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Outwardly Spock was the very picture of calm and control as he stalked into the holding cells. Internally he was beyond pissed. He was a scientist, a decorated graduate of the Vulcan Science Academy and here he was having to babysit a prisoner while they transported him to the nearest Federation starbase.
‘ You are biologically the most suited to watching a human ,’ Spock’s left eye twitched at the memory. It was an insult but wrapped up and coated in enough logic that if he reacted he’d be labelled as emotional and likely reprimanded for it. So he’d obeyed without comment. His father would approve no doubt but that did little to ease the anger boiling inside him.
His prisoner looked up as he stormed in, a smirk crossing his face as Spock took guard position. “Well hello. I didn’t think you guys would bother posting a guard on me. This is a nice surprise.”
“It is a precaution, not an opportunity to socialize,” Spock kept his voice flat, refusing to show emotion even to this random human stranger.
“Aww, don’t be like that. We got what, five days until we reach Starbase 36? If you guys are going the way I think you are anyway,” from the corner of his eye Spock watched as Kirk leaned back against the wall, “The name’s Jim Kirk, what’s yours?”
“I already know who you are,” Spock focused on pouring as much indifference into his voice as he could, trying to end this conversation, “Your file is quite extensive, Mister Kirk.”
“You read my file?” he sounded far too delighted by that prospect for Spock’s liking.
“Yes. I like to be thorough.”
“I’m flattered,” and to Spock’s annoyance he did sound genuinely happy, “But c’mon, you know everything about me, you gotta at least give me your name.”
“I do not have to do anything, you are our prisoner.”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll make one up for you,” he teased, his smirk still in place as he waited for a response that wouldn’t come. “Okay, so Smiles it is. Nice to meet you Smiles the Vulcan. I’d shake your hand but I know that’s a big no-no for you guys. What do you do instead? Finger guns? That’d be pretty cool. Do all Vulcan’s greet each other with finger guns, Smiles?”
“It’s Spock ,” he ground out, desperate for this to end, “And I don’t know what finger guns are. Now please stop talking.”
It was as if this human didn’t know how to be quiet. “Spock huh? That’s a nice name,” Kirk tilted his head thoughtfully, “That was a famous Vulcan philosopher’s name, right?”
Spock blinked in surprise, turning his head slightly to look at him better. “It was. How do you know that?”
“Eh, you pick up stuff when you’re travelling around all the time,” he shrugged nonchalantly, “Are you much of a philosopher Spock?”
“No. I am a scientist.” Spock turned back, hoping in vain that Kirk would take the hint.
He didn’t. “Alright, yup, science ship, shoulda known that. What’s your field?”
“Computer science.”
“Fancy, good for you,” Kirk paused for a moment, “Well you already know everything about me. Born on Earth, bored by eighteen, decided to go look for adventure in space.”
“If by adventure you mean illegally interfering in Starfleet operations no less than twelve times then I would say your journey has been a success,” Spock said dryly.
“I think so too,” Kirk sounded prouder of that fact than he had any right to, “And they never even caught me, how good is that?”
“No, but we did,” his curiosity finally got the better of him. He turned back to face the golden haired man, “Tell me, Mister Kirk, how is it that a man who has evaded arrest for three years can seemingly never be caught by trained Starfleet officials, but a ship of Vulcan scientists manage it with minimal effort?”
“What can I say it’s been an off day,” Kirk shrugged again. He threw a teasing look in Spock’s direction that made something at his core heat, “Does the illogical-ness of the situation upset you, Mister Spock?”
“Illogic. The illogic of the situation,” Spock corrected without missing a beat, “And it does not upset me, Vulcan’s cannot be upset.”
“Okay, not upset then, my bad,” once again Spock blinked in surprise. Had this stranger apologized for offending him? No one had ever bothered to do that before. “Sorry I don’t have any great answers for you. Just how these things happen I guess.”
“Perhaps you were over-confident in your abilities?”
“Yeah, maybe,” Kirk laughed, giving Spock a more genuine smile. It made his heart skip a beat. He is attractive, that smile could make warriors tremble , Spock admitted to himself, but that’s no reason to indulge him. He’s a criminal, nothing more . “I’ve been told before that my ego would get me into trouble. Nicely deduced, Mister Spock.”
