So...basically I love writing Spock.

Whoo!

So now that that's out of my system, I just wanted to mention that this is a pre-slash; no slashy raunchiness here! This is my first big step to getting into the slash writing universe, something I have never done before. I'm definitely worried about it and I want to know if you think it's good or if it's a giant load of crap.

Thank you and please PLEASE review!

Radiance.

Everything about him was dazzling; his impish smile, his striking features, his alluring sapphire eyes... They sparkled gleefully when he kidded around with the various members of the bridge crew, playfully joshing them about their embarrassing past encounters and devious future endeavours. And when that trademark smirk curled onto his masculine lips like a mischievous coil of smoke, the crew couldn't help but smile along with him, knowing that they were the luckiest sons of bitches to have a captain as engaging and enjoyable as him.

Darkness.

Stepping out of the shower, Spock studied himself with intense scrutiny in the mirror before him. He begrudgingly allowed himself to frown, albeit faintly, when he noticed a small but discernible wrinkle developing where a Terran's laugh lines would reside while examining his usually flawless marble face. It only appeared on one side, the side he tended to raise when his captain provoked him into smirking, and this upsetting turn of events bothered him immensely. He resolved that he would, from now on, refrain from displaying such a human reaction to an amusing idiom or situation that the captain would thrust upon him.

He failed.

Miserably.

"Heeeeeeey Mr. Spock! How are ya?" the Captain crooned roguishly, spinning around on his beloved leather chair to face the stoic Vulcan with a gleam of tomfoolery in his eyes. He was nonchalantly shinning an apple on the front of his golden uniform and Spock eyed it for a moment given that it looked quite visibly appetizing. Licking his lips slightly, he pushed his hungry thoughts out of his head a split-second later and made eye contact with the young captain, raising his eyebrows only marginally.

"I am in adequate physical condition captain," Spock replied without a nuance of any sort of emotion in his voice. Unfailingly monotone, Jim Kirk rolled his eyes at the Vulcan and flashed his first officer a grin that could light up even the darkest black hole.

"You know Mr. Spock, I've been wondering...well...about your age."

Spock's ever-travelling eyebrows shot up another inch, "My age is irrelevant captain."

"Is it? I suppose you're going to tell me that age doesn't matter with a Vulcan because no matter what age you are you're still ten times smarter than me, right?" Jim offered teasingly, his smile still plastered on his glowing visage expectantly.

Spock turned his entire body towards the captain and stood up upon his feet, folding his elongated arms gracefully behind him. Turning his head slightly on angle, he tried to portray a body language that would depict him as being ultimately superior without having to say it bluntly.

He then chided himself on his lapse of logic; he should have foreseen Jim's ability to be completely and utterly blind to the most obvious of hints.

Inwardly sighing at his captain's dim-wittedness, he prepared the proper retort at lightning speed in his mind before replying, "As I have once heard Dr. McCoy say, those are your words, not mine."

The bridge broke out in dumbfounded laughter and without being able to control himself, Spock's lips turned up into a small, lopsided smirk at the sight of Jim's gaping mouth and saucer sized eyes.

"Spock! Did you just make a joke?" Jim asked in awe after regaining his motor skills and the use of his voice.

"I simply stated a fact captain. How your substandard brain chooses to interpret it is up to you."

Their playful banter continued on throughout their voyages into uncharted space and Spock couldn't help but enjoy his captain's unfounded debates and chess matches. Every day they would get into some sort of discussion that nearly always turned into a laughable fiasco and despite Spock's efforts, the only sort of response he could ever get out was his usual one sided smirk. Every single morning Spock stepped out of his shower to examine the crease near his mouth that deepened marginally each and every day and was disappointed when he didn't see the same lines developing on the other cheek; symmetry was the basis of beauty after all. It was both discerning and exciting for the Vulcan hybrid that had never been exposed to someone who could provoke such a feeling from him.

But today was different; today he was going to try something new, something completely and entirely illogical.

"Good morning captain." Spock stated coolly, by no means expressing the minor jitters he was suppressing deep in the pit of his stomach. The captain was uncharacteristically alone at a table in the mess hall, eating a bowl of cereal with a contemplative and distant look in his eyes.

"Good morning Mr. Spock," Jim replied, still looking off into space. A crease was deepening between his eyebrows and the smile Spock was so curious about was masked by an unsightly frown. Spock felt slightly upset at the sight of his unsettled captain, despite the stern logic of his mind protesting.

"Is there a current matter troubling you captain?" Spock asked, hoping to be graced by a smile again, even if it was just a small one.

"I...yeah actually. But it's nothing to concern yourself with." Jim replied, shaking his head and staring downwards at the floor in an attempt to look unaffected. But Spock was no fool.

"Is there something I can do to assist you in amending this problem?" Spock enquired, still staring intently at the unsmiling Terran before him. He was forced to do everything in his power to stop from reaching over and placing his hand on Jim's forearm in consolance. He pushed the thought out of his mind as quickly as it had came, silently brooding over the similar behaviours his mother had displayed when he himself had been distressed as a child.

"Nah. Nothing's wrong anyway, I'm over it." Jim responded, raising his cobalt eyes to meet with Spock's chocolate ones, "But if you really want to help, you can start by calling me Jim when were off duty. I may look like I love the attention but the formality of it is really starting to grate on my nerves."

A chuckle.

A ghost of a smile graced his lips and Spock could feel the tight knot in his stomach loosen a little, just enough to feel confident enough to proceed with his unusual inquiry.

"Captain-"

"Jim."

In barely an instant, a selfish and devious scheme appeared in Spock's mind out of nowhere. He ran with it.

"That is irrelevant to my query."

"You're irrelevant."

"Your...your face is irrelevant."

The troubled captain stared blank-faced at Spock for a moment and the typically rational Vulcan couldn't help but feel a wave of anxiety and repentance for his irrationality crash onto him like an incensed tidal wave. He waited...and he waited...and he waited.

A smile.

It was merely a hint of a smirk at first. But it grew and grew until it grew so wide that Jim's laughing face was plastered with it and soon his enchanting grin lit up Spock's brooding darkness like a solar eclipse. Jim heaved himself back onto the posterior of his chair, throwing his head around with hysterical laughter so prominent that shook the table they were sitting at considerably. Spock's right corner of his mouth curved upwards as he watched the amusing sight before him and he couldn't help but enjoy the rare moment of indulgence with Jim.

Then something very strange happened.

First it was simply a twitch; it tickled his left cheek awkwardly, but not uncomfortably, and he promptly reached up to scratch it away. But before he could get his hand up to itch the strange sensation, he felt the muscles in his face contract in a way completely alien to him and his eyes widened slightly at the feeling.

There was no need to ask his question.

Jim Kirk seemed to be the only answer he needed.

Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know how it was. Flames are welcome but love is much more appreciated!

Don't dig the Spirk shipping so much? I'm on a slow boat to Hades with a set of Spock/Nyota oneshots under the name Of Heartlines and Paintbrushes (mainly because the oneshots are named after famous pieces of art). Check them out if you're interested and be sure to leave a review!

Love and fluff, Brontë