The Ludicrous Good Luck of Captain James T. Kirk
Like most of the women in his life, Lady Luck couldn't stay away from Captain James Tiberius Kirk. She'd carried him through countless crazy ideas, reckless decisions and death-defying stunts. She was a constant companion, putting up with his shenanigans in a way that very few people would. But, at long last, Lady Luck had abandoned him.
Maybe he'd cheated one time too many. Kirk smiled at the thought, though it quickly faded from his tired face.
At least he wasn't dying because of some idiotic dare or drunken bar fight. He'd saved his crew, he was aboard his ship, and his stoic first officer kneeled at his side, comforting him. Spock's dark eyes had softened and didn't once leave Kirk's dying form. The man had never paid him such serious attention, before, and Kirk was glad for it, in a selfish way.
"I want you to know why I couldn't let you die." Kirk said.
Spock answered for him, his voice tentative. "Because you are my friend."
"No."
The brilliant man was wrong, perhaps for the first time in his life.
Kirk laughed, though it made his throat burn. "Because I love you."
He shouldn't have said that, he knew. Spock was dating Uhura, Kirk was Spock's superior officer, and they hadn't known each other for long…
But this was his last chance. There would be no more holding his breath whenever Spock brushed past him in the halls. No more gritting his teeth each time Uhura casually touched Spock's hand or shoulder. No more consequences if he selfishly blurted out the truth.
Well, no consequences for Kirk, anyway. Spock sagged against the glass, as if there were no bones left in his body. His voice cracked. "Captain…"
Kirk mustered up a grin. "Heh, sorry. I shouldn't have burdened you with that. Stupid me, huh? What's the point in telling a secret when it's too late to do anything about it? It's just, well…"
Kirk chuckled, continuing, "It's just not logical."
"Captain, I did not realize…"
"Of course you didn't, and I shouldn't have told you. You're happy without me, Spock. Be happy without me. Have a bunch of little pointy-eared kids with Uhura, and just…be happy."
"I am not certain I know how," Spock said, "but with you…I think I came close."
Kirk watched the other man between heavy blinks, too tired to respond. It took all his energy to raise a hand against the glass, reaching out towards the other man. Spock did the same, and, for a time, they watched their almost-touching hands, one a perfect Vulcan salute and the other a clumsy, numb-fingered imitation.
"Captain?" Spock said.
"Hm?"
Spock paused, and it was a very long time before he spoke. Or perhaps it simply felt that way to Kirk, for whom each second wasted was an enormous portion of his remaining life. Finally, the raven-haired man said, "I'll miss you."
Kirk sighed. His hand slipped away, leaving Spock's fingers pale and lonely against the glass. "I'll miss you, too, Mr. Spock."
Captain Kirk's eyes closed, and, at last, he knew death.
That should have been the end of it, but, again, Lady Luck pulled through for Captain Kirk. He woke up in a hospital bed, Dr. McCoy above him. The doctor explained that they'd pulled Kirk back from the dead using Khan's blood.
"How'd you catch him?" Kirk asked.
"I didn't," McCoy said, walking away. Spock slowly approached.
Kirk smiled up at the half-Vulcan. "You saved my life."
"Uhura and I had something to do with that, too, you know," McCoy muttered.
The blond's gaze remained fixed on Spock, and the half-Vulcan shifted in a slightly nervous gesture. When Kirk continued to stare, Spock filled the silence. "Yes."
Kirk said, "Because you're my friend?"
"Yes."
The smile felt a bit stiff on his face, but Kirk didn't let it drop. This was for the best, he supposed, and it was more than he'd ever expected from his logical first officer. Really, it was amazing Spock had cared enough to save his life.
Spock continued, "Also, I found that your affection was not entirely misplaced."
Hope sparked in Kirk's chest. "You wanna translate that?"
Spock said, "My reaction to your death was unexpectedly intense, and the thought of no longer spending time in your company was unacceptable."
Kirk sighed, wondering if he'd read too much into the raven-haired man's words. "Of course it was. We're friends."
"Additionally, your form is rather pleasing to the eye," said Spock.
"...Are you trying to say you're attracted to me?"
"Is that not what I said?" Spock asked.
"Not at all," Kirk said.
"Ah. Then, yes, I am attracted to you."
Kirk said, "This is…"
Amazing. Wonderful. Perfect. "…not fair to Uhura"
Sometimes, Kirk hated having a conscience.
"We are no longer romantically involved," Spock said.
"What?! Please don't tell me you broke up with her."
"No, she chose to end the relationship," Spock said. "I told her about our conversation, as well as my emotional reaction. Her hypothesis is that I am in love with you."
"Goddammit," he muttered. "Uhura's gonna kill me."
