Sanara that she was only just starting to grow out of.
"That one." She was adamant, nodding as if she'd made some very logical point. Spock sighed.
"Very well. You may borrow it for one night." He held up one finger. She imitated him. He suppressed a tiny smile at how cute she was and got the cat down. "Here."
Now with both stuffed animals held close to her body, she leaned back against the pillow and Spock covered them both in the blanket and opened the book.
"Constellations are familiar patterns of stars." He read aloud and showed her every page. She seemed to enjoy the pictures of ones that were shaped like animals. He showed her Ursa Major and The Swan and she smiled.
"Look." He showed her a picture of Lyra, the Harp and pointed to the star below M57. "According to my research, following this star from Earth is the quickest route to Vulcan. Vulcan is where we live."
She nodded, as if that were obvious. She was not even in pre-school yet, so Spock was not sure how she could already know that. He flipped through the book until he found the picture of the most famous Vulcan constellation.
The one of Surak was commonly identified by his belt of four stars.
"Look." He pointed to one on the end. "This one leads to Earth. Do you remember going to Earth?"
She smiled and nodded. He was not sure if she actually remembered or if she was just amused by his voice and the pictures.
"Do you remember Jim?" Spock asked. "Jim pushed you on the baby swing."
"Dad." She laughed.
"Yes! Well, no." Spock struggled to explain. "We were only pretending he was your dad. He is not your real dad."
"Yes." She nodded.
"You know that?" Spock asked. "You know your real dad is Father, right?"
"Sa-mekh." She nodded and yawned.
"Yes." He closed the book. "Do you want to go to bed?"
"Not sleepy." She said. "Show more pictures?"
"I do not have any other picture books in here." He briefly considered getting one from her room, but he did not want her to try and climb all over his furniture again. "Here."
He got his PADD and opened his photos. He took photos quite often as part of his research, though most were just for fun.
"Here is you as a newborn." He showed her the picture of a tiny green-faced baby in a cradle at the hospital. She was completely bald, with her head kept warm by a knit cap.
"Me?"
"Yes, that is you." Spock nodded. He scrolled ahead to her first birthday. The first birthday was the only one Vulcan's celebrated, as if was tradition carried over from centuries ago when there was a much higher infant mortality rate. "Look, you are eating cake."
He scrolled around, looking for more pictures of her, until he came across one from the same summer when Jim's had given him the stuffed cat. It was actually that same day. Jim was celebrating their victory at the three-legged race. He looked so happy.
"Jim!" She pointed, tapping the screen.
"Yes." Spock smiled. "He is… my betrothed."
Only one other person on Vulcan knew that, and that was Romar. It was not that Spock was ashamed, it was actually the opposite. Spock was very happy and proud to have a human bond-mate, but he was just not sure he wanted to tell his parents yet. He was just never sure what they would say.
"Hmm?" She knitted her brows together.
"That means we are going to be bond-mates one day, when we are older. Married." He explained with a shy smile.
She yawned.
"You will have one too, a bond-mate." He said. "Though, there has lately been reports of Vulcans wanting to be able to choose their own bond-mates, even if it means going without one in adolescence. It is part of a new wave of feminism in young Vulcan women. Mother says she admires their politics. It is why you have a traditionally masculine name."
She just stared at him. He could never tell if she enjoyed his lectures, or if she wanted him to be quiet and just show her pretty pictures.
"Look, a real kitty." He showed her a picture he'd taken of one of the cats on Jim's farm.
"Tikky." She smiled and yawned again.
"Alright, Sanara, it is very late. We both need to do to sleep." He picked her up and she clutched both of the stuffed animals in her arms as he carried her to her room. He laid her on the bed and covered her with the knitted blanket he and his mother had made before she was born.
"Good-night." He kissed the top of her head.
"Night, Sa-kai." She closed her eyes. "…ashaya…"
Spock paused in his quiet tip-toeing out of her room. Sanara's current speech patterns of mixing Standard and Vulcan were quite typical of a child her age, but it was clear that she was learning Standard from their mother and Vulcan from their father.
If she was telling Spock she loved him in Vulcan, then it was likely something she heard from their father, and often, at that.
"Ashaya." He said, before leaving and quietly closing the door behind him.
The next day at school, Spock stood eagerly outside the classroom. Majority of the class was already there, and they were standing around in different groups, discussing the project.
"Perhaps it is on the history of the ruins outside the city?" Suggested a boy named Sek. "We did take a trip there last year."
"That is not it." A girl named T'Pell scoffed. "We already saw the ruins last year. The instructor would not make us research them again."
"I really liked them, though." Sek said quietly.
"It is on the current political battle over the sulfur supplies found on the Vulcan asteroid mine." T'Kett seemed positive. "I have the article right here. It would be most logical to have us research and be aware of current events."
"I would not mind that." T'Pring said.
"I would." Stonn's low growl was recognizable to Spock, even as he tried to stay flat against the wall and not speak up. "I would rather we research a fascinating person, such as Sekhet."
"Sekhet was the violent and illogical Goddes of war." Spock did not mean to dismiss Stonn's idea so loudly or with such scorn, but he found that everyone was suddenly looking over at him.
"Yes. He was." Stonn said. "But that does not mean we cannot find her motives and ideas fascinating."
"It should." Spock said coolly. Their classmates fell silent, watching the pair almost nervously.
"What are you anticipating the project is, then?" Stonn asked almost as if it were a threat.
"I think it would be best if the instructor let us each pick out own topic." Spock said, the idea just coming to him. "We could each do what interests us."
Spock rarely spoke to his classmates like this, but they were all listening to him intently, staring at him. For a moment, Spock wondered if he had said something they deemed illogical, but then T'Pell nodded.
"I would like that." She said.
"As would I." Sek agreed.
The rest of the group murmured agreement, aside from Stonn, who just clenched his fists and stared at the floor.
"That is a very logical idea, Spock." T'Pring nodded coming to stand beside him. "Let us ask the instructor when he arrives."
When the chime sounded, Instructor Sonak arrived. He seemed surprised to see the entire class waiting outside the door. They parted and he approached the keypad and began to unlock the door.
"Savensu Sonak." T'Pring approached him. "May I ask you about the research project?"
"I will discuss your topic today." He said. The door opened and they all filed in. "You may ask me any remaining questions afterwards."
Spock sat down in the first row of desks as he always did and T'Pring sat beside him. Everyone was dead silent, waiting.
"As you all know," Sonak closed the classroom door. "You have a project coming up. In this project, your research has the potential to be a published article. The one published will be chosen by one of the editors of Vulcan's most-viewed news outlet."
There were murmurs of excitement at this. Spock's father had been featured in the news many times for his work, and Spock could not help but imagine how proud his parents would be if Spock's research was in the news as well.
"You must have a visual aid prepared as well, and present it in front of the class."
"Savensu," T'Pring raised her hand. "You still have not told us what the topic is."
"Of course." There seemed to be an unreadable gleam in his eyes. "You will each pick your own topic. You must submit your topic for my approval by the end of the week. Try to choose something you are passionate about, as your written portion should be a minimum of five-thousand words."
At the notion of pursuing their own topics, the usually quite class erupted into chatter. T'Pring leaned over to Spock and smiled.
"You were right. I am quite pleased to be able to pick my own topic."
"Yes, I am also pleased Spock was right." T'Pell said.
Everyone's chatter of their preferred topics was quieted down as Sonak began their lesson. Spock greatly enjoyed classroom lectures over the fast-paced competitive environment of the skill domes. In either place, their test scores were public to encourage trying your best, but Spock found that the classroom was better for questions and notes.
After class, Spock gathered his things and was still thinking about his project, when he overheard T'Kett approach Sek near the front of the classroom.
It was usual that they all had to look up to Sek, as he was the tallest person in their class, but Spock noticed she seemed to be looking up at him added signs of admiration.
"If you still wanted to do your project on the city ruins, I still have my notes from our fieldtrip, if you wanted to borrow them."
"I still have my notes as well, so I do not need yours."
"I see." She seemed nervous. "Well, you know my father runs the train out of the city. Perhaps we can ride out and visit the ruins together?"
"No. I would rather travel there on foot with my sehlat." Sek picked up his bag. "Goodbye, T'Kett. I will see you tomorrow." He left the room and T'Kett followed with a sigh, dragging her feet.
Spock did not understand how Sek could be so ignorant as not to notice that she was obviously asking because she was interested in him romantically, and not just academically. Spock suppressed a sigh and just shook his head. It was times like this that he was very glad he already had a bond-mate, even if it was a secret.
That evening, Spock's parents seemed pleased when he told them the details of his assignment, but none of their suggestions for topics seemed good enough.
"What about your sunflowers?" Amanda asked as Spock helped her with dishes after dinner. "They're so pretty, and you could teach your class how to grow their own.
"No…that is not good enough." Spock sighed.
"What about a lecture on caring for elderly sehlats?" She chuckled, looking over at I-Chaya, who was sniffing under the table for dinner scraps.
"Hm." Spock looked too. I-Chaya was now mostly grey, and seemed to only ever sleep and eat. He used to chase Spock in the garden, but now he seemed too old to do that for Sanara. "No. Not special enough."
"I have an idea. Write it about Sanara." Jim had been thinking of a suggestion since Spock told him about it at the start of their usual nightly video chats. This was not the suggestion Spock had anticipated.
"What?"
"She's so cute, everyone will love her. The way she talks is so funny, and you'll definitely get an A if you take her in and show her to your class." He laughed.
"I fail to see how she would be fascinating to my class. I am sure many of my classmates have siblings, and are used to children." Still, Spock appreciated the effort.
"Well, you've still got tons of options. You're always researching stuff when you're here. I think you must have written a million words just on seaweed."
Spock knew that was a hyperbole, but Jim did have a point. His true passion was Terran lifeforms. He opened his past documents and began flipping through things he'd written.
No matter what Spock's focus had been in each document, whether it be cows or fish or dandelions, nothing seemed quite as impassioned as the things he'd written about his favorite subject of all.
"Jim." Spock realized with a small gasp.
"Hm?" Jim looked up.
"It is you. You are the perfect subject for my research." Spock's Vulcan logical barely hid the excitement he was feeling.
"Me?" Jim chuckled, pink in the face. "Who would wanna read all that stuff you write about me?"
"It is very fascinating. I could write all about humans and the impact they have had on Vulcan. I could show you to my class as a visual aide." Spock was growing more fond of the idea by the moment.
"I'd have to come all the way to Vulcan for that." Jim sat up.
Jim had never visited Spock on Vulcan before. Spock always went to Earth during Jim's breaks from school. Even after all this time, Spock still found Earth fascinating, but the idea of Jim seeing Vulcan was equally as appealing.
"Is that something you would be willing to do?" Spock asked.
"Hell yeah!" He grinned. "I've always been curious, it's just that I thought you always wanted to come here cuz you like it."
"I do." Spock nodded. "But I do believe it is time you see my home planet."
"Are you gonna make me write research about you?" His grin faltered.
"No."
"Then let's do it!" Jim laughed. "Ugh, whenever I want something from mom, I gotta start acting good a few days in advance. I better clean my room. I've got a few loads of laundry under my bed I should do too."
"I shall talk to my parents as well."
"Let's report back at 1600 tomorrow." Jim said in his pretend captain voice.
"Yes, Captain. Mission objective understood." Spock preferred that over almost any other pretending they did.
They hung up and Spock went down the hall to his parent's bedroom. He knocked and poked his head in. His mother was sitting at her vanity where she usually took her makeup off and brushed her hair before bed. His father was in bed reading.
"Hey, dear." Amanda smiled at him.
