Chapter 7

An alarm suddenly sounded and Jim grumbled, pulling the sheets over his head. His muscles ached and he groaned lowly as the loud beeping continued. Jim outstretched a hand from his large pile of sheets and tried to feel his way to his clock. He relaxed as the alarm stopped and let his hand simply rest over the device as he rubbed his face against his pillow.

The boy rolled out of bed, rubbing his eyes and wandered to the mirror. His pace was slow as he kept his eyes shut, yawning loudly. When he bumped into his drawer, he groaned again and opened his eyes tiredly.

Looking at his reflection, Jim blinked and captured a lock of hair between his fingers to examine the darkened blond colour. By now his hair was just below his eyebrows and he blew upwards trying to brush them to the side.

His hands came out from his sleeves and his pants just a tad over his ankles and a little bit uncomfortable to walk in. Looking at his drawers, he grinned at the pile of clothes laid out for him, most likely from Bones by the small note bearing unreadable scrawl that could only belong to a doctor. After turning the note at all angles, he managed to read the writing.

'Working in the Med bay, don't forget to get some breakfast.'

Jim rolled his eyes as Bones underlined the last part of his message. Picking up the new pair of pants, he brought them to his waist, grinning as the pant legs passed his ankles and piled on the floor. They must have been recently washed because he could catch the faint smell of chemicals clinging to them. Out of curiosity, Jim brought his command jersey and black undershirt to his nose and he grimaced at the scent. Maybe that's what you get for not taking a shower for two days.

He glanced at the clock at his bedside table for a moment and his eyes widened as it showed 10 am. 'Yikes!'

Jim reached for his new set of clothes and wandered into the washroom. He undressed and ran the shower, jumping as the water graced his skin when he entered the small stall. Jim didn't spend too much time in the shower, rushing through washing his hair and scrubbing absentmindedly with soap until he believed he was properly cleansed.

He dressed quickly, almost tripping on his pants as he put them on. His command shirt remained baggy but he was accustomed to it now. He checked his hair again and smiled when he found himself presentable and went on his way to the medical bay. The curious glances from the crewmembers had lessened as if they didn't find the captain as interesting anymore, but Jim still managed to catch a few stares. He basked at his new height and how he could practically reach everything on the ship, and went on enthusiastically to the doctor.

About to enter the Medical bay, Jim suddenly gasped as he bumped into nurse Chapel.

"Oh, Captain!" Christine said in surprise. "Sorry about that dear." She gave him an apologetic touch at the shoulder and his face flushed in slight embarrassment as he rubbed at his forehead and pushed his hair out of his eyes.

"It's ok." Jim smiled softly as Chapel went off down the hall.

An announcement had just started when Kirk entered, and the room echoed with a familiar Russian accent. Jim's eye shifted to the wall and he grinned as Pavel Chekov's face appeared on screen.

The ship had set course for their next planet and was planned to arrive by the middle of tomorrow apparently. Everyone seemed to be either resting up or off preparing for the next few hours, especially McCoy, who was run back and forth around the medical bay, sorting through supplies to be ready for any casualties the following day.

"I can't play with you today, Jim, I'm busy." McCoy murmured while trying to prepare a tray full of hypospray. Jim frowned, looking at the pile of sprays and took a step back afraid he might be punctured by one. The doctor didn't seem to notice as he was too busy rummaging through his drawers and flipping through papers.

"Well, what am I going to do all day then?" Jim complained, jumping up to sit on the medical bed.

McCoy merely gave the boy a short stare before returning to his work, scrawling over his PADD. Jim huffed, crossing his arms and letting his legs dangle off the medical bed. He occupied his time watching the doctor continue to walk around the sick bay. Bones was not as taken with being questioned at everything he did and Jim frowned.

"Why did you set my alarm so late?" Kirk asked, leaning onto his elbows on the medical bed. Bones did not reply to him the first time he asked, or the second time, or the third. Jim eventually gave up asking and left the doctor alone.

"Your body needs to rest much longer and more frequently while you're getting better." McCoy finally responded and Jim puffed one of his cheeks in mild irritation. It made sense, and Jim remarked the constant soreness in his limbs. His headache wasn't as bad today and was a mere tingling at the back of his head.

Jim sat on the medical bed a little longer, tilting back and forth to entertain himself as he watched Bones filling forms on his data pad. When he decided Leonard wasn't going to do anything more interesting than watching grass grow, he hopped off the cot.

He tried not to look too upset when he left the medical bay, but he selfishly hoped Bones would see the frown on his face. Jim was disappointed when McCoy didn't say anything, or maybe the doctor did and he simply missed it. He couldn't help but wish for the latter to be true.

Going through the list of names in his mind, he tried to think of some people that shouldn't be too busy with preparing the ship. It was difficult trying to remember as he had trouble putting a face to the name. The second person he was most familiar about would be Spock. The First Officer shouldn't be too occupied as the ship had already set its course and Jim decided that was a good place to start.

