Chapter Text
Decontaminating the Enterprise from the aspergillum fungus nearly caused them to go off course to the nearest Starbase, but ultimately, with the whole crew working double shifts for a week, they finally managed it.
“I think we’re all due for a little R&R,” Jim said during one of their chess matches soon after the crisis had passed. “Have we mapped any suitable planets?”
“There is one, Captain, M-Class and seemingly suitable. It will require further scans and a survey team to go down and evaluate safety for the rest of the crew,” Spock replied.
“Good, let’s do that. Have the course computed and laid in. Check and mate.”
Spock felt the corners of his mouth turn down. Even while distracted by thoughts of shore leave, Jim had defeated him.
For his part, Jim just smiled and said, “Better luck next time, Spock.”
“There is no luck in chess,” Spock replied.
“Well, better strategizing, then,” Jim corrected himself.
“If you will excuse me, I believe I must return to my quarters to fulfill your order,” Spock said, getting up from the desk.
“Yes, all right, Spock. See you on the Bridge tomorrow.”
“Indeed,” Spock replied and left for his quarters.
Morale lifted nearly instantly as soon as the news of the course change and its purpose spread throughout the ship. Chatter filled the halls and various rooms of the ship. Plans were made and discussions were had, speculating about what the planet would be like and what the members of the crew were going to do first upon arrival.
Spock did not join in with the conversations that took place. Shore leave did not appeal to him and his morale did not degrade like the rest of the crew’s did. In fact, if the Captain would allow it, he planned to stay in the labs studying the samples brought back by the survey team from the planet after they arrived. Captain Pike had often required Spock to take time away from his duties during shore leave, but he did not yet know what Kirk would do.
They arrived at the planet after a quiet few days of travel. The Captain gave the order for Spock to assemble a survey team and meet him in the transporter room as soon as the scans deemed the planet safe enough to beam down.
“You are joining the team, Captain?” Spock asked.
“Captain’s prerogative, Mr. Spock. I don’t like sending crew somewhere I’m not willing to go myself.”
And that was how they ended up here. Trapped in a cave where the entrance had collapsed, even though Spock himself had deemed it relatively stable. They had been fifteen meters from the entrance when Spock’s tricorder tone had changed along with the readout, quickly followed by a roof collapse that could have killed them both, had Jim not grabbed him and pulled him away from immediate danger, sending them to the ground.
Unfortunately, Jim had been hit by a rock on their way to the cave floor as evidenced by the blood staining his forehead that Spock could just make out in the dim light of his tricorder.
Which was how Spock found himself seated very near where Jim had fallen with Jim’s head on his uniform shirt which Spock had folded into a crude pillow, and laid on his legs. Jim had not yet regained consciousness, but Spock’s tricorder indicated his vital signs were stable and their situation was not immediately life threatening, though a medi-scanner would have given more detail on the Jim’s condition.
Their phasers and communicators had been lost under the rockfall, as well. He was certain of an eventual rescue, the rest of the survey team was near the cave entrance when the collapse occurred and Mr. Scott would not leave them without an attempt to retrieve them. For now, there was nothing to be done, but wait and monitor their situation.
He heard the Jim’s breathing change and become somewhat ragged, likely with pain, before he spoke.
“Where am I? Oh, ow…” Jim said.
“Do not try to move, I do not know the exact nature of the injuries you have sustained.”
“Spock? My head is killing me. What happened? Last thing I remember we were with the survey team on the planet.”
“We still are, we are in a chamber in a collapsed cave.”
“Okay, that tracks with what I remember. Hell of a shore leave, so far. What of a rescue?”
“I assume that the Enterprise is working to locate us,” Spock said.
“You don’t know? Where are our communicators?”
“Under the rockfall along with our phasers.”
“So, where’s that light coming from?”
“My tricorder display.” It was just enough to add texture to the darkness of the cave even now that Spock’s eyes had fully adjusted to the situation. He felt Jim move, possibly trying to sit up. Spock reached for his shoulder to push him back down.
“I’m all right, Spock, I don’t think anything’s broken and I can feel my toes and fingers.”
“I would still prefer you to stay put until a medical team has assessed your condition.”
“Probably wise,” Jim said as he stopped fighting against Spock’s grasp and relaxed. “Spock, can your tricorder tell if anyone’s on the other side to rescue us?”
Spock held the tricorder up and took a reading. “Several life signs, but I cannot tell more.”
“Good,” Jim said and then he, rather uncharacteristically, let out a giggle.
“Is there something amusing?” Spock said.
“You wouldn’t understand, I’m afraid. It’s terribly Human of me.”
“I possess Human ancestry, Jim.”
“Do you? Well that’s fascinating, Spock. I had no idea. If you must know, it was how you looked in the tricorder light… I’ve never seen you from this angle before.”
“And that amused you?” Spock said evenly, not betraying his confusion or the small hurt the Captain had inflicted by laughing at Spock’s appearance.
“No, that was my own thoughts. I don’t think I’m in my right mind, Spock. After all, how could I not have noticed...”
“Captain?” Spock asked, checking Jim’s vital signs again with the tricorder. They had not drastically changed, but there was a small increase in heart rate and respiration.
“Just stunning…” Jim said and Spock felt his arm move at the shoulder briefly, before Jim seemed to think better of whatever he was doing and put his arm back down.
“You are not making much sense,” Spock said.
“That’s odd, I don’t think that anything has ever made more sense to me than this moment.”
“Jim?”
“Yes, Spock?”
“I suspect you have sustained some degree of concussion,” he held the tricorder close the Jim’s face and looked into his eyes. The pupils were different sizes and Jim flinched away from the light so close to his face. “As I suspected.”
“Well, that explains some things, but not how I was so blind before.”
“I do not follow, Jim,”
“No, neither do I really. I’m glad it’s you I’m trapped in this cave with.”
“Why?” Spock asked, he was curious for the answer, but also needed to keep Jim conscious and make sure he did not become unresponsive. He was already showing confusion and a heightened emotional state based on what he was saying.
“Because you’re one of my favorite people on the ship. Possibly one of my favorite people I’ve ever met. That’s why.”
“I see,” Spock said, he felt something he couldn’t immediately identify at Jim’s statement.
“I suppose Vulcans don’t have favorites. Not logical, really.”
“We do have preferences, but I have never taken the time to categorize them as you apparently have.”
Jim hummed, “No, I don’t suppose you would.”
Spock heard it then, the sounds of rocks shifting and supports being moved into place, people yelling instructions to one another.
“I believe our rescue is imminent,”
“Spock… I just want you to know that, head injury or no, I meant what I said.”
Spock did not have time to reply before a large rock shifted, revealing blinding light and eventually worried faces of their crew.
“How is he, Doctor?” Spock asked when McCoy entered.
“I’ve repaired the damage, just waiting for him to come out of sedation. It was quite a knock on the head he took, but luckily Jim’s head is made of sterner stuff. You can go in and wait for him to wake up if you want.”
Spock gazed down at the man in the bio bed. The man who had saved his life today and would likely do it again, given their professions. It was the Captain’s duty to safeguard the lives of his crew. However, it was not duty that had made Jim spend sufficient time together for Jim to consider Spock a favorite, as he had put it. No one had ever looked at Spock and declared that before.
He remembered how uncertain he had felt at the arrival of this new captain. Those feelings had faded away with time, replaced with a new admiration.
Jim’s eyes fluttered open then and when he saw Spock, he smiled with an undeniable expression of fondness.
Spock knew then that he would do anything he could for him, his captain. His friend.