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spacedogfromspaceFlora
K/S Spring Fever 2025
When Spock starts coughing up random Vulcan plants, he is summoned to New Vulcan for treatment.
Fandom(s): Star Trek AOS
Character(s): Jim Kirk, Spock, Bones
Tags: Spirk, Hanahaki Disease
Rating: Teen+
Content Warnings: N/A
Word Count: 5613
Type: Oneshot, Standalone
Collection: K/S Spring Fever 2025
Written for K/S Spring Fever 2025 for startrek_666
Spock woke up feeling like something was off about himself. Because of his training in Vulcan meditation, he was very attuned to his body, and could sense a cold coming on from a light-year away. This felt like that. But it had a different quality to it than any illness Spock had ever contracted. He supposed he had caught something new.
Spock's early warning system should have been a gift to whoever happened to be his physician at any given time. It would give the doctor a chance to nip illnesses in the bud, treat them and heal them before they showed their worst. But Spock was infuriatingly stubborn and refused to go to sickbay unless he was actively dying, or was dragged there against his will. So instead of reporting to sickbay, he reported to the bridge for duty.
"Morning, Spock," Jim said as Spock stepped out of the turbo-lift onto the bridge.
"Good morning, Jim," Spock said, cursing himself for the way his heart picked up in tempo at the warmness Jim showed him. "You're here early," he commented, forcing a calmness over himself.
Jim shrugged with a smile. "Yeah," he said casually. "Woke up early and couldn't fall asleep, so I figured I'd relieve the night shift early."
"I see," Spock said. "Very thoughtful of you. I'm sure they appreciated it." It wasn't necessary that Spock say any of this, and was in fact more sentimental than he ever let himself be, but something about Jim made him want to send compliments and praise his way at every turn.
Jim, luckily, didn't seem to notice Spock's slightly out of character comment. "Yeah, they all looked pretty tired," he said.
The turbo-lift doors opened again, and Uhura walked in. "Good morning, Spock," she said, then did a double take as she realized that Jim was already on the bridge. "Good morning Captain," she added in a somewhat suspicious tone. "You're here early." She was used to arriving on the bridge for Alpha shift only second to Spock. She couldn't recall a time that Jim had beaten her.
"Hey, Uhura," Jim said with a friendly smile.
Sulu and Chekov entered together.
"Good morning everyone," Sulu announced, then raised his eyebrows at Jim. "You're early," he commented.
Jim sighed and rolled his eyes in a good natured way. "Oh come on," he said. "You guys act like I'm always late or something."
"No, it's not that," Chekov said, also looking concerned. "It's just that you are never early."
Jim laughed. "I'm early one time and I have you all looking at me like I suddenly have three heads." He raised his palms in a placating manner. "Alright, I've learned my lesson. I promise I'll never be early again."
Uhura slumped in exaggerated relief and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead. "Phew!" She said, and everyone laughed, most of all, Jim.
Spock turned to his console so nobody would see the slight smile that appeared on his face. He ignored the tickle in his throat. Spock couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that he fell in love with Jim Kirk, which frustrated him to no end.
The itch in his throat got significantly worse by the end of the day. Spock was glad to get back to his quarters, since he spent the last couple hours of Alpha shift suppressing a cough. Now in the privacy of his own quarters, he could cough as much as he needed without being ordered down to sickbay.
The coughing fit that followed surprised Spock with its ferocity. He stumbled to the bathroom to lean over the sink, coughing from somewhere deep in his lungs. He felt as if something was inside his lungs. Whatever was happening to him, it wasn't good. He was considering comming Doctor McCoy, but thankfully, his coughing suddenly subsided, and he felt relief for the first time since entering his quarters. His chest felt fine, if a bit sore.
He was just thinking that he would be spared that sickbay trip after all, when he spotted a bloody clump in the sink. Apparently, the relief came because he had coughed something up, but he was coughing so hard he hadn't noticed it happen.
He gingerly reached into the sink and picked up the clump to examine it, thinking it was some sort of blood clot or tumour. But he was shocked to find that instead, under the thick green blood, was a flower.
