Chapter Text
Jim Kirk was a good man and he knew it. Alright, maybe he'd made some mistakes in the past but he had rectified those mistakes, or he would do so when the opportunity arose, but he did nothing - nothing, dammit! - to deserve the pair of wide, curious, chocolate brown eyes looking up at him (accompanied by neat, sleek black hair, small, pointed ears, and was swimming in a Starfleet issued uniform resembling that of Jim's First Officer).
And when he asked the child his name (earning him a quiet "I am Spock" from pointy ears), yeah, Jim decided that if he ever met god - or whoever was in charge of his destiny - they had just earned themselves a punch square in the face.
Jim was pulled out of his internal grumbling and threats to ethereal beings when he felt someone tap his shoulder.
"You still with us, kid?" McCoy asked, and Jim blinked, nodding his head stiffly, uncharacteristically so, as he stared down at his First Officer with a mutter of "just about, Bones."
Now, he'd seen a lot of crazy stuff in his life - from large, orange blobs shooting fireworks out of their antennae (and watching Sulu and Bones chase around an ensign that had subsequently caught on fire from said fireworks) to purple dwarves beating the shit out of each other with other purple dwarves - but none of this even compared to a de-aged Spock.
Kneeling down in front of the Vulcan, Jim smiled warmly at him. Spock just blinked at the Captain, the slightly panicked look in his eyes calming the tiniest bit. "Well, Spock, my name is Captain James T. Kirk, but you can call me Jim. And this here," Jim nodded to McCoy, "is Doctor Leonard McCoy, and him over there," a nod in Scotty's direction, "is Montgomery Scott, he's our chief engineer."
Spock nodded to each of them respectively. "It is nice to make your acquaintance, Captain, Doctor, Mr. Scott."
It took everything in Jim's power not to coo at the tiny Vulcan. Jim smiled again, "it's nice to meet you, too."
"Can we ask how old ye are, laddie?" Scotty asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I am four years, three months, two weeks, and one day old." Spock replied calmly, despite the look of fear glimmering in his eyes at his unknown whereabouts.
"Well, you are aboard the Starship Enterprise," Jim told him, and Spock nodded once more, his eyes flickering around the transporter room before settling again on Jim.
"How did I come to be here?" Spock asked.
"Uh, well, it's --" Jim began, unsure, but was thankfully interrupted by McCoy.
"There was problem with the air on Vulcan - it was contaminated after a science experiment gone wrong. A lot of people were evacuated while sleeping." McCoy lied easily, "it was the only logical solution." Jim smirked at the use of the word 'logical'.
Spock quirked an eyebrow at him before nodding in acceptance at his answer. "What of my mother and father?"
There was a split second of tense silence at the mention of Amanda before McCoy jumped in with an excuse of Amanda and Sarek staying behind to help find a solution to the contamination.
"Listen, Jim, I'm gonna go set up for a physical for the hobgoblin, follow me down to the sickbay," McCoy clapped Jim on the shoulder before leaving the room, reading a report from his PADD.
"Well, Spock, we have to let Bones check you out and make sure you're healthy," Jim said, standing up straight and stretching his back. "Let's go," he walked to the door, however, he stopped when he turned around and Spock was still standing in the same place, looking down at his tiny Starfleet issued boots before looking back up at Jim.
Exchanging looks with Scotty, Jim slowly retreated back to Spock and, unsure, held out his hand. Spock took his larger hand in his own tiny one, and he felt Spock clasp his small fingers around his hand.
"Now ain't he just th' cutest little fella," Scotty chuckled, and Jim laughed with him, nodding his head while Spock looked between the two men, quirking his eyebrow.
Grinning and shaking his head, Jim asked, "Scotty, can you send out a message to bridge crew to meet me in the briefing room in an hour?"
"Aye, aye, sir." Scotty nodded as Jim led Spock from the room. "I'll see ya soon, little lad." He waved at Spock, who nodded in return as he walked with Jim.
*
"So, Spock, you're... very small." Jim commented awkwardly as he and Spock walked, hand in hand, down the hallway of the Enterprise to the sickbay and ignored every pair of wide eyes, double take, and gawking crewmember.
"I am, admittedly, shorter than the average height of other children my age by two-point-eight inches." Spock replied, causing Jim to laugh. Spock just raised a questioning eyebrow at him.
"You're funny." Jim chuckled.
"Vulcans do not have a sense of humour." Spock replied.
"Well, you're half human and you're pretty funny." Jim shrugged at the Vulcan, resisting the urge to ruffle his hair.
"There is no need for insults, Captain." Spock said, and was that - yes, that was definitely a pout adorning his otherwise expressionless face.
