To Boldly Teach Part 6
Title: To Boldly Teach
Chapter: 5
Fandom: Star Trek
Pairings: Kirk/Spock and others?
Rating: T
Notes: Combined prompt from STXI kink meme here and here
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Previous
“Hey, Spock. I managed to scrape up seven boards for today.”
Kirk ran over to greet Spock as he opened the door to his classroom.
“That is adequate. Thank you, Mister Kirk.” Spock replied.
“No problem.” Kirk said as he followed Spock into his classroom. “You really going to play everybody at the same time?”
He leaned casually against Spock’s desk as the Vulcan primly organized the day’s materials on his desk.
“Affirmative. I understand the chess club is viewed as ‘uncool’ by most students. Therefore, it is logical to make chess appear ‘cool,’ which will have the highest success by turning the game into a public spectacle.”
Never once looking up fro what he was doing, Spock continued to calmly explain the foundation for his idea. Through the whole thing, Kirk listened and watched in interested amusement.
“Wow, you really thought this thing out, huh?” he said with a grin.
Spock paused what he was doing to look over at Kirk. The motion caused his glasses to slip down his nose a bit.
“Indeed. However, I apologize. I have probably given too much information,” he said while adjusting his glasses in an almost absent-mindedly.
Kirk shrugged and answered as he continued to study Spock.
“No need to apologize. I was just making an observation.”
He smiled reassuringly. It really did not bother him, and if anything, he was impressed with the dedication. For Kirk, it told him Spock was genuine in his concern over the failing chess club. That was more than most people could be.
Spock was stoic and nigh unreadable, but he had an admirable dedication for everything he did. Kirk recognized this trait for what it was and wanted to know even more about the new teacher. Spock was the puzzle he had to put together. Of course, he only had a few pieces to work with, but he had no doubt ore would come his way. It was simply a matter of listening carefully and reading between the lines. He had no doubt Spock was consciously unaware of how he spoke and that Kirk was damn good at inference. He was a social scientist after all.
“Hey, mind if I ask you something?” Kirk suddenly asked.
“Of course not. What do you wish to know?” Spock replied calmly.
Pausing only a second to make sure he asked correctly, Kirk leaned forward so he was face to face with Spock, his tone solemn.
“Why are you always so uptight?”
The solemn tone he used was offset by the mischievous gleam in his eyes. Kirk failed to suppress his grin when Spock’s eyebrow arched upward a fraction.
“I am not uptight. I am simply more serious and formal than humans as Vulcans tend to be,” Spock answered with the vaguest hints of amusement.
Kirk cheered internally. Spock had not been offended by his question. That was always a good sign. He might actually learn something new.
“I understand humans find Vulcan stoicism…odd?”
Kirk thought about it a moment before answering.
“It’s more the fact you guys are like that all the time. But I guess for you, it works…since you’re a chemistry teacher after all.” Kirk added with a grin. “So I’m going to assume by your question that you’re fairly knowledgeable about human tendencies.”
“Affirmative. I was raised around the presence of your species on Vulcan so the generalities of humans were easy enough to determine. However, I find human idioms most illogical.”
Spock finally went back to organizing his materials, working around Kirk.
The grin on Kirk’s face grew larger as he listened to Spock comment in an almost absent-minded manner. Spock, for his part, ignored Kirk’s amused expression and reviewed their conversation to determine how they got on this particular topic.
“You know…I don’t actually know how we even got those sayings,” admitted Kirk.
Their conversation was light and simple, Spock doing more listening than speaking, but Kirk was still able to feel out what he could and could not say. They were small and barely noticeable, but he was able to identify gestures Spock would use every so often as he spoke or organized papers. However, he had yet to determine what they meant in relationship to what the Vulcan was saying or hearing.
As Spock was finally satisfied with the layout of the items on his desk, Kirk noticed something.
“May I?” Kirk asked while pointing to Spock’s face.
Spock just stared blankly at him. He had no idea what Kirk was indicating, but he felt fairly confident he would be safe if he acquiesced to his request.
“You may, though I do not know what you are referring to.”
