A Very Interesting Chess Game

Jim strode forward through the hallway, stopped at Spock's door, and ignored the bell to rap smartly on the frame. The plan in his head was very simple, had been rehearsed in front of his bedroom mirror God knows how many times for over a week. He'd even gone so far as to re-fluff his hair into its usual morning stylishness. There was no way this could go wrong.

Then the door opened, revealing a somewhat-harried-looking Spock, uniform slightly wrinkled, leaning his lithe body against the frame. Jim's legs practically gave out at the sight. Damn if Spock wasn't gorgeous when he looked pissed.

And damn if Jim wasn't so easily swayed by tall, dark, and Vulcan.

"Yes, Captain?" the Vulcan asked coolly. His thin hands swept downwards, smoothing the wrinkles in his blue overshirt.

"I…um." Dammit, and he'd memorized that whole introduction speech!

"Are you suffering from numb tongue again?" Spock actually smirked, and at his own joke, the bastard. "Perhaps it would be best if I called for Doctor McCoy."

Jim glared in spite of himself. "No, Spock," he said emphatically. "I do not need Bones right now." That was the last thing Jim needed: one surly Texan guaranteed to ruin his plan and then screw him around for failing afterwards.

"Then what is it you require?"

Jim opened his mouth, closed it as soon as he realized he was about to say "you," and started over. "Chess."

Spock raised an eyebrow.

"I wanna play a game of chess with you," Jim reiterated, shaking his head in frustration. "That's what I meant."

"Of course, Captain," Spock said slowly, moving aside as Jim gratefully barreled into his room. "May I inquire as to why you want to play chess?"

"Do I really need a reason, Spock?" Jim called. His eyes were bouncing around, looking for a chess set. "Where do you keep—?"

"Under my bed," Spock called back, walking in after him. "And I would enjoy a reason, if you have one."

Jim emerged from Spock's bedroom with the chess set and gave Spock a confused look. The Vulcan steepled his fingers and lifted his shoulders up an inch. "I am simply curious why you choose to spend your off-duty time with me."

Jim blinked as he set the chess set on the table. "I just wanted to play some chess, Spock. You're the best chess player I know. I think my logic is pretty sound at that."

Spock nodded and helped set up the board. "Very sound."

Jim took one white pawn and one black pawn and shuffled them behind his back. "You mind if I spice up this game, Spock?"

"I assume you mean that you wish to make the game more interesting?"

"Exactly. Have you ever played truth or dare?"

Spock wrinkled his nose. "I am familiar with the concept, but is that not a pastime for adolescent human females?"

Jim rolled his eyes and continued shuffling. "I'm crossing chess and truth or dare. If I take one of your pieces, you have to tell me a truth about yourself, something that I don't know." He held out his fists to Spock, each closed around a pawn.

Spock mused for a second. "An interesting concept. I propose that the truth revealed should be equivalent to the value of the piece taken. A captured pawn would garner a minor secret, while capturing a queen reveals a secret of fairly great import."

Jim couldn't help a grin. "Deal. Now pick a hand."

And of course, the universe was completely biased, and Spock wound up with the white pawn.

Two minutes in (a rather slow game for them, since they were both trying to avoid capture) Spock took the first piece: one of Jim's rooks he'd very stupidly left unprotected.

"I believe this means you must reveal a secret to me?" Spock asked. He was paying more attention to the board than to his opponent. That was one of the things Jim liked, even loved about Spock, his constant focus and collected demeanor. Of course, it was a bit of a pain to break him out of that focus when Jim wanted attention.

Spock looked up expectantly. "I'm waiting, Captain."

"Alright, alright!" Jim said. "Um…god, this is embarrassing. I've actually read the Twilight series. All four books."

Spock, thankfully, said nothing, but his eyebrows went up. He moved one of his knights forward, menacing Jim's queen.

Jim mused a little over the board before seeing the move. "Oh, no you don't," he crowed softly. With a little flourish, he toppled the knight with his white-square bishop. "You go."

"Contrary to popular belief, I can and have at one time grown a full beard."

Jim sighed a little exasperatedly. "Spock, that's something you'd tell Bones for a physical. Not a really worth a knight."

Spock nodded in assent. His next sentence was carefully enunciated and considered. "I enjoy watching Terran action films."

Jim almost laughed as he made his next move. He was serious. "Action? As in Terminator action, A-Team action?"

"Both," Spock admitted reluctantly. His eyes suddenly lit up and he moved in on one of Jim's pawns.

Jim smiled. "I'll keep with the movie theme. Personally, I prefer romance movies. Romantic comedies if I'm desperate."

"Really, Captain?" Spock wasn't even looking at the board now; his eyes were fixed entirely on Jim. "I was not aware we shared another common point. Though, as some put it, I prefer the books to the movies."

This is getting ridiculous, Jim thought as he continued to play. It's like a script, not a story. All this romantic stuff is way too good to be true. Because honestly, Spock was becoming even more of a dream with every taken piece. It was bad enough when he was the dark, brooding, mysterious stud. Now there was an interesting personality behind the underwear model.

