Euphonious

(Pre-slash/Slash)

Warnings: Homosexuality, Vulgar Language, Mature Content (Rating may change depending on future chapter context)

Pairing(s): Spock x Kirk (Spirk, Spork, Kock)

...

A/N – I am not a great writer. Let me just say that out front. I am also not very great at accuracy. Please do not mind any inaccuracies you may encounter but you are free to point them out to help me with future projects. Thank you for your interest! Feedback is not expected but always welcome! 8D

Euphonious – adj. pleasing to the ear. (i.e. sounds, speech, etc) (That's for any of you who wanted to learn a new word today. Lol)

...

Contrary to popular belief, saving a planet was hard work. There were no oxygen necessary explosions, no thrumming, gut-wrenching intense theme music, no special effects, and no spontaneous circumstances that would play in your favour.

Nope.

This was real life.

The real life of James Tiberius Kirk.

Assuming that destiny had, indeed, been at work here, it was safe to say that the circumstances that surrounded Vulcan's road to shit-out-of-luck and Jim's promotion to Captaincy had been a one time event and not due to repeat itself in the future. No one wrote textbooks on alternate realities (that could be taken seriously) or made guide books that covered topics such as: 'What To Do When A Pissed-Off Romulan From The Future Comes To Your Timeline To Start Shit'. It really was pretty much a one-time thing and that meant that afterwards either things would be smooth sailing or shit would really start to hit the fan.

In Jim's (unfortunate) case, things always seemed to get worse before they ever got better. So it was no surprise that after he had relieved (now) Admiral Christopher Pike that he started to feel a little anxious. Jim would not say he was paranoid, but he worried, because now that the greatest thing in his life had suddenly happened, that meant that something of equal shit-tastic magnitude had to be waiting around the corner for him. Jim never felt so happy in his life to hear that he and all the crew involved with the Narada Crisis were getting a nice three weeks of shore leave. He needed the time to calm his nerves and refocus on his goals. He was James T. Kirk! Man of action! If he was really going to forget that after his heinous struggle with the Kobayashi Maru-likeness of his life, then he wasn't worthy to be called Captain, and if there was something Jim was certain about, it was that he definitely deserved to be called Captain.

Everyone (excluding Bones) was still new to all that was Jim Kirk. So when they were packing and leaving the Enterprise to take their shore leave, there were hardly any tearful goodbyes or regulation-defiant PDA. This didn't mean that Jim didn't want to hug his new crew goodbye, but it was unnecessary and just plain creepy on his part since they had spent all of a few days actually working together. Still, as he watched each crewmember board off the beautiful starship, he was sure to give a nod or a handshake to let them know that when they came back he was going to be a very friendly Captain. Spock was among the last to leave. Jim couldn't quite place why he was determined to remember that fact.

Well, this is very reminiscent, he thought as both Spock and Jim stood side by side on the Transporter Pad. He tried not to stare but it was hard since an older officer (that Jim didn't know the name to yet) was having minor problems with the Transporter functions and so the two of them were just standing there idly for what felt like an eternity, not speaking. It was kind of unnerving and a shade bit unbearable. Most people hated loud noises and yelling, but Jim found silence to be the most unpleasant and almost a polar equivalent to ear piercing sounds. He'd welcome some yelling at this point because the tension around him and the stiff-backed Vulcan was just crushing. After another two minutes went by, he was finding his stupidity impulses to be far too overpowering and it was only a matter of time before he would look at Spock and probably say something dumb. It was just that uncomfortable.

Finally, the impulses broke through and he abruptly turned towards Spock who hadn't moved an inch and looked as ramrod straight as a, well, as a Vulcan. He opened his mouth and took a breath, but before he could say anything, Spock beat him to the punch.

"Where I am partaking my shore leave is of no concern to you." Okay, that was kind of predictable, so he opened he mouth to try a different approach but Spock cut him off before he even got the next breath. "Being Captain is not a valid excuse to pursue that information." Damn. There went the Captain card. They had only spent, what, a few days in each other's company and Spock already had him figured out? Not cool.

