Fanfiction: Error [3,190]
Fandom: Star Trek XI
Characters/Pairing: Spock, Kirk, McCoy
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: st_xi_kink "When Spock first came to the fleet he was still learning human customs. He hands in an assignment in the wrong format and the instructer asks to see him after class. Teacher man tells Spock the proper punishment is to give the instructor a blowjob. He does it.
So on the Enterprise when he submits a report to both Kirk and McCoy in the wrong format and is called on it, he attempts to give a bj. Kirk and Bones demand answers, h/c ensues, and it'd be great is jerkface teacher gets some abuse for his troubles too."
Originally posted here.
It took all of his finely tuned Vulcan self-control to not lick his suddenly much too dry lips in front of the Captain and his CMO. Kirk was frowning at the computer, as if not quite certain of what he was seeing. McCoy was poking about the conference room, having no true reason to be there, as far as Spock could tell, besides distracting the Captain.
“Spock, this is in MMV format. It won’t translate to the ship-wide records.” Neither man noticed the Vulcan’s shoulders stiffen as he thought the report over in his mind.
“You are correct, Captain. I have made a mistake.” McCoy snorted from across the table.
“Never thought I’d live to hear those words,” he murmured; Kirk favored him with a slight grin before turning back to Spock.
“Well, I need you to fix it.” He turned the monitor in Spock’s direction and sat back in his chair, knees falling open in what the Vulcan took to be a pointed manner. Spock glanced up at McCoy, who had finally flopped into a chair himself.
“I am to fix it in his presence, sir?” He could feel the tips of his ears begin to heat at once. Kirk raised an eyebrow, glancing at the doctor and then back to Spock.
“Yeah? It’s not like he’s going to judge your technique or anything, Mr. Spock.” All Spock could do was nod until he found his voice again.
“Very well, Captain.” A few minutes were all it took to switch the format, though all the while he noted how Kirk fidgeted in his chair, throwing glances at McCoy. No doubt they were impatient for him to complete his punishment. He wondered if it was necessary to perform the act on both of them; for his own sake, he hoped not. The first and last time he had performed the act it had been an unpleasant experience, enough so that the rest of his Academy papers were checked and double-checked for proper formatting with a nearly religious zeal.
He had become too lax in his proofreading. It would certainly not happen again, but for now, he needed to take the consequences. As soon as he finished, he pushed the monitor back towards Kirk, and settled to his knees before him.
The air in the room suddenly got extremely thick. Spock ignored it to the best of his ability, placing his hands on his Captain’s thighs.
He had never seen a human move quite as fast as Kirk did in the moment he realized that the Vulcan’s hands were moving upwards. The chair clattered to the ground and the man looked as if he were about to clear the table in an effort to put more space between them. Spock settled back on his heels, regarding Kirk with confused eyes.
“Whoa whoa whoa!” Kirk was yelling at the top of his lungs; McCoy was on his feet too, now, staring at Spock as if he had gone mad.
“Captain?” Spock asked evenly, not moving from the floor. “Is there a problem?”
“Yes, there’s a problem! What the hell was that?” Kirk looked as if he were about to hyperventilate, but the doctor did not seem to notice, eyes still riveted on Spock.
“I was performing the proper penalty for my mistake.” There was a pregnant pause in which the two human men looked at each other, and then back to the Vulcan. McCoy managed to speak first, his tone one more appropriate for a startled curse than a normal word.
“What?” Spock canted his head at a ten degree angle, unsure how to continue.
“I was under the impression that I had made a mistake that required punishment.” Kirk took a step towards him, his eyebrows tightening together.
“Spock, what- exactly were you about to do?”
“Perform the act of fellatio.” Much to his shock, he suddenly found himself hauled to feet by his collar, Kirk doing his very best to shake him.
“Who the hell told you to do that?” There was a light in his Captain’s eyes that was beginning to make the Vulcan feel strangely nervous, and apparently the doctor felt the same way.
“Jim! Let him go!” McCoy inserted himself between them, but could not fully extract Kirk from Spock’s shirt.