Another one of Jim's pawns was taken. "I have a stash of Nora Roberts novels hidden in my quarters. I'm not telling you where, though," he added hastily, eyes sweeping up to Spock then back to the board. "Ahah!" he cried triumphantly. One of Spock's rooks toppled over. "Go again," Jim said eagerly and leaned back in his chair. "God, this is a good game."

Spock was vaguely smiling. "I also have a stash of books—"

"Aw, Spock, come on!" Jim cried, exasperated and eager to hear more. "You can't try and cheat me twice, do a better one!"

Spock shrugged minutely and moved his bishop. "Very well. Would it be more satisfactory to reveal that I shed tears when my sehlat died?"

Jim made his move and nodded, maybe a little too enthusiastically. In his defense, he was really into the game. "I remember that bit. I thought his death was logical to you, though, that you didn't want him to suffer from the venom."

"While that may be true, he and I were very close." The Vulcan's thin lips seemed to tighten slightly as he surveyed the board. "One could say he was my only childhood friend, besides my mother."

All the enthusiasm came crashing down around Jim's ears and he swallowed over the sudden lump in his throat. It was no secret that parents were a sore subject, and of course he'd had the stupidity to touch on that. As he looked at the board, though, he figured out a way to pay Spock back.

He moved his last rook two squares right, directly in the path of Spock's bishop. The Vulcan took it without a second thought.

"I was bullied too," Jim blurted, before Spock had even moved the rook aside. "My mom got promoted right after she remarried to this guy Frank, so she wasn't around as much as my brother and I would've liked. Frank…" He paused, ducked his head. "Frank beat me and Sam on a pretty regular basis. Me mostly, cause I was Mom's favorite when she was home."

Spock's hand hovered over his queen. "I…I was not aware."

"Not many people are," Jim replied quietly. "It's not something you share over lunch in the mess. But I figured after…" His voice trailed off meaningfully. He wasn't going there again.

"Work a rook indeed," Spock murmured. The room was oddly quiet for a few minutes before Spock finally moved his queen. "Your move," he said, somewhat shakily.

Jim nodded absently and looked down at the board. In a few seconds his eyes went wide and he looked up at his opponent. "Spock."

Spock looked at the board and his face went even paler and greener than usual. "I forfeit."

Jim was flabbergasted. "Spock, it's just your queen. You can win the game without it."

"No."

What the hell? Jim thought. "Come on."

Spock said nothing, but he crossed his arms over his chest and looked away purposely.

"Spock, come on!"

"No," Spock reiterated, more forcefully. Jim swore he'd never seen a Vulcan act like a petulant three-year-old before this moment, and it was getting annoying fast.

"Look," Jim tried again, forcing himself to be reasonable, "it's not like getting a shot at the doctor, just let me move the piece—"

"No!" Spock was suddenly standing, hands curled into fists and shaking slightly. "I am possessed of only one secret worth a queen, and I will not, cannot reveal it to you!"

He turned and started to storm away, but by a miracle Jim grabbed hold of his arm and yanked him back. Spock kept struggling, but Jim got his shoulders, shook them, tried to look Spock in the face even when the latter kept moving. "I'm not going to tell anyone!" he growled. The idea stuck with him. "Is that what you're afraid of? That I'll blabber your secret to the entire crew?"

"No."

"Then what the hell is it?"

Spock finally looked up, straight into Jim's eyes. His pupils were dilated and his cheeks were flushed faintly green, and in any other circumstance the captain would have melted at what could only translate as Spock's sex face. But Jim was pissed and confused, and the dark irises were tinged with genuine fear, something so illogical even Jim didn't get why it was there. What was so damn important that Spock, Spock for god's sake, was willing to forfeit a game?

Their gazes leveled and matched. "If I tell you," Spock said, his voice rigidly controlled, "there is a 99.97% probability that neither of us will ever be able to work in close quarters together again."

Jim raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Ever?"

"Ever."

"This must be one hell of a secret."

The green in Spock's cheeks increased. "It is incredibly private. More than you know, I think."

"Spock." Jim was pleading now, or at least starting to. "Please."

Spock was quiet, but did not avert his gaze.

"I won't hate you, and I won't tell anyone," Jim went on. "I swear on this ship I won't say anything about it."

Spock let out a shaky sigh. "Very well. Take my queen."

Jim felt like he was handling a wild animal as he released Spock and crossed the room to the chess board. Looking back at Spock, he put a tentative finger on his knight. It was only when Spock nodded silently that Jim moved and captured Spock's queen.

"I…" The cool voice trailed away quickly and the dark head turned away. For a tense second Jim feared Spock would back out, but—

"For the past year and half of our time on the Enterprise," he began, "I have been battling with my emotions...my emotions concerning you. I cannot explain it, but whenever I am around you, I…"

"Still want to kill me?" Jim finished prematurely. That was the only reason he could think of that made the remotest bit of sense—who could forget the strangling incident, after all?

