I don't own anything to Star Trek. I don't make money with it. I'm writing fanfictions because I love it. So I ask you not to sue me.

English is not my mother tongue. I don't have a beta reader. Feel free to point out mistakes to me.

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4 No Dates

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First No Date

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Jim couldn't remember the last time he was so excited. There was really no need to. He only had a date with Spock. No! He didn't have a date with Spock. He wanted one but didn't have one because the Vulcan wasn't dating any cadets and ...

It would be best to start over.

Since the art classes at the academy, Jim couldn't get Spock out of his head. The professor had a charme that cast a spell on him, and Jim was not used to it. Usually he was the one whose charm was irresistible to others. That one didn't seem to work with Spock, and Jim really wanted the guy.

So far, every attempt has been politely refused, but recently Jim has been spending more time with the Vulcan than he'd ever hoped. Why? Spock owned a pet, a sehlat named I-Chaya, and had neglected her badly because of his responsibilities. Of course, Jim was immediately there to help his crush. He always took care of I-Chaya when Spock couldn't, and lately he was really busy. Jim wasn't going to complain. The sehlat was easy to care for and actually an oversized teddy bear. He had no idea why Bones refused to help. Jim was enamored with I-Chaya. She was such a sweet and good girl. The fur was like a fluffy pillow that you could bury yourself in and ...

... Okay, he digressed.

In any case, Spock wasn't one of those who only took favors, but returned them. Not that Jim didn't take care of I-Chaya for nothing, but his need to be with the professor grew stronger. So he asked him to give him a little tutoring as a reward. It wasn't forbidden. Some professors regularly offered it to their students and met in groups in parks or libraries. Since Jim was the only one, he decided to go to a small, cozy café near the academy. It was well attended and no one would attract unnecessary attention. The perfect opportunity to get to know each other better.

Jim was surprised at how fast his heart started beating when Spock entered the cafe and looked for him.

Okay, be quiet. A small wave of the hand is enough to get his attention. Exactly like that, not anymore. Yup!

Jim would have liked to stretch out his whole arm and wave it wildly back and forth, but with his luck the Vulcan would have been embarrassed and he would have reconsidered the idea of tutoring. Jim had to play his cards well if these meetings were to be successful.

"Hello!" He said as casually as he could. But his heart didn't stop beating faster and faster. Could a Vulcan hear that?

"Good afternoon, Mister Kirk," Spock replied and sat down at the table across from him. His posture seemed relaxed. That was good.

"I hope it wasn't rude of me, but I've already ordered tea for you. You're always so punctual and in your apartment I noticed what tea you always drink and ..."

Why did he start chatting silly? Shut up, Jim!

"That is very accommodating. Thank you very much, Mr. Kirk."

Yay! A good start! Now he could sit back and relax and ...

"Hi, Jimmy !", a shrill voice called from the other side of the cafe and Jim felt himself slide deeper into his seat. Please do not!

A blonde young woman ran up to him and before he could protest she had already her arms around his neck. Her name was Betty and to be honest Jim didn't know much about her anymore other than that they were together for maybe two weeks. "Jimmy! I'm happy to see you!"

I'm not! Go away!

His eyes wandered embarrassed to Spock, who was watching the events untouched. He wanted to explain the matter to him and send Betty away, but fate wanted to send someone else to the party.

"Betty! We're on a date right now," came the annoyed voice of a muscle mass guy, who trudged with firm steps to their table. Of course, he didn't like the fact that his girlfriend was throwing herself around Jim's neck.

"Get out of here, Bob! I just wanted to give you your jacket back, that's all." She looked to Jim for help and tightened her grip on his neck. "Jimmy, can you help me get rid of this fool? You're welcome!"

At this statement, the fool's face turned dark red and a thick vein began to pound in his neck. That wasn't good and not exactly what Jim needed at the moment. He didn't want to know what the Vulcan thought of him. Of course he had to know Jim's reputation at the academy, but still seeing and hearing were two different things.

He could only try to resolve the whole situation as charmingly as possible. After all, the Kirk charm was legendary. It would be ridiculous if he couldn't.

... If Jim did learn anything that day, his charm wasn't very good when he couldn't use it. The situation had gone from bad to catastrophic in seconds. Bob had searched for a confrontation so quickly that Jim immediately had a fist in his face when he tried to open his mouth. Fortunately, Spock didn't just sit there and want to watch. No. The Vulcan used the famous nerve pinch and incapacitated the attacker. Security was called in so Bob could be furious in a cell when he woke up, and Betty seemed overjoyed that two men had fought over her. At least she believed so. If it had been up to Jim, he would even have organized the wedding of this two to make them disappear. This meeting was an absolute disaster.

Spock was kind enough to get him to Bones so he could get medical help, but noted that they should postpone their plans for that day for now. Postpone? What should Jim say about that? It made sense, of course, and Bones definitely wasn't going to let him out on the streets today. ... His buddy was really like a hen sometimes!

