Space is disease and danger wrapped darkness and silence. Doctor Leonard McCoy still stood by this statement. The bridge crew of alpha shift shuffled through the doors to sickbay like they were being marched to the firing squad. McCoy is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence. At least, that was what he thought about as he systematically declared each one bruised, tired, and needing rest. Save for the brief answers he received from his questions, all his patients treated him like he was more dangerous than space. And he loved it.

"Take it easy for the next two shifts, get at least six hours of sleep, and don't come back here any time soon."

Uhura nodded her head once in understanding. She slid off the medical bed and adjusted the hem of her red dress uniform before quickly exiting the medical bay. As the doors opened for her, she almost ran into Kirk.

"I know I'm irresistible, but really, Uhura, we shouldn't in front of him." Kirk jerked his thumb towards Spock who watched the exchange dispassionately. Uhura rolled her eyes and poked her index finger in his chest.

"So your ego is proportional to your status." she teased. Then she looked over at Spock who was standing by the captain's side.

She glanced between the two before shaking her head and walked past them. However, when she passed by, she slowed down enough to share a meaningful stare with Spock. He bowed his head and stepped to the side to allow more space for her to move.

When she was down the hall a ways, Kirk and Spock finally maneuvered their way into the sickbay. McCoy spotted them immediately and made a bee line for them.

"Miracles do happen." He put his hands on his hips and shook his head in disbelief. "Here I figured I'd have to chase the two of you down."

"Well, if you don't hurry this up, I guarantee you'll have to chase at least one of us." Kirk responded with a smirk.

"Fine then. Who wants to go first?" asked McCoy.

Kirk and Spock shared a brief look before pointing to the other man. McCoy frowned at the both of them.

"Children?" he asked with no small amount of sarcasm.

"You get to go first 'cause you let me get on the lift first…So yeah, it's my duty as captain to ensure every crewmember reports in." The flimsy and hastily organized reason Kirk offered was greeted by two arched eyebrows expressing their bemusement.

Finally, Spock acquiesced and lay down on the medical bed. The sensor above the bed sprang to life with a series of beeps as it measured his vitals. McCoy studied the readings, furrowed his brows, and then shook his head.

"Pulse around two hundred forty, blood pressure next to nothing. From what I've gathered from the others, you're perfectly healthy…assuming that green stuff in your veins is actually blood." he declared with sarcasm.

"The fact that I am physiologically different from you, Doctor, delights me." Spock responded with just as much sarcasm in his own monotone and understated way.

Kirk had to stifle a laugh as he listened to the science and medical officers match the other's challenging stare. When Spock made a move to sit up, he was promptly shoved back down by McCoy. Though brief, Kirk was able to catch the confused and scandalized look Spock shot the doctor's way when he was manhandled.

"I'm not done with you yet." McCoy glared pointedly at Spock who was once again perfectly impassive. Turning to the side, McCoy grabbed a medical tricorder sitting on a nearby tray and began examining Spock.

He remained silent as he read the information being spit out at him by the device. Spock waited just as silent and patiently though Kirk could make out the tensed muscles around his jaw indicating Spock was not thrilled to be there.

"…Hmph. Alright, I'm done with you."

Even though he gave Spock the okay, he still had a deeper frown than usual which Kirk had learned it meant the doctor was not happy. It tended to show up when he was ranting about space or thinking about his ex-wife. It concerned Kirk that he was doing it now. However, Spock just sat up and slid off the bed with his usual composure.

"Go get some rest." McCoy jerked his head towards the exit before adding, "And I mean, actually get into a bed, close your eyes, and sleep."

With a heavy emphasis on "sleep," McCoy made a point to glare and maintain eye contact with the Vulcan. Spock simply bowed his head ever so slightly while straightening out his uniform.

"Yes, Doctor. However, I must point out that 'rest' and 'sleep' are two separate activities. If you mean for me to sleep, then you should say so. If you mean for me to rest-"

"Dammit! Just get out of here and do either one for all I care!" McCoy loudly interrupted Spock and angrily pointed towards the exit.

