Title: Ask and Receive
Author: klmeri
Fandom: Star Trek AOS
Pairing: Kirk/Spock/McCoy
Summary: There is a master plan to befriend Spock. Jim and Leonard don’t always follow it accordingly. It works better than expected.
A/N: If you don’t know by now, I go through these episodes where I need to write something ridiculously cute and/or cracky centered around my favorite pairing. My only excuse is that this OT3 makes the world a better place by simply existing.
Or read at AO3

day one

At the bottom of a cliff, waves boom like cannon fire against the rocks, and seal-like creatures take turns diving in and out of the tide. Farther to the west, there is a long silver strip of beach which sprouts away from the cliff. Upon it stands a pair of men. The sea air is trying to tangle their short hair into knots.

Wearing a look of discomfort, the human named Leonard McCoy turns to his companion and says, “I think we’re being watched, Jim.”

James Kirk stops in the motion of scratching at his bare shoulder (his entire upper torso is bare, in fact) to glance around. His gaze moves along the nearly empty beach, skips past a Vulcan fine-tuning a tricorder, and skims the line of the tall cliff. When his eyes return to McCoy, a small smile—a somewhat dangerous smile—is playing about the corners of his mouth. “If someone’s watching us, Bones, let them. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

“Clearly not,” quips his friend in a dry tone, hugging a towel to his own chest.

Jim’s smile widens as he reaches out to pluck at the edge of the towel. With a deepening scowl, Leonard moves out of range. Jim follows him, a twinkle alight in his eyes. He teases, “Aw, don’t be shy.”

“I’m not shy and you didn’t have to put that bug down my shirt so you could steal it! What if it had been poisonous?”

“I did ask Spock to scan it first.” Unrepentant truly should have been Jim Kirk’s middle name from birth. “We need to take advantage of a good situation, Bones. We have two hours to frolic like children before Scotty fixes the transporter and pulls us back to the ship.”

“Oh,” Leonard says darkly, “one of us is a child all right.”

Jim sighs, the mischief in his eyes no less diminished. “The things I have to do to get you to play with me…”

Leonard purses his mouth just for a split second, like he might be considering the advantages of continuing their argument, before throwing his towel at Jim’s head and taking off across the beach. Jim lets out a whoop and sprints after him. He catches up in no time because McCoy isn’t trying to outrun him. They go down in a tangle of limbs. Eventually, Leonard uses his elbow to win the wrestling match and flips Jim face-first onto the wet beach so he can sit on him. Then he begins to scoop handfuls of sand onto Jim’s shoulders and upper back, saying something about making a castle if they’re going to act a quarter of their age. Jim can be heard laughing.

For the duration of Kirk and McCoy’s childish antics, the tricorder hangs limp and forgotten in Spock’s hand. His official report to Starfleet Command will imply he spent two hours stranded on the planet observing natural phenomena. Concerning what that phenomena was, of course, there will be no mention.

~~~
day three

An informal invitation is issued to the first officer of the Enterprise to join the captain and chief medical officer for an evening drink. The invitation is turned down, albeit politely.

The matter cannot be addressed immediately due to a four-day stint in which Kirk goes missing. The Enterprise makes the mistake of engaging in a rendezvous with a Federation sister-ship. Said ship has a chief engineer bearing a grudge for a slight several years past. Once Jim’s molecules are extracted from the Jefferies tubes and reassembled into a living, breathing person, Spock joins Kirk and McCoy for the next drink without having to be asked.

~~~
day eight

The officers’ mess is crowded, noisy, and smells like the lunch special. Doctor McCoy and Commander Spock are seated at a table by themselves, the latter eating mechanically while the former alternates between picking at his replicated meatloaf and glaring at various parts of the room.

A pair of friendly faced ensigns approach an unoccupied portion of the (unofficial) senior officers’ table. The CMO’s glare transfers to them, not losing one iota of its intensity. In fact, it seems to be daring them to make the stupid choice. The young men share a wide-eyed look before hastily moving along to sit with a group of boisterous engineers.

“He’s supposed to be here by now,” snarls Leonard once their immediate vicinity is clear of intruders.