With their cool farewell, Jim sat down on the couch and put his face in his hands. Why did this have to happen at their first date? He really should stop dating crazy chickens that could cause him problems in the future. Stupid Betty! Stupid Bob!

Despite everything Jim didn't want to give up! The first attempt failed, but the second time he would make sure everything went perfectly.

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Second No Date

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Okay, if Jim was honest with himself, he was a little afraid that Spock would turn down his suggestion for a second meeting. Fortunately, he didn't mention the last incident and didn't seem averse to trying again.

Nothing would go wrong this time!

... ...

... Sigh! This time it went just as wrong ...

To Jim's amazement, they weren't bothered by one of his exes, but Spock's female fan club! Who would have thought the guy had a fan club?! Not that Jim couldn't understand. The Vulcan was handsome, intelligent, his ears were adorable and ... Okay, now he sounded like he was going to join the club.

In the end it didn't matter. What mattered was how persistently the chickens sat at their table, bombarding Spock with the most absurd questions. Was he thinking of children? How did he imagine his wife? Wouldn't he be interested in getting to know his own child?

...Wow! It was all about kids and one of them was so bold and said loudly that she wanted Spock's babies. ...Wow! Just wow!

The Vulcan didn't really answer a question and asked the group often enough to leave their table so that he could help a cadet. But that only gave the girls the idea to ask Spock for tutoring, after all, they were so bad in these and which subjects.

If Jim hadn't been here with the same idea, he would have found these girls' behavior pathetic. ... ... As he thought about it and continued to watch these chickens, his own behavior seemed ridiculous to him. Since when did he have to use tricks to get someone on a date that he didn't even know was a date? That wasn't the Kirk style! People knew when he was interested.

Jim wasn't feeling well right now. He said goodbye to Spock without much explanation and left him alone with his fan club. He was James T. Kirk, after all, and not one of those lively girls fighting for attention. That was absurd and beneath his dignity. Even if Bones laughed at him after this story, he too had his pride. He ran after the Vulcan, practically begging for his affection. That would stop immediately! He tried! Spock showed no interest. The end of the story!

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Third No Date

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After a few days, Jim still couldn't stop thinking about that pointy eared bastard. Even if he banged his head against the wall to banish all thoughts of him, it was pointless. Bones just angrily reprimanded him and told him to keep it together and stop knocking the last bit of brain out of his skull. Maybe that was a good idea. His head already hurt... Why was it so hard to let go? It wasn't that he was unpopular or anything. Many would be happy to be with Jim.

... but many were not Spock.

... he thought of him again. Damn it!

Jim could have screamed loudly and it didn't get better as the week went on. He was already debating whether he should undergo psychiatric treatment. This Vulcan had to be removed from his head somehow!

In the end, it didn't help either that Spock contacted him and suggested a new meeting for tutoring. Jim didn't want to be a lovesick idiot! He wanted to forget the guy! But Spock wasn't responsible for his dilemma. The professor had kept his distance from the start and in no way encouraged Jim to act. For him it was just tutoring a cadet. Jim's dislike would confuse and possibly offend him, even if the Vulcans always claim to have no feelings. Also, Jim really enjoyed looking after I-Chaya. He didn't want Spock to refuse his help.

... that was all shit!

In the end, he agreed to try a third time and they both sat at the same table, in the same café, ready to begin tutoring. That was Jim's goal. He would stop acting like an idiot and just take the help he was promised. It would definitely do him good. In some subjects his grades really had to improve. Amazingly, Spock's explanations weren't as dry as he'd feared. Whenever the Vulcan noticed that Jim absolutely didn't understand something, he would change his tactics until he could find a reasonable explanation.

Jim had to admit that the tutoring wasn't all that bad, even if he found himself wishing for more. He would actually crack some jokes, use his Kirk charms, and try to embarrass Spock. It would be like a date even though it wasn't a date ... he really had to stop ...

"Mister Kirk?" Came it from Spock.

Jim came back from his dream world and shook his head slightly. He had lost focus. ... uh! And he chewed something absolutely bitter. He must have taken something out of the snack bowl without thinking.

"Mister Kirk," Spock began again, this time getting Jim's full attention. "I remember you once said you were allergic to Romulan nuts."

"Yes and?" As he followed Spock's gaze to the snack bowl, he realized what the Vulcan was getting at. That would explain the bitter taste in his mouth. "Crap!"

It wasn't long before Jim started showing symptoms and passed out.

The universe just had to hate him!

When he opened his eyes again, he was already in the hospital. Bones voice rang out nearby and Jim didn't have to look for him to know that his buddy was arguing with the staff. He was more surprised that Spock was sitting next to his bed. Both even looked at each other but said nothing. What should Jim say? What are you doing here? That sounded rude even in his mind.

