Growing Together

Posted on Mon Sep 7th, 2026 @ 6:20pm by Ensign Blaine McCray & Ensign T'Shai

1,983 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: ARYL 1X07: Feeling Like a Kid Again
Location: Observation Lounge
Timeline: Unknown as Yet

Blaine dashed through the corridors as fast as his newly shortened legs would carry him. He had stripped his uniform jacket and tied it around his shoulders, and it fluttered behind him as he clomped down the corridor with shoes well too big for his feet. His eyes were wide as he burst from lab to lab, looking for T’Shai.

She was sitting in a corner of the lab she usually was in, her knees pulled up to her chest as she hugged them to herself. The uniform she wore was massive on her, but she looked up as he clomped into the room, taking a moment to have to recognize that it was Blaine, "I couldn't reach my workbench." She said in explanation, as if that was all that needed to be said.

Blaine rushed over to her, immediately recognizing the girl T'Shai had been when they had first met. His big boots tripped him and he ended up sliding up to her on his knees before checking her over. He blushed. "I umm... I meant to do that." He shook his head and sat at her feet as he looked into her eyes. The bond was still there, he felt it, so whatever had de-aged them, hadn't stripped them of the connection. "Do you... you want help reachin' your work station?" he asked, finding that his newfound youth had intensified his drawl.

"There isn't anything that would require immediate attention, no reactants." She said quietly, in a voice she remembered from ever so long ago. She reached out both hands to him, "I figured the best choice was to stay here until someone came to find me, I'm glad it's you."

Blaine took her hands and twined their fingers together, before looking into her eyes with a look that he hoped showed determination. "I'm glad I was the one to find you, too," he said. "We will figure this out, and we'll get it fixed together. I promise." He thought for a moment, unsure of what to say. "Would you.... would you like to go for a walk?"

“I would like that.” T’Shai let him help her to her bare feet, but that didn’t bother her one bit as she fussed with her uniform, pulling a few hairpins off her head to pin the legs, arms and waist in strategic places to keep them from absorbing her, then looked him over, “Hold still for just a minute.”

"Of course," Blaine said, that left eyebrow raising as he watched with a confused grin, waiting to see what she was about to do. He was confused and curious, but he trusted her completely.

“Your pants are trying to fall down, “ She said as she knelt and began to use the hairpins to secure them fully before moving up in front of him, “Would you like me to neaten your shirt and jacket so that you are presentable for the Captain?”

"I'd sure appreciate it! I don't know how many times they almost fell down an' tripped me on my way down here," Blaine said, running off at the mouth in his storytelling. "I heard the senior staff talkin' about gettin' us clothes that fit, but that might be a while."

She plucked a few more hairpins out of her hair, it cascading down her back now, but quickly finished giving him an approximation of a half-decent uniform, for his new size, then stepped back to appraise him, "That's much better... Now we can move around without having to worry, but I'd take off those shoes." She wiggled her own cute toes to show that she'd already taken hers off.

Blaine smiled, grateful for her willingness to share her hairpins, and liking the way her hair fell down her back. He helped her to her feet and kicked off his boots before picking them up. "I really do appreciate you and your help."

"It's always been my pleasure." She leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Why don't we go find an observation lounge for now?"

"Now you're actin' like my brain," Blaine said, shaking his head nervously and flushing bright at the chaste peck she gave him as he instantly became the awkward kid he really had been at six years of age. Sheepishly, he held out his hand for her.

She took it and squeezed it to comfort him, tugging him forward as she made her way towards the door, "There is one about eight doors down where we can wait for our fellow crewmates to discover what has happened. Or at least until we are both calm enough to assist them."

"Let's go," he said, squeezing her hand as they walked out the door and down the corridor. Suddenly he was exceedingly nervous. Would she still want a relationship with him? What would this situation mean for their future?

She guided them, though it clearly was taking longer than she was used to, but the door still opened obediently at their approach and she took him to the bench before releasing his hand and gauging it before climbing up onto it and reaching her hand out to him to help him up if he wanted it.

The bench was most definitely taller than he was used to it being, and he boosted her up as she was climbing. He was grateful when he saw her hand reach out. He took it without preamble and climbed up after her, using her hand as a stabilizing force. "Thank you, Shai," he said, impulsively pecking her cheek.

T'Shai made sure he was up on the bench as she watched, then settled her legs off the platform before sitting there, looking out at the stars.

