He's Got a Green Thumb (Uhura/Open)

[mrsulu]

Green leaves hung lazily over sprouting tufts of various grasses. Flowers of many shapes and varieties crowded together in various chambers under customized lighting conditions. There were different species of plants from a number of various planets that had been collected over the years by Starfleet's best. All of the colors of the living organisms meshed together to form a delightful spectacle in Hikaru Sulu's eyes.

The Japanese-American gentleman traveled around the perimeter of the room with a watering device, stopping in front of certain flowers to give them the required amount of H2O for the day. A few of the plants actually had basic motor functions and displayed these when Sulu made his rounds. They would chatter with delight, announcing in tones their excitement for nourishment.

"Hey, slow down there, buddy," Sulu chuckled, holding out a gloved hand to one of the lively plants. It peeped out and rubbed against the thick latex, recognizing its guest at once.

"That 'a girl," he cooed, gently sprinkling water over the plant. When he was done, he made sure to caress the plant so that it would calm down. It was never good when one of the flowers over-exerted itself.

The arboretum reminded him much of his mother's lovely garden back in San Francisco. His family had been somewhat wealthy and his mother's flower garden was an exotic place full of peace and beauty. Sulu drifted back to a time when he would sit in the center of the garden and listen to the small noises the fish in the pond would make. Never had he felt so out of body - so focused.

In the corner of the area, a Bonzai tree rested. It was not large enough to be an amazing spectacle, but it was one of the few things Sulu had left that reminded him of home. He'd been growing it since he'd been a fresh, young cadet in Starfleet.

"It looks like you need a little trim, bud," he remarked to the silent plant. With a smile, he pulled out a small portable pair of gardening scissors and began to prune the Bonzai tree with extreme care.

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

Usually Uhura was the type to try and enjoy shore leave, but she couldn't quite seem to get herself off the ship. She wanted to visit people that were still at home, but she ended up back in her quarters with a book in her hand. She looked at it carefully before she slipped it down next to her and rose from her bed. She looked around for a moment before she slipped out, deciding she would rather wander the ship instead of sitting alone in her room. She let her lithe frame wander the halls of the Enterprise, encountering random people who she gave a gentle smile or a hello to before moving on. Lately, Uhura has been rather distracted, never really having time to relax. However, now that she did have the time to relax, she still couldn't. She knew why, but she wasn't sure what she could do about it. Spock was eluding her, so she had to move along. There was only so much she could do before it just frustrated her. If he wasn't willing to talk, wasn't willing to feel, what more could she try?

Uhura absent-mindedly wander off into the recreational facilities, her shoulder bumping into someone who was leaving. She stumbled back a bit and addressed them with her wide brow eyes.

"Oh! So sorry, wasn't paying attention." She apologized before continuing on her way, blindly. She did that often now, which wasn't really common for her. She had so much on her mind, it was starting to impair her a bit. It was unnerving for the young woman it was putting her greatly on edge.

She found herself reaching the Arboretum, before she even realized she had wandered off toward the recreational facilities. She had lingered in the Arboretum from time to time, just taking in the plant life. It was a calming atmosphere to be in so she figured she could slip in there for a short time. Was the slender woman stepped into the greenhouse area, her eyes fell on the taller frame of Hikaru Sulu as he tended to the plants. She looked around, a curious smile forming on her soft lips. She has never seen him in here before, but then again, she didn't come in here all that much. Sure, she's been in her a few times, but it never seemed to be at the same time as the helmsman before her.

"Well, I never thought I would find you in here." She addressed the man as she approached him. Her hands were together as she picked at her nails absent-mindedly. She looked up at him with glittering brown eyes, her hair hanging over her shoulder as she stood there, silent now. It was nice to talk to someone else who expressed emotions for once. It wasn't like she spent all of her free moments with Spock, but she wasn't really one that spoke to a lot of people recently to begin with.

