[Fanfic] Back to School (Ad Astra Weekly Challenge)

[spacedogfromspace]

Back to School

Ad Astra Weekly Challenge

Sha'Rel and Holloway go back to school.

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Fandom(s): Star Trek JEM
Character(s): Sha'Rel, Zac Holloway
Tags: Genfic, Ficlet

Rating: General Audiences
Content Warnings: N/A
Word Count: 644
Type: Oneshot, Standalone

Collection: Ad Astra Weekly Challenges

Weekly Writing Challenges on Ad Astra

Prompt #18: Back to School

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"This feels strange," Sha'Rel mused.

Holloway chuckled. "You can say that again."

"This feel strange."

Holloway stopped and looked at Sha'Rel, head cocked in a 'really?' expression. Sha'Rel looked back at him with a straight face for just a moment before she couldn't help but break into a grin. Holloway laughed, and kept walking, Sha'Rel keeping pace beside him.

"But you're right," Holloway said. "It does feel strange to be back here again— and going to classes, no less."

The two flight control officers were back at Starfleet Academy for a week long course that the students had dubbed, 'the helmsman refresher course.'

As they made their way through the campus, they gaped around like freshmen. Only, instead of imagining their future at the Academy and beyond, like the freshmen did, they were bombarded by memories of the past, of their time at the Academy.

Sha'Rel stopped near the big statue that served as a centrepiece to one of the courtyards. "Remember when Jimmy Farrow just about got expelled for transporting the old man—" she nodded to indicate the statue "—into the main auditorium during open house?"

Holloway laughed. "Yeah, remember how someone's foot got broken when the statue appeared on top of it?"

"He really could have killed someone," Sha'Rel said, fondly remembering the incident, serious though it almost was.

"Remember that time you almost crashed a shuttle into the medical centre courtyard?" Holloway asked, turning to her with a sly smirk.

Sha'Rel punched him on the arm. "Oh shut up. The keyword is almost."

"You're still not going to live it down," Holloway said. "But hey, the medical courtyard would have been a great place to crash if you did put the thing into the ground. It's like being your own ambulance."

Sha'Rel huffed and rolled her eyes. "Well, at least I didn't break both of my legs falling out of a tree."

Holloway grimaced, and a far away look entered his eyes. "I can still hear my bones breaking to this day."

"What were you even doing in that tree, anyway?"

"Oh," Holloway thought back. He frowned. "You know, I don't know. I was drunk."

"I thought being drunk was supposed to stop you from breaking your bones when you fell."

"The tree was three storeys high," Holloway said. "The doctors were surprised my legs were the only thing that was broken."

"Oh my god, do you remember our astro-nav prof from second year?" Sha'Rel asked as they moved on past the statue.

"Old Bixby?" Holloway mused nostalgically. "Of course I do."

They both spoke at the same time, "That's exactly right!" They laughed at their perfect imitations of their old professor, whose catch-phrase was used countless times in every lecture.

"Oh, oh!" Holloway said, remembering something else. "Remember that time that I was three minutes late to class and Professor Monroe shouted at me for five minutes until you pointed out that he had shown up only thirty seconds before I did?"

Sha'Rel laughed. "I do remember that— the look on his face was priceless."

"I don't think he ever yelled at anyone for being late for the rest of the year," Holloway said.

"Probably not ever again," Sha'Rel agreed, then frowned at one of the big clocks decorating one of the buildings. "Speaking of being late, class starts in two minutes."

"Shit, that's all the way on the other side of campus!"

"Guess we'd better hustle," Sha'Rel said. "What is it you say? Last one there is a rotten egg?"

"Bring it on, Cheryl," Holloway said, breaking into a dead sprint.

Sha'Rel grinned as she pushed her chair forward, gathering momentum. They were far too old to be racing each other to class and throwing friendly taunts back and forth, but for just this short while, they let themselves pretend they were back in their good old academy days.

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