Tilting his head slightly, Spock just spun on his heel and calmly exited the sickbay. On his way out, Kirk could have sworn he heard him mutter, "illogical," under his breath. This caused him to grin. When the doors swished shut, Kirk allowed himself to chuckle and give a friendly slap on the back to McCoy.

"You know, I think Spock sees you as if you're a walking, talking, illogical puzzle."

The doctor's answer was a loud hiss as he injected Kirk in the neck with a hypospray. McCoy drew an inordinate amount of satisfaction watching his patient twitch and grimace.

"That's a painkiller and I swear, if I ever hear the words 'illogical' or 'logical' when you speak about me, I will kick your country ass over the rainbow." he finished with a second hypospray to the other side of Kirk's neck.

"And what the hell was that one?" Kirk asked as he massaged both sides of his neck.

"It'll help the bruising on your bones and take care of the damage from trying to fight a Romulan fist with your face." There was sarcasm laced with concern from McCoy as he none to gently pushed Kirk into lying down on the bed.

The readings overhead were slightly elevated due to the stressful situation, but they were within normal enough readings. It was just like all the others. Increased amounts of adrenaline quickly fading resulting in exhaustion, it was the same physiological response as all the others.

"Other than being a pain in the ass, you're good to go. Same goes for you. Get some rest…" he said while prodding Kirk in the back to get him moving. "Now, if there aren't any more emergencies, I'm going to sleep, not rest. I have Pike's surgery scheduled during the next alpha shift."

When he said that, Kirk took a moment to take in the disheveled appearance of the doctor. His shoulders were slumped slightly and dark rings were becoming more pronounced under his eyes. He ran a hand roughly over his face before letting out a heavy sigh. Kirk sat up and patted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah…you look like shit." he told him with a cheeky grin.

This caused McCoy to shake his head with a grin and swat his friend on the shoulder. They remained in companionable silence a few more minutes before Kirk finally slid off the bed and stretched. He grimaced as he felt his muscles protest.

"Go on, get out of here. I want to go to bed." McCoy jerked his head towards the exit.

Kirk shot him one last grin before strolling out of the sickbay. However, as he was passing through the threshold, he paused and looked back at the doctor.

"Hey, Bones, is Spock okay?"

McCoy frowned a little bit as he debated whether or not to tell Kirk anything. After a brief mental debate, the doctor shrugged his shoulders in defeat and motioned for Kirk to follow him into the somewhat intact doctor's office. He waited for his friend to enter into the office and begun once Kirk came closer.

"Honestly, I don't know. I don't know about any of the Vulcans on board right now." He held up his hand to prevent Kirk from saying anything before continuing. "I'm aware that they got some sort of Vulcan voodoo, telepathic, something or another, and their brain waves are a bit different from your average human."

As he spoke, McCoy carelessly overturned every object in the space before finding the elusive object. It was a small, silver, and very familiar object. He spun the cap off the flask and took a large gulp.

"But I looked up Spock's medical history to see just what is considered normal for them." McCoy offered the flask of alcohol to a happy Kirk and continued, "Physical vitals are just peachy…weird, but peachy. But, the mental ones, well, they're not so peachy."

"Have you asked him or any of the others about it?" Kirk asked.

Despite his innocent question, Kirk was attacked immediately by a suddenly irate McCoy.

"Of course I asked! And do you know what they said?!" Kirk had to fight the urge to cringe under the wide-eyed, angry McCoy glare. The doctor threw his hands up and ranted, "They told me it's none of my business! It is my business, dammit, 'cause I'm the doctor!"

He finished by slamming his hands down on the desk. Even though the doctor was now fuming, Kirk could not help but let slip a self-satisfied grin. It turned out he was not the only one who was told that. Given the finality of the way Spock had told Kirk that on the transporter pad in regards to a certain communications officer; he understood why McCoy kept his mouth shut.

"Yeah, well, good luck on finding any answers. What I want to know though, is Spock going to fine for the rest of the trip home?" It was hard to keep the trepidation from his voice as he asked McCoy the question. There was still a long ways to go, Pike was incapacitated, and most of the experienced officers were dead or next to it. Kirk was fairly certain Spock was the only one out of the current bridge crew who had any previous experience.

