![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
corpus_invictusTitle: Take Refuge in What You Know, Chapter 20
Fandom: Star Trek XI
Pairing: Spock/Kirk, hints of others
Rating: PG-13
Notes: Written for the Star Trek XI Kink Meme prompt found here: "AU - Kirk has moved into a apartment/house and wants to get to know his neighbors. He meets his neighbor Spock, a loner who suffers from extreme agoraphobia. Kirk thinks he's beautiful enigma."
Jim was something of a light sleeper. He felt this was probably for the best; if he was ever going to get out in space, ever going to command his own ship someday, he needed to be able to react instantly whenever an emergency arose. Plus, he had grown up with an older brother. A sadistic older brother. The light sleeping developed as a defense mechanism. So when the warm, solid weight against him began to shift uncomfortably, then stiffen up, then start to tremble, Jim was grateful for having developed that particular defense mechanism. He blinked his eyes open blearily, staring at the back of a dark, extremely messy head of hair. "Mmph?" he murmured, not yet awake enough for actual words.
Spock said nothing, wouldn't even turn around to face him. He appeared to be glued to the spot, his neck and shoulders clenched, his spine rigid, everything about him screaming of unbearable tension.
Jim was still too out of it to try to ask whether Spock was okay or to offer up any soothing words. Instead he flung an arm out over his waist and tried to tug him closer, eyebrows knitting when Spock remained motionless and unmoving on his side of the bed. Jim gave a halfhearted shrug, using the arm as leverage to pull himself forward, molding himself to the Vulcan instead. "Mmmorning," he mumbled into Spock's neck.
"Y-yes," Spock whispered, tripping over the word.
Jim may have been out of it, but even half-asleep he could recognize the warning signs. "None'o'that," he slurred together, slipping a hand under Spock's shirt to press against his bare skin, pressing his nose to the nape of his neck and inhaling the scent of him.
"If... if ordering the symptoms to c-cease manifesting actually caused them to... to do so..."
He kissed the back of his head. "Worth a shot, y'know?"
Spock said nothing, still shaking in Jim's arms. One trembling hand moved to rest on top of Jim's at his waist.
Jim smiled at that small offering of contact, even when Spock was starting to go through one of his episodes. "Got a reason for panicking this time?" he asked, trying to somehow scoot closer to him.
More silence, and Jim thought Spock would refuse to answer. His eyes had already drifted shut again when he finally said something. "I have not shared a bed in..." He trailed off, his brain too overloaded to do the math properly. "Awhile," he finished, uncharacteristically vague.
Jim couldn't help the pang of jealousy. "You thought I was Stonn?"
The shaking was interrupted by a quick huff in Spock's breathing, and with anyone else it would have been considered a laugh. "No. Stonn was not so... demonstrative."
He tried to translate that. "So he didn't plaster himself all over you when you were sleeping?"
"No."
"Oh." He kept his hand on Spock's waist, trying to disengage himself otherwise, giving Spock some space. "Sorry, I didn't mean to smother you or overwhelm you or-"
He shut himself up when he realized Spock was moving with him, keeping his back firmly pressed against Jim's chest. "You are not..." He shook his head, tried again. The shaking was starting to subside a little. "It was overwhelming when I first woke. I am finding it... It is..." He froze in Jim's arms for a moment, then rolled himself over in small degrees. When they were face to face, he raised a hand hesitantly, looking as if he expected to be batted away at any second, finally resting his fingers at Jim's jaw, trailing up over his cheek, stopping just before they hit his temple. "Jim," he said quietly, like it explained everything.
"Yeah," he smiled back. He sifted his fingers into the tangled mass of black hair, cradling the back of his head as he leaned in for a kiss, heedless of the stale taste of morning breath between them.
Spock seemed to melt into it, his body easing from the light trembling until he was completely relaxed against Jim's chest. Spock surprised him when he tongued at Jim's upper lip, licking at the seam of his mouth until Jim recovered enough to open for him. Spock made a delicious rumbling sound at that, almost a purr. Jim drank it in, suckled it right out of his mouth, pressing his body up against Spock's at every point of contact he could.
That broke whatever spell Spock had been weaving. His hips jerked away from the sudden contact, mouth pulling away from Jim's, eyes wide and a bit hazy. "Jim-"
"Sorry, sorry," he chanted, trying to force down his frustration, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Got ahead of myself, just wanted to-"
"Jim, according to the chronometer it is 0912 hours."