Not answering, Kirk pushed away from the desk and stood so he was facing Spock. He carefully extended his hands forward to the either side of Spock’s face. Being careful, Kirk gently pulled off Spock’s glasses. A single slanted eyebrow arched upward.
“I do require glasses to see correctly,” Spock stated calmly.
Kirk took a few steps back and studied the Vulcan a moment before breaking out into a wide grin.
“You got contacts?”
Slowly and cautiously nodding his head, Spock calmly answered,
“I do possess them, but I do not use them often.”
“Do you have them with you?” Kirk pressed.
Growing wary of where this sudden turn in conversation was going, Spock was about to adjust his glasses, but stopping himself when he remembered Kirk was still holding them.
“If by chance I should lose my glasses, then yes, I do carry them with me.”
His answer caused Kirk to grin and nod his head approvingly. Much to Spock’s relief, Kirk handed him back the glasses. He put them on, immediately feeling more comfortable with the familiar weight.
“Wear your contact during lunch,” commanded Kirk with finality.
He did not allow Spock to question him due to his quick retreat.
“Alright, gotta go to class. See you at lunch!”
With unexpected speed, Kirk was already out of the classroom, door shutting behind him. Spock studied the now closed door with a curious stare. It would have been a more compelling command, had he actually stated his reasoning, but Spock was beginning to learn that Kirk did not follow the traditions of orthodox logic and reason.
His musings were cut short when the door opened again and a trail of half-asleep students filed in. Most plopped into their desks, though a motivated few paused at Spock’s desk to ask some last minute questions about their homework. And just like that, all thoughts of Kirk and his rambling were banished from the forefront of his mind. Of course, he did not bother to consider the nagging pull at the back of his mind as it continued to replay Kirk taking his glasses off. He was Vulcan, and he refused to be bothered by such illogical thoughts.
And it was with this single-minded devotion to ignore everything but the matter at hand that Spock finished his lecture four point six minutes early. While it was not against regulations for students to arrive at lunch early, a staggered release was commonly employed. However, Spock could easily read the excited desperation on his students faces as they just itched to leave and go to lunch. He found the class prior to lunch was always skittish.
“If you will be quiet in the hallway, you are dismissed.”
If he had not told them to be silent, Spock was positive the students would have cheered and ran out of his room in a stampeding herd. But, still being the intimidating Vulcan, the students restrained themselves as they quietly exited the room in an orderly manner. He was pleased at how obedient these students were turning out to be.
Once the classroom was empty, Spock gathered his belongings and locked the door behind him. As he walked quickly and quietly down the hallway, Spock mentally calculated the time it would take to organize the day’s events. When he passed by a restroom, he paused. Remembering what Kirk had told him, Spock debated with himself for four point six seconds before suppressing an eye roll and entering the restroom.
It was devoid of any life, which Spock was grateful for since he always felt foolish putting contacts in. If there was one thing he could not do with ease, it was sticking thin pieces of silicon over his eyeballs. Even when he finally managed to put them in, he could still feel the corrective lenses every time he blinked. However, he tolerated them enough and if it somehow aided in today’s event, then it was a worthwhile effort. Carefully placing his glasses in the case and safely tucking the case into his bag, Spock gave himself a quick once-over in the mirror. Try as he might, he could not find anything about his features that would have caused Kirk’s interest in them earlier.
Shaking his head, Spock exited the restroom somewhat conscientious of himself without his glasses, but still carried himself with confidence. By now, the first bell had rung and students began filing out of their classrooms. Most students shot Spock furtive glances while some stared dumbly at him and ran into the lockers. Once again, Spock was perplexed as to why the school body was so curios about his features.
Ignoring their looks and hushed whispers, Spock weaved through the flood of students and managed to squeeze into the cafeteria with minimal shoving. While he calculated how much wider the double doors leading to the cafeteria should be in order to allow a smoother influx of students, Spock almost ran into Uhura. She looked as if she was going to say something, but instead she gaped at him a fraction of a moment.
“Huh, you should go without glasses more often,” she said with a small grin, but did not elaborate further. “So I hear you and Kirk are planning on promoting chess club during lunch.”