"Seems like it. He doesn't look like he's going to have homicidal urges again any time soon." McCoy gave a lop-sided grin as he stared pointedly at the bruising beginning to form around Kirk's neck. "I don't know how he did it, or does it, but he's probably the most at peace person on this ship."

Kirk took a moment to digest that response. It seemed true enough; after the emotionally compromised event on the bridge, Spock resumed his duty, brought about the end of Nero, and did not hold a grudge against the man who tricked him out of the captaincy. At least, Spock did not seem to, though given how repressed he was, Kirk was not wholly positive. Well, Kirk figured that he would find out sooner or later. He was never one to dwell too hard on things outside of his control.

"Huh, I'll have to ask him how he does it then." declared Kirk.

McCoy smirked and responded,

"Don't come crawling to me when he chokes you again."

The only answer he gave the doctor was a mischievous grin as he tossed the flask back to him. McCoy rolled his eyes.

"Good, get out of here."

He took McCoy's order with a mock salute and march-skipped out of the sickbay. Kirk was feeling better than when he entered and strode confidently towards the turbo lift. When the doors closed, however, something dawned on him. The doctor's order was to get rest. The problem was, Kirk did not have a place to rest since he was snuck on board through McCoy's clever subterfuge. To compound the problem, majority of the ship's rooms were already double occupied due to the large number of survivors on board. He already knew McCoy was sharing a room with another doctor so that option was out. So now he was left to himself with nowhere to follow the doctor's orders.

"Guess I could ask Spock…" he mumbled quietly to himself. But, he was reluctant to do so. As the captain, he felt that he should keep up some sort of image, even though he was not completely sure as to what that image was supposed to be. To Kirk, asking Spock where he should sleep would damage whatever image he had.

"What is it you would ask?" Spock's question startled Kirk who whipped around just to come face to face with the very person he was trying to make a positive impression on.

"Spock! I, uh…" he fumbled for words, but quickly regained his composure. "Well you see, I was just determining where I should be staying."

Impressions be damned. Kirk had never felt the need to make a certain impression on anybody and he was not about to start now. Spock noticed his resolve and was curious as to what it was the captain decided. Nevertheless, it was not his business nor in his nature to pry into another person's privacy. He simply cocked an eyebrow and responded,

"As captain of this vessel, it would be logical to reside in the captain's quarters."

Of course Spock would have a logical answer. Kirk studied him a little bit but could find no traces of judgment or sarcasm. Whatever was going on in Spock's mind was clearly not for anybody to know. But at this moment, he was simply answering a question.

"Yes. Of course. Pike's in sickbay and the room is free. Guess it was a good idea to ask you, huh?" he offered Spock a friendly grin. Spock in turn remained neutral.

"Indeed."

Just as there was no sarcasm in his previous statement, there was no hint of gloating or arrogance. Once more, he was simply stating a logical fact free of emotion. Kirk ran his hand over his face and continued to grin, though with less intensity.

"Right then, I don't suppose I could bother you to tell me where the captain's quarters are located exactly?" Kirk knew the basic layouts of constitution class ships, but just as there were various designs to each one, certain locations varied.

Spock nodded his head in the affirmative and gestured for the turbo lift.

"It is not a 'bother' to answer your query. I am also on my way to my quarters."

The door to the lift opened and Kirk remembered Spock's lecture. He made sure he entered first before Spock followed him. Reaching over, Spock pressed the commands to take them to Deck 5. There was a soft whir then the lift stopped. Even though Spock was the one leading him to his quarters, Kirk figured he was expected to get out first.

After exiting the turbo lift, Spock resumed walking and Kirk matched his pace. A little ways down the hallway, Spock stopped in front of a door.

"Your quarters, Captain."

Kirk walked towards the door and was pleasantly surprised to see the door slide open for him. He took one step inside and paused to take in his surroundings.