He was going to have to report to sickbay after all.
"Can't you take a break from being a medical marvel for five minutes?" Doctor McCoy grumbled.
Spock was sitting on a bio-bed, being strangely cooperative as the doctor examined him.
"I believe I managed more than five minutes on multiple occasions," Spock remarked.
McCoy rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm just glad you came in here on your own two feet for once. Now that's a real miracle."
"If it makes you feel better, I sensed something was wrong nine hours ago."
"Of course you did."
The doors to sickbay whooshed open and Sulu walked in with a PADD in hand. "I have that identification you two asked for," he said, stepping up to the bio-bed and offering up the PADD.
Spock and McCoy reached for it at the same time, and McCoy swatted Spock's wrist before plucking the PADD from Sulu's hand. He looked at it and frowned, reading the information Sulu had produced about the specimen.
"Some kind of Vulcan plant," he said, handing the PADD to Spock. "Doesn't say anything about it growing in people's lungs, though."
"This is not a plant I am familiar with," Spock said, handing the PADD back to Sulu after he finished reading. "Perhaps someone on New Vulcan will have more insight."
Just then, the doors to sickbay opened again, and this time Jim came rushing in.
"Spock!" He said. "I hear you coughed up a flower, are you okay?"
"Word sure travels fast," McCoy grumbled with a pointed look at Sulu.
"Sorry," Sulu grimaced, and scuttled out of sickbay to avoid further reprimands.
McCoy turned to Jim. "Don't know what's wrong with him yet. My best guess is this plant can germinate and grow inside lungs, and Spock got lucky enough to be an incubator."
"Well, at least your system is clear now, right?" Jim asked.
Spock was touched by the concern Jim showed for him. "It appears so. Is that correct, Doctor?"
McCoy shrugged. "Aside from some trauma from coughing an object out of your lungs, you're right as rain. It's a mystery, but not one we need to solve urgently, if at all."
"Am I free to go, Doctor?" Spock asked.
"Yes, yes, get out of here," Doctor McCoy said, and Spock got up and walked with Jim out of sickbay and towards their quarters.
"That was weird," Jim said as they walked down the corridor. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Jim's concern was touching. Spock swatted the sentiment away. "I'm fine," he insisted. "But I will send this data to New Vulcan for analysis. I would like to know what species it is, and how it could have come to have germinated in my lungs, especially since I haven't been in contact with any Vulcan flora in a very long time." And likely won't again, he didn't add.
When they got to their quarters, they went their separate ways. Spock sent off the data to New Vulcan, meditated, and went to sleep, thinking of the incident as no more than a curiosity.
It happened again the next day. This time, Spock couldn't make it through the entirety of Alpha shift, and had to excuse himself to go cough up another flower in the privacy of the turbo lift. This one was a little bit bigger, was a different species, and had a piece of stem attached, which scraped at his throat as he expelled it.
When he recovered, he pressed the comm panel in the turbo-lift. "Spock to bridge," he said reluctantly.
"Kirk here," Jim answered. "What's up, Spock?"
Spock sighed inwardly, then answered. "I will be needing to make a detour to sickbay before I return to the bridge."
There was a brief silence. "Alright, Spock, we'll cover for you."
Spock knew that Jim wanted to ask him what had happened, if he was alright, if the same thing happened that had happened yesterday, but kept his mouth shut on account of the many ears listening in to their conversation on the bridge. Spock was glad for Jim protecting his privacy like this, despite his concern and curiosity.
When he walked into sickbay, Doctor McCoy looked up at him and frowned. "You again? If I had placed a bet that I'd never see you in here two times in as many days, I'd be eating my hat right now."
"Doctor, if you'd refrain from your nonsensical ramblings," Spock said, pausing to let McCoy roll his eyes. "There has been another occurrence," he said bluntly, holding up the slightly bloodied flower that he had produced in the turbo lift.
McCoy groaned, and waved for Spock to follow him. "Let's get you back into a bio-bed," he said. "And here, put that flower in this sample container. We'd better be keeping these plants until we know what's going on."