"Sorry, I just...thought I would come in here...Somewhere quiet...and unclouded." She said, leaning against a row of plants and looked at them gently before looking back to Sulu, a relatively neutral look on her face, still with a hint of sadness. She didn't know what to do anymore, and she hated that. She prided in the fact that she always had a plan, that she always knew that to do. Right now, she didn't, and it was really breaking her down.

[mrsulu]

The tiny scissors were skillfully guided with a steady hand around the thin, fragile branches of the Bonzai tree. The room was entirely silent, save for the faint snipping that the brushing of metal against the plant caused. After a minute or two, Sulu stood back and observed the tree, rubbing his finger against his chin in thought. It looked a bit uneven.

Just as he was about to dive in for another go at pruning, he heard the door to the arboretum slide open. Light steps followed shortly after, along with an exasperated expression of surprise.

He turned around from his activity to find Lieutenant Uhura standing in his presence. He raised a brow curiously as she explained her situation.

"Why wouldn't I be in here?" he laughed, rubbing sweat off of his forehead. Not only was he perspiring from the climate of the room, but he was becoming a little nervous in the midst of his guest. "I get it - you didn't expect me to be the type of guy that plays with 'pretty flowers,' hm?"

Sulu's thin lips curled at the tips to display a boyishly charming smile. He wasn't irked in the least about Uhura's visit. In fact, it was a nice change of pace. At least she was an organism that would be able to respond to his compliments and thoughts on life. Not only that, but she was especially attractive.

And taken, he scolded himself in his thoughts. He had kept an eye on the young woman from time to time. He admired her dedication to her work and even found himself envious at her ability to pull everyone together.

"You're more than welcome to be here. I don't mind one bit. In fact, if you want to help me, I was just doing a little tending."

Leaving the Bonzai tree to sit idle, Sulu approached the young woman and pulled off one of his gardening gloves. His hand was a little clammy and so he made sure to rub off the condensation on the back of his pants before he extended it to Uhura.

"I don't think we're been formally introduced," he began. "My name is Hikaru Sulu. It's a pleasure to have you here, miss."

He turned to an audience of nearby flowers. The chirping living flower was nearby, expressing curiosity in what was going on around it. Without warning, it began to sing in strange tones. The noise was almost comparable to the mewling of a newborn kitten.

"I think she likes you," Sulu said, turning back to Uhura with a relieved smirk.

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

The look on Lieutenant Sulu was enough to let a soft giggle leave the young woman's face. She had watched him when they had been in open space, on the mission to try and save Vulcan. He had expressed strong heroism, so she's held the upmost respect for the young man. She wasn't very skilled in combat at all, so something like that would have been completely lost on her. If she were thrown into a situation like that, she would hope that she could handle herself, but she knew that it wouldn't have been anything as skilled. She wasn't terribly fragile, but she was still weak. When she listened to Sulu speak, she realized that he was also endearingly sweet and she smiled, looking away when he offered to accept her assistance if she wished to partipate in his tending. She was curious about it, so she was rather willing. She watched as he approached her, offering his stronger hand to her.

She reached for it as her darker hand took it and shook it firmly and contemplated whether or not to give him her first name. The captain had made such a horrible deal about it, but it was never really something she boasted about. However, Sulu appeared kinder and wasn't on a pointless mission to get into her pants. She gave Sulu a genuinely bright smile as she looked up into his eyes.

"Nyota Uhura. Pleasure finally getting the chance to meet you. Timing has been off recently." She said with a chuckle before her attention was then drawn to the plants reacting. It was interesting, watching plant life becoming so interactive. She smiled then looked to Sulu as he responded about a particular plant and it meritted a girlish giggle from her lips as she looked back to the plants.

"Everything is so beautiful in here." She comment before wrapped her arms around herself. She then found herself looking back to Sulu with a warm smile. It was refreshing to be around someone who wasn't hiding behind who he was. He was being rather open with her and it welcomed it. She then turned her body back toward Sulu as she unlocked her arms from herself and shrugged her shoulders.

