Enterprise High

being a high school AU of ST: XI

with many hijinks

and much angst

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Chapter Twelve: Arena

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Bones, when Chapel told him about Spock and Uhura, spat cranberry juice all over the living room carpet and had to activate an emergency cleaning procedure to make sure the stain didn't set in. Scotty and Chapel were no use during the cranberry crisis, since they were too busy laughing their asses off at Bones's high-trajectory spit-take. Bones cursed at them and ran around chivvying robots towards specks of crimson. The robots, for the most part, ignored him.

When the carpet was clean, Bones turned back to Scotty and Chapel.

"Would you please," he growled at them, totally unaware of the juice that had frozen tackily on his chin, "repeat what you said?"

They couldn't help it. They laughed for about another year before they explained the situation to him.

Bones was shocked, to say the least. He'd gotten the feeling that Spock had been attracted to Kirk—there had been something in the way they'd fought last night—not Uhura. Everbody knew that Uhura was in to Spock, but he was surprised it had evidently worked out so well for them.

Chapel was twirling a glass on her finger. She'd been friends with Uhura since forever, certainly as long as she could remember. Their mothers had taken a Lamaze class together. They had done the usual best friends thing, hanging out and playing with Barbie dolls and GI Joes constantly as kids, hitting deeply awkward puberty at the same time and being utterly weirded out by it, having sex together when they were fourteen and getting over it by the time they were fifteen in favor of all of the other people who wanted to sleep with them. They had been close to Scotty, too, but he was different—his family was very eccentric (not to mention alarmingly Scottish) and he seemed to be mechanosexual instead of omnisexual.

Bones's family had lived in a different part of San Francisco. They didn't meet him until high school, after Kirk was no longer in an influence in his life. Sulu they had known since elementary school, but he had never been to close to them until now. And Spock, since he had moved from Vulcan, had always just been around, a constant presence in their AP classes and extracurriculars. He never seemed to consider himself friends with anybody, but they weren't too offended. Junior year he had started actually hanging out with people, shifting between various groups before settling into the Hoverclub clique, which was less of a clique and more of six people with a common interest. They weren't exclusive by any means; Gaila and Rand hung out with them quite often, as did Kevin Riley, Helen Noel, and Elizabeth Dehner and Gary Mitchell, who had been together since middle school.

Chapel had always been somewhat fascinated by Bones. He was a slim man, which meant that the opposing football team took him for granted, disbelieving the stories about Enterprise High's star quarterback until he flattened them out and scored touchdown after touchdown without breaking a sweat. He was soft-spoken around women, polite and traditional, which weirded most girls out even though they had to admit that they liked it. Around boys he was all rough and tumble, ready to go yet oddly subordinate, as if he'd had enough of being in charge ages ago and was waiting around for somebody else to lead. And his blue eyes, pale as the clouds, could see through any pretense. He didn't associate with bullshitters.

Chapel tossed the spinning glass into the air and caught it smoothly. Bones and Scotty were in the kitchen making sandwiches. Neither of Bones's fathers were awake yet, even though it was nearly noon. Evidently one of them had had to work late, and the other had stayed up to wait for him. Chapel wondered momentarily what it would be like to have two parents. She couldn't imagine how complicated that would be. Her mother's asexuality had given her no advantages. She was unused to entering into relationships, usually remaining in the unrequited attraction stage for longer than was entirely healthy.

The boys came out of the kitchen bearing lunch. One of them had made her a sandwich, which Scotty placed in front of her. It was a roast beef and Swiss cheese abomination, two tiny slices of Parisian bread swathed in about half a pound of meat and six slices of cheese. The accompanying pickle was obscenely large.

"Thanks," said Chapel dryly, eyeing the creation. "I'll just run in here and get a fork."

She managed to consume about half of her meal, while the boys, whose sandwiches were even larger than hers, went back for seconds. Afterwards, as Scotty was picking his teeth attractively with a screwdriver, Bones asked her if she wanted to play tennis.

"Let me digest for a while, first," she said. "Got an extra racket? Or should I run home?"

"I've got a graphite one with a small grip," said Bones. "Mind if it's a bit worn?"

"As long as it's still tight."

Scotty burped. "Ah'll be goin', then," he said, standing. "Should go work on th' poor Enterprise. You two have fun." For some reason, he winked at Bones before leaving.

"What are you planning?" she demanded of Bones the moment the door had closed. "Why'd he wink at you?"

Bones rubbed his chin, looking nervous. "No reason," he said shiftily, moving to put away the lunch plates.

"No, what is it?"

"Well, it's nothin', I was jus' thinkin' about maybe askin' you to go see a—a movie with me some time, maybe, if you were interested…"

Bones's expression was hangdog and pleading. Chapel grinned at him, her heartbeat speeding up imperceptibly.

"I'd love to, sometime," she said. "If you beat me. Five out of eight?"