"Highly unlikely."
Kirk groaned, running a hand through his hair.
"He's right, you know." Uhura's voice caused Kirk's head to jerk up.
"L-lieutenant." Kirk's smile was uneasy. Spock echoed him, his voice calm.
She said, "It's hard to hold a grudge against the man who saved all our lives, even if he did steal my boyfriend…So, no, I'm not going to kill you."
"Oh, um, thanks, Lieutenant."
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy about this, but I also don't want to be involved anymore. Honestly, you two being"—she snorted—"whatever you two are explains a lot. Hell, I sometimes wondered if you were flirting with Spock but assumed that was ridiculous, since you weren't being an ass."
"I would contest that," Spock said.
"Well, not as big of an ass as he usually is when flirting," she conceded.
Uhura's eyes narrowed. "Which reminds me. If you treat him like one of your one-night stands, I'll make sure Starfleet never finds your body."
Kirk said, "Don't worry, Uhura. I won't."
She huffed, walking out of the medical bay. "For your sake, I hope you keep that promise. It's good to see you alive. I'd rather not have to kill you again."
Kirk relaxed against his pillows as Spock's heavily armed ex-girlfriend disappeared. Maybe he was being paranoid, but Uhura wouldn't have been the first woman to attack him with a blaster.
"Are you satisfied with the results of that conversation?" Spock asked.
"Yeah, I am. Guess you were right."
"That is often the case," Spock said.
Kirk laughed. "So, what happens now?"
Spock looked at him oddly. "You are the one with the most relationship experience."
"I want this one to last more than a week," Kirk said.
"Ah. Then I do not know." They lapsed into silence.
Kirk cleared his throat. "So, do you want to go on a date?"
"I would be amenable to that," Spock said.
Kirk sat up, stretching. He swung his legs over the side of the hospital bed. "Great! We're on a planet, right?"
"Yes, Captain," Spock said. "What are you-"
"Then there has to be a restaurant someplace. We'll get lunch. Or dinner. Come to think of it, what time is it?"
"Eight in the morning."
Kirk shrugged. "Breakfast, then. You like eggs, right?"
Frowning, Spock said, "Captain, I must protest this. You should return to bed. After all, you only just woke up and have yet to be discharged by Dr. McCoy."
"Ah, Bones worries too much. I'm fine!" Kirk exclaimed, walking backwards towards the door. "Let me just grab some real clothes, and we'll get out of here."
"Captain, return to bed." Spock stood still, arms crossed and a single eyebrow raised.
Kirk laughed as inspiration struck. "Alright, fine, but only if you catch me."
With that, he sprinted into the hallway, and, after a moment, Spock chased after him. Kirk whipped around corners. He dodged to the left, right, and, on one notable occasion, below crew members.
"Sorry, ladies!" he yelled, flashing an apologetic grin at the two disgruntled nurses.
Spock ran after him, trailing by only a few feet. "Captain, this is completely unprofessional."
"When have I ever been professional?"
Spock was gaining on him, so Kirk pushed himself to move faster.
"You could injure yourself," Spock said.
"I'll be fine," he gasped, already running out of breath. Perhaps his stay in the medical bay had taken more out of him than he'd realized. That or Vulcans were ridiculously fast.
He could feel Spock's breath against his neck, and their bodies couldn't have been an inch apart. Spock threw his arms forward, wrapping Kirk in a hug and digging his shoes into the floor. Kirk's momentum, however, sent them crashing backwards against the floor.
Well, Spock hit the floor. Kirk hit Spock, who made a pretty comfortable bed. Kirk caught his breath, grinning up at the ceiling as he enjoyed Spock's warm body against his back and long arms tight around his chest.
"Are you unharmed, Captain?" Spock asked. Kirk could feel every word vibrating in Spock's chest.
"Yeah, and you?"
"Indeed. I believe that we're blocking the hallway."
"So?" Kirk asked.
"You agreed to come back to the medical bay, if I caught you."
Kirk reluctantly pushed himself off of Spock's chest and stood up, holding out a hand. Spock – on his back, which Kirk considered a particularly flattering position for the man – smiled his tight-lipped smile and grabbed the offered hand. Kirk hauled him to his feet and threw an arm around his shoulders. Spock didn't complain, that small smile still lingering on his face.
Walking back to the medical bay with his chest heaving and his first officer at his side, Captain Kirk felt ridiculously lucky.
A/N: There was a time when I rooted for whatever couple a movie's writers told me to, then would come home, look it up on the Internet, and be corrupted with ALL THE SHIPS.
Star Trek: Into the Darkness, meanwhile, seemed to be tailored specifically to encourage slashers. This chapter is the only full story, the others are just silly little things.
