Spirk - Yours

Chapter 13

The next day turned out to be as uneventful as the previous one. Kirk and the crew continued checking each system, but nothing seemed to be turning up. Fortunately, there weren't any major malfunctions—just a few reports of stubborn doors and weird replicator behavior. When the day was nearing its end, Kirk consulted with Spock and decided to call off the search until they had more information, or something more serious happened.

As a result, the following days continued to lack excitement; the Enterprise was now on a delivery mission transporting some medical supplies to a deep space colony on Altair VI. The system was still many days away, so the crew found themselves with plenty of free time to relax. Furthermore, the malfunctions had decreased somewhat, with only one or two occurrences a day. Since they had so far been trivial matters—and since previous attempts to find the errors had failed—Kirk decided to assign only a small team to work on the issue.

Regarding Kirk and Spock's relationship, things had been moving along quite nicely. Spock had begun to spend more time in Kirk's quarters than his own—a fact that McCoy never failed to bring up. He seemed to think the pair of them were hilarious, but deep down, McCoy knew he was happy for them.

On this particular afternoon, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy had just finished their duty shifts and were walking down the corridor together. Their uneventful mission had finally given them time to relax, and all three men were looking forward to a good meal.

When they arrived at one of the rec rooms, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy moved toward the replicators to order their food. McCoy went first, then joined Scotty and Sulu at a table in the corner.

"Mmmm. I'm so hungry," Kirk commented to Spock. "I can't wait to eat a big, juicy cheeseburger."

"Jim, you would be wise to select a more nourishing meal," Spock told him. "The events of last week have put you under high levels of stress, and your body is undoubtedly suffering as a result."

"Oh, come on, Spock," Kirk replied. "I'm fine. It's not going to kill me."

"You must eat food that will nourish you properly," Spock insisted.

Kirk sighed and turned toward Spock, opening his mouth to protest further. However, after seeing the look on Spock's face, Kirk's words suddenly died in his throat.

Spock's eyes were full of caring concern, while the rest of his expression remained as impassive as ever. Kirk knew Spock better than most, though, and could tell when he was being truly sincere.

"Oh, all right," Kirk grumbled, turning back to the replicator.

Spock's face softened a little. After Kirk's food was finished being prepared, he followed the Captain to a table in the corner. As they sat down, Scotty, Sulu, and McCoy halted their conversation to greet them.

"Is that a salad you're eating?" McCoy asked suddenly, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"Yes, Bones, I can decide to be healthy once in a while you know," Kirk declared.

Ignoring him, McCoy immediately turned toward Spock. "How did you do it? What is your secret?" he asked incredulously, leaning forward slightly in his chair. 

Spock raised an eyebrow. "I merely made a suggestion to the Captain about which option would provide him with the greatest amount of nourishment," he replied.

McCoy leaned back again, a knowing smirk on his face. "Well, I've given him plenty of advice and he never seems to want to listen to me," McCoy nodded his head toward the Captain.
"Whatever Vulcan trick you used, it must have been one hell of a suggestion," he added, looking smug.