Spock should not have felt as flattered by that as he did. Vulcan’s did not give out praise or compliments easily, but this total stranger had done so twice already. Illogical . “Thank you. Now, If you would be quiet I would appreciate it.”
To his surprise Kirk did actually fall silent for a moment, turning to stare at the wall opposite him pensively. Spock took the reprieve to gather his own thoughts and push the emotions threatening to bubble up back down. A few compliments and a nice smile should not be enough to shake him like this. He was better than this.
“You guys are out here studying black holes, right?” Kirk’s voice broke the silence, much quieter now.
“How do you know that?” Spock asked sharply, suddenly suspicious.
“I saw some of your tech when the other two guys dragged me in here. I know what that kind of stuff is used to measure. You’re trying to study the states and effects of back holes,” he met Spock’s gaze with oddly sympathetic eyes. “I hope you guys find what you’re looking for.”
Spock couldn’t reply. The loss of Vulcan was something no one talked about out loud but it was clear from how dedicatedly everyone worked it was never far from anyone’s mind.
“Were you...on Vulcan when it happened?”
“No,” he kept his voice short, reigning in his emotions, “But my parents were. My mother died.” He had no idea why he was telling this stranger such personal information. It was none of his business. And frankly, why would he care?
“I’m sorry,” and to Spock’s surprise he sounded like he actually meant it, “I lost a parent, I know how much that sucks.”
“I have moved on,” if Kirk caught the lie he didn’t mention it, which Spock was silently grateful for.
“I’m sure you have, doesn’t mean you're not allowed to miss her though,” Kirk sighed, letting his head fall back against the wall, “I never even met my Dad and I miss him.”
Spock frowned. “Your father was George Kirk, correct?”
“Yup. The son of a big Starfleet hero is a wanted criminal. Tale as old as time.”
“I disagree, I have a feeling you are one of a kind, Mister Kirk,” Spock hadn’t meant it as a compliment but Kirk seemed to take it as one. That bright smile returned and once again he felt his heart flutter, as though he was actually happy to have caused it. Ridiculous . “If I may, why did you never follow in his footsteps and join Starfleet?”
Kirk snorted, his expression souring, “I dunno if you noticed, but I’m not exactly Starfleet material.”
“I disagree. Your record demonstrates that you have empathy for others and a desire to help, as well as a reasonable tactical ability. But instead you choose to use it to break the law, why?”
Kirk shrugged, but he suddenly looked uncomfortable. “I dunno, it’s what I’ve always done. If you love Starfleet so much, how come you didn’t join?”
“I do not love Starfleet,” Spock corrected, raising an eyebrow, “And I chose the Vulcan Science Academy as per my father’s wishes.”
“Do you always do as you’re told, Spock?” Kirk’s smirk was back but there was a twinkle in those blue eyes that wasn’t there before.
Spock was caught. Vulcans did not lie and the truth was no, he hadn’t. But he had no desire to tell this criminal that. “I have striven to do so.”
“That’s a roundabout way of saying no,” Kirk chuckled and Spock scowled, “It’s not a criticism. There’s nothing wrong with doing what you think is right, even when other people don’t agree.”
“There is something wrong with breaking laws however,” Spock snapped, annoyed that his ploy hadn’t worked.
“Ah, but what if those laws are unjust and only benefit the few? What then? Isn’t the morally right thing to break the law?”
Spock considered that for a moment. “No. Laws bind people and give structure. To break them is to throw the entire system into chaos. What seem like small morally good actions for some may have dire consequences for others.”
Kirk’s grin widened. “Not a philosopher, my ass. You’re definitely more than just a pretty face, Mister Spock.” Spock spluttered, trying and failing to find a comeback to that. Kirk winked at him. “Have you ever been to the libraries on Bertheca-12?”
“No, I can’t say that I have.” He’d heard about them though. All that information on so many different cultures and histories. It would be an amazing opportunity, but the VSA had never cleared him for a visit.
“I’ll have to take you some time, if I ever get out,” he said, idly flicking the forcefield keeping him in his cell, “I think you’d like it.”
“What makes you think I would abandon my studies to wander around libraries with you? ” It came out harsher than Spock intended and he had to bite his tongue to stop the apology before he could utter it. He shouldn’t have to apologize for not wanting to associate with a criminal.