Jim's lust-addled brain tried to keep up with the conversation. "Huh?" he asked with as much eloquence as he could muster before he'd been properly caffeinated.
"It is Thursday. Your computer course is at 0945."
He broke out into a wide grin. "You memorized my course schedule?"
Spock just gave him an even look. It was almost the neutral, aloof expression he'd worn when Jim first met him, but he could see little hints of... smugness? fondness? There was something warming the depths of those deep brown eyes. He found it was a look that forced him to steal another kiss.
"You're kicking me out so I'll go to class?"
"Yes."
He tried for his best hurt puppy look. "I always go to class. I can skip it just this once."
"You will miss information that may be vital in the future," Spock admonished him, sounding eerily like the computer technician teaching the course. But then he turned a faint sage green color, unable to meet his eyes. "And your Orion friend will wonder about your absence."
He laughed. "You haven't even met her and you know she's a shameless gossip."
Spock looked slightly offended. "She showed an inordinate amount of interest in the notes I was leaving under your door last night. I noticed her door was open when I brought over one of the letters."
Jim's laughter died down to an amused chuckle. "Yeah, she does that. She thinks she's subtle. No one's told her otherwise because it's better to know when she's watching you rather than give her an opportunity to improve on her stealth."
"Jim, it is now 0913 hours," Spock informed him, trying to get the conversation back on track.
"I could be late," Jim offered, pressing a kiss to the point of his ear. He was pushing his luck and he knew it.
Spock's breath hitched and he gave a full-body shiver, fisting a hand in Jim's uniform. "You cannot..." He tried again. "I am expecting a transmission at 0915."
Jim sighed and broke away, sitting up and smoothing down his wrinkled uniform. "Business matter?" he asked, knowing how Spock valued his professionalism.
He shook his head, still curled into the sheets. "My mother. She and my father will be departing for Vulcan in 5.12 days. She wished to speak to me before their return."
"Wow, they were here for quite awhile." He got out of bed, searching for his shoes and slipping them on before bending over Spock for one last kiss. "Can I come back here tonight?"
Spock kissed him back, hand cradling his jaw for a moment before letting go. "That would be acceptable."
"Glad to hear it," Jim grinned, showing himself out.
*******
Gaila had pounced on him the second he'd left the building. She'd been sitting on a bench outside just waiting to ambush him. "There's something terribly wrong with you," she informed him, handing him a recyclable paper mug and attaching herself to his left side as they walked to the Academy.
"Morning, Gaila," he grumbled, his mood softening considerably when he took a swig from the cup. "Oh my God, you brought me coffee. You're my hero."
"Maybe you didn't hear me, but there's something terribly wrong with you," she repeated, her serious expression betrayed by the mischievous glint in her eyes.
He rolled his eyes but he was much more willing to play along since she'd buttered him up with coffee. "Okay, I'll bite. What's terribly wrong with me?"
"You walked into the Vulcan's apartment wearing this yesterday." She tugged on his sleeve to indicate his uniform. "And you're wearing it again today. And it's all rumpled and your hair is a disaster."
"You do know how to make a guy feel good," he muttered.
"But you don't smell like sex," she finished, glaring at him. "So what's wrong with you?"
"What do you mean, what's wrong with me?"
"Couldn't get it up?" she continued her interrogation, heedless of the looks she was getting from people they passed by on the street.
Jim turned bright red. "No," he growled. Then, realizing how that sounded, "No, that was not the problem."
"Do Vulcans have sex differently than humans? Is it all mental?"
Jim wondered if hitting her would be wrong under these circumstances. "Hell if I know."
"Are you a virgin?"
"What?! No!"
"I'm just making sure," she defended herself. "Is he a virgin?"
"Not that I asked, but I don't think he is. Also, how is this any of your business?"
"Jimmy, you spent the night with a Vulcan and all you've got to show for it is a rumpled uniform and some wicked bed-head. This is a tragedy that I cannot even begin to describe to you."
"Gaila, this would only be a tragedy if it were some epic Orion saga. In the human world, folks don't always jump into bed with each other at the first opportunity."
"Honey, the first opportunity came and went weeks ago. You've been flirting with this guy ever since you asked me where you could buy tea for him. That's like... four months of blue balls. That isn't good for your health, Jimmy, mental or physical."
He sighed, grateful that their building was coming into view. "It's not exactly how I planned to spend these four months, but it's fine. We'll get there eventually."
"Oh no. I'm not letting this go on for another twenty four hours, much less longer than that."
