New Fic: Bearly Adults
Bearly Adults
Fandom: Star Trek Discovery
Rated: G
Category: RickyVerse. Culmets-Adjacent. Tilly. Starfleet Academy.
Word Count: 585
Time Frame: Post season four, episode four.
Spoilers: General series knowledge only - through season four, episode four (“All is Possible”).
Summary: There are some things you’re never too old for - even if not everyone appreciates that.
Note: Another Ricky story, because I just can’t help myself. This one is just a bit of fluff. It’s been a long week indeed. This is what I had in me. Posting a bit early because I’ll be out of town later this week. See you next week - because there’s a goal. *grin*
-----
It all started because, as the saying went, cadets will be cadets.
Even if they’re supposedly too old to behave like children, they’ll still find a way to single out those that are different. And this cadet was different.
He was awkward and shy, and worse, he’d had the audacity to bring a stuffed rabbit with him from home. And since his roommate was more than a bit insecure, that created problems for him.
Most of the time, the cadet could ignore his roommate.
But today had been a long day.
And when the roommate popped off again; when he suggested the cadet go cry with his bunny like a baby, the cadet couldn’t take it anymore.
Thus the roommate was in medical having a broken nose repaired, and the cadet was in Tilly’s office.
Tilly sighed. She’d had a long day too.
“Toy rabbit, huh?” asked Tilly.
The cadet nodded, sullen.
“Roommate made fun of you for it?”
The cadet nodded again.
“That sucks.”
The cadet looked up, puzzled. That wasn’t something he’d expected to hear from his advisor. But he still didn’t say anything, so Tilly continued after a moment.
“I mean, I get it. I’d be upset too. Still, we can’t punch everyone who upsets us in the nose.”
The cadet looked down again and finally spoke.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry.”
Tilly nodded. “I know you are. And being as you have no disciplinary actions in your record, I’m willing to go easy on you this time. But that doesn’t mean you get this one for free.”
The cadet nodded yet again. “I understand, ma’am.”
“Does a week’s worth of kitchen duty seem fair?”
“Yes, ma’am,” answered the cadet. He’d expected a much more severe penalty.
“Okay, report to Lieutenant Christopher tomorrow at seventeen hundred,” said Tilly, punching in some information on her PADD to set up the duty.
“Yes, ma’am,” said the cadet. “Will that be all, ma’am?”
Tilly shook her head, setting the PADD aside.
“No, cadet, that is not all,” she said.
The cadet swallowed nervously.
“Ma’am?”
Tilly took a deep breath in and out before speaking.
“It’s just… I meant it, you know.”
“Meant what?” asked the cadet, forgetting decorum for a moment.
“That I get it.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. See, I always wanted a dog. My mother wouldn’t let me have one. So I had a stuffed one. Carried it with me everywhere. Still have it.”
The cadet’s eyes grew large. “Really?”
Tilly held up her right hand. “I swear.”
“Aren’t you a little too old for that?”
Tilly raised her eyebrows at the cadet.
“I’m not that much older than you. Well, time travel aside, I suppose, and…” Tilly trailed off, realizing she was rambling and shouldn’t be.
“Yeah, I guess not,” said the cadet, as the tiniest of smiles started to peek out through his gloom.
“And besides, I know people a lot older than you and me that have stuffed animal friends.”
“Really?” asked the cadet, eyes wide with disbelief.
Tilly nodded.
“Yep.”
Her informal wording put the cadet at ease.
“Who?” he asked, more animated than he’d been the whole time so far.
Tilly grinned.
“Well,” she drawled, looking around furtively as she did so, “I’m not supposed to know about this, but… let me tell you about Ricky.”
Half an hour later, the cadet was laughing at the antics of a thousand-year-old bear and his humans.
And if his stuffed rabbit went with him on his first posting years later, so be it.
Fandom: Star Trek Discovery
Rated: G
Category: RickyVerse. Culmets-Adjacent. Tilly. Starfleet Academy.
Word Count: 585
Time Frame: Post season four, episode four.
Spoilers: General series knowledge only - through season four, episode four (“All is Possible”).
Summary: There are some things you’re never too old for - even if not everyone appreciates that.
Note: Another Ricky story, because I just can’t help myself. This one is just a bit of fluff. It’s been a long week indeed. This is what I had in me. Posting a bit early because I’ll be out of town later this week. See you next week - because there’s a goal. *grin*
-----
It all started because, as the saying went, cadets will be cadets.
Even if they’re supposedly too old to behave like children, they’ll still find a way to single out those that are different. And this cadet was different.
He was awkward and shy, and worse, he’d had the audacity to bring a stuffed rabbit with him from home. And since his roommate was more than a bit insecure, that created problems for him.
Most of the time, the cadet could ignore his roommate.
But today had been a long day.
And when the roommate popped off again; when he suggested the cadet go cry with his bunny like a baby, the cadet couldn’t take it anymore.
Thus the roommate was in medical having a broken nose repaired, and the cadet was in Tilly’s office.
Tilly sighed. She’d had a long day too.
“Toy rabbit, huh?” asked Tilly.
The cadet nodded, sullen.
“Roommate made fun of you for it?”
The cadet nodded again.
“That sucks.”
The cadet looked up, puzzled. That wasn’t something he’d expected to hear from his advisor. But he still didn’t say anything, so Tilly continued after a moment.
“I mean, I get it. I’d be upset too. Still, we can’t punch everyone who upsets us in the nose.”
The cadet looked down again and finally spoke.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry.”
Tilly nodded. “I know you are. And being as you have no disciplinary actions in your record, I’m willing to go easy on you this time. But that doesn’t mean you get this one for free.”
The cadet nodded yet again. “I understand, ma’am.”
“Does a week’s worth of kitchen duty seem fair?”
“Yes, ma’am,” answered the cadet. He’d expected a much more severe penalty.
“Okay, report to Lieutenant Christopher tomorrow at seventeen hundred,” said Tilly, punching in some information on her PADD to set up the duty.
“Yes, ma’am,” said the cadet. “Will that be all, ma’am?”
Tilly shook her head, setting the PADD aside.
“No, cadet, that is not all,” she said.
The cadet swallowed nervously.
“Ma’am?”
Tilly took a deep breath in and out before speaking.
“It’s just… I meant it, you know.”
“Meant what?” asked the cadet, forgetting decorum for a moment.
“That I get it.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. See, I always wanted a dog. My mother wouldn’t let me have one. So I had a stuffed one. Carried it with me everywhere. Still have it.”
The cadet’s eyes grew large. “Really?”
Tilly held up her right hand. “I swear.”
“Aren’t you a little too old for that?”
Tilly raised her eyebrows at the cadet.
“I’m not that much older than you. Well, time travel aside, I suppose, and…” Tilly trailed off, realizing she was rambling and shouldn’t be.
“Yeah, I guess not,” said the cadet, as the tiniest of smiles started to peek out through his gloom.
“And besides, I know people a lot older than you and me that have stuffed animal friends.”
“Really?” asked the cadet, eyes wide with disbelief.
Tilly nodded.
“Yep.”
Her informal wording put the cadet at ease.
“Who?” he asked, more animated than he’d been the whole time so far.
Tilly grinned.
“Well,” she drawled, looking around furtively as she did so, “I’m not supposed to know about this, but… let me tell you about Ricky.”
Half an hour later, the cadet was laughing at the antics of a thousand-year-old bear and his humans.
And if his stuffed rabbit went with him on his first posting years later, so be it.