“I dunno, it was worth a shot,” his grin faltered slightly but his confidence did not, “Trying my luck with handsome, interesting Vulcan’s is another human weakness of mine, Mister Spock, forgive me.”
“If you shut up for ten minutes, I’ll forgive anything,” Spock grumbled, turning his back on him to hide his blush.
Kirk laughed. “Alright, I can take a hint. I’ll just admire you quietly.” Spock found a fascinating crack on the wall to stare at, desperately trying to stop his stupid heart from beating so hard.
“Has the human provided you with any details of his plans in this sector?” Stylass’ cold eyes met Spock’s as he approached.
“Negative,” Spock kept his expression carefully neutral as he addressed his superior. It wasn’t a lie. Kirk had been mostly quiet after asking him to go to Bertheca-12 with him, only piping up to ask questions about their research that Spock had staunchly refused to answer.
“Then what have you been speaking to him about?”
“He talks whether I speak to him or not,” Spock’s eyes narrowed slightly, trying to detect an accusation in his voice.
“We can provide you with the means to keep him quiet if you are unable to do so yourself,” Stylass turned from him to check his screens, “I had expected more of you, Spock. Someone with your heritage has to work twice as hard to keep up with the rest of us. When you return to him on your next shift make sure you do as you’re asked.” Spock ground his teeth but nodded curtly.
“Wowie and I thought the Admiral’s had a stick up their ass,” Kirk’s voice ran clear across the bridge making Spock jump. That was impossible, how could he have escaped in the five minutes he’d been away? “Sorry for the interruption friends, but I didn’t wanna leave without saying goodbye.”
“Kirk?” Stylass barked, glaring at the intercom system as though it had personally offended him, “What are you doing?”
“Escaping, thought I made that pretty clear,” the amusement in his voice only seemed to infuriate Stylass, “Why don’t you turn to your viewscreen?”
A moment later, Kirk’s smug, self-satisfied face popped onto their screen, clearly safe and happy back aboard his own ship. He flopped into his Captain’s chair, giving Stylass a mock salute.
“Sir, the prisoner has escaped!” Spock heard T’haar run onto the bridge behind him but he didn’t look around.
“Thank you for the update, T’haar, but I believe we can all see that,” Stylass growled, glaring daggers at Kirk, “How did you get out of confinement?”
Kirk tapped his nose, “Sorry bud, a con-man never reveals his hand. But you’ll be happy to know I’ve lightened your load - big thank you for all the food and supplies, we were running so low before you guys wandered into our space.”
“This is theft!” Stylass barked, “You’ll be reported for this, Kirk.”
“Aww, I’ll miss you guys too. I got to read a whole bunch of your files before you so boldly captured me, I feel like we’re family.” Kirk’s expression suddenly shifted, his smirk taking on a slightly more threatening edge. “Last words of advice, Captain to Captain. You might wanna stop that speciesist half-human crap you got going on. Especially considering you just got bested by a bunch of ‘em. Otherwise you might find yourself in a dangerous situation, understand?”
“Is that a threat?” Stylass snarled, throwing a pointed glare at Spock over his shoulder.
“I’ll let you figure that one out for yourself, Skippy,” he winked, “Good luck with research!” And he was gone. The patchwork craft they’d found him in warped away in an instant, leaving the bridge crew dumbstruck and Spock feeling confused. The criminal had got away and avoided justice, he should be disgruntled, but he wasn’t. A small part of him had been relieved to see him free and at the same time disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to speak to him again.
Mercifully he was dismissed and allowed to return to his quarters without the questioning he was sure he was going to get. He was tired. Dealing with this many emotions was exhausting, he had no idea how humans did it on a daily basis.
Stepping inside, he spotted a piece of paper on his meticulously clean floor. As he picked it up he realized it was an identifier and on the back...
‘ Call me! ’ - K
Spock actually smiled, rolling his eyes as he tucked the note away in one of his books. Jim Kirk certainly had the right personality to bring out the worst of his human traits in him, but perhaps that wasn’t entirely a bad thing. Maybe it was about time he indulged a little and Kirk would be a very enjoyable indulgence.