"Why don't you show me how you are tending to things...I offer my services. You can show me how." She said as she licked her lips and looked back around at the plants. It was nice in a stress-free zone. No work to be done, no drama, nothing that could really drag her down in the dumps. However, her thoughts still lingered with the troubled Vulcan in her heart. However, she felt comfortable around the helmsman who was being warm and kind to her. She looked to Sulu expectantly as she waited for him to show her what to do.

[mrsulu]

As he took her hand, he noticed her grip was somewhat comforting. Sulu could already tell that she was a cultivating and cool-minded person. Once he let go from the shake, he quickly made a dash over to the noisy plant.

"Shhh," he coaxed to the lively blossom, fumbling to pull his glove back on. The plant shook at the sound of his hushing and started to retract back into its petals. Hikaru extended his hand to the flower as he had done previously. The plant hesitated to make a move at first, but it eventually gave in and brushed against the tip of the Lieutenant's fingers. He let out a soft laugh and used his free hand to gently pet the flower. Sulu had done this so many times that the flower was used to it and was successfully ameliorated into a calming state.

"Phew," Sulu exhaled, taking a few steps back from the plant. "She does that sometimes. Don't mind her, she gets excited when new people come around. Her name's Gertrude. Her species are supposed to be carnivorous but she's really just a big ol' softie at heart."

"Isn't that right, girl?" he asked the plant rhetorically. Sulu gave the plant a motherly gaze of warmth and pet it a few more times before leaving it to rest.

Scanning his small brown eyes around the spread of flora in the room, he tried to think of something easy that Lieutenant Uhura could do. A task that would have little to no failure rate. He didn't want to make her nervous and scare her off from coming around again.

"Let's see," he put a hand on his hip and rubbed his chin with his free fingers, "We've got a tree full of fruit that needs to be harvested. Want to help with that?"

The tree was of Earth origins. With the new opportunities intergalactic growing had brought to the table, it was now possible to grow an apple tree to a suitable size within a few days. Alien soil had just the right minerals and nutrients the plant needed to shoot up in size within a matter of hours. There were two trees, each with a bountiful speckling of red fruits. The apples were dark red in color and exceeded any normal Earth apple in size. The perfect snack for a hungry officer.

"Come on, I'll show you how it's done," he smiled, waving her on to follow him to the tree.

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

When she was still at home on Earth, she loved the outdoors. Nature was one of the few things that was completely honest. It didn't have secrets or lies, it was just there for everyone to see. It was vulnerable and beautiful, and Uhura had found herself often in the parks. She had always found it calming and relaxing there. She often took her work there, to get it finished without distracts of her home life. Now, since she spent all of her time on the Enterprise, the Arboretum was a safe haven.

Uhura released Sulu's hand and watched as he moved swiftly over to plant that was reacting rather odd. She smiled, watching as the young man soothed the plant to a more calm state. She wasn't completely used to the more exotic species of plant life. She listened as Sulu explained the situation to her and she just offered him a gentle smile as she nodded her head gently.

"You have a love for botany, it's sweet." She said with a smile before she awaiting instruction on what to do. She looked around the Arboretum as he looked for something that she could do. Uhura wouldn't lie, she wasn't terribly skilled in tending to plant life. She speak in so many dialects it would make your head explode, but when it came to other living creatures, then she was a bit at a loss. However, that didn't stop her from wanting to try new things. Then he mentioned that fruit needed harvesting from a tree. She shrugged her shoulders before he told her follow him. She giggled and followed after him toward the trees that he had mentioned.

They were large, but Earth originated because they were familiar to her. She reached out, stroking a red apple with her slender, soft fingertips. She was surprised at the size and the color of the apples before she turned her brown eyes back to Sulu as she dropped her hand from the fruit.

"It's beautiful, I didn't apples could get this large. Or this red for that matter." She said and reached up, stroking a green leaf that was attached to the limbs of the tree. It smelled fantastic, so natural that it made her eyes close gently. She then turned back to Sulu with a determined enthusiasm.

"Okay, what can I do?"