Blaine just sat there on the bench in the observation lounge, flushing green from nerves and just kicking his feet as the stars flew past the observation window.

They both turned to each other and began speaking at the same time, stopped simultaneously, and then gestured to the other to start, both spoke again at the same time, then turned away to silence again.

Finally she said quietly: “Maybe you should start?”

He nodded, looking up. “Okay, so… I was gonna let you talk first. My human grandmother would tan my hide if she thought I was bein’ rude. I know this is really strange, but where do we go from here? I mean, I know we fix this kid thing… And I’m sorry I’m bein' weird. Seven wasn’t a good age for me, really. And six was far worse,” he added with a shrug

“That is a logical question, yes, first we must become our true ages again. Seven was a turbulent time in my life as well, it was when I first questioned why emotions weren’t more a part of our lives than they are.” She paused for a moment, “If I am not aesthetically pleasing enough for you, I can change readily, but tradition says that a betrothal is for good and for the good of everyone.”

“Oh, you don’t need to change at all. That’s not what I meant! I’m really good at openin’ my mouth an’ insertin’ my foot. Bein’ six again just got me thinkin’ about my folks, an’ you bein’ nothin’ like what I’d built you up as in my mind…. I just want us to get to know the real people under what we show the world. I mean, we haven’t really seen each other since we were this age.”

“That is accurate, we have not. But who we are is always so… Malleable, changed by the experiences we go through, the decisions we make. Mine are made logically, yours are made with the emotions of humanity, the way you were raised. It is intriguing how the two differ and are alike in their own ways.”

“Solok an’ V’Ral really did implant logic in my life as much as they could. I’d go back to Texas speakin’ nothin’ but Vulcan for a month. I’ve tried to tie emotions to logic. Not sure how successful I’ve been, especially since you know how volatile Vulcan emotions are. But I really do want to make us work.”

“Volatile would not be how I would describe Vulcan emotions, unless you’re talking about the mentally ill.” She paused for a moment, “But there is something to be said for the interactions between emotions and logic, for they are not completely separate from each other. For example the concept of love. I’m certain our parents were of the belief that were we to be married, we would come to love one another and I have fond memories of this age with you. I believe that we could be compatible, both physically and emotionally. Would that not fulfill the expectations of love?”

Blaine ruminated on that for a few moments, watching her eyes. “I think so. I mean, we’re already mentally bonded. We’ve carried a part of each other for a long time. Love comes from time spent together anyway. An’ you’re right. This really does remind me of that day before we bonded, though, when they let us go to the fountain at the square in ShirKahr together.”

T’Shai giggled with that little girl smile that she steadfastly controlled after a moment, but her voice still was amused, “Where you put your feet in the fountain because you said it was too hot out. The monk was not happy with you, but he put it off to your humanity. I’ve always wondered how that felt to you.”

He laughed with her at the memory, enjoying the sound of her giggling. “I haven’t thought about that in forever. It made me mad at the time. I really wasn’t used to controlling my emotions in public yet. That took a lot of time. Besides, I thought it was logical to cool down a bit. I’m sure Solok heard a diatribe from that monk after that. I thought I’d embarrassed you until I saw that glint of entertainment in your eyes.”

“I do not know what you mean.” T’Shai schooled her face, but couldn’t keep the corners of her mouth from remaining upturned, “That time was… Intriguing, it gave me some insight into you and just made me wonder at what the future could be.” She glanced over at him, then sidled over on the bench until their shoulders were touching, “If both of us are willing to work with each other, to learn with each other, I believe we can make our betrothal pleasurable for one another. And perhaps, in time…”

Blaine smiled as he felt her settle close to him and he took her hand, twining their fingers together. “Somethin’ tells me we’re going make a good pair. I think Solok an’ your father knew what they were doin’. An’ you are far more wise than I deserve.”

She squeezed his hand gently, knowing that humans enjoyed that, and it felt warm in hers. “Do not tell my instructors at the Science Academy that you believe that.” She leaned her head against his shoulder, “They will provide empirical data that you are wrong. After all, I’m still a student there, not yet a full officer like you. I am only a provisional Ensign, pending the results of my dissertation.”

“They won’t hear it from me, T’Shai, but I’ll help you on your dissertation any way I can.” He smiled, twining their fingers together as he felt her lay her head on his shoulder and, looking around to make sure they weren’t being watched, he kissed her hair before resting his head against hers. “We’re in this together, all the way.”

 

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