#shran and soval and their adoptive human

[deepspacedukat]

OMG, DSD hiiiiiiii

So… I was ready your kid story with Shran and Soval and I had a thought

They are both male aliens dealing with a little human girl with human needs. They might be really smart and work among human, but there are thing they don’t know… right? Like, the girl needing help to stylish her hair or how to handle a sunburn, you know? Can we imagine two grown men being clueless about their daughter?

HI ANONYMOUS FRIEND!

First off, I'm glad you're enjoying that lil fic. Second, I totally agree! There would be soooooo many things the two of them didn't know about Humans and how to raise one! I was wondering if that particular element of the fic would be worth expounding upon, and since seeing this ask, I'm inclined to believe that I should write a lil somethin' about those two trying to figure how to parent their smol Human girl.

Because I can soooo picture them being clueless about things and causing chaos trying to figure out what to do about it.

Thank you so much for your ask, friend!! I appreciate you! 💙

[papasmistakeria]

Cursed Enterprise headcanon (maybe AU) cause my favourite series is now Enterprise and they're the closest to the 21st century so I can make millenial headcanons for them and it'd still be considered canon:

One time, Malcolm had the crew do archery for target practice and survival training. Ironically, the person who had the worst score was Archer

Archer lost Porthos this one time and he was depressed for an entire month. In a show of good will and friendship, T'Pol decided to make it her mission to find Porthos. She brought Archer the beagle back and he was so happy he cried and hugged her for an entire hour. 3 days later, Hoshi and Travis showed up with the real Porthos. Archer was left with one question; If that's Porthos, then who the fuck is the beagle that T'Pol brought? In the end, Archer gave up trying to figure it out and decided to adopt the other beagle

T'Pol was fascinated by the human custom of international communities discussion through means of forums as a way to recognize cultures. For her research, she signed up for Twitter. It was then she's convinced humans are fucking stupid

Trip had top surgery twice; First time when he transitioned and second time on his arm when he grew those nipples

Trip has spent most of his young adult life trying to lick his elbows. Nearly died twisting his neck one time

Malcolm had a Green Day phase and Trip laughs at him for it

Because he's smaller than most Security Chiefs, Malcolm is very resourceful in combat. Meaning, he bites and claws at people like a rabid animal. He also has near perfect voice imitation which adds to the long list of 'Things Absolutely Fucked Up about Malcolm Reed'. Some people thought he's a skinwalker or some demon

Whenever he's drunk, Malcolm shifts through 10 different personalities and accents and all of those are just Dominic Keating characters

Hoshi has a soft spot for rodents. She snuck in a bunch of her pet mice into the ship during launch and some of them escaped and at the same time, the whole ship power died and the only ones still active are weapons and warp. Turns out, some of her mice are in Engineering having the feast of their lives (they're chewing on the cables). Trip nearly had an aneurysm while the entire Engineering crew were chasing multiple mice away with brooms

Hoshi's role model is Hatsune Miku

Travis' role model is also Hatsune Miku

Travis plays Roblox. One time he made a Roblox game based off the Enterprise but then the captain found out and told him to shut it down. Nobody even noticed that Archer himself plays Roblox

One creature that Phlox absolutely cannot stand is the Earth Wasp. During his first few days on Earth, he thought the wasp was a bee and tried to observe it but instead it stung him and he hasn't forgiven it

Phlox is a big fan of Scooby Doo and has spent years trying to find a talking dog. He still believes Porthos has the ability to speak but hides it

Hayes is a Brony. His favourite is Applejack

The Enterprise crew has a Minecraft server for everyone. The Engineers are the ones who built every structure in the server. The Science and Medical crew are the ones making farms and whatnot. Command crew are the ones mining. The Security crew logs in every now and then just to blow shit up and ruin everyone's day

The only time Harris regretted recruiting Malcolm to Section 31 was during his first solo mission and somehow Malcolm managed to bite a Starfleet security officer's fucking fingers off clean and Harris nearly had an aneurysm trying to do damage control

Shran tries to learn about human custom through their history since he's a firm believer that history is the door to the present. The next time he greeted Archer, he did a dab and Archer cried

Shran went to visit Earth as a show of diplomacy and for a date with Archer. Someone offered to give him more money if he gives them some money and he mistook that for weird human hospitality tradition. He got scammed

There's a thirst trap of Soval somewhere and it's on Forrest's private tiktok account

[deepspacedukat]

Ok, my daddy issues brought me here. What if Y/N is a pre teen who is to someone from the crew and she is absolutely fascinated by Shran and/or Soval and one of them becomes a father figure to them

OH MY GOD, ANON. YOU ARE A GENIUS. I’m gonna have to write this as both of them becoming father figures to her, so uh...yep. I apologize in advance. *twiddles thumbs in daddy issues* This is going to end up being three chapters, because my brain just came up with lots of plot to go along with this and...well, I’m legally obligated to write it now. Shran is featured in Part One, Soval will be featured in Part Two, and both will be featured in Part Three. Nonny, you’ve created a monster. Cross-posted into AO3 here.