[mrsulu]

"Alright," he started, moving to nook nearby the tree. He pulled out a stepladder and unfolded it while returning to Uhura. The young man set it on the ground and stepped on it, testing the object to make sure it was safe for usage. No accidents had occurred so he assumed it was good to go. He stepped down and offered the ladder to Uhura.

"Here, this will help you reach those higher ones."

Reaching out a gloved hand, Sulu grasped one of the fruits that was nearest to him and carefully yanked the apple so that the stem cleanly detached itself from the branch. Using the shirt of his uniform, he rubbed the ruby-red fruit until it glimmered in the light of the room. His eyes widened with delight at the sight of the ripe treat and he held it out to Uhura.

"And that's basically how it's done. You've gotta make sure to quickly pull it. Put pressure into the top of the apple."

He once again demonstrated the feat, rubbing the apple off afterward so that it was just as spectacular as the one before it.

"You think you got it? How about you give it a try? I'll tell you if there's something you're doing wrong, so don't worry. Oh, and this tree's pretty strong so if we make any mistakes," he raised his brows in a light-hearted gesture, "it probably won't notice."

Over by the area he'd obtained the ladder from, there sat a bin that was perfect for gathering the apples in. He went over and grabbed it for Uhura and him to use.

Snap. Snap. Snap. Bump. Bump. Bump.

The apples began to pile up in the bin. It was easy labor - merely a task to keep the bored crew members busy. Sulu's mind began to wander as he picked alongside the beautiful Nyota Uhura. He started to think about the rumors he'd heard from other peers about her so-called "relationship" with Commander Spock. What did she see in a guy like Spock? How could a woman like her even date a guy with no emotions?

After a while, he stopped and looked down at the bin. They'd gathered a hefty amount of apples. The tree was starting to look a little thinned out.

"You think we should take a break?" he asked, wiping his forehead off. He stood back and leaned against the counter he'd set the first two apples on earlier. His elbow bumped into one of the red fruits and he turned around and remembered that they had been sitting there.

"Hey, would you look at that?" he smiled. He scooped up an apple in each hand and held one out to Uhura. "Would you care to have some apple? They're extremely delicious. Nothing like it for miles around."

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

Sulu offered a step latter to Uhura as she looked to it before gently scaling it. Apple picking was a bit general, so she picked it up rather quickly. She would occasionally look to Sulu with a smile as she pulled apples off the branches with ease. It was a simple yet oddly therapeutic job. Each apple she pried off the branches, she laid it in gently with the others. She continued to do this until she looked up to see that Sulu had ceased doing so. She looked at the tree to notice that it was virtually bare. She looked to Sulu as he asked if they should take a break. She shrugged and stepped down and looked at the apples they have gathered. They were beautiful and it made Uhura smile brightly toward the young man. His mood was infectious, and Uhura enjoyed the change of pace. With Spock it was always angst and frustration on her part, but now, she was around someone who could express his feelings just as easily as she could.

She then giggled as he bumped into two apples that he had placed their earlier. She looked away before looking back in time to see him present one to her. She took it with her hand, her fingertips grazing his as she took the large, beautiful apple into her hands. She stroked the fruit gently before looking back up at the helmsman.

"Why, don't mind if I do." Uhura said gently before looking at the apple again. She moved away from him as she sat herself down on the step latter, her eyes scanning over the fruit before looking up at Sulu from her lowered position. What was she to say to him now? She sighed gently before she looked down at the floor, holding the apple gently to her heart.

"I had a very nice time here with you, Sulu. It was a nice change of pace." She said before looking up at him slowly. She then sighed and rose to her feet, her earlier demeanor changed as she thought of what she was doing. She looked the apple over before she put on a fake, happy smile for him. She couldn't say anything to disrupt his happiness. Uhura couldn't do that, that wasn't fair to him.

"But I just remembered that I have prior engagements. Maybe we could do this again sometime. Now that I know you like to come here often." She said and with that she made for the door slowly. She looked from the apple then back to Sulu as she slid the door open with a gentle noise. She gave him a gentle, yet sad smile before she looked down at the ground and slipped out of the Arboretum. She looked down at the ruby red apple in her hands and she sighed, leaning against the wall as she tried to get herself to move on. Yet instead, she just sat there, staring at the fruit.

