Random Rooms

The Bowling Alley

"Say Spock – you want to go bowling Friday?"

It occurs to Kirk that it sounds almost better to be asking the question than it would be to actually make use of The Enterprise's on- board bowling alley. It sounds cool, like the casual drawl of the youth of a dozen bad and extremely old earth movies. It conjures up images of a laid back, casual childhood – a childhood he never actually had and is enjoying imagining.

Spock blinks rapidly, looking up from his work station as though working out in his mind both what the question means, refers to and would ultimately entail.

"I do not know" he replies carefully – "I would have to engage in further research this thing you call bowling"

"Geez Spock you don't need to research it! You just go do it!"

"Captain I am sure I would need first to know exactly what it was I was doing –"

"Kind of a no – brainer Spock, you just go along, throw some balls, eat some curly fries and push some buttons on some –" Kirk stops just shy of saying either "Jukebox" or "Slot machine" realising as he speaks the nightmare that would be entailed in explaining either of these things to Spock.

"Well I can't speak for the Vulcan Jim but I'll sure as hell join you. I had a helluva throw in my day" chimes in Bones. Inwardly Kirk sighs, Bones having just utterly ruined any potential dating aspect the event could have had but on the other hand it's better than just having Spock frown at him as though he has suggested a bouncy castle afternoon. Kirk forces himself to stop smirking at the image of Spock on a bouncy castle and swivels round to grin at Bones instead –

"Thank you Bones! Thank you for playing! Okay who else is up for it? Tomorrow night, bowling alley on Deck twenty one?"

Everyone else, it appears is up for it, Sulu quietly asserts that he will destroy them all, Uhura says nothing knowing that actually she will be the one to do that and Bones threatens to make Chekov his next patient if he even begins to suggest that the first bowling alleys were built in Moscow. Chekov sullenly mumbles something about St Petersburg but otherwise the decision to make this an event goes through without incident.

The next day is Friday and in the afternoon Kirk sidles up to Spock's station, breezily feigning casual disinterest –

"So Spock –" he begins, resting his elbows on Spock's shiny work surface – "You – er – given any more thought to our bowling proposal tonight?"

"I have indeed Captain –" Spock says, neutral as ever and continuing to not even look away from his work as he speaks – "I have researched this past – time or perhaps tradition of yours thoroughly and perceive it to be considered both an amusing diversion and an effective team building exercise –"

"So….?"

"So, though we are already in possession of a highly effective team, I have concluded that, in the spirit of testing all new potential diversions that may prove beneficent –"

"Good god man!" yells Bones from across the Bridge – "Are you coming bowling or not?"

"I will join you on this occasion Captain" Spock concludes.

"Good man!" Kirk slaps him on the shoulder in what Spock has long ago worked out is, curious though it seems, a gesture of camaraderie in humans – "You're on my team though" he grins, returning to his chair with an amazing grin on his face.

Later that night, in the bowling alley Bones staunchly refuses to be on Kirk and Spock's team, leading Spock to wonder for some time exactly what he meant by "Going all mushy on each other". They take Uhura instead and consequently utterly destroy the opposing team despite Sulu's unparalleled efforts.

"High five Spock!" Kirk whoops, holding up his hand. Spock stares at it curiously.

"Slap my hand in celebration!" Kirk clarifies.

"Captain why would I do such a thing?" Spock frowns in deepest puzzlement when to a Vulcan such a gesture would be indicative of a brief yet somewhat violent make out session.

For ten minutes the rest of the crew sit back, eating replicator curly fries and watching as their Captain teaches the First Officer the complex technicalities of the high five.

Later Kirk is delighted to hear Spock's conclusive analysis on the evening's diversion which is that –

"It appears to bordering on the pointless and yet as you strangely diverting and I would not be one hundred percent adverse to attempting it again."

_x_

So this is an idea I've been brewing since the episode "The Naked Time" in which we find out that there is apparently a bowling alley on Deck 21 of The Enterprise. For some reason this amused me deeply and I got to wondering what other weird rooms there might be that one might not expect on a star ship. So I'm doing a bunch of silly ficlets about them. Obviously I had to start with the bowling alley. If anyone has any suggestions I'm willing to take any that are feasible!

Also – I've posted it here – but I'm hearing the characters in this more as they are in TOS than reboot. I think. Anyone? :-)