“Answer the question, Spock. That’s an order.” Spock straightened the best he could with two men weighing him down.
“One of my professors at the Academy informed me of the human tradition.” It was one he had always ignored when himself when he was a professor, but this time he was returned to the lower position and had no choice in the matter. Kirk’s face went slack with shock, and McCoy stopped wrestling with him to stare.
“- Spock- one of your professors- told you that?” He saw no reason why the man felt a need to ask him to repeat what he had just clearly told him, but he nodded in response.
“I take it he punished you, too, am I right?” McCoy asked, his voice suddenly a harsh drawl that surprised Spock.
“- yes, once.” Kirk hauled Spock forward and the doctor did not stop him.
“What was his name? Tell me his name, right now.” The man’s breath was hot and angry on Spock’s face.
“Dr. Norton, Captain.” He could not understand what he had done to offend Kirk so badly that he was seemingly close to physical violence.
“- I’ll kill him,” Kirk said suddenly, letting Spock go and striding for the door with a purpose he had not seen since the diplomat from Starfleet had been throwing orders around their ship. Spock started after him, but was stopped by McCoy’s surprisingly gentle hands on his shoulders.
“I do not understand,” he admitted, unable to keep from feeling a pang of anxiety.
“Spock- Spock, come here. Sit down.” He pulled a chair out from the table, ignoring the one still on the floor, and pressed on the Vulcan’s shoulders until he sat. He then took one beside him, turning to face him, expression drawn tight as if he was attempting to repress anything he was feeling. It was a strange sight, to see him not express whatever it was he was thinking. “That’s not a tradition. That’s not a proper punishment, especially not for- a fucking mistake on a report.” Ah. So he had offended the men, somehow, with his second mistake.
“- I apologize for my error, Doctor. I will make sure it does not happen again.” He bowed his head slightly and started to stand, but McCoy’s hands were on his arms again.
“Wait, wait- Spock- we’re not angry at you.” The Vulcan paused, cocking an eyebrow.
“The Captain seemed quite irate.”
“Spock, for Christ’s sake, he wasn’t mad at you, couldn’t you see that? He’s mad at the bastard who told you that in the first place!”
“- Doctor, he has no reason to be angry. Certainly it is a culture difference amongst human sects, I just did not understand that-“ Then it was Doctor McCoy who had him by the collar, shaking him.
“There’s no culture where that is fucking okay!” the man yelled, knuckles quickly turning white against the science blue of Spock’s uniform. “You understand that? He lied to you, Spock. That isn’t how things work, not in any sane mind. We’re humans and we can get pretty messed up sometimes, but there isn’t a damn place on Earth were forcing someone to suck their cock is considered okay, much less legal.” Spock felt his muscles stiffen of their own accord.
“I- see, Doctor. Thank you for clearing up that misunderstanding.” He stood abruptly, tearing McCoy’s hands from his shirt by the sheer force of it. “Excuse me.” McCoy looked about to protest, but rethought it. He watched Spock stride out of the room with a worried expression on his face, and then decided it was best to let him go for a while and to go make sure that Jim was not threatening war with the Academy.
Jim had to be physically hauled away from his computer, which had the beginnings of a very dangerous recording on the screen.
“Jim, you need to calm down, you aren’t going to help anyone going on like this.” McCoy managed to wrestle him into a chair, turning off the screen with one hand.
“But that bastard-“
“I know, Jim. I want his head, too. But we can’t just go throwing accusations around, y’know? What if Spock won’t talk?” He knew too much about how this sort of thing worked, back when he was a resident, the young men and women, sometimes even children, who would tell him again and again, no, nothing has ever happened to me, despite the evidence glaring from his scanners. He could report what he found, but in the end, most of the time, it was worth nothing.
“He’s got to talk, that professor can’t just walk-“
“Spock may not want to talk. Vulcan’s aren’t immune from shame, Jim.” Jim growled under his breath, trying to stand again.
“Then I’ll order him to talk.” There was a resounding crack in response as McCoy’s fist met his Captain’s jaw, and then a perfuse string of cursing that culminated in, “What the hell, Bones?”
