Brothers in Every Sense

By Tuba321

A/N: This came out of my need for Big Three (and Scotty!) friendship with no slash. I don't dislike slash but I'm not big on romance. Anywho this is a friendship piece featuring Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scotty (because we all need a little bit more of that Scotsman). The main theme is on Kirk and Spock (who else?) but other loyalties are found. I'm most likely going to finish this one as I spent days laying it out before I started writing. There should be 9 or 10 continuous chapters. Yey!

Disclaimer: Though I've built my DeLorean time-machine to go back into the past and say that Star Trek was my idea (sorry Gene!), the flux capacitor isn't working quite right yet, I can't get a hold of any plutonium and the speedometer in the car doesn't even go to 88 mph so… I definitely don't own it.

Prologue

Spock had almost forgotten that Captain James T. Kirk even had an office.

He forcibly ignored the voice in his head that sounded strangely like Dr. McCoy laughing at him as he searched the ship for the office. Seeing a computer terminal nearby he headed over to it.

"Computer," He started in his usual, casual monotone. "Directions to the office of Captain Kirk."

"Deck five, office space number one." The device chirped back almost immediately.

Spock raised his brows as he realized that he'd passed that area multiple times during his search and it was still nearby – with the door halfway open. Suppressing the rising feeling of embarrassment at the thought of his Captain seeing his mistake some five times, Spock started walking to the indicated room.

Kirk watched with non-too-mild amusement as his first walked into his office. He'd almost had no use of the damn place, only using it when paperwork piled up or he needed someplace to hide where Spock or McCoy would not think to find him. He couldn't blame Spock for forgetting where the place was. But, still, he was finding it hard not to see the humor in the situation.

"Are you lost Spock?" The Captain asked, smiling good-naturedly.

The Vulcan seemed to squirm a little, making Kirk somewhat regret his tease. "Captain, I have something urgent… and personal to tell you."

Kirk sat at attention immediately, paperwork forgotten, giving his friend as much of his attention that he could give. Spock, though trusting him far more than any other living person (sans McCoy, a seemingly close runner-up), he rarely divulged Kirk in personal matters, claiming that he did not "wish to burden" his Captain, despite Jim's protests. It sometimes took the Vulcan's almost dying to let Kirk in on an issue.

"Yes, Mr. Spock?" He queried gently.

Spock hesitated before starting. "There appears to be a…" He struggled. "It has occurred to myself that…." He took a deep breath. "Jim, there is something between us."

Using his arms to prop his head up on the desk, Kirk pondered Spock's meaning. "You mean that we're friends?" 'I thought we already were aware of that.' Kirk thought worriedly.

To his relief, the Vulcan shook his head, about to walk closer towards him before turning and giving the door a pointed look.

Fully aware of his friend's extraordinary need for privacy, Kirk nodded. "Go ahead, Mr. Spock."

Accepting the permission, Spock quietly shut the door before turning back to his Captain. "What I am attempting to convey to you is…" he stopped again, looking at the ground, looking for the world like he was hard-pressed for words.

'That's odd.' Kirk mused. What could be so personal or so awkward that Spock would have this much difficulty explaining to him?

Kirk, leaning more forward to face Spock better, caught the Vulcan's gaze. "What is it, Spock?" He said. 'You can tell me anything.'

Oddly enough, almost as soon as he thought it, Spock seemed to relax, taking his turn to met Kirk in the eyes. "Jim, we seem to have a link connecting us."

"What?" Kirk asked, confused. "What are you talking about?

Again, Spock looked hesitant and Kirk pondered his tone. His friend was struggling and he vowed to try and accommodate.

"On Vulcan," Spock started, softly. "When… associates form a close… companionship, such as partners in battle or siblings, a certain… bond… occurs." He finally looked up at Kirk again. "It seems that, without our knowing, this has happened. With us."

Letting the weight sink of the situation sink in, Kirk's first question popped into his mind. "How?"

"Telepathically." Spock replied quickly, not looking away from Kirk.

"And this isn't harmful?" He had to ask.

Again, the hesitation. "Not that I know of. But, we have to consider that previous data has only been taken from links between two Vulcans. No link between a Vulcan and a non-Vulcan has ever occurred."

'And neither has a half human Vulcan or a Vulcan Star Fleet officer…' Kirk mused, smirking.

Spock blinked.

The Captain's eyes widened at a sudden thought. 'Can you hear me?' He pushed the thought towards the other person in the room, testing.

Though the room was silent and Spock did not speak the answer came subtly to his mind, a very… Spockish element along with it. 'Indeed. Though "hear" isn't necessarily the correct choice of wording.'

Jim sank back into his chair, stunned. "Wow."

"The link can span any distance." The Vulcan said, unsure of the implications of Kirk's reaction and needing to explain further. "Thoughts can travel through degrees and desire of directness, though subtle… emotions can flow through as well."

'Emotions?' Kirk looked up. "When did you become aware of this… link?"

"About a week ago, I noticed some oddities." Spock said. "It was only until you became… upset at Admiral Stone that I fully realized."

'Upset' was far beyond an understatement. Kirk had been furious. The man had put his political career ahead of a group of refugee civilians. "You mean that you have been dealing with my emotions for a week or more?"

Spock shifted again, seeming to find the floor very interesting. "I wished to tell you when I was positive."

Kirk nodded. Thoughts washed over him, confusing, puzzling thoughts and, dully, he recognized that he was attempting to calm them – to spare Spock.

He laughed.

Spock furrowed his brow? What could be so humorous about this situation between them?

But the Captain continued to giggle, as if he'd heard an old inside joke. Again he felt, a soft feeling in his mind as Spock's confusion filtered through. It was two way.

He looked back up at his puzzled friend, grinning. "It's alright Spock."

Cocking his head, Spock asked. "Are you positive?"

He couldn't stop smiling. "Yes. I'm fine."

A wave of relief seemed to sweep over Spock and, therefore, part of Jim, as he lost the tension of facing the Captain's possible rejection or disgust. Kirk's friendly smirk now seemed incredibly reassuring.

"We should still see if this close telepathy is safe for the human mind." Spock said, bringing Kirk back to reality.

"And how do you suggest going about that?" Kirk asked, completely trusting the Vulcan.

"I suggest a mind meld."

"Whatever it takes."

A/N: Here we are: The prologue! It's a nice prologue, don't you think? Yeah. Again, these is not slash (and if you perceive it that way, please leave that to yourself… whatever floats your boat). This will later feature McCoy and Scotty, but I wanted to focus on Kirk and Spock first. Please review but no flames!