Spock dropped the plant into the little clear box McCoy offered, and obediently lay down on the bio-bed.
"This is freaking me out," McCoy grumbled.
"That is valid," Spock said. "This is a very unusual ailment that I am suffering from."
"No, not that," McCoy snapped. "You're being too cooperative. It's weird. Must be a full moon."
Spock refrained from pointing out that they were nowhere near a moon, and that if they were, the moon phases would not be of consequence due to their orbit. He also refrained from stating that a full moon would have no effect on how cooperative he was being.
The truth was, Spock was worried. As he had said, this was a highly unusual ailment. He didn't know what to make of it, and knew of no precedents. The only person who might be able to make sense of it was Doctor McCoy. And so, he chose to cooperate.
Once again, the tests Doctor McCoy ran showed nothing out of the ordinary. McCoy ordered Spock to report to sickbay in the morning before Alpha shift for another scan— if it happened again on the same timeline, maybe they could catch it in the act. But for the time being, there was nothing to do but release Spock back to duty.
On his way back to the bridge, Spock came across Jim in the corridor.
"Spock!" Jim said. "Are you alright? Sorry I couldn't get away from the bridge sooner."
"It is not your responsibility to follow up with me," Spock said lightly. "Though, I appreciate the sentiment."
Jim smiled. "I'm just worried about you, that's all. Not just as your captain, but as your friend. Responsibility be damned. Now, how are you?"
"I am alright, Jim," Spock assured him. "I did, however, expel another flower from my lungs."
"So, not just a fluke one-time deal," Jim said grimly.
"It appears not."
"Maybe... it's just a fluke two-time deal?" Jim said.
Spock smiled slightly. "Perhaps. It would not hurt to hope."
The rest of Alpha shift passed without incident. Afterwards, Spock met with Jim in the Captain's quarters for a game of chess.
"Still feeling okay, Spock?" Jim asked as he made the first move.
"Indeed," Spock answered as he countered.
"Did you send that data off to New Vulcan?"
"I did so last night," Spock told him. "I have yet to receive any answers."
"Well, hopefully they'll get back to you soon," Jim said. "And hopefully they have some answers."
"Indeed."
The next morning Spock reported to sickbay for a scan. This time, McCoy found something.
"Take a look at this, Spock," he said, turning a screen so he could see. He pointed to a mass in Spock's lungs. "There's something in here alright."
"I see," Spock said. "What is there to be done about it?"
McCoy thought for a moment. "Well, to be honest, I think you might need to just cough this one up, until I can come up with something better."
"I see. If that will be all, Doctor..."
"Yes, go to the bridge," McCoy said, shooing him. "I'll look into this and see what I can do about it."
Spock went to the bridge, making it there early as usual. He relieved the night watch, checked on the status of the ship, and opened his PADD. He had a message from New Vulcan. He opened it, and read. In the Vulcan way, it was very concise:
Come to New Vulcan immediately.
The turbo-lift doors opened and Jim arrived, smiling brightly at Spock in greeting. "Morning Spock, how you doing today?"
Spock silently handed him the PADD.
Jim read the single line, and his smile faltered. "Guess it's that bad, huh," he said.
"I understand if we cannot take a detour to New Vulcan at this time," Spock said. "We have our orders—"
"Orders be damned, Spock," Jim interrupted. "We're going to New Vulcan, don't you worry."
The turbo-lift doors opened again, and Chekov, Sulu, and Uhura stepped onto the bridge. Jim turned to them.
"Ah, here we are," he said. "Mr Sulu, Mr Chekov: lay in a course for New Vulcan. Uhura: send a message to Starfleet Command telling them that we're taking a detour to New Vulcan for urgent medical business."
"Aye, Sir," all three said at once. Sulu and Chekov scrambled to their stations, but Uhura lingered with a confused and concerned look on her face.
"Urgent medical business?" She asked.
Jim didn't say anything, but glanced at Spock.