Part Two: Logic

Part Three: Promises Kept

~*~

Found Family - Part One: Ice

Shran (ST:ENT) + Preteen!Reader <- Parental (adoptive kind of) relationship, not romantic

[A/N: This is just cute and I love it. I made a random female crewmember her mother.]

Warnings: None, this is just cute. I mean, a Vulcan and an Andorian being co-almost-parents is a warning, I guess???? But technically Shran and Soval don’t interact this chapter so...that’s for future chapters. For now, enjoy some soft!Shran.

~*~

The first time Shran saw her, he was receiving a tour of the Enterprise from Captain Archer after joining Starfleet. The two had been chatting for some time, joking about some of their previous encounters and the irony that was the human now being his commanding officer. Shran was just commenting on part of their upcoming mission when something barreled into his thigh and bounced off him with a little grunt.

Stopping and looking down, he saw that it was a very small human girl - a child. He hadn’t known there were children aboard. The girl looked up at him and her mouth fell open in surprise when she saw him.

“I-I’m so sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to bump into you,” she stammered, and he bent down so he was at eye level with her. Grasping her waist gently but firmly, he lifted her into a standing position and steadied her.

“The fault was entirely mine, little warrior. My apologies for knocking you down,” Shran murmured holding one of her hands and giving her a deferential nod. She was only a child. There was no harm done, and he didn’t want her first encounter with his people to be a negative one. From the wide-eyed look of curiosity and awe on her face, he’d salvaged the situation quite nicely. Beside him, the Captain cleared his throat.

“Remember, Cadet, no running in the corridors unless it’s an emergency,” he said, and the girl nodded her head.

“Yes, sir,” she answered, and Shran gave her hand a small squeeze before releasing her to go on her way. The girl gave him a little smile before walking away at a brisk but more reasonable pace.

“Starfleet takes its cadets that young?” Shran asked Archer when the girl was gone and they had resumed walking. The Captain let out a small huff of laughter.

“No, no. We have a new Ensign in Engineering and she got special permission from Starfleet to bring her daughter aboard. She said she wants to join Starfleet one day like her mom, hence the nickname,” Archer explained, and Shran found himself smiling despite himself as the tour continued.

--

The next time Shran found her it was a few weeks later in the mess hall late at night. She was practically curled in on herself in one of the seats near the viewport. She seemed stressed or sad, but he couldn’t quite figure out which. Other than the girl, the mess hall was entirely empty and she hadn’t seemed to notice his entrance. Something must be troubling her. Shran cleared his throat so as not to alarm her, and the girl turned, looking up at him with a mixture of surprise and recognition.

“Hi,” she said in a voice that struck him as rather tentative.

“Hello, Cadet. I didn’t mean to intrude. I only came for a cup of your human coffee,” he explained trying to ease her mind. It was likely she’d never seen an Andorian before that day in the corridor, and he didn’t want to frighten her. He walked calmly over to grab a mug. “Trouble sleeping?”

“Yeah. I can never sleep when my mom’s on an away mission,” she answered quietly, and his antennae twitched. The only two officers on the mission were Captain Archer and one of his female engineers. She must be the engineer’s daughter, then. “You’re one of the Captain’s friends, aren’t you? Commander Shran?”

Clever girl.

“Yes, I am,” he said picking up his mug and walking back toward the table she was seated at. “May I join you?”

At a nod of her head, Shran thanked her and took a seat. She looked at him with an expression akin to wonder. Definitely only her second time seeing an Andorian. Normally, lingering gazes on his antennae from other species made him feel like an animal in observation, but this girl...her innocent curiosity made him feel less like an animal and more like something special.

“You have no need to worry. Your mother is a competent officer and Captain Archer is a fierce fighter. He’ll make sure she comes back to you,” Shran murmured before taking a sip of his coffee.

“You really think so?” She asked, and Shran smiled. There was such hope in her voice. Sweet little thing.

“I do,” he replied earnestly. If her mother was in danger on this mission, the least Shran could do was protect her daughter...comfort her. No child deserved to wait alone in fear that one of their parents might not return. He would distract her for a bit, then. “On my homeworld, if a person is a strong fighter, we say they have ice in their veins.”

At her inquisitive and slightly confused look, he elaborated.

“Andoria is an ice planet. The surface is cold...deadly, and the ice itself...you must respect it if you want to survive, for it’s the strongest force that surrounds us. Yet it sustains us and all the life on Andoria’s surface. The ice is strong and enduring. To say a person has ice in their veins is one of the highest compliments we can bestow,” he explained. “Captain Archer is the only non-Andorian I’ve met who is worthy of it. Your mother is in good hands. Mark my words, he’ll make sure she gets home safe. Don’t tell him I said that, though. He’d never allow me to forget it.”

