Chapter Text
Once they’d arrived back at Jim’s residence, Spock was gratified to see that Captain Pike was no longer present. He’d left behind a note, thanking Jim for his hospitality and reminding Spock to actually use some of the shore leave that he’d accumulated. Spock thought it was a bit presumptuous of the Captain to assume that he would still be with Jim by the time he’d left, even if he happened to be right.
“So.” Jim looked at Spock as if waiting for him to say something. Spock really did not appreciate it when humans looked at him like that, as if he was automatically supposed to understand all of their illogical and oftentimes contradictory social cues.
“Yes?”
“Did you, uh, have any plans for the rest of the day?” Spock realized he must have overstayed his welcome. He’d imposed on Jim enough. He did wish that Jim would simply say what he meant, but he couldn’t fault him for trying to be polite.
“I do not have plans, but I will vacate your abode at once. Thank you for your hospitality.”
He turned toward the door but Jim scrambled to get in front of him.
“No, wait, that’s not what I meant!” He sighed. “I was saying that you’re super welcome to just chill at my house and rest your ankle. Or just hang out with me. Whatever you want.”
Spock almost smiled at how flustered Jim was. The tables were turned, for once.
“I would be gratified to continue ‘hanging out’ with you, Jim. Your presence is a welcome respite from Doctor McCoy’s.”
Jim rolled his eyes. “I’d appreciate the compliment if it wasn’t at the expense of my friend. I can’t believe you were so mean to him! You’re nice to me, so it’s not like you just hate all humans or something.”
“In my defense, Dr. McCoy is the most illogical, irritating person I have ever had the misfortune to meet.”
“There’s no way that’s true. The lady at Chuck E. Cheese was much worse than him.”
Spock thought for a moment. “Your logic is sound. Dr. McCoy is the second most illogical, irritating person I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet.”
“Ugh, whatever.” Jim threw up his hands. “It’s my fault for starting an argument and thinking I could ever win against a Vulcan.”
For a brief moment, Spock felt a little guilty. It was not as if he was actively hiding his heritage from Jim. He just didn’t want to have a discussion about it.
Jim didn’t seem like the kind of person who would treat Spock differently for being half-human, but he’d met an unfortunate number of people who seemed like perfectly nice, upstanding citizens, until they discovered his parentage. Xenophobia was utterly illogical, so Spock usually brought up his heritage whenever it came up, uncaring of what people thought of him. He was proud of being the son of Amanda Grayson, more so than being the son of Sarek, despite the privileges the latter afforded him.
Regardless, there wasn’t any point in bringing it up at this point in time. If he was going to bring it up at all, he should have done so at Dr. McCoy’s house. It was too late now.
He decided to change the subject to something more pertinent. “Jim, how would you like to continue hanging out at Chuck E. Cheese?”
Jim blinked. “Uh, I’d be fine with that but in case you don’t remember, you’re not exactly welcome at their premises anymore. They took a holo of you and everything. They even recorded your voiceprint, so I’m not sure how you could get inside without altering the security guards.”
Jim waited a beat before adding, “Also, I’m kind of surprised that you’d want to go back there.”
“You misunderstand. I do not wish to partake in recreational activities at Chuck E. Cheese. I want to discover and disband the drug cartel you spoke of last night.”
Jim suddenly looked sheepish. “To be honest, I don’t know all that much about them, so I may not be much help.”
“I’m sure that the intel you have will be a good place to start. You seem like a highly intelligent and resourceful being so I believe you will be more helpful than you think.”
Jim blushed. “Thanks, Spock. That’s nice of you to say.”
“It is not nice, it is logical.”
“Okay, okay, whichever you prefer!” Jim suddenly gave Spock a worried glance. “Wait, I’m all for breaking into a children’s arcade, but shouldn’t you be resting?”
Spock reassured, “My ankle is merely sprained. Vulcans heal significantly faster than humans. It is already feeling quite better.”
“Alright, if you’re sure, but I don't know how we’re gonna get in.”
“Leave that to me. I know someone who can help us blend into the crowd.”
___________________________________
“Hey Spock! And Jim, nice to see you again.” Chapel nodded at Jim and turned back to Spock with a glint in her eye. ”I’m surprised you’re not hiding in a corner somewhere after the stuff you said to Pike.”
Spock glared at her. “I’m surprised at the number of people who seemed to think it was appropriate to eavesdrop on my private conversation with the captain.”
Chapel raised an eyebrow. “You were being sort of loud for a private conversation. Although, considering how much cake you had, I was kinda amazed you were conscious.”
“I am not here to discuss the events of last night.” Spock replied stiffly. He resisted the urge to strangle Chapel by reminding himself that humans had incredibly fickle memories and the gossip surrounding him should die down by the time he went back to the Enterprise.
