crack_van | A Letter Concerning Toleration by igrockspock

Fandom: STAR TREK:REBOOT
Characters/Pairings: Spock
Length: ~3000
Author on LJ: igrockspock
Author Website: here at AO3

Why this must be read: In which Spock spends the summer before his first year at Starfleet Academy encamped in a shitty apartment, attempting to explain his refusal to attend the Vulcan Science Academy. Another fic that quietly breaks my heart. Here is Spock stepping out into the universe for the first time but still tied to his parents and his Vulcan heritage. I love his interactions with his mother and his shitty first apartment, but the letter he writes to his father- it's so clear and ordered and logical, but all I see is a son reaching out to his father, begging to be understood.

She asks how he spends his time, and he tells her about his internship translating philosophical texts from Vulcan to Standard at Berkley University, which he reaches from the public transporter terminal each morning. Though the student body there is...unorthodox, the work is intellectually stimulating, and he has already re-arranged his first year schedule at Starfleet Academy to accommodate his new interest in xeno-philosophical studies.

"Professor Sandridge has allowed me to borrow several volumes from her personal library to study in my private time, and I believe these will keep me adequately occupied until Academy orientation," he writes. He does not acknowledge her suggestion that he "get out and explore the city" so that he can "make a few friends and have a few drinks." Instead, he concludes transmission by saying, "although my daily activities are unvaried, I will comply with your request for communication at least once within each 24-hour cycle." It is his closest possible approximation of her perennial closing line: "I love you."

He does not inform her of his other occupation: a letter to his father justifying his preference for attending Starfleet Academy. The rift in their relationship is a disproportionate response to their disagreement, and he is troubled by the implication that joining Starfleet is tantamount to renouncing his Vulcan heritage. The letter, therefore, is meticulously researched and carefully phrased, a final (though unnecessary) demonstration of his Vulcanness. Either Father will respond, or he will not. He can take no further action on this matter, therefore worry is illogical. Still, he re-reads the letter one last time before pressing "send."

A Letter Concerning Toleration