Not Mine, Never Mine, Usual Disclaimers.
Jim had waited until Bones had left before sinking onto the bed and groaning his frustration into his hands. He heard the door open and shut, and decided that he really didn't need a lecture on procrastination right then.
'I'm coming Bones,' he muttered looking up and seeing Spock instead.
Jim felt his face heat, and saw Spock's ears turn green at the tips. He very quickly remembered that he was clad in only his underwear and rose to continue dressing.
'You left this,' Spock said, holding out the rabbit.
'Thanks,' Jim said, not looking at Spock as he took it.
The next time Jim looked up Spock was gone and Jim was glad, there was no way he could have resisted the urge to lick Spock's ears had he of stayed. He just hoped that Spock hadn't noticed him clench his buttocks as he bent over, trying not the shake it, as if wagging his nonexistent tail. Arriving at the mess, Jim saw Bones was accompanied by not only Spock, but by Pike as well, when Pike saw him, he waved him over. Jim gritted his teeth and knew that there was no way he could weasel his way out of sitting with them without appearing rude. He joined them at the table and spent the entire meal trying not to look at Spock, without appearing to do so.
Jim shoved food into his mouth, ignoring the disgust on the other men's faces and dashed off to his shift as soon as possible. He hadn't been in the chair for more than ten minutes before he heard Pike speak, loud enough for the entire bridge to hear.
'Captain, a word?'
'Spock, you have the conn. Jim said, rising from his seat, refusing to meet Spock's gaze as he passed the Vulcan who had just arrived and had been on his way to his station.
Jim followed Pike into the adjoining meeting room, feeling as though Pike was going to demand that he take the day off.
'Jim are you ok, you seem a little... tense.'
'You would be too if you were battling the urge to lick Spock, I know you told me to embrace my inner puppy, but somehow I think I'd be dealing with death if I did that.'
'Dogs often lick people that they like.'
'Then why only Spock, why not you or Bones? I'm just going to have to deal with this on my own.'
'Would you be opposed to me observing your captain skills in action?'
'You're just worried that I'll subconsciously try something, and want to stick around and run interference if I do.'
Pike gave him an I-am-not-amused face, 'It would be advisable that the crew did not catch you straddling your first officer and randomly start licking his ears.'
Jim grinned then headed back to the bridge.
'Listen up people, Admiral Pike wishes to see us in action, so stop gossiping about him and act normal.'
Jim could feel Pike's eye-roll through the back of his head.
Jim spent the next three days trying to act normal, denying to himself that he liked Spock, in a more than friendly way. He found himself touching Spock more and more often, thinking of Spock whenever he did something puppyish, and without fail, woke every morning in Spock's bed. No matter what he tried, Jim always found himself curled up against the half Vulcan's side when he awoke. He had delayed replacing his bedding, as if looking for something to blame it on, to avoid admitting that he was becoming infatuated with his first officer.
To make matters worse, Pike kept making them take detours from their destination, the latest being a fourteen hour side trip to New Vulcan because Pike "needed to ask ambassador Sarek something". When Jim had asked if he couldn't just call, Pike had responded with a "no" and a look that dared Jim to defy his authority.
Jim was handling things until the night before they were due in at New Vulcan, when Spock suggested that Jim simply sleep in his bed.
'Why?'
'Because it would be far more restful for the both of us, if you don't wander about in the middle of the night.'
Jim had been unable to come up with an argument that he was willing to make against this, half wanting the excuse to touch Spock. He had grabbed his rabbit, changed and curled up in his usual position, sleep coming much quicker and easier that Jim expected.