Spock decided that it would be best if the crew knew the reason for their sudden change in plans. "I seem to have fallen ill with an unknown malady. I believe the healers on New Vulcan may be able to help."
Uhura's face fell. "Oh," she said. "Are you okay?"
"For the moment I am fine," Spock said. "We will not know the severity or the prognosis until we get to New Vulcan. For the moment it is best not to worry about it."
Uhura nodded. "I'll get that message out right away," she said.
"Course laid in, sir," Sulu reported from the helm.
"Good work," Jim said, sitting down in the command chair. "Take us out. Warp eight."
As instructed, Spock beamed down to the New Vulcan Science Institute, with Doctor McCoy in tow. He was not instructed to bring Jim, but he was also not instructed not to bring him, so Jim came along too. He would be of very limited use in the matter of Spock's condition, but Spock was glad to have him all the same.
The head of the Science Institute met them in the courtyard. "Greetings, Spock," he said, holding his hand up in a ta'al. "I am Stvok."
Spock returned the gesture. "Greetings Stvok," he said, then gestured to his two companions. "This is Doctor Leonard McCoy, and Captain James T Kirk."
"Hi," McCoy said. Jim waved. Stvok gave them a cordial nod.
"If you'll come with me," he said, turning and walking into the Institute's building.
McCoy and Jim were glad to get out of the sun, even though they had only been in it for a minute. And luckily, the building was cool in comparison to the outdoor heat.
They were lead through the clean white building and into a wide laboratory.
"As you can see," Stvok said, "we have a state of the art facility here on New Vulcan. Have you brought the samples with you?"
McCoy opened his bag and pulled out a stack of sample containers. Spock had coughed up various other plants of different types on their way over to New Vulcan. He handed them over to Stvok.
Stvok took the samples and handed them over to a Vulcan in a lab coat, who whisked them away for analysis.
"I'll now take you to the medical offices for examination," Stvok said.
They walked down more pristine white hallways to the medical offices. Spock went in for examination by one of the Vulcan doctors. McCoy was permitted to join him. Jim was not, and he waited outside.
The examination showed much the same result that McCoy had been getting with the Enterprise's medical facilities. The same plant growth in the lungs. Spock had yet to cough up today's plant, so it was visible in the scans.
"So, what do you think?" McCoy asked the Vulcan doctor, T'Sylar.
She looked at him with an expressionless face. "It is a peculiar disease," she said.
"Anyone could have told me that," McCoy said. "Do you know what it is? How to cure it? Or at least treat it?"
T'Sylar blinked slowly. "Allow me to consult with my colleague," she said. She did not wait for an answer and left the room.
Spock cleared his throat, and McCoy looked at him.
"Starting to come up?" McCoy asked. Spock nodded. "Well, hopefully these Vulcans know what's going on and can put a stop to this."
T'Sylar returned shortly. "While the disease is almost entirely unheard of, we can provide a treatment for it over the course of a few weeks."
"Treatment?" McCoy asked. "So there's no cure."
"We cannot cure it," T'Sylar confirmed. "Are you able to stay at the Institute for the next two to five weeks?" She asked Spock.
"That is a question for my captain to answer," Spock said.
Reluctantly, T'Sylar allowed Jim to enter the examination room.
"What did you find out?" Jim asked eagerly.
T'Sylar explained that Spock would need to be kept for treatment for several weeks, and asked if Spock could be spared during that time.
"Of course," Jim said. "Whatever Spock needs. Although, finding an excuse for the Enterprise to stay here will be a bit more difficult."
Spock quirked an eyebrow at him. "The Enterprise does not have to stay at New Vulcan for the duration of my treatment," Spock said. "You are free to leave me here and continue with the mission. Either Mr Scott or Mr Sulu would be up to the task of taking over the position of First Officer, and Mr Chekov has worked with me often enough that he could fill the roll of science officer."
"Well, yeah," Jim said. "But then we'd be leaving you all alone."
Spock was touched by this sentimentality. "That is alright," he assured him.
"Are you sure?" Jim asked. "Even if I can't stay, maybe we could spare Bones—"
"Jim, I am capable of undergoing treatment without company," Spock insisted. "Please, continue the mission. I will contact you when my treatment is complete."