There was a definite lack of character in the room, but that was to be expected considering this was the first voyage of the Enterprise and the recent events, he was certain nobody had time to spare for decorating. It was all the better for him. Kirk knew he would definitely feel out of place if the room had been laced with Pike's personal touches.

"Do you require anything else, Captain?"

He was shaken out of his reverie by Spock's question. Kirk turned a bit and smiled.

"Nope. This is perfect. Thanks, Spock." he replied genuinely pleased.

Lightly bowing his head in acknowledgement, Spock was about to leave when he paused and then clasped his hands loosely behind his back.

"Captain?" he asked.

"Huh? Uh, yeah?" came Kirk's clever reply.

"When you are sufficiently rested as in accordance with the doctor's wishes, there are documents and paperwork Starfleet has requested from you."

"Of course there is." he rolled his eyes. "You know what? I'll just find you once I'm done resting."

"Very well, Captain." Spock acquiesced promptly.

He bowed his head slightly in respect and then began walking away. Kirk watched him leave before turning his attention back to his quarters. First, he walked over to the desk sitting unobtrusively in the corner and ran a hand over the surface. Keeping his hand on the desk, he walked around it until he came to the chair. It was hard to suppress a grin as he slowly lowered himself in the seat. It gave a little under his weight but continued to support him. With a small smirk, Kirk propped his feet on the desk and reclined backwards.

After spending a few minutes of basking in the authoritative feeling of the desk, Kirk dropped his feet back to the floor and stood up. There was a slight crick in his back as he did so and he rubbed it as he moved to the other side of the partial partition. A single bed comprised the bulk of the sleeping area. Kirk padded over to it and sat down on it to test its firmness. It was comfortable and that was enough for Kirk. He flopped backwards with his arms spread out. With every intention of getting back up and changing, he did absolutely nothing. He simply stared at the ceiling and eventually settled on closing his eyes.

When Kirk opened his eyes again, he realized he felt stiff. He sat up with a soft groan as his muscles protested the movement. With no small amount of effort, Kirk was able to push himself into a sitting position. His legs felt slightly numb from lack of use and when he flexed the muscles and rotated his ankles, a tingling sensation shot up through his limbs. Sighing loudly, he rocked back and forth a few times before using the momentum to stand up. Stretching and rubbing, his body finally began to cooperate. He rubbed his eyes and made his way to the office area.

Punching a button on the computer sitting on the desk, Kirk groggily asked,

"What time is it?"

"Current time is 2347 hours." the computer replied immediately.

While he realized he had fallen asleep, Kirk had hoped he would have slept longer than a little over an hour. Banging his head against the desk, he wondered what he should be doing now. Kirk, despite the feeling of lethargy, no longer felt like he could sleep. Doctor McCoy may have given orders to rest, but right now, his mind was still buzzing from all that had happened.

Never one to sit around and twiddle his thumbs, Kirk resolved himself to push away from the desk and exit his quarters. The doors slid open and he stepped out into the now deserted hallway. The lights were dimmed to indicate evening hours in an attempt to simulate day and night. Regardless of the damage, the ship was apparently still able to support these simple, but necessary features.

"Now let's see. Where's Spock's quarters?" Kirk mumbled to himself as he began walking down a ways. He strolled down the hallway checking the nameplates as he went along. When he wound up on the opposite end of where his quarters were located, he finally saw the nameplate bearing Commander Spock's name.

He was about to hit the door chime and hoped he was not waking him up or disturbing him. However, before he could even press the button, the doors slid open to reveal a Vulcan, but he was not Spock.

Kirk immediately stiffened as he came face to face with Ambassador Sarek. Now, Kirk had not been properly introduced to the man and he vaguely recalled seeing him on the bridge when he goaded Spock into a fit of rage. He was positive he could not have made a good impression.

Sarek stood straight and tall like his son but made Spock look warm and friendly when it came to expressions, or rather, non-expression. Then again, Kirk though, it could just be that he was intimidated just because this Vulcan happened to be Spock's father. Whatever the case, it made no difference. Kirk was frozen to the spot.

