Captain James Kirk was on his way to the bridge for his second shift of the day when Spock caught up to him.
"I request to speak with you briefly upon an unofficial matter before our shift begins," Spock said the mouthful of a sentence as though it were perfectly logical.
Despite Spock's outward composure, Jim could see the tension in how he carried himself; his spine a little more rigid, and his expression even more unyielding than usual. Their last away mission had been a taxing one, and Jim wouldn't have been surprised if Spock was nursing some injury that he had conveniently "forgotten" to mention. Then again, Spock had said it was an unofficial matter and he looked more nervous than pained - Jim bet he was embarrassed about something. He just hoped they didn't have to go running back to Vulcan.
"Fire away," Jim said, ready to handle whatever it was his First Officer needed of him this time.
"As per human custom, I am formally 'asking you out'" - Spock said the words as though he wasn't entirely sure how to pronounce them - "on a 'date.' If it is amenable to you, I request your presence in my quarters as soon as you are available after the end of our shift at eighteen hundred hours in order to eat dinner and possibly play chess. I further request your response no later than-"
Jim finally couldn't contain himself any longer and cut Spock off with a chuckle and a wave. "I can give you my answer now. And not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but you don't have to formally invite me to your quarters just for dinner and chess when that's what we do every day. A date is usually something special, out of the ordinary, like shore leave for two," he teased.
"Do you intend to indicate that the proposed 'date' is unsatisfactory?" Spock asked, incisive as ever.
"No, not at all," Jim said with a grin and a shake of his head. "I'll be there at eighteen hundred on the dot."
And like that, Spock was back to normal. "It would be irresponsible of you, as the captain, to depart your post the requisite two point three five minutes early in order to arrive at my quarters at precisely eighteen hundred for a personal matter. Furthermore, as I intend to remain at my post until the end of the shift at eighteen hundred, you would be forced to wait for my arrival, rendering an early departure unnecessary."
"How thoughtless of me," Jim said as they boarded the turbo lift for the bridge. "How does eighteen hundred oh three sound?"
"Much better," Spock answered, the barest hint of a smile at the corners of his lips.
Jim was delayed, of course. At least Spock knew to expect as much and waited to turn on the replicator until he heard Jim's distinctive footsteps approaching his quarters.
"Sorry I'm late," Jim said as he stepped inside. He looked like he was going to continue, but stopped short as his eyes wandered around the room, taking in the scene. A grin slowly crossed his face.
The light was down to twenty five percent and the desk had been repurposed into a table, complete with tablecloth and a pot of some colorful alien flowers that Jim had last seen under Sulu's care in the botany lab.
Jim couldn't help but tease, "Why Mr. Spock, I didn't know you were such a romantic."
"I am nothing of the sort," Spock answered, his voice firm, but Jim could see a smug smile underneath the indignant facade.
Jim met Spock's skeptical expression with an indulgent knowing smile and they seemed to share a private joke between them. Neither could quite bring himself to look away.
Finally, Spock remarked, "I suggest dinner and then a game of chess."
"Good idea, I'm starving," Jim said, and they returned to their comfortable routine.
Spock fetched the still steaming plates of food from the replicator and Jim lent him a hand. They could hardly see their food, so the lights went up to the more typical fifty percent, and the flowers had to be moved out of the way to make room for the chessboard. They talked in their usual way, about work and all manner of other things.
Spock won the first game a little too easily and told the captain as much, "Your play was not to its usual standards; you appear to be distracted."
Instead of answering, Jim said with a mischievous smile, "If this is a date, we ought to do something a little more romantic, don't you think, Mr. Spock?"
Spock quirked an eyebrow at him. "Do you have something in mind?"
Jim merely grinned. He stood and led the way out into the hall. They wound through the ship and rocketed up several floors until they reached their destination. They stepped out of the turbo lift onto the observation deck, empty save for the pair of them. Jim beckoned Spock over to one of the view ports embedded in the wall.
For a long moment, they stood shoulder to shoulder, just barely touching, both looking out into space as the stars streaked past.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Jim asked, his words largely a distraction as he casually reached out an arm and placed it around Spock's waist.
Spock turned toward him and raised an eyebrow in surprise, but said nothing. When Jim could keep a straight face no longer, he gave Spock a cheeky grin.
"You know, it's customary for human couples to kiss at a time like this," he said, emboldened by Spock's steady gaze that seemed to have forgotten the endless expanse of space entirely and was instead fixed upon him.
"Is it?" Spock asked with another quirk of his eyebrow.
"Only if both parties are interested, of course," Jim hastily added, the implicit question clear. His heartbeat was a little faster, and his tongue darted out across his lips of its own accord.
Spock seemed to consider the proposition.
"We've exchanged a Vulcan kiss already, it's only fair for me to show you the human equivalent," Jim pushed his luck a little.
But Spock seemed convinced by the improvised argument and assented at last, "You will have to demonstrate the technique to me, as I am unfamiliar with the intricacies of this particular custom."
So, Jim put a hand on Spock's shoulder and leaned in for a quick kiss.
As he pulled away, he saw Spock's expression shift to accommodate the rush of human emotion that must have come with the brief contact.
At last, Spock pronounced it, "Fascinating."
Note: The idea of Spock formally asking Kirk out on a date to play chess in his quarters was just too fun not to write. The rest just followed.
This was originally posted on my new tumblr, vtsuion dot tumblr dot com, where I am posting shorts like this one, answering questions, and taking prompts, so check it out!