A/N: This takes place before the events of My Big Fat Vulcan Wedding
Mac'hla was stressed. She always struggled during this time.
She picked at her breakfast, eating bits of fruit and bread and talking with Spock and Jim.
"Any updates on the test?" Jim asked.
She sighed, "No."
"Any changes?"
"No."
"Any-"
"There is nothing, sir." she said, almost sharply.
Jim and Spock shared a look, and she stared at her food before plopping a piece of watermelon down on both of their plates.
"Forgive me. I have not slept in quite some time." she muttered.
Pavel sat down next to her.
"Rise and shine." he said happily, excited to pester his young friend.
"That statement is illogical, as we are not in orbit of any sun or star." Mac'hla said, glancing over at him.
"It's a figure of- nevermind. It means wake up." he said, a little defeated.
"I am awake." she muttered, putting her fork down.
"Uh oh. Someone's in a bad mood." he teased, hoping to get her to at least show him a smirk.
"Ensign, you forget I am your superior officer. Excuse me, I have work to do." she said, a little firmly, and left the room.
"Mag- Lieutenant!" Pavel said, standing up to follow her.
Jim shook his head. Mac'hla could be cold, but even for her that seemed a bit out of character.
Spock and Jim decided to follow. After all, those two were the youngest of the crew, and together they could only be up to no good.
"Lieutenant!" Chekov said, running up to her.
"No." she said, refusing to slow down or look at him.
He quickly grabbed her arm, and she turned to him, her eyes fiery.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
"Okay- is this PMS or something?" Chekov asked.
If anyone else had asked that, she might get uncomfortable or even angry, but she knew Chekov was genuinely asking because even she knew she was acting strangely.
She stared at him for a moment and he feared she might hit him.
"Pavel... maybe. I do not know." she muttered.
"Well... you're all pissy. But I have an idea." he said, pausing alongside her.
Finally she stopped.
She was, indeed, a bit 'moody'. It wasn't her fault of course- she may have control over her mind, but not over the hormones her body produces. Even Vulcans get moody during that time of the month.
The two were unaware that Spock and Jim had just approached and were listening, just around the corner.
"How about we do... y'know...do the thing?" he asked.
She brightened up visibly.
"What time?" she asked, agreeing with no hesitation.
Chekov grinned, "Maybe... 20:00 hours? Your room?"
She thought for a moment, "Yes. That works..."
"Good. I've heard its good for cramps and relieving stress." he said, genuinely caring about Mac'hla's comfort.
"I look forward to it, En- Pavel." she said, and even gave him a friendly pat on the cheek.
He smiled and took off to the bridge.
She even smiled to herself, her cheeks green, as she was flattered by his caring, and followed him.
Spock and Jim had seen this brief interacting, and were absolutely mortified.
"Are they together?" Jim asked Spock incredulously.
"It... would seem so." Spock said, just as confused. Mac'hla didn't exactly seem like... well, she didn't seem like she liked men.
On the bridge, Mac'hla was covering for Sulu as he was feeling a bit under the weather.
She sat next to Chekov, the two occasionally glancing at each other.
Chekov would smile, she'd quickly look away, and he'd laugh. Multiple times throughout the day.
Spock, the seemingly emotionless and stoic man, was embarrassed to even look at them.
He and Jim may have misinterpreted the conversation that the two had had that morning, and they assumed that the two were going to, for lack of a better term, hook up.
But this couldn't be farther from the truth.
As their rotation ended at 19:00 hours, the two left together and made their way to the mess hall.
They talked quietly, standing awfully close to each other as they headed down.
Spock and Jim followed, their shift ending the same time as theirs.
Mac'hla and Chekov sat next to each other.
She had no plate, and he urged her to eat his salad. He never ate it, and she didn't eat meat, so it worked for them.
Spock nearly rolled his eyes as he watched Mac'hla and Chekov both eat off the same tray.
Spock and Jim, being protective of the young Vulcan, sat across from the two (presumed) lovebirds.
The two stopped their conversation abruptly as they were joined.
"Lieutenant, if you are hungry you are more than welcome to have your own tray." Jim teased.
She tilted her head, not picking up on the teasing, "I was not planning on eating, but Ensign Chekov insisted."
"Right..." Jim muttered, and offered her a piece of bread.
"Thank you sir, but I am not very hungry." she insisted.
"Eat too much now, and you might throw up later." Chekov said off handedly, and Mac'hla kicked his shin under the table before clearing her throat and taking a sip of water.
Spock glanced between the two and raised an eyebrow.
"Uh... I am going to take a shower and change." Mac'hla said, excusing herself.
Pavel smiled at her as she left and she waved awkwardly.
He felt Jim and Spock's eyes boring into him and he looked up.
"Is something wrong, sirs?" he asked nervously.
"What is your relationship with Lieutenant Tirok?" Spock asked bluntly, and Chekov almost choked.
"W-What?"
"Your relationship." Jim said, leaning on his arm.
"She's a good friend, sir." he said, confusion evident in his voice.
"A good friend." Jim repeated.
Jim was familiar with Chekov's womanizing behavior. Of course, he was guilty of this too, but he didn't want poor Mac'hla's heart to be broken if Chekov did anything stupid.
"A pretty young woman, isn't she?" Jim pressed.
"Um... yes, sir..?" he responded, still confused and wondering why this was beginning to feel like an interrogation.
Spock simply stared quietly, but it was intimidating nonetheless.
"Uh, if you'll excuse me sir. It is getting late." he said awkwardly and stood, glancing at his watch.
19:30.