“The Captain will come.” Spock sounds as he usually does when stating a fact.

The doctor hunches over his plate, sinking farther into his disillusionment with one James Tiberius Kirk. “He’s always late.”

“If the matter was urgent, he would not be late.”

“Stop arguin’ with me, Spock!”

Spock pauses in eating to stare at the human, a lime-green nutrient cube speared by his fork. “Why do you assume I am arguing with you?”

Letting go of his own utensil, Leonard crosses his arms and leans back in his seat. “I don’t think I should dignify that with a response.”

The Vulcan is on the verge of a reply (no doubt to point out that Leonard did respond) when his shoulder is summarily slapped from behind by their missing lunch partner.

“You’re late,” Jim is duly informed.

“Let’s go with fashionably late, Bones.” Jim rounds the end of the table to sit next to his unhappy friend and drops a red tray to the tabletop with a clatter of silverware. But he doesn’t sit down as expected and instead wrinkles his nose, remarking, “Shit, forgot my drink. Don’t go anywhere, you two.” Jim leaves them to rejoin the line of uniform-clad bodies at the replicators.

Spock looks on while Leonard inspects the arrangement of food on Jim’s tray before calmly removing a piece of German chocolate cake and replacing it with the untouched salad from his own tray. At the inquiring lift of the Vulcan’s eyebrow, the man explains, “I’ve got my reasons.”

“One of which I believe falls under your purvey as our captain’s primary dietician.”

The corners of Leonard’s mouth lift minutely. “That, plus as a friend I’m miffed to have been kept waiting so long.”

“I see,” replies Spock, who then resumes the consumption of his meal without further comment.

Leonard hands off the slice of cake to a passing yeoman.

When Jim comes back to the table it takes him all of five seconds to realize things aren’t quite as he left them. He picks up his spoon with a white-knuckled grip, fixes an intense stare upon Spock, and demands, “Where is my cake?”

“Cake, sir?”

“Yes, Commander.” Jim reiterates with frightening slowness, “Did—you—let—McCoy—take—my—cake?”

The food on Spock’s plate suddenly appears to have less appeal to the Vulcan as he looks up from it. “Are you asking if I granted him permission?”

Leonard clamps a hand over his mouth. It does nothing to muffle the sound of his amusement.

Very slowly with the hand not gripping the spoon, Jim takes a hold of Leonard’s forearm. “Bones, if you don’t stop laughing…”

“But, Jim,” and here Leonard does laugh out loud, “you’re blaming Spock! Spock, of all people. I’m the one who gave the damn cake away!”

Jim’s aura of menace dissipates, and he uses his spoon to carve out a wedge of meatloaf, saying, “The first officer should always side with his captain.”

Spock straightens imperceptibly in his chair. “That is hardly an accurate statement, Jim.”

Jim flicks a proud grin at Leonard. “See? I told you we could get him to do it.”

“That doesn’t count,” Leonard shoots back. “You tricked him into it.”

With care, Spock lays down his fork, looking between the two humans.

“He said my name. It totally counts, Bones—but why’d you have to involve my cake?”

Leonard retorts, “Because you don’t need it, kid,” and makes his point by pinching at the curve of his friend’s waistline.

Jim jumps a little in his seat at the pinch. “Man, you are a thorn in my side.”

“You mean a hypospray in your neck.” Contrary to sounding offended, Leonard sounds amused.

“Yeah,” agrees the younger man between bites of his food. “Moving on to the next phase, then?”

Leonard tilts his head as if in consideration of something only he can see. “Guess so.”

Together, the two officers look at Spock. Unnerved by this blatant staring (even if Vulcans should never admit it), Spock collects his tray and rises from the table. When he informs Kirk and McCoy that he must return to duty, Jim dips his head ever-so-slightly. Spock leaves.