Jim looked like he didn't like that answer, but nodded. "Alright," he said. "But keep us updated, okay? We want to know how you're doing."
"I can arrange to send regular updates on my condition," Spock said.
Jim and McCoy reluctantly beamed back onto the Enterprise, and Spock was left alone with his Vulcan peers. They watched him, fascinated, as he coughed up another plant. This time, a species of Vulcan cactus.
Two weeks passed. Spock spent his time avoiding exerting himself. He got plenty of rest, spent a great deal of time meditating, and busied himself with reading scientific journals. For a couple of hours a day, he was undergoing treatment, or coughing up various Vulcan plants.
At first, the treatments were only once a day— after he coughed up the day's plant, he would lay in a bio-bed and undergo about an hour's worth of micro-radiation treatments. However, the time between expelling plants grew shorter and shorter, until they were doing two, and even three treatments a day.
Spock wondered at what good the treatments were doing if they weren't at least stalling his degradation, but he knew that it was a largely unknown disease, and that the treatment was experimental. So, he continued to put his trust in the medical researchers who poked and prodded him on the daily, in hopes that they would find something a little more effective.
At two weeks, Spock was coughing up three plants a day, therefore undergoing three micro-radiation treatments a day. He was getting tired. The constant cycle of having something growing in his lungs and his laboured expulsion of said thing was wearing on him. But at least his mood was about to brighten.
Doctor T'Sylar entered his room. "You have a guest," she said.
Spock expected his father, whom he did not inform of his illness, but word must have made its way to him anyway. It was not his father. Spock was not expecting the person who walked through the door at all.
"Jim," Spock said, unable to hide his surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Jim grinned. "Starbase 80's shipyard had a cancellation so I got us in for our tune up three months early," he explained. "Which means I have nothing to do for the next three weeks, so I got a ride out here to visit you. I know you said you didn't need company, but I'm sure it's nice to have."
Spock felt his heart flutter in his side, and he opened his mouth to respond, but instead of speaking, he fell into a coughing fit, and doubled over. This plant was rather large and had branches which raked and stuck at his throat as it came up, and Spock was breathing hard by the time he got it out.
He sat on the edge of his bio-bed, a bloody plant in his hands. For the first time, he noticed that Jim was sitting beside him, a hand placed comfortingly on his back. Spock resisted the urge to lean into it.
"Okay now, Spock?" Jim asked.
"Yes," Spock said.
Doctor T'Sylar had come back into the room when she heard his fit, and she took the plant from him and whisked it away.
"Has it been getting any better?" Jim asked.
Spock shook his head. "It has only been getting worse. I do not think the treatments are very effective."
"Jeez, Spock," Jim said. "I'm sorry."
Dr Sylar came back. "It is time for your treatment, Spock," she said.
Jim sat with Spock through the whole process, filling him in on the comings and goings on the Enterprise over the past week. For once, Spock enjoyed his treatment.
As happy as Spock was to have Jim to keep him company, it was getting harder for him to keep his spirits up as his fits happened more and more often.
Jim's arrival seemed to spark a change in Spock's condition. Of course that change had to be a coincidence. Correlation was not causation, after all, and besides, how could Jim's presence cause Spock's illness to progress?
Spock was up to five flowers a day. His sleep was being interrupted by the episodes. He had lost his appetite, and he was entering a state of perpetual exhaustion. Despite Jim's efforts to keep his spirits up, Spock was miserable.
Spock was lying on a bio-bed getting another ineffectual treatment after a fit. He had his eyes closed, trying to rest. The ordeal had drained him. Not only were the plants coming up more frequently, but they were bigger, too.
"Hey," Jim said.
Spock opened his eyes and looked at Jim expectantly.
"Maybe after your treatment we can take a little trip over to the botany lab," he said. "I've heard there's some exciting stuff going on there."
"Under ordinary circumstances, I would like to," Spock said. "However, I am in no condition to be up and about. You may visit the botany lab without me. I will be alright unattended for a while."