He quickly made his way to his own quarters and changed into comfortable clothes and quietly headed over to Mac'hla's quarters.
Again, Jim and Spock were watching.
He knocked on Mac'hla's door and Mac'hla quickly opened up and pulled him in. Was that a giggle he heard from her?
Mac'hla sat down on her bed and turned on some music. Vulcan lute music always put her at ease.
Pavel pulled out a pen from his pocket and pressed the button before inhaling deeply from it.
He blew out a cloud of scentless smoke and handed the pen to Mac'hla, stifling a cough.
She took a draw from it as well, and gestured for Chekov to join her on her bed.
"Are we thinking pleasantly buzzed, or absolutely blasted?" Chekov asked with a smile.
Mac'hla thought for a moment, "The ladder, I think."
Chekov laughed, and Mac'hla offered him a giggle, beginning to feel the effects of the contents of the pen.
Four or five hits later, and the two were absolutely euphoric.
Mac'hla stared up at the stars, eyes half closed and bright green.
"Woah..." she muttered, "Look... look at that."
Chekov blinked, his eyes heavy and red, "What are we looking at?"
"The ummmmm..... I forgot what I was going to say. The stars. Look at them."
"There's... a lot of them." Chekov agreed, "Do vulcans make it a habit of getting high?"
"In my village," Mac'hla slurred, "We have a plant similar to marijuana... most specifically like AC/DC... you know, half sativa half indica... but not, because, it is not either. But it does not make you paranoid or cause a 'green out',"
"Recreationally used, or..?"
"Sometimes... It is mostly used to assist in focus ... and...uh, emotional stability for those who struggle with emotional control. I grew up eating it, but I never actually started getting high until the academy."
"You smoked at the academy?" Chekov asked, shocked that this goody-two shoes was actually a full-blown stoner.
"My roommates and I smoked nearly every day." she said, giggling.
"And you didn't get caught?" he asked.
"Who would suspect a Vulcan, Bolian and Orion? We were the classic good girls, at least at first glance." she smirked.
"At first glance? What else did you do?" he asked, eager to hear her stories.
"Weeeee.... We stole a government vehicle once." she replied, smiling fondly, "I am a fantastic driver by the way."
"Oh my god..." Pavel laughed.
"I got in a bar fight when I was 14 and got arrested. I got out of trouble though because I am a vulcan and vulcans cannot lie or whatever."
"Why'd you get in a fight? I thought Vulcans are against violence."
"The... the guy was a freak. Kept touching my roommate, so I hit him with a stool and broke his face. To be fair I was... very intoxicated."
"That... oddly sounds in character for you," he said, giggling.
Mac'hla began laughing uncontrollably hearing Chekov's giggles, and tried to sit up, but instead fell back from her bed and onto the ground.
Chekov bent over the edge of the bed to help her, but he too fell over, and the two laid in a pile laughing hysterically.
Outside of Mac'hla's quarters, Jim and Spock were still listening.
Jim pressed his ear to the door.
Giggling and thudding.
Then a faint, "Jesus Christ, you're so stoned, dude."
He couldn't help but laugh.
"Sir?" Spock asked.
He too pressed his ear to the door.
"Alright, I'm gonna go where the Czar goes on foot..." Chekov said.
"I do not understand human... human shit." Mac'hla snorted.
"I have to pee!"
Jim and Spock glanced at each other, realizing that they had been wrong all along.
The two youngest members of the crew were getting stoned... now it all made sense!
The glances and giggles- they were excited. Clearly Chekov had noticed that Mac'hla was in a bad mood, and he knew just how to cheer up his young friend.
"They're high." Jim chuckled.
"Drug use is prohibited." Spock said.
Jim pulled out his PADD and quickly scanned over their personal records.
"It says here that they both have access to medical marijuana for anxiety and depressive symptoms," he read.
It was true. The two had been granted permission to use cannabis by Star Fleet.
Spock raised an eyebrow, "Depressive symptoms? In them?"
"Well, obviously this is doing the job." he said, and leaned away from the door, "They seem happy."
"Happiness is illogical in Vulcans." Spock reminded him.
"Come on Spock, cut her some slack. She's been through a lot, don't you think?"
Spock thought about all of the trauma that Mac'hla had experienced. Bullying, learning disabilities, childhood illness, death, plague, assault... She had seen too much.
"Perhaps you are right..."
Chekov came out of Mac'hla's bathroom and grinned at her.
"You know they are outside right?" he whispered.
"They are not exactly quiet." she agreed.
She stood up and opened her door, sending the two tumbling in.
"Is there something I can help you with, sirs?"
They scrambled up, embarrassed that they had been caught.
Spock squinted into the foggy room.
"We were just... um..." Jim stammered.
"Sneaking around and eavesdropping in a young girl's room. Come now, you should know better." she chided, pretending she was angry.
"Spock, especially you, I never would have pegged you as a creep." she added.
Spock turned green with embarrassment until Mac'hla laughed.
"I am just kidding." she giggled.
"Mac'hla this behavior is most illogical."
"Mmm..." she hummed. "Logic. Do you not sometimes want a break from logic?"
Spock stared at her in confusion.
"I do." she said finally, sitting on her bed, "I want a break. I like not feeling anything."
"That's... that's depressing." Kirk said.
"Yes..." Mac'hla muttered and gently pushed past them, "Excuse me."
"Where are you going, Lieutenant?" Spock asked, grabbing her arm.
"I am hungry."
Chekov quickly followed her, "Me too."
Kirk and Spock stared as they traipsed down the hall and towards the rec room.
"We should have minded our own business." Jim whispered.
"Agreed."