Jim straightened himself and tried to mimic Spock's pose by putting his hands behind his back and standing as tall as he could. "Well, I'm going to go say 'what's up' to my mom and maybe visit the Academy and soak up all the perks of being a world-saving hero. Maybe mess around in the engineering labs or goof off or something." Spock gave no response and didn't bother to grace Jim with any movement. Jim really tried to mimic him just to see if it would annoy him. "Just in case you were curious." He added under his breath.

Guess it's safe to say that you weren't, Jim thought when all he could noticeably see was the Vulcan's back stiffen and his hands clasp a little tighter. Okay, so maybe Spock was still a little upset about the whole 'compromise' ordeal and sure, Jim hadn't apologized yet and that could really make an unemotional Vulcan saucy, but it didn't look like he'd accept it if he tried now anyway. He appeared to have a lot on his mind and Jim's sad attempt at apologizing might just put another hand around his throat. Jim really liked living.

So, apology is out of the question.

He shuffled his feet for only a moment. Couldn't that officer work any faster? Where the hell was Scotty when you needed him? Silence overtook them and the tension was so thick that the unknown officer looked to be sweating from the pressure and that may have aided in the whole 'working slow as hell' department. It wasn't long before Jim sighed and decided to try again.

"You going anywhere with Uhura?" Vulcan dismissal in 3, 2, 1—

"Captain, that information—"

"Jesus, Spock!" Jim threw his hands in the air and blinked several times as he shuffled and turned his head to look at the taller man. "I'm just trying to make some small-talk. Humour me, for Pete's sake."

Silence.

The only sounds heard were the few coughs and sniffles from the officer working on the console. Jim had returned to his mimic of Spock's stiff figure (not to imitate him but because he just really felt like secluding himself right then and Vulcan posture was the authority in looking secluded) and only gave a barely audible sigh. The more he thought about it, the more of an ass he began to feel like. He had just gotten a little frustrated with the Commander that he was kind of hoping would accept his proposal to be his First Officer. He hadn't selected one yet and Spock hadn't given any clues of what he was going to do or even if he had received the formal request. For all he knew, this would be the last time he saw Spock.

Way to fuck over that decision.

Jim rubbed the back of his neck and felt incredibly stupid. Their rocky first meeting and all the events that had taken place were still fresh on his mind. He hadn't meant to blow his lid a little. "I'm sorry." Was what Jim wanted to say but before he had managed to breathe out his first vowel, Spock had inclined his head and looked at the young Captain with what Jim thought was interest.

"You say that you are going to visit your mother?" The question had caught him off guard, so he was unsure how to reply and was caught with his mouth open in a small gape. Had Spock really just humoured him? For some unknown reason, the thought that the Vulcan actually decided to play nice with him for their allotted time on the Transporter made his face flush.

"Um," great start, now actually use words, "yeah." Now elaborate. "Gonna take a few shuttlecrafts and a speed train all the way to Riverside. She's waiting for me and it should only take a day or two to actually get there."

"Do you speak with your mother often?" What kind of question was that? Sure, he spoke with her about as much as he spoke to his bathroom soap dispenser—which, granted, the dispenser probably had more interesting things to say and didn't nag him about cleaning behind his ears.

He shuffled his feet. "Yeah—no. Probably not as much as I should. I mean, I call her on important dates and sometimes just to check on her, but other than that, we don't really talk much." And trust me, I have a completely valid excuse for that.

"I see." Now it looked like Spock shuffled his feet. "She is in good health?" Jim stared at him with the same confused and put-out expression he had used back during the Kobayashi Maru hearing. Why was Spock so interested in his mother? There were probably a bazillion other topics they could cover so why would—then it hit him. Jim could have kicked himself in the ass for talking so nonchalantly about his own mother. He had doubtlessly sounded like a dick of a son to Vulcan ears. Spock had lost his mother only two days ago. It was still fresh and here Jim was talking about his like she was just another person he was forced to come in contact with.