Later, the Vulcan will realize he was not dismissed from the mess hall so much as allowed to make an escape. On the heels of that thought, he will recall he once had a pet sehlat which had had the habit of letting its prey loose for a period of time before reclaiming it to be eaten. The analogy strikes Spock as a disturbing one.

~~~
day nine

“I have a scientific proposition for you.” This announcement heralds Doctor McCoy’s arrival to Science Lab B3.

All the scientists and lab technicians in the room turn as one toward the door and the newcomer. One of them wants to know, “What’s the proposition?”

Leonard stops to look around, a frown marring his features. “Sorry,” he tells the woman in Science blues who asked, “I thought your boss was here. Do you know where he is?”

Someone points to a door which leads to another area of the lab. The CMO thanks him and quickly moves in that direction.

The same person who had indicated Mr. Spock’s location sighs with genuine sadness. “I wish that offer had been for me.”

“Tell me about it,” his lab partner agrees. “Vulcans are ridiculously lucky.”

~~~
day ten

The truth is luck has little to do with being propositioned; it is the simple fact that Vulcans are notorious for requiring copious amounts of intellectual stimuli. This is why they are apt to participate in somewhat dubious scientific ventures when logic warns them against it.

Spock and McCoy occupy a turbolift en route to the Bridge. Spock grips a padd with both hands, and Leonard proceeds to rock back and forth on the balls of his feet while the Vulcan questions him.

“Listen, Spock, I explained it once already. Jim is the subject of this experiment since he is very receptive to touch. You’re the observer because… well, because you don’t want to do the touching, am I right?” Leonard accompanies this last part of his patient explanation with a raised eyebrow.

Spock agrees with the doctor’s assessment quickly but goes on to say, “We already know it is the subject’s nature to accept and initiate physical affection. How will these findings, if there are any, be significant, Doctor?”

“Just watch and learn,” Leonard responds, stepping out of the turbolift, for it has arrived at their intended destination.

On the Bridge, Spock takes his customary position at the Science station. Leonard steps down from the upper level and drifts toward the captain’s chair. Jim is leaning forward in his seat, deep in conversation with helmsman Sulu. Casually the doctor props himself against the side of Jim’s chair and drops a friendly hand to the man’s shoulder. Jim’s hand automatically comes up to pat it once; there is no break in the ongoing conversation.

Spock activates his padd, ready to make a notation of this automatic response of Kirk’s.

Sulu, after a considering glance at the doctor (who is smiling), turns back to his post with unusual haste.

Jim looks around at Leonard. “What brings you to the Bridge, Bones?”

Leonard runs his fingers across the back of Jim’s head. “Do I need a reason, Jim? I thought I had clearance to come up here whenever I wanted.”

Jim relaxes back into his chair. Some very bright emotion shines through on his face when he observes of his close friend, “I can tell you’re in a good mood.”

“The very best,” replies McCoy, moving around the chair and running his hand slowly across the line of Jim’s shoulders and down his right arm as he goes. At the very last second, before the man must break away so he can move along to another part of the Bridge, Jim catches his hand.

“Bones?”

Leonard stills, turning an innocent look upon his superior officer. “Yes, Jim?”

Jim’s thumb sweeps across McCoy’s knuckles. “I know it’s only star-charting, but why don’t you stay a minute?”

“Promise to show me something interesting?”

There is a gleam in Jim’s eyes. “Always.”

It is entirely possible they hold hands longer than might be considered proper for friendly physical contact.

With a slight twist to his lips, Jim finally releases Leonard’s hand. The two men continue to stare at each other for another (illogically) extended amount of time.

“Mr. Spock?”

Spock starts at the sound of his name then hurriedly composes himself, turning to face Uhura. “Yes, Lieutenant?”

Nyota says politely, “I asked if I should forward Chekov’s analysis of the constellation readings to you now?”

“Affirmative,” Spock agrees and returns his attention to his padd to receive the incoming data. What greets him is surprising—a blank processor screen. He realizes he recorded no observations to supplement his latest study of human behavior.