Spock nodded his head once while dodging a rushing student.
“Indeed. Where is he currently?” he asked.
“I saw him run into the administrative offices a few minutes ago.”
Uhura started when she heard a third voice. Watkins stood, shoulders hunched, a little off to her side.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t even checked with Principal Pike to see if it was okay…”
Smiling, Uhura patted Spock on the shoulder briefly.
“Well, I’ll let you get to work. I admit, I’m curious to see how this turns out.”
Her hair swished behind her as Uhura walked over and sat down at the faculty table. Spock turned his attention from her to Watkins who was staring at him strangely.
“Is something the matter, Mister Watkins?” Spock asked.
Watkins shook his head. He jerked his thumb to the back of the cafeteria where a line of tables were organized with chess boards spread across them.
“Marlena and Karl are all ready,” he supplied helpfully. “Now, you have to play against all three of us at the same time.”
A devious little smirk appeared on Watkin’s face as he practically dragged Spock over to the chess boards. Though he did not enjoy the physical contact, Spock allowed Watkins to keep a hold on his arm seeing as he and the other two chess club members appeared so excited.
When they arrived at the tables, Marlena and Karl greeted Spock with a little more respect and a little less enthusiasm as Watkins. He finally let go of Spock’s arm as he took a seat beside his classmates. All three faces looked up at him with eager anticipation.
“Choose your color,” Spock ordered calmly.
The three students immediately picked their color and arranged the board accordingly. Spock nodded his head once and stood so he was opposite of them. With a single smooth gesture, he indicated that they should begin. He watched them make their first moves with a sharp eye, and found it fascinating that each one opened with a similar move. Filing that thought away for later contemplation, Spock moved his piece on each board. Watkins, Marlena, and Karl looked shocked when he made a different move for each board. They shared little looks at each other’s boards before forcing themselves to focus only on their own game.
As they were playing, Spock kept an eye out for Kirk. For this whole thing to work, he needed Kirk to be here being his usual loud and very noticeable self. While there were a few curious students and teachers sitting closer to their chess table looking over their games, they were generally ignored.
“Check and mate. Checkmate in three moves. Check,” Spock said as he moved his piece on each of the three boards. “You will need to focus more if you wish to challenge me.”
Watkins stared dumbfounded at his board. His eyes darted between the different tiers of the chess board, trying to figure out when he lost. Marlena and Karl also studied their boards seriously.
“I want a re-match,” Watkins suddenly declared.
“Very well,” Spock acquiesced.
He set about organizing the board so all the pieces were at their starting positions. Spock watched him and the others stare intently at the boards as they tried to determine the best opening move. Waiting patiently, Spock discretely watched the other students. It was gradual, but more and more students began to look over and show more interest. Then again, Spock was under the impression they were staring at him more than the chess. His hand twitched to touch his glasses but his Vulcan control forced it to still.
“Mister Spock!” called out an energetic voice.
Chekov came bounding towards the table, the light curls of his hair bouncing with his enthusiastic pace. Lightly bowing his head in acknowledgment, Spock greeted him.
“Good afternoon, Mister Chekov.”
“They say you are playing against anybody today and at the same time as others,” he wasted no time getting to the point.
“Indeed. Do you wish to play?”
It was unnecessary for Spock to ask such a question, but if nothing else, he was always polite and proper. Chekov needed no other invitation. He sat next to Marlena and did nto say anything as he immediately made the first move.
Spock moved his own piece, then gracefully moved another piece on a different board. The games were finally becoming more difficult now that Chekov was added to the mix. Even though he still lacked the full skills Spock had, his genius mind gave him an edge the students still had yet to develop. Chekov also was a fan of speed chess, so Spock also had to keep close watch.
Now that his attention was becoming more divided, Watkins managed to make the game continue longer than before. The others realized it was well and renewed their efforts. Spock observed their newfound determination in silence. Of course, the silence was short lived as Kirk flew through the cafeteria doors with an energetic grin. He glanced over at Spock playing with the others and trotted over.
“Looking good, Spock,” Kirk said as he approached.