If Bones had been here, he probably would have punched Jim in the gut and called him a dick. It was too bad Bones wasn't necessary for said gut-punching actions, because Jim was pretty good at punching himself.

"Uh, she's well." Quickly, change the subject! "Hey," Spock looked over to him pointedly, "if you don't have any big plans for your shore leave, do you maybe wanna come and meet her?" Smooth, Jim. Real smooth. Next, why don't you ask him for his number and have a slumber party in your basement?

An eyebrow shot up and Jim instantly felt retarded for asking such a dumb and forward question. What was he thinking? Even the other officer's brows were in his hairline from the on-the-spot question. It didn't help that Jim kept talking because, you know, Jim's nervous system just liked to fuck him up on a constant basis. "I'm pretty sure she'd love to meet the Vulcan that helped me save her favourite planet." The brow settled down and the young Captain just shut up as Spock turned away from him. He had been really forward so it was safe to assume that he just freaked the Commander out. So much for not having creepy goodbyes.

"Ah, Captain Kirk, your offer is appreciated but I must decline. I have already made plans that cannot be rescheduled." He paused. "Perhaps, another time?"

"Of course, Mr. Spock." was his automatic response. It took his brain a little while to catch up before he realized that Spock had just agreed to meet his mother at some point in the future. Before he could say anything about it, the unknown officer gave a laugh of victory and just as Jim turned to the Vulcan with his mouth open ready to say something more, he was already being taken apart atom by atom. The last thing Jim saw before the flat surface of the shuttledock was that Spock had been looking at him too.

...

It wasn't that Winona Kirk was hard to talk to, it was just getting her to shut up that was the hard part. Seriously, if Jim could get a dollar for every breath she had to take to continue her run-on sentences, he'd be a damn millionaire by now. And now, since he was the world's saviour and all that, she really had a lot to say. The topics were completely one-sided as she went from saying how much she missed her baby boy to how much she wanted to deck him for being stupid and causing so much trouble. At one point she even threatened to ground him to his old room just for the sake of it. Jim could only laugh as he told her that'd he'd just sneak out again like he used to do when he was ten. Plus, he was a Captain now and Captains don't get grounded—at least, not in the 'go to your room' way.

"Oh, Jimmy," his mother sighed as she sipped from her cup. They were having lunch at one of the local diners in town and though Jim wasn't hungry, she insisted they go there and catch up. And by 'catch up' she really just meant more one-sided conversations. "You've grown so much." She finally said with a motherly smile. "I wish your father could be here to see you now. He'd be so proud, you know."

"I know, Mom." He picked at his fries and drew pictures in his ketchup.

"Sam is proud too, though he hasn't called to say so. He's probably just as happy about your accomplishments as I am."

"Maybe," Jim interjected, "or he could be beating himself up about how he has to work extra hard at the colony on Deneva to make us even." She threw a playful fry at him.

"Jimmy! You know how I feel about you two competing!"

"What? Me? Competing? Nah, I don't need to compete with Sam, we've already established that I'm the more awesome brother and he's an epic fail." He was joking, of course. Sam was an intelligent scientist that could think him under the table if he wanted to. He went to take a bite of the fry thrown at him, but she snatched it away. He gave pouty lips like he was five again. "Hey, I was gonna eat that!" And the rest of the conversation included topics about how Jim was being silly and how Sam needed to call more and he vaguely recalled something about her saying she might have left the milk out again. He didn't really tune back into the conversation until she tapped his hand.

"Did you hear me?" She asked. Jim nodded and then shook his head. She rolled her eyes. "I asked, who was that strapping young man with the pointed ears that is also all over the news with you?"

"Oh, him? That's Spock, the Commander I told you about who tried to nail me for beating his test." She gave one of her 'mother' looks.

"I do hope you mean 'nail' in a bad way and not your usual way." Jim's face went bright red and he slightly choked on his iced tea, nearly spitting it out across the table.

"Mom!" He choked a little. "Of course I mean the bad way!"

