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Special Thanks to Beta Notes from a Classroom. Check out her latest, "People Will Say," in my faves.

Chapter 5

Noyoto hit the power button on his PADD. The tiny device dimmed as he stood from his seat in the lecture hall. Behind him someone said, "Yo, Uhura, Kirk - you going to study with us?"

Noyoto smiled. "I'd love to." It was a lie; Jensen and Kwai weren't keeping up in this History of Xeno Civ Level II course. Studying with them was a waste of time. "But," he added, "I have to report to my assistantship."

"I'd love to, too," said Kirk with a leer and a wink, "but I have an important date." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Noyoto repressed the urge to roll his eyes. Kirk had been pulling this stunt since he entered the Academy.

"Figures," said Kwai bitterly.

"It's not fair that you never study, Kirk. At least Uhura works hard to blow the curve," said Jensen.

Winking, Kirk sauntered up the aisle, but he did look back once at Noyoto.

Narrowing his eyes, Noyoto mouthed the words "You are an ass," over Jensen and Kwai's heads.

"See ya," said Kirk, saluting to Noyoto.

Five hours and about fifteen minutes later, Noyoto strolled into the reference section of the library. Walking back through the stacks he made his way to two seats and a low table he'd discovered tucked away in an unobtrusive nook.

Kirk was already there, of course, reading glasses on, hair sticking up oddly in front. Kirk never could keep his hands out of it when he was studying. He was bent over a PADD-like device of alien design. A stack of PADDs and books of non-human origin were strewn haphazardly on the table in front of him.

"You're late," he said without looking up.

"I sent you a message. Didn't you check your comm?" said Noyoto, sitting down and compulsively straightening the reference materials on the table, checking the titles as he did so. Kirk had gotten everything.

Looking more like a befuddled professor than a command track cadet, Kirk looked over the edge of the chair. "Oh, that's why it was beeping."

Noyoto rolled his eyes. "T'Spock's sehlat passed away. She was upset. I took her out for a cup of tea."

Settling back into his chair, Kirk said with mock sternness, "Your dating problems don't concern me."

"We're not dating," said Noyoto defensively. "We occasionally grab a meal together, or coffee and tea together, once in a while we go to a lecture together..."

"Sounds like Vulcan dating to me," Kirk said.

"We're friends," Noyoto said.

"Oh, really?" said Kirk. "I thought Uhuras didn't believe in the friend zone."

"She's my superior officer."

"She is superior," Kirk said. "If I could get my hands near Lieutenant Hot Stuff." He made a clucking noise with his tongue and a very obscene grabbing motion with his free hand.

Noyoto glared at him.

"...you'd rip them off my wrists," Kirk said.

"She'd do it herself," said Noyoto, inwardly fuming. Really, he was stuck in the friend zone and he hated it. It wasn't his style, he did not moon, he was not just friends...when he was interested in a woman he went for it. If she wasn't interested he moved on. It was just that simple. Except now.

He was harboring a huge attraction to his commanding officer and couldn't risk losing his assistantship, not now that they were so close to discovering his Romulan. They'd have the data they needed in two weeks at most.

Who knew, maybe T'Spock wasn't even interested in him beyond his brain. Which only made the situation more infuriating. If he could just open up, ask her out, make a move, then she could summarily reject him and he could be done with it.

But there was just that other tiny little matter of his whole Starfleet career...

"Eh, maybe," said Kirk. "Heard your paper got published in that Vulcan journal. Congrats."

"Thanks," said Noyoto. That paper, as much as the night of the brawl, had propelled him and T'Spock into friendship. After that fateful night things had gone back to normal in the lab. Then T'Spock had gotten wind that Noyoto had a paper that was being considered for publication in a Vulcan journal. Noyoto hadn't told her about it because they didn't discuss personal matters in the lab. T'Spock had been...hurt...he was almost sure of it. She'd asked him if he would like her input on his paper, he said yes, they went for coffee to discuss said paper...

And then just kept finding other reasons to get together outside of the lab. Which he shouldn't allow, it just fed the fire of this impossible attraction, but then something would come up. How could you not be nice to a girl when her sehlat died?

"How is your other research going?" Kirk asked. "Find your mysterious Romulan yet?"

Picking up a PADD, and turning it on, Noyoto said flatly, "There is no guarantee we'll find my Romulan." T'Spock kept reminding him of that. He didn't really believe her…and yet…

"That's T'Spock talking," said Kirk. "You'll find him."

