Fic: My Beautiful Human - Part 1

[ladytauriel]

Rating: Mature
Fandom: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Pairing: Spirk (Kirk/Spock)
Word Count: 12,265
Summary: Jim is an extraordinary human. He exceeds expectations constantly set for him in all areas of his life. His leadership abilities, his quick thinking, and his intellect are contributing factors in his potential for becoming a great starship captain. His fair colouring and symmetrical features are striking, making him stand out in a crowd of even the most aesthetically pleasing individuals. His mind is like a beaming sun, a warmth that Spock has missed on this cooler planet, pulling him in with all of its promising radiance.

When Jim smiles at Stalek, however, it is his heart and his love that make Jim the most beautiful Human that Spock has ever encountered.
Author's Notes: Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, I finally posted it. Dies. I never thought that I could write a fic this big in one go! Because I have an unhealthy obsession of turning everything I've ever watched into fanfiction, it's based on this Thai advertisement about female beauty and strength, called My Beautiful Woman. "Wacoal believes that are women were created to be beautiful," is the message of the company, WacoalThailand. Watch it right now if you haven't, and bring a tissue box. I cry every time without fail. Oh my god, I just watched it before posting this, and now I'm in tears. Again.

Thanks so much to LarielAris for beta-ing this fic and mentioning how cute it is! I really hope it is cute for the rest of you, and touching as well.

Spock stands in his black professor uniform, at ready position at the back of the classroom. He’s behind the sea of parents ready to watch their children perform an honorary intercultural respectful family ritual. Nine parents take the stage, one for each student in this day care division. A tenth seat remains vacant. Spock's gaze shifts to the Vulcan child, who stands with perfect posture and hands folded behind his back, his face carefully schooled blank. He does not show outward anticipation, but Spock can discern his anxiousness, as the child states at the empty seat.

“Where are you?” he pings Jim over his person PADD number. “The ceremony is about to begin.”

“I'm running, okay?” comes his almost immediate response. “Physical running, starting now. I already told you, I was taking my final, and I was the firsts one out the door, too. Do you think they'll wait for me? I'll be another two minutes, literally.”

“I will make sure that it does not begin without you,” Spock assures him.

~

Spock sat at the desk in the front of the classroom of Advanced Xenolinguistics, observing the array of uniformed cadets file out of the room slowly, like a sea of red. Amongst the forty six students present, his class contained the presence of Cadet James Tiberius Kirk.

The previous night, at precisely the time of twenty hundred, Spock had begun grading the papers his students had submitted into the Academy database that night. It was the beginning of the third academic year for the aforementioned cadets. The vigorous curriculum for cadets involved in both the Communications and Command track at the Starfleet Academy called for a challenging essay assignment, the first of the year. It was on the roots of the Vulcan and Romulan languages, both verbal and physical, and the effect on diplomatic relationships of said peoples from the time of First Contact. Spock had mastered the topic at the age of fifteen with his superior Vulcan learning capacity and the employment of the Vulcan education. However, it was a thorough and demanding study, often not attaining the understanding of even twenty-year-old, being a large percent human, cadets.

It was a most pleasant surprise to come across a paper most worthy of note, exemplary by not only human standards, but Vulcan ones as well. It contained accurate, relevant research and profound understanding of the subject matter. It was one never expected by students that were not Vulcan of origin.. It contained a sense of intimacy and understanding of Vulcan language, culture, and history, regularly present only among members of the Vulcan kind. However, the named signed in the heading of the paper, "James T. Kirk", was a human name. To Spock's extensive knowledge, no half-Vulcans existed besides himself, neither in the Starfleet Academy, nor in the whole Federation.