“Indeed. I have managed to maneuver my pieces into an advantageous position,” Spock replied distractedly.
Kirk grinned. “Not quite what I was going for, but good to know.”
Too engrossed in his games, Spock did not respond. He was reaching the critical point in his match against Chekov. Kirk watched him set a trap and them move on to the next board.
To say the least, Kirk was impressed with Spock. The Vulcan could back up his claims and from what he could tell, he was still not pushing his limits yet. He was unable to stifle a chuckle at the sight of Chekov so thoroughly engrossed in the game. Then again, he could say that about all of them. Looking around, he noticed the other students in the cafeteria were staring intently, discreetly of course, whispering to each other. Kirk had a feeling many of the students wanted to try their hand as well, but were still too shy or lacking proper incentive. So, he decided to give them an incentive to play.
“Listen up, kiddos!” Kirk yelled above the noise in the cafeteria. “If anybody can beat Mister Spock at chess, they get three free homework passes to my class.”
All heads whipped around to stare at their flamboyant social studies teacher with incredulous looks. A wave of whispers flowed through the room and Kirk knew he had them hooked. As proud as he was of his sudden idea, he remembered he should have checked with Spock first. Even though he had made no offer about Spock’s classes, he was concerned that he might feel like he should do something as well.
He chanced a glance over his shoulder and was not surprised to see Spock was watching him with a slightly arched eyebrow. From all appearances, he was not upset nor was he showing much of anything. But then, that was not saying much when it came to the emotionally suppressed Vulcan.
“If anybody manages to defeat me in a game of chess, whether now or during chess club, they will get ten points added to their final grade in my class.”
The sudden silence in the cafeteria was so sudden, it was jarring. All eyes, plus Kirk’s, were fixated on Spock, who was casually moving a bishop to the second level. While Kirk’s call out was unexpected, it was logical. It slightly irked him that he failed to realize the students could be bribed, but he knew such feelings were illogical, and if anything, he admired the simple creativity behind it. Besides, a different, more irksome feeling was nagging at him. He was becoming far too fascinated with Kirk.
Next
Chapter: 5
Fandom: Star Trek
Pairings: Kirk/Spock and others?
Rating: T
Notes: Combined prompt from STXI kink meme here and here
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Previous
“Hey, Spock. I managed to scrape up seven boards for today.”
Kirk ran over to greet Spock as he opened the door to his classroom.
“That is adequate. Thank you, Mister Kirk.” Spock replied.
“No problem.” Kirk said as he followed Spock into his classroom. “You really going to play everybody at the same time?”
He leaned casually against Spock’s desk as the Vulcan primly organized the day’s materials on his desk.
“Affirmative. I understand the chess club is viewed as ‘uncool’ by most students. Therefore, it is logical to make chess appear ‘cool,’ which will have the highest success by turning the game into a public spectacle.”
Never once looking up fro what he was doing, Spock continued to calmly explain the foundation for his idea. Through the whole thing, Kirk listened and watched in interested amusement.
“Wow, you really thought this thing out, huh?” he said with a grin.
Spock paused what he was doing to look over at Kirk. The motion caused his glasses to slip down his nose a bit.
“Indeed. However, I apologize. I have probably given too much information,” he said while adjusting his glasses in an almost absent-mindedly.
Kirk shrugged and answered as he continued to study Spock.
“No need to apologize. I was just making an observation.”
He smiled reassuringly. It really did not bother him, and if anything, he was impressed with the dedication. For Kirk, it told him Spock was genuine in his concern over the failing chess club. That was more than most people could be.
Spock was stoic and nigh unreadable, but he had an admirable dedication for everything he did. Kirk recognized this trait for what it was and wanted to know even more about the new teacher. Spock was the puzzle he had to put together. Of course, he only had a few pieces to work with, but he had no doubt ore would come his way. It was simply a matter of listening carefully and reading between the lines. He had no doubt Spock was consciously unaware of how he spoke and that Kirk was damn good at inference. He was a social scientist after all.
“Hey, mind if I ask you something?” Kirk suddenly asked.