Looking up, Noyoto found Kirk's eyes meeting his own. They were so bright with faith and conviction - faith and conviction in Noyoto; they practically burned.

Noyoto wasn't Jim's best friend, not by a long shot. That dubious distinction probably went to Bones, the grumpy older man who'd sat next to Jim on that first shuttle ride. But Jim could make you want to be his best friend. The way he took interest in your interests. The way he could believe in you. Noyoto wasn't sure if it was all genuine or if it was calculated. But it was disarming.

Embarrassed, Noyoto looked down, "Right. Well, we both agree that Professor Akira is wrong on the proposed origin of the Romulans who attacked the Kelvin, based on their dialects..."

"...and technology," Kirk said tapping a stylus on the PADD he had on his hand. "We have to back our asses up before we answer that essay question we know he'll be asking tomorrow. If you can translate these original sources into Standard I'll translate these technical readouts into language that even a history major can understand."

x x x x

The sun was just slipping up over the horizon and the San Francisco air was cold and wet. Noyoto's mind was blank of all higher thought; his consciousness was on only the slick running track beneath his feet, the rhythm of his heart, and his deep, fast breathing.

"Uhura, wait up!"

With an inward sigh he slowed his pace until Jim Kirk pulled up beside him.

"You haven't been back to the dorm in days, man," Kirk puffed.

That was an exaggeration. Noyoto had been back to the dorm. Mostly. He'd just been arriving very late, and leaving very early.

"Working in the lab," he said through tight, controlled breaths.

"Workin' it, more likely," said Kirk suggestively.

Hardly. He and T'Spock were never alone now. Commander Doris Sharpton was there almost all the time. Professor Toshi Matsumura and Lieutenant Commander Patrick O'Hara were there all the time. Noyoto liked the two old guys. They were funny and really helpful...but sometimes...

Taking a deep breath, Noyoto shot Kirk a dirty look. Kirk waggled his eyebrows.

Looking ahead, Noyoto quickened his pace. Kirk kept up beside him, but he was breathing very hard. "Seriously," he puffed, "you find your Romulan yet?"

"Not yet," said Noyoto. "Close." Less than a week, according to T'Spock.

"How long...you been...runnin'" Kirk puffed.

"5K end of...this lap," Noyoto said. There was only 100 or so meters left to go.

"Race you," said Kirk, sprinting ahead.

Tightening his jaw, Noyoto let loose and passed Kirk in a few paces.

A few minutes later when they were both bent over breathing heavily, Kirk gasped, "Someday I'm going to beat you."

"Maybe in hand to hand combat," Noyoto said, "Ever hear of fast and slow twitch muscle, and the genetic distribution thereof? You're not going to beat me in a sprint." Or a longer run either, Kirk's stockier frame really wasn't really built for it. If their endurance remained equal, Noyoto would still have an edge.

"I don't believe in no-win scenarios," said Kirk.

Looking up sharply, Noyoto said, "You ever try tripping me man, and so help me, I will break both of your legs."

Kirk pulled back. "Geez, no...I wouldn't...I mean, not seriously..."

Noyoto narrowed his eyes. All he needed was some joke gone awry by Kirk to break an ankle. Kirk wasn't a bad guy...but sometimes he did not think.

"Noted," said Kirk. "But I will beat you some day at hand to hand combat."

"Maybe," Noyoto said. Kirk was getting better. Noyoto smiled and punched Kirk in the shoulder. "But not today."

x x x x

The sun was setting in the west above Starfleet Campus as Noyoto stood outside the computer sciences building. The fall air was crisp and cool. Noyoto felt exceptionally lucid. Every blade of grass, every line of contrast between the sky and the buildings seemed set out in stark relief. Every breath in his lungs seemed monumental, blessed.

Jim Kirk was coming down the pathway towards the building. Next to him was the grumpy old man from the first shuttle ride. Noyoto smiled.

Raising an eyebrow, Jim looked Noyoto up and down. Grinning, he raced over and grabbed Noyoto's hand and started pumping it furiously while slapping him on the shoulder. "You did it! You found him!"