"It's on," said McCoy, a smile lighting up those ice blue eyes.

x

Kirk was awoken by the quick chr-chr-chr of his communicator. He fumbled around for it on the bed and flipped it open, eyes still closed.

"Hullo?"

"Jim, where are you? It's nearly five and I want you here for dinner, Sam says he might be coming over."

"That's likely, mom," muttered Kirk. "Uh, okay, I'll be right home."

"Hurry, dear. Where are you?"

Hazy, Kirk glanced around. He took a moment to recognize the room he was asleep in. "At Bones's."

"Invite him and his parents over too, will you? I accidentally made quite a lot of food."

"Accidentally?"

"I was trying recipes and one thing led to another. Just ask, Jim."

"Okay, okay."

"And get home!"

"Okay! Bye!" Kirk snapped the communicator shut and sat up, rubbing his eyes blearily. "Lights."

Bones's bedroom came into focus and color. Kirk frowned at the room in general; it was disturbingly clean, unnatural for a high school student. There was a PADD sitting on the nightstand that had evidently been set to activate when the lights came on. It lit up and started beeping gently. Kirk picked it up.

Bones had written:

Jim,

Went to play tennis with Christine at one. You're still not awake and I am unwilling to waste precious time kicking your lazy ass out of my house. Get out when you wake up. I let my parents know you were here. They won't be too freaked out by the sight of you, depending on how bad your bed-head is. Might call you later,

Bones

"Such a sweet, mild-mannered friend," said Kirk quietly. He replaced the PADD and left Bones's room. David and Ian, Bones's fathers, were in the living room, reading. They stood to greet Kirk when he appeared.

"It's been too long," said David, smiling kindly at Kirk before giving him a tight hug. He was tall—less tall than Kirk remembered, of course—with messy blond hair and Bones's bright blue eyes. "You've grown so much! How's Winona? How was Iowa?"

"Mom's fine, Iowa was terrible," said Kirk, realizing that David's face was much more worn than he expected it to be. Ian shook Kirk's hand firmly. He was even taller than David, with dark brown hair laced with gray and deep-set hazel eyes. The frowning natural set of Ian's mouth was the same as Bones's, Kirk noticed. "Are you two interested in dinner at our house?"

"That would be wonderful, but one of our friends already invited us to eat," said Ian. "Maybe another time?"

"Definitely," said Kirk. "Sorry I overstayed my welcome. I didn't expect Bones to just leave me like this."

"He had a date," said David, crow's feet wrinkling around his eyes. "Evidently Christine Chapel was willing to barter tennis for an evening at the movie theater."

"Oh, cool," said Kirk, mostly happy for Bones, but just a little jealous. Christine, to him, was a great girl, with a nice, weird sense of humor and huge… lips. Plus, when they'd been talking to him about anatomy the other day, she'd told him some really interesting stuff about the Gräfenberg spot. Still, he felt protective of Bones.

"I should go," Kirk said regretfully. "Mom might kill me if I don't get home soon."

"I'm sorry," said David. "Go ahead, tell her we said hi. And let her know that we'd love to have dinner some time, just call!"

"Can do. Thanks for having me. Bye!"

Outside, Kirk swung onto his motorcycle and revved the engine, finally wide awake.

x

Bones and Chapel were evenly matched tennis players. Chapel barely beat him. They had to play an extra round since they'd ended up tied at four-four after the first eight games. They staggered off the court, gulping down water. Chapel's whole body was buzzing from the adrenaline. She felt like she'd just had large quantities of energetic, euphoric sex.

"Want to go to the Shore Leave?" Bones panted, leaning on his racket outside of the court. It was three in the afternoon and they were both sweating profusely.

"I would kill a man for a frappe," said Chapel. "Yes, please."

They talked over coffee for nearly three hours. By the end of it, Chapel felt more confused than anything. She liked how Bones was polite and sweet, how he treated her like porcelain. But she couldn't forget their tennis match. They had both played brutally, slamming the ball across the court as if they were taking revenge on it. Bones had seemed so intense then, as if his soul were bared whenever he picked up a tennis ball, but now, he was covered back up, sarcastic but gentle, always hovering, which was nice enough, but not quite as sexy.

Neither of them said a thing about going on a date. The moment had passed into companionship, and they parted on friendly terms. Back at her house, Chapel ate her dinner distractedly. All she could focus on was the moment, late in the final game, when Bones's fingers had tightened so relentlessly on his racket that his knuckles turned white, then purple. He had missed the volley and she had moved to advantage. When she scored the final point, his hands loosened, and in response, something inside of her loosened too.

x

I-Chaya started growling five minutes before Amanda got home, giving Spock and Uhura time to disentangle themselves and pretend to be absorbed in homework. Uhura kept shooting Spock shy smiles, and Spock kept touching her wrist. Uhura liked when he did that. Actually, she liked it whenever he touched her.

