Set shortly after AoS: Into Darkness, the crew has a couple weeks of shore leave while repairs on the ship are being completed. When Spock's plans are disrupted, he ends up at a farmhouse in Iowa contemplating the nature of friendship, bullies, and the general illogic of humans.
Short version, the reboots came through on one of the streaming services I was binging while not feeling well recently, and the framework of this popped into my head. Theoretically it'll end up being 4-5 chapters, but I have been known to underestimate such things.
The Enterprise was visible through the viewport, hanging unpowered in the repair dock, and despite the lateness of the hour dozens of automated drones continued on with their preprogrammed tasks. Spock noted the activity with approval.
It was only logical; a space ship that was not in space was by definition not fulfilling its primary function.
Footsteps behind him alerted him to another's presence, but he did not expect the familiar "Hey, Spock" that followed, and he turned.
"Captain. I had not anticipated that Dr. McCoy would permit you to leave sickbay at this point in your convalescence." There was at most marginal improvement in his coloring since Spock had visited earlier this afternoon, tight lines around his eyes indicating that some amount of pain remained, and while his recovery had greatly progressed since his first waking, that was, as Dr. McCoy would term it, a remarkably low bar.
The captain cleared his throat as he stepped up beside Spock, his focus on the Enterprise. "So, uh, I heard we've still got a couple more weeks before she'll be fully up and running again. Do you have any plans for your shore leave?"
Spock raised an eyebrow. "I infer from your attempt at redirection that Dr. McCoy has not, in fact, approved your release."
"Come on, have a heart." Despite his words, he smiled when he looked at Spock. "Bones barely lets me out of bed for physical therapy, and he's the one who assigned it. Do you know how many times I've counted those ceiling tiles?"
"I have no point of reference upon which to base such an estimation."
The smile morphed into a laugh. "Too many, okay. Way too many. I promise, I'm not going to get into any trouble, I just...I needed to get out of there. At least for a little while." He nodded through the viewport. "She's looking better."
"The repairs are proceeding at a commendable pace." Spock looked out at the Enterprise again, considering the situation. He had no objection to the captain's presence. Despite their initial mutual...antagonism...they had proven a formidable team, and over the course of the past year had developed both an extremely effective working relationship and also what he had tentatively termed a friendship, although his personal inexperience in such matters had left him disinclined to speculate overmuch. And yet not even the now-undeniable fact that it was friendship, something upon which he had spent considerable time in mediation over in the past three weeks, altered the fact that the captain had been grievously injured only a short time ago, and this corridor was not an optimal location from which to effect recovery. "You are aware that Dr. McCoy will be extremely displeased when he learns of your departure from sickbay, and given his predilection for emotional displays it is highly illogical to provoke him in such a manner."
"Ah, Bones of all people knows what a terrible patient I am. As long as I don't do anything remarkably stupid, he'll forgive me." A frown. "Why—"
He stepped forward, starting to gesture towards whatever had disturbed him about the ongoing repairs, only to waver abruptly, and Spock set aside the impropriety and took his arm. The captain was not a telepath to find offense in such an action, indeed despite evidence of a very keen memory in other areas he rarely even seemed to remember that Spock had such an ability, and regardless, safety took precedence. "Captain, if you wish a more detailed report on the work in progress than you have yet received, I will provide you with such in the morning. And I will refrain from immediately notifying the doctor of your presence here only if you will sit."
He released a shallow breath. "Yeah. Deal. Thanks. Maybe I did overestimate the walk a little bit."
There was a low bench against the wall behind them, and Spock didn't release him until he was safely situated.
"Although I swear we've been over this like forty million times. Since I'm clearly not on duty," he gestured to the loose medical whites he wore, garments typically provided for those patients deemed ambulatory but not fit to return to even leisure-time activities, "and given the hour I kind of doubt you are either, it's Jim."
"Such a number is eminently impossible given the length of our acquaintance."
"Yeah, that was completely the point I was making." He smiled and shook his head. "So what are you doing with your leave? Going to catch a shuttle to New Vulcan?"
"I had considered making such a visit, but given recent events transport availability is extremely limited, and the scheduling would be at best less than optimal. However, Lieutenant Uhura has requested that I accompany her to a family function in three days' time."
That got another smile and a slap to his arm that he expected was intended to convey some sort of meaning. It did not, and after 2.3 seconds Spock concluded that, based on past experience when it came to the captain's—Jim's—knowledge of the relationship between himself and Nyota, even if he requested elaboration, nothing provided would prove either useful or actionable. "Do you have plans?" he asked instead.
"You mean assuming Bones ever lets me out of sickbay for real?" He shrugged. "I was originally thinking I'd just stay here, join Scotty in annoying the crews working on the ship, but if I do that there's no way I'll ever hear the end of it so I'll probably end up on a shuttle back to Iowa. At least the scenery will be different."
"I am unfamiliar with Iowa beyond a general notion of its location," Spock admitted.
"You aren't missing much. If you go back far enough the whole area used to be a big crop center, but between a couple centuries of temperature increases and then a visit from the Xindi, it's pretty much dustland these days. The only real industry anywhere near where I grew up is the shipyard, and even that's not exactly a business hub."
Spock tilted his head. "No doubt your family will be pleased to see you." Although upon reflection, he did not recall the captain ever mentioning relatives at any point. As they had spent a number of leisure shifts in each other's presence and the topic of family was quite common among humans, it was an unusual omission.
Another shrug. "Nah, my mom and her husband relocated to Alpha III when I was a teenager, and my aunt and uncle followed pretty soon after. I don't hear from them much. And my brother was gone years before that. But what the hell, it's a roof, you know?"
"The concept of a roof, certainly, but I do not believe that fully comprehends your statement."
He shook himself, smiling up at Spock again. "Never mind. And before I forget, I don't know how long Uhura's thing will last or for that matter if Bones will ever actually release me, but if I do make it out there and you need something else to kill some time, you're welcome to join me. You'd probably want to bring some reading material or something given the lack of local entertainment, but there's plenty of space."
Spock hesitated. Nyota's family function would not last the full two weeks, although as he understood it they would be expected to remain in the area for several days following the celebration of her grandparents' anniversary. But while his plans after returning to headquarters were no more firmly defined than meditation and consultation with several Academy professors whose research interests aligned with his own, he was not familiar enough with human customs to estimate how his acceptance or declination of such an invitation would be received.
"No pressure," Jim said. "Just know the invitation's open."