Noyoto blinked. He had, in fact, found "him," his Romulan, who now had a name, Captain Kalanel. And Kalanel was...not what Noyoto could ever have expected. 200 years ago Kalanel had visited Earth on a mission to explore worlds for colonization. It was in the days of Warp 1. The journey had taken months, and all of his crew members had died. Kalanel himself was dying of radiation poisoning when he'd been in the skies above Earth. The Romulan Captain looked down at Earth, blue, green and teaming with life and whispered to himself, "Switching to subspace." Then he'd gotten in touch with Romulan command and told them Earth was a lifeless, atmosphereless rock.

All that Noyoto knew, all that he loved, all life on Earth hinged on the lie of one Romulan. It was too good to be believed. Which was why Noyoto, T'Spock, Patrick, and Toshi had been ordered by Commander Sharpton not to talk about it until the Vulcan Science Academy verified their findings and the formal announcement was made.

"What are you talking about?" said Bones.

"Uh..." said Noyoto as Jim kept patting his shoulder, smiling proudly at him.

Noyoto cursed inwardly. He was going to be a communications officer and all he could come up with was "Uh"?

Jim's smile vanished. His brow furrowed infinitesimally and then he said softly, "You probably can't talk about it."

Blinking, Noyoto said, "No, I..." Wait, was that talking about it?

"Talk about what?" said Bones.

"Oh, Uhura here has been looking for his long lost cousin for months now," said Jim turning to Bones. "Obviously, the emotional event has left him speechless."

Noyoto exhaled and nodded at Bones. Kirk could drive you crazy, and then he could save your ass.

"Bullshit," said Bones.

Ignoring Bones, Jim smiled at Noyoto. "Hey, where is Lieutenant Hot Stuff?"

And then he could drive you crazy again.

"That is disrespectful," said Noyoto lowly.

"Oh, on the contrary," said Kirk.

"Uh, Jim," said Bones snapping to attention.

From behind Noyoto came T'Spock's voice. "I could have you written up on sexual harrassment charges for that."

Jim's smile vanished. He snapped to attention beside Bones. "Sir!" he said.

Noyoto did not sigh. But it was hard.

Stepping beside him and putting her hands behind her back, T'Spock said, "Mr. Uhura holds you in some modest regard. Because of that, and only because of that, I will presume that you were referring only to my higher normothermia."

"Yes, Sir," said Kirk, swallowing visibly.

"Never utter those words again. Understood?" she said.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Kirk said.

"Very good." Turning to Noyoto, T'Spock said, "My research indicates that wine would be a suitable beverage for this evening. But perhaps, under these circumstances, champagne would be even more appropriate?"

Noyoto did not wince. Nor did he cry. Or even sigh. Sometimes, when you were dealing with aliens, or even humans from a different culture, they said or did things that just weren't quite...appropriate. Actually, this was all above the board. They were going to Commander Sharpton's house tonight to celebrate and T'Spock wanted to bring something.

Bones and Kirk were principled in their own way. They would tease him mercilessly about this in private, but they wouldn't report this, or even gossip about it. The principle this would fall under would be, "Friends don't get in the way of friends getting laid." If she'd said it in front of anyone else, though...

"Champagne I think," said Noyoto motioning for her to step around Bones and Kirk.

"A local sparkling wine variety, perhaps?" T'Spock said.

"No," said Noyoto. "Something more exotic would be better." Sharpton had quite an impressive collection of all the local wines and bubbly.

Glancing back, he looked at Kirk and the doctor.

Bones was just staring at him, mouth open, eyes too wide.

With an incredulous look on his face, Kirk mouthed the word, "Champagne?"

Noyoto winced and shrugged.

"I really do not know what is appropriate," T'Spock said.

"No," Noyoto agreed, taking a deep breath, daring to look at her now. She looked at him and lifted an eyebrow. She'd allowed her hair to grow out a little bit in the past few months. It was pulled into a neat pony tail low on the back of her neck. She still had bangs though, glossy and black over her slanted brows.

She'd made his career. She was smart and fun to talk to - she understood the most technical aspects of his career, could banter with him in almost every language, did in fact joke and even teased him from time to time. And she was just so damn...cute. She could probably break his neck, too, with her bare hands. Or her thighs. His mouth got very wet. Don't think of that.

Think of now. He regarded her. Someone who didn't know her well wouldn't have been able to tell...but she was happy. It was just the way her expressionless face was relaxed, not tense.

He was happy too. "No, but it's alright," he said unable to repress a smile.

A/N:
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