“Okay then, what can I do for ya?” Chapel asked, happily oblivious to the murderous thoughts going through Spock’s mind.
“We require a disguise that will allow us to infiltrate Chuck E. Cheese and speak to members of a drug cartel without arousing suspicion.”
Chapel whistled. “That’s a tall order.”
“Not for you.” Despite his annoyance with her, Spock didn’t mind acknowledging that she was a brilliant nurse.
“You’re right about that!” Chapel beamed at the compliment. “Is there a particular species you have in mind?”
“Based on the intel Jim provided me, Andorians should be sufficient.”
Chapel nodded. “Yeah, that’s a smart choice. You should be able to get past the voiceprint scanners that way, if they get suspicious enough to use them.”
Jim cut in, “Spock went over the basics of your work with me earlier, but I’m a little confused on how we’re going to turn back.”
“The genetic alterations I’m going to be inducing are only temporary. Trust me, you’re much, much more likely to turn back at the worst possible moment than you are to get stuck as an Andorian.”
She gave Spock a meaningful look. “Speaking of which,” Chapel opened a drawer to reveal a bottle of pills. “I’ve come up with a solution to prevent what happened on Kiley 279. Give me like three minutes and I’ll get both of your hyposprays ready along with your extra doses, Spock.”
“Why does Spock need extra doses?” Spock looked up like a deer-in-headlights, but no one was paying any attention to him.
Chapel stared at Jim like he’d grown two heads. “His extra-complex physiology, duh.” She ushered both Spock and Jim toward the door. “Okay, leave me alone and I’ll have your drugs out in a jiffy.”
After they sat down outside Chapel’s office, Spock noticed that Jim seemed stiff, almost tense.
“Is something wrong?”
“No.”
“You seem more stressed out than usual. Have I done something to upset you?”
“No!” Jim sighed. “I’m just being silly, don’t worry about it.”
Spock stared at him and raised an eyebrow.
Jim caved. “You have to promise not to make fun of me for this but I’m afraid of hyposprays.”
“May I ask why? When administered correctly, they are virtually pain-free.”
Jim shuddered. “They just give me the heebie-jeebies, okay?”
Spock’s lip twitched. The last time he’d heard the word ‘heebie-jeebies,’ his mother had been complaining about a Vulcan neighbor who kept staring at her for ‘the purpose of scientific data collection’. His father had quickly put a stop to that (Sarek was, like most Vulcans, very possessive over his bondmate) but nevertheless, recalling the look of absolute bafflement on his face when she first uttered those words never failed to make Spock smile.
“See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you, you’re laughing at me!” Jim crossed his arms and pouted. It took all of Spock’s Vulcan training to not burst out laughing at Jim’s childish actions and prove him right.
“I’m not laughing at you. I’m simply amused by the multitude of contexts that humans use the word ‘heebie-jeebies’ in.”
Jim pressed his lips together, hiding a smile. “Can you say that again?”
“Say what? Heebie-jeebies?”
All previous traces of anger on Jim’s face had been replaced by mirth. “Oh my god, I need to get a holo of you saying that ASAP.”
“You will obtain no such thing.”
“Killjoy.”
Before Spock could point out that joy was an emotion and was therefore impossible to kill, Chapel appeared in front of them.
She shook the vials in her hands. “Two helpings of Andorian potion are ready! Who wants to go first?”
Seeing Jim’s apprehension, Spock volunteered. To his pleasant surprise, Jim was so enthralled by Spock’s new features that he barely even noticed his own hyposprays.
“You’re blue.”
“Yes, Andorians often tend to be. I’m delighted to hear that your optic nerve remains unaffected by the gene editing.”
“Wow, you really are way too sassy for a Vulcan. Or are all of you like this?”
Chapel chimed in, “Nah, Spock’s something special. I’ve worked with tons of Vulcans and although all of them are pretty sarcastic, none of them can hold a candle to Spock. It’s probably because of his unique upbringing.”
“Unique upbringing?”
Spock quickly cut in. “My father, Sarek, is the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth. Due to the nature of his job, I’m far more familiar with Earth customs than most Vulcans.”
Chapel wore a peculiar expression on her face. “Sure, buddy, that’s definitely what I was referring to.” Spock shot daggers at Chapel, but she didn’t seem to care.
“Anyways, I’m done with my part. Spock, make sure you take your pills every half-hour. I’ve given you ten, just to be safe. Good luck guys! Go take over Chuck E. Cheese or whatever.”
Once Chapel left, Jim turned to Spock. “She knows what we’re actually doing, right? She doesn’t just give gene therapy to anyone who walks into her lab?”
“Nurse Chapel has a… unique brand of humor. Do not worry; she’s quite aware of our mission.”
“Well then.” Jim smirked, his antennae twitching. “Are you ready to break into Chuck E. Cheese?”