John James Searle (inneedofrepair) wrote in the_colony, @ 2010-12-23 00:01:00 |
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Entry tags: | ^ week 24, john james searle, thomas galloway, | searle and tom |
Week 24 - Wednesday evening
Characters: Tom and Searle.
Location: On the farm grounds, then in Tom and Searle’s room.
Summary: Tom makes good on a promise to punish Searle for forgetting his guard duty, and afterward they talk about Jack and the consequences of being intimate.
Rating: PG-13
When Tom had first revealed what his punishment was, Searle had been relieved. Out of all the things he’d imagined in his head, running laps around the barnyard didn’t seem like that big of a deal. He had strapped on the heavy backpack Tom provided, held his rifle over his head, and began to run as fast as he could.
It didn’t take Searle long to feel the strain, but even when he was sweating and panting Tom wouldn’t let him stop. Nothing Searle said between breathing would make the man budge. All Searle could do was keep going until he didn’t think he could anymore, which instilled something like determination in him. Even when he got the distinct sensation of nausea, he didn’t stop.
Tom watched the young man run with something approaching satisfaction, seeing the exhaustion starting to set in. He intended this to be a lesson that only had to be taught once, and no matter how ‘sorry’ Searle was, he wasn’t going to allow him to let up until the teenager was on his knees and emptying his stomach.
Which didn’t take very long, nor was it a particularly pretty sight. Searle had stumbled, his hands and rifle hitting the ground only moments before his dinner did. Even in his most rambunctious days he’d never worked himself so hard that his body gave out on him, so it was all new - and completely unpleasant. A punishment he wouldn’t be forgetting in a hurry, if he ever could.
Tom pushed away from the wall he’d been leaning against and approached the younger man. “All right Searle, now I accept your apology.” He told him, putting a hand on his shoulder and then moving to help him to his feet. This was far from the first time he’d meted out such off the books punishment to young soldiers who’d messed up, and in most cases it did the trick and he never had an issue again. “Get your breath, pick up your rifle and let’s head inside. There’s a few things I want to talk about.”
Searle didn’t say anything at first. He did as he was told, moving gingerly. All he really wanted to do was shrug the backpack off of his shoulders, and he did so as soon as they got inside. His mouth still tasted horrible, but he felt about a hundred times better without the extra weight bearing down on him.
“What do you want to talk about?” he finally asked, even though he knew exactly what they were about to discuss.
“First of all, what just happened out there was about you missing guard duty. It didn’t have anything to do with the reason you missed the start of your shift. I am going to let Jed know, but as far as I’m concerned your punishment is over for both infractions.” Tom settled into one of the chairs in front of his desk and gestured for Searle to take the other, which the teen did gladly. “That doesn’t mean you get to avoid talking about what I found though.”
“Can you not tell Jed?” Searle asked, unable to help himself. Jed had flipped out on him more than once over being in what seemed like compromising positions with Jack; now that he actually had been doing something with Jack, Searle wasn’t sure how he’d make it out alive.
“I’m going to tell him, but I’m also going to make it quite clear that you’ve already been punished and understand what your infraction was.” Tom replied, expression and voice firm. “If he tries anything he’ll answer to me.”
He leaned forward. “I won’t tell him this isn’t the first time you and Jack snuck around to make out though.”
Searle’s eyes widened beneath his sweaty bangs, though in the next moment he seemed to come to a realization. Tom had probably stayed back to talk to Jack after he’d run off to take his shift. “Okay,” he said, while looking down at his knees. “... Thanks.”
Searle’s reaction just confirmed what he’d suspected but hadn’t known for sure, and Tom nodded in satisfaction. “You’re welcome.” He paused and thought about what to say next. Searle was a good kid, a lot like Tommy had been at that age but without some of the attitude his son had exhibited. “You know Searle it may look like I’ve always been a fossil, but once upon a time I was your age.”
“It was stupid of me to lose track of time,” Searle said. He wasn’t exactly happy with Tom right now because of the punishment, but Searle was even more unhappy with himself. After all of the work he’d done to make sure he was just as much a man as the older males in their group, he’d totally screwed up. “It was stupid of me to think Jack and I wouldn’t get caught, too.
“I don’t think it’s wrong,” he added, lifting his chin so he could look at Tom as he said it, “but Jack and I both know Jed will. Jack has to do whatever he says for some reason.”
“She has to do what he says because she’s thirteen and she’s allowed him to assume the role of father figure.” Tom said without heat. It was obvious that he wasn’t Searle’s favorite person right now, but the younger man would get over it with a good nights sleep and a hearty meal. “She’s only thirteen Searle, there’s a huge difference between thirteen and sixteen. Kissing itself isn’t wrong, but fooling around unsupervised with a thirteen year old girl is.”
“Jack would tell me if we were going too fast, and it’s not like....” Despite all of the confidence he’d begun the sentence with, it petered out pretty quickly. “It’s not like we were going to go all the way. Not anytime soon.”