"Do you need anything?" Sarek looked up at him.
"Yes. I thought of the perfect subject for my project, but I need your assistance with it." Spock said. He tried not to show anything on his face resembling nervousness as they looked at each other and back at him.
"What is it?" Sarek asked.
"I want Jim Kirk to be my subject." Spock tried to sound like the perfect logical Vulcan, and that meant backing up his request with more logic. "It is likely that no other student in my class understand humans in the way that I do. I believe there are too many negative misconceptions among Vulcans about humans. I think a lecture to my class would help. Jim Kirk should come and be my visual aid to class."
Spock waited, his hands clasped behind his back. He could tell his mother was amused by the idea, but as always, his father was impossible to read. They looked at each other, and Spock was very grateful that Vulcans could not sweat.
"I think that's a fine idea." Amanda said.
"I agree." Sarek nodded. "That would be quite an informative topic."
"Jim can come?" Spock suppressed a smile. "Thank you. When would be best? My written portion is due in two weeks, but I am not sure what day I am presenting to the class."
"We can work it out with Winona." Amanda said. She got up and patted Spock's head on her way to bed.
"Yes. For now, you should go get adequate rest for school tomorrow." Sarek said.
Spock nodded to them respectfully and stepped out into the hallway, where he allowed himself to feel raw unbridled excitement for one second, before going back to his room.
The next day, Spock knew he would have to submit his project idea for Savensu Sonak's approval. He was starting to question if it was even a good idea as he waited in the classroom with the other students.
The instructor was taking them each individually into his office to hear their ideas. It was not a for the fear of plagiarism, but more so that everyone's idea remained just between them and the teacher. Spock looked over at Sek, who was watching a video on his PADD. He was too far away for Spock to see what it was, but he knew it had to be ruins.
"Have you decided on your topic?" T'Pring asked, sitting beside him. "I am still deciding, so Savensu said I had until Friday."
"I have chosen." Spock nodded. "But I cannot tell you."
"Oh. I understand. It is just that, well, Sek told me his."
"I believe we all know his." Spock resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She knitted her eyebrows together in a scowl, and Spock regretted having used that tone. "I apologize. It is just that I do not want you to negatively judge my idea."
"I would not negatively judge your idea." She said.
"Well…alright. But you must promise not to tell anyone else in class. It is a secret." Spock lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned in.
"I can keep your secret." She said, her face unwavering.
He knew now they were both thinking of the way she'd never told a soul that Spock's mind was unbondable in the Vulcan sense. She'd always known since their failed ceremony, yet she'd let everyone, even their parents believe it had failed for an unknown reason. Spock could trust her with this.
"I have decided to do my project on humans." He whispered.
"Humans?" She did not say it too loudly. She paused for a moment, thinking. Spock was not sure what he would say if she revealed she felt negatively about his idea. "I think that is ambitious of you."
"What makes you say that?" He still found himself unsure of her intentions.
"I can tell that you want to change the way many Vulcans see humans, so as to improve Vulcan's opinion of them, as well as of you." She said. "That is ambitious. Nearly impossible, but ambitious."
"Not impossible." Spock said firmly. "Difficult, but not impossible."
Savensu Sonak's office door opened and everyone looked up, anticipating their turn. He looked at Spock and called his name. As Spock got up from his seat, he was suddenly unable to focus on anything but T'Pring's words. Ambitious, but impossible.
He entered Sonak's office and closed the door. Spock had never been in here before, as it was usually a bad sign to have to be in the teacher's office. It usually meant you were in trouble for something. Spock's eyes instinctively went to the bookshelf along the back wall, and Spock noticed he had many of the same titles on his own shelf at home.
"Spock, have a seat." Sonak sat at the desk, and Spock sat in the chair in front of it. Sonak clasped his hands together and looked at him. Spock was not sure if he was permitted to speak yet, so he did not. Sonak picked up a PADD from his desk and Spock was certain he was looking at Spock's transcript.
"According to your transcript, you have perfect marks in all of your past mathematics, science, and history classes. Yet, you have taken regular hiatuses between attending lectures. For what reason?"
"Person health." Spock answered automatically, as he tried not to think about he and Jim playing under the cool Terran sun.
Spock also wondered if Sonak could see Spock's marks in his physical education classes, where he was painfully average. Spock had completed the final course in swimming last year, and though his abilities were perfect in the technical sense, he finished just ten seconds short of the required time for perfect marks.
"Have you decided on your topic?" Sonak but down the PADD and looked at Spock over his clasped fingers.
"Yes, Savensu." Spock did not want to give him a chance to react negatively, so he decided to not give him a second to react at all. "I have chosen to do my research on humans. There is an illogical negative opinion that many Vulcans have for humans, or those with human ancestry, such as myself and my sister. It would be most beneficial for me to provide facts and only facts, so that my peers can understand exactly what humans are. They are just different, not bad."
Sonak raised an eyebrow but did not speak for a moment. Spock was not sure what he was thinking, as his face had the usual Vulcan stoniness that made it unreadable.
"Ambitious." He said after a moment.
"But not impossible."
"Not at all." Sonak said. "I believe the negative opinions come from misconceptions. Many technological advancements have been made by humans, but improved by Vulcans, leaving humans seeming insignificant. It can also come from the fact that many Vulcans have never spoken to a human. This is all my speculation, of course, and you will have to determine if this is true or not in your research."
"Yes, Savensu." Spock nodded, inwardly pleased. He stood up. "I also have a visual aid in mind, but with your permission, I would like to have it remain a secret until I present to the class."
"As long as this aid follows all school regulations, then that is acceptable." He nodded. "You are dismissed."
He went to the door and opened it for Spock, before calling on the next student. T'Pring looked up at Spock expectantly, and Spock nodded to confirm that, yes, his topic had been approved.
He could not wait to get to work.
"So, what'd everyone say?" Jim asked him that afternoon. Spock had his PADD propped up against his desk lamp as he was already starting on his project.
"My parents and teacher all approved of my idea. Though, I did not tell my teacher exactly what I was planning for a visual aid." Spock said.
"But he liked your idea? Cool. I told my mom that you wanted my help with something for school, but I didn't really know how to explain it to her without it sounding like you were doing something weird."
"This is weird?" Spock looked up, tapping his chin with the eraser end of the pencil. His outline had already been erased and re-written a few times. Was his work insensitive in some way?
"No!" Jim chuckled. "I know you don't mean it in a weird way. And you're part human, so it's not like you're some alien trying to creep on humans for no reason. But you gotta admit, presenting me to your class like I'm a lab rat is kinda weird. Funny, too, though."
Spock did not respond. If Jim wanted to change his mind, Spock could always present his information without Jim's help. Perhaps if he asked nicely, his mother would agree to be his visual aid. There was something strange and sad about taking your mother to school, but Spock could not place what it was.
Over the next few days, it was decided that Jim would arrive next Sunday. Spock's presentation could be on any day that following week, and Spock wanted to be always prepared.
Spock spent day after day in his room working. He never realized how much research he'd actually done on humans. He had pages worth of just Jim's preferences in food and games, never mind the other aspects of his human phycology.
After completing the outline of what each page would be, Spock moved to his father's office to use the computer to make slides. It was strange to be allowed in here for so long. Sarek did not even leave the door open or constantly pop back in to make sure Spock wasn't messing anything up.
Spock made slides on human's accomplishments in science and arts and found information that he'd not even been aware of. Humans were so beautiful and complex. Not at all simple crying things like so many Vulcans believed.
"Did you know there are roughly 50 million humans living on the moon?" Spock asked when he heard the door open.
"They're called Lunar Schooners." Amanda laughed.
Spock had expected it to be his father, so he was surprised to see his mother standing in the doorway. He wondered if she was in here to check on him, or to spy on him and report back to Sarek.
"Actually, those on the moon do not refer to it as Luna, but just as the moon." Spock turned back towards the computer screen.
"I know that, my little scientist." She stood behind him and ruffled his hair. When Spock reached up to fix the mess in his hair, she leaned over his shoulder and began scrolling through his slides. "Wow, you have a lot more on here than I would have thought."
"Our presentation must be roughly twenty minutes long." Spock said.
"I see. I just thought you were writing about Jim."
"My project is on humans as a whole. Jim is just my visual aid." Spock secretly had a few slides prepared just on Jim in particular, but his other goal with the project was to show Jim in a good light and let his class get to know him.
If a lot of Vulcans got to know Jim and saw how nice humans were, maybe Spock would be able to tell his parents the truth, that Jim was more than his friend.
The only people who knew were Romar, who Spock could not ever believe he was once afraid of, and Sanara, who was likely too young to ever remember Spock telling her.
"I'm sure it'll be great." She gently patted his head so as not to mess up his hair. "I can't wait to see you get published.
"I can't believe I have to have shots before I can go to Vulcan." Jim sighed. "Do you guys think I'm gonna bring some gross disease to your planet?"
"Not at all." Spock was carefully tracing a diagram of human anatomy from his textbook. He didn't have to look up at his PADD and see Jim's expression to tell he wasn't really offended. "Those shots help your body adjust to Vulcan heat and atmosphere. Your lungs will be weak without them. You can breathe much easier, and your body will not overheat. You may still feel physically weak due to the gravity, but you will adjust."
It was the opposite for Spock. When he went to Earth, the different gravity made him feel stronger and lighter. He wondered how must stronger he would than Jim with them both on Vulcan.
"Look." Jim showed Spock two band-aids on his arm. "The doc kept asking me about Vulcan, like if I was going to study. I told him I was going to see my friend, but then he told me Vulcan's don't have friends. What a load of crap, huh?"
"Many Vulcans have beneficial intrapersonal relationships, but they do not use the word friend." Spock explained. "I believe it all depends on the person."
"Oh. Well, do you have any friends there? Like, kids in your class?" Jim asked.
Spock thought for a moment. T'Pring was always decent to him. He could not remember the last time anyone other than Stonn whispered something derogatory to him. He then recalled how quick everyone was to let him into their discussion before class the day their project was announced.
"I think so."
"You think so?" Jim chuckled. "You're so funny sometimes!"
"It is never intentional." Spock reminded him.
Sunday arrived and Spock rose before the sun did. He had barely slept the night before, but it did not matter. He could rest later. Jim was coming today.
Spock opened his window latch and climbed onto his balcony. He watched the sky, taking in the twinkle of stars and blinking of satellites and ships. Which one would bring Jim? Was Jim awake yet and ready? He held up one finger and traced the belt of Surak in the sky.
He got dressed and went downstairs. With Sunday being the Vulcan day of rest from school and work, Spock was the only one awake. He made himself tea and oatmeal and ate alone at the kitchen table.
When the sunrise began to come through the windows, Spock went around and opened all the drapes in the house. At seven, he decided to get to work on the special snack he had planned for Jim.
Spock went into the kitchen and gathered all of the things he needed for chocolateless brownies. Spock found it intruiging that they were called blondies. Jim was blonde and Spock did not like chocolate, so it seemed perfect.
Spock was mixing brown sugar with butter when his parents came downstairs. Sarek made tea, while Amanda put Sanara at the table and stepped around Spock to prepare her breakfast.
Spock's treats were cooling when it was only after seven in the morning. Spock checked the chronometer in the living room to make sure the one on the oven was functioning correctly.
"A watched pot never boils." Amanda told him. She was sitting in her armchair knitting. Sanara was on the floor flipping through a picture book on Vulcan animals.
"I am not boiling anything." Spock was confused.
"That is an expression on Earth." Sarek explained. "It means that if you constantly watch the clock, the time will never go on."
