2.3 - The Truth Revealed

~~*~~

Although Cali was still worried about Jim facing consequences for his fairly obvious cheating, he still happily joined Jim at the bar not too much later that evening. The two were sat on stools at the bar next to each other, both having changed from their uniforms into their usual bar clothes and were drinking their beers together.

"To my victory." Jim announced, lifting up his bottle for Cali.

Although the other man didn't like the fact that Jim had cheated, especially since he was certain that Jim knew that Spock was the one who had programmed the test, he still brought his bottle up to meet Jim's. "To you're cheating." He agreed in slight amusement.

"Oh, come on Cal, you have to admit, it was clever of me to cheat. No one's done that before."

"No, they haven't." he admitted with a shake of his head, "For a good reason."

Cali would never admit it to Jim, but he was extremely impressed that Jim had managed to hack into the program and recode it to work in his favour, even if he didn't approve. Though, Cali couldn't work out how. He'd witnessed Jim's coding skills first-hand on the assignment he had helped him with. Although he wasn't terrible, he was pretty terrible. Cali had to assume he had help. Plus, how else would he have started the programming from the captain's seat without help.

His mind drifted to Gaila. The poor girl obviously had fallen hard for Jim. She thought she loved him, if Jim's retelling of last night was anything to go by, though Cali couldn't blame the girl for falling for the playboy. He'd be a hypocrite if he did, likely having fallen just as hard for his partner. Gaila did have very good coding skills. Cali felt uncomfortable in the knowledge that Jim might have tricked her into it, not sure if the sweet girl he had met a few times would really willingly help him cheat on the test.

"Jim!" Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. Jim and Cali turned their heads to the entrance to see Gaila smiling sweetly as she entered. "Cali." She added on quickly, having also spotted him.

"Hi Gaila, how are you?" Cali replied politely, smiling warmly back at her.

"I'm good. Just came to congratulate you on your victory Jim." She replied, smiling even brighter as she looked at Jim.

"Yeah, thanks." Jim replied, suddenly slightly awkward sounding. Cali wasn't sure if it was because his fears were true, or if it was because he hadn't spoken to the girl since she had confessed her love for him.

"No worries, I'm glad I could help you." She smiled, making Jim's eyes widen.

But, before he could say anything, Cali jumped in, eyes furrowed into a frown, and questioned what she meant.

"We helped him with the coding last month, remember?" She questioned innocently before immediately regretting her words as she seemed to remember that no, Cali wouldn't remember, because he wasn't aware that he had helped them.

"Excuse me?" Cali questioned, turning from Gaila to his partner, suddenly looking less amused by the girl's slip up.

Jim's eyes widened as he looked between his boyfriend and Gaila, who was looking wide eyed and apologetic behind him. Trying to think of something, he smiled awkwardly, "Poor Gaila, she got confused, see it was the assignment you helped us on."

"James." He replied warningly, looking dangerously still.

"Yeah... The assignment... That was actually the Kobayashi Maru program..." Jim looked at Cali with fearful hope, but winced as Cali stood up silently from his seat, placing his bottle down slowly.

"You lied to me to get you to help you cheat on the test?" he questioned, eyes dark, tone fearfully calm making Jim regret all of his life decisions that could have ever brought him to this moment.

"It was--"

"Yes. Or. No." He interrupted calmly, his face stony and eyes ice.

"Yes." He admitted reluctantly, ashamed he had even thought of the idea, let alone actually carried it out, especially now that Cali actually knew. Jim watched Cali for a moment, scared to speak. Gaila stood to the side, still, looking fearfully between the two, thinking a fight was about to break out.

Cali was furious. He physically couldn't believe that Jim would do something like this. Sure, he knew he was capable of doing it to Gaila since it was obvious Jim didn't actually respect the girl as much as she thought he did. But to him? His partner? Seriously? All while Gaila knew? He had never felt so angry in his life. Not on Donum. Not when his partners cheated. Not when the rumours started. He turned away from them. He had to leave before he did something he regretted.

Eyes widening, Jim physically reached out to stop Cali from leaving, wanting to make things better, but the hand he had reached for was pulled away from him as Cali turned to look over his shoulder back at his partner. "I think it best we don't see each other for a while." With that, he left, walking frightfully calmly out of the bar.

