It was not traditional amongst Vulcans to celebrate the anniversary of one's birth. Spock had on several occasions tried to impart this information to his crewmates, each time with little to no success. Humans it seemed went out of their way to find reasons to celebrate.
The door chime sounded in Spock's quarters. Briefly, he prepared himself for an uncertain invasion. "Come," he called.
The Captain entered a second later.
Spock immediately began to rise.
"No, no," Jim said, waving him back down. "Please. I just wanted to bring you your birthday present."
"Vulcans do not-"
"-celebrate their birthdays," he finished, smiling. "I know. You've been saying that most of the day, Spock. Indulge us."
An eyebrow rose and the barest hint of amusement touched his expression. "I often do, Captain."
Continuing to smile, Jim offered his friend a data disk.
He looked quizzically upon the gift, hesitating only a brief second before taking it.
That second wasn't lost on Kirk. "You'll like it. I promise," Jim reassured him. "Go ahead and have a look."
It was a copy of their orders. Spock was pleasantly surprised.
"The Calpresa Binary Star was not originally along our flight plan," he pointed out. It represented a unique opportunity to the Science Officer. It had yet to be formally studied in depth.
"I pulled a couple strings."
Spock looked up and met his gaze. The extent of his gratitude could only be expressed silently.
"Happy birthday, Spock." With his mission complete, he turned to leave.
"Jim-"
The captain stopped at the door and turned back.
"Thank you." The words were spoken with soul deep sincerity.
Once again, he smiled. It touched his eyes in a gleeful manner. "I look forward to reading your reports," he announced. After a brief pause, he added, "By the way, Lt. Uhura wanted to throw you a birthday party."
The Vulcan visibly tensed.
"Fortunately, I talked her out of it."
His shoulders slumped slightly.
"Unfortunately…Dr. McCoy talked her back into it. Nineteen hundred hours in the Officer's Lounge. Be there. And try and look surprised," he ordered mischievously. He slipped out the door before Spock had a chance to object.
Both eyebrows simultaneously hit the ceiling.