“You aren’t thinking straight, and I intend to make sure your head gets clear. You order Spock to do that and you embarrass your First Officer, abuse your powers as Captain, and lose the trust of a friend.” McCoy’s voice softened. “Jim, you’ve got to think about Spock.”
“I am thinking about Spock,” Jim muttered, rubbing his jaw, but most of the venom had gone from his voice. “I’m thinking that someone who used him like that shouldn’t be allowed to go free, much less teach more students.”
“Listen, Jim. Can you imagine how ashamed Spock is right now? We both know the guy; it’d completely embarrass him to be tricked so well, not to mention finding out that he’s been used to get some bastard he trusted off. He’s gonna be hurt, Jim, and he’s probably going to be hurt badly. We can’t risk making that worse, not yet.” Jim paused, and McCoy was relieved when he finally relaxed his gold clad shoulders.
“You’re right, you’re right. Damn.” He ran his hand over his face, frowning into his palm. “What the hell do we do, then? He’s not exactly going to let us hold his hand while he cries.”
“I don’t know, Jim. But we need to keep a close eye on him. I don’t know how he’ll react any better than you do. Knowing our luck, he’ll pretend not to react at all.” Jim stood up suddenly, startling his friend.
“I’m going to go talk to him.”
“Jim, I’m not sure that’s the best idea-“
“Listen, Bones, the more time we give him, the better his defenses are going to be. He’s building them up right now, prepared to never talk about this again. And you’re not the only one who knows something about psychology. It isn’t healthy, and I won’t let him do it.” Despite everything, Jim was right. McCoy shook his head, straightening up.
“Want me to come with you?”
“No, not yet. He’ll feel attacked with both of us on his case at once. Just- do some research on that professor, okay? I want anything and everything you can find.” McCoy clapped his hand on Jim’s shoulder, squeezing it fondly.
“Alright. Good luck.” Lord knew the man would need it, trying to fight a Vulcan’s emotional defenses. But then again, he had done it once; no doubt he could do it again. McCoy could only hope their fragile friendship survived the aftermath.
It took his command override code to get into Spock’s quarters. The Vulcan had not replied, but the computer had verified that he was there. As soon as the doors slid open, he strode in before anyone could see or Spock could stop him; a mistake, on his part, as the sudden increase in gravity made him stumble. Right, okay, this must be Vulcan normal gravity. It also explained why it was suddenly sweltering hot.
There was movement from the sleeping area of the quarters and Spock appeared around the screen, still fully dressed. Kirk boggled at how the Vulcan could stand to have any clothing on in this heat. He tugged awkwardly at his collar as Spock watched him, expressionless.
“Captain?” It was as effective as a yell of anger. Kirk swallowed, straightening.
“Commander. We need to talk.”
“If it is about the earlier misunderstanding, I apologize and do not wish to speak on it further.” Jim gritted his teeth, putting on his firmest Captain voice.
“Well, you don’t have a choice. Sit down and make yourself comfortable, because we are going to talk about this.” As if to demonstrate, he pointedly flopped into a chair. Spock stared at him for a long moment like he was very tempted to glare. Then he carefully sat in another, facing him.
“What is there to talk about, sir?” Kirk had known him long enough now to catch the undercurrent of irritation on his tone, and he knew that he had to tread carefully.
“You have a few choices. Either you can bury this and never speak of it again-“ He had to put up a hand quickly to stop Spock from interrupting. “And quite possibly let this guy continue other students like he hurt you.” He was rewarded with the unclenching of Spock’s jaw. “Or you can work with us to figure out a way to stop him and make sure he’s punched- I mean punished.”
“Captain?” Spock finally responded.
“Yes? Go ahead.”
“You wish me to bring a court martial against the man. I cannot do that.” Jim scowled, leaning forward.
“Why not?”
“If news of this - embarrassment got out, which it surely would, it would be of great detriment to not only me, but my father.”
“But Spock- he deserves to be in jail.”
“Perhaps. But I cannot help put him there.” Jim was on his feet in seconds, filled with anger: at Spock, at the professor, at his own helplessness, at the whole damn culture that would blame Spock and his family for what accounted as manipulation.