“Of course not. What do you wish to know?” Spock replied calmly.
Pausing only a second to make sure he asked correctly, Kirk leaned forward so he was face to face with Spock, his tone solemn.
“Why are you always so uptight?”
The solemn tone he used was offset by the mischievous gleam in his eyes. Kirk failed to suppress his grin when Spock’s eyebrow arched upward a fraction.
“I am not uptight. I am simply more serious and formal than humans as Vulcans tend to be,” Spock answered with the vaguest hints of amusement.
Kirk cheered internally. Spock had not been offended by his question. That was always a good sign. He might actually learn something new.
“I understand humans find Vulcan stoicism…odd?”
Kirk thought about it a moment before answering.
“It’s more the fact you guys are like that all the time. But I guess for you, it works…since you’re a chemistry teacher after all.” Kirk added with a grin. “So I’m going to assume by your question that you’re fairly knowledgeable about human tendencies.”
“Affirmative. I was raised around the presence of your species on Vulcan so the generalities of humans were easy enough to determine. However, I find human idioms most illogical.”
Spock finally went back to organizing his materials, working around Kirk.
The grin on Kirk’s face grew larger as he listened to Spock comment in an almost absent-minded manner. Spock, for his part, ignored Kirk’s amused expression and reviewed their conversation to determine how they got on this particular topic.
“You know…I don’t actually know how we even got those sayings,” admitted Kirk.
Their conversation was light and simple, Spock doing more listening than speaking, but Kirk was still able to feel out what he could and could not say. They were small and barely noticeable, but he was able to identify gestures Spock would use every so often as he spoke or organized papers. However, he had yet to determine what they meant in relationship to what the Vulcan was saying or hearing.
As Spock was finally satisfied with the layout of the items on his desk, Kirk noticed something.
“May I?” Kirk asked while pointing to Spock’s face.
Spock just stared blankly at him. He had no idea what Kirk was indicating, but he felt fairly confident he would be safe if he acquiesced to his request.
“You may, though I do not know what you are referring to.”
Not answering, Kirk pushed away from the desk and stood so he was facing Spock. He carefully extended his hands forward to the either side of Spock’s face. Being careful, Kirk gently pulled off Spock’s glasses. A single slanted eyebrow arched upward.
“I do require glasses to see correctly,” Spock stated calmly.
Kirk took a few steps back and studied the Vulcan a moment before breaking out into a wide grin.
“You got contacts?”
Slowly and cautiously nodding his head, Spock calmly answered,
“I do possess them, but I do not use them often.”
“Do you have them with you?” Kirk pressed.
Growing wary of where this sudden turn in conversation was going, Spock was about to adjust his glasses, but stopping himself when he remembered Kirk was still holding them.
“If by chance I should lose my glasses, then yes, I do carry them with me.”
His answer caused Kirk to grin and nod his head approvingly. Much to Spock’s relief, Kirk handed him back the glasses. He put them on, immediately feeling more comfortable with the familiar weight.
“Wear your contact during lunch,” commanded Kirk with finality.
He did not allow Spock to question him due to his quick retreat.
“Alright, gotta go to class. See you at lunch!”
With unexpected speed, Kirk was already out of the classroom, door shutting behind him. Spock studied the now closed door with a curious stare. It would have been a more compelling command, had he actually stated his reasoning, but Spock was beginning to learn that Kirk did not follow the traditions of orthodox logic and reason.
His musings were cut short when the door opened again and a trail of half-asleep students filed in. Most plopped into their desks, though a motivated few paused at Spock’s desk to ask some last minute questions about their homework. And just like that, all thoughts of Kirk and his rambling were banished from the forefront of his mind. Of course, he did not bother to consider the nagging pull at the back of his mind as it continued to replay Kirk taking his glasses off. He was Vulcan, and he refused to be bothered by such illogical thoughts.
And it was with this single-minded devotion to ignore everything but the matter at hand that Spock finished his lecture four point six minutes early. While it was not against regulations for students to arrive at lunch early, a staggered release was commonly employed. However, Spock could easily read the excited desperation on his students faces as they just itched to leave and go to lunch. He found the class prior to lunch was always skittish.