"There is no logical reason for you to hold your breath." Sarek spoke in complete monotone devoid of any inflection.

It took a moment for Kirk to realize he was actually holding his breath. He maintained his composure and slowly exhaled. Standing just a little bit straighter, Kirk schooled his expression into one of neutrality.

"Of course, you're right. By any chance would you happen to know where Spock is?" he asked.

There was an awkward silence between the two for a minute that stretched into eternity before Sarek spoke again.

"He said to meet him in science lab nine."

"Great. Thanks." Kirk bowed his head stiffly and added, "And I'm truly sorry for…everything."

He felt it a grossly inadequate apology, but he was not quite sure if there was an appropriate thing to say when somebody lost his planet and spouse. Deciding it was probably best if he just left, Kirk had every intention of leaving but found himself stuck to the spot where he was standing. He felt pinned in place under the scrutinizing stare. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, but after a brief moment, Sarek bowed his head a bit deeper.

"Your grief and empathy are appreciated."

"Uh, yeah, no problem." Kirk answered skillfully. He offered one last awkward bow before spinning on his heel and all but running away.

When he arrived at the turbolift, Kirk breathed heavily in relief and punched the button for Deck 9. By the time the lift arrived at its destination, he had put the previous event behind him and was ready to find Spock.

Just like the crew quarters, the hallway on this deck was also deserted. For this, Kirk was infinitely grateful. This level housed the irascible doctor himself. While technically he had slept, but he had a feeling McCoy would not agree with him. So, with great care, he made his way as quickly as possible to science lab 9.

It was easy enough to locate the lab and enter. Kirk glanced around the space and spotted Spock sitting at a lab desk diligently typing away at the computer. Upon approaching, Kirk noticed that he was not working with just one, but four different screens at once. A wry smile worked its way onto his face as he realized Spock completely ignored the doctor's orders and was working right under his nose.

"You've got a funny way of following Bones' orders." said Kirk with amusement.

Spock did not look up from his work, but did raise a single eyebrow.

"I believe the humans have a saying, 'what he does not know, will not hurt him.'"

This caused Kirk to burst out laughing and he slapped Spock on the back. He faltered for half a second at the physical contact but was still able to continue typing.

"Sounds good to me. I won't tell if you won't tell." he chirped playfully.

"I had no intention to do so." Spock intoned seriously.

Clearly, the humor was lost on Spock, but that did not deter Kirk's newfound good mood. He leaned against the desk Spock was working on and hummed a tune to himself while he waited for Spock to finish.

"I shall be with you in a moment, Captain." said Spock.

He ceased typing and then flipped open his communicator.

"Mr. Scott."

"Scott here." came the immediate reply.

"I have examined the readings you have provided. I agree with your assessment. Continue as you were."

"Aye, sir. I still cannae believe I-"

Without waiting for Scott to continue, Spock snapped the communicator shut much to Kirk's amusement. He shut off the computer and stood up.

"If you are willing, I have the prepared documents requiring your attention." Kirk blanched a little when Spock told him he basically had homework.

"Great. Sounds like fun." Kirk sarcastically replied.

"Based off your predilection for circumventing proper procedure, I do not see why you would find paperwork 'fun.'" The serious tone in his voice made it difficult for Kirk to determine if Spock understood the sarcasm. He figured he would err on the side of caution and say the Vulcan did not get it.

"No, I don't." his answer was met with a raised eyebrow. Kirk quickly explained, "I was being sarcastic."

Nodding his head a few times, Spock accepted the answer though he was still dubious as to the details behind human sarcasm. However, he acknowledged its uses and determined Kirk was a person who relied on such a tactic often.

"I see. Would you prefer to complete the paperwork here or in another location?" he asked.

Kirk eagerly responded,

"Yeah, let's get out of here. I don't want to be caught by Bones any time soon."

"Logical enough."

If he was not mistaken, Kirk was sure Spock was being sassy, but then again, it could be his imagination. Sassy Spock, while hilarious, was a phenomenon with too low of a probability to even bother computing.

