A/N- Ohmygoodness hello there! Thank you to everybody who reviewed and said such lovely things! :D I definitely plan to continue, as long as someone wants to keep reading.
The name of the class Spock teaches is from Reason Interrupted by wintermoonwitch. :)
Well, I hope you enjoy this one! Thanks for reading!
The next time she sees him, what happens is not her fault. She swears.
"So, if this is our last year, and we've already spent three freaking years getting intimately acquainted with all the worst parts of the Academy, what's the point of making us walk around again?" Nick leaned his head on Nyota's shoulder, somewhat affectionately and awkwardly, as they walked.
"You're so cute, Nick," Gaila remarked. "You're twenty two years old, you're allowed to curse."
"It's not my fault I was sheltered my entire life!"
Nyota stopped, turned to face him, and put her hands on her hips. "Yes, you're so much of a sheltered little child that you and Maggie never do anything sexual. Especially not while I'm trying to return your book to your dorm. Nope. No siree. Not Nick Impar-"
"I get the point!" Nick flushed furiously, giving her and Gaila playful smacks as they doubled over laughing. The trio had gotten close during their first year, when Gaila decided to take the brilliant but uptight Nyota and set her up with the sheltered, young Nick. Romance hadn't happened. But huge bonds of trust can be formed while sneaking underage into a bar and fighting off drunken offworlders. They'd never been able to get rid of each other since.
Their friendship had been interesting, to say the least.
Gaila checked her list of classes. "I've been to all mine, can we just go back now?"
"No, there's…uh, Subspace Communicative Physics left," Nyota replied. "How about you, Nick?"
"Same. Oh hey, it's with that half Vulcan! Do you think he's a soulless freak like the rest, or does he actually seem human?"
Nyota frowned. "I've talked to Spock once before. Vulcans aren't soulless; they're just different than us. Don't be rude."
"Chill out, you know I didn't mean it."
Gaila peered into the room they had reached, and then withdrew her head, eyes wide. "Well, soulless or not, your professor is one hot-"
"Okay!" exclaimed Nyota. Gaila watched curiously as her friend blushed, fidgeted, and avoided their gazes. "So we know where the rooms are, can we get back outside? It's a nice day…"
"No." She set her chin and stared at Nyota straight on. "What exactly did you talk to him about, before? I can tell you're hiding something. And," she stepped closer, eyes teasing, "there's no use trying to hide it. I know these things, remember? You know, I don't think I've ever-"
"Is there a problem?"
Nyota had tried to come up with the perfect adjective to describe Spock's voice. She liked languages; she had toyed with writing before deciding to check out Starfleet. Nyota loved to have an adjective for everything. She looked forward to long lectures to just…listen.
Of course, she'd prefer to listen to him at a time when her friends weren't discussing her love life.
Not that she thought about him in her love life.
Nope.
"No problem here, Commander." Gaila smiled sweetly and took Nick and Nyota's arms. "My friends were just finding your room! Right guys?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued, oblivious (or rather, ignoring) the looks on their faces. "This here is Cadet Imparato. And this is Cadet Uhura. They're both very excited to take your class. Especially Miss Uhura."
If she was attempting to elicit a response, she was disappointed. Spock appeared to have no idea of the previous conversation, or what Gaila was hinting at. He stood still at the doorway.
"Pleasure, Commander. But we've got to run. Bye!"
They practically sprinted out of the wing.
"Gaila, I think you're the only person who could carry on a one-sided conversation so unsuccessfully," Nick panted.
"I thought I was handling it rather well! I mean, he's too unresponsive for me to get into. But whatever floats your metaphorical boat, Ny!"
"He's my professor. An attractive one, but that doesn't mean, as you say, 'my boat is floating.'"
"Hey. I thought I had gotten the hang of human metaphors, thank you very much!"
They share the memory, curled up together on the sofa in his apartment. He can feel the sadness that permeates the memory, and his hand curls almost instinctively around hers. They've both lost. This mental link has made them as close as two members of different species can be.
She wonders how she can forget that sometimes; how different they are. But it happened. Something happened, and here they are. Together.
He confesses that he knew her name before she introduced herself. He found it greatly beneficial to memorize the class rosters, written by last name, and did so during her first semester. But right after seeing her name on his class list for Physics, he looked up her first name. And she became special to him.
He meant it as a confession, and he does not understand why she hugs him closer.
A/N pt. 2- Thanks so much guys! This is so much fun! Reviews are greatly appreciated.