"Commander Spock!"
"Cadet Kirk," Spock acknowledged as he turned, watching him drag his friend closer by force, grinning and waving with his free hand. Spock wasn't sure whether he liked Kirk or not yet, but Kirk had certainly decided that he liked Spock, and given they were both proteges of Captain Pike, they saw each other fairly often.
"Hey, it's great I ran into you! Chris wanted me to-"
When Spock turned to look at the friend Kirk had dragged with him, likely the infamous 'Bones', all other sensory input stopped. It was like electroshock to the brain, lighting up his bonding center and making his skin tingle, and the longer the man met his eyes the more breathless he felt. This was his intended, his one true love as his Mother had always described. He could taste it in the air. He was so absorbed in the beauty of the man's eyes that he hardly noticed the deepening scowl on his lips.
"Jim," he interrupted breathlessly, both the tone and the first use of his casual name stopping the exuberant cadet in his tracks, "who is your friend?"
He could barely see Kirk's smirk out of the corner of his eye. "This? This is my boyfriend, Bones."
The man broke eye contact with Spock to glare at Jim, and Spock had to blink several times to catch his bearings. "I told you to stop telling everyone I'm your boyfriend. We ain't dating! And my name ain't Bones."
"Is your boyfriend single?" Spock asked, glancing at Jim and feeling somewhat like a slavering dog, begging for a meal.
"Uhm," Jim responded, and then burst out laughing, while Bones caught his eye again with a bewildered look, exclaiming "What?"
How did Humans do this again?
Spock dropped down to his knees, then frowned at himself. "I do not have a ring. I know it is traditional. I will acquire you a ring. Will you marry me?"
Bones said nothing, staring in abject shock. It was true this was fast even for Vulcans. Several moments to process would be acceptable. "Is that Commander Spock? What is he doing?" he heard another cadet nearby mutter, but paid it no mind.
Through hysterical laughter, Jim managed to choke out, "Has he lost his fucking mind? Spock, are you sick?"
"Oh Christ!" Bones muttered, yanking a tricorder out of his bag to scan him. Of course, he was a doctor. A perfect profession to be his lifemate and challenge him intellectually, and to ensure his fragile health as a hybrid. Destiny and fate perhaps did exist.
"You need time to think," Spock said, rising smoothly to his feet once more. "I will acquire a ring. Rings are traditional."
"He doesn't like rings," Jim said, laughter gone and now starting to look worried.
"A necklace then! Perhaps vokaya," Spock said happily. "A necklace is traditional for Vulcan engagements. This is acceptable."
"Commander, do you even know his name?"
Spock blinked, looking between the two momentarily, entranced by the cute, concerned furrow between Bones' brow. "Bones. He is your boyfriend."
"Uh. No and no," Bones said, glaring at the results on the tricorder. "Dammit, these readings are all out of whack, Jim!"
"Chris says that's normal," Jim replied, though he looked worried. "Spock, I was joking. He's not my boyfriend, he's just my roommate. And his name is Leonard."
"McCoy," Leonard added gruffly, running another tricorder scan.
"Leonard McCoy," Spock almost sighed, tasting the name of his beloved on his tongue and feeling inordinately like his mother. He was unsure why they both looked so alarmed. "Then your boyfriend is single, Jim?"
"Uh yeah, 'cause he's not my boyfriend."
"Don't encourage his delusion!" Leonard snapped. "He's way too young for Bendii, and I'd swear Vulcans aren't prone to delusions or hallucinations-"
"You need time to think," Spock said. "You are both worried. I am of sound mind. I will go locate an appropriate necklace and come back to properly propose, Leonard."
"Commander, wait-!"