Spock, interested in Cadet Kirk's intimate and unusually thorough, for a human, knowledge, searched the Academy databases to learn more about the cadet. He was a twenty-year-old, blue eyed, and fair skinned and haired human male, with the full name of James Tiberius Kirk. His parents were Captain George Kirk of the USS Kelvin and Lieutenant Commander Winona Kirk. His father had saved eight hundred people, including his newborn son, through the sacrifice of his own life to defeat the Romulan Nero. Spock knew of George Kirk, as the war with the Romulans was a studied event throughout the Federation, as well as the birth of his son during the altercation, but Spock had not made the association between father and son upon first seeing Cadet Kirk on the first day of classes three point two weeks ago. From the photograph provided on the database, Spock recognised Cadet Kirk as the human who had sat down in the first row during the first class of the academic year, accompanied only by Cadet Uhura, with whom Spock was already closely acquainted. Kirk had continued to sit in the first row, unintimidated by, as Spock had been led to believe by Cadet Uhura, the Vulcan's "terrorisation". It was true that Spock's course and grading scale were difficult to succeed in, and that his lectures often included the persistent asking of difficult questions on Spock’s part, but the participation in answering them was never involuntary. Cadet Kirk, when engaged in listening instead of taking notes, often volunteered to supply answers. Cadet Uhura was the other cadet, who was known for responding to Spock. Often, after the response of one cadet, the second would engage the other in a friendly bordering on competitive argument. In the past three weeks, in the span of which only six lectures had come to pass, Spock never thought to inquire as to the blonde man's name.

Now, through the crowd of cadets, Spock stared at Cadet Kirk as he hurriedly packed up his belongings on the far left of the lecture hall. He had been visibly startled by the sound of the bell, and was being held up by inability to fit a physical, paper textbook - a rare commodity - into his thin bag. Giving up, he stood up swiftly with the textbook in hand and all but ran towards the direction of the exit. The path led him past Spock's desk, where Spock was waiting for his approach.

"Cadet Kirk," Spock said clearly, halting Kirk's hurry past his desk.

Kirk turned to look at him, a strained expression reigning over his aesthetically pleasing features. He shifted for foot to foot, his discomfort and urgency at leaving the becoming evident through his body language. "Yes, Professor?"

"May we please speak before you exit the classroom? It is of the matter of the paper submitted last night. I see that you are required elsewhere, so I can assure you that our conversation will last no more than five to ten Terran minutes." Seeing Kirk's eyes shift nervously to the clock upon the lecture hall's wall, Spock felt compelled to add, "Your in-depth knowledge of Vulcan and Romulan history, as well as your familiarity with otherworldly customs, is most surprising, yet not unpleasant. Your paper was most exemplary. Comparable, undoubtedly, to the product of Vulcan's own teaching."

At that, Kirk's expression shifted, and excitement seemed to dance in his eyes. They were an unearthly blue in their proximity to Spock, and he was illogically reminded of clouds clearing from the expanse of the light blue, pleasing Terran sky.

"I would love to, Professor Spock, really - Vulcan language and diplomatic history is my acquired taste, you know? -, but I really have to get going today," Kirk responded, already walking backwards towards the exit, which was now mostly clear of cadets. "I can talk to you next week before class? If I stay a minute now, I'm doomed! Bones - my friend - will kill me! Choke me with his bare hands! I really can't make him late to his own class!”

With that, he turned and ran out the door, leaving a discomforting calm in his wake.

Spock, never having casually observed or been bothered with the cadets' exiting habits from the academic year, would have been surprised at Kirk's unusually hasty exit. However, his subconscious supplied the photographic memory of briefly seeing Kirk as the first to leave the classroom on all five occasions before this one, as well. It was unusual, indeed, as the Terran time was sixteen hundred thirty, signifying the end of classes for all Cadets on the standard track, attending morning and afternoon classes. Before the beginning of the evening classes, a one and a half hour-long passing period took place, signifying either the opportunity for Kirk to retreat to his flat or spend the time at his leisure before an evening course.

Confused, uncertain, and unfamiliar with this particular human, Spock turned to Cadet Uhura. She was the only remaining body in the room besides himself, waiting patiently for Spock in front of his desk.

"Cadet Uhura," Spock said in greeting, acknowledging his thanks for her company.

"Nyota," she corrected, not for the first time.

"Cadet Uhura," Spock persisted, unwilling to move to an air of familiarity with a student. He was aware of Nyota's romantic interest in him, and he did believe himself able to reciprocate a part of her regard, but he knew it would take time, at least, to be ready to grant her a satisfactory relationship with his feelings towards her. "I would like to inquire about the cadet with whom I just spoke briefly, James T. Kirk. I am uncertain as to why he is busy at this time, on the Terran day before the arrival of the end of the week, and during the time when no classes take place. I have observed both of you in my class over the past three weeks. From the evidence I have gathered of your common arguments, I have noted a degree of familiarity between you. Do you know him?"