"Time will not freeze." Spock was even more confused.
"But your perception of time will be halted." Sarek said. "It will seem as if each minute is longer than the last. The best thing to calm yourself from the emotion of excitement is to keep busy."
"Father, when was the last time you felt excitement?" Spock asked. If Sarek recognized the emotion in Spock, then he was no stranger to it. Spock knew it could be considered rude to ask about another Vulcan's emotions, but this was his father. Surely, he could would understand Spock did not mean it in a bad way.
"I suppose…when your sister was born." Sarek looked down at Sanara. "The doctors were certain she was healthy and that the delivery would go well. It was just a matter of waiting."
Thirty hours of labor. Spock recalled it. He'd been so uncomfortable attempting to meditate in the waiting room. He'd busied himself by going downstairs to the hospital lobby and watching many Vulcans come in for all sorts of strange ailments.
"Did you feel excitement when I was born?" Spock asked. Amanda seemed interested in his answer as well. She paused her knitting and looked up at him with a smirk.
"Yes." He answered tentatively. "I was excited to be a father, but I was also anxious and partially afraid. These emotions did not last, but they were there for a reason. With Sanara, there were records of a healthy hybrid embryo to consult. That record was of you. When you were born, there was no such record. No one was sure if you would be healthy or survive past infancy."
"I see." Spock had not meant to stir up any negative emotions. He briefly considered hugging his father around the leg the way Sanara did, but he knew he was much too old to get away with that. Instead, he just looked up at him. "I appreciate you telling me this."
"You are welcome." Sarek said. "Now, Spock, I have an important request. You are free to deny it, if you wish. It is completely your choice."
"What is it?"
"…May I sample one of the treats you made?" There was a faint green tint on Sarek's face. "They smell very delicious."
"Hm." Spock pretended to contemplate. "Yes. You may. We all may."
"Oh, sign me up!" Amanda laughed.
At eleven, Spock knew it was time to get ready and go pick up Jim. He quickly combed his hair and put on his shoes. When he dashed downstairs, Amanda was still dressing Sanara up in her travelling robes.
"Mother, hurry up." Spock looked at the chronometer, before he remembered what his parents had said about pots.
"Calm down, Spock . I promise you'll be fine." She was putting on Sanara's shoes, but Sanara whined and kept kicking them off.
"She can go barefoot." Spock tried to reason. "You are just going to carry her everywhere, anyways."
"Not with my back, I'm not!" She chuckled incredulously.
"Then I will carry her." Spock said impatiently, going to pick her up.
"I will carry her." Sarek reached down and got her. He did not hold her the way Spock did. Instead, he put her on his shoulders, with her legs dangling down onto his chest. She smiled and gripped his hair.
"Sa-mekh abertau." She squeaked. Spock was not surprised she liked it. There was a photo in one of their albums of Sarek carrying Spock in the same way. Spock seemed just as pleased.
At the car, Spock knew it would be an ordeal to buckle Sanara into her car seat, so he waited impatiently in the backseat. Sarek put her in and after a few snaps and buckles, he looked across the seat at Spock.
"Would you like to drive?"
"Me?" Spock blinked in surprise.
"Your age is optimal for practice. You are allowed to operate a vehicle at age twelve as long as an adult is with you."
"I am only eleven." Spock reminded him.
"No one on the road knows that." Sarek handed Spock the key.
"Oh, Sarek." Amanda laughed. "Here, switch." She got into the backseat and Sarek took the passenger seat.
Spock got into the driver's seat. He'd seen diagrams of cars and knew exactly how they worked, so he knew how to move the seat forward and adjust the mirrors.
"You should be able to see the road behind you." Sarek said when Spock reached for the rearview mirror. "Not your sister."
"I was not attempting to look at her anyways. Mother stop waving, you are distracting me." Spock move the mirror. He then put on his seatbelt. "Now, what?"
"Start the car." Sarek said patiently.
"Are you sure?"
"How else are we going to move?" There was a bit of amusement in his eyes.
"Right." Spock turned the key and felt the clean-energy engine purr lightly.
"Reverse." Sarek prompted.
"He's a backseat driver." Amanda laughed, leaning forward into the space between their seats. "You get used to it."
"You are the one in the backseat." Spock pointed out. "And please lean back."
"Sorry." She sat back, smiling.
Spock carefully followed his father's instructions and drove out of their residential neighborhood and further into the city. Spock stopped at every stop sign.
"All stop signs are uniquely shaped like trapezoids." Sarek said.
"I can see that." Spock nodded.
"They're octagons on Earth." Amanda said from the backseat.
"Octo…gon." Sanara said.
"That's right!" Amanda laughed.
"Vulcan road rules claim that you must stop at passages for pedestrians." Sarek said when they approached a crosswalk. Spock slowed to a stop and watched the Vulcans cross.
"That is my teacher." Spock gasped as he noticed Sonar among the other Vulcans crossing. "What if he sees me driving? He can check my school record and see I am not of age."
"He's not even looking over here, Spock." Amanda chuckled. "Well, he is now. Quick, go."
Spock felt his heart pound nervously until they turned and he was sure the Vulcan pedestrians could not see them anymore.
"All turns must be indicated." Sarek said.
"I did indicate." Spock glanced down to make sure.
"I never said you did not indicate. I am reciting all of the rules of the road in this county."
"Ignore him, Hun. Trust me, it's all you can do sometimes." Amanda said.
At the station, Spock could finally breath a sign of relief when he parked. The traffic had been very minimal, considering most Vulcans walked in nice weather, meaning they were a bit early.
"How was I?" Spock asked as he got out.
"Optimal." Sarek took Sanara out of her seat and put her back on his shoulders. "I see no reason why you should not secure a license when you are of age."
Unlike the stations for trains and shuttles on Earth, there were no high-sugar snacks for sale. There was a stall selling tea, and a stall selling small items one needed when travelling, such as ponchos and scarves.
Spock checked the board and saw that Jim's shuttle had not yet arrived. They would have to wait for at least ten minutes. They found and empty bench.
"Come on, Sanara." Amanda gently grabbed her daughter's hand. "You need to go potty?"
Spock was grateful he did not have to take her, like he did so often when they were in public. He and his father sat on the bench in silence. The last shuttle had arrived almost an hour ago, so it's occupants had already been picked up or otherwise left. Only the occasional Vulcan in a station-worker's uniform walked by.
"You saved your project onto our drive, so it can be accessed by the computer in my office, as well as on our PADDs." Sarek said. "Is it alright with you if I look at some of it?"
"That is alright with me." Spock nodded. "I want to know if I should change any of it."
"I will not really be critiquing. I will be admiring."
Amanda came back from the bathroom with Sanara and Spock looked at the chronometer above the arrivals board.
"1315 From Earth now docking." A computerized voice announced.
Spock jumped up and went to the gates the passengers would come through. He craned his neck to look past the barrier, but the Vulcan woman at the podium held up a hand.
"Stand back. No one past this point. If you wish to board, you must go to the other gate."
"I am waiting for someone." Spock explained.
"You must wait behind the barrier." She said.
Spock suppressed a sigh and stepped behind the ropelike barrier. People began coming through the gate, and Spock scanned the Vulcans for signs of Jim. Over his shoulder, he could hear Sarek speaking quietly with a few of them, and Spock wondered if he was acquainted with them.
Spock had kept his gaze low so as to search for Jim, but apparently that had been inaccurate. The first thing that escaped Spock's mouth when he saw Jim was much louder than it should have been.
"You are so…tall!"
"You're so short!" Jim laughed and placed his hands on Spock's shoulders.
"I have not shrunk any since we last saw each other." Spock said.
"You haven't grown much, though." He seemed quite giddy. "Can you believe it?! Mom says I'll probably grow another few inches over this summer, too. You better catch up, pal. I thought vegetables were supposed to make you taller!"
Spock was not annoyed that Jim now had a few inches on him. In fact, it gave him a warm feeling whenever they were side by side and Spock had to look up at him.
"You've gotten bigger, too!" Jim picked Sanara up. "Wow, she's heavy."
"Isn't she?" Amanda laughed. "So, Jim, how's school going?"
"Boring and lame." Jim said before seeming to remember Amanda's profession. "I mean -good."
As the two humans chatted, Spock found himself lagging slightly behind Jim's longer strides. It was also partially because Sanara was trying to hold his hand, slowing him down.
"Spock," Sarek picked her up once more. "Tell Jim about earlier."
"Oh, yes." Spock wondered in that moment if the only reason Sarek let him drive was so that he could brag about it to Jim. "I drove the car here."
"You did?" Jim's eyes widened. "Lucky! My mom barely even lets Sam drive. Was it hard?"
"No."
"Did you almost hit anyone?"
"Of course not." Spock shook his head.
"Lucky!" He said again. "You can't drive three feet on my road without a rabbit or something jumping out in front. It's crazy."
Sarek took the wheel on the drive home, and Spock sat in the back with Jim. Jim was glued to the window and seemed amazed at Vulcan.
"Everything is so…weird looking. And pointy." He said.
"Our architecture is perfectly logical." Spock said.
"Look, it's what's-his-face! The guy you like!" Jim pointed.
"Who?" Spock blushed slightly and looked out the window. "Oh, Surak. Yes, that is the statue that marks this park in his honor. Surak was not just a guy, Jim. He is the reason we all live logically."
"Yeah, I know." Jim laughed. "I watched a Vulcan tourist video before I got here. It was practically all about that guy."
After wowing at almost every tall building, Jim's amazement did not subside as they went into the residential area where Spock lived.
"Look at all the plants!"
"Vulcans grow their own food." Spock said.
"Right in there yards?"
"Yes."
"Hey, it's that guy again!" They parked in Spock's driveway and Jim got out and approached the statue of Surak just inside the gate.
"That guy." Amanda said to herself with a laugh. "If I'd called Surak that when your father and I had first gotten married, he wouldn't have even let me in the house!"
Spock subtly took Jim's hand and pulled him inside. In the front door, Spock wiped his shoes on the mat and took them off, leaving them with the toes against the wall and the heels together. Jim copied him.
"Would you like a tour?" Spock asked. "It is polite to give guests a tour upon arrival."
"Sure." He nodded.
"This is the foyer." Spock gestured around them. "That door leads to the kitchen, and that door leads to the den. From the kitchen, there is a door to the backyard. From the den, there is a door to the bathroom , and there are stairs leading to the bedrooms and upstairs bathroom. Follow me."
Spock led him to each room in turn, and was pleased by how often Jim said wow, even if it perhaps was just for Spock's benefit.
"Is that you?" Jim stopped in the hallway and pointed to a photograph on a shelf.
"That is me at two years old." Spock confirmed. The photo showed him looking at the camera with a blank expression.
"You were so cute!" He laughed. Spock blushed and tried to move the tour along.
"This is my sister's room." Spock opened her door and they poked their heads in for just a second. Among the natural colors Vulcans decorated with, there was the prominent use of the color pink.
"That is my father's office. We cannot go in there without his permission." Spock then crossed the hall. "This is my room."
Spock had carefully cleaned his room the day before. His bed was made, and all of his things were put away. The only thing out of place was the stuffed cat he'd leant to Sanara a little while ago.
Apparently, she'd decided to return it right to the center of his pillow that morning, making it look like he slept with it. Spock was only mildly embarrassed. After all, Jim had stuffed animals as well.
"Woah, look at all these books." He went to the wooden shelf that reached the ceiling and began pulling random ones. "Vulcan….Vulcan…Standard, but boring….Vulcan."
"Jim, you are messing up their order." Spock went behind him and rearranged them properly.