“Aren’t you angry? Even just a little bit? The man used you. He manipulated you and all but attacked you. How can you not want retribution for that?” Spock stood, very deliberately.
“What I want is not part of the equation, Captain. It is not logical to dwell on the past, and so I shall not do it.” For the second time that day, Kirk had the front of his First Officer’s shirt.
“Then think about the other students! What if he’s hurting them? Monsters like that don’t stop the first go round. They keep doing it again and again and each time it gets worse.” Spock’s eyes widened a millimeter, but he stood firm.
“Then they may speak up, if they wish. I cannot.”
“So you’re going to let them continue to get hurt so you don’t get embarrassed?” When the growl entered Spock’s voice, Kirk knew he had hit pay dirt.
“I never said that! There are other ways to handle this kind of situation!”
“And just what are those, Mr. Spock?” Their fight was abruptly interrupted by the sound of the comm unit.
“Spock? Jim? Let me in.” Kirk started to cuss McCoy’s name, but Spock called out the command for the door to open. The doctor looked distinctly uncomfortable as a blast of warm air hit him in the face, but carefully stepped in. “I got that information for you.”
“Yes, and?” he grumbled, glaring at his friend.
“The man’s dead, Jim.” There was a distinct pause.
“- dead?” Kirk finally asked.
“He responded to the call about the Narada just like we did. The ship he was on was destroyed.” McCoy offered his PADD, which Kirk accepted gingerly. He glanced over at Spock, who watched them both for a moment, and then very carefully sat down, looking away so they might not see the emotions in his eyes.
“Spock-“ Kirk began, but the Vulcan cut him off.
“Any points that were to be made by either of us are now invalid. Please leave me in peace.” Kirk ducked his head meekly, as if he were about to acquiesce, but McCoy interrupted.
“Hell no. We’re not going anywhere.” Both Captain and Commander looked up at him as he stomped over to the chair that Kirk had vacated and sat down.
“I have nothing more to say on the matter.”
“And I don’t care about talking about it.” He was rewarded by a completely confused expression and an arched eyebrow in unison. “You don’t have to talk about anything. But I’m certainly not going to stick around and let you dwell over it for the next however-many-hours until your next shift.”
“I wish to be alone,” Spock tried again. McCoy scowled at him.
“I’m your doctor, and I say it’s not healthy, so you are hereby ordered to have some medically relevant socializing. Which means you’re stuck with the both of us for the evening.”
After two arguments about their presence, three about the temperature, a lengthy chess game that ended in a stalemate, and an illegally procured bottle of chocolate liqueur, Jim leaned over, attempting to whisper but it came out more as a husky drawl, “And you said I’d be the one abusing my station.” McCoy snorted.
“He’s asleep instead of mopin’, what more d’ya want?” Jim shrugged his shoulders, brushing his fingers through the Vulcan’s thick hair.
“Think he’ll ever talk to us about it?” he murmured, frowning down at his friend.
“Maybe someday.” McCoy shrugged as well, before clambering over the sleeping Vulcan, making himself comfortable on the other side.
“What’re you doin’?” Jim found himself raising his eyebrow much in the way Spock would if he were conscious.
“If he wakes up by himself, he might go straight back t’mopin’ and I’m not gonna let that happen,” the doctor answered, trying to fit on a bed that already was attempting to hold two full grown bodies. Jim pondered on this for a moment.
“You know, Bones, I think Spock would call that logical thinking.” He grinned and avoided the smack coming from across the bed. Spock stirred with a soft murmur, making both men freeze. As soon as he settled again, Kirk pressed a finger to his lips, curling closer.
When Spock awoke in the morning, he was sandwiched between two half-dressed human men, both of whom were sweating quite profusely in the heat of the room. He had to pause, half-awake, and wonder why in the world he was feeling entirely content about the very uncomfortable situation.
It took some doing to slip out from between them without waking either one, and he found himself having to hurry for the first time in years to make it to his shift on time. He did not neglect, however, to stop and turn the temperature down before he left.
