…
U.S.S. Enterprise, 2281.138, 0753 hours. Faintly, Se'tak heard Mama murmuring outside his door. He caught the words "sick", "home", and "school" before flopping his head back down on the pillow in relief. He certainly had been sick last night, throwing up who knows how many times; Se'tak never knew his stomach could hold that much food let alone that he ate that much in a given day. Even with Mama's gentle coaxing he was barely keeping down the crackers and ginger ale and the mere thought of eating made him nauseous.
But beyond the cinnamon poisoning he still had no idea where things stood with Tabitha. She'd left a message while her father was here chewing him out in front of his sa-mekh but he'd been too ill to call her back—and truthfully he was more than a little afraid of what might happen if he did. Nightmares of rusty scalpels and lok-less Vulcans plagued his restless sleep.
It was good that he was staying home then; he'd have a long weekend to recuperate and help him prepare. Monday, however, was pretty much guaranteed to suck.
Se'tak closed his eyes to try and get a little more shut eye.
The Previous Evening… He sat back and let his head rest against the cool wall, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He'd stopped throwing up really—there wasn't anything left to throw up—but the nausea kept him camped out by the toilet just in case. Closing his eyes Se'tak heard the door open and felt Mama press a cool hand to his forehead. "Feeling any better?" she asked. She set a glass down on the floor beside him.
He nodded; he really hoped there wouldn't be any more false alarms.
"Good. When you're ready your sa-mekh and I will be waiting in your room; I think we deserve to hear the full story straight from you."
He waited until the doors closed behind her before letting out a groan.
He'd had to start and stop a couple times, and he definitely skipped using words like 'shirt-less' and 'nearly naked' but that didn't stop his parents from getting the gist of what almost went down over at Tabitha's house. When he was finished Mama was stunned speechless and Sa-mekh didn't move a centimeter from his desk chair.
"So you two…and Leonard…and then he brought you…" Mama spluttered at long last.
Se'tak felt his cheeks burn emerald. "Uh huh."
She turned to look him square in the eye. "Did you go over there knowing this was going to happen?"
"No, absolutely not," he answered quickly.
Mama looked a little relieved but not entirely convinced. "This was—I mean, you two haven't before…" She couldn't get the thought out and it took him a second longer than he'd like to admit to figure out what she was trying to ask.
"No! I mean, I know I haven't and I assume she hasn't with anyone else…"
He jumped when she placed a hand gently on his knee. For the first time since he started talking she smiled just a little bit. "I get it. Is it something the two of you have discussed?"
Discussed? Again the answer was no. Thought about? Only 99.9% of the time and not all of his fantasies involved Tabitha. "Not exactly."
"Oh Sweetie." Mama looked—what, disheartened? Disappointed? Very VERY pleased that there wasn't a remote chance she was going to become a grandmother within the next 10 months?
Most likely it was all of the above.
"Look, Se'tak, I know your Sa-mekh and I have discussed all of this with you before and these feelings you're having are normal but making love—especially your first time—isn't something to be done so casually and when you're so young. There are so many thoughts and feelings that come with your first time and if you're not ready…if you're not mature enough to handle them life can be very difficult and confusing afterwards—for you and your partner. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
He nodded while staring down hard at the carpet. It wasn't that he didn't understand—he did—but tonight everything had happened so fast. How could he—how could anybody be expected to think logically at a moment like that?
And the irony that Mama of all people was asking this of him wasn't lost on him either.
She looked as if there was something more she wanted to say but his exhaustion must've been apparent because she reconsidered at the last minute. "Ok. We'll go and let you sleep; but don't think that this discussion is over, because it isn't. We'll be talking about this some more tomorrow when you're feeling better and we've all had time to think."
"Ok." He looked up as she rose to her feet then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
Mama was almost to the door when she turned around and looked at Sa-mekh. "Spock, are you coming?"
"I will be along momentarily, Nyota; there is something I wish to communicate to Se'tak."
She looked at him curiously for a moment then nodded and left the room. Sa-mekh waited until the door closed behind her and she was a good ways down the hall before speaking. "Se'tak, do you believe that Tabitha is your k'hat'n'dlawa?"
Half of his heart and soul? Se'tak visibly started at the very idea. He was only fifteen and this was his first serious relationship. Tabitha could be the one but…"I'm—I'm not sure."
