Fic: Failure (G)
Title: Failure
Character: Spock, Amanda
Rating: G
Length: 500 ish words
Summary: Spock calls his mother at the end of a bad day.
Notes: This is how I'm feeling right now, except, unlike Spock, I'm bawling my eyes out all over my old computer. It also occurs to me that maybe Spock wasn't perfect in every subject.
She knew it as soon as she saw his face. Even over the vid feed she could tell it was one she had seen too many times throughout his childhood, “Oh, Spock, what happened?” He remained silent, his jaw tensed, looking off to the side slightly. “That bad?” Her voice was quiet, concerned. He nodded, there was a long silence.
“My Instructor refused me an opportunity to take an exam I missed.” He admitted, quieter, his language slightly awkward.
“It’s not like you to miss an exam.”
“My PADD malfunctioned and I have not yet resolved the problem. The exam was on the network and I could not access it before the due date.” He shook a small breath, his attempt at controlling the emotions that his human half thought so imperative. “I asked my instructor for another opportunity and he said that I had a week to complete the assignment, and had I done it sooner I would not have missed it.”
“You’re this upset over one exam?” She was frowning, her curved brows knitted together,
“It is for my Standard Linguistics class.”
“I see.”
“This exam was my last,” He bit his lip, “My last chance to earn the required points to pass the course. I cannot graduate at the end of this semester without passing this class.” He looked up at her. The tears did not fall, but she saw them in his eyes. “In additon I also missed a homework assignment that is worth a large portion of my grade.”
“It can’t be as bad as you make it seem.” She offered.
“Your human optimism is illogical.” he accused, “Even if I repeat the class, the failing grade will be a flaw in my transcript and I will never be assigned to the flagship.” He had gown quiet. His eyes focused below the screen.
“I am so proud of you.” A smile and a sigh.
“Mother, I do not understand.” he looked up to her.
“I know that Starfleet has always been your first and only choice.” she was smiling, he shoulders relaxed.
“A non sequitur, mother.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. You assume that because I refused VSA to Starfleet that it would have been my initial preference.”
“Spock, I want you to go back to your teacher and talk to them.” She received no immediate response. Spock scratched his forehead the looked back to her.
“No, mother.” Spock rarely disobeyed her, and he was looking away again.
“Spock…” no response, “Peanut….” Amanda may have detected the hint of an involuntary smile at her son’s pet name. “Will you please go back and talk to your teacher?”
“I do not see how that would repair my situation.”
“Just explain to him how good of a student you are. Talk to him like you’re talking to me. Appeal to his emotions.”
“I believe that would be classified as foul play.”
“It’s human.”
“I am not human.” Spock confirmed with certainty. Amanda’s face looked downcast,
“Spock…”
“Mother, I did not intend to--”
“It’s alright.” He could tell her smile was forced.
“Mother, I simply meant that--”
“It’s alright, Peanut. “ She shook her head slowly, “Now, do I have to come over there and make your teacher see some sense or are you gonna save me the trip?” She offered a grin playfully.
“I will request another opportunity to make up the exam and assignment.”
“Good boy. I love you.”
“I love you too mother.”
Character: Spock, Amanda
Rating: G
Length: 500 ish words
Summary: Spock calls his mother at the end of a bad day.
Notes: This is how I'm feeling right now, except, unlike Spock, I'm bawling my eyes out all over my old computer. It also occurs to me that maybe Spock wasn't perfect in every subject.
She knew it as soon as she saw his face. Even over the vid feed she could tell it was one she had seen too many times throughout his childhood, “Oh, Spock, what happened?” He remained silent, his jaw tensed, looking off to the side slightly. “That bad?” Her voice was quiet, concerned. He nodded, there was a long silence.
“My Instructor refused me an opportunity to take an exam I missed.” He admitted, quieter, his language slightly awkward.
“It’s not like you to miss an exam.”
“My PADD malfunctioned and I have not yet resolved the problem. The exam was on the network and I could not access it before the due date.” He shook a small breath, his attempt at controlling the emotions that his human half thought so imperative. “I asked my instructor for another opportunity and he said that I had a week to complete the assignment, and had I done it sooner I would not have missed it.”
“You’re this upset over one exam?” She was frowning, her curved brows knitted together,
“It is for my Standard Linguistics class.”
“I see.”
“This exam was my last,” He bit his lip, “My last chance to earn the required points to pass the course. I cannot graduate at the end of this semester without passing this class.” He looked up at her. The tears did not fall, but she saw them in his eyes. “In additon I also missed a homework assignment that is worth a large portion of my grade.”
“It can’t be as bad as you make it seem.” She offered.
“Your human optimism is illogical.” he accused, “Even if I repeat the class, the failing grade will be a flaw in my transcript and I will never be assigned to the flagship.” He had gown quiet. His eyes focused below the screen.
“I am so proud of you.” A smile and a sigh.
“Mother, I do not understand.” he looked up to her.
“I know that Starfleet has always been your first and only choice.” she was smiling, he shoulders relaxed.
“A non sequitur, mother.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. You assume that because I refused VSA to Starfleet that it would have been my initial preference.”
“Spock, I want you to go back to your teacher and talk to them.” She received no immediate response. Spock scratched his forehead the looked back to her.
“No, mother.” Spock rarely disobeyed her, and he was looking away again.
“Spock…” no response, “Peanut….” Amanda may have detected the hint of an involuntary smile at her son’s pet name. “Will you please go back and talk to your teacher?”
“I do not see how that would repair my situation.”
“Just explain to him how good of a student you are. Talk to him like you’re talking to me. Appeal to his emotions.”
“I believe that would be classified as foul play.”
“It’s human.”
“I am not human.” Spock confirmed with certainty. Amanda’s face looked downcast,
“Spock…”
“Mother, I did not intend to--”
“It’s alright.” He could tell her smile was forced.
“Mother, I simply meant that--”
“It’s alright, Peanut. “ She shook her head slowly, “Now, do I have to come over there and make your teacher see some sense or are you gonna save me the trip?” She offered a grin playfully.
“I will request another opportunity to make up the exam and assignment.”
“Good boy. I love you.”
“I love you too mother.”