First Date

Posted on Wed Feb 26th, 2025 @ 4:39pm by Lieutenant JG T'Pruk & Lieutenant JG Brian Pendragon

2,273 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Mission 7 - Aenerth for an Earth
Location: T'Pruk and Pendragon's Quarters
Timeline: 2296/02/29 - 1830

Surprisingly, after having had her discussion with Brian, T'Pruk found that she was able to meditate. A half hour was a sufficient amount of time for T'Pruk to prepare herself to keep her emotions regulated. The only question was whether Brian was as timely as she. T'Pruk suspected that the engineer was. After all, Brian was a fairly logical human and he did not seem to suffer from many of the problems that plagued other irrational beings. Ending her meditation, she turned around expectantly.

Brian skidded in, trying to tame his wayward hair. Quite how a sonic shower could make it so unkempt, he could never fathom. It wasn't a static electricity thing and yet - well, there it was. At least T'Pruk wasn't the type to laugh at him, unlike some he had known.

"Right," he declared, as much to himself as her. "All ready?"

T'Pruk blinked as if seeing her roommate for the first time, taking careful time to observe him and all of his mannerisms. "I am ready. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I've been helping Chef out trying to make a genuine sous vide machine, so it seems like a suitable opportunity to test drive it. How do you fancy something that didn't come from a food processor...?"

"I was not aware that you were doing this with the chef," T'Pruk replied, raising an eyebrow impressed with Brian. "Something that is fresh would be a welcome change."

"Admittedly, we might want to review the baseline ingredients. I wouldn't want any... surprises.. about the content."

"Surprises? What surprises do you suspect?"

"There is a... thing... with human chefs - sometimes they name things in a way that is intended to be... more exciting than the ingredients themselves would otherwise imply. That can lead to the title of the dish being, quite frankly, misleading. For example, Bombay Duck is fish, Bear Claw is a pastry and Welsh Rabbit is cheese on toast."

There was that quizzical eyebrow.

"Yeah, humans - go figure," he acknowledged.

"Highly illogical," T'Pruk agreed. "So, how is it that you became so logical?" T'Pruk wondered aloud.

"Ahhhh," Brian's brain was attempting to buy time, drawing out the syllable. He paused. This was something he never lied about, but didn't exactly advertise either. Even in these comparatively enlightened times, it still wasn't fully understood, but if he was going to make a commitment here, especially one where procreation, whether soon, or at some future point, was a consideration, she deserved to know.

"Actually, I have a medical condition..." He blinked, slowly, shutting the world out for a moment to concentrate his focus. "I am on the autistic spectrum. It means, by human standards at least, I am considered not 'neuro-typical'. My brain is wired differently. My gross motor co-ordination is iffy, although my fine motor skills are surprisingly good in comparison. I am detail-oriented, persistent and have excellent pattern-recognition skills, but my communication and social skills are... well... I struggle with nuance and reading body-language, so I find it simpler if people are direct with me. Things like teasing, drama and head games are... painfully complicated for me.... and tickling is literally painful to be. I should warn you... it's common in my family, so is probably genetic."

He paused for a moment, watching her take it all in.

"So, if that means I am not... suitable... for your... needs... I understand and I won't take it personally."

Time to shut up, Brian - he thought to himself. She will need time to consider and respond.

T'Pruk nodded. "In other words, other than your lack of motor skills and strength that are inherent to Vulcans, and your occasional emotional expressions, you are genetically disposed to be as close to Vulcan as a human possibly can." She nodded again, "This is very acceptable." She paused for a few moments to allow that to sink into Brian's head.

He sighed with relief. The thought that she might change her mind had suddenly impressed on him how much he actually wanted this to work.

"May I inquire, though, how it is that you handle the Captain's attention upon you?"

"With difficulty," he admitted. "At first, I thought she was being a bully, picking on the vulnerable, but no - I believe she actually thinks of me as some kit of pet project or a 'work in progress'. That maybe if she applies enough pressure, perhaps she can make me into a diamond... metaphorically, I mean."

"I believe that your observations are correct," T'Pruk replied, complimenting Brian. "I believe that the Captain also has a tendency to focus spirited or negative attention on those she trusts. I believe that you fit in that category. I have never had occasion to believe you to be dishonorable or untrustworthy." T'Pruk raised an eyebrow slightly, perhaps in a polite question of some sort. Whatever it was though, was left for interpretation.

"Frankly, dishonesty makes no sense to me," Brian admitted. "My mum used to tell me it was needed sometimes to 'lubricate the engines of society'. I get that being overly blunt can be hurtful, but there's usually something positive you can say in most situations, even if it's admiring the effort that went into knitting a jumper you don't like the design of and I don't understand people who try to pin their mistakes on someone else either. It's mean and cowardly and they'll never learn if they don't admit they have room for improvement, to themselves as much as to anyone else."

"These are many of the reasons that I find you to be a desirable mate, Brian." She leaned in lightly her fingers propped on her chin. "To others, I might have to apologize for potentially being forward. While that might unnerve you for a moment, I also know that you appreciate knowing my thoughts. Is that not accurate?"

"Absolutely," he replied. "Guessing what someone means because they're being too coy is far too easy to misunderstand. I'm much better at having something thrown at me metaphorically than physically, though does that mean... that you are about to unnerve me...?"

"Not at the moment," T'Pruk responded. "While I believe we know each other fairly well, we have never explored anything beyond a friendship. Therefore, I think we should discover our common interests that might determine whether we are a suitable pairing. Though, as time passes, my condition will deteriorate and you will have to be prepared for . . . outbursts. That is assuming you have a similar desire in exploring further."