His sa-mekh quirked his head, no doubt parsing out a more concrete response from his rather vague reply. "I believe I understand. Sa-fu, you should know that while I do share your mother's concerns for you and your well-being, I also understand that there are moments where certain—impulses—cannot help but be acted upon. I encourage you to delay acting on your sexual urges until you are older but will not pass judgment should you find yourself unable to wait. Conversely, it has been my experience that if you wait to find the one who will be your life's mate then sexual intercourse becomes the pinnacle of all physical pleasure. The extra patience and control on your part will be well worth the effort in the end."
Se'tak's head was swimming and he felt the nausea come back on. Had Sa-mekh really just said that, and was he referring to himself and Mama?
EWWWW! EW, EW, EW, EW, EW!
"Also, I strongly recommend that you visit Sickbay as soon as possible. Doctor McCoy should be avoided for the foreseeable future, however, Dr. M'benga or Dr. Patel should be able to assist you in obtaining the necessary birth control hypos you would need as a precautionary measure."
He quickly swallowed down the bile rising up in his throat. Translation: sex happens, be careful and use protection. He'd forget all about that bit where Sa-mekh alluded to his and Mama's sex life—yep, that'd be just fine with him.
Sa-mekh rose from his seat rather abruptly. "Good night, sa-fu."
"Good night." But despite his physical and mental exhaustion Se'tak could not seem to fall asleep.
U.S.S. Enterprise, 2281.138, 1109 hours. With a bleary look at his chronometer he saw how late it was and stumbled out of bed. Se'tak could feel the deep pillow marks embedded in his cheek and felt the hair sticking up on one side of his head; he must've looked quite a sight as he made his way toward the kitchen but he didn't care because he was starving. While calling up some quesadillas from the replicators he heard Mama whistling in her office and took the plate in hand to go investigate.
He stood in the doorway and cleared his throat and she pulled the earbuds out of her ears. "Hi, Sweetie, how are you feeling?"
"Good," he said between a bite full of food. "Hungry."
She grinned. "So I see."
"How come you're home?"
"I wanted to make sure you weren't suffering from anymore cinnamon poisoning so I took a personal day to keep an eye on you."
"Oh. Thanks." Se'tak leaned against the door frame and just watched her as she started going back to her work. "Mama?"
"Mhm?"
He squirmed and shifted from one foot to the next. "We don't actually have to talk about it anymore, do we?"
She stopped and spun around fully in her chair, folding her hands primly on her lap as she looked him square in the eye. "No, I don't think so, unless you have any questions or anything else you'd like to say. I've already told you I think you're both too young and I hope that you'll wait; and the way your sa-mekh and I have raised you we trust that ultimately you'll do the right thing. So no, nothing more need be said about it if that's what you want."
"I do," he quickly replied.
"Ok then." Mama turned a bit in her chair then stared at him quizzically. "Was there something else?"
He felt sheepish even asking but he really didn't want them to know. "I…you won't say anything to T and Selas, will you? About this?"
She smiled and yet looked a little sad at the same time. "No, we won't. It's your business."
Se'tak felt one of the smaller loads be lifted off his shoulders. "Good. Cool. Ok. Thanks." He turned back around toward the living room, making himself comfortable on the sofa while turning on the vid screen to catch up on his shows and try and put the whole business out of his mind some more.
U.S.S. Enterprise, 2281.138, 1502 hours. The doors to their quarters opened and Se'tak looked up from where he was bundled up on the couch. Selas unceremoniously dumped his book bag just inside the door and stood there, face wet, pointing his laser cane haplessly around the room. The springs on the sofa creaked as he shifted position and that was when his brother zeroed in on him like a bloodhound.
"YOU!" Selas was on him in a flash, crying and beating him on the chest. He hadn't acted like this in, well, ever. "What did you do?!" he cried, "She is my BEST FRIEND and now I cannot even sit next to her! What did you do?!"
His heart beat wildly as he tried to fend off his brother. The last time he'd even seen Selas cry was when he'd been a baby. This was all so unlike him and every time Se'tak tried to speak all he could do was gape into his brother's face like an idiot and keep hold of his wrists to stop the blows.
"What's going on here?" Mama yelled. She rushed in and pulled Selas off him. His brother struggled against her for a minute then turned and buried his face in her side. He muttered something into her shirt that he couldn't hear but Mama seemed to understand because she asked, "Who said you and Becca couldn't be friends anymore?"
