Spock's shoulders slumped slightly as he treaded down the hall. It had been a long, tiring day for the Vulcan and he was looking forward to settling down for the night. He had taken four tests that morning, which had been extremely stimulating mentally though somewhat draining physically. It was when he had tripped in front of several other students that his day had taken a serious turn for the worse. While eating he spilled pomegranate juice on himself and had been forced to spend the rest of the day sticky. One of the straps on his bag ripped, causing it to fall to the ground and expel all of his books and smashing one of his tablets. He would be able to repair the tablet but it was inconvenient all the same.
He opened the door to his dorm and flipped on the lights.
"SURPRISE!!!"
The Vulcan managed to maintain self-control as an unexpected chorus of yells and cheers responded to his entrance. Except for his eyebrows rising so high that they threatened to disappear beneath his bangs, he appeared completely unfazed.
A large group of his fellow students were crammed into the dorm room, all of them smiling at him expectantly from beneath the colorful paper cones that were perched atop their heads. He recognized them as those he and Kirk often associated with, including Montgomery Scott, Hikaru Sulu, Janice Rand, Nyota Uhura, and, much to Spock's surprise, Leonard McCoy. Kirk was there of course, but that was to be expected, as he also inhabited the dorm.
"May I inquire as to why you are in my room?" Spock asked, his eyebrows resuming their normal altitude and his head cocking slightly to one side.
"It's a surprise party… for you!" Uhura replied, beaming. Kirk stepped forward and firmly placed one of the paper cones, which Spock supposed to be some sort of hat, on his roommate's head.
"Happy birthday, Spocko!" he said, hitting the Vulcan affectionately on the shoulder.
"My birthday?" Spock asked, perplexed. "It is not the anniversary of my birth."
"It is on Earth!" Kirk replied. "Today you are 22 earth years old!"
"As I was born on Vulcan, not Earth, it would be illogical to measure my age in solar years." Spock asserted. "And the passing of time means little to Vulcans. We do not celebrate the date of our birth."
"Well, we're not on Vulcan. We're on Earth and here we celebrate birthdays so just shut up and enjoy your party!" McCoy grumbled. Spock had to admit there was some warped logic in the cantankerous doctor's logic.
"This venue is rather small for the number of people." The Vulcan commented.
"The only two places you go are the library and here." Kirk answered.
"We were going to surprise you in the library," Sulu added with a smile, "but the librarian kicked us out."
"Besides, we're not staying here," Uhura said. "We're going out for your birthday!"
"So, where do you want to go?" Kirk asked. Spock thought for a moment.
"Perhaps you should make the selection for me." He finally said. "I am not familiar with the, as you call it, 'night life' surrounding the academy."
Kirk put a hand on his roommate's shoulder and nodded solemnly. "A wise decision. Do not worry, young grasshopper. I will teach you in the ways of partying."
Spock decided it would be best not to ask.
"There's a neat little pub downtown." Scotty suggested.
"Better yet," McCoy said, "I know this little place where the women—"
"I know the place!" Kirk exclaimed, clapping his hands. He and McCoy exchanged sly looks and they both chuckled. Uhura and Janice glared at them disapprovingly.
"I don't think so." Janice said shortly. "How about we go bowling? That's classic. And I think Spock would be really good at it."
"What do you want to do?" Uhura asked the Vulcan gently. He thought for a moment.
"I believe I have an idea."
They took public transit to the waterfront where a massive Ferris wheel, covered in bright lights like a miniature sun, towered over the dark water from its perch on the pier.
"It's beautiful." Janice breathed.
Spock, since he was the birthday boy, was given the first available seat. He looked at Uhura and she, understanding, moved toward the empty place beside him. However, before she could sit, Kirk slid into the spot and set the safety bar firmly in place over his and Spock's laps. He grinned at Uhura.
"Sorry." he said. "This one's full."
She glared at him as the Ferris wheel rotated to allow the next seat to be loaded.
"Why did you do that?" Spock asked Kirk. "Why did you sit beside me when you knew cadet Uhura intended to take that spot?"
Kirk clapped his hand on Spock's shoulder. "My friend, the affections of a woman are inconstant and fleeting, but true friendship lasts forever." he said.
"I fail to see how your statement relates."
Kirk smiled. "I know… Call it selfish, but I wanted to take the first rotation with my best friend on his birthday."
Spock looked at him. "You are behaving very sentimentally."
Kirk gave a mighty, pretend sniff and threw his arms around the Vulcan, ruffling his perfect hair violently.
"I just can't believe my little baby is growing up!"
Spock wriggled out of the crushing embrace and smoothed his hair.
"Next time, I will ride with cadet Uhura." he informed his roommate. Kirk smiled and sat back, admiring the stars in the inky black sky.
"Happy Birthday, Spock." he said. He grinned at the Vulcan. "May the year be full of surprises and adventures… most of them with me, of course."
"Of course." Spock replied. They sat quietly for a moment, admiring the view from the top of the wheel's rotation.
"Now that we're feeling all good, I have something to tell you." Kirk said.
"What is it?" the Vulcan asked serenely.
"I accidentally set your closet on fire. Sorry."
Spock took a deep breath. It seemed his year of surprises had already begun.
"Hey, Spock?"
"Yes?"
"Happy Birthday."