Pushing off the ledge of the desk, Kirk led the way out of the lab and back to his quarters. The two men walked in amicable silence until they reached the captain's quarters. Kirk invited Spock in and motioned towards the desk.

"Alright hit me with it." he said as he plopped into his chair.

"Why should I want to hit you with the PADD?"

The genuine confusion on Spock's face caused Kirk an inner fit of giggles. Realizing that vocalizing his amusement would get them nowhere, he took a moment to explain.

"No, I really don't want you to hit me. It's just an old Earth saying." he said.

"I see. Earth seems to have an abundance of these illogical sayings."

Kirk had a feeling that Spock had to resort to such an explanation more often than not. He shook his head and decided to rephrase it.

"Alright, please give me the reports."

Spock was much more accepting of this request and responded by setting a PADD on the desk. After typing something on the touch screen, he slid the device over for Kirk to read.

"I have arranged the necessary documents in order of importance. When you have completed these, you may begin writing your report."

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kirk imagined this was Spock's I-am-the-teacher-and-you-will-obey-me voice. Perhaps, when Uhura was in a better mood, he would ask her since she obviously had him as a teacher. However, at the moment, he figured it best to assume he was right and listen.

"Right. So I'm supposed to just read these and sign off on them?"

"Indeed, Captain."

Taking a deep breath and cracking his knuckles, Kirk grabbed the PADD and immediately deflated when he saw the number of reports and documents needing to be signed off. He knew that there would be a lot of them, he just had not expected there to be an amount in the triple digits.

"If I may Captain?" Spock interrupted his depressed and overwhelmed thoughts.

"Uh, yeah?" asked Kirk.

"As I have already read through and organized the reports, it is not necessary for you to examine each one."

Kirk studied Spock a few moments before cracking out a sly grin. Spock, on his part, just cocked a single eyebrow.

"Mr. Spock, are you suggesting I just sign off and not actually read what I'm signing?"

"I suggest nothing. I have merely pointed out the redundancy of reading them a second time. What you choose to do with the information is beyond my control." Spock blandly stated as he resolutely kept his gaze fixated on the nearby wall.

"Okay. Just look away then." he replied with another cheeky grin.

And just as before, Spock studied him with a quizzical tilt of his head.

"I was doing so, Captain."

"Er, right. We'll leave it at that." Kirk ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. He was about to get started when he realized Spock was still standing at his desk. "So, are you just going to stand there the whole time?"

"You have given no indication as to what you would want me to do; therefore, I have remained stationary."

At this point, Kirk was beginning to think Spock was being dense and difficult deliberately. For what reason, he had no idea except that he found it somewhat irritating. He never liked puzzles. As a result, he made it his personal mission to solve any and every puzzle thrown his way.

"Fine. If you're not needed anywhere, you will stay here in case I have any questions." ordered Kirk. He doubted he would have any questions, but whatever game Spock was playing at, Kirk was willing to play.

"Affirmative, Captain." Spock obeyed and remained exactly where he was.

Kirk noticed this and rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to stand there. Have a seat or something and occupy yourself somehow."

"If it does not distract you, I will take time to meditate." he said.

Sweeping his hand across the room, Kirk indicated that anywhere was fine. Spock bowed his head in acknowledgement and walked over to the sleeping area. In one fluid movement, he was sitting cross legged on the floor, back ramrod straight as ever. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths as he quieted his thoughts and focused his mind inward.

Kirk watched Spock out of the corner of his eye fascinated at how fast he was able to enter a meditative state. From what he could tell, Spock was breathing much slower than normal and looked dead to the world.

As interesting as it was figuring out what Vulcans think about during meditation, Kirk resolved himself to bite the bullet and begin the reports. Contrary to popular belief, Kirk did take sound advice to heart when it suited him and so, he did not even glance at the heading of each document. All he did was sign one, go to the next, and then repeat. The progress was faster than he thought, but after an hour ticked by, he was still no where close to finishing. Nevertheless, he did not let it get him down since he really did make a solid dent in the numbers. Only a hundred or so remained. Leaning back in his chair, Kirk cracked his back but suddenly cringed when he remembered Spock was still in the room.