"With you, I wonder sometimes." Jim chuckled in disbelief and more out of nervousness than anything.

"First of all, he's a Vulcan and I'm almost certain Vulcans don't 'nail' people that way; also, he's a guy and I don't know if you recall but I typically chase skirts." He wanted the conversation to die there but she persisted and wanted to know everything about Vulcan Spock and how they had fought and worked together and, if his mother could have her way, she'd probably want to know how he brushed his teeth. For the rest of the afternoon she questioned about Spock. Jim was not prepared to be talking about that pointy-eared Commander all day (mainly because he hardly knew anything himself), but it seemed that's what ended up happening. She was very interested like she was trying to get to know Jim's new girlfriend before she met her. It was a bit annoying.

Finally, his five days of visit with her had ended and as he tried to pack his things quietly and leave before she'd have a chance to wake up and give him the most long, drawn-out, teary goodbye ever, he was caught at the door.

"Leaving without saying goodbye again, Jimmy?" Jim had stopped mid-step and probably looked like an idiot with his foot halfway out the door and his body hovering forward in mid-stride. He rolled his eyes and turned around while at the same time letting his small drawstring bag drop from his shoulder. He didn't have to fake his smile, he was pretty impressed she caught him. It was like, five in the morning.

"Bye, Mom. I'm off to save the world." He gave a long shrug. "Again."

"Ha, you're funny." She opened her arms and gave a sarcastic look. "The least you could do is give me a hug. Before you left for the academy I didn't even get a last look at you. You owe me this."

"Fine." He grunted but it sounded more like "fiiiiiiine" by the way he said it as he slumped towards her languidly with his feet dragging on the carpet. He was much taller than her so she ended up hugging him around his chest and putting her forehead on his shoulder as they embraced. She smelt like shampoo, wet, and sleep, but he didn't mind because he knew he had to smell worse since he hadn't showered yet. She held on to him tightly and he held her back. She may have had a mouth that could run a couple thousand miles an hour, but when she was silent, it was truly golden and meant very much to him. It was like she was telling him with silence that this hug meant more to her than any accomplishment in the universe.

He pulled away with his hands on her shoulders and then he saw it, the tears in her eyes with a smile on her lips and reddened cheeks.

"I will miss you." She said too quietly. Don't get sappy! Don't get sappy! Quickly, make a snarky observation!

"How can you miss me if you won't let me go?" Jim snickered as she noticed that she had a firm grip on his shirt. She gave an airy laugh and released him. He turned to head back to the door but she caught his jaw gently and directed his eyes back to her.

"Be safe and try not to start any intergalactic wars." There was that Kirk twinkle that could only be in a Kirk's eyes.

"Ouch, mom. You're asking a lot. Do you want me to chop off my balls and leave them at the door for you?" That comment got him another hug but at least it was nice to see her smiling. When she finally pulled away again, they said goodbye for the third time and the young Captain made his leave. Just as he turned to close the door behind him, he took one last look at his mother. She had already started heading up the stairs and Jim watched her with a smile—but then his smile fell as he saw for a split second that it looked like his mother was coming down the stairs in a Starfleet uniform. She walked, looked over at him, smiled, and then she was gone, his real mother still ascending the steps. The last thing he saw was the bottom of her nightgown as she finally reached the top.

That was weird.

He shook his head and closed the door, thinking to himself he must have been remembering one of the times his mom was leaving for Starfleet duty. He'd never seen a memory so vivid before, though. It was strange, but he dismissed it as sleep deprivation and the emotions that he just swam through in their goodbye.

Little did Jim know that this would only be the beginning.

...

He still had about two weeks left of shore leave by the time he arrived back in San Francisco and came back to the pristine Starfleet Academy. Little had changed in the surroundings except for the remodeling they had started working on to fix up the ground from the massive shock it received when Nero's drill head fell from the sky. The river beside them was now bigger as it tried to take part of the campus grounds with it and the workmen had been trying to flood the water back into the river and rebuild the terrain. Jim just supposed that Starfleet either really liked their campus grounds or they just hated sharing with a river. The thought put a mental image in his head of Admiral Barnett (the man who directed his trial back during the Kobayashi Maru shit) standing in front of the flooded campus and shouting for the water to go back. That man seriously had a frightening voice and wouldn't have been surprised if the river listened.