"Kirk?" Cadet Uhura responded reluctantly, her symmetrical and visibly pleasing features shifting into a displeased expression. "I wouldn't say that I know him. No one really knows him, except his friend Leonard McCoy, who he just referred to as Bones, on the medical track. If you would like to know more about his after-class activities, I'm not the one to ask, really."

Spock observed her for a moment. "You are displeased with me for speaking of him. Do you harbour distaste for Cadet Kirk that has its roots beyond your disagreement over xenolinguistic approaches?"

"Not as much as I used to," she responded. "Before he joined Starfleet, we met in a bar, where I had the unfortunate experience of being propositioned by him. I declined, obviously. He never bothered me after that, but it has always been slightly more difficult for me to accept him as a reasonable, intelligent human over a drunk haggard."

Spock felt a disappointment stir within him, and he scolded himself for illogically forming expectations of individuals with whom he was not familiar in the least. "He is prone to sexual proclivity?" Spock asked with inflection in his tone.

Nyota visibly hesitated before responding. "You should know something about Kirk, Spock. He... He has a son. He is only twenty, and his son, who I’ve only seen across the main Academy quad, looks four, maybe five." She waited for Spock to acknowledge her words, but he did not, merely pondering this new information and waiting for her to continue. "He's known as a notorious player at the Academy, but I don't know to what extent the rumours are true. They say that he is involved with a woman, got her pregnant when they were sixteen, broke up with her, but is now helping her raise this child. It seems quite irresponsible to be having flings with anything that can move when he has a child to take care of and a mother to support, even if they aren't officially together."

Spock blinked at Uhura, attempting to school his features into not revealing his continuous puzzlement. It was most embarrassing. "Do you think it possible that he is taking the free time that he has been granted to take care of his child? One might consider this an act of great responsibility instead of the opposite."

Uhura looked uncomfortable, yet not angry with Spock's half-reprimand. "I don't know what to think, Spock. Like I said, no one asks him about his personal life, and he definitely never talks to anyone about it. He's all smiles, arguments, truly telling high marks, and 'sexual proclivity', but he doesn't let many get past that." She smiled at Spock. "Maybe if you talk to him, you'll get past that? I may constantly be in disagreement with him, but it does pain me to see him painted in a constant, not necessarily accurate black light. Anyone deserves more than that."

The isolation factor of James Kirk matched in style with the unexplained knowledge the human man possessed of interplanetary languages and history. This garnered Spock's interest once again. "Thank you for the information, Cadet Uhura," Spock responded, gathering his belongings from his desk. "I will consider initiating conversation with him at a later time. Good afternoon."

With a nod, he exited the lecture hall, thinking of the unknown James T. Kirk and all of the mysteries that he held.

~

Spock sees Jim run into the hall, no longer wearing the cadet reds that he must have adorned while taking the examination. He is wearing tight jeans and a long-sleeve blue shirt, both of which outline his frame and colouring. A large bag hangs over his shoulder, evidently containing his school supplies and said uniform. He looks around, standing on the tips of his toes to gage a frame of reference over the tall figures in front of him. He is out of place, alone in non-uniform apparel amongst a crowd of decorated officers. A human male in the uniform of a lieutenant commander turns to glance at Kirk, before doing a double take. His eyes narrow with a disdain that Spock does not care for. Spock walks towards Jim, passing in front of the man whilst raising a pointed eyebrow at him, immediately causing the man to blush and turn away. When Jim sees Spock, his eyes brighten in recognition and the side his mouth quirks up in a smile.

"Your presence is required on the vacant seat upon the stage for the ceremony to begin," Spock tells him, removing the bag from Jim's shoulder and titling his head towards the left side of the room. Jim sees Stalek waiting expectantly with the Terran children, the boy’s only sign of distress being the slight twitching of his fingers where they lie limp at his sides.

