2.1 - Several Weeks Later

~~*~~

Several weeks after the rumours about Cali and Spock overwhelmed Cali, things were looking up again. Cali was finally closer to being back to his old self again. While he wasn't perfect, still having a sinking feeling like something was missing deep within his heart, he was able to fake the rest in order to fool everyone who didn't know him.

Of course, Jim did know him. While he was proud of Cali for getting himself back onto his feet after his long depressive episode, Jim knew that Cali had been very close with Spock. Especially since he was thinking about dating him, something Jim had realised Cali didn't do very easily even if it had seemed their relationship had been fast. The loss of the relationship was hurting Cali more than he wanted to admit, and Jim knew it. He tried to help him in any way he could, being an emotional support pillar for his boyfriend, but there were some things he just couldn't fix, no matter how much he wanted to.

Bones was also worried about Cali's mental and physical health. He had finally been filled in on the entire situation by Jim, after Cali said it was alright. He'd been keeping an eye on him whenever Jim wasn't able to. He wasn't sure when, but he had started caring deeply for his friend's boyfriend, seeing him as a little brother.

Spock, no matter how much he tried to ignore the silver-haired-man both in and out of their lesson's together, was also able to see through Cali's fake happy persona that he was constantly portraying. Especially since he too could feel the loss of the bond they had formed. He found himself wanting to talk to the cadet, to somehow help him find his real smile again, the one Spock could easily admit he preferred. However, he knew he couldn't. Neither of them could risk people seeing them close. All because of a false rumour that had gained too much personality. Spock truly hated the academy sometimes.

~~*~~

Cali, Jim, and Bones were walking between lessons. They'd begun meeting up between lessons to walk together shortly after everything happened, Jim and Bones wanting to check up on Cali, while just he liked having the support of them when he around in places where he could bump into his classmates.

Of course, Cali wouldn't tell them that. It might worry them. He may have been trying to open up more to them both, especially Jim, but it was still hard for him to rely on anyone after being told to hide how he felt so not to bother those around him for so long.

As Jim walked, it seemed he had a skip in his step, a large smug smirk on his lips making both Bones and Cali look at him suspiciously. Bones turned to the his friend, raising an eyebrow to see if he knew what was making Jim so cheerful, but only got a shaking head as response.

Turning his eye back to Jim, he questioned it sceptically just as they reached some downwards stairs, "Why are you so happy?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jim denied with a dismissive smirk, but neither Cali nor Bones were convinced.

"No, I don't suppose you do." Bones mumbled under his breath in annoyance causing Cali to laugh.

"Love, have you done something you weren't meant to again?" Cali questioned with a joking smile.

"No idea what you're insinuating angel," he replied with a smile before two passing female cadets passed them by and he got distracted. "Hello, ladies." He called, turning around slightly to flirt as they passed, causing Cali to laugh quietly again, though Bones just seemed more annoyed. "I'm taking the test again." He finally admitted causing both Bones and Cali too look at him as if he was insane, though he likely was.

"You got to be kidding me." Bones grumbled at the same time that Cali frowned at Jim.

"Are you sure about this love?"

Though Jim appreciated Cai's concern, knowing what he was like to deal with the last time he had taken, and failed, the test, he gave him a reassuring smile before explaining, "Yeah, tomorrow morning and I want you there." He smirked at Bones before turning to Cali again, and speaking a little less surely, "And you'll watch?"

"Of course, love." Cali replied with a caring smile before getting interrupted by Bones' rant.

"You know, I've got better things to do than to watch you embarrass yourself for a third time. I'm a doctor, Jim, I'm busy." He grumbled, obviously not having had a good day so far if his level of patience for Jim's antics was anything to go by.

"Bones, it doesn't bother you that no one's ever passed the test?" He asked the doctor, already knowing Cali wouldn't agree since he basically had passed the test in the way it was meant to be taken, not that Jim would ever consider that sort a pass a victory for himself. As he did, he smirked at a few more passing girls. Cali smirked and playfully hit his shoulder to tell him off but Jim just aimed his flirty look back at his boyfriend and winked playfully.

"Jim, it's the Kobayashi Maru. No one passes the test, and no one goes back for seconds, let alone thirds." He scolded, annoyed at Jim for not seeming to understand it and not wanting a repeat of what happened the last time he took the test, especially not with how fragile Cali's mental health was now.

