"Set course for Deep Space Station K-7, warp factor 2."

"Aye, Mr. Spock," Sulu responded, plotting the course into the ship's computer.

It had been several days since their encounter with Asmodeus and the shadow creatures, as the crew had begun to call them. Spock was almost completely recovered, having spent two full days in sickbay at the firm request of Doctor McCoy. The ship had resumed its original course—en route to Deep Space Station K-7 to assist in an important assignment regarding a disputed planet. All in all, life aboard the Enterprise had pretty much returned to normal. Well, almost normal. That is to say, Kirk and Spock had barely spoken to each other since their return from the mysterious planet. They both knew that they needed to discuss the future of their 'relationship,' but neither of them had been particularly keen to bring it up.

Once Spock had completed his duties on the bridge, he decided to return to his quarters for a while. After passing the conn to Sulu, he stepped into the turbolift. Several seconds passed before the door slid open again, but the turbolift had not yet arrived at the correct deck. Instead, the doors opened to reveal Kirk standing in the corridor, his expression clearly showing that he had not expected Spock to be inside. Kirk stood frozen for a moment, then realized it was too late to do anything except step into the turbolift. He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Bridge," Kirk muttered, making an enormous effort to avoid eye contact.

After several awkward seconds, they finally arrived at Spock's destination. He stepped out of the turbolift as soon as the doors were fully open and hurried down the corridor without looking back. He had no idea why he was acting so strangely; he just had a very strong urge to engage in as little communication with Captain Kirk as possible.

Kirk regretfully watched him go, knowing that it was partly his fault for letting the situation develop. He promised himself that he would talk to Spock, properly—and soon. Just not today, though, he added as an afterthought.

-------------------------------------------------------

The next day on the bridge, everything was going smoothly and according to plan. The Enterprise was still 72 hours away from their destination, so there wasn't really much for any of them to do.

Kirk was sitting in the captain's chair, staring distractedly out at the stars going by at warp speed on the viewscreen. Sulu, Chekov, Scotty, and Uhura were all at their stations while McCoy was standing next to Kirk. Since there were currently no patients to attend to in sickbay, the Doctor had decided to kill some time by visiting the bridge.

Suddenly, the doors slid open behind them and Spock stepped out of the turbolift. He moved to his station and sat down, quickly busying himself with something to avoid looking at Kirk. The Captiain mirrored his actions, seeming very intent on the monotone image of the viewscreen in front of him. McCoy noticed their behavior. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Several more minutes of silence passed, save for the beeping and whirring of the ship in the background. While Spock had the benefit of a console to fiddle with, Kirk had nothing to do but sit there. He was beginning to grow bored, and just a tiny bit antsy.

"Chekov, what is the estimated time to our destination?" he asked suddenly.

"3 days, 23 hours, and 53 minutes, sir," Chekov replied.

Kirk nodded thoughtfully, as if the information required a great deal of time to process.

"And, uh, Commander?" Kirk began, stumbling slightly on how to address Spock. "Any unidentified objects or ships in the area?"

"Sensors show nothing unusual," Spock replied. "Captain," he added after a moment, having forgotten to add the word to the end of his brief report. Spock then turned back to his station in an attempt to make himself look busy again, fighting to keep the blush from revealing itself on his face.

McCoy stood next to Kirk on the bridge, watching the proceedings with some amusement. But, eventually he realized that the pair were in desperate need of help, and—as per usual—he was going to have to be the one to provide it.

"Captain, can I see you in sickbay?" he asked casually. "I'd like to go over some of your recent medical examinations."

Kirk looked at McCoy's knowing smile and heaved an internal sigh. He had a pretty good idea what McCoy wanted to discuss with him, and it had nothing to do with his quarterly physical.

"Uh, Mr. Spock," Kirk said after clearing his throat. "You have the bridge."

He then stood up and followed McCoy into the turbolift, resigning himself to his fate.

Once in sickbay, McCoy turned and gave Kirk a disapproving glare.

"Jim, what is going on with you and Spock?" he asked. "Have you even talked to him since we returned from the planet?"

"Well, of course I've talked to him, Bones," Kirk answered defensively.

"No, not like that. I mean really talked to him," McCoy responded exasperatedly. "You know, about your relationship," he added in a softer tone.

"I don't—I don't know Bones, I just—" Kirk began. Then he signed and collapsed into the chair behind McCoy's desk, putting his face in his hands. "I just don't know what to say to him," he continued, the distress clear in his voice. "I just—I try to talk to him and—and nothing comes out."

"Jim, this is a normal stage in a healthy relationship," McCoy responded in a reassuring tone. "You just have to force yourself into a room with him and talk it out. It's the only way you're going to get past this."

"I know you're right Bones, it's just—it's a lot easier said than done."

"Tell me about it," McCoy muttered. "That pointy-eared bastard is about as stubborn as they get." He smiled then, to show Kirk that he was joking. Unfortunately, it didn't help to improve Kirk's mood. His face remained in his hands, and a sigh could be heard escaping through his fingers.

"You know what, Jim," McCoy said after a moment. "The next time you see him, just tell him that you need to talk. It'll show that you're ready to have a discussion with him, and it'll make things less awkward between you," he added with a hint of a smirk.

Kirk couldn't help but smile at that. The way he and Spock had been dancing around each other lately was a childish attempt to avoid an uncomfortable situation, and probably looked quite comical to anyone who had witnessed it.

"Alright, Bones," Kirk decided. "I'll do it your way."

"Trust me," McCoy reassured him, "you'll feel a lot better once you get it over with."

The two of them got up and walked over to the door together. Then Kirk turned and smiled fondly at McCoy.

"Thank you, Bones," he said warmly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd be a mess," McCoy jokingly agreed. "And good luck by the way," he added. "With Spock."

"Thanks," Kirk replied. "Something tells me I'm going to need it."