Some things never change, Jim thought. "Actually, being called funny is a compliment in most human cultures, and seeing as you're half human, it's a compliment. And please, call me Jim." Jim explained, and Spock listened intently.
"Fascinating," Spock said. "Do you know a lot about human culture?"
"Yeah, sure." Jim shrugged. "I have some books about it, if you'd like to read them some time."
"I would like that very much. Thank you, Jim." Spock replied, looking up at Jim with his mouth turned up at the corners the tiniest bit.
"You're very well spoken for a four year old, you know." Jim stated and Spock shook his head.
"On the contrary," Spock began, "Vulcans begin speaking at a more advanced level in comparison to that of humans. I am of the expected level of a four year old."
Jim just blinked before grinning. "I bet you're just a little smarty pants and you don't wanna admit it." He reached down and booped Spock on the nose, watching Spock cross his eyes to watch Jim's finger as it tapped his nose before looking up at Jim with a confused look. "More human culture."
"I see." Spock nodded, eyebrows drawn together in thought. "That is... interesting."
"I'm glad you think so," Jim laughed as they finally reached the sickbay, where McCoy was standing, tapping his foot impatiently with his arms crossed over his chest. He raised a questioning eyebrow at their intertwined before shaking his head and rolling his eyes, dismissing whatever he had been about to say.
"Hurry it up, kids," McCoy grumbled, picking up something from the rack beside him and - wait, what the hell was that - was that a hypospray? - Jim quickly allowed Spock to walk ahead of him because if one of them was getting stabbed in the neck with a hypospray then it was going to be Spock - oh, never mind, it was just a tricorder. Phew.
"Hop up onto the bed there, squirt," McCoy commented, distracted, nodding his head to the bio bed as he fiddled with the tricorder. Jim smirked at the nickname that McCoy didn't appear to have been aware of using - he was probably used to spewing out all kinds of nicknames for kids due to Joanna.
"Even more human culture," Jim informed Spock, who nodded in understanding. "A term of endearment, really." He watched as Spock jumped - or at least, attempted to jump - up onto the bed a few times, and Jim and McCoy watched in amusement as their usually graceful first officer slipped back down onto the ground.
"Need some help?" Jim asked, chuckling, as he picked the tiny Vulcan up off the ground and plopped him down on the bed.
"Thank you, Jim." Spock said, the tips of his pointed ears a brilliant shade of green.
"Right, well, I better head back to the bridge. Bones, there's a meeting in an hour in the briefing room." Jim announced as he was about to leave.
"Are you leaving, Jim?" Spock asked, his voice sounded quiet, and Jim turned around to see the Vulcan watching him with big, (emotionally repressed) sad eyes - the puppy dog eyes, in other words.
Jim distinctly heard McCoy chuckling to himself and he glared at him before turning to Spock. "I mean I - I -" full force puppy dog eyes, "yeah, sure, I can stay."
"Thank you, Jim. I appreciate it." Spock replied, his mouth just about twitching at the corners.
"No problem, Spock," Jim replied.
Spock, the angel - although McCoy would probably never admit it to another living, breathing creature because, child or not, he was still a hobgoblin - sat perfectly still while the doctor scanned him and took some blood samples.
After ordering one of the nurses to run his DNA through the system and compare them with Spock, he sat down in front of the Vulcan and captain.
"He's in perfect health, as far as I can tell." McCoy sighed, and Jim nodded before they both turned to the Vulcan. "What do you last remember?"
"I was at home, sleeping." Spock replied.
"Anything else?" Jim pressed and Spock shook his head.
"That is all that occurred before I appeared here." Spock replied.
"I see." Jim nodded, resisting the urge to sigh. When did a mission ever go right for them? He was now stuck with a small Vulcan child with no recollection of who the hell he was, he was without his first officer, and science officer, and McCoy was having the time of his life laughing at Jim - whether he showed it or not, he was getting a kick out of this.
"Don't you think you should let the Fleet know what's going on? And maybe let Sarek know how he's holding up?" McCoy suggested, raising an eyebrow at him.
Jim groaned - those thoughts had completely slipped his mind in the midst of all the confusion and chaos.
"Will I be permitted to speak to my mother and father?" Spock piped up, looking hopeful - well, his eyes had lit up the tiniest bit.
Jim and McCoy stopped, eyes flickering to meet each other's. They couldn't let Spock know what had happened to Amanda - to Vulcan.
"I dunno, Spock. I was just going to send him a message." Jam scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Oh," Spock's shoulders slumped a fraction, "I see." Jim felt his heart clench almost painfully in his chest.