He quickly looked over to the sleeping area and found Spock in exactly the same position he was in as before. The Vulcan looked unperturbed and Kirk could not resist sidling over and studying him. Tentatively waving his hand in front of Spock's face, Kirk was pleased that he received no response. He wondered how aware Spock was of his surroundings.

"Is there something you require, Captain?"

Kirk was about to poke Spock on the shoulder when he suddenly spoke. Surprised, he fell back and hit his back against the partition. As he rubbed his back, he looked over at Spock who was watching him with an amused glance. And it was not one of those not quite expressions Kirk pretended to see, but a genuinely amused expression. He guessed if it had been any other person, he would be grinning madly at catching the captain off guard. Instead, the corner of Spock's mouth merely twitched up a fraction and his left eyebrow was raised.

"Um, did I interrupt you?" he asked as casually as he could.

"No. I was aware you had ceased working and reasoned you would seek my attention." Spock replied just as casually. Though, as an afterthought, he tagged on, "Captain, what were you attempting to accomplish by making physical contact between my shoulder and your index finger?"

"I was going to poke you." Settling on the straightforward answer seemed like the best option at the moment no matter how embarrassed he was to admit it.

Spock nodded his head slowly and looked in the mid-horizon as he processed what he was told.

"And how would such an action serve you?"

"Satisfy my childish curiosity and poke you." Kirk answered. Even when he was a child, he always felt the need to poke anything he did not understand or piqued his curiosity.

"Fascinating. You fully admit to having childish and immature propensities." Though Spock stated it with his usual blandness, Kirk was completely caught off guard by the almost playful quality to his voice.

"Are…are you teasing me?" Kirk asked incredulously.

Just as quick as his expressions appeared, it was wiped away and replaced with one of neutrality and almost dismay.

"Forgive me, Captain. It was inappropriate for-"

Kirk quickly interrupted him eagerly.

"No, no, no. Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong. I just wasn't expecting it. I don't mind it all." He smiled to show that he meant what he said. "Though I should have guessed after you teased Bones."

Spock bowed his head in acknowledgement and stood up with minimal effort and movement. Kirk was envious at how easily he could move after sitting still for so long. With a little more effort, Kirk also stood up and hid a grimace when he felt his muscles pull and stretch.

"I assume you have not yet completed the reports and have ceased working in order to pursue some other activity?" he asked.

The captain thought about it a bit and grinned.

"Yeah, food. I haven't eaten anything for…well, however long I've been on this ship." As he was about to exit his quarters, he looked over his shoulder questioningly. "Er, the replicators are working, right?"

"Affirmative, Captain."

This made him happy to hear. He figured something had to be working for their week and a half long trip, but it was reassuring to hear that the ship was still in working order for the most part.

"Care to join me in the mess hall? You can show me more of that humor of yours." he told Spock with a sly grin.

"I do not tease nor provide humor. I merely state fact and observation."

He might have believed that if he had not previously witnessed Spock's previous attempt at teasing. However, Kirk was becoming wise to the Vulcan's more subtle tricks.

"Right. Of course you do." His tone made it clear that he did not believe it for a minute, but Spock simply ignored him.

"Shall we, Captain?"

"Yeah, let's go. And we're off duty so you don't actually have to call me 'captain.'" Kirk swat his shoulder when Spock opened his mouth to speak. "And don't give me any of that. You called me Jim before, so I know you have that ability."

Spock considered his accusation a moment, weighed the pros and cons of the situation, and replied,

"Very well, Jim."

A/N: Chapter 2 and no space disasters have occured. They deserve a little break. Still a bit of a long chapter, though shorter than the previous. After much contemplation, I'm going to do one more chapter and leave this little bit as a prologue. It's slow, but I wanted to write a little in between the scenes because I'm OCPD like that. The second bit is where all the action is at and I mean that in every literal and inappropriately non-literal way. Next chapter should be up soon. It'll probably be posted along with the next story. Who knows? I sure as hell don't. Hope you enjoyed reading.

Love long and prosper,
~Tofu