That last bit was said with a playful little wink, drawing a giggle from his previously anxious companion.

“I won’t. I promise,” she said, and Shran lifted an eyebrow.

“How do I know you’re telling me the truth, little pink skin?” He wasn’t really suspicious, but she brought out a bit of playfulness in him. It wasn’t often he got to interact with children, much less ones who hung on his every word like he was some great storyteller.

“I give you my word. My mother said to only give my word when I was sure I wouldn’t break it because my word has to mean something,” she said, and Shran couldn’t help but smile. That sounded very much like something Captain Archer might say. Perhaps Archer was her father since she sounded so like him.

“And what of your father? Is he aboard Enterprise as well?” He asked before taking another sip of his coffee.

“No. He died when I was little.” Well...that certainly wasn’t the answer he’d expected or the tone he’d meant to introduce into this conversation. Thinking over how he should proceed, he had an idea. Shran pulled his ushaan-tor from his belt, slowly so he wouldn’t frighten her.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you, little one. There is a tradition on Andoria...” There really wasn’t - at least, not one that didn’t involve bloodshed - but if adapting an Andorian custom would ease the girl’s mind, he was more than happy to do so. Children often enjoyed it when adults treated them as equals, so why shouldn’t she? Laying the half-moon weapon flat on the table so that the grip was perpendicular to them both, Shran saw the girl sit up a bit straighter. There was no tension or fear in her body language, only curiosity and a bit of eagerness. “When one person makes a promise to another – a very serious promise like an oath – they swear on their blades.”

“How?” She looked at him with wide eyes, and he couldn’t help the ghost of a smile that flitted across his lips.

“I’ll show you, but a promise made on the blade of an ushaan-tor can never be broken. The blade feels the purity of your intentions, and it knows if you don’t mean what you say,” he warned. Shran knew it was utter nonsense, but the girl seemed so drawn into the idea that he kept going. “Don’t make a promise that you’re not sure you can keep.”

She nodded her head in solemn understanding as he laid his hand on the ushaan-tor’s grip and met her gaze.

“Place your hand beside mine on the grip,” he instructed and the girl did so carefully. Shran felt a surge of protectiveness when he saw how small her hands were compared to his. “Just like that. I, Commander Thy’lek Shran, formerly of the Andorian Imperial Guard, now of Starfleet, promise you...”

He trailed off to allow her to say her name, and once she had, he nodded at her respectfully.

“...that as long as we are both aboard this ship, I will keep you company while your mother is away...that I’ll protect you,” he said, and the smile that lit up her face was worth a thousand promises. She cleared her throat and Shran’s antennae twitched curiously.

“And I promise that I’ll keep your secret and that I’ll be your friend. I-If you want a friend, I mean.” At the innocent sweetness in her voice, Shran practically melted. He moved his hand to cover hers where it rested on the grip of his ushaan-tor.

“I’d like that very much, Cadet,” he answered quietly, and the way she lit up made him wish that he’d gotten to know her sooner. Once the Commander had released her hand gently, she looked more closely at the ushaan-tor.

“Do you really use this to fight?” She asked looking up at him with wonder in her eyes.

“Well, yes, but not as often as when I was in the Imperial Guard. Starfleet usually wants us to use phase pistols instead of bladed weapons,” he answered, and she nodded her head in understanding. “I’ve had this ushaan-tor since I was about your age.”

“Does it have a name?” The question threw him for a loop, and he looked at her curiously. A name? For a blade? “Every good weapon has a name. King Arthur had Excalibur, Sigurd had Gramr...”

He’d never heard of either one, but if it made the girl happy, he’d play along.

“Ah, I see. Well, this has been a very good ushaan-tor. I’d be lost without it, and it has helped me win quite a few battles over the years.” Shran was utterly amused by the idea that humans named their weapons as they would their pets. “I don’t know how to choose a name for a blade, though. That isn’t really done on Andoria. Perhaps, little warrior, you could help me come up with a suitable name over the course of our voyage?”

Her eyes went wide at the prospect.

“Really?” At his nod of confirmation, she practically vibrated with excitement before looking at him happily. “You can count on me, Commander!”

“I’m sure I can, Cadet. After all, a good officer, whether they’re in the Guard or Starfleet, needs to be reliable,” he said taking a sip of his cooling coffee. The door to the mess hall opened with a hiss, and Shran looked up to see Ensign Mayweather step into the room. Travis saw the two of them and smiled as he walked over.

“Commander. There you are, Cadet. The away team just got back. You know the drill. Time to report to your quarters,” the helmsman said, and he held out his hand to her with a smile. She took his hand and hopped off the chair. She looked back up at the Andorian with a big smile across her lips.