He also finds, having witnessed what he just did, he can think of nothing to say concerning the interaction between the captain and the doctor.

~~~
day twelve

“You’re getting better.” Jim says this, smiling, as he declares checkmate on his opponent.

“Better,” Spock repeats the word, like it is foreign to him. “Captain, you realize I have won most of our matches.”

Jim agrees in his mildest tone, “Exactly. You’re getting better.”

Spock stares and, at length, admits, “I do not understand your intended meaning, sir.”

“Jim,” insists the captain. “It’s Jim when we’re playing chess, Spock. Bones says my stress levels need to come down. Formality makes me very stressed—and distressed.” The man chuckles.

There must have been a joke in that statement which Spock did not grasp. He can think of no other reason for the captain to laugh. His thoughts circle back to the unspoken question Jim had not answered. “Why do you believe my skill at chess has improved when I have proven to be a sufficient challenge for you?”

“You have gotten better, Spock—I just didn’t say at what.” Jim lays his Queen on her side and stands up. Their small table is the only one occupied in the quiet rec hall. “You let me win this time. Thank you.”

Spock opens his mouth to refute that claim but, upon thinking about the decisions he made during their game (ones which could not have guaranteed his victory), discovers he cannot. He closes his mouth.

Jim gives him a sunny smile. “Tomorrow, then? Same time and place?”

Spock stands up as well. “Yes, Ca—Jim.”

“Excellent,” replies Spock’s captain, and it is evident the enthusiasm behind the word is genuine.

~~~
day fourteen

Leonard accepts a glass of a pungent purple liquid from Jim in the privacy of the captain’s quarters. “I don’t think he’s coming around, Jim.”

“We can’t give up.”

Leonard retorts, “Did I say anything about giving up?” After taking a sip of his drink, he makes a face and puts his glass down on the table. “Geez… Whatever this stuff is, I don’t think it’s aged properly.”

Jim peruses the label on the bottle. “I bought it at that bazaar on Minar II. It’s supposed to be vintage Cardassian wine.”

“More like vintage shit,” mutters a man who knows his wine as well as his hard liquor. “I don’t want wine anyway. Why’d you give me wine?”

Jim sets the bottle back on its shelf and, eyelids lowered, leans in toward McCoy. “Wine is romantic.”

“Romantic?” Leonard guffaws. “Do you know what’s romantic to a surgeon on a starship, Jim? Six hours of uninterrupted sleep.”

Jim drops into a chair across from Leonard, smiling ruefully. “Am I that terrible at it?”

“At seduction?” supplies the other man. “Pretty much. It’s because you had all those brainless idiots fawning over you at the Academy that you didn’t learn how difficult it can be. Take for instance,” Leonard goes on to say, “my attempt to seduce Spock.”

Jim looks startled. “Wait, what? I thought the plan was to—”

Leonard waves the rest of Kirk’s statement away. “I know what the plan was supposed to be. I also know what it means when you look at Spock with those calf eyes of yours. Who’d you think you were foolin’, kid?”

Jim sinks back into his chair, clearly chagrined. “You’re right, Bones. There was a plan after The Plan.”

“Uh-huh, and let me guess: did it have something to do with convincing your old best friend and your newly acquired best friend that they’d be fantastic partners in bed?”

“With me,” Jim adds. “Don’t forget me.”

Leonard takes his glass in hand again, lifting it up. “Well, here’s to failed seductions and craptastic wine,” he toasts with droll wit.

Jim removes the drink from Leonard’s hand. “We can still skip to Plan-B-and-a-Half.”

Leonard watches Jim lace their fingers together. “I don’t think there’s such a thing, Jim.”