"Gaila, I expressly forbid you to get involved in my sex life."
"Who died and made you admiral?" she retorted. "You need to get laid. Actually, no, you don't need to get laid that badly, but I bet the Vulcan does. Might improve his disposition."
"You do know Scotty was joking when he told you the tale of his magical healing cock, right? You are aware that's not actually a secret human superpower or something, right?"
"Doesn't hurt to try," she chirped merrily, flouncing into class.
Jim screwed up his nose and rubbed at his temple. It was going to be a long, long day.
*******
He was wrong. It wasn't a long day at all. It was interminable. He was firmly convinced the day had no beginning and no end, and his conviction only became stronger when Gaila roped Chekov into the problem.
"He is shy?" Chekov asked in between bites of replicated meatloaf.
"I am not discussing this with a teenager," Jim insisted, glaring at Gaila and then at his semi-congealed spaghetti. The Academy food replicators were notoriously awful.
"He's legal," Gaila waved off his protest. "And yes, Pavel, the Vulcan's really shy. Maybe we could liquor him up?"
"He doesn't drink," Jim droned, folding his arms on the picnic table and burrowing his head in them.
"How about vodka?" Chekov offered.
"Maybe you didn't hear me, but I said he didn't drink."
"Vodka does not count. Is Russian drinking water. Cures shyness and also the flu virus."
"And I'm not getting him drunk and taking advantage of him," Jim continued.
"Getting who drunk?" Sulu asked, having sneaked up on them while Jim still had his head burrowed in the table.
"Jimmy's Vulcan boyfriend," Gaila explained. "How about a holovid to get him in the mood? I bet I could find one in my collection that he would-"
"No," Jim cut her off.
"You have a Vulcan boyfriend?" Sulu asked, sitting next to Chekov.
"And he won't put out!" Gaila cut in before Jim could say anything. "So we gotta figure out how to seduce a Vulcan."
"Quantum physics problems and astronavigational theory?" Sulu grinned.
"Hilarious," Jim deadpanned.
"Perhaps if you recite pi to a thousand digits?" Chekov asked, joining in the joke.
"I've got a vibrating studded collar I bought from a Cardassian sex fair," Gaila offered.
"Hey, you could try to dissect Surakian theory for an argument about why sex with humans is logical," Sulu continued.
"Do Vulcans even have sex?" Chekov wondered.
"Of course they do. How do you think baby Vulcans are made?" Sulu returned.
"I have never seen a baby Vulcan. Perhaps they do not exist."
"Maybe they divide like amoebas do," Sulu mused.
"No, they have sex," Gaila informed them. "If they reproduced in some totally logical, non-emotional way they'd put it in our databanks. But they've kept their reproductive behavior totally secret, which means it must be shameful and dirty and delicious." She virtually purred the last word.
"You are the three least helpful people I've ever met," Jim muttered. "I don't need help seducing the Vulcan."
"Clearly you do, since you haven't managed it yet."
"Now look-" Jim was cut off by the sound of his communication unit beeping. "Oh thank God," he grumbled, flipping it open. "Kirk here."
"Hello, Jim."
Jim's eyes went wide and he fumbled his communication unit, almost dropping it in the grass. "Oh, um, Miss Grayson-"
"Amanda," she corrected him. "Is now a bad time?"
Chekov and Sulu were peering at him curiously. Gaila looked downright evil. "Um, actually-"
"Who's that?" Gaila piped up.
"Mind your own business," Jim growled at her. "Sorry, Miss Gr- er, Amanda," he tripped over her name. "It's not a bad time, really. I'm just having lunch with some friends. Hang on." He glared at the three of them. "Stay here. Especially you," he jabbed a finger at Gaila.
He loped over to a nearby tree, sitting with his back against the trunk and turning down the volume on the unit, pitching his voice a bit lower to attempt some semblance of privacy during the conversation. "Sorry about that."
"It's not a problem. Was that your Orion friend? The one who propositioned my son?"
"That's her."
"I really must meet her someday." Her voice changed then, the amusement gone. "I understand you and Spock are..." She trailed off, apparently unsure of how to describe them.
"Yeah," Jim saved her from trying to think of the right word. "We are."
"How is that going?"
He hesitated, wondering what he could tell her without violating Spock's privacy. "Um, how did he say it was going? I know he was going to talk to you this morning."
"He was elusive, just like you're being. Is it a disaster? You can tell me, Jim. I'm not going to call him and rake him over the coals for being difficult. A relationship with him would be tough no matter what. I can't imagine how much harder it is when he's..." She trailed off again.
