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It wasn't often that non-starfleet members were allowed onto the USS Enterprise. Exceptions were made, usually in emergencies of course. Or in the event of a certain navigator's 3 year old daughter wanting to see where her papa worked.
Which is how Demora Sulu, honorary Starfleet member for the day (as said by the captain himself) had found herself on the bridge, hugged to her father's hip. Hikaru was showing her the navigational panel, while she reached her small hands out in an attempt to push the colorful buttons.
"No no, darling, you can't touch those." Hikaru smiled down at the girl, who began to wiggle out of his grasp.
Hikaru set her down on the floor, and watched as she ran up to the captain's chair, currently occupied by one Jim Kirk.
"You're the captain? And this is the captain's chair?" Demora asked in a small voice.
"Yes ma'am!" Kirk smiled back at her.
"I wanna be a captain when I grow up!" Demora smiled, "and who are you?" Demora had now fixated on the only other man on the bridge, Mr. Spock.
"My name is Spock. I am the first officer on this ship." Spock nodded down to the girl, who had now walked up to him.
Demora looked him up and down, as if appraising him and his trustworthiness, before reaching up and making grabby hands at the Vulcan.
Spock had next no experience with children. But, however, he did have experience with an intoxicated Jim. He found many similarities.
Spock leaned down and picked the girl up, settling her on his hip like he had seen Sulu do.
"Your ears are pointy!" Demora squealed, reaching up to touch them.
"As I am a Vulcan, I would naturally possess pointed-"
"And your eyebrows are silly!" Demora reached up to touch them as well.
"Yet another hallmark of the Vulcan race." Spock managed a tight smile, knowing that the child was too young to realize that practically ripping off a man's eyebrow was not the most polite of gestures.
"Soooo, you're not human?" Demora asked, leaning back to take him in.
"Actually, I am half human. My mother, much like your parents, was from Earth. My father is from the planet Vulcan."
"Cool! Papa I wanna go to Vulcan! Can you take me and daddy to Vulcan?" Demora asked, wiggling in Spock's grasp to see her father.
"Of course, darling." Hikaru smiled back.
"Can you show me the ship?" Demora asked, turning back to Spock. "I wanna see the engine rooms!" Demora began wiggling in Spock's grasp, and Spock took the cue to set her down. Demora immediately grabbed his hand and began pulling him to the turbolift
"If that is okay with your father." Spock looked up to Hikaru, who nodded and smiled.
"Don't get lost!" Hikaru called to Demora and Spock as they were boarding the turbolift.
"We won't!" Demora laughed.
"As I have lived on this ship for almost 5 years, I find it unlikely that I will-" The doors to the turbolift before Spock could finish his sentence.
Once the turbolift doors had closed, Jim turned to look at Hikaru, his eyebrows raised at the sight they had just witnessed.
"He's pretty good with kids, huh?" Jim said mused to the other man.
"I think I even saw a smile in there." Hikaru replied.
----
Later that night, once Demora had tired out and went home with her fathers, Jim and Spock walked along a nearly empty walkway that lied between where the Enterprise was being repaired and where their temporary quarters had been set up.
Jim had been stealing glances at Spock for the duration of the walk. Spock supposed Jim was trying to be sneaky with his glances. He was not.
"Yes, Jim?" Spock finally spoke up.
"You're not half bad with kids, you know. I thought you didn't like kids." Jim smirked at him.
"Correct. But I am also not rude. It is unnecessary and inappropriate to be mean to a child solely on the basis that they are a child." Spock replied.
Jim laughed at that. "You look just as worn out as she did!"
"She was excessively energetic, especially for someone her age."
"She was excited to see her dad and to see the ship." Jim smiled back at the other man.
"I suppose so." Spock mused. He noticed that Jim was still smirking at him after a moment of silence.
"Is there something you're not telling me, Jim?" Spock inquired.
"It's just... It's cute. It's cute to see that you're naturally good with children like that." Jim answered, patting Spock on the shoulder.
"I am not naturally good with children," Spock forced down a smile at where he was going with this. "I have noticed many similarities between handling a child and handling a certain captain when he is excessively drunk. I merely used my previous experiences with those situations and applied them to handling a child." Spock felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards at Jim's scandalized look.
"I am not that bad when I'm drunk!" Jim sputtered as he slowed his pace.
Spock only raised an eyebrow and kept walking.
"I'm not! Spock!" Jim caught up to the other man. "I'm not that bad! I can handle my liquor."
"If you say so captain."