"Sorry, short-stack." He chuckled. Spock knew Jim was teasing him, but he did not mind the name. "Come on, I forgot my bags in your trunk."
They brought up Jim's bags and Spock opened one of his dresser drawers that he'd emptied the day before.
"You may have this one."
"Thanks." Jim began shoving his suitcase's contents into the drawer, while Spock admired the other case.
"You brought your guitar." Spock carefully opened it and peered inside.
"Yep. My teacher says I gotta practice even when I'm here. Do you have any music in your project?"
"Yes." Spock nodded. "I have a sample of Mozart."
"Oh, well, could I still play for your class? Maybe?"
"You want to play for them?" Spock's eyes widened.
"Maybe." He seemed nervous. "Wait, do Vulcans clap after a performance?"
"No, they do not." Spock said.
"Oh. Well, maybe not then." He chuckled. "So, you have your whole project done? Can I see it?"
"I have the essay portion and the slides." Spock confirmed, reaching for the PADD on his desk. "I only have a few notes on my oral presentation. I was waiting for your assistance. I should discuss you at this point in the presentation, and I want everything I say about you to be accurate."
"Jim Kirk has a brilliant imagination." Jim read aloud from the PADD. "You really think that about me?"
"I –yes." Spock had not realized it would make him feel strange to have Jim finally read what he'd been writing. "Do you want me to remove that part?"
"No. It's just nice of you to say, that's all." Jim looked up, his face pink. "Especially since you're, like, a genius."
They shared a moment of silence, before Amanda knocked on the bedroom door. She poked her head in and seemed unfazed by seeing them having already started on schoolwork.
"Spock, did you offer Jim a treat?" She asked.
"Oh, no. I forgot." Spock could not believe it. "Would you like a blondie?"
"Sure, I love those!" Jim jumped up and followed Spock downstairs.
Perhaps it was the thrill of eating a second treat before dinner in one day, or the thrill of being close to Jim again, but Spock found that his heart would not stop racing.
That afternoon, Spock took Jim into the back garden, where they admired the growing food and flowers. Jim compared his height to the sunflowers, and saw that there was at least one thing here that had him beat on height.
"Who pollinates all the flowers on Vulcan if there's no bees?" Jim asked.
"An insightful question." Spock was impressed. "Flowers that are not self-pollinating are pollinated by a type of flying brown insect called a ravot. Ravot's hives contain a bitter sap used in Vulcan port, a popular drink."
"Do ravot's sting?"
"No. They bite. It hurts very bad." Spock had been bitten by one in this very garden several years ago. He almost cried, but was able to suppress the urge.
"Is that one?" Jim pointed.
Spock looked over in alarm, but sighed in relief.
"No, that is just a moth. You are asking a lot of questions." Spock meant it as a compliment.
"I was just thinking maybe I'd do a project on you one day. I mean, on Vulcans in general if it ever comes up in school." He shrugged, slightly red in the face.
"Are you too warm out here? Would you like to go inside until the sun goes down?" Spock asked.
"No, I'm okay." Jim assured him. "Let's play something. Go get your sister, she can be the baby."
"Mother does say that the fresh air is good for her."
Spock went inside and came back carrying Sanara. He set her down in the grass and handed her the stuffed sehlat she liked so much. She would be more compliant with their games if she had that to distract her.
"Hi, baby!" Jim leaned down towards her and cooed.
"Not baby." She squeaked.
"Sure you are!" He laughed and picked her up. "Wanna ride the horsey?"
"Kenel?"
"Horse?" Spock translated for her with his own confusion mixed in. "They are extinct here."
"Not this horse!"
Jim crouched down and put her on his back. He crawled around on his hands and knees with her on his back. She laughed and held onto his shoulders.
Jim went slowly around the garden with Spock following behind, and after a somewhat sharp turn, Sanara slipped from his back and fell onto the ground.
"Ah! Are you okay?" Jim leaned over her. She sat up. "She's not crying."
"She hardly ever cries. Vulcan children are quite logical." Spock explained.
"Let's play something else." Jim said. "Oh, I know. She can look for us. We'll go easy on her."
Spock carefully explained hide and seek to Sanara. She looked at him the whole time, but Spock was not sure if she understood. He picked her up and placed her in a corner of the fence.
"Stay here and count to ten." He told her. "And close your eyes."
"Wuh...dah…reh…keh…" She covered her eyes with her tiny hands and counted.
Jim grabbed Spock by the sleeve and they went to hide. They crouched down behind a stone pot and waited. They watched Sanara get up and toddle around.
"Maybe we hid too far away." Jim whispered.
"No. She will be able to find us." Spock was sure. "She will be able to smell you. Female Vulcans have a very powerful sense of smell."
Sure enough, Sanara toddled over and poked her head into their hiding spot. She reached out and touched Jim's shoulder.
"Tag." She said.
"Oh, you got us!" Jim laughed.
"Again."
"Okay, you wanna hide this time?" Jim asked.
"No. Seek." She covered her eyes and began blindly toddling back to the corner of the yard. "Wah…dah…reh."
There were not many placed to hide out here, but Sanara did not seem to mind that they just cycled around the same few places. She kept finding them within moments and tagging their shoulders.
She was counting again, when Spock surveyed the yard for another place to hide. Suddenly, Jim nudged him in the shoulder and nodded towards the tool shed on the other side of the yard.
"In there." He whispered.
"Affirmative." Spock nodded and they ran over and got inside, pulling the door shut behind them.
The only light came from a small window on one side. Spock had to be careful not to trip over a large bag of fertilizer. Jim tried to make more room, but almost knocked over a row of tools on the back wall. He steadied the rake to keep it from falling, and then they waited.
"What's taking so long?" Jim asked.
"Perhaps she has not finished counting." Spock said.
A few more moments went by. Spock tried to stand on his tiptoes and look out the window, but he was still too short. Jim tried to use his superior height, but actually did knock over the tools when he tried to move. The rattling of metal on metal was quite loud, and Spock had to cover his ears.
"Sorry." Jim whispered. "You okay?"
"Yes." Spock moved a bucket under the window and stood on it. "Hm."
"What's she doing?" Jim asked.
"She is just sitting there." Spock sighed. "Playing with her toy."
"Did she forget about us?"
"Perhaps she got bored."
"Well, Jesus Christ, let's get the hell out of here, then. It's hot as Vulcan in here." Jim walked over to the shed door and reached for the handle. "Uh oh."
"Uh oh?" Spock looked over. "What?"
"Uh. I think it's locked." Jim pulled the handle again.
"Locked? What do you mean locked?"
"Locked, as in not opening." Jim rattle the handle loudly.
"Let me try." Spock got off the bucket and went to the door. He tried the handle. "Uh oh. It is locked."
"Yeah, I already said that, genius." Jim wiped his forehead where sweat was collecting. "Can't you use your strength to open it?"
"I only have superior strength in Earth's gravity." Spock knocked his shoulder into the door. "On Vulcan I am…painfully average."
"Well, fuck." Jim sighed. He stepped onto the bucket and looked out the window. "I guess we can try and get Sanara's attention. Either that or wait until one of your parents comes outside."
"Uh oh." Spock felt a sense of dread.
"What?" Jim looked at him.
"Nothing." Spock felt his face grow hot.
"No, really, what?"
"I have to go to the bathroom." Spock sighed.
"Jesus Christ, don't say that!" Jim groaned. "Now, I'm gonna have to go!"
"It is alright." Spock said. "Romar usually comes out here with laundry. He will find us…wait. No. It is Sunday. He will not work today."
"Okay, move. I'm gonna break the door down." Jim backed against the far wall.
Spock did not know how Jim could possibly get a good enough running start when the shed was only about ten feet. Still, he pressed himself against the wall and waited.
Jim ran towards the door and slammed his shoulder into it. The door rattled but did not open. Jim held his shoulder and slid to the floor.
"Ow, fuck."
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah." He winced, still rubbing his shoulder. "Come on, do it with me, I think I budged it some."
Spock stood against the back wall with Jim and on the count of three they ran to the door. They thudded against it, and the walls rattled.
"This isn't working." Jim said. "Do you wanna just pee in the bucket? I promise I won't look."
"No, that is disgusting." Spock was appalled.
"Man, if only I had my phone or something, we could text your parents and tell them we're trapped."
Spock was back standing on the bucket, rapping his knuckles against the glass. Sanara was just sitting in the dirt playing. Didn't she wonder where they were? Why wasn't his mother looking out the window and seeing her by herself? That would make her come outside and investigate. Why wasn't his father…
"Wait." Spock looked over. "I have an idea. Perhaps there is a way to get in contact with someone."
"Smash the window with a shovel?" Jim asked.
"We will save that for if this does not work." Spock got down. "I am going to attempt to contact my father using our telepathic bond."
"Will that work?" Jim's eyes widened.
"I do not know." Spock said truthfully. He was much older, and he had not sensed his father in his mind in a while, but perhaps there were still traces of the parent and child bond left. "But it is worth a shot."
Spock moved another bag of fertilizer and attempted to clear a space before sitting down facing a corner. It was slightly dusty in here and Spock saw a cobweb in the ceiling, but he had to ignore all outer distractions.
"I need absolute silence." Spock whispered. He crossed his legs and placed his hands on his knees before closing his eyes.
In the expanse of his mind, he knew to reach for his mental links, he needed to enter a certain mental state. He had to acknowledge his physical self before he could leave his self.
He focused on the metal floor beneath him, the stifling heat, his need for the bathroom and for water. He then tried to go inwards, until he could feel none of that. It was difficult.
His mental place was dull and grey, but Spock did not stop to wonder what that meant. He searched for something, until he felt it. A faint link was small and untouched. He focused on the way it stretched out indefinitely.
"This is Spock." He said clearly in his mind. "I am reaching out to you."
"This is Spock. I am reaching out to you."
"This is Spock. I am reaching out to you."
"This is Spock. I am reaching out to you."
"This is Spock. I am reaching out to you."
"Any luck?" Jim asked. "I can hear you whispering over there."
"Not y—" Spock opened his eyes. "Wait, what? You heard me whispering?"
"Well, yeah." Jim said. "I mean, you're right over there. Of course I can hear you."
Spock stared at him. He had not been whispering. Not even a little. He'd been speaking in his mind towards a link he thought was his father. But perhaps there was another link he had not even known existed.
The shed door opened, flooding the tiny space with more light. Amanda stood in the doorway, holding Sanara on her hip.
"What are you two doing in here?"
"We're free!" Jim jumped up.
"We…were waiting for Sanara to come find us." Spock's heart was still pounding.
"I should have told you guys not to play in here. The door always gets stuck, so I use that bucket to hold it open when I need gardening tools."
"That's better than what Spock was going to use it for." Jim chuckled.
Spock dashed past his mother and across the yard into the house. As he shut the door to bathroom, he was still wondering how Jim could have heard Spock speaking in his mind.
Parental links were the only ones Spock could have, and those seemed to be gone. He was an unbondable hybrid. There was no way he could have any other links.
But he remembered the way he melded with Jim that first summer and promised to only love him forever. Had those humans vows somehow been the key to creating a bond in his mind, something a Vulcan elder couldn't even do?
Spock wanted to talk to Jim about what happened, but he could not find the time to be alone with him. Spock had to help set the table for dinner, and afterwards he had to start to get ready for school the next morning.
It was strange to have school and know Jim would be staying here in his house all day while he was gone. His mother would be here too, and it wasn't as if Spock feared Jim touching his things, but still.
Spock cleaned out his school bag, and rearranged his textbooks. Jim sat on Spock's bed and watched him, somewhat smug about being able to sleep in tomorrow.
