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Step by Step is a Star Trek: The Original Series fanfic written by KCS.

In the middle of a trip, Kirk comes down with the flu. Initially, the captain tries to power through, but his faithful First Officer and doctor are not about to let him exhaust himself.

This fanfic includes examples of the following tropes:

  • "Blackmail" Is Such an Ugly Word: Spock tells McCoy that "[the ship] needed to be unable to receive any further communications" from the admiralty before he could get Kirk off the bridge. Kirk asks him if he means that "You and Scotty sabotaged the comm system so [the admiral] won't realize [he's] not up there." Spock denies it.
  • Continuity Nod: Kirk mentions the time Spock threw some plomeek soup against the wall.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Spock, per the norm. Kirk even refers to one of his comments as a "Vulcan burn."
    I do not show favoritism among my subordinates, Doctor, as that is both against Starfleet regulation and, in addition, quite illogical. Also, were I to for some undisclosed reason to show favoritism, it would most certainly not be towards you.
  • Exact Words: Spock reminds McCoy that he said to "get [Kirk] off the bridge", not to bring him to Sickbay.
  • Fainting: Kirk can barely keep himself upright after Spock drags him off the bridge, and before he can get into bed, he loses consciousness. Fortunately, Spock is there to catch him.
  • Foreign Queasine: Spock presents Kirk with some plomeek soup he made. While Kirk manages to hide it from him, he finds it absolutely sickening. McCoy tells Spock that "that stuff's not compatible with human taste receptors."
  • Hurt/Comfort Fic: Spock and McCoy have to take care of Kirk when he gets sick.
  • I'll Kill You!: Kirk tells McCoy that he "will kill [him] in [his] sleep" after the doctor admits that he "put [Spock] up" to giving him the soup.
  • I'm a Doctor, Not a Placeholder: McCoy tells Kirk that he is "a doctor, not a miracle worker."
  • Insistent Terminology: Kirk insists throughout the fic that he does not believe in luck, until the ending lines.
    It's fortunate, he thinks fuzzily, just before dreams usher him away, that Fate decided to present one mostly-deserving captain with two such trustworthy subordinates-and-friends. Oh, who is he kidding. He is a very lucky man, and he knows it.
  • Obstructive Bureaucrat: The admirals will not let Kirk leave the bridge until the mission is complete, even though he's so sick that sitting up and staying awake is a struggle.
  • Sick Episode: The whole fic is about Kirk coming down with one of the few illnesses futuristic medicine can't cure.
  • Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: See "Blackmail" Is Such an Ugly Word. Spock purposely uses big words to respond, knowing that "there is no way [Kirk's] brain is going to follow that right now."
  • Slipping a Mickey: McCoy drugs Kirk's soup and drink to make sure he gets some sleep. He gets a double whammy because he unexpectedly drank both.
  • Working Through the Cold: Kirk attempts to stay on the bridge as per orders, even though he is sick as a dog.

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