He wasn't, at first, going to spend his shore leave back on campus and had made initial plans to spend it entirely in Riverside, but Pike had told him about some small parties and celebrations where people would just be so happy if the world's youngest Captain and hero would attend. There was plenty to do around the campus and there were plenty of cadets to mingle with along with graduates he'd been in class with. He may even go down into the engineering labs like he told Spock and mess around with simulations or scare the newbies into thinking the higher ups were plotting a test harder than the Kobayashi Maru. Yeah, that would be fun.

He set off for the front office to register himself for some temporary lodgings with his mind filled of all the things he could do, wanted to do, and shouldn't do (but was going to do anyway), but what he hadn't expected to see was a familiar black cap of hair and pointy ears as he stepped inside.

It was a good thing Jim had seen him or they would have crashed into each other since one was coming in and one was going out. The way they had stopped had them perfectly fixed between the automatic doors so that they couldn't close. On second thought, Jim might not have been expecting to see Spock but this was the academy and that wasn't weird at all, but what was unexpected was that Spock had nearly bumped into him.

Spock.

The ever careful, ever logical, ever calm and collected Vulcan nearly crashed headfirst into him. What possibly distracted Spock so much that he'd nearly make that mistake?

"Captain Kirk." Spock said with a slight incline of his head. His eyes looked a little more wider than Jim remembered them looking.

"Commander Spock." Jim offered as an equal reaction. No one said anything further and that was just plain odd. They were still standing in the doorway and both realized at the same time that one of them should, you know, move. Unfortunately, they both had the same idea at the sametime and in the same step so they ended up dancing in the doorway still blocking the other. After the third or so attempt to move left or right and still managing to be in the other's way, they gave up and were right back how they started. Jim knew how awkward this was even if Spock still looked as uptight as he typically did.

"How about one of us moves and the other just stands still?" Jim offered. Spock nodded and moved back a few steps to allow Jim entrance. The door shut instantly behind him but Spock was still in front of him. Jim was very aware of the eyes that had wandered over to them and felt his face burn with embarrassment since he and Spock just did the equivalent of door-tango.

He thought that would be the end of it and Spock would go about his merry (Vulcan) way, and sure enough Spock started to head out, but something inside Jim's stomach turned and he felt the strangest impulse to just call out to him. It was a weird feeling that was only matched by the fact that Spock responded and turned towards him. For a solid moment in time, Spock had appeared older and it looked like they were on the Bridge of the Enterprise.

"Captain?" the older Spock asked and Jim shook his head for an instant and he was back in the front office of the academy and Spock was his young self again. He didn't have much time to think about how impossibly strange that was as Spock continued to stare at him heavily. "Captain?" He inquired again and took a step towards him. "Do you require something?"

"Uh," that was honestly the only vowel sound he could make at the moment since he really had no reason to call him. He shuffled with awkwardness and came up with a bullshit excuse on the spot—'cause that was the James T. Kirk way sometimes. "Wanna go have breakfast together?" Slumber party in the basement anyone? Damnit! Why in the world did Jim have to sound so creepy? He had no idea where that came from and it was frustrating to know he was fumbling over words like an idiot. What was worse was that the only offered answer Spock gave was a twitch of his left brow. Great, Jim couldn't even get a full rise out of the damn thing.

"I would not be adverse to such an activity." Spock said evenly. Jim sighed and waved him off.

"Ah, I knew it, you have things to do and that's—wait, what?" Spock took another bold step forward.

"As I have not yet received sustenance this morning, breakfast sounds appealing. I accept you offer, Captain." It was Jim's turn to raise an eyebrow though he knew at heart it wasn't nearly as graceful as Spock's. He hadn't seen that coming. Spock wanted to have breakfast with him? He seemed in a hurry not two minutes ago so his behaviour was just as weird as Jim asking the question in the first place.