"I gotta study." Jim said, slapping Bones on the shoulder, obviously not having listened to a single word he had just said. "Coming angel?" Jim asked Cali, holding his hand out for him to take.

Lacing their fingers together, Cali nodded and they both began walking away from the now fuming Bones. "Sure love. See ya Bones."

"Study my ass." Cali heard Bones grumble as they left, making him laugh again.

~~*~~

As Jim continued to escort Cali to his class, still holding hands, they ended up running into Gaila. Or more specifically, she spotted them and ran over, making them stop to say hi before she decided to join them in their walking, standing on the other side of Jim. "Hi Jim. Cali." She smiled sweetly at them both, though lingered longer on Jim. "How are you? Any plans for tonight?" she asked, more towards Jim than Cali, but did give a polite smile over to him as well.

Cali smiled in amusement at the girl, he already knew that she liked Jim. He had seen it when first meeting the woman when he had helped them with their assignment several weeks ago, but it hadn't ended up going anywhere yet.

Though Cali really didn't mind her going after Jim, since Jim had already admitted that he found her attractive and asked about having a night with her before, he did worry that the sweet Orion girl was a bit too interested in Jim, for her own good. He rather liked the girl and didn't want her getting hurt if Jim didn't feel the same.

As Cali walked along side the two, casually swinging his and Jim's joined hands every once in a while out of boredom, Jim and Gaila flirted back and forth a little. He mainly blocked it out, knowing that he was kinda third-wheeling the interaction, but he did tune back in to their conversations when Gaila asked if Jim wanted to come over to hers that night.

Even though Cali had already said that he was fine with Jim hooking up with Gaila, Jim still looked to Cali before answering. "You don't mind if I'm busy tonight, do you?"

Smiling warmly, Cali immediately shook his head, "Nah, go have fun, I think I'm gonna sleep early anyway, I'm already getting tired."

Although happy he was agreeing, Cali's words still worried Jim. He wasn't sure if Cali was still not getting enough sleep or if he was still just getting more tired than normal over the day due to his emotional weight. Either way, he'd get Bones to check in on him tonight. "Thanks love." He smiled before turning and chatting with Gaila some more before she had to go in a different direction.

The couple then continued walking in comfortable silence until they reached Cali's class.

~~*~~

Later that night, Jim found himself in Gaila's room, on her bed, on top of her. They were passionately making out, Gaila lying flat on the grey Starfleet bed, her tight curly red hair strewn out across the light grey pillow. Jim was directly on top of her, pinning her to the bed. Their chests making contact as they both leaned into the other to deepen their short but enthusiastic kisses.

The two were both just in their underwear, their clothes abandoned somewhere on the floor around the bed, Jim wearing just his light grey boxers while Gaila wore a matching bra and nickers, black with large simple overlapping flowers sewn on in a gold thread. Neither of their outfits left much to the imagination.

Despite the darkness caused by the lack of lights either showing through the slightly showing window or in the dorm itself, Jim could admit that it was a nice room. It was very large and customised unlike Jim and Bones'. It had a lot of personality, reminding Jim of Cali's bedroom.

The kissing continued to deepen when Gaila moaned out sweetly, a cute smile on her lime lipsticked lips, "Ahh.. Jim, I think I love you."

Feeling kinda awkward, Jim pushed himself up so he was slightly further away from her. "I'm with Cali."

Immediately losing the mood they had before, Gaila started sitting up causing Jim to manoeuvre himself back as well. As she did, she called out for the lights, getting the response of the male computer voice as she did. "Are you actually with him though?" She asked, "Cause you're in here with me right now."

"Yeah, I am," he replied as if it was obvious, he thought Gaila understood they were happy together even if Jim still slept around, "but we can still spend time with others."

"So, you do love me too?" She smiled sweetly making Jim frown harder, "To be with me instead of him." Jim opened his mouth to explain, suddenly not wanting to continue, but was interrupted by the door opening instead, causing them both to look over at it in shock. "Oh, that's my roommate." Gaila whispered with a wince, suddenly looking panicked.

"I thought you said she was gone for the night?" Jim whispered back incredulously.

"Well, obviously, she's not." She snapped under her breath. "Quick, you've got..." Looking panicked, her eyes flickered around the room, "get under the bed."

"Under..."

"Look, under the bed."