Selas drew back and took a deep breath, his lower lip still trembling. "U-Uncle L-Leonard. He-he came in…:::hiccup:::…this morning and t-talked with Mr. Kirschke. He said we could not…could not sit next to one another, or talk to one another, or even work together! He said he was going to talk to the other t-teachers too and if he found out that they disregarded h-his instructions then he would make their next physical exams v-very uncomfortable. But Mama, I do not know why he said that! Rebecca is my best f-friend and we have done nothing wrong!" He worked up his meanest glare and aimed in Se'tak's direction. "I do not know what it is but YOU must have done something and I am going to make you fix it!" Selas lunged at him again but luckily Mama held firm.
"SELAS UCHENNA, ENOUGH!" She crouched down to his level and held him fast by the shoulders. "Now I know you're upset but that's no way to treat your brother. Your sa-mekh and I will talk to your aunt and uncle and see about fixing this, ok?" He nodded his head and wrapped his arms around her in a fierce hug. "Good, now how about you go lie down a little, alright? A good nap will help you feel better. In the meantime I'll comm your sa-mekh and let him know what's going on."
Se'tak sat up and watched his brother go, the guilt he'd been keeping at bay all day creeping up on him now with a vengeance. "Mama, I'm sor—…"
She held up a hand and stopped him from saying anything more. "Not right now, Se'tak." The comm in her hand chirped and she hailed Sa-mekh, quickly bringing him up to speed.
U.S.S. Enterprise, 2281.139, 1947 hours. It took a lot of wrangling on Mama and Sa-mekh's parts but Uncle Leonard and Aunt Chris finally agreed to come over and talk to them. Things were pleasant but tense for all of about five minutes before the conversation got heated and despite making himself scarce for the evening Se'tak couldn't help but overhear.
"Yes…yes, Christine, we hear everything that you and Len are saying, but this discussion isn't just about Tabby and Se'tak, it's about Becca and Selas too. They're too young to know what's going on let alone be punished for what their brother and sister almost got up to."
"Ny, I agree, but somebody went around behind my back and spoke to all the teachers about keeping them apart. I didn't find out until that afternoon, same as you, when Becca came home in tears."
"Hey now!" Se'tak didn't think it was possible but Uncle Leonard sounded even more pissed than he did the other night. "You two are too soft to see it but those kids need—"
"Leonard Horatio McCoy, if you want to spend the night in your own bed and not on that lumpy excuse for a couch in your office then I suggest you keep your mouth shut!" Aunt Christine said sharply, putting him in his place. "Now where were we?"
"Nyota and I are in agreement that Se'tak and Tabitha are too young to be taking the steps that they were taking on Thursday evening; however, it is our belief that our son was not entirely conscious of his actions given that he was acting under the influence of cinnamon poisoning. If they are allowed to disc-…"
A chair fell over and someone rose abruptly from the table. "You can't possibly still be on that tack that my Tabby is the one to blame for this mess!"
"That is not what I am saying. The children are equally responsible, only Se'tak was not in full control of his faculties at the time due to an outside, unexpected force."
"Why you damn, obfuscating, hobgoblin, why can't you ever just say something straight out?! And how many times do I have to—"
"Leonard, calm down! You jumping up and yelling every five seconds isn't going to get us anywhere! Now we need to sit down and figure out what to do about all the kids and total banishment is not the answer!"
Se'tak didn't want to listen to anymore, so he popped his earbuds in and cranked his music up as high as he dared. Whatever they decided and however their parents worked things out he still had to talk to Tabitha on Monday.
U.S.S. Enterprise, 2281.140, 1335 hours. The house was quiet; had been since the McCoys went home last night. Everyone including himself (and he'd barely moved all weekend) was just that drained. The air was thick with tension even though nobody said more than two words to each other and Selas was still angry and avoiding him like the plague. He really truly wished he could hit the rewind button and go back to life on Wednesday when things were simpler but that just wasn't possible.
Giving up that line of thought Se'tak walked over to his desk, powered up his PADD and checked his messages. He had one from Aaron, a handful from Tilk and Egil, and nearly two dozen from Tabitha, all since Friday morning. The guys were checking in, making sure he was alright, but Tabby…well, that was another country heard from. She was almost manic in her worry and the way she kept asking if he'd been physically hurt—it was almost like she believed her father had laid a hand on him.
