This particular chapter is dedicated to my faithful beta xladyjagsvolleyball16x not only as part of my reverse graduation gift to her and a symbol of my unending thanks, but also because apparently she really, really liked these. Here's to you, girl!

Chagrin

It was the best game of chicken Jim had ever played, and probably the most twisted. Every time they were both on the bridge, he'd watch Spock for as long as possible before the Vulcan turned around and caught his eye. He had a good score, too; back of head was two points, bent over was ten, and the concentrated look was fifty because it was Spock's most attractive state.

Until, one time, Spock broke his concentration and caught him. Jim had turned about immediately, but he knew he was caught. It was a long time before he played again.

Strapping

Uhura may have been holding his hand, but she was not holding his eyes. Those were watching the little yellow ball bounce furiously across the net. Jim's body was constantly poised and ready to strike, fingers pausing only to reassure themselves of their grip on the racquet's white taped handle. When he moved, it was with a grace Spock never knew any human could muster, let alone James Kirk. His blue eyes shone in concentration, and the muscular, well-tanned arms were unerring in their accuracy…

Jim scored another point. Spock shook himself. How was he so distracted by male anatomy?

Quiddity

Neither Jim nor Spock knew what was wrong with them. They both went to McCoy, on separate occasions, and asked to be observed. Of course, McCoy said, he would find nothing wrong with them, because it was only natural. In turn, they decided it would be natural to huff and, in Jim's case, start pacing.

McCoy chuckled knowingly. What wasn't natural, he went on, was for him to observe physical symptoms of basic physical attraction. Both were shocked, and asked, slowly, what they could do. McCoy had no answers; he only shrugged and left them to cope with the realization.

Autochthonous

Spock observed from a distance, fingers steepled. The native girl was trussed up in front of them, watching silently as Jim paced. They had been trying for an hour to decipher her totally alien language to discover the location of a missing crewman. She was their only lead.

"Look, Miss," Jim began again. He crouched, his blue eyes meeting her green ones, and held up an abandoned phaser. "Where did you find this?"

The girl suddenly leaned up and kissed Jim, and after twenty seconds they pulled apart. Spock's cheeks flamed an unbidden, inexplicable, and furious emerald at the sight.

Clandestine

"I can't."

"No denying it," Bones replied. "Why else would you be hiding in sick bay with me?"

Jim shook his head. "But I'm straight! How can I think Spock is so…so…"

"Bisexuality ring any bells, Jim?"

"And what's the point?" Jim vaulted off the empty bed and started pacing. "How can I go up to Spock, one of my best friends and a Vulcan, for chrissake, and tell him that for some inexplicable reason, I'm in love with him?"

"Um, Jim?" Bones started nervously.

Jim whirled. Spock was standing in the open doorway, eyebrows raised and eyes wide. Shit.

Author's Notes: So, much to the never-ending gratitude of my beta, I actually finished these before the Monday deadline cropped up like wheat after ten minutes in Minecraft. (I've been watching a lot of Zero Punctuation on Youtube, if you know what that is, so pardon me if I sound a little too much like Yahtzee on an extra dose of snark.) I do think these were fairly fun to write, but the angst has, at some point, got to give way. Therefore I don't think I'll be putting much more in that category for a while, and put more along the lines of "awkward." You'll probably see what I mean next week.

As for my continuing hiatus, it's going. Very. Very. Slowly. I haven't had half as much time to write as I thought I would, nor have I had the motive or creativity, because apparently a week of essentially doing nothing in class after three hours of grueling AP exams has drained all but my will to live. Suffice it to say that I have very little that I want to release finished and beta'd at this point, let alone started. New ideas keep cropping up though, so all I can ask at this point is that you please, please bear with me as I slowly gather the pieces of my brain and attempt to put them back together with a combination of pencil lead and Superglue.

Thank you, as always to my beta and readers for putting up with my schpeel for another week. Oh, by the way, I've a challenge for you guys. First registered member to catch the Teen Titans reference I plopped in here AND use Private Message to tell me which word it was filed under gets the dedication in the next set of Drabbles, as well as a "request drabble" which I will tell the winner more about later. Have fun, and don't disembowel each other over it!

AUTHOR'S NOTES EDIT: The Teen Titans challenge has been met! Sorry, folks, but you'll have to wait for the next one! Yes, next one, because I like these kinds of things for some reason. Gives me more incentive to write. Until next Monday, duckies!