“There is now,” Jim promises him, then tugs him forward to experience their first kiss.

~~~
day fifteen

Vulcans separate their history into two definitive eras, pre-Surak and post-Surak, because with the teachings of their most inspiring philosopher—and revolutionary—came the moment in which they discovered who they needed to become in order to harness their full potential. For Spock, his life would fall into similar array: the before and after of two strong-minded humans called Jim Kirk and Leonard McCoy.

However, the dawn of the fifteen day of Jim and Leonard’s attempt to befriend Spock is still part of the in-between. The Vulcan enters his bathroom having spent a long night filled with neither sleep nor meditative silence. Thoughts have taken root in his head which he never imagined he would consider. He has analyzed them backwards, forwards, up and down and sideways. Although he cannot fathom from whence they came or when they were born, he knows he cannot deny their existence. It is, after all, illogical to lie to oneself when presented with the truth.

He enters the bathroom thus, somewhat preoccupied about his conclusions, to find himself in the presence of unexpected company. The chief surgeon is perched upon the bathroom counter and Jim stands beside him, washing his hands in the sink. Neither man is decently clothed.

“You should learn to knock,” Leonard says upon seeing Spock.

The mirror reflects a strong green tint to Spock’s face. Despite his initial embarrassment, Spock rallies and replies, “Why should I knock to enter my own bathroom?”

“‘Cause you share it.”

Spock snaps his mouth shut. Leonard smiles.

Jim turns off the sonic faucet and reaches for a towel, although the towel is not necessary. He throws one end of it over his shoulder. “Good morning, Spock. Should we get out?”

Spock has to force his eyes away from where he had been distractedly studying the curved planes of his commanding officer’s back. “That will not be necessary, Captain. I shall return at a later time. Please use the facilities at your convenience.”

Once again, as the two humans seem wont to do, they share a look with each other before settling disturbingly perceptive gazes upon Spock.

“You could stay,” Jim offers.

Spock cannot make rational sense of that. They wish him to stay in the bathroom during their morning ablutions?

“What Jim means is, despite that he knows you are not tempted by the sight of his bare ass—”

“I would never make that assumption, Bones.”

“Shut up, Jim. What he means is that it’s been two weeks of us trying to be subtle and that was probably our first mistake because Vulcans and subtlety don’t really mix.” Leonard reaches out and (oh, it’s strange but also nice) skims his fingertips along the sleeve of Spock’s dark undershirt. “So… do you want to be friends, lovers, or both?”

Spock, having traced the path of McCoy’s fingers with his dark eyes, states for clarity’s sake, “I am not human. Your touches should not affect me.”

“Half-human,” the doctor corrects almost gently.

“I… see,” murmurs Spock. “Then you lied to me, Leonard. I would have been a suitable stimulus to approach the subject of the experiment.”

Desire is plain now in Leonard’s eyes. “Or made a good subject yourself.”

Jim crosses his arms too casually and leans against the bathroom counter. “Well, Spock. Which will it be?”

“Perhaps under other circumstances I would say I require time to consider my answer but I believe…” Spock voices the truth because he can do nothing else: “I know it already.”

Jim straightens immediately and starts forward, eyes alight. At the same time, Leonard slides off the counter, saying smugly, “Just call me the best damn Vulcan seducer this side of the galaxy.”

When Jim touches Spock, his happiness is too strong of an emotion to ignore even through cloth. “Ignore him, Spock. It was me, wasn’t it?”

“Excuse me?” Leonard elbows in between them with determination. “Who did what, now? It was me putting my hands all over you that did it!”

“Clearly it was the chess games, Bones. Spock let me win because he likes me.”

“Ha! Ha, ha, ha! You don’t know nothing ’bout Vulcans, believe me. It was all in the scientific pursuit of love.”

Jim pushes Leonard against the counter, but there is no anger in the motion, particularly not when the man’s hands start sliding over Leonard’s skin. “I don’t believe you.”

Spock decides there and then never to tell them the truth behind his fascination, which is that it was the culmination of the men themselves, simply being who they are. This competitive display he is currently experiencing is not only amusing but appears it will also be beneficial to the development of their relationship.

“Gentlemen,” he says smoothly, and Jim stops pressing a kiss to Leonard’s collarbone to hear what Spock to say, “might I point out while it is pleasing to know we shall be friends, there is still a matter of a physical nature to be addressed.”

“You got it, Spock!” says Jim, taking Leonard’s hand then Spock’s and giving both of them an impatient tug from the bathroom.

“Are all Vulcans this pushy?” Leonard wants to know when Spock places his free hand at the small of the man’s back as if to act as a proper guide.

“Vulcans are many things, Doctor. Allow me to show you some of them.”

Leonard’s eyes crinkle at the corners, and he looks very satisfied. “Yup. It was definitely me.”

“Indeed,” Spock replies, “it was at least half you.”

-Fini

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