Jim watched his boyfriend walk out in shock, feeling his eyes water. He quickly blinked them away as Gaila sat in the seat Cali had just left, looking at him so apologetically. "I'm so sorry. It completely slipped my mind. I never would have said it if I remembered he didn't know. I'm sorry." Letting her sweet words of comfort run over him, Jim sighed, downing his drink, and finishing off Cali's. He ordered another one for himself and Gaila. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't blame Gaila for letting it slip, it was his own fault to begin with.

She timidly accepted her drink and kept him company as he drowned his regrets in alcohol. Slowly getting too drunk on the liquid and her words of comfort to resist finding himself back in her bed, with no Uhura there to interrupt this time.

~~*~~

As Cali stormed away to try and get his mind in order, he seemed to just wander the corridors of the abandoned campus with no destination in mind.

No matter how long he wandered, he couldn't get his head around what Jim had done. He'd actually lied about something so serious. They could both get in serious trouble with the academy if it was revealed. And Jim had not just betrayed him but also made Cali betray his commander.

Stopping in his tracks, he suddenly remembered when he had actually helped Jim and Gaila with their assignment over a month ago. Cali hadn't really spotted it then, thinking it was just Jim stressing since it was unfinished and due the next day, but Jim had been acting weird.

Knowing why now, he felt even worse. Jim knew exactly what he was doing. He purposefully lied. He felt guilt about it at the time. He knew it would hurt Cali. He knew how badly he took liars, having been affected by them so often in his past relationships. And to make it worse, he knew about the rumours that had already begun spreading around about him at the time. He'd done it even after Cali had shared his anxieties about everything going on with him. After Cali had trusted him and opened up.

Cali wanted to cry just thinking about it, but his anger burned the tears away. He didn't want to shed tears on him, not if he did this...

Even if it was Jim...

Looking up from the spot he had glared a hole into on the floor, Cali looked around to see where he had stopped. Eyes widening, he realised with a racing heart that he was right outside Spock's classroom. He hadn't realised he was walking the same route he used to practically skip down on his way to his favourite class. Or even that he had arrived.

Suddenly it brought his mind back to the way Spock had looked when Jim had beaten the test. The pure anger that was shown in his dark chocolate eyes.

Thinking on the man he had seen only hours before, Cali suddenly found himself wanting his comfort. He knew that they still hadn't spoken in so long. And he remembered the tension that sat heavily between them upon their last meeting earlier that day. But he knew that his subconscious had brought him to that classroom for a reason.

The Vulcan was the only person he wanted to seek comfort in in that moment.

Stepping closer to the door, he raised his hand to knock, but paused.

What if people saw him? How would he explain being with the commander at such a late hour? It was far too late for lessons, those having ended at least a couple of hours ago. But even then, as Cali looked from side to side down each end of the corridor for spying eyes, he didn't find himself lowering his poised fist. Why would anyone be wandering the halls at such an hour? Sure, he was, but surely everyone else would be enjoying themselves at bars or in their dorms by now. There was only a small chance that Spock was even still in the class anyway.

One knock, Cali promised himself, one knock and if he didn't get a response, he'd leave.

And so he knocked... The traditional three knocks. He couldn't risk Spock thinking he had imagined himself if he heard only heard one knock against the large wooden door. Of course, even then Cali wasn't expecting an answer...

"Come in."

Oh...

Cali wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or terrified about hearing Spock's familiar monotone voice beckoning him in to the classroom. Letting his hand fall to his side, his eyes lowered, suddenly once again remembering those angry eyes, the same ones that had burned a hole into his retreating back. The same ones that he had played a part in putting there.

What if he knew he had helped Jim? He knew they were partners after all. What if he hated him now? Was angry at him too? What if he couldn't even bring himself to speak upon entering? Too suffocated in the tension that had wrapped itself around the two of them whenever they were now in the same room? That was if Spock even let him in. He'd probably just shoo Cali away, telling him to get over himself, or scolding him for coming so late when he had work.

Cali didn't even realise how much time had passed with him trapped in his own insecurities until the door in front of him suddenly swung open.

~~*~~

So there it is. I know you guys already hate me for the last few chapters of Part One, but Cali's hurt isn't quite over yet. But don't worry! Next chapter will be better.

Also, I know in canon, Gaila doesn't know about the test and Jim tricks her into it, as Cali originally thought he had, but I thought it better suited the story for her to know.