"I don't really have an interest in botany," Jim said.
Spock raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you suggest a visit to the botany lab?"
"Because you like botany, Spock." Jim said. "I just thought a little outing might lift your spirits a little, that's all. You've been cooped up in this room since I got here."
"I see," Spock said. "I appreciate the thought, but I fear I am too weak to walk very far."
"I could get you a wheelchair," Jim said. "They have some for patient use. I could push you. Then you wouldn't have to worry about being too tired to walk."
Spock considered this for a moment. He was extremely tired, and wanted to get some sleep. But he was intrigued by Jim's mention of something 'exciting' happening in the botany lab. And he was feeling rather bored. This trip could alleviate that.
"Alright," Spock agreed. "I will allow you to take me to the botany lab."
Jim grinned. "Great," he said. "Wait here, I'll go track down a wheelchair."
Jim located a wheelchair, and wheeled Spock through the long halls of the institute to the botany lab. It was busy when they got there, with scientists crowded around tables of specimens, talking excitedly. Or at least as excitedly as Vulcans do.
They didn't notice as Spock and Jim entered the lab, and Spock got a good look about the place. Among the computers and microscopes and other equipment were bright grow lights, under which were several potted seedlings. Several plants were growing in individual pots on a table under a large light.
One of the scientists finally spotted them and the chatter stopped. Stvok looked at them with suspicion.
"Can we help you?" He asked.
Jim shrugged. "Just seeing what the fuss is about," he said. "You all seem rather... excited about something."
Stvok looked to his colleagues, then back to Jim and Spock. "We have managed to successfully propagate a plant native to Vulcan which was thought extinct due to the planet's destruction. With careful conservation, we can bring this species back from non-existence."
"Fascinating," Spock said. "Which species?"
Stvok picked up a small plant and held it up, listing its scientific name. "But we have also resurrected others," he said, gesturing to the table in the middle of the room. "This is just the most recent."
"That's amazing," Jim said. "How did you manage to do that?"
Stvok went silent for a moment. "We have recently discovered a collection of samples that we were previously unaware had survived." He said simply.
He talked to them a while longer, but it was clear— at least to Spock —that the man was deeply uncomfortable with them being there.
"Jim," Spock said. "I think we should return to my room now. I am quite fatigued." It wasn't a lie— he was tired. But he also just wanted to leave.
"Alright," Jim said.
When they got back to Spock's room, Jim helped him back into bed. "Pretty cool they were able to bring those plants back from extinction," he said.
"Indeed," Spock agreed. "However, one must consider the means by which they do such a thing."
Jim tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"I am speaking of where they sourced the initial samples from," Spock said.
"But they said—" Jim blinked, then squinted. "Wait, you don't suppose..."
"I do," Spock said plainly. "Every plant in that lab was a species that has come from my lungs at least once."
"Shit," Jim said. "I mean, that's kinda morbid. But at least something good is coming out of you being sick? Sort of. I mean, you're sick either way, right?"
"Usually, I would agree," Spock said. "However, I suspect that these treatments I have been receiving have been nothing but a ruse."
"What? Really?" Jim asked. "You think they're keeping you sick on purpose so they can bring more extinct plants to life?"
"Yes," Spock said simply.
"Son of a bitch," he said angrily.
At that moment, Doctor T'Sylar entered the room with a clipboard. Jim jumped up from where he was sitting beside the bio-bed, knocked the clipboard from her hands, and got all up into her business.
"We know those treatments you're giving Spock aren't doing anything," he said. "We know you're keeping him sick so you can get more samples of extinct Vulcan plants. You're a doctor, for fuck's sake, don't you understand how horrifically unethical this is?"
Doctor T'Sylar frowned at him and nudged him out of her personal bubble. Calmly, she retrieved her clip board from the floor, then gave him a hard look. "Your concerns should be taken to Stvok," she said. "He is the leader of this project, and I have no say in it."