Spock went to take a bath and felt slightly dejected when Jim did not ask to share the bath with him. Surely after being under the warm sun and surrounded by sand and dust, he needed a bath more than Spock did?
"Do you want to take a bath with me?" Spock decided to just ask.
"Uh, no. I'm good for now, thanks." Jim was sitting on the Starfleet issue sleeping bag Winona had sent with him, and was flipping through one of his own textbooks he'd brought. Apparently he had some schooling to keep up with.
"Alright."
Were they too old to bathe together now? Spock did notice that the tub was only made for one fully-grown person, so two almost-grown people would still be a tight fit. If only the bathtub were bigger.
As he soaked in the special Vulcan svai scented soap, he thought again about how Jim had momentarily been able to hear Spock's voice in his head. Did they truly mean they were bonded in more than just words shared one summer?
Spock closed his eyes and tried once more to find that link in his mind. His headspace was nice and warm now and he chanted in his head.
"Jim…Jim…Jim…"
After a while, he opened his eyes and sat up, listening. He could not hear anything. He finished washing and got out. He dried off and went into his room. Jim had abandoned his schoolwork and was now playing some sort of hand-held video game he'd brought.
"Did you hear anything…strange?"
"Huh? When?" Jim glanced up.
"While I was in the bath."
"No. Why?" He glanced back down at his game.
"No reason." Spock wondered if perhaps he'd been reaching out wrong. Still, there was no way to ask anyone about it without having to explain why.
Jim went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, and while he was in there, Spock heard the taps in the bath turn on. When he came back, Spock saw that he had apparently decided to wash off after all. Perhaps he realized Vulcan made humans sweatier and dustier than Earth ever could.
"Are you too hot?" Spock asked when he came back and sat in his sleeping bag. "I have a fan I can get."
"Nah. I'm actually not as hot as I thought I'd be."
"It is the hyposprays the doctor gave you." Spock got under the covers. "They keep your core temperature regulated. My mother had to take them every day until her body adjusted, and that took years."
"Years?" Jim looked up. "Well, it's not so bad. They hurt at first, but I'd rather have them than get here and die."
"Vulcan's heat cannot kill a human unless that human already has pre-existing medical problems." Spock turned off the light.
Spock looked down at Jim and waited. Wasn't he going to ask to share the bed with him? They always shared the bed, no matter what. Even when Spock's parent s had come with him to Earth last summer so Sanara could see the ocean. Spock and Jim had been in separate hotel rooms, but they still fell asleep together on the bed when they put Sanara down for a nap.
Jim turned over and looked up at Spock. The only light was coming from the lights of the other dwellings outside. The skyline lights were out farther, but past that was darkness. Starlight was not nearly as bright here.
"Uh. Is it okay if I lay with you for just a sec?" Jim asked.
"Certainly." Spock moved over to make room and Jim got in beside him. "I did not think you wanted to share beds anymore, since you did not want to share a bath with me."
"That's different." Jim said.
"Oh, you mean because my bed is bigger than the bathtub." Spock briefly considered taking Jim to one of the bathhouses in the city. The tubs there were very large, almost like a shallow pool.
"No." Jim scoffed. "You know…because in the bath…you're naked."
"So?"
"So? So, you don't care about being naked? I mean, you'd just walk down the street naked?"
"Clothes protect your skin from weather, as well as serve other purposes depending on the culture and location. Of course you should not walk down the street naked."
"You really don't get what I'm saying?"
"We have seen each other naked before. I do not understand why this is suddenly an issue."
"That was when we were little kids. It's just not something humans do when you grow up, okay?" He pulled the blanket up over his head. "Don't ask me about it anymore, okay?"
"Alright." Spock considered going under the blanket as well, but he did not know if Jim was truly annoyed with him or not.
He laid back and closed his eyes. He needed to sleep in order to get up for school in the morning. He was just drifting off to sleep when he felt Jim reach for his hand. He gave Spock's hand a gentle squeeze and held on. Spock was very glad that not everything was changing as they aged.
The next morning, Spock woke up at nearly five. His alarm had not gone off yet, but Spock needed to meditate. He carefully reached over Jim and turned off his alarm before it could go off. He then carefully climbed over Jim before covering him back with the blanket.
He got his incense pot and lit his favorite scent before sitting cross-legged on the floor. After silently focusing for a moment, he attempted once more to reach out to Jim.
"Jim."
"Jim.
"Jim."
"Jim."
Spock opened his eyes a fraction and looked over at the bed. Jim groaned and mumbled something in his sleep before rolling over. Inconclusive. He'd have to do more tests to see.
The sun was rising as Spock got dressed in his school robes and got his bag. He went downstairs and ate his breakfast. He finally went back upstairs and decided to wake Jim up.
"Jim…I am going to school now." Spock gently shook him.
"Hm…you're leaving?" Jim sat up and yawned.
"Yes. You will stay here with my mother and sister. I had to wake you before I left so I could quickly give you a few rules about staying here."
"Rules?" He chuckled. "Like what?"
"Simple." Spock pointed to his lute up on the shelf. "This is very important. Do not touch it."
"I wasn't gonna." Jim grumbled. Spock ignored him and pointed to his microscope on his desk.
"This is very expensive. Do not touch it." He pointed to his video screen. "This is okay to touch. You can watch anything you want."
"You don't have anything non-educational, do you?" He asked.
"Not at the moment, but some of the educational movies are animated." Spock thought Jim would like that.
"Cartoons are for babies, Spock." He said.
"Oh. Well, if that is the way you feel, then I will not download any for us to watch this afternoon, even if I did want to watch the ones with you about the talking rabbit."
"You did? Well, I guess I'll watch them with you if you really want." He said. "I mean, we can watch a bunch of baby shows if you wanted to, like, show them to your sister. That'd be okay."
"Alright." Spock nodded, though he had a feeling that Sanara would not really like cartoons as much as Jim did. "Well, I must go now."
"See ya' later." Jim laid back in the bed and closed his eyes.
"Goodbye."
At school, Spock arrived outside his classroom and saw that as usual, everyone was waiting outside. They all seemed to be discussing their projects, eager to find out who would be presenting on what day this week. Savensu Sonak arrived and unlocked the door. Spock took his seat up front and T'Pring sat beside him.
"As you all know, your projects are due this week. Your written portion must be turned in on the day you present to the class. As your classmates present, you must all take notes and raise your hands to ask questions. Give your classmates the utmost respect, as if they were your instructor."
He tapped the screen at the front of the room with a stylus, and the class roster appeared. Spock knew everyone's grades were always displayed publicly, so like always, they all scanned the board to see where they fell in.
Spock was second in class. He was surprised to see that. T'Pring was directly ahead of him by only three points. Stonn was third, with Sek behind him at fourth. Spock stopped looking and began to wonder if their grade order was the order in which they presented.
"The computer will now shuffle you randomly, and that will decide your order. You cannot swap with another student or delay your presentation. Failure to show up on time on the day you are to present will result in failure for the project."
Spock's nails dug into his palms as he waited. He had not been this stressed at school since exams in the skill dome. He thought of Jim, who liked sleeping in. Could he really wake up early in time for Spock's presentation.
A chime sounded when the computer was done. Their names were now randomly in an order. Spock scanned the list for his name.
"I am last." T'Pring whispered to herself.
"I am…second-to-last." Spock realized, his heart sinking. He would have to wait until Friday to present. Now he wished it went by grades.
"We will begin with the first presentation at seven tomorrow morning. For now, you should all use this time to finish any work you may have for other classes."
"You have not yet told me what your project is on." Spock took out his astronomy book and looked at T'Pring. He figured he could ask, since he told her his.
"The history of warp capabilities." She said. "I was only delaying finalizing my topic until I was sure I would be able to finish my visual aid."
"What is it?"
"I…would rather keep it a secret." She said shyly.
"Mine is also a secret." He respected that.
At lunch break, Spock took out his PADD and sat down to eat the salad his mother made for him.
Your mom let me help her make us lunch. She said she made you salad to take to school. Why do you like salad so much!?
It is good.
How are you faring at home alone?
Not bad. Just playing my video games and reading your books. Some are pretty interesting.
How's school going?
LOL! Your mom just asked if I was talking to you. She says get off your PADD and pay attention to class.
School is going well. I am on lunch break, so I am allowed to talk to you.
Spock wondered how Jim would fare the rest of the week at home until his presentation. He decided to not tell Jim until that afternoon. He read incoming messages as Jim told him about which books he was reading, and what monsters her captured in his video game.
That afternoon was one of Spock's physical health classes. It was usual fitness equipment in a large padded room. Spock changed into the uniform workout clothes and went to do his stretches. They all worked at their own pace here, with the instructor just patrolling to make sure no one hurt themselves.
Spock saw a few students on mats meditating, and while Spock was never good at reaching a peaceful and logical headspace if he meditated right after eating, he still wanted to try and strengthen his link with Jim.
He sat down and closed his eyes. Still unsure how he could properly reach out to Jim, Spock just tried to focus on Jim's face and voice in his mind. Though nothing seemed to happen, he left the class feeling much lighter and inwardly happy.
After school, Jim and Amanda picked him up. Sanara was in her car seat, and Spock wondered if it had been an ordeal to buckle her up just to go a little ways down the street.
"Hi!" Jim smiled when Spock got in the car. "How was school."
"Educational." Spock said.
"Do you know when your presentation date is?" Amanda asked.
"Yes. Friday." Spock said.
"Aw, all the way then? Whatever, at least we got time to practice." Jim said.
Spock was pleased Jim was not disappointed. As Jim leaned over and began talking sweetly to Sanara, Spock remembered what he'd written in his report about humans being excellent caretakers for children. He was barely able to suppress his smile.
Every day after school, Jim was growing increasingly more annoyed that Spock did not have time to play in between homework and preparations for his presentation. He was also trying to write his summaries on the other student's presentations
"You're still working?" Jim asked as he opened Spock's door to see Spock sitting at his desk.
"I thought you were downstairs with Sanara?" Spock asked, not looking up from the summary on the less-than-exciting piece of relic from the ancient ruins that Sek had brought to class.
"She can't play chess, though." Jim rolled his eyes and leaned over Spock's desk. "And she's cute, but she can't talk much either. Well, she says a lot of Vulcan words, but I don't really know what they mean. She keeps saying sa-kai."
Spock looked up. She was saying brother. Either she was asking for Spock, or that's what she'd somehow decided to call Jim. Jim was frowning, resting his chin in his hand and looking down at Spock's work.
"I…did not mean to neglect you." Spock said, closing his notebook. Getting to see Jim was always Spock's favorite days of the year, and the fact that Spock had been busy with school meant that the days were slipping by without Spock realizing.
"It's not a big deal." Jim shrugged, though he wasn't smiling. "We don't have to play or anything, I just had an idea of something you might wanna do?"
"What?" Spock placed his hands in his lap, giving Jim all his attention.
"Well, I'm pretty chill when I have to talk in front of my class, but it still helps when I practice beforehand. I don't even really know what you're gonna say, or if I should just stand there. So, maybe we can practice on your parents first?"
"A logical idea." Spock hadn't considered it, but practicing for his parents would help him realize any flaws in his research.
He pulled up his notes on his PADD and he and Jim went downstairs. After explaining it to his parents, they agreed to be his audience. They sat on the couch, with Sanara on Amanda's lap.
"Good evening, students." Spock stood with his slides displaying on the video screen. "My project is on the dominant species of Earth: the Human. Behold," He gestured to Jim. "A human male, age eleven."
"Ooh." Amanda said.