Characters/Pairing: Spock, Kirk, McCoy
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: st_xi_kink "When Spock first came to the fleet he was still learning human customs. He hands in an assignment in the wrong format and the instructer asks to see him after class. Teacher man tells Spock the proper punishment is to give the instructor a blowjob. He does it.
So on the Enterprise when he submits a report to both Kirk and McCoy in the wrong format and is called on it, he attempts to give a bj. Kirk and Bones demand answers, h/c ensues, and it'd be great is jerkface teacher gets some abuse for his troubles too."
Originally posted here.
It took all of his finely tuned Vulcan self-control to not lick his suddenly much too dry lips in front of the Captain and his CMO. Kirk was frowning at the computer, as if not quite certain of what he was seeing. McCoy was poking about the conference room, having no true reason to be there, as far as Spock could tell, besides distracting the Captain.
“Spock, this is in MMV format. It won’t translate to the ship-wide records.” Neither man noticed the Vulcan’s shoulders stiffen as he thought the report over in his mind.
“You are correct, Captain. I have made a mistake.” McCoy snorted from across the table.
“Never thought I’d live to hear those words,” he murmured; Kirk favored him with a slight grin before turning back to Spock.
“Well, I need you to fix it.” He turned the monitor in Spock’s direction and sat back in his chair, knees falling open in what the Vulcan took to be a pointed manner. Spock glanced up at McCoy, who had finally flopped into a chair himself.
“I am to fix it in his presence, sir?” He could feel the tips of his ears begin to heat at once. Kirk raised an eyebrow, glancing at the doctor and then back to Spock.
“Yeah? It’s not like he’s going to judge your technique or anything, Mr. Spock.” All Spock could do was nod until he found his voice again.
“Very well, Captain.” A few minutes were all it took to switch the format, though all the while he noted how Kirk fidgeted in his chair, throwing glances at McCoy. No doubt they were impatient for him to complete his punishment. He wondered if it was necessary to perform the act on both of them; for his own sake, he hoped not. The first and last time he had performed the act it had been an unpleasant experience, enough so that the rest of his Academy papers were checked and double-checked for proper formatting with a nearly religious zeal.
He had become too lax in his proofreading. It would certainly not happen again, but for now, he needed to take the consequences. As soon as he finished, he pushed the monitor back towards Kirk, and settled to his knees before him.
The air in the room suddenly got extremely thick. Spock ignored it to the best of his ability, placing his hands on his Captain’s thighs.
He had never seen a human move quite as fast as Kirk did in the moment he realized that the Vulcan’s hands were moving upwards. The chair clattered to the ground and the man looked as if he were about to clear the table in an effort to put more space between them. Spock settled back on his heels, regarding Kirk with confused eyes.
“Whoa whoa whoa!” Kirk was yelling at the top of his lungs; McCoy was on his feet too, now, staring at Spock as if he had gone mad.
“Captain?” Spock asked evenly, not moving from the floor. “Is there a problem?”
“Yes, there’s a problem! What the hell was that?” Kirk looked as if he were about to hyperventilate, but the doctor did not seem to notice, eyes still riveted on Spock.
“I was performing the proper penalty for my mistake.” There was a pregnant pause in which the two human men looked at each other, and then back to the Vulcan. McCoy managed to speak first, his tone one more appropriate for a startled curse than a normal word.
“What?” Spock canted his head at a ten degree angle, unsure how to continue.
“I was under the impression that I had made a mistake that required punishment.” Kirk took a step towards him, his eyebrows tightening together.
“Spock, what- exactly were you about to do?”
“Perform the act of fellatio.” Much to his shock, he suddenly found himself hauled to feet by his collar, Kirk doing his very best to shake him.
“Who the hell told you to do that?” There was a light in his Captain’s eyes that was beginning to make the Vulcan feel strangely nervous, and apparently the doctor felt the same way.
“Jim! Let him go!” McCoy inserted himself between them, but could not fully extract Kirk from Spock’s shirt.
“Answer the question, Spock. That’s an order.” Spock straightened the best he could with two men weighing him down.
