Rules of Engagement
Preface
Acknowledgements: I do not own Star Trek (obviously) and nor do I own the Wikihow article I intend to base this on. The plot is mine, though, so I hope you enjoy it!
Spock opened his eyes, resigning himself to another night without meditation. Recently he had been unable to achieve the proper calmness of mind required to clear his thoughts from throughout the day, and it was taking its toll. He found himself in need of longer sleep periods, but incapable of closing his mind down sufficiently in order to do so.
There was, he knew, a perfectly reasonable explanation for it all. Well, perhaps not reasonable; Spock knew that he should be able to control such emotional responses as he had been experiencing. But once one knew the cause, his behaviour became understandable. So perhaps it was reasonable after all...
Spock shook the circular argument from his mind. He had, as he saw it, two options: he could address the issue, or he could ignore it. As a Vulcan, he recognised that there was no logic in putting off a decision. To act or not to act, that was the question. Whether it was nobler in the mind... With difficulty, Spock pulled himself together. This kind of daydreaming was so very... human. He would do well to suppress it.
Initially Spock had favoured option B – ignore it. But as yet another failed attempt at meditation had just convinced him, it was clearly not going to work. That left option A – address the issue. The problem was, he had no idea how.
Admitting to his feelings would probably be a good start. Spock took a deep breath the fortify himself, and breathed softly, "I am... experiencing strong..." He paused. "...strong feelings of attraction, bordering on..." This was more difficult than he had ever anticipated. "Infatuation... for my friend."
Spock knew he was cheating by not saying the name, but as he only had one confirmed friend anyway, he did not think that it mattered too much.
Now all he had to do was act on it. Spock swallowed nervously, allowing the outward display of emotion in the privacy of his own quarters. But how to go about it? Were his captain also Vulcan, Spock would have no difficulty in simply stating the matter to him outright. As a human, however, he was aware that there were degrees of subtlety to the art of attracting a potential mate beyond anything in Vulcan society.
Entering his search terms into the database after just a moment's hesitation, Spock opened the first result that appeared. It was an old document, from Earth's 21st century, but he supposed that the basic requirements would have remained essentially constant, so he read on. The article was entitled 'How to Flirt'. He found it ironic how straight to the point it was, given the complexity of the matter it sought to address.
Flirting is, at its most basic, a way to get to know people you might be interested in dating. It might seem nerve-wracking to start flirting and put yourself out there, but fear not – it's normal to be nervous around someone you really like, and there are ways to seem confident and pull off a successful flirtation.
Heartened, Spock scanned the page hungrily, his eyes devouring every morsel of information and committing it to his eidetic memory for him to refer back to when a suitable situation arose. When he eventually finished reading some time later, he cleared his search history and checked meticulously for any trace of his reading material. Satisfied that no-one would know what he had been doing, Spock returned to his bed and drifted into a fitful sleep. In the morning, he would enact his plan to capture a certain man's attention.
A/N: Sorry the chapter is so short, but the style of this story lends itself better to being written in brief chunks. I will try to update often to make up for it! What do you think? Please let me know how this can be improved, or what you liked... And if you wrote the Wikihow article, please don't sue me! Think of it as free publicity...