"Humans have developed on their homeworld over millions of years from single cells, like Vulcans, humans have two eyes, ears, arms and legs, though their biology also differs in many ways."
Jim just stood there, rocking back and forth on his heels. Spock opened the first slide, which displayed a photo still from Vulcan's first contact with humans.
"Humans were first warp capable with their ship, The Phoenix. Sensing this, Vulcans moved to contact them logically."
Spock went on to explain human's history within the federation, and different biological aspects of humans.
"Humans let emotion control their actions, simply because their emotional reactions happen first." Spock read from his notes. "If they stopped to think logically, then they would –"
"Hey." Jim nudged him. Spock looked up. "Can I say something?"
"Not yet." Spock whispered back.
"What? Why not?"
"Because I need to finish this part." Spock explained. "Now –"
"What, your part about humans being stupid?" Jim crossed his arms. "You're not gonna let me say anything?"
"I did not say you were stupid. I said you acted illogically sometimes. Now –"
"So, that's it, then?" Jim asked. "I just stand here while you talk? You said you wanted to each about humans, but you won't let one speak?"
"You do not know what I am talking about." Spock tried to reason.
"Why wouldn't I? It's about humans! I know everything you're gonna say. But you think I'm too stupid to keep up with your research?"
"No." Spock tried to stay calm. "It is just I have carefully outlined this, and there is just no room for you to speak."
"So, stand here and be quiet, huh?" Jim growled. "You don't really care about humans at all, do you? This is just about your grade!"
"That is not true!" Spock was begin to understand the concept of hurt feelings. Retaliation was an emotional instinct, an instinct he could not help but follow. "Jim, you are behaving…Nirak."
His parents gasped. Spock realized what he said much too late. Jim did not know Vulcan, but seemed to understand his implication from tone perfectly. For just a split second, he looked so hurt. His pain turned to anger.
"I'm not helping you anymore!" He turned and ran upstairs.
"Jim…" Spock was still stunned by his own words, only able to stand and watch as Jim ran upstairs and slammed Spock's bedroom door.
He looked at his parents. Sarek was unreadable, but Amanda scowled at him. He had a feeling that her disappointment had nothing to do with his use of a Vulcan swear word.
"Spock, that was very wrong of you." Sarek picked up Sanara and stood up. "You know better than to let your emotions get out of hand like that. Vulcans are above using such language."
"Never mind what he said." Amanda stood up. "Yes, you should never use words like that, but that isn't the point. You should have let Jim speak in your presentation."
"You agree with him?" Spock knew she was human too, but wasn't she supposed to support her son? He looked at Sarek, but it seemed he was not going to support Spock either.
"Yes. You say you want to improve the way Vulcans see humans, yet you won't let a human speak. That's why Vulcans think so strangely of us. They never even try to get to know us. That's what I call illogical."
"Mother…" Spock wanted to explain himself further, but he was coming up with nothing.
"When Solkar first contacted The Phoenix's pilot, Dr. Cochrane, don't you remember what he did?"
"He…shook his hand." Spock did not have to look at his slides to know that.
"Did you ever think about why?" She asked.
"Because Dr. Cochrane offered it." Spock said.
"And Solkar took it, even though it was un-Vulcan. He was showing he respected Dr. Cochrane by doing what humans do. He was respecting humanity." She looked down at him. "I am surprised you don't want to do the same."
"Logical." He muttered with a sigh. He looked at Sarek. "Do you think she is right."
"Always." He nodded.
"Of course."
Spock slowly walked upstairs and opened his bedroom door a crack. Jim looked over and immediately turned away from him, his arms crossed and his back to Spock.
"I'm not talking to you." He said. "I'm mad at you."
"I understand. I should not have behaved that way." Spock approached him, but Jim did not turn around.
"You called me stupid." Jim grumbled.
"No, I said you were behaving foolishly, but it was truly me who was behaving…Nirak." Spock felt his face grow warmer. "You were right. You deserve to have input. I will let you speak to my class."
"You will?" Jim turned around.
"Yes. I have to do the actual presentation, but I will make sure you get to answer questions at the end. I will also let you hear my whole presentation, and we can take out anything you deem offensive to humans. It was never my intention to hurt you." He looked at Jim. "I am sorry."
"Aw…well…" Jim stared down at his feet. "It's okay. I know you didn't really mean it."
He glanced up at Spock, his face tinged pink. Spock's room suddenly felt tinier with just the two of them like this. Jim chuckled and then held out his hand. It reminded Spock of the videos and photos he'd seen during his research of Humans and Vulcans first meeting.
Spock shook Jim's hand and blushed. Jim grinned.
"Alright then, let's get back to work."
"Do I have to wear one of those too?" Jim asked on Friday morning as Spock put on his school uniform robe. He was still yawning from having to be up so early.
"No. Dress like you normally would. You will appear most human that way." Spock told him before looking back at the mirror on his dresser where he was carefully combing his hair. He needed to look his best.
"Okay." Jim put on jeans and t-shirt with a picture of a green alien on it.
Spock opened his mouth to tell Jim that that shirt was too offensive to aliens, before deciding against it. He did not want Jim to get upset again, and true Vulcans would likely not get offended over something so trivial.
"Spock?" Amanda knocked on the bedroom door.
"Come in." Spock said.
"Man, you're lucky your mom actually knocks on your door." Jim muttered as Amanda came in carrying a small box Spock recognized from the vanity in her room.
"Need something to look extra special today?" She asked.
"Make-up?" Spock watched her open the tiny mirrored box.
"Make-up!?" Jim looked in the box. "Hey, you can look really punk rock with this stuff!"
"I was thinking we'd go for a more subtle approach." Amanda laughed. "I've been doing your father's make-up for his meetings for years now. I know how to do a Vulcan's colors, and bring out their eyes. Human's too." She looked at Jim.
And so, they all sat on the floor as Amanda put make-up on the two children. Spock had seen his mother do it dozens of times, but he never realized the precision involved until now.
"Keep your eyes closed." She said and he felt her trace over his eyelashes and eyebrows with a dark pencil. "Now, this color is perfect for you."
She rubbed something on his cheeks like powder. It made him feel the urge to sneeze, but he didn't want to mess any of it up.
He kept his eyes closed as she finished Jim's, as per her orders. He wondered if he looked drastically different. What if he looked bad? Perhaps he'd just wash it off at school before class.
"Okay, done." She said. "You guys can look now."
Spock opened his eyes and looked over at Jim. He hoped his gasp was not too audible. Jim's skin seemed extra pink, and there was a subtle color on his eyelids.
"Wow, you look awesome!" Jim said with a grin.
Spock looked into the tiny mirror on the lid of the make-up box. He did indeed look different. His cheeks were tinged green, and his eyelids had the same color as Jim's did.
"Like it?" Amanda asked eagerly.
"Very much so." Spock nodded.
On the ride to school, Spock sat very still so nothing would mess up his make-up or hair. Jim wasn't worried about that, and kept leaning over Spock to look out the window.
"Woah, is that your school?" He pointed.
"Yes. The Vulcan Learning Institute." Spock nodded. It was a tall building that matched the city's pointy architecture. It looked old like the planet on the outside, but the inside contained some of the most high-tech computer systems in all of Vulcan. They took education very seriously.
"Romar will pick you up at three. " Amanda called to them through the window as they got out. "Can't wait to hear how it went!"
"Now, the first thing we need to do is get your visitor's pass." Spock said, leading him inside.
"What do I need a pass for?" Jim asked as they walked into the lobby. His eyes went to a case on one wall displaying all of the intergalactic awards won by the students.
"Savensu Sonak said I could bring anything as long as it followed policy. Policy states anyone not enrolled needs a pass. Sit." Spock pointed to a dark wood bench outside the administrator's office. Jim sat
Spock went in and came back a few moments later with the proper pass. He put it around Jim's neck, so the laminated card mostly covered the alien on his shirt.
"What next?" Jim cupped his chin in his hands and looked up at him. The eyeshadow Amanda had put on him, his eye color seemed even more vibrant. It took Spock a moment to remember.
"Come on. I want to be able to keep you a secret up until I present. I do not see how that is possible, now." Spock stopped just before a turn in the hall. Jim nearly bumped into him.
"What is it?" Jim asked, peering around the corner.
"The classrooms for my course level are down this hall." Spock explained. "The students are waiting outside the rooms. They will see you."
"Why don't we wait until they go in?" Jim suggested.
"Then I will technically be tardy and fail." Spock was appalled at the idea.
"What time does your teacher unlock the door?"
"Approximately five minutes until seven." Spock checked the chronometer on his wrist. "We have one minute."
He looked back the way they'd come, but he did not seen Savensu Sonak yet. His instructor's office would be the perfect place to hide Jim until the presentation, but he could not even get him there if the door was locked and everyone was standing around waiting. Curse his classmates' aptitude for punctuality.
"We need a distraction." Jim said. "Got something I can throw?"
"No." Spock did like the idea of a distraction, though. He thought for a moment, before lifting his head and peering around the corner once more. He scanned his classmates until he saw her. He could not shout too loudly. "T'Pring!"
She looked over, knitting her brows together in confusion. Spock beckoned for her to come over. She looked back at T'Pell and said something before walking over to Spock.
"What is it? What are you doing?" She asked as she came over. When she rounded the corner and saw Spock wasn't alone, her eyebrows went up. "A human?"
"Yes. He is part of my presentation. I want to get him into Savensu's office until it is time, but I do not want anyone to see him yet. Can you distract our class?" He half expected her to refuse, but her eyes seemed to light up.
"I have the perfect distraction. They were all quite eager to see what I brought for my presentation. Perhaps I will let them see it after all." She went back over to the group and announced something. She opened her bag and showed them all something in it. They were all craning their necks to see what it was, that no one noticed Spock take Jim's hand and dart towards the classroom door.
They arrived just as Savensu did. He walked over to the keypad on the door, but his eyes went to Spock, and then Jim.
"Good morning Savensu." Spock tried to sound ordinary. "May I please hide my human in your office until I show him to the class?"
"I better not be sitting in there forever." Jim crossed his arms.
"Shh." Spock snapped.
"…Certainly." Savensu Sonak opened the classroom door and Spock pulled Jim inside. He went to the office door and tried to seem patient as Savensu unlocked it.
"You sit in here and do not touch anything." Spock said before closing the door just as Jim stuck his tongue out at him. It was very difficult for Spock to suppress the embarrassment from Savensu having seen that.
"You managed to acquire a human." Savensu Sonak said, sounding slightly impressed. "A relative?"
"A friend." Spock replied.
The class filed in, and Spock took his spot at the front and took his PADD out of his bag to load his slides onto the screen.
"T'Pring, that was quite fascinating." T'Pell said. "I am quite eager to see your presentation today."
"I am also eager to give it." She nodded. "But Spock goes before me, and I am sure his will be just as fascinating."
When everyone was seated, Spock knew that was his cue to start his presentation. He'd watched all of the previous presentations, but it was different to be the one giving it. Dozens of dark eyes watched him, their faces impassive.
Spock tapped the screen of his PADD, and the screen at the front of the room responded simultaneously.
"Good morning, students." Spock said clearly. "Today, I am going to talk to you about humans."
He searched their faces for anything. A few looked intrigued.
"As you may know, I am half-human." Spock glanced around when he thought he heard a snicker, but it was just Sek clearing his throat. Beside him, Stonn was watching with thinly veiled hatred.
"How many of you have ever seen a human in person?" Spock asked. To his surprise, most of the classes raised their hands. He wondered if they were counting seeing him with his mother at the shops sometimes.
