Title: Journey through Our Past
Fandom: Star Trek: the Original Series
Pairing: none
Rating: G
Length: 716
Content notes: none
Author note: Also for Gen prompt bingo: honesty
Summary: After the event in Journey to the Babel, Jim and Spock have a late night conversation in the sickbay.

"Spock?" Jim called for his friend. The sickbay was dimly lit, and Jim could hardly see Spock. "Are you awake? "

"Yes, Captain, " came Spock's calm answer from his right side.
Jim started turning towards him, and gasped when he pulled his newly healed wound. He lied back down and asked, "Are you alright? "

"The surgery is successful, and I expect I will be able to return to duty in 48.9 hours, barring Doctor McCoy's illogical opposition. "

Jim laughed. "It may not look like it, but he cares about you too. "

"I have long accepted the illogic of Doctor McCoy’s peculiar band of care, " Spock said. "Meanwhile, Captain, how about you? Delayed treatment of a major wound can lead to a lot of complications... "

Jim winced when he heard Spock's subtle criticism, care and worry. He hated when his friends worried for him, but given a chance, he would do this again. "I took a calculated risk."

"Captain, " Spock sighed. "Your decision put yourself and the ship in danger. As your First Officer, I am obligated to take over temporary command to fulfill the mission's prerogative, and Sarek understands that. "

"No one can fault you for your commitment to duty, or your integrity to make hard decisions, and don't let anyone blame you for that. " Jim softened his voice. "But a captain's responsible for his crew. It is a negligence to let my crew be unduly punished for their sense of duty, and if I can do anything to achieve a better outcome, I will."

After a period of silence, Spock said, "You should take better care of yourself, Jim. "

Jim's heart warmed up. "Same for you too. The fleet invested a lot in us both, and yes, no need to quote the exact figure. " Then Jim grinned, "Why don't you tell me about your childhood, besides owning a giant size teddy bear with very long sharp claws? I would envy you so much as a kid, but I only had a pet bird. I would like a dog, but Sam was allergic."

"What kind of birds did you keep? "

Jim saw the diversion as it was, but he answered the question anyway. "Lucy was a cockatiel, and it was love at first sight for me. She napped on my shoulders when I read my books, and nipped my fingers to ask me to pet her. If I went outside, she would follow me from a window to another to keep me in her sight. People said dogs were humans’ best friends, but Lucy was my first best friend. "

"I-chaya loved to wrap itself around me when I read too. "

"It must be very comfortable and warm. Does the name mean anything? "

"Sarek named it, and I did not ask him about that. "

"What kind of books did you read? "

"Mathematics, logic, history, science and Surak's teaching for my education."

"I love science too. When I was six, my parents gave me a beautiful book that talked about how the universe, the stars, and life began, I read it so many times that I could recite it at heart. It was so fascinating to about a wide world beyond us. I often watched the stars and wondered what would be like there. "

"I also watched the stars quite often, and dropped extensive notes of their behaviour and appearance. "

"It was so you. Imagine that we might watch the same star at the same time as kids. It was really awesome. "

"Considering the self rotation of Earth and Vulcan, their relative positions in the galaxy and our locations on the planets, it is quite unlikely, " Spock said. "But I would appreciate a chance for that. "

"It's never too late. Meet me at the observation deck after our next shifts? "

"Very well. I accepted your invitation. However, right now you needed rest to recover your strength."

"You too, Spock. Good Night. "

"Good night, Jim. " Spock paused for a moment. "While I cannot agree with your action, I appreciate your sentiment. "

"It's nothing, Spock. You'll do the same for me. " Jim's eyes warmed up. How lucky he was to have Spock as a friend, as he knew how hard it was for Spock to admit to his feeling. "Alright, before I turn all mushy and embarrass you, Night. "

"Good night, Jim. "