“Would she?” Tom asked skeptically. “Would you really listen when your blood’s up and you’re feeling really good and only thinking about making the feeling continue?” He didn’t want to ask whether the teen had actually had sex with anyone yet, there were some questions a man just didn’t ask if he could avoid it. “Like I told Jack, it’s very easy to go from ‘not doing anything’ to ‘doing everything’ and the two of you aren’t going all the way until she’s sixteen at a minimum.” Probably more if Jed had anything to say about the matter and could make it stick.
There was nothing about Tom’s response that Searle liked, and that much showed on his face. He didn’t want to blurt anything out that he’d regret, but even holding back on answering wasn’t providing clarity because of all of the things tumbling around in his head.
“Sixteen?” he asked, but as soon as he said the word he wished he hadn’t. It wasn’t fair Tom expected him to wait until Jack was sixteen, but he didn’t want the older man to know that. “I mean, yeah, I think I would really listen.” Searle pushed his bangs away from his forehead and held in a sigh. His head felt all fuzzy from running before.
“She’s still a child Searle.” Tom emphasized. “Not one like Walker obviously, but she’s still very young. You both are really, your brains and bodies are still developing. We’ve treated you as an adult because you’ve been very mature for your age and you’ve been doing an adult’s work. Were we wrong to do that?”
“No.” That was the last thing Searle wanted Tom to think. “I know Jack’s young, but she kissed me first. That must mean she’s ready. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think she wanted it.” As serious as he was, it was impossible for him to keep blush from rising in his cheeks.
“Did you always get what you wanted when you were thirteen?” Tom asked reasonably, to which Searle could only shake his head. “It doesn’t matter what Jack wants: No sex until she’s sixteen, and I’m sure Jed would say eighteen or older. Her body and mind aren’t ready for it, no matter what she thinks.”
The vet paused and thought of a different tack he could take. “Are you ready to be a teenage father Searle?”
Searle sighed. “No.” He recalled Bridget saying (what felt like forever ago) that before long condoms would be a thing of the past and he wondered if they already were.
“If you aren’t ready to be a father then Jack definitely isn’t ready to be a mother.” Tom told him flatly. “Not just mentally, but physically. You see how much Bridget’s pregnancy is taking out of her, how tired the babies are making her all the time. I know Bridget’s carrying twins and that isn’t likely to happen again anytime soon, but Jack is a good bit smaller than Bridget, and not as developed physically to handle a pregnancy. Think about that for a minute.” He paused to let the teen think about the idea.
“I’ve been trying to talk about this man to man with you, explain why being alone with Jack in that way is a bad idea and why you shouldn’t do it. I’m not your father, Searle, and I can’t forbid you on that basis, but I am the leader of this group and that makes me responsible for the welfare of everyone here. It’s in both your interest and Jack’s for the two of you to keep it to kissing and not let it get out of hand. That’s why I imposed the rules about not being alone. A thirteen year old girl would not get to be alone with her boyfriend in the old world, and that hasn’t changed now either.”
Searle let Tom’s words wash over him. Even if he didn’t like them, he had to respect them. He knew that Jack getting pregnant could actually be the worst thing to ever happen to her - and the last thing. Searle remembered well how freaked out Kathleen had been after going into labor, and Bridget had briefly shared her own fear with him a while back as well. Jack could die, and if she did end up having a baby, well, he definitely wasn’t ready for that.
“I get it,” Searle finally said, although there was a gloomy quality about his voice. It all sucked because he was ready to have sex. Maybe not with Jack, but he wanted to. The whole pregnancy thing really put a damper on everything. “It kind of takes the fun out of it,” he couldn’t help but add.
Tom chuckled at that. “Maybe now, but a few years down the line you might change your mind. Being a dad was the best thing that ever happened to me, but I was in my twenties and ready for it too.” He paused and looked at Searle thoughtfully for a moment. “If you come across someone your own age or older and the two of you decide you want to become a couple I’m not going to have a problem with that as long as it’s a mutual decision.”
Tom’s words seemed to make Searle deflate. He rested his elbows on his knees and bowed his head. “Yeah,” he muttered. Other than Jack, the trader Nevaeh had been the only other person to show interest in him, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever see her again. Even if he did, it wasn’t like they could become a couple.
“Give it time Searle,” Tom reached over and patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. “Jack won’t be thirteen forever, and maybe you’ll meet someone in between now and then.”
“Maybe,” Searle agreed, but he didn’t sound too convinced. At least he felt better physically now that he’d been sitting for a while.
After a beat of silence, Searle looked up at Tom. “Can I go brush my teeth?”
Tom nodded. “Yeah, we’re done. Go get cleaned up.” Hopefully this would be the last time he’d have to do something like this. Of course, if Searle had refused Tom would have had to think of something else to deal with the challenge to his authority. Fortunately the teenager was a good kid. “All is forgiven.”
“Thanks.” Searle stood up and grabbed his toiletries on his way to the door. Although he didn’t agree with everything Tom had said, and he still was sore at him for the grueling punishment, he did respect Tom as a person and a leader. His vote had been for Alice all those weeks ago, but he didn’t think Tom was a bad choice.