"How many of you have seen a human of our age group?" This time, no one raised their hands. "For my visual aid, I have brought someone that I hope you will find fascinating.
Spock crossed the room to the office door and opened it. Jim was sitting at Savensu's desk.
"My cue?" He asked in a whisper, and Spock nodded.
Jim followed Spock back to the front of the room, and there were instant murmur's and whispers. Students in the back rose from their seats to get a better look.
"Light hair." Spock heard someone whisper across the aisle to someone else.
"Look at his ears!" Someone said loudly.
Jim seemed to enjoy the spark his arrival had created. He stood beside Spock and grinned, rocking back and forth on his heels.
"This," Spock gestured to Jim. "Is a human male, age eleven."
"Hello." Jim waved, before deciding to be culturally appropriate and switching to the ta'al.
"His name is Jim Kirk." Spock said. "He is from Iowa."
"Go Cubs!" Jim cheered.
No one seemed to understand what he meant. They all stared silently. Spock was not phased. You were not really supposed to talk during someone else's presentation anyways, unless prompted by the speaker.
"As you can see, Jim has many traits that are actually recessive to humans, such as light hair and blue eyes." Spock tapped his PADD, and the screen up front showed different charts displaying human physical features.
"Humans are excellent technicians and scientists. They also display high amounts of compassion, optimism, and imagination. Vulcans also display this traits in other forms. For instance; when a Vulcan is feeling compassion for another person's pain, they may try and fix it by suggesting remedies. Humans do this as well, but their greatest compassionate instinct is sympathy. This tells the other person that their pain is not just acknowledged, but understood."
Spock silently thanked his mother for keeping several of her phycology textbooks around, many of which Spock consulted for his project.
Spock went onto explain different aspects of human biology, before switching to the history of technological advances made by humans. He ended with a slide on First Contact, his slide showing the iconic moment that Solkar shook hands with Dr. Cochrane.
Despite the fact that everyone had likely seen the photo and heard the story dozens of times, there was still the sense of unease that always came with seeing adults touching hands like that.
"By shaking Dr. Cochrane's hand, Solkar was showing respect for humans and their culture. From that moment, his opinion of their abilities never wavered. Every ambassador from Vulcan to Earth sense him, My father included, has always strived to make sure our relationship with this fascinating species is always growing stronger. That is why I believe we should all hold out our hands –metaphorically speaking –to humans, as they logically have earned our respect. Thank you."
Spock knew it was not customary to clap, so he did not read the room's silence as a bad thing. He glanced up and scanned the faces of his classmates. The majority of them looked very intrigued. Only Stonn seemed disgusted, but Spock was fairly certain that at this point, Stonn was just always going to look that way.
Spock looked at T'Pring. She seemed quite impressed. He looked over at Savensu Sonak. He was unreadable, but Spock tried not to focus on that. His instructor could not fail him unless his project was done incorrectly. Whether he liked the subject matter was irrelevant.
"Who has a question for Jim?" Spock asked. To his surprise, most everyone's hand went up. Spock nodded at Jim, letting him know he was free to do choose who he wanted.
"Yeah? Girl in the front?" Jim nodded at T'Pring.
"Is it true that humans often eat meat?" She asked.
"Well, some humans are vegetarians for different reasons." Jim said. "Some just don't like meat. I do, though."
"You have eaten cow?" Someone asked.
"Yes."
"Birds?"
"Yes."
"Dogs?"
"Ew, no!" Jim gasped and laughed. "Eating pet animals is weird."
"But both cows and chickens are domesticated." Someone pointed out.
"Okay, whatever. Next question." Jim searched the sea of hands before pointing at someone.
"What Earth food do you prefer?" Someone asked.
"Pizza is the best!" Jim said.
"What is pizza?" They asked.
"I believe it is Italian." Someone answered
"Wrong. Pizza was invented in America." Someone else said.
"Pizza is just flat bread with tomato sauce on it." Spock told them. "It is very good."
"Oh."
Jim answered many questions about his subjects at school and how he found himself faring during his stay on Vulcan.
"It's not that hot, cuz I took that medicine before I got here." Jim said. "It's really rocky and sandy, though. And red. Needs more color."
"Is it true humans are extremely weak?" Stonn asked without raising his hand. There was no honest curiosity in his voice like there had been with the others.
"Uh, no." Jim rolled his eyes.
"Then how many pull-ups could you do?" Stonn's eyes narrowed.
"Well, Vulcan's gravity is stronger than Earth's, so not as many as usual. I just seem weaker."
Spock was impressed by Jim's ability to give a logical answer. He did not even have to jump in and defend Jim.
"Is it true humans are stupid?" Stonn once again asked without raising his hands.
"No." Jim grinned. "But humans do have secret magic powers."
There was a sudden outburst of whispers and chatter. Sonak raised an eyebrow and looked at Spock, but Spock did not know what Jim was going for.
"That is not true." Stonn narrowed his eyes.
"Sure it is." Jim approached Stonn's desk, and Spock felt his heart start racing. What was Jim doing? "Hm…what's that behind your ear?"
"What…?"
Oh. Spock suppressed a smile as Stonn began to reach back, his anger slowly shrouding in confusion. Jim reached behind Stonn's ear and pulled back, holding a coin up.
"Ta-da." Jim grinned.
"How did you do that?" Stonn demanded.
"Magic." Jim shrugged.
Now the class erupted into louder whispers. Spock wondered if any of them believed Jim, or if they were all just working towards the real answer among themselves.
"Spock," Savensu Sonak looked at him. "The time."
Spock checked his wrist chronometer, and saw that they only had a minute or two left for Spock to wrap up his presentation.
"One more question?" T'Pring raised her hand.
"Are you going to ask about the magic trick?" Jim asked smugly.
"No." She lowered her hand. "I was going to ask if it is true that humans are free to choose their own bond-mates, rather than being forced into a betrothal as children?"
At the question, everyone went silent and looked from T'Pring to Jim for the answer. It seemed Stonn was still angry at Jim's trick, but T'Pring's use of the word forced seemed to send him over the edge. He growled audibly.
"Yep." Jim nodded. "For humans, the main thing about marriage is love, so you choose who you want to love and spend your life with. I couldn't imagine being forced to be with someone I barely know."
"So, you choose as adults?" She asked.
"Well, sometimes you can choose when you're just a kid. Like, you just know you love someone already. I get why you're asking, though. I mean, humans are cool and exotic, and you've never seen one your own age before, but I can't marry you. I'm already taken."
"Betrothed at your age?" Her eyebrows went up.
"Sure. I chose Spock!"
Spock felt every eye in the room go to him. His face flushed, and he was able to hear his own heartbeat in his ears. He looked at Jim, and Jim just looked back at him with a smile on his face. Spock smiled too.
The chime sounded over the intercom, and Savensu Sonak turned off the screen at the front of the room.
"Alright. After intermission, it is time for the next presentation."
Spock knew this was the time that everyone usually went to the restroom or got a drink of water before the second half of the class, but Spock could not bring himself to move his feet. Jim had just announced their intention to marry to his whole class, his rival, his teacher, and even his former intended.
"Spock?" Jim tugged at his sleeve. "I gotta pee. Where's the bathroom?"
"This way." Spock found his voice and feet and led Jim down the hall. While waiting for Jim outside the bathroom, T'Pring approached him.
"I find your presentation very fascinating." She said.
"Thank you." He nodded.
"I must ask…for clarification." She began.
"You hide the coin in your palm." Spock said. "That is how the trick is done. The coin is not really behind anyone's ear."
"Oh, I see." She nodded. A moment passed in silence. "Are you really betrothed to that human boy?"
"Yes." Spock could not lie. "We chose each other. We were betrothed a few summers ago."
"Was it here? Who performed it? Did you have to drink su'aasal beforehand?"
"No…We had a more human approach to the ceremony on Earth." Spock had almost forgotten about the strange juice he and T'Pring had to drink from clay cups before their ceremony. Perhaps it was the strange properties of it, or the fact that they'd shared mutual looks of disgust afterwards, but his nerves over being bonded had been slightly eased.
Jim came out of the bathroom just as the chime sounded for them to go back to class. Jim grabbed his hand, and Spock was relieved that it was still damp, proving he actually washed them in the bathroom.
Jim sat in T'Pring's usual seat beside Spock as she took the place at the front of the room. She took Savensu Sonak's stool from the podium and brought it to the front as well. Everyone's fascination was palpable, and Spock realized he was the only one who hadn't gotten a glimpse of whatever it was she was going to show them.
"Good morning, class. Today I am going to talk to you about the history of warp capabilities in spaceships. It is all made possible by this." She placed something on the stool so they could all see it. "A dilithium crystal."
"Whoa, is that real!?" Jim asked loudly. Spock suppressed embarrassment at Jim's outburst, but T'Pring did not seem to mind.
"Yes, it is." She nodded. "Would you like to hold it?"
"Sure." He bounced eagerly in his seat.
T'Pring took the crystal and carefully handed it to Jim. Jim turned the pointed yellowish stone in his hands before passing it to Spock. Spock admired it for a moment before passing it across the aisle to another eager student.
T'Pring we on to explain the fascinating history of warp capabilities in Vulcans and other species. She even had a photo in her slides of The Phoenix, Earth's first warp capable ship.
Spock saw everyone admire the crystal greatly before passing it on. Only Stonn just glanced at it disgustedly before rudely shoving it at Sek. Spock did not want to think too highly of himself, but he was certain that everyone liked his and T'Pring's projects much more than anyone else's, including Stonn's on Vulcan's historical wars.
After her presentation was done, everyone seemed impressed, even if Jim was the only one who clapped. T'Pring caught up with them outside in the hallway.
"Applause is good, isn't it?" She asked.
"Yes." Spock confirmed. "It is how humans show approval or praise."
"Fascinating." She nodded. He wondered if she was wishing Vulcans had an equivalent. "I also wanted to tell you that your make-up looks very nice. I wish my mother would let me wear some, but she says I shouldn't until I am at least thirteen. It seems your mother is more open-minded."
"Yes. I suppose I am lucky that way."
For the rest of the day, Jim attended all of Spock's classes with him, doing some of his own schoolwork on his PADD as Spock listened to lectures and took notes. Whenever one of the instructors would eye them suspiciously, Jim would just show them his visitor's pass.
They ate lunch together, and for once in his life, Spock was not alone at his table. It seemed everyone's earlier fascination with Jim had not faded, as most of the class crowded around their table as they ate.
"Do humans get sufficient nutrients from Vulcan foods?" Someone asked.
"Sure." Jim took a giant bite of salad. "Some are pretty good too."
"Is it true human's teeth fall out? Are you missing teeth?"
"I already lost all my baby teeth." Jim said. "You lose them when you're a little kid."
"Baby teeth…" Someone whispered curiously. "So, are you born with them?"
"Ha!" Jim laughed. "You guys ask weird questions. I don't mind, though."
"Do you have any domesticated animals at your dwelling?"
"Yep! I live on a farm, so there's cows and chickens and stuff."
"Does it snow where you live? Have you ever seen snow?"
"I've seen snow like a million times. It's fun to play in."
"A million." Someone gasped.
"He is exaggerating. Humans often use hyperbole to emphasize –" Spock tried to explain, until he looked up and realized no one was listening. They were all just admiring Jim show off the trick with the coin again.
Spock scowled and stabbed at his salad with more force than necessary. What was this bitter feeling? Jealousy? It wasn't that he was jealous that his class like Jim more than they ever liked him, but jealousy that Jim liked them in return. He didn't care for this bitter feeling, but he did not know how to make it go away.