He made it a game to point at the rooms and try to remember who they belonged too. He was confident in his guesses and was sure he reached Spock's when he reached the lower end of the maze of hallways. Knocking at the door, Jim couldn't shake off the feeling shouldn't have done that. He waited for a little while, turning his head back and forth as people passed behind him. The door finally opened and Spock looked down at his captain curiously. Catching a glimpse of the Vulcan's room, Jim's face reddened as he saw the dimly lighted room, simply illuminated by a few candles on different surfaces. He felt a bit bad for disturbing his First Officer while he was meditating, but couldn't do much as Spock continued to stare at him with silent interest.

"Um, do you wanna play with me?" Jim asked before the Vulcan could say anything. Spock arched a brow.

"Captain?"

"Bones is busy today," Jim shifted his eyes, kicking at the ground. "So..." He wouldn't be too surprised if the Vulcan said 'No' but he could always try. Spock was taking over his job until he was normal again, so he most likely very busy with other little things he might have forgotten to take into consideration.

"Very well." The Vulcan answered and Jim's eyes widened in a mix of surprise and happiness. The First Officer let the boy enter before shutting the door. Jim blinked as Spock turned on the lights and let himself get accustomed to the thick scent of smoke. He examined the room quietly as the Vulcan blew out his candles. It was very similar to Jim's room with the exception of lack of decoration.

"Perhaps a game of chess?" Spock offered.

"Chess?" Jim said curiously. The boy's face was blank as the Vulcan reached for the large board on the shelf after putting away his candles. It certainly wasn't something he expected when Spock agreed to play with him, but he shouldn't be too surprised. A strange image came to mind now as Jim imagined his First Officer playing a game of hide and seek with him instead and he couldn't withhold his grin.

"Indeed." Spock gave a short nod. His eyes flickered with interest as the boy pondered at the idea of chess now.

"I can't remember how to play chess..." Jim murmured, staring at the board with unfamiliarity. Spock set the chess board on a small table at the side of the room with Kirk following behind him. His pace was slow as he couldn't find the will to walk faster to catch up with the half-Vulcan. It was a bit disheartening to play when the game set was taller than you sitting down.

"Then I shall teach you." Spock countered, placing the king piece in its proper place at the highest platform and Jim bit his lip.

"Do I play chess when I'm older?" Kirk asked. Seating himself opposite from the First Officer, he watched the other man continue to set the pieces in their proper place on the board. Apparently he was playing white.

"Affirmative, in fact, we partake in the pastime frequently." The Vulcan explained. This seemed to give Jim enough reassurance of his skill and the First Officer's lip twitched into his familiar smirk as the boy agreed to go against him. "As white, you may make the first move."

Jim nodded, picking up his pawn and biting his lip as he tried to decide where he should place it. Finally setting it down, he looked up at Spock, seeing the Vulcan raise his eyebrows to an expression he wasn't too sure about. Maybe he made the wrong move? Maybe just something Spock didn't see that coming? Maybe both?

"Fascinating." The Vulcan momentarily touched his chin as his eyes graced the board for a few seconds before making his move with outmost precision. The action seemed to make something click in Jim's mind, and he reached for his knight and set it on the board, feeling something in his gut that it was the right move to make. The curious look on Spock's face never seemed to falter.

The rest of the game continued in the same fashion and Jim became a little more determined with each move while Spock remained stoic as usual. Moving his queen a few spots, Kirk believed he might strike a nerve in the Vulcan.

"Check." Jim grinned, folding his arms. "Got you."

"Hmmm." Spock murmured, examining the chess board. "Though your skill is still fairly unmatched to your older self. I am pleased your proud demeanour remains." He gave an eased flick of his wrist, moving his bishop a few squares and taking Jim's queen in the process. "Checkmate."

"What?" Jim exclaimed, rising from his seat to get a better look at the three dimensional board. His king was well surrounded by the Vulcan's pieces and he bared a face of defeat. "N-no fair!"

"Quite the contrary, Captain." Spock returned as Jim continued to examine the board, trying to see where he went wrong. His examination was cut short as something felt like it was biting at his stomach. Jim sat down and set his hand at his belly when the familiar grumble came and frowned, raising his head to meet the Vulcan's.

"Are you hungry?" The boy asked. Bones would probably still be busy in the medical bay, so he didn't bother plan on going to check up on the doctor.

"I am in no need of nourishment in the current time." Spock answered, while resetting the pieces in their proper place. Jim frowned and looked down at his stomach again as much as he didn't want to eat alone, he didn't think he could last waiting for the Vulcan to get hungry too.

"Are you in need of assistance in getting to the mess hall, Jim?" Spock asked, and the boy suddenly blinked at the comfort of having his name spoken by his First Officer. It made him feel silly now, getting worked up about eating by himself and a bit embarrassed being so disappointed with Bones being unable to play with him. He was captain, and it was childish getting scared of little things like this. He shook his head.

"I think I'll be ok. I'm captain after all." He jumped off his chair and gave Spock a small wave, thanking him for the game. The Vulcan watched him go, furrowing his brow when the door slid shut before uttering,

"How illogical."