"Listen, Spock, Bones and I have to attend a meeting now but Yeoman Rand will look after you until we're done. If you're hungry or bored, just let her know and she'll --"
"I would like to stay with you, Jim." Spock interrupted.
Jim took a deep breath and thought: don't look at him, don't look at him, he'll give you eyes like a kicked puppy and it's all over from that point, just don't fucking look --
"May I accompany you both, doctor?"
"Sure thing, kid."
Jim whipped around to look at McCoy, who didn't even have the decency to look at look sheepish and just shrugged, so Jim glared at his best friend.
"Thank you, doctor." Spock nodded, gracefully climbing down from the bio bed and taking Jim's hand once more.
Well, so much for loyal best friends.
*
"So, everyone else sees the kid, right?"
There was a collective nod from around the table from the bridge crew, each looking at Spock curiously, who was sitting on Jim's right, looking utterly fascinated as he took apart a PADD and examined the various different parts.
"Yes, this is Spock." Jim addressed the question on everyone's mind. "Yes, this is unexpected but we will fix it. Spock is with us because of air contamination on Vulcan." Jim gave them all a pointed look, glancing cautiously at the distracted Vulcan.
"Do we know how it happened, Captain?" Sulu asked, breaking his gaze away from Spock.
"No." Jim replied.
"Do ve know vhy it happened, Keptin?" Chekov inserted.
"No." Jim shook his head.
"Do we know who did it, Captain?" Uhura asked.
"No." Jim repeated.
"What do we know?" Sulu asked, a tad sarcastically, excuse him very much.
"Not much." Jim replied confidently. "Sulu, Chekov, you will both be accompanying me down to Amare V to get some answers. The rest of the landing party are still be down there - Scotty, I want them beamed up. Uhura, I need you to find out as much as possible on Amare V. Bones, I need you to look after Spock."
McCoy perked up, "dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a babysitter."
"I wish to stay with you, Jim." Spock added, finally looking up from the newly fixed PADD, blinking owlishly at the Captain, earning him a barely contained coo from those at the table.
Jim braved himself and looked Spock in the eyes and god dammit the kicked puppy look was effective because Jim had already replied "sure thing, buddy" before he even realised it himself.
Spock gave him one nod before turning his attention back to the PADD.
Jim sighed, turning back to the crew with a brief wave of "dismissed". He leaned back in his chair as the room emptied, telling Sulu and Chekov to meet him in the transporter room in fifteen minutes.
Uhura, the last to leave, stopped at the door and turned to him with a sympathetic smile. "I'm no expert, Captain, but I assume that Spock will require clothes that actually fit." And she left.
Jim slowly turned back to Spock, who was still wearing a much too big science blue shirt and sighed once again.
"I think she's right." Jim announced.
"Affirmative." Spock replied, looking up at him with the tiniest twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
*
Jim was having too much fun picking clothes for Spock, who was, no doubt, about to suffer at his hand.
Originally, Jim had decided on just some plain pants and a jumper, maybe, but then a thought occurred to him:
Indiana Jones.
Which explained why Spock was currently dawning a brown, faux leather jacket, and fedora. He was also wearing an unimpressed eyebrow at Jim that really didn't go with Jim's ideal costume idea.
"You gotta lower the eyebrow to raise the coolness of the clothes, Spock." Jim commented.
"The only thing that will be lowered is my dignity." Spock replied. "I do not wish to wear this costume."
"It's not a costume, everyone wears clothes like this." Jim lied.
"You are lying." Spock replied, taking the hat off of his head and placing it on Jim's bed. "I heard you muttering Indiana Jones to yourself. I am not aware of who that is but I highly doubt that he is in affiliation with what would be considered normal standards in Terran culture."
"What give you that idea?" Jim asked.
"This," Spock held up with whip Jim had given him.
"Fine." Jim huffed like a petulant child, turning back to the replicator. He instead settled on a pair of jeans, a plain white shirt, a light blue hoodie, and a pair of sneakers, and waited patiently for Spock to change in the bathroom before they headed to the transporter room, where they met Chekov and Sulu.
As they readied to beam down, Chekov nudged Sulu, pointing to the hood on Spock's jacket that was shaped like a dinosaur head. Jim turned around to grin at them and winked, and they stifled giggles. What Spock didn't know wouldn't kill him.
Spock turned around curiously, raising an eyebrow at them and Jim held a finger to his mouth. Sulu and Chekov shrugged with a muttered apology.
Spock turned to Jim, who just shrugged, feigning confusion. Spock looked forward to Scotty, appearing to brush of their strange behaviour. Jim grinned to himself.
Spock still looked cute.
He just would've looked cuter as Indiana Jones.