[mrsulu]

He didn’t need her to tell him directly that something was wrong for him to realize that she wasn’t in the best of spirits. The way the lieutenant had carried herself about after they had finished picking the apples had set off all sorts of warnings in Sulu’s head. The thing that bothered him most was that she had tried so hard to pretend that nothing was wrong. Melancholy tones under saccharine smiles.

As the dark-skinned woman exited the Arboretum, Sulu cursed silently to himself. The tree of apples was no longer important – not when someone whom he finally felt he could relate to was having a problem. Hikaru knew the kind of stress working on a ship with handfuls of regulation-spurting officers could bring to someone who just wanted to sit and pour out all their troubles. If it had been anyone else in dire straits, he would have suggested a nice sit and chat with the ship’s counselor. Instead, he knew that it was his duty as a friend to check up on Uhura.

Besides, if he was lucky, maybe this would earn him a higher spot in her book. Not that he cared much about how she perceived him compared to the other men on the ship. At least, he pretended not to.

Using nimble fingers, Sulu unbuckled the gardening belt and removed the gadgets from around his waist. He set them down, along with his gloves, on a nearby counter. He’d worry about returning them to the appropriate places later. Sliding open the door to the room, he was greeted with the standing figure of the red-garbed lieutenant once more. It looked as if she hadn’t even budged since walking out into the hall. The apple sat in her palms, glowing beautifully. Sulu assumed she knew he was standing beside her.

Without preamble, Sulu moved to the opposite side of Uhura, away from the door. He stood against the wall and looked over, silent at first, but concerned. Almond-shaped eyes lowered to the ground with worry.

“I’m no doctor, but you’re looking pretty blue.”

Okay, so the line had been pretty corny. It was too late to take it back and he let a beat pass before he attempted to say anything else to get a word out of the woman.

“I won’t make you say anything you don’t want to say. In fact, if you told me to go away right now, I would do it.” He removed himself from the wall and completely turned his body towards her. Gently placing a hand on her shoulder, he tilted his head a little so he could see her face. “I can just sense you have something on your mind. You’d either have to be crazy or sad to have not taken a bite of that apple. So which one is it?”

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

Uhura hadn't moved from her position against the wall for no reason really. She was observing the color of the apple, feeling it against her palms. It was a beautiful piece of fruit, yet she couldn't help but feel like she was missing something. She had thought a few times of going to Spock quarters to talk about what had happened earlier, but she thought against it. He would probably just tell her off, only emotionlessly, and she would be right back where she started. Why bother at this point? If he really cared, he would come to her right? Wrong, and she knew it. She sighed as she looked the apple over, but her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the sound of the Arboretum door open and she saw a flash of gold. Sulu had come after her, and she felt like smiling.

She felt the heat of another body leaning against the wall beside her and she heaved a heavy sigh before she turned her head toward him slightly as he spoke. She cracked a smile at his line before returning her gaze back to the apple. He really was a nice young man, she had to give him that. What could she say to him really? She was having relationship issues with a Vulcan? Yeah, that would make a hell of a lot of sense. She listened as he continued on, sayin that she didn't have to tell him anything.

Then, she lifted her head when she felt Sulu shift positions and he was right in front of her now. She felt his hand against her shoulder and she glanced toward it at first before looking up at him slowly. She shuddered for a moment before looking away. What could she really say to him? She then looked from the apple then looked back to him with glossy brown eyes.

"Have you ever felt like...you were giving so much, but then you don't get anything back? Like you're just a tool to people.." She asked, looking back down at the apple before looking back up into Sulu's eyes. She felt like she was doing so much to get Spock to notice her, to see where they were going, but at this point, it wasn't going anywhere. They were stationary and she had to deal with it. Did she? Or did she just chose to deal with it? She didn't know, but she didn't feel good anymore and she was tired of feeling like this. She ran her fingertips over the apple gently before she let her gaze fall right back on Sulu and let it stay there.