Of course, Jim wasn't known to look a gifted horse in the mouth.

"Oh, okay. Where would you like to eat?"

"I have no preference." They began walking out the door together and Jim mentally noted that using a door this way was far easier than trying to collide two people in it.

"How about the cafeteria?"

"Acceptable." Spock told him flatly. Somehow that one word made him snicker and he didn't have the slightest idea why it was funny. Spock apparently didn't either as he raised his brow but then it settled as if to say he could care less what Jim thought was and wasn't funny. Jim just assumed it was the whole idea of Spock accepting his breakfast invite. When he arrived this morning, the last thing on his mind was breakfast—especially with Spock. Stranger things had happened, though.

The cafeteria wasn't crowded because most of the cadets ate in their dorms in the morning anyway and didn't bother coming in there until lunch. Spock and Jim found a table by one of the large windows and Jim insisted that he go and get them their food. When asked what he wanted, Spock said a plate of fruit would suffice and though Jim tried to urge him to suggest something less gay he found that the Vulcan's hard stare was more than enough to make him run for the nearest grapefruit.

Vulcan wants fruit. Vulcan gets fruit.

He returned with two plates: one contained a variety of sliced fruits and the other had waffles with banana slices. He set the fruit in front of the silent Vulcan and then sat across from him with his own dish.

They began to eat in silence.

Man, it was just like they were back on the Transporter Pad. It was that same weird quiet only it didn't feel as stagnate now as it did then. Nevertheless, Jim was antsy as hell and desperately require a minimum of twenty-three hours of conversation a day to keep him sane.

He took a bite of his waffle and gestured the fork lazily around. "So, what brings you to the academy? Got some unfinished projects or something?" Jim immediately regretted asking that because Spock's features seemed to tense all at once. Jim retreated; he wasn't in the mood to screw things up just yet, even if his question had been an innocent one. "Forget I asked that, I mean, you're always finding an excuse to work." More silence fell over them. Jim suddenly didn't feel like waffles anymore and Spock had barely touched his fruit. Something was obviously wrong. Were the affects of the Narada Crisis finally settling in on him?

"Spock," he ventured, "are you okay?" The Vulcan gave a slight nod and schooled his face into a perfect replica of a Japanese Noh mask. "Are you sure? I mean, you can talk about it if you want." Spock inclined his head slightly telling him he neither agreed nor disagreed with that statement. It was suddenly very apparent that he was about to get hit with another Vulcan dismissal bomb in just a few seconds.

"I am well, Captain Kirk. Tell me, did the visit with your mother go well?"

Direct hit. Target destroyed.

Okay, so whatever it was, Spock didn't want to disclose it and he fled back to the topic of his mother again. Jim could roll with it, it's not like he was a big enough ass to call Spock out on his purposeful hint. He decided to accept the conversation direction and began to speak kindly of his visit. He was sure to avoid the topics about how much he found her rambling annoying and how they got into an argument or two and only tried to focus on the good stuff. Jim didn't notice Spock's change in demeanour until he was halfway through telling the story about how he and his brother 'compete'. He appeared very interested in the conversation and his small inquires and interjections were neither rude nor unwelcome. It was nice. Jim thought Spock's way of speech was actually very complimenting to his own.

Somehow or another they ended up circling back the conversation to why they were at the academy. Good thing the focus was on Jim this time.

"Oh, Pike was telling me about some parties and stuff happening and I kinda wanted to stick around for them. Also, I wanted to play around with some of the new flight simulations and maybe bug an old instructor or two." And we have eyebrow liftoff. "Besides you, of course." Jim amended with one of his infamous perverted smiles. There was a tiny glimmer of laughter behind Spock's eyes and had Jim not been looking at them, he might have missed it. It really made the tension ease off a bit. Jim liked that.

"I noticed that you still have your bag with you," Spock nodded towards the bag lying next to his chair, "have you not registered yourself a temporary lodge?" Jim chuckled and gave a warm smile.