"C'mon." he questioned quietly in disbelief. He should have just hung out with Cali.

"She can't see you." She hissed, looking quickly between Jim and the door in panic as she pushed Jim off the bed.

Now standing to the side, Jim looked down at the Orion girl with a furrowed brow, "Why not?"

"Because I promised her I'd stop bringing guys back to the room."

"Wait, how many guys have you...?"

"Down, just down." She hissed quickly, pushing him below the bed, which he quickly shuffled under in annoyance. He really wished he had just stayed with Cali. Gaila quickly shuffled onto her bed and lay casually just as her roommate, Uhura, came into the room, "Hey."

"Hey," she replied sweetly, looking around her shared room and putting down her sheet she was reading along with her cadet jacket, "how are you?"

"Good." Gaila replied quickly, trying to act normal as her heart was still racing. Meanwhile, Jim had recognised the voice of Gaila's roommate and had started sneakily shuffling to try and catch a glance at who it was.

"The strangest thing." Uhura continued, sitting on her bed to take off her dark chocolate thigh boots, "I was in the long-range sensor lab."

"Yeah... I thought all night." Gaila tipped in, biting her lip, trying to think of a way to sneak Jim out or get Uhura to leave so she could continue.

"I was tracking solar systems and I picked up an emergency transmission."

"Really?" she replied, trying to sound fascinated as she watched her roommate undress, though the worry of the whole situation slipping through slightly in her question.

"Yeah, from a Klingon prison planet." She went on as she unzipped the zip on the back of her academy uniform top and pulled it over her head revealing her white bra.

"No?" she winced again, knowing she was going to be in deep shit with her roommate as soon as she found out that Jim was under her bed, especially now that she was topless and working on her skirt.

"Yeah. A Klingon armada was destroyed. Forty-seven ships." She continued, slipping her skirt from her hips and onto the floor to reveal a matching pair of nickers.

By this point, Jim had made his way to the edge of the underside of the bed and could see her undressing in front of him. He couldn't stop himself from gaping, realising that it was Uhura, in her underwear, in front of him. While he still constantly flirted with the women, he'd given up the hope of ever seeing her in anything less than her uniform.

"So, you're not going back to the lab tonight?"

Uhura froze. Why could she hear a third set of breathing in the room? "Gaila, who is he?" she asked, turning around, and glaring disappointedly at her roommate.

"Who's who?" she asked, trying to sound confused despite her wince at being caught.

"The mouth-breather hiding under your bed."

Immediately, Jim climbed out from under the break, looking confused and slightly impressed. "You could hear me breathing?"

"You!" she glared, suddenly furious to find a half-naked Jim Kirk in her room, "Please tell me Cali's not under there too."

"No, he'd never." Jim dismissed, looking highly amused by the whole situation. "Big day tomorrow." He smirked, giving Uhura a look since he knew that she was going to be participating in his test as one of his fake crew, as he quickly grabbed a handful of his clothes from the floor.

"You're gonna fail." She snapped back, grabbing the last bit he'd missed and throwing it at him.

"Gaila, see you around." He shot at the green girl on the bed, who was smiling sweetly at him and nodding, looking amused despite dreading the scolding she was about to get from her basically big sister.

"Get out."

"If I pass, will you tell me your first name?" He asked jokingly as Uhura ushered him out of her dorm angrily.

"No. Goodnight."

"I think the fact that you picked up a transmission is very interesting." He said smiling at her, which wasn't a lie, he was actually interested in it, though he guessed now wasn't really the right time to ask more. His guess was right when Uhura closed the door on his face, literally, leaving Jim standing in the hallway of the girl's dorms half-naked, with a painful nose and all his clothes falling out his arms. Maybe he could hang out with Cali tonight after all.

~~*~~

And the first part of part two is up, I hope you enjoyed. Feedback is always appreciated!

Also, can we just take a minute to appreciate Gaila please? I've written her really badly but she is such a sweetheart. Just go look at her face when Jim get's kicked out of her dorm! She's precious.

Also, as an Ace person, that make out scene of Jim and Gaila, however short, is fucking torture. Especially when you have to constantly pause, rewind and zoom in on the scene so you can describe it effectively. Why does every movie that has nothing to do with romance always have to have a sex/near sex scene to make people uncomfortable? I'm trying to enjoy my action movie. I want explosions not a mini porno thank you very much.