[mrsulu]

"Have you ever felt like...you were giving so much, but then you don't get anything back? Like you're just a tool to people...?"

Sulu heard the words so clearly. None of it was foreign or confusing to him. The sentence lingered in the air soon after it had been vocalized by Uhura. The two of them were silent and Hikaru only searched the young woman's eyes for a sign. Any trace that she was ready to burst. To fall. To give up.

But she didn't.

He wanted to say everything to her. He wanted all his feelings to finally release and he wanted to pour everything that had ever made him feel small and worthless out into the open where the two of them could stare and turn it into something laughable. Every inch of his body refused though. Instead, he kept his demeanor unruffled and calm and professional.

"Yeah," he responded, simply and meaningfully. It was loud enough that she would be able to tell he meant what he said, but soft enough as not to make the subject seem to rough around the edges.

The lieutenant couldn't look at Uhura anymore. The more he stared into her face, the more he wanted to ignore everything that happened around them and take her into his arms and tell her everything was going to be alright. An overreaction, and something he selfishly wanted.

"All the time," he expanded upon his previous answer. "Every living second of my life, actually."

A nervous laugh escaped his lips. It was a subject that caused him to feel a little sick in the stomach. He remembered the days when he'd been at the academy. For the longest time, he'd always been in the background - to all his friends, to all his teachers, to all the people he'd ever loved. Sulu had never questioned it since they seemed to have use for him. But that was the thing - they only wanted him for his smarts. All the girls he'd dreamed about during the long study-laden nights had only approached him so that they could boost their test scores. He'd never objected to practically doing their work for them because they were beautiful and lovely people.

Mentally kicking himself as a reminder, Sulu stopped dwelling on the past and once again turned his attention to Uhura. It wouldn't do him any good to get upset over his own problems. He had to help Uhura out first.

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

Uhura didn't really know why she wanted to open up to the man before her, but there was just something calming about him. She felt warm around him, like nothing bad could really happen to her. That was an important quality in a friend, and she knew that Sulu was a good one just by being around him. He made her feel comfortable, safe, and she knew that she could be friends with him for a long time. However, she felt something, far in the depths of her mind, that there was something else going on here. She couldn't really pinpoint it now, but there had to be something else going on. She could just feel it. She wasn't going to ask him, it didn't feel right just asking him something like that. Are you being all weird on me? Is there more to your kindness than what meets the eye? Uhura wasn't like that, and she just appreciated Sulu's kindness whole-heartedly.

When Sulu finally responded to her, she heard the sadness in his voice as he answered that he had felt like that. Then he expanded on to say that he did all the time. This caused her to turn toward him more, her lips parting in shock. She felt terrible for him, she had had no idea that he felt so used. Uhura was only speaking of Spock lack of an emotional response toward her, but she had a feelin that Sulu's pain ran deeper.

"Hikaru, I had no--I'm sorry. No one should be treated like that." She said, surprised that she had said his first name instead of his last. She wondered if that had been a bad move or not, seeing as no one called her Nyota, except for Spock in an intimate setting. But that had only been one time. It angered the young woman to think of it, but she returned her focus to Sulu as she wrapped her arm around herself, preventing herself from doing the womanly thing and embracing the man.

"For what it's worth, I don't think of you as a tool at all. I think of you as someone I can call friend." She said softly, offering him a gentle smile. She could use friends on the ship. She wasn't really acquainted with many of the crew members. Kirk and Spock were the only ones that she had had interaction with. Uhura was comfortable with Sulu and she hoped that this day was the start of a new friendship. She could never fathom using Sulu like she was thinking others have. She always did that, jumped to conclusions in her mind, but she never voiced them. She kept that sort of thing to herself. She looked up from the floor to look back at Sulu, a gentle smile forming on her face.

"I happy to have met you." She said finally as she reached over and touched his arm in an affectionate gesture. He was a kind soul and she was happy to have him in her life now. Sure, she saw him on the bridge, but they never really had the chance to speak. Now that they had, she was pleased.