"Well, I was about to do that before we decided to dance in the doorway but it slipped my mind. I should probably do that now, huh?" Yeah, because having a place to sleep tonight would be awesome. Spock nodded silently and stood. Jim joined him shortly.

"You have my gratitude for inviting me to join you for breakfast, Captain. I would not object to engaging in this activity again."

"No prob. I liked eating with you too." If Spock wasn't so reserved you may have thought that that tiny sparkle in the Vulcan's eye had been amusement from Jim's short take on Spock's long thanks, but as it was, Spock was reserved so Jim dismissed it as his imagination.

"Now, if you will excuse me," Spock started as he picked up his plate to dispose of it, "I do have projects to attend to. Thank you again, Captain." And just as quickly as it had all happened, Spock was gone. He stood there for a long minute with a grin wrapped around his face as he focused on what had just transpired. Who knew Spock could be so delightfully chatty in a completely non-chatty way? He shook his head and tried to stifle his grin since he probably still looked creepy to onlookers, but he couldn't and he didn't manage to wipe it away until he heard his name called.

"Captain Kirk." The voice was heavy, warm and familiar. Jim didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"Pike," He pointedly said before he turned and saluted his commanding officer. The older man was wearing that half-smile he typically wore and he still looked as proud as he did the day of Jim's promotion. Behind Pike was another cadet who smiled brightly and had her hands firmly on the handles of Pike's wheelchair.

"I knew it was you over here, your ego has a distinct smell to it." Jim gave a laugh and let himself relax.

"You're starting to sound like Bones, Pike."

"Yes, Dr. McCoy would probably agree with me." Pike nodded. He then tilted over to the side of his chair to look at something but had obviously not seen whatever it was he wanted to. "Was that Commander Spock with you just now?" Jim blinked, it was still new information to him that Spock had joined him to eat at all.

"Ah, yes. It was. But you know how Spock is. He'd rather put his head into some poor cadet's misfortune than stay around for after meal chats." Pike nodded but he looked more like he was thinking than actually listening.

"I thought that was him—no, I knew it was him, but I was just surprised. I had been told that he was going to be taking his shore leave in Portland. The way he informed me, I was certain we weren't going to see him until after his leave. I suppose his plans changed." Jim didn't know Spock very well but he had served with him for a short amount of time and had been in one of his lecture classes for a semester so if there was one thing he was certain of, it was Spock doesn't change his plans. At least, not as quickly as Pike was implying. Maybe this was why he had reacted so strangely to Jim's question of his being at the academy. Some serious shit must have gone down. But what?

Pike interrupted his thoughts by kicking him with one of his barely mobile legs. "You listening, boy?" Jim had been spacing out a lot lately. Note to self: quit it. "I asked if you were going to attend the Memorial Ball tonight? All the big wigs are going to be commemorating all the fallen men and women with a party for them and their families." It wasn't necessary for Jim to be there since this was more of a Starfleet thing to families thing, but he knew there would be several people there who would want to thank him for various reasons and would appreciate his arrival.

"Yeah, I was planning on it. What's the dress code?"

"Just wear your dress uniform and everything should be fine."

"Got it, should I be there early or do I arrive fashionably late?"

"I'll meet with you in front of the auditorium at 20:00. We'll arrive together to make sure everyone knows you're there. Oh and Kirk, Barnett said he would be honoured if you gave a small speech. Think you can handle it?" Jim shook his head with a firm smile and laughed.

"No offense, Sir, but I saved your ass from a hostage situation and nearly got my ass killed in the process, I don't think a speech will be hard to handle." Pike nodded.

"Good. Look sharp and if you manage to see Commander Spock before then, let him know that he is invited too." Both smiled and it was like one a father and son would share. Jim really looked up to Pike and it seemed Pike really enjoyed that. "Alright, let's go, Dawson." He motioned to the cadet behind him and he was wheeled away with the words 'see ya, Kirk' fading with them.