"Stalek!" Jim calls out, jumping excitedly up and waving. When Stalek sees him, he raises his small hand in a ta'al. Not much in his expression changes, but Spock can discern the slight relaxation of the boy's shoulders. Jim sticks his tongue out at him childishly, and Stalek fixes him with a stern, reprimanding expression. A thin eyebrow lifts slowly on Stalek’s face, and Spock feels proud. It was Spock's "behaviour around illogical humans" that Stalek had copied.

Spock finds it amusing, as it may sometimes seem that the roles of father and son between Jim and Stalek are reversed. Jim glances his way, and Spock inclines his head, indicating that he has indeed been following their internal monologue, and is now once again convinced that they are the most puzzling of pairs. However, despite all odds, they match.

~

When Spock saw Cadet Kirk again, it was one point two four days later, in Golden Gate Park, where Spock spent his weekly leisurely pass of time. As a past student at the Academy and as a current instructor, the only small part of the planet to which he was subjected was the city of San Francisco. It encompassed the Starfleet Academy, making room for it by expanding its area over the past century. However, it remained a historical city, a place both new and old, full of advanced technology and interplanetary immigrants, yet also of Terran background of the twenty first century. The Japanese Tea Garden, located in Golden Gate Park, was a particular favourite of Spock’s. It held both extensive flora of the Japanese country, as well as its available teas for purchase. Despite the great cultural differences and occasional overflow of both Terran and non-Terran tourists, the serenity and peace offered by the Japanese scenery reminded Spock of Vulcan, feeling soothing to him. In addition, the offered tea was unusual yet not unpleasant in flavour. Spock was content to spend one to two hours of his time each Saturday in the Japanese Tea Garden, to be embraced by a peaceful side of his human heritage as well as take time to ponder over certain matters that he was required to tend to later.

Spock, having finished drinking his regular two cups of jasmine tea, made his way out of the Japanese Tea Garden and onto the Golden Gate Park’s public streets. They were closed for vehicles, available only for pedestrians, and yet they held the same width and fervour of the other San Francisco streets Spock had encountered in his explorations of the city. It was down these streets, approximately twenty five meters ahead, that Spock suddenly noticed the presence of James T. Kirk. With ringing laughter, he was chasing a small, dark-haired child, whose hair was of medium length, extending a few centimetres past his shoulder. The child was wearing loose jeans and a blue t-shirt, similar to the cadet’s own informal attire. From afar, Spock saw Kirk catch up to the boy and encircle him in his arms, lifting him over his head as the boy kicked in an attempt to escape, before settling him down. Kirk performed a three slow punches in the direction of the boy, which the child parried flawlessly. Afterward, Cadet Kirk and the boy remained in an immobile position, allowing Spock to walk towards them.

Spock approached, his interest at the sight before him highly piqued. It was apparent to Spock that the rumours in regards to the man’s son were not false, and that his hypothesis that Kirk spent time with his son at his leisure to be correct. Not being familiar with Kirk, Spock felt a twinge of uncertainty at the thought of attempting at starting a conversation, even possibly engaging in the human practise of small talk. However, as he had made a note to himself to talk to the human, it would be a waste of opportunity to simply let this one go unpassed.

When Spock found himself close enough to the two figures to be able to discern the details of their appearances, he was struck with an intense shock that forced him to halt his movement and blink twice, to calm himself and prevent himself from overreacting in a highly emotional, and thus illogical, manner. It was impossible, and yet the evidence was before his assessing and calculating eyes: the child was Vulcan.

While this immediately offered an explanation to the Cadet’s extensive and intimate knowledge of Vulcan that had the statistical likeliness of ninety eight point nine two percent, it offered a multitude of new questions, all of which Spock was determined to ask. He was aware of human customs however, and knew that engaging in such an act of question could be known either as ‘interrogation’ or ‘prying’, and would not a pleasant or even polite course of action. Instead of walking forward with the intent of speaking, Spock simply made his presence known by coming to stand at attention in the periphery of Cadet Kirk’s vision.

Kirk looked up briefly before looking back down at his son, then snapping his head towards Spock once again in recognition. He straightened his back and snapped a salute, and Spock nodded at him in his direction to relieve him. They were both out of uniform - Spock was wearing Vulcan robes, but it was respectful to acknowledge a higher-ranking individual’s position in a situation such as this. The Vulcan boy - Kirk’s son, if the fact still stood - curiously watched and observed their interaction.