"Just the opposite," Spock corrected him, shaking his head. His mouth twisted up in a grimace. "Whenever I see you, I find you…I find you far too attractive to stand."

Jim's brain shorted out momentarily and he blinked. "Whah?"

"Have I not put it in simple terms?" Spock burst out. His voice was louder than Jim had ever heard it, and soon Spock's words were tumbling out so fast it was almost incomprehensible. "I have desired you, James Tiberius Kirk, still desire you as more than an acquaintance or a friend for over a year! Every time I see you I am forced to battle with myself, attempting to control a libido that has been stifled for well over thirty years, a libido that has never before realized that its possessor is…gay!" Spock finished, a little lamely.

All the air escaped from Jim's lungs like from a punctured balloon. His mind emptied too, and he started to walk towards Spock, as though bewitched. "You mean you…"

"Find you sexually desirable, yes."

"But Uhura?"

"She has correctly guessed my true sexual orientation, and is sympathetic. Indeed, she has helped me conceal it from the rest of the crew." Spock noticed where Jim was moving, eyed him nervously.

"And us?"

"You must be clearer than that," Spock said irritably.

"Am I just a wet dream?"

"Not only," Spock admitted sheepishly. "You have been and will always be my friend, Jim—" he shivered using the name "—and I value our friendship far above my carnal desires."

Jim paused suddenly, now a foot away from Spock. Their eyes met again, and god only knew what Spock could see in Jim's baby blues, but Jim no longer gave a damn. He'd stopped giving damns about a minute ago when the phrase "I'm gay" fell from Spock's lips like manna from heaven. He was giving even fewer damns now he was panting from hardly breathing for that minute, and from the fact that Spock was somehow panting softly as well.

"What if I told you," Jim breathed, "that I have similar carnal desires concerning you?"

Spock's eyes widened instantly.

"That I've been having carnal desires since the week after you became my first officer? That I'd been hoping and praying that somehow, that kiss with Uhura on the transporter was a fluke? That one could go far enough to say that I find you interesting in other, non-carnal ways?"

"How long have you been planning this?" Spock breathed.

"Telling you?" A tittering laugh fell from Jim's lips before he literally bit it back. "For a week, maybe? I would've told you even if I'd lost, and dealt with the humiliation afterwards."

"Believe me when I say you have not humiliated yourself," Spock returned. His Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped. "You play a much better game of chess than I do, Mister Kirk."

Jim laughed shakily. "Poker, not chess. You knowI suck at chess. And use my first name."

"Jim." Spock shivered again. "What do you intend to do now you've won the game?"

"Just this," Jim murmured, pulling his Vulcan close—yes, his Vulcan, for now at least—and gently pressing their lips together. Spock's lips were soft and chapstick-slicked, and left a faintly minty taste on Jim's tongue. And he could kiss—heaven only knew whether the talent was natural, but Jim didn't care, especially not when Spock let his tongue glide over his bottom lip. Without thinking, Jim opened his mouth, let Spock massage their tongues together a while before returning the favor. The inside of Spock's mouth was delicious, and Jim raided it without a second thought, dying to taste as much of it as possible. Their hands were not idle either; Jim's started tangling in Spock's silken hair, and Spock's fingers trailed up and down Jim's chest, chilling him to the bone in more ways than one.

Jim pulled away from the kiss gently and laid his forehead against Spock's. "As much fun as this is," he murmured, "you think we ought to get a drink together first?"

"That is traditional for your species, isn't it?"

Jim couldn't help chuckling. He gave Spock a little squeeze and said, "Yes, Spock. Very traditional. Shall we go to the mess together, then?"

Spock's lips curled upwards. "I would prefer using the replicators in your room, Captain."

Jim's eyebrows nearly hit the ceiling, they went up so high. "Please tell me you're not teasing."

"What reason do I have to speak falsely, Jim?" Spock asked innocently. Their eyes locked, blue and brown; the expression in Spock's eyes, unlike his tone, wasn't even trying for innocent.

And Jim loved that. "Okay!" he chirped, grabbing Spock's wrist and pulling him towards the door. He didn't give a damn if Spock could see him grinning like an idiot, or hear his wild half-sexy thoughts racing around in his mind. Jim may have been better at poker, but chess was the better game by far.

Author's Notes: About the summary. I know you have to be asking, what am I doing making a series of one-shots? Well, I honestly can't bring myself to make this a chapter fiction. The plots are too disjointed and I don't intend to joint them with more scenes, if that makes sense. Though, if you guys want, I'm willing to tack on more to the "Very" series than just the two I have planned. Message me with ideas, if you want more!

Oh, and forgive me for the lack of smut in this one, everyone!. I'm fairly certain you were all looking forward to that happening, and all you got was a kiss at the end of a very long plot. One thing I can promise, though: the second part is absolutely completed, and comes with lots of smut!

Again, thanks to my beta xladyjagsx, to my love disciple65 for grammar editing the first half, and to all you who stuck around to read the author notes. Stay tuned, guys, and enjoy! ;)