Of one thing he was certain.
The universe could throw paradoxes, and time travel, and alternate realities at him all that it wanted and this truth would remain unchanged.
Spock was the most infuriating man alive. Maybe the most infuriating man alive or dead.
Jim was less sure on the dead part having never met someone of the ether. Though he did not preclude the possibility with the way things always seemed to go awry on the Enterprise.
They'd been in space for just under six months, and while his young crew performed admirably, with talent and deftness that practically made him glow and eased the doubts of the admiralty somewhat, there was no denying the space-crazy that manifested itself on even the most mundane of missions.
"Captain. It is inadvisable that you continue with your current course of action."
Jim gritted his teeth at the sound of Spock's clipped tones. That the damn guy sounded like a robot for nearly 80% of their conversations only further cemented his Infuriation Champion status.
The other 20% of Spock's tone when interacting with Jim was broken into three categories: Smug, Stupid Human - Didn't I Tell You Not to Do That, and I Am Restraining from Causing You Bodily Harm.
Bones insisted that the Vulcan remained firmly in Smug mode at all times, but Kirk was willing to give Spock credit for emotional elasticity. The captain gestured to his throat and wryly intoned, "He did, after all, display some in the Narada incident." McCoy remained unconvinced.
Jim wisely let the argument drop then, before it entered dangerous territory, because, while he would never admit it to his best friend and CMO, Jim had been watching Spock carefully for some time now, and found that the First Officer really did express a lot of things through his body language. Generally things disagreeable or confusing to Jim, but it was expression nonetheless.
And he had agreed to come aboard as Jim's First Officer – which really was something when you considered that he had given up aiding the colonization effort of his people to do so.
The captain hoped that what Alternate Spock said about theirs being a great friendship would turn out to be true in his reality as well. Spock was fascinating to him and Jim honestly thought they had made some sort of understanding between them with the Nero thing, but besides the amazing fact of Spock's accepting commission, the progress of their friendship was little.
Now that he thought about it, Spock's joining his crew was probably more to do with the presence of beautiful, fierce Nyota Uhura, with whom he was engaged in a relationship, than anything else.
Jim knew what he would do to be with a woman of her caliber, and joining the crew of Starfleet's flagship, even under a man with whom he had little rapport, did not come close. And he was "commitment averse."
Why had he not considered this before? That Spock's presence was not some sort of testament to the potential connection between them?
It would definitely explain the half-Vulcan's almost complete lack of interest in Jim beyond command duties and random run-ins. The way he always seemed to analyze Kirk with a detached puzzlement in his eyes when they did interact. And why he questioned the captain's every decision, constantly quoting regulations at him, as he did now while they hurried to the transporter room.
Obviously his First Officer could drive him half mad with his near border-line insubordination and superior attitude, but Jim genuinely liked Spock. Trusted him even, and Jim Kirk's trust was a thing hard earned.
He liked to believe that Spock held the same regard for him; he thought of Spock's presence as proof, but this new line of thinking jarred Jim's closely held faith.
And served to substantially increase his irritation.
Strange that the mere thought of Spock truly being indifferent to him filled the human with equal parts despair and ire.
Perhaps he really should listen to Bones and rest; there was no telling what could happen to the Enterprise if her captain was so worn out that he became an emotional wreck over the First Officer's lack of interest in him.
It was truly a ridiculous thought and Jim clamped down a sudden irrational urge to laugh.
"You are not attending my words Captain."
The smooth voice hovered near the edge of "Bodily Harm" and Jim snapped out of it.
"Mr. Spock I am well aware of what you desire to say. You've done nothing but harangue me with your protocols and misgivings since I ordered the passengers beamed aboard. I too know the regulations and that I have not broken any of them-" Here the Vulcan made an involuntary noise of disbelief. Jim bared his teeth in what could have been called a grin. "I haven't broken any that are that important or that weren't mostly suggestions in the first place," he amended. "But the fact remains. That ship would have been destroyed by the meteor shower. Whatever reason they ran from us, I can't just let that crew die when it's in my power to save them."
"A most moving sentiment sir."
For a guy who prided himself on non-expression, Spock did sneering better than any other being Jim knew.
"As I brought to your attention 2.34 minutes ago, the desire to save the fugitives is not for what I fault you. Rather, it is your pursuit of that desire over the safety and security of this ship and Starfleet directive. One dilithium crystal shattered from your ordered maneuvers and another lost 68% of its functionality. I would again refer you to Addendum 1982.3, Section 528, Clause 4, if I thought you would heed it, but since I now know this to be in vain, I will instead appeal to your limited strategic logic."
Jim angrily opened his mouth, a retort on his tongue, but Spock continued to press, steamrolling his protest.
"We sit impaired, the nearest Starbase 120 light hours away, orbiting an inhospitable planet with a single mining settlement, no space dock that can accommodate the Enterprise, and four unknown, potential criminals soon to be aboard. Space does not follow formerly established relationship and action patterns since the Narada Incident. Being a Starfleet vessel no longer elicits the respectful response it did previously. We are open to any attack while we sit powerless, limping on impulse, shields operating at 40%."
The truth of Spock's words was already apparent to Jim, and had been since he'd ordered Scotty to bring the malfunctioning fleeing vessel inside their shields for transport. He knew that the move was chancy, but he couldn't condemn the people aboard to death. Jim firmly believed in his ability to find the elusive third option. He would repair his ship, the thing he loved above all else, and protect his crew, even if it meant his own death.
Not for the first time, he wished his second-in-command could see that.
Luckily they reached the transporter room just then and Jim was temporarily spared the necessity of replying to Spock's grim portrait of reality.
The Vulcan's full mouth closed to a thin line. He looked at the captain with a steely glint in his eyes that told Jim he was most certainly not finished with this discussion, though he was presently choosing to remain silent.
Jim appreciated the tirade's suspension. He turned from Spock and squared his shoulders, drawing himself to full height in the process, and entered the room to greet his Lady's newest passengers.
Hello, I've never written a story to publish before, but I love this fandom and have been kicking around with an idea for months. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate it, and hope that you liked it. :)