“Good afternoon, Cadet Kirk,” Spock greeted him. “It is unexpected to see you here. In my five point two three years of being involved with the Starfleet Academy in the city of San Francisco, I have never encountered individuals that I recognised in this vicinity.”

“It surprises me to see you here, as well, Professor Spock,” Kirk responded, shifting on his feet in what appeared to be self-doubt. His eyes flitted to his left, where the boy patiently waited, informing Spock of the cadet’s internal worries. “This is… ah… Stalek, my son. Stalek, this is Professor Spock from the Starfleet Academy. He is my Advanced Xenolinguistics instructor. He’s also Vulcan, like you, as you can already see by his face.”

Spock regarded Stalek, a young male Vulcan appearing extremely out of place with his uncut hair and human apparel, and decided to offer the sign of the ta’al, despite not being certain of whether or not it would be understood. “Peace and long life, Stalek,” Spock offered.

It was pleasing to see Stalek reciprocate the gesture. “It is nice to meet you, Professor Spock.” After a brief moment of thought, the corners of his lips twitched upwards - a completely unusual and fascinating notion - and asked, “Is my father successfully ‘kicking the asses’, so to speak, of all of his fellow peers in the Advanced Xenolinguistics course? He consistently reminds me of his need to be the best in his class to complete his command track at the end of this year.”

The corner of Spock’s mouth twitched as well. Despite being Vulcan, Stalek had began acquiring a human conversational pattern due to his emotionally unsuppressing, human parent. Approximately four years old, Stalek had the Vulcan intelligence to process more difficult concepts than a human of the same age, and it was possible that Cadet Kirk was still having difficulties being accustomed to the differences between Humans and Vulcans in childhood. Spock’s eyes wandered to Kirk, whose cheekbones contained a minuscule patch of red to represent embarrassment, and he had an expression of guilt on his face. He affectionately gave Stalek a slap to the back of his hand, but its gentleness turned the action into a vigorous ruffling of hair. Stalek made a displeased sound and pushed his father’s hand away, but the action had already been done. The neat hair, tucked behind the boy’s ears, was now considerably less smooth.

“That’s what you get for telling on me, Stalek,” Kirk told him informatively. Turning to Spock, he said, “Sorry about that. He’s right, I did say that, but I promise to not be a burden with my ambitious plans.”

“I am not concerned,” Spock assured him. “In fact, the paper which you produced is evidence that you are, indeed, ‘kicking the asses’ of your peers. It was a paper of great quality, which I have not yet seen amongst this or the classes of my previous two years of teaching in the Academy.”

Seeing the brightened expression upon the human’s face, Spock boldly continued, “Is it inappropriate of me to request our delayed conversation with you at this time? Even though, with the knowledge that you are the father of a Vulcan boy, there are many likely explanations for how you are so well-informed in Vulcan language, culture, and history. I would not be averse to listening to the details. I understand if you decline, however. If it is in regards to your family, there are obvious reasons for the need for privacy, which I swear not to breach.”

Kirk looked at Spock, appearing to be considering something, his gaze scrutinizing and calm. After four point eight three seconds, he said, “I’m willing to talk to you about it, just not here.” His eyes flicked meaningfully to Stalek, who was in the process of straightening his hair and thus oblivious to their conversation, and Spock understood it to mean that the child’s company for such discussion was not needed.

“Very well,” Spock replied, satisfied with the progress of his interaction with James Kirk. “If you have your PADD with you, I will not be averse to providing you with my contact information, in the case that you have time to spend at your leisure, independent of your son, or if you have questions in regards to anything on the matter of the Vulcan people.”

Kirk looked momentarily shocked, the emotion in his expression then changing from confusion to understanding, from understanding to indignity, from indignity to relief, and from relief to gratefulness. Kirk removed his PADD from the bag hanging on his shoulder, and he handed it to Spock. “Thank you, Professor,” he told him earnestly.

After entering his private PADD number into Kirk’s contacts and returning the device to its owner, Spock regarded both Stalek and Kirk.

“Thanks are unnecessary but appreciated,” he told them, raising his hand in the sign of the ta’al once again. “Live long and prosper,” he concluded before walking around them to continue on his way to his flat.

Part 2