"I'm not gonna make it." Kirk concluded. "

"If you keep your head down and your nose in your books maybe you will." Bones retorted. "You've survived finals every year up to now this one is no different."

"For you! I'm graduating if I pass these and so's Spock! You're just...continuing."

"Don't remind me." Bones grumbled, looking up and across the library table at Kirk. "But that doesn't mean I'm spared the nightmare that is finals week-so let me finish writing this presentation in peace."

"Hey, you invited me here to study."

"Because I knew you'd get distracted at home."

"True." Kirk agreed and turned back to brushing up on psychology for a while before speaking again."

"Bones?"

"What."

"You called the apartment home before."

"I always call it that-so do you."

"That's my point. Our lease is up in two weeks...I found Spock packing last night...honestly we should both be too..."

"Well you should." Bones said. "I'm gonna talk to the landlord about keeping the place until I finish med school. I'll probably have to find some roommates but It's a good place in a good spot."

"Oh."

"That bugs you." Bones commented. "

"...Maybe. Shouldn't though." Kirk looked back to his book. "It's just..weird to think about you. Living there with people besides me and Spock."

"Well were weren't all gonna be shoved together in cramped quarters forever." Bones said, shutting his notebook. "I think I'm finish."

Kirk sighed. "I'm not."

"then keep at it. You gonna be home for dinner tonight?"

"Um...Yeah. i'll finish studying before then." Kirk said. Bones nodded and got up and left, leaving Kirk with his books and his thoughts.

"Holy..."

"Well damn." Kirk said, standing next to Bones in the doorway of Spock's room. Spock was asleep, seemingly exhausted as normally the sound of voices easily woke him up. The room around him though was a complete wreck.

"He gets weird if his shoes aren't lined up right normally-what is this?" Kirk questioned. He went further into the room and looked down at his sleeping friend.

"It's rude to enter another person's room without permission." Spock suddenly said, eyes still closed.

"Oh." Kirk backed up, vaguely embarrassed. "Sorry, I thought you were asleep."

Spock sat up and opened his eyes. "I was. The two of you entering my room woke me."

"Speaking of your room." Bones gestured around. "What is this? you'd think we were rooming with a Klingon with this place!"

"I misplaced something and given that my sleep schedule has been disrupted by extra time studying while prepping for finals I decided to clean after sleeping." Spock said.

"...Well...Okay..." Kirk said slowly but then shrugged it off. "I'll be in my room-oh and if a pizza guy shows up it's mien and it's paid for!" he said before leaving the room.

"What were you looking for?" Bones asked after Kirk left.

"A notebook."

"That's bull." Bones said. "And you're the worse liar I've ever met. What did you really lose?"

"...it's unimportant."

"I think it's pretty important for you to do so much as change where you put your pencils in their case-much less pull the drawers outta the dresser so what was it?" Bones pressed.

Spock thought a moment before getting up, going to the corner of the room, moving a few shirts to pick up his book bag and take out a piece of paper. It was a simple rectangular blue sheet with small hearts drawn in silver around the edges and the rest of the page-front and back- taken up with writing in silver pen.

"...A...Valentine?" Bones guessed. Spock nodded. "From when? This year? Because i remember all three of us hiding in here with movies and Jim and I both bit-"

"-it's from our freshman year. From Miss Chapel. I was organizing letters and other documents I had saved over the last four years to review if I needed them or not and this one wasn't in it's place. I had packed it already by mistake but i seemed to have not noted doing so."

"Wow." Bones said. "You saved that? Damn...Well...I knew you had a thing for-Well...with her. But I didn't take you for sentimental like that...I like it, seeing those humans bits in you. Good to know you're not all hobgoblin."

"This isn't a scenario we need to discuss. You have your answer and I...consider this private. please respect it."

Bones put his hands up. "Fine. Just sayin...it's nice of you. to save it." he said before leaving Spock to himself. Spock watched him go, put the valentine back in his bookbag and set about cleaning the room.

"Chekov! Congratulations!"

"What?!" Checkov startled when Jim clapped him on the back. "What did I do?! Oh No..."

"Calm down, it's good. Congratulations normally are." Jim sat across from Chekov at the dining hall table. "You had the top score in our Political Science class."

"Oh...Oh. Good." he said and put his head back on the table like it had been when Kirk had come in. Kirk sat down across from Chekov.

"Well you look beat. What has Starfleet's favorite whiz-kid this tired?"

"Finals...i don't think I've slept in three days."

"Sleep is for the weak anyway-you'll survive...although you should honestly actually try sleep tonight I hear it's good for you."

"Heh. Okay." he said, barely lifting his head. "How'd you do? for finals I mean?"

"Oh great! I only failed two courses!"

"...What?"

"I'm joking, Pavel. jeeze, you really are tired." Kirk said. Bones and Spock walked over. "don't sit down, i'm getting up-I think Chekov needs quiet more than company."

"Thank you." Chekov said, muffled by the fact his head was buried in his arms. Jim got up and left with Spock and Bones.

"Is the Russian okay?" Bones asked.

"Oh he's fine just in desperate need of sleep." Kirk assured him. "So did you get your grades back? both of you? What did they say?"

"I did as I expected." Spock said.

"Congrats on being top of the class." Kirk said.

"...Jim." Bones said. "He's not."

"What? Why?!" Kirk's gaze whipped back around to Spock.

"Mainly because of the course of academics I took was intended to challenge beyond average. I completed courses normally only taken and often failed by students seeking doctorates." Spock explained. "And as a result it allowed for someone to complete ahead of me."

"Just one person? Well still congratulations then-Salutatorian is still amazing." Kirk pointed out. "And your the first Vulcan to graduate!"

"Or attend." Bones added.

"Yes. and collectively I find those facts more...gratifying than my position in class rank. And Thank you, James. Congratulations to you as well."

"Thanks?" Jim said. "So uhm, so Valedictorian then? You, Bones?" Bones shook his head. "Chekov?" Spock raised an eyebrow. "Scott-No? Wow I really thought...no...No! You're joking! I don't think this is funny!"

"Jim. Spock said congratulations! Have you even checked your PADD today? or anything?" Bones asked. "You're the top of the class!"

"...Oh...How?" Kirk's voice sounded odd for him. Plain and void of emotion as he tried to process what was going on.

"You tell us." Bones said.

"It may have to do with your performance in the field and in the leadership positions you've taken to on Campus-and that I can personally attest to your grades staying steadily high since your sophomore year in all subjects." Spock surmised.

"And you test well. And talk good." Bones added

"Thanks uh...Oh man...damn uh..."

"Jim."

"Bones?"

"Go call your folks."

"Okay...yeah!" Jim ran off at top speed.

"I don't recall seeing him in such a mood before." Spock commented.

"His dad's Starfleet and Jim had gotten past wanting this." Bones said. "You heard him-he assumed you'd be at the top of our class. The point is this is gonna give him some substance behind his bluster. It means that maybe he can really do all the 'youngest-captain in-the-fleet-exploring-strange-new-worlds' that he's so dead-set on doing."

"I see." said Spock. "It's his validation."

"Yeah. I'm proud of him."

"I am as well."

"...He's gonna be an insufferable prick once the shock wear off."

"Most definitely." Spock agreed. Bones scoffed but smiled.

"C'mon, let's go home." he said and walked along with his Vulcan friend.