“Thank you for talking with me tonight, Commander,” she said, and Shran couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

“It was my pleasure, Cadet. Thank you for allowing me to be your friend,” he said with a respectful bow of his head. As Mayweather led the girl out of the mess hall toward her quarters, Shran felt something warm and fuzzy make its home in his chest. Well...he hadn’t anticipated making a new friend tonight, but he was certainly glad he had. Glancing at his nearly-forgotten coffee, the Andorian mused that he may be among a whole different species here, but suddenly he felt not quite so alone.

--

Less than a week after their mess hall conversation, Shran returned from an away mission and spent an hour in decon. After changing into a clean uniform and beginning to make his way toward his quarters, Shran heard a call of his name from a familiar, very small voice. Turning, he saw the Cadet hurrying toward him.

“Hello, little warrior. What can I do for you, today?” He asked as she began to walk alongside him.

“I heard you went down to the new planet we discovered. What was it like?” She sounded so excited. He couldn’t disappoint her, could he? Despite his exhaustion, he smiled down at her and began to recount his experience. He tried his best to make a routine survey mission sound exciting, because what good was exploring new worlds if you weren’t going to have fun doing it? Just as the two of them were reaching the turbolift, it opened to reveal the girl’s mother, who looked stunned to see them together.

“There you are, young lady. I-I’m so sorry if she bothered you, Commander,” the Ensign said, but Shran just waved her off.

“Nonsense, Ensign. The Cadet and I are friends. She could never bother me,” he said placing his hand gently on the top of the girl’s head as they joined her mother in the lift. “Your daughter is a very clever girl.”

“Thank you, sir,” the Ensign said with the type of proud, affectionate smile that only a parent could muster. As the lift reached the level that the crew quarters were on, the three of them got out and Shran continued his story. He only paused when he felt a small, warm hand grasp his own. His antennae twitched and his heart gave an alarming little flip as he closed his fingers over hers and kept talking. All too soon, they reached the door to his quarters and his story concluded. “We should let the Commander get some rest. He’s probably very tired after his mission.”

The girl nodded her head in agreement and Shran gave her fingers a small, careful squeeze before releasing them.

“Goodnight, little warrior,” he murmured with a smile across his lips. He opened the door to his quarters, but before he could go inside, he was stopped in his tracks by the girl’s small voice behind him.

“Commander? I’m glad you got home safe,” she said, and before he could respond, she and her mother were already walking back toward the lift. Precious little thing. There was no denying it now: Enterprise was rapidly becoming his new home. He had friends here, and now...well, now he even felt as though he was becoming part of a rather large, hodgepodge family. Shran may have lost the Kumari, but this...this was a significant step forward toward something positive.

--

The two fell into somewhat of a routine after that. There was barely a day where Shran didn’t see his little warrior somewhere on the ship, and during the missions where her mother was away from Enterprise, Shran kept her company and distracted her. Regaling her with tales from Andoria and from his time on the Kumari, he couldn’t help but feel proud of the way his words made her eyes light up with excitement and curiosity.

After something of a lengthy away mission and several of Shran’s stories, a yawn erupted from the small human. Shran had been waiting with her in the mess hall like the usually did, but she was becoming drowsy.

“We should get you to bed, little one,” the Andorian said standing and offering her his hand so he could take her back to her quarters. When she stood, though, she swayed with exhaustion. Without a second thought, he picked her up in his arms and held her securely as he began to walk toward the turbolift. The next time he glanced down at her, her eyes were closed and she’d nuzzled up against his shoulder. When the lift opened to reveal a few of the tougher security personnel, he narrowed his eyes, daring them to make some sort of disparaging comment. When they saw the sleeping girl in his arms, though, they just gave him a respectful nod. As they should. Shran reached her quarters a few moments later and as he laid her gently in her bed, she stirred slightly. He smiled gently down at her as her eyes fluttered open. “It’s alright. You’re safe in your bed.”

She nodded her head and smiled sleepily up at him. Before he could leave her to rest, however, she grasped one of his hands as if he’d disappear.

“Can you stay? I don’t want to be alone,” she murmured sheepishly, and her words tugged at his heart. How could he possibly say no?

“Of course, little warrior,” Shran said kneeling at her bedside and holding her hand. “I’ll stay as long as you like.”

Letting out a very large yawn for such a small girl, her eyes closed.

“Thanks, Dad,” she murmured, and as the words rang in Shran’s ears, his little warrior drifted peacefully to sleep. So stunned was he that his antennae were practically still as he considered the implications of her words...and her trust. This tiny human thought of him as her...father? Shran had been decorated many times in his career, but this...this was the highest honor he’d ever received. Many hours later when the girl’s mother found him asleep with his hand in hers, she could do no more than smile as she draped a blanket over his shoulders.