As Pike was strolled off out of the cafeteria, Jim couldn't help but to smile. Barnett wanted him to do a speech? That was surprising but since he had been in the line of duty and took on a lot of the Romulan rage, thinking of something to say about those brave officers wouldn't be very hard. It'd be sad, but not hard.

Suddenly, all the noteable suffering had led Jim to remember what Pike said about Spock. Why had he gone to Portland? Did he have family there? Maybe a Human family? He mentally shook his head, that didn't quite sound like a place the Vulcan would have family. But his plans were cut short, not even Pike knew he was going to see Spock here, so something bad must have happened. Or maybe Jim was just jumping to conclusions and Spock was really just suffering from the aftershocks of the Narada Crisis. Jim wouldn't put it pass him. His throat still tingled from his last emotional compromise.

In the short time they had served together, it wasn't really Elder Spock that had convinced him that he and his Spock would have some chemistry together. From the moment Jim laid eyes on him at his trial, to when he beamed back aboard to make the necessary damage to Spock's ego, Jim knew.

He just knew.

Spock and he were just meant for great things. And somehow that knowledge wasn't as frightening as Jim thought it would be.

Nothing could have proved his last point further than when Jim got the code for his temporary lodge. As he arrived at his room, he keyed in the code and the moment the door swished open, the door beside his also swished open.

He should have been surprised, but he wasn't by now.

It was Spock.

The universe is determined to throw this guy at me.

"Captain Kirk." Spock said uniformly with a straightening of his back.

"I swear I'm not stalking you." Jim said with a sheepish grin. "Though, this is a little coincidental." Spock inclined his head in agreement. They fell silent again. Jim switched from foot to foot. "So, looks like we're going to be neighbors for a while."

"Yes."

"Geez, this will make asking for a cup of sugar a little awkward." Somehow Jim knew that the Vulcan was about to comment on the low probability of him actually needing a cup of sugar when there were replicators in every room, so he threw his hand up to stop Spock from saying anything. "I know, I know." He said with a roll of his eyes. "I probably won't need any sugar, you don't have to go all Vulcan on me." An eyebrow tilted and Spock said nothing.

Holy shit, I had been right.

Spock was completely capable of walking off right then to wherever he was going, but for some unknown reason had decided to stay put. Maybe it was because of the young Captain's new rank or maybe it was something else, but he didn't look like he was going anywhere. To help with the oddity of running into each other again, Jim decided to ask him about the party.

"So, I'm going to be giving a small speech at the Memorial Ball tonight." This caught the Vulcan's attention. "You're invited too, just so you know." There was a long pause. "Want to be my date?" He meant it in a completely joking manner and matched it with a laugh and a bright, goofy smile. In the back of his head beat the words: slumber party—basement and Jim wanted to strangle his conscience.

Spock tensed but then relaxed, mainly around his eyes. He appeared to be in deep thought for a few minutes before he gave any answer. "As I have made no plans for the evening, I will accept your offer to accompany you to the Ball. However, I will not be your date, but should you need advice on your speech or appearance, I will be readily available to you." That was the weirdest way someone had ever told Jim to 'fuck off' in his life—either that or Jim was hearing things. Today was just full of unexpected shit. He nearly stumbled over his next question.

"You're serious?"

"Affirmative."

"Holy shit."

"Does my answer not please you?"

"Oh, no, no, no, it pleases me alright. I just wasn't—oh who cares? You know, I could use some help on writing a small speech if you wouldn't mind." Once again, who the hell looks a gifted horse in the mouth? Maybe this was Spock's attempt to bridge the gap that had formed between them with their rocky start, or maybe Spock was plotting a horrible revenge against him and Jim didn't know about it, but none of that mattered to him. Whatever the Vulcan's reasons, Jim welcomed them.

He stepped to the side and bent his head down with his arm stuck out to insinuate that Spock could enter his room. Spock hesitated, then accepted as he strode pass him and into the crisp-new lodge.

...

A/N – And so begins a new story from the retarded mind of Kerchan. Thank you for your interest! 8D