“One of my professors at the Academy informed me of the human tradition.” It was one he had always ignored when himself when he was a professor, but this time he was returned to the lower position and had no choice in the matter. Kirk’s face went slack with shock, and McCoy stopped wrestling with him to stare.
“- Spock- one of your professors- told you that?” He saw no reason why the man felt a need to ask him to repeat what he had just clearly told him, but he nodded in response.
“I take it he punished you, too, am I right?” McCoy asked, his voice suddenly a harsh drawl that surprised Spock.
“- yes, once.” Kirk hauled Spock forward and the doctor did not stop him.
“What was his name? Tell me his name, right now.” The man’s breath was hot and angry on Spock’s face.
“Dr. Norton, Captain.” He could not understand what he had done to offend Kirk so badly that he was seemingly close to physical violence.
“- I’ll kill him,” Kirk said suddenly, letting Spock go and striding for the door with a purpose he had not seen since the diplomat from Starfleet had been throwing orders around their ship. Spock started after him, but was stopped by McCoy’s surprisingly gentle hands on his shoulders.
“I do not understand,” he admitted, unable to keep from feeling a pang of anxiety.
“Spock- Spock, come here. Sit down.” He pulled a chair out from the table, ignoring the one still on the floor, and pressed on the Vulcan’s shoulders until he sat. He then took one beside him, turning to face him, expression drawn tight as if he was attempting to repress anything he was feeling. It was a strange sight, to see him not express whatever it was he was thinking. “That’s not a tradition. That’s not a proper punishment, especially not for- a fucking mistake on a report.” Ah. So he had offended the men, somehow, with his second mistake.
“- I apologize for my error, Doctor. I will make sure it does not happen again.” He bowed his head slightly and started to stand, but McCoy’s hands were on his arms again.
“Wait, wait- Spock- we’re not angry at you.” The Vulcan paused, cocking an eyebrow.
“The Captain seemed quite irate.”
“Spock, for Christ’s sake, he wasn’t mad at you, couldn’t you see that? He’s mad at the bastard who told you that in the first place!”
“- Doctor, he has no reason to be angry. Certainly it is a culture difference amongst human sects, I just did not understand that-“ Then it was Doctor McCoy who had him by the collar, shaking him.
“There’s no culture where that is fucking okay!” the man yelled, knuckles quickly turning white against the science blue of Spock’s uniform. “You understand that? He lied to you, Spock. That isn’t how things work, not in any sane mind. We’re humans and we can get pretty messed up sometimes, but there isn’t a damn place on Earth were forcing someone to suck their cock is considered okay, much less legal.” Spock felt his muscles stiffen of their own accord.
“I- see, Doctor. Thank you for clearing up that misunderstanding.” He stood abruptly, tearing McCoy’s hands from his shirt by the sheer force of it. “Excuse me.” McCoy looked about to protest, but rethought it. He watched Spock stride out of the room with a worried expression on his face, and then decided it was best to let him go for a while and to go make sure that Jim was not threatening war with the Academy.
Jim had to be physically hauled away from his computer, which had the beginnings of a very dangerous recording on the screen.
“Jim, you need to calm down, you aren’t going to help anyone going on like this.” McCoy managed to wrestle him into a chair, turning off the screen with one hand.
“But that bastard-“
“I know, Jim. I want his head, too. But we can’t just go throwing accusations around, y’know? What if Spock won’t talk?” He knew too much about how this sort of thing worked, back when he was a resident, the young men and women, sometimes even children, who would tell him again and again, no, nothing has ever happened to me, despite the evidence glaring from his scanners. He could report what he found, but in the end, most of the time, it was worth nothing.
“He’s got to talk, that professor can’t just walk-“
“Spock may not want to talk. Vulcan’s aren’t immune from shame, Jim.” Jim growled under his breath, trying to stand again.
“Then I’ll order him to talk.” There was a resounding crack in response as McCoy’s fist met his Captain’s jaw, and then a perfuse string of cursing that culminated in, “What the hell, Bones?”