It extended into Spock's physical education class. Spock did his usual warm-ups and stretches, but it seemed Jim did not care about warming up before he ran over to the exercise equipment.
All of the Vulcans in their class watched as Jim attempted to work out on the pull-up bar. He was able to do it, but it was very evident that the Vulcan gravity was making it difficult for him.
"Wow. He is so weak. How fascinating." Someone said. There were murmurs of agreement.
"Yes, look he is perspiring. How human."
"His make-up is getting ruined."
"Wow, he is just so weak."
"Weak.
"Very weak."
"Okay, that's enough." Jim snapped. He let go of the bar and dropped to the floor. "You guys are starting to annoy me. I'm gonna go hang out with Spock."
Spock hid his smile by taking a sip from his water. Jim sat beside him on the exercise mat and sighed. Spock could see sweat along his hairline. He gestured for Jim to follow him, and in the locker room he gave Jim a cup of water and wet a paper towel for his face.
"My make-up is all messed up." He sighed.
"I will take mine off as well." Spock washed his face at the sink and Jim did the same.
"We look ordinary now."
"I still like the way you look." Spock said. Their eyes met in the mirror.
"You know, your Vulcan friends are weird." He smirked.
"Classmates." Spock corrected. "They are not really my friends."
"What about that girl?"
"T'Pring?" Spock thought for a moment. "Yes, I suppose she could classify as one."
"That guy, though. The one who was asking me all those rude questions. He seems like a jerk. He's the one who used to give you a hard time, right?"
"Stonn? Yes. He is a bigot." Spock balled up the paper towels and tossed them into the recycling receptacle. "I thought it was very…funny of you to use that trick on him. It was an…interesting addition to my presentation." Spock struggled with the words, but he hoped Jim still understood the sentiment.
"I wish I could have done more. When I was sitting in your teacher's office, I should have hacked into the computer and given that guy a failing grade!" He laughed.
"Jim." Spock gasped.
"I'm just kidding. I probably would never do that. Probably."
On the way home from school, Spock told Romar and then his parents all about how his presentation went. He tried not to leave out any details, including how offensive some of his classmates' fascination with Jim appeared.
"I just do not know what Savensu Sonak thought." Spock picked up his PADD and refreshed the page. His grade had still not been posted.
"Don't sweat it." Jim placed his hand on Spock's shoulder. "You'll ace it! You're definitely gonna get your report published."
"Vulcans cannot sweat." Spock said. "But I appreciate your faith in me."
Jim had to leave Sunday, so Spock decided to take his mind off his grades and spent all of the remaining time doing whatever Jim wanted.
They spent Saturday playing outside with a ball. Spock taught Jim a Vulcan sport that was very similar to soccer, and Jim taught Spock the rules to American football. It was difficult to play with a round ball, as it kept slipping from their arms, and they would usually trip over it and fall on top of each other.
That evening, Jim downloaded some animated film to Spock's video screen for them to watch. Spock then went and brought Sanara in the room with them, so that it was okay that they watched something for children.
Spock previously thought that all animation from Earth was mindless violence, but he soon found that wasn't true. This particular film about a clown fish separated from his father was making Spock feel things, despite its scientific inaccuracies.
When Spock excused himself to go to the bathroom, he stopped outside his father's office and looked to make sure there was light under the door. It eased his emotions just slightly to know his father was here.
When the movie was over, Spock shifted in bed and found that Sanara had fallen asleep between them. He sat up and looked over at Jim.
"Are you awake?" Spock asked.
"Yeah." Jim answered. "What'd you think?"
"It was…sad."
"Yeah.
"Yet, you did not cry."
"I've seen it before. Besides, it takes a lot to make me cry."
"She did not cry either." Spock looked down at his sister. "She fell asleep. I will carry her to her room."
Spock carried Sanara down the hall and Jim followed. They tucked her into bed and Spock made sure she had her stuffed animal.
"Nighty night, baby." Jim kissed her head.
"Goodnight Sanara." Spock patted her head.
Back in Spock's room, they got under the covers together. Spock was starting to realize he always slept better with Jim, and he tried not to think about how Jim had to leave the next day.
"Hey…can I ask something?" Jim whispered.
"Yes." Spock rolled over to face him.
"Can we…is it okay if we do that mind meld thing again?" He blushed. "It's just that I miss you a lot when we're apart, and we haven't done it in a long time…"
"Yes." Spock felt his heartrate increase. "I was not sure if you liked it or not."
"It's weird." Jim nodded. "But cool. I wish there was a way for us to do it all the time."
Spock thought of the tiny link in his mind and wondered how he could make it stronger. Perhaps Jim would feel better if Spock could let his presence known in Jim's mind, even from far away.
They sat cross-legged across from each other on the bed. Spock reached out and placed his hands on Jim's face. Even in the dim light, Spock could see Jim's cheeks reddening.
"My mind to your mind…my thoughts to your thoughts."
Spock hugged Jim extra tight on Sunday in the privacy of his bedroom. He did not want his parents to see him displaying such emotion, even if he part of him thought they wouldn't mind.
At the station, he was stonily silent as he had to say goodbye. He kept his eyes down on the walk back to the car, afraid that looking into anyone's eyes would make him break. Sanara reached for his hand, but he kept his fists clenched. He couldn't risk showing anything.
The news that Spock was betrothed to Jim would likely spread from his classmates to the adults of Vulcan, and Spock wanted to preserve the last few hours that they were not disappointed in him.
At home, he locked himself in his room and meditated. He was only just starting to feel better when it turned dusk, but he still did not feel like eating anything that night.
"Spock?" His mother called to him just before he went back into his room.
"Yes?"
"Are you alright?"
"Yes. Of course. Why would I not be?" He didn't turn around.
"I was just wondering if there was anything you wanted to talk to us about?" She sounded so sympathetic and kind that Spock wavered for just one second.
"No." He went into his room and closed the door.
He busied himself with studying several chapters ahead in his school work. His mind became recalling facts and problem solving. He did not look up until the next morning in his first class. His attention snapped from one of his textbooks up to his instructor when grades were mentioned.
"Your final grade on your research project will now be posted."
Spock heard his PADD chime and he looked down at it, his eyes roaming the page for his name on the list.
Spock: 100
Full marks. He felt his heart swell. He glanced to additional comments, desperate to know Savensu Sonak's true opinion.
Student followed rubric accurately. Student gave facts in logical manner. Student brought relevant visual aid for showing.
The happiness in his heart was squashed when he realized this was an extremely generic statement that could be applied to anyone's project. He looked up at the instructor.
"The student chosen to have their research published has also been chosen." He looked over at Spock's table. For another moment he felt hope. "It is T'Pring."
She looked surprised to hear this, but nodded and thanked him, as well as everyone who congratulated her.
"Congratulations." Spock mumbled. He tried to be happy for her, but it was hard. He hoped she wouldn't notice.
"You deserved it more." She told him after class in the hallway.
"You deserved it just the same." Spock could not argue with that logic.
"But your research was more original. It was a very open view-point, and something our class really needed to understand.
"I do not think Savensu thought so." Spock said.
"Nor the publication." She sighed. "As long as there are people like Stonn and his family that hold prejudice views, then the news is never going to publish something that would have them lose that readership. I am sorry, Spock."
"It is not your fault."
"You still got perfect marks." She reminded him. "That is what future institutions look at when your apply for internships or apprenticeships."
"I suppose." He nodded.
He tried to purge any lingering negativity about the situation throughout the rest of the day. He was very ready to just get home, when Stonn passed him in the hall and stuck out his foot so Spock tripped.
"Human lover." Stonn hissed.
Spock got up and just kept going, all the while wondering if it had even been worth it to bring Jim to school.
After school, Spock just got in the back seat of the car behind Romar. He remembered just days ago bragging to Romar about his new found driving skills, and Romar suggesting that Spock show him sometime. Spock hoped he would not bring that up now.
"Young Spock, how was school?"
"Uneventful." Spock mumbled, resting his head on the window.
At home, Spock grabbed a snack and went to lock himself in his room once more. He would have a math exam soon, and now seemed like a good time to make math his primary focus. Math was always exact. Math could never disappoint him.
"Spock?" Sarek stood in the doorway to his office and Spock halted.
"Yes?"
"How was school?"
"Fine. I receive a good grade on my report. T'Pring's was chosen to be published." He took a loud bite out of his carrot and hoped he could go to his room now.
"Is there anything else you wish to discuss?" He asked.
Spock turned away and chewed loudly. There were now a few things troubling him. He missed Jim dearly when they were apart. He was starting to believe they shared the beginnings of a mental bond that Spock had control over. Their decision to marry one day was now known by his whole class.
"No." Spock lied, taking another bite of his carrot.
"If you ever wish to speak to me about anything, all you have to do is knock, and I will answer. My work is very important, but you are also important to me." He said. That made Spock feel something deep.
"Perhaps... I am upset." Spock turned around to face him. "I am upset my research was not chosen. I worked very hard. I wanted to be published like you."
"It is understandable that you feel this way. Understanding why you feel emotions is the first step to logically suppressing them. You must remember that all of your classmates worked hard and likely all deserved the recognition."
"Yes." Spock mumbled. "I cannot feel disappointed. T'Pring is my friend and she worked hard as well. I am happy for her."
"Logical." Sarek nodded. "It is logical that you have remained close with her, despite never bonding. Interpersonal relationships with other Vulcans your age is important."
"Were you and Mother ever upset I could not bond with T'Pring?"
"At first we were not upset, but worried. Betrothal at a young age is a tradition with logical reason." He said. "But we are no longer as concerned. We believe it will all resolve itself one day."
Spock nodded and went back to his room. He was not sure what that meant. Did his parents know the truth or not? Well, Spock would try not to focus on that for now. He picked up his PADD and smiled as he decided to call Jim.
"My Trip to Vulcan?" Spock read the title of the paper aloud as Jim held it up to the screen. "You wrote that?"
"Yeah." Jim laughed. "For school. It's why I was asking you certain questions, to make sure I got it all right. I haven't turned it in yet, though. I want your input."
"You do?"
"Yeah. I mean, you let me go through your project to make sure you didn't have anything offensive about humans. I figured you deserved the same."
"I doubt you could say anything that would offend me." Spock said. "But I appreciate the sentiment."
"Here, let me send you the digital version and you can read it yourself, or I'll just read it to you! I wrote all about the little differences between your place and mine, and the similarities too. Like, how we both dry our laundry outside."
"It just makes sense. Our dwellings are solar powered, so we should save the charged battery of the drier for when there is inclement weather."
"Plus, it smells better when its sun dried." Jim said factually.
"Very true." Spock nodded.
"The only thing I didn't put it…was our mind meld." Jim blushed slightly. "I mean, I was gonna, but it felt too personal, you know?"
"You may include it if you would like." Spock said. "I would not mind."
"You sure?" Jim looked down at his paper. "Maybe. I dunno. It's not really my teacher's business. Maybe I'll write about us getting locked in the garden shed instead. That was pretty funny."
"I do not see the humor in it." Spock said. Jim just laughed and shook his head.
"Man, I miss you already. I can't wait to see you again. Maybe I won't be so shy, and I'll play you another song, or you could play me one."
"I would like that." Spock smiled slightly.
"I can take you to my class!" He seemed to think this was very funny. "Or, maybe not. I don't want all my classmates asking you dumb questions. But I'm still glad you took me. It was fun. Thanks, Spock."
"You are welcome, Jim. Thank you for your part in my receiving a good grade."
As Jim began to read his paper aloud, Spock could not wipe the small smile from his face. As he heard about everything on Vulcan that Jim enjoyed, he was sure that it had indeed been very worth it.