A long look passed between her and Jim. Jim thought he understood— T'Sylar was stuck following orders. 'Just following orders' was never an excuse. But it was different if you were under threat. And T'Sylar must be, as she seemed to not agree with Stvok's project. At least, as far as Jim could tell from the tone of her voice and her few words.
"Can you bring him here?" Jim asked her.
She nodded, and left the room.
"I believe she is on our side," Spock said.
"That's what I was thinking," said Jim.
They waited, and a few minutes later, Stvok entered the room. Jim had been planning on giving Stvok the same spiel as he gave T'Sylar, but when he saw the smug face of the Vulcan who had kept Spock so sick unnecessarily, he decided that words would not be enough.
He decked Stvok in the face.
Stvok had not been expecting to be punched in the face, and was unable to dodge or block the blow. He took it straight to the chin, and he collapsed to the floor, knocked out cold. T'Sylar, who was standing in the doorway behind him, blinked in surprise, but otherwise kept her composure. After a moment, she stepped over the unconscious form of Stvok.
"I was not lying when I said that we could not cure you," she said to Spock.
"I understand," Spock said.
Jim felt his heart drop. "So he would have been sick anyways, and the treatments were just a ploy to keep him here so you could collect the samples?"
"Not exactly," T'Sylar said. "There is a cure, it is just one we cannot give you."
"Well, what is it?" Jim asked. "I don't care if I have to travel to the end of the universe and fight an army of super soldiers, I will get that cure."
Spock felt something warm inside him at the declaration.
T'Sylar shook her head. "You will not need to go to such lengths." She turned to Spock. "Your illness is caused by a type of heartsickness. An intense longing for someone near to your heart."
"I see," Spock said, trying to keep the shame from showing on his face. "And the cure?"
"The cure," T'Sylar said, "is simply to inform the object of your desire that that is what they are to you."
"So," Jim said, sounding confused. "He has a crush, and he has to confess to them?"
"Not very eloquent and perhaps undignified terms," T'Sylar said. "But yes. If you'll excuse me, I have to attend to Stvok." She hoisted him under the arms and started to drag him from the room, then stopped, looking up at Jim and Spock. "When the inquest comes... Stvok threatened to end my career if I didn't obey his orders, even if I didn't agree with them—"
"We will speak favourably of you in our statements," Spock said to her.
"Thank you," T'Sylar said with a sincerity normally not shown by Vulcans, then continued to drag Stvok out into the corridor, the door closing after her.
Jim looked at Spock. "You've been pining over someone so hard that you got this sick? And you never told me, your own best friend, about it?" He seemed offended.
"It was not my intention to keep it from you," Spock said.
"Well, spill the beans," Jim said. "Who is it?"
Spock decided there was no use denying it. Coming clean was necessary to cure his condition, after all. "You, Jim," he said.
Jim jolted in surprise. He pointed at himself. "Me?"
"Yes," Spock said. "I apologize if this is an uncomfortable situation for you."
"What?" Jim asked, then shook his head. "No, not at all. This is... actually pretty good news, not going to lie."
Spock tilted his head. "Do you also harbour feelings for me?"
"I mean, yeah," Jim said. "I just... I didn't think... What could you possibly see in a guy like me?"
"Everything, Jim."
Spock's illness had cleared up, this time for good. He and Jim caught a transit back to Starbase 80 to rejoin the crew on the newly tuned up Enterprise, and the mission continued.
"So the cure was... love?" McCoy asked, still not believing the story of all that had happened.
"As I said three times already, the cure was—" Spock started to correct him once again, but Jim stopped him by taking his hand.
"Yeah, Bones," Jim said. "That's about the gist of it."
McCoy rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm glad you're better, but this is ridiculous."
"Yup," Jim agreed. "But a few good things came of it, at least." He leaned over and kissed Spock briefly, his eyes sparkling as he grinned at Spock.
"Hey!" Leonard snapped. "No canoodling in my sickbay!"
Jim and Spock didn't hear him. Spock leaned in for a deeper kiss, like they were the only ones in the room.
Leonard's protests were left unheard. "Hey! Get out of here if you're gonna do that!"