“If you will be quiet in the hallway, you are dismissed.”
If he had not told them to be silent, Spock was positive the students would have cheered and ran out of his room in a stampeding herd. But, still being the intimidating Vulcan, the students restrained themselves as they quietly exited the room in an orderly manner. He was pleased at how obedient these students were turning out to be.
Once the classroom was empty, Spock gathered his belongings and locked the door behind him. As he walked quickly and quietly down the hallway, Spock mentally calculated the time it would take to organize the day’s events. When he passed by a restroom, he paused. Remembering what Kirk had told him, Spock debated with himself for four point six seconds before suppressing an eye roll and entering the restroom.
It was devoid of any life, which Spock was grateful for since he always felt foolish putting contacts in. If there was one thing he could not do with ease, it was sticking thin pieces of silicon over his eyeballs. Even when he finally managed to put them in, he could still feel the corrective lenses every time he blinked. However, he tolerated them enough and if it somehow aided in today’s event, then it was a worthwhile effort. Carefully placing his glasses in the case and safely tucking the case into his bag, Spock gave himself a quick once-over in the mirror. Try as he might, he could not find anything about his features that would have caused Kirk’s interest in them earlier.
Shaking his head, Spock exited the restroom somewhat conscientious of himself without his glasses, but still carried himself with confidence. By now, the first bell had rung and students began filing out of their classrooms. Most students shot Spock furtive glances while some stared dumbly at him and ran into the lockers. Once again, Spock was perplexed as to why the school body was so curios about his features.
Ignoring their looks and hushed whispers, Spock weaved through the flood of students and managed to squeeze into the cafeteria with minimal shoving. While he calculated how much wider the double doors leading to the cafeteria should be in order to allow a smoother influx of students, Spock almost ran into Uhura. She looked as if she was going to say something, but instead she gaped at him a fraction of a moment.
“Huh, you should go without glasses more often,” she said with a small grin, but did not elaborate further. “So I hear you and Kirk are planning on promoting chess club during lunch.”
Spock nodded his head once while dodging a rushing student.
“Indeed. Where is he currently?” he asked.
“I saw him run into the administrative offices a few minutes ago.”
Uhura started when she heard a third voice. Watkins stood, shoulders hunched, a little off to her side.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t even checked with Principal Pike to see if it was okay…”
Smiling, Uhura patted Spock on the shoulder briefly.
“Well, I’ll let you get to work. I admit, I’m curious to see how this turns out.”
Her hair swished behind her as Uhura walked over and sat down at the faculty table. Spock turned his attention from her to Watkins who was staring at him strangely.
“Is something the matter, Mister Watkins?” Spock asked.
Watkins shook his head. He jerked his thumb to the back of the cafeteria where a line of tables were organized with chess boards spread across them.
“Marlena and Karl are all ready,” he supplied helpfully. “Now, you have to play against all three of us at the same time.”
A devious little smirk appeared on Watkin’s face as he practically dragged Spock over to the chess boards. Though he did not enjoy the physical contact, Spock allowed Watkins to keep a hold on his arm seeing as he and the other two chess club members appeared so excited.
When they arrived at the tables, Marlena and Karl greeted Spock with a little more respect and a little less enthusiasm as Watkins. He finally let go of Spock’s arm as he took a seat beside his classmates. All three faces looked up at him with eager anticipation.
“Choose your color,” Spock ordered calmly.
The three students immediately picked their color and arranged the board accordingly. Spock nodded his head once and stood so he was opposite of them. With a single smooth gesture, he indicated that they should begin. He watched them make their first moves with a sharp eye, and found it fascinating that each one opened with a similar move. Filing that thought away for later contemplation, Spock moved his piece on each board. Watkins, Marlena, and Karl looked shocked when he made a different move for each board. They shared little looks at each other’s boards before forcing themselves to focus only on their own game.
As they were playing, Spock kept an eye out for Kirk. For this whole thing to work, he needed Kirk to be here being his usual loud and very noticeable self. While there were a few curious students and teachers sitting closer to their chess table looking over their games, they were generally ignored.