Now, Se'tak knew what the right thing to do was when it came to Tabitha but the real question was did he really want to do it? Every time he thought about it his stomach twisted up in knots; however, the alternative (filled with looming visions of his Uncle Leonard in smeared, bloody green scrubs) wasn't pretty either.
Unable to take it anymore he jumped up from his chair and paced the room before stopping in front of his closet. The four walls were closing in and he had to get out; a run seemed like the best idea so he donned some shorts and made his way toward the gym.
U.S.S. Enterprise, 2281.141, 0801 hours. Se'tak waited until the last possible minute to get to class on Monday, hoping to delay the inevitable, but it was no good. Tabby was on him as soon as he set foot in homeroom, edging out all the others.
"Are you alright?!"
He shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied somewhat indifferently. He really and truly hoped she wouldn't make a big scene.
"Are you grounded or something? Did your folks take away your PADD?"
"No, no, I'm not grounded—not exactly, anyway."
Her hazel eyes darted around to make sure they weren't being watched too closely. "Then why the heck haven't you answered any of my messages!"
"Class!" Mrs. Hannity called out while clapping her hands. "Take your seats!"
Se'tak shirked his way past Tabitha. "Look, we'll talk later, ok?"
Mrs. Hannity started calling attendance before Tabby could get another word in edgewise.
U.S.S. Enterprise, 2281.141, 1206 hours. She plopped her tray down beside his before any of their friends could join them. "Why are you avoiding me?"
"Tabby…"
"No, don't 'Tabby' me, I know when you're avoiding me! Was it something my Dad did, or something he said? What about my Mom? I know they went over to your house the other night but they haven't told me…"
He set his fork beside his plate and sighed. "Look, it's not just your folks…"
"Then they did say something then."
Se'tak closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He'd really been dreading this. "What almost happened on Thursday…"
"It's me, isn't it?"
Her constant interruptions were annoying but this one was confusing. "What?"
"You were about to say what almost happened was a mistake…"
"Well it was…"
"…because of me. I'm not pretty enough, not experienced enough—not like your last girlfriend."
It took him a couple seconds but Se'tak finally had presence of mind to pick his jaw up off the table. "Tabby, that's not true. You're pretty and I like you and Meruka and I never did any of that stuff; all I was going to say was that I don't think we're ready…"
For the first time all day she visibly relaxed. "Oh, ok."
"…and maybe we should take a break to think about—things."
"What?" Her fork clattered against her tray. "Are you breaking up with me?!"
He clapped a hand to his forehead and winced. How did this conversation get so FUBAR so fast? "I didn't say we should break up, I said we should take a break; there's a difference!"
"Yeah, the difference being that one just prolongs the other!" She started chewing on her bottom lip and she looked like she was about to cry but then she rallied. "Well you know what? You know what?! Since you're too much of a coward to go through with it I will—you hear me, Se'tak?! You want a break then we'll take one, permanently. WE'RE THROUGH!"
What the—?! She bolted from the table and he jumped up after her, calling her name; but she wasn't hearing any of it and just kept moving for the exit. Se'tak didn't want to rush after he when she was being this hysterical because she'd never hear him out, and so he slowly re-took his seat knowing all eyes in the room were on him. Within minutes of the big fiasco he was surrounded by Aaron, Tilk and Egil.
Tilk picked at his food. "Well that escalated quickly." The others nodded in agreement.
Understatement of the year.
The repercussions of the 'Near Miss' were felt long after he and Tabby broke up and irrevocably effected their families. Shortly after the fallout Uncle Leonard lifted his ban and Becca and Selas were allowed to be friends; but there weren't as many visits back and forth between their family's quarters as there'd been before and Selas was still angry about it, even if he didn't say anything out loud. Mama and Aunt Chris spent a few weeks getting their friendship back on track and Sa-mekh and Uncle Leonard took several months before they were able to things back to normal.
And it was years before Uncle Leonard called him anything other than 'that boy', two words that grated on his last nerve (especially as he got older).
Se'tak realized much later on that it said a lot about the state of their relationship that he didn't go after Tabby right away that day in the Mess. It turned out they really weren't right for each other after all. In the immediate aftermath he just plain old sulked...
...while Tabitha chose to get over him by spending time with Cole Granger.
A/N: Whoa, Nelly! Looks like Se'tak's going to have an interesting time of it in the weeks and months to come. Be sure and hold onto your hats, folks!
On another, completely unrelated note, I start grad school tomorrow—EEP!—so wish me luck!