“You aren’t thinking straight, and I intend to make sure your head gets clear. You order Spock to do that and you embarrass your First Officer, abuse your powers as Captain, and lose the trust of a friend.” McCoy’s voice softened. “Jim, you’ve got to think about Spock.”
“I am thinking about Spock,” Jim muttered, rubbing his jaw, but most of the venom had gone from his voice. “I’m thinking that someone who used him like that shouldn’t be allowed to go free, much less teach more students.”
“Listen, Jim. Can you imagine how ashamed Spock is right now? We both know the guy; it’d completely embarrass him to be tricked so well, not to mention finding out that he’s been used to get some bastard he trusted off. He’s gonna be hurt, Jim, and he’s probably going to be hurt badly. We can’t risk making that worse, not yet.” Jim paused, and McCoy was relieved when he finally relaxed his gold clad shoulders.
“You’re right, you’re right. Damn.” He ran his hand over his face, frowning into his palm. “What the hell do we do, then? He’s not exactly going to let us hold his hand while he cries.”
“I don’t know, Jim. But we need to keep a close eye on him. I don’t know how he’ll react any better than you do. Knowing our luck, he’ll pretend not to react at all.” Jim stood up suddenly, startling his friend.
“I’m going to go talk to him.”
“Jim, I’m not sure that’s the best idea-“
“Listen, Bones, the more time we give him, the better his defenses are going to be. He’s building them up right now, prepared to never talk about this again. And you’re not the only one who knows something about psychology. It isn’t healthy, and I won’t let him do it.” Despite everything, Jim was right. McCoy shook his head, straightening up.
“Want me to come with you?”
“No, not yet. He’ll feel attacked with both of us on his case at once. Just- do some research on that professor, okay? I want anything and everything you can find.” McCoy clapped his hand on Jim’s shoulder, squeezing it fondly.
“Alright. Good luck.” Lord knew the man would need it, trying to fight a Vulcan’s emotional defenses. But then again, he had done it once; no doubt he could do it again. McCoy could only hope their fragile friendship survived the aftermath.
It took his command override code to get into Spock’s quarters. The Vulcan had not replied, but the computer had verified that he was there. As soon as the doors slid open, he strode in before anyone could see or Spock could stop him; a mistake, on his part, as the sudden increase in gravity made him stumble. Right, okay, this must be Vulcan normal gravity. It also explained why it was suddenly sweltering hot.
There was movement from the sleeping area of the quarters and Spock appeared around the screen, still fully dressed. Kirk boggled at how the Vulcan could stand to have any clothing on in this heat. He tugged awkwardly at his collar as Spock watched him, expressionless.
“Captain?” It was as effective as a yell of anger. Kirk swallowed, straightening.
“Commander. We need to talk.”
“If it is about the earlier misunderstanding, I apologize and do not wish to speak on it further.” Jim gritted his teeth, putting on his firmest Captain voice.
“Well, you don’t have a choice. Sit down and make yourself comfortable, because we are going to talk about this.” As if to demonstrate, he pointedly flopped into a chair. Spock stared at him for a long moment like he was very tempted to glare. Then he carefully sat in another, facing him.
“What is there to talk about, sir?” Kirk had known him long enough now to catch the undercurrent of irritation on his tone, and he knew that he had to tread carefully.
“You have a few choices. Either you can bury this and never speak of it again-“ He had to put up a hand quickly to stop Spock from interrupting. “And quite possibly let this guy continue other students like he hurt you.” He was rewarded with the unclenching of Spock’s jaw. “Or you can work with us to figure out a way to stop him and make sure he’s punched- I mean punished.”
“Captain?” Spock finally responded.
“Yes? Go ahead.”
“You wish me to bring a court martial against the man. I cannot do that.” Jim scowled, leaning forward.
“Why not?”
“If news of this - embarrassment got out, which it surely would, it would be of great detriment to not only me, but my father.”
“But Spock- he deserves to be in jail.”
“Perhaps. But I cannot help put him there.” Jim was on his feet in seconds, filled with anger: at Spock, at the professor, at his own helplessness, at the whole damn culture that would blame Spock and his family for what accounted as manipulation.