“Check and mate. Checkmate in three moves. Check,” Spock said as he moved his piece on each of the three boards. “You will need to focus more if you wish to challenge me.”
Watkins stared dumbfounded at his board. His eyes darted between the different tiers of the chess board, trying to figure out when he lost. Marlena and Karl also studied their boards seriously.
“I want a re-match,” Watkins suddenly declared.
“Very well,” Spock acquiesced.
He set about organizing the board so all the pieces were at their starting positions. Spock watched him and the others stare intently at the boards as they tried to determine the best opening move. Waiting patiently, Spock discretely watched the other students. It was gradual, but more and more students began to look over and show more interest. Then again, Spock was under the impression they were staring at him more than the chess. His hand twitched to touch his glasses but his Vulcan control forced it to still.
“Mister Spock!” called out an energetic voice.
Chekov came bounding towards the table, the light curls of his hair bouncing with his enthusiastic pace. Lightly bowing his head in acknowledgment, Spock greeted him.
“Good afternoon, Mister Chekov.”
“They say you are playing against anybody today and at the same time as others,” he wasted no time getting to the point.
“Indeed. Do you wish to play?”
It was unnecessary for Spock to ask such a question, but if nothing else, he was always polite and proper. Chekov needed no other invitation. He sat next to Marlena and did nto say anything as he immediately made the first move.
Spock moved his own piece, then gracefully moved another piece on a different board. The games were finally becoming more difficult now that Chekov was added to the mix. Even though he still lacked the full skills Spock had, his genius mind gave him an edge the students still had yet to develop. Chekov also was a fan of speed chess, so Spock also had to keep close watch.
Now that his attention was becoming more divided, Watkins managed to make the game continue longer than before. The others realized it was well and renewed their efforts. Spock observed their newfound determination in silence. Of course, the silence was short lived as Kirk flew through the cafeteria doors with an energetic grin. He glanced over at Spock playing with the others and trotted over.
“Looking good, Spock,” Kirk said as he approached.
“Indeed. I have managed to maneuver my pieces into an advantageous position,” Spock replied distractedly.
Kirk grinned. “Not quite what I was going for, but good to know.”
Too engrossed in his games, Spock did not respond. He was reaching the critical point in his match against Chekov. Kirk watched him set a trap and them move on to the next board.
To say the least, Kirk was impressed with Spock. The Vulcan could back up his claims and from what he could tell, he was still not pushing his limits yet. He was unable to stifle a chuckle at the sight of Chekov so thoroughly engrossed in the game. Then again, he could say that about all of them. Looking around, he noticed the other students in the cafeteria were staring intently, discreetly of course, whispering to each other. Kirk had a feeling many of the students wanted to try their hand as well, but were still too shy or lacking proper incentive. So, he decided to give them an incentive to play.
“Listen up, kiddos!” Kirk yelled above the noise in the cafeteria. “If anybody can beat Mister Spock at chess, they get three free homework passes to my class.”
All heads whipped around to stare at their flamboyant social studies teacher with incredulous looks. A wave of whispers flowed through the room and Kirk knew he had them hooked. As proud as he was of his sudden idea, he remembered he should have checked with Spock first. Even though he had made no offer about Spock’s classes, he was concerned that he might feel like he should do something as well.
He chanced a glance over his shoulder and was not surprised to see Spock was watching him with a slightly arched eyebrow. From all appearances, he was not upset nor was he showing much of anything. But then, that was not saying much when it came to the emotionally suppressed Vulcan.
“If anybody manages to defeat me in a game of chess, whether now or during chess club, they will get ten points added to their final grade in my class.”
The sudden silence in the cafeteria was so sudden, it was jarring. All eyes, plus Kirk’s, were fixated on Spock, who was casually moving a bishop to the second level. While Kirk’s call out was unexpected, it was logical. It slightly irked him that he failed to realize the students could be bribed, but he knew such feelings were illogical, and if anything, he admired the simple creativity behind it. Besides, a different, more irksome feeling was nagging at him. He was becoming far too fascinated with Kirk.
Next