Hi, this is my first story. I'll do my best!
Disclaimer: The characters of Star Trek: TOS do not belong to me, but to CBS studios currently. I do not make a profit off of this story, nor do I intend to infringe on the owner's rights or whatever. The story, and it alone, is mine. Thanks!
If he were to be completely honest, James Kirk would have to admit that he wasn't really listening.
Perhaps this would not have come as a surprise to the first officer of the Enterprise, who seemed to be growing increasingly agitated (for a Vulcan, at least) the longer he attempted to inform the captain about the abnormalities in the cell structure of some...plants or something, he wasn't sure. He wasn't actually listening, honestly.
"Captain," Spock intoned grumpily. Kirk startled in his chair and nearly fell. Coughing, he turned to his friend.
"Yes, Spock?"
"I'm beginning to get the feeling that your mind is elsewhere, captain. As I was just saying—"
Kirk's eyes widened and he immediately held his hand up. "Err, that's alright, Spock," he hurried, mind searching frantically for a suitable reason to excuse himself from this rather dull conversation, "I'm a bit busy at the moment. Type it up in a report or something, and I'll be sure to get to it, soon as I can. Alright?"
And even as Spock, with a slightly disgruntled raise of one brow, tried to call out to him, Kirk was sauntering across the dining hall to a small group of crewman they had brought on recently.
"Captain!" one of them said in surprise, and instantly the table fell to silence. All eyes fell to him.
Kirk pulled on his most charismatic grin and slid into an empty seat near the end.
"Why hello, Ensign Briggs. But is it really so surprising to see your captain eating lunch in the mess? I'm not immune to hunger, you know," Kirk teased. Several of the men chuckled good-naturedly.
Briggs cleared his throat. "Always good to see you, sir," he muttered pleasantly. He had been on since last May, a good nine months longer than most of the people sitting there. Long enough for the captain to feel comfortable teasing him.
Gradually the silence wore down, and slight conversation picked up again, allowing the captain the opportunity to do what he had come over to do in the first place: talk to the rather stunning new lieutenant who had been making eyes at him across the mess since she had walked in.
"Hello, miss," Kirk started, desperate to sound casual. "I don't believe we have been formally introduced. I'm James Kirk. And you?"
She grinned. "Silva, sir. Silva Davidson."
"Pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Davidson. What say you and I—"
And suddenly Spock was standing behind him with a large stack of papers in his hands. "The report you requested, sir."
"Report?" Kirk said vaguely, feeling slightly irritated.
"Yes, sir," and if Kirk didn't know any better, he would say Spock was almost mocking him, "about the cellular regenerative abilities of the Shrouster plant which I was discussing with you earlier. I hope you will be able to get to it soon," he dropped the papers in Kirk's lap with a heavy thud, "but as it is now time for your shift on the bridge, I understand that you will have to postpone reading it until after Alpha Shift has ended." With that, and a smart turn on his heel, Spock was gone.
Kirk opened his mouth to apologize to Silva for the interruption, but she must have slipped out shortly after Spock arrived. He glanced around him in search for her, but she was long gone.
Short, I know. That probably won't change. Oh well...