Spock was pleased. He had not planned on entering into a relationship with Uhura so early in their friendship. He had considered asking her out eventually—not quite so quickly—but he was fine with the way things had worked out. He was drunk on her collarbones, her lips, her legs. He had never really appreciated the female physique before this; he had been too young to fully understand why he was attracted to Yvette, and Evan, his recent conquest, was male. Now, though, he felt like singing the praises of any female who looked his way, Uhura especially. He was infatuated.

Amanda disappeared into deeper parts of the house when she returned from shopping, leaving the two mostly alone again. They were more cautious. They sat close to each other, textbooks open in their laps, stealing kisses between problems.

They were fascinated by their differences. He ran his mouth over his ears, nibbling the curved top, small scraps of ear wax bitter on his tongue. She traced his sweeping eyebrows with soft fingers, pressing butterfly kisses to his eyelids, massaging the tips of his ears. She playfully tried to curve his lips into a smile, and he moved back, eyes wide and full of laughter, even though he didn't move his mouth out of its impassive line. He watched her face morph through a thousand feelings, thoughts flickering across her visage like words on a screen. She was strangely easy to read. He could feel devotion in there, loyalty and determination. And a deep, slightly unstable passion. She was obsessive, he could tell. It should have bothered him, but it didn't. Instead, he felt honored by her attentions.

Finally, Uhura's father summoned her home. She said goodbye to Amanda and kissed Spock farewell on his doorstep, promising with fluttering eyelashes to study her Vulcan hard that night, watching him to see if he was aware of the double entendre. He was faintly disturbed by the implications of her words. He had never considered himself an object of desire, much less something to fantasize about during self-stimulation. Eyebrows slightly creased, he watched her walk away, heading for the bus stop on the main road. Her house was close by, only about five minutes from his by car, but a full thirty on foot.

Sarek and Amanda asked Spock a number of questions about Uhura that night during supper. They seemed to approve of her. Amanda couldn't shake the feeling that Spock only liked the girl because she liked him, and Sarek had always thought his son had expressed homosexual tendencies and was not compatible with a female. But they were supportive of their son, telling him to invite Uhura over for dinner soon.

Uhura told her father Chane all about Spock over dinner. Chane had heard quite a bit about Spock already, and he was happy that his daughter had finally captured the boy. He was interested in talking to him in detail. Uhura promised to bring Spock around the next day.

Sunday was a lazy day for the Hoverclub. Scotty decided to abandon physical labor on the Enterprise for now. She had to be rebuilt almost entirely, so he spent most of the day coming up with possible designs. Spock and Uhura studied at Uhura's house for hours, actually getting a bit of homework done between kisses. Kirk, whose brother had not showed up for dinner, was forced by Winona to help her unpack the house. Sulu, Chekov, Gaila, Bones, and Chapel met up at the Shore Leave late in the day.

Monday morning dawned bright and cool. Kirk showered, complaining to himself about having to unpack all day yesterday and massaging his muscles bitterly. He was preoccupied by self-pity while he motored to school, weaving in and out of traffic. He parked at the high school and was walking inside when he happened to glance towards a dragon tree on the grass quad near the back cafeteria entrance. He stopped in his tracks, staring, as Spock leaned down to kiss Uhura deeply.

He stumbled into English and clutched at Bones, who was talking to Chapel.

"Spock and Nyota?" he demanded in a high-pitched voice.

"Yup," said Bones gloomily. "They're attached at the lip. Happened at Hikaru's."

"What? You couldn't have told me this earlier? Like maybe when we were at Hikaru's?"

"When we were at Hikaru's I didn't know. Scotty and Christine told me, after you'd died in my bed. And I didn't see you all yesterday. You jealous?"

"Of course not! She can have him, for all I care!"

Bones gave him a strange look. "I was talkin' about bein' jealous of Spock. For havin' Nyota."

"Oh. Well. Yes." Kirk growled at himself; why was he stumbling? "She is nice to look at, and all. I don't get it, though! Nyota seems so—reasonable."

"Jim, that's why he likes her. She's not insane, like some people I could name."

"Subtle as a Bludger, aren't you? I just don't see what they have in common."

"You don't know either of 'em very well, then. Nyota's just about the calmest, most careful girl I ever knew. She has her candid moments, and she can be oddly helpful, but other 'n that, exceptin' the sense of humor and the temper, she's Spock's twin."

"Weird," said Kirk fervently. He was watching Spock and Uhura walk into class, hand in hand.

"Don't overexert yourself, kid," said Bones, slapping Kirk on the shoulder. "Sit, bell's about to ring."

Kirk watched Spock and Uhura for the rest of class, immersed in the wrongness of it. No matter what Bones said, he didn't see Spock and Uhura lasting a week. He didn't even think about why he was so up in arms about the matter.

When they had made it to their second month anniversary, Kirk would look back and want to slap himself in the face.

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