"We should stop the tutoring thing. So far there have only been disasters!" He heard himself say and would have liked to hit his head against the wall at the same moment. What was that about being rude?!

"Indeed. Our meetings have not been very successful so far," agreed the Vulcan, glancing at his PADD for a moment before looking at Jim again. "I suggest considering a few changes for our next meeting."

Okay, he wasn't expecting this answer. "Which would be?" Jim asked instead.

"As people put it, let yourself be surprised."

Okay, he hadn't expected this too and had to laugh. "I agree! Surprise me!"

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Fourth No Date

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After a few days Spock had written to him and given him the new appointment. So far, Jim could only tell that the Vulcan no longer wanted to meet in the café. The tutoring would now take place directly at Spock's home. Jim had no problem with that, after all, he had only chosen the café so that the professor wouldn't feel uncomfortable. If Spock proposed his apartment, everything would be fine, wouldn't it? He worried too much. He had been there so many times to take care of I-Chaya. Jim knew the premises very well by now. There was nothing to fear. The only problem were his thoughts. He really had to be careful not to see the Vulcan as a potential partner any longer.

Jim repeated this over and over in his head, even as he was standing in front of Spock's door, getting formally greeted. "Good afternoon, Mister Kirk."

"Hi, Spock!"

At least they would be undisturbed and Jim wouldn't end up in a hospital. All in all, the professor's idea wasn't all that bad.

Spock led Jim into the living room, where I-Chaya immediately approached him. He knelt next to her and had his face licked extensively. "Hello my girl! Did you miss me?" As an answer she nestled her head against his chest, whereupon Jim scratched her even more intensely. "That means yes."

Spock gave them time to cuddle and meanwhile sat down at the small living room table. It took Jim and I-Chaya a while to break apart, but the Vulcan didn't say a word. Still, Jim was a little embarrassed. "Sorry!"

Spock only raised an eyebrow when he saw him sitting on the other side of the table. "An apology is illogical, Mister Kirk. Your connection with my sehlat is something positive as I accidentally neglect I-Chaya. I wouldn't want her to feel unloved."

"Mmh ..." It was strange when a Vulcan talked about love. After all, they always tried to deny that they had feelings. On the other hand, he had heard that Spock was half human. Did that make him feel different?

"Do we want to start the planned tutoring?" Spock asked.

Jim pushed all thoughts aside. "Yes of course."

Just like last time, learning wasn't as boring as feared. The Vulcan explained many things well and always made sure Jim understood them. All in all, he would do really well in the next few exams. It turned out that all the anger had somehow paid off in the end.

Jim could have sunk into the ground when his stomach began to growl, despite that he had a decent meal recently. Sometimes he was really amazed at how hungry he could get while thinking. But that was very bad timing.

"People like to say that they lack brain nourishment," came it from Spock and Jim had to laugh, embarrassed. Embarrassing.

The Vulcan, however, got up without another word and disappeared into the kitchen to return to their table with a tray. He put it between them and showed all kinds of fruits and vegetables, finely sliced on small plates. There was actually everything. Apples, bananas, melons, grapes, carrots and and and. Jim looked at his tutoring professor in amazement.

This one cocked his head slightly before answering the unspoken question. "It's not uncommon for people to consume nutrients during a learning process. I have already prepared for this occasion. Of course, I asked Mister McCoy's advice to rule out possible allergic reactions."

Translated: I prepared snacks for us and asked your buddy so you don't fall over again!

Jim didn't want to, but that was ... that was so ... no, he wouldn't think that ... but he had to ... that was just cute! In order to! Now he had thought it!

While Spock probably hadn't thought of anything big, it was a nice gesture for Jim. Their last meetings had been a disaster and it seemed that the Vulcan wanted to make this one a success. He didn't know if he really wanted to help Jim as a cadet or just thank him for his help with I-Chaya, but he had thought abou it. Just how Jim had puzzled over how he could make it easier for Spock and decided on the cafe, Spock had thought about how he could make it more comfortable for Jim. It was a small thing, but it meant a lot to him.

"Thank you, Spock."

"Thanks is illogical. I promised to help you and I will. We even have a lot of catching up to do, so it only makes sense that I provide the necessary food."

Jim laughed. Always a logical explanation.

It was amazing how the atmosphere has changed. The two of them just sat comfortably, ate the snacks and even talked about things other than the study material. Jim felt completely at ease and when he watched the Vulcan, he believed that he was also much more relaxed. Of course, the guy stayed relaxed when he reminded him that they weren't done yet, but Jim didn't really care. Because he came to a realization.

It was okay that Spock didn't want him. That didn't mean he didn't care about Jim. They had taken a few steps towards each other and that was worth a lot. He could spend time with him and maybe one day he could prove to this Vulcan that he was worth a try. It couldn't hurt to try, could it?