Brian paused for a moment. This felt like his last out, if he wanted one - but there was something about this that just felt right. 'Easy' was the wrong word. 'Uncomplicated' certainly wouldn't stand up to the likely rocks ahead, but nevertheless this felt like pieces of his life suddenly clicking into place.

"Yes," he replied. "Yes, I do." He offered her a hand as he stood. "Let's go explore. Together."

T'Pruk looked at Brian's hands. Rather than grasping it like a human, she allowed the tips of her fingers to touch Brian's. "You no longer wish to have dinner?" she asked curiously.

That touch. Now there was the static shock - not literally, though. Perhaps thrill was the more appropriate term? One way or another, it was... stimulating. "I... well... er... undoubtedly some sustenance at some point in the next few hours would be sensible, but if there is... something else you would prefer to experience first, I'm open to suggestions."

"You surprise me, Brian," T'Pruk replied, her eyebrow quirking upwards interested, the edges of her lips hinting at a slight upturn. "In one date, you have gone from Terran romantic date to a Vulcan-like directness, even if utilizing humanistic euphemisms. I am impressed." She paused and gently kissed Brian softly on the lips.

"Gosh," Brian muttered, more to himself than in conversation. "I... wow... um, I thought we might need a few... er... dates... before we got to... um... that, but I'm not complaining! No - no, far from it, but..." He took a deep breath. "Are you sure this is really what you want and it isn't your... medical condition... encouraging you to move faster than you normally would? I just want to be sure that you're sure and it's for the right reasons."

T'Pruk, sounding more sober than she did just a few moments ago, replied, "I cannot be fully certain, Brian. But, perhaps, I misunderstood your intentions, as well. I thought when you no longer desired dinner that you desired a different conclusion." She tilted her head, inspecting Brian. "One thing is certain, though, Brian. Eventually this matter will overtake me and will end in that result. Would it not be logical to acquaint ourselves with one another so that it does not shock you when the time comes?"

Brian took a deep breath. If he was anyone else he would be - what was the phrase Brooker used - In Like Flynn? But he wasn't. He was a Pendragon, dammit, and that meant adhering to certain standards.

"I see your point and accept your logic. Given the change of plan, I will need to sort a couple of things out first. I shouldn't be more than..." he broke off, staring into middle distance, his eyes darting and his fingers tracing in the air as he calculated his route and how long each visit would be likely to take, plus a little contingency to cover the risk of bumping into a senior officer with a query. "... twenty minutes. If that is acceptable?"

"It is," T'Pruk responded with a short blink of her eyes, wondering what Brian was up to. "Would you prefer that I wait here, in our quarters, or elsewhere?"

"Either is acceptable, I can check back in with you when I'm done and we can rendezvous then." He stood, then stalled for a moment, almost vibrating as he assessed what would be appropriate, then aimed a gentle kiss at her forehead.

The Vulcan accepted the kiss on her forehead without comment. Awkwardly, she tried to place her own kiss on Brian's cheek, but had her cheek brush against his and ended up kissing his ear. Since she was there, it seemed logical to whisper, "Then I shall wait for you at our quarters and prepare for your return."

Brian was oblivious to her hasty cover-up, his brain already occupied by his plans. "I'll try not to keep you too long," he assured her and then bolted for the door.

~~~~

Flowers. You got girls flowers - right? Hydroponics, then. Ensign Fletcher owed him a favour for the offduty help he'd given her with the nutrient feed systems. She'd spent the time while he was busy with the technical stuff nattering about the meanings of various flowers so she would be ideal, although he she might work out why he wanted certain specific meanings. And T'Pruk might think he was being silly anyway, trying to get "the right" flowers. Heck, maybe they even meant something else in Vulcan and he was about to "say" something awful. Or should he get Vulcan flowers? Did they even have meanings?

Breathe. Stop and breathe.

If he turned up at the other key locations with a bunch of flowers already, there would be awkward explanations. Better to leave the flowers til last to pick up. So... sweets. That would be easy enough - food processor; but what sweets? Something a bit special - not the usual fare. Maybe Turkish Delight? His father always got some for his mother for her birthday, her face always lit up on seeing it and it never seemed to last long, but Brian didn't like the taste much. Maybe a selection so that if there was ones that didn't suit, at least something should. Yes, a selection. Easy.

Now the tricky one. He knew it was daft. No one worried about such things in this century, but if they were going to be... special... to one another, he should at least present it as an option. He hadn't had the opportunity to measure T'Pruk's finger so it would have to be an estimate. Maybe slightly on the looser side - it would be easier to take in than out. He knew exactly which fabricator he could use - it was out of the direct line of sight from the backshift duty stations and already had some patterns loaded that were close enough. He could add some detail too, even though the gemstones would have to be industrial grade rather that jewel grade. It wouldn't even take long to form, being so small.

Then it was just the flowers. Ensign Fletcher was very helpful, even if she did look at him quizzically as he resorted to, "It's for a project!"

Barely half an hour later, he was heading back to his quarters bearing sweets, flowers and a ring.

When Brian arrived, her back was turned to him. She was sitting atop a cushion, her bare feet facing outwards towards Brian. Atop her feet was her buttocks, causing the Vulcan's back to be nearly straight as a board, her posture as close to perfect as a Vulcan could make it. The room was dimly lit, with another small flickering light coming from somewhere beyond T'Lul. In an ethereal voice, T'Lul greeted Brian as the door opened. "No trouble with the door this time? Have you repaired it satisfactorily?"

T'Lul did not turn towards Brian, continuing to look forward. "I believe that I smell some flowers. That was very considerate of you to bring to our quarters."

 

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