“Aren’t you angry? Even just a little bit? The man used you. He manipulated you and all but attacked you. How can you not want retribution for that?” Spock stood, very deliberately.
“What I want is not part of the equation, Captain. It is not logical to dwell on the past, and so I shall not do it.” For the second time that day, Kirk had the front of his First Officer’s shirt.
“Then think about the other students! What if he’s hurting them? Monsters like that don’t stop the first go round. They keep doing it again and again and each time it gets worse.” Spock’s eyes widened a millimeter, but he stood firm.
“Then they may speak up, if they wish. I cannot.”
“So you’re going to let them continue to get hurt so you don’t get embarrassed?” When the growl entered Spock’s voice, Kirk knew he had hit pay dirt.
“I never said that! There are other ways to handle this kind of situation!”
“And just what are those, Mr. Spock?” Their fight was abruptly interrupted by the sound of the comm unit.
“Spock? Jim? Let me in.” Kirk started to cuss McCoy’s name, but Spock called out the command for the door to open. The doctor looked distinctly uncomfortable as a blast of warm air hit him in the face, but carefully stepped in. “I got that information for you.”
“Yes, and?” he grumbled, glaring at his friend.
“The man’s dead, Jim.” There was a distinct pause.
“- dead?” Kirk finally asked.
“He responded to the call about the Narada just like we did. The ship he was on was destroyed.” McCoy offered his PADD, which Kirk accepted gingerly. He glanced over at Spock, who watched them both for a moment, and then very carefully sat down, looking away so they might not see the emotions in his eyes.
“Spock-“ Kirk began, but the Vulcan cut him off.
“Any points that were to be made by either of us are now invalid. Please leave me in peace.” Kirk ducked his head meekly, as if he were about to acquiesce, but McCoy interrupted.
“Hell no. We’re not going anywhere.” Both Captain and Commander looked up at him as he stomped over to the chair that Kirk had vacated and sat down.
“I have nothing more to say on the matter.”
“And I don’t care about talking about it.” He was rewarded by a completely confused expression and an arched eyebrow in unison. “You don’t have to talk about anything. But I’m certainly not going to stick around and let you dwell over it for the next however-many-hours until your next shift.”
“I wish to be alone,” Spock tried again. McCoy scowled at him.
“I’m your doctor, and I say it’s not healthy, so you are hereby ordered to have some medically relevant socializing. Which means you’re stuck with the both of us for the evening.”
After two arguments about their presence, three about the temperature, a lengthy chess game that ended in a stalemate, and an illegally procured bottle of chocolate liqueur, Jim leaned over, attempting to whisper but it came out more as a husky drawl, “And you said I’d be the one abusing my station.” McCoy snorted.
“He’s asleep instead of mopin’, what more d’ya want?” Jim shrugged his shoulders, brushing his fingers through the Vulcan’s thick hair.
“Think he’ll ever talk to us about it?” he murmured, frowning down at his friend.
“Maybe someday.” McCoy shrugged as well, before clambering over the sleeping Vulcan, making himself comfortable on the other side.
“What’re you doin’?” Jim found himself raising his eyebrow much in the way Spock would if he were conscious.
“If he wakes up by himself, he might go straight back t’mopin’ and I’m not gonna let that happen,” the doctor answered, trying to fit on a bed that already was attempting to hold two full grown bodies. Jim pondered on this for a moment.
“You know, Bones, I think Spock would call that logical thinking.” He grinned and avoided the smack coming from across the bed. Spock stirred with a soft murmur, making both men freeze. As soon as he settled again, Kirk pressed a finger to his lips, curling closer.
When Spock awoke in the morning, he was sandwiched between two half-dressed human men, both of whom were sweating quite profusely in the heat of the room. He had to pause, half-awake, and wonder why in the world he was feeling entirely content about the very uncomfortable situation.
It took some doing to slip out from between them without waking either one, and he found himself having to hurry for the first time in years to make it to his shift on time. He did not neglect, however, to stop and turn the temperature down before he left.