"It's not a disaster," Jim told her honestly. "It isn't easy and I'm not about to lie and pretend that it is. I've been convinced on two or three different occasions that he'd give up on it, but he hasn't. It's... It's difficult and I don't know what the hell I'm doing. But I think it'll be worth it, in the end."
"Good." And it wasn't judgmental, wasn't aimed at keeping Jim in line, but genuinely pleased to hear that he wanted to make it work. "Anyway, I wanted to let you know about an... opportunity, I suppose you could call it."
He perked up. "Yeah?"
"Vulcan will be visible from Earth tonight. For the next four or five nights after this, as well. If you... that is, if he would be open to leaving his apartment, I'm sure he'd love to see it."
His smile turned pained. With all the emotional upheavals Spock had been through in the past few weeks, he doubted he would be able to convince Spock to go anywhere other than his own apartment, much less leaving the building entirely. "I'll give it a try," he promised anyway, remembering what McCoy had told him about pushing his boundaries when he needed it.
"Thank you," she returned, relief coloring her voice. "I'll let you get back your meal." She paused, and Jim had a sudden image of her weighing her words the same way Spock did. "I'm happy to know he has you for a friend."
He couldn't help it; he blushed again. "Yeah, well, I'm glad he puts up with me."
She chuckled. "Goodbye, Jim."
"Bye." He snapped his communicator shut.
"Was that his mother?" Gaila asked, and Jim almost jumped a foot in the air.
"I thought I told you to stay over there!"
"You did. I decided not to listen to you." She was kneeling right next to him. Jim mentally kicked himself for having lost track of his surroundings so much that he hadn't noticed her there. "Anyway, I have a plan for tonight."
"Gaila, he's not going to leave the building. I can pretty much guarantee you that. Doesn't matter how technologically advanced the observatory is."
"It is pretty sexy and science-y," she admitted, waving towards the building where the observatory was located. "But I've got an idea that doesn't involve leaving the building."
"The view out my window is good, but it's not that good," Jim told her, guessing at her next plan. "There's only a small chunk of the sky visible. There's no guarantee I'd be able to see Vulcan from there."
"Yep, I know," she grinned at him smugly.
Jim warred between the desire to stalk away from her on principle and his natural curiosity about her idea. She'd been absolutely correct the last time she'd given him advice about Spock. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to hear her out again. "All right, I'm game. What is it?"
She punched him in the shoulder. "Dunno if I should tell you. You still owe me a bottle of Jack from our last therapy session."
He rolled his eyes. "I'll buy one for you on the way home. I'll buy you two if your brilliant plan works out."
She grinned, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll hold you to that, you know. Now, about tonight..."
To Chapter Twenty One
Fandom: Star Trek XI
Pairing: Spock/Kirk, hints of others
Rating: PG-13
Notes: Written for the Star Trek XI Kink Meme prompt found here: "AU - Kirk has moved into a apartment/house and wants to get to know his neighbors. He meets his neighbor Spock, a loner who suffers from extreme agoraphobia. Kirk thinks he's beautiful enigma."
Jim was something of a light sleeper. He felt this was probably for the best; if he was ever going to get out in space, ever going to command his own ship someday, he needed to be able to react instantly whenever an emergency arose. Plus, he had grown up with an older brother. A sadistic older brother. The light sleeping developed as a defense mechanism. So when the warm, solid weight against him began to shift uncomfortably, then stiffen up, then start to tremble, Jim was grateful for having developed that particular defense mechanism. He blinked his eyes open blearily, staring at the back of a dark, extremely messy head of hair. "Mmph?" he murmured, not yet awake enough for actual words.
Spock said nothing, wouldn't even turn around to face him. He appeared to be glued to the spot, his neck and shoulders clenched, his spine rigid, everything about him screaming of unbearable tension.
Jim was still too out of it to try to ask whether Spock was okay or to offer up any soothing words. Instead he flung an arm out over his waist and tried to tug him closer, eyebrows knitting when Spock remained motionless and unmoving on his side of the bed. Jim gave a halfhearted shrug, using the arm as leverage to pull himself forward, molding himself to the Vulcan instead. "Mmmorning," he mumbled into Spock's neck.
"Y-yes," Spock whispered, tripping over the word.
Jim may have been out of it, but even half-asleep he could recognize the warning signs. "None'o'that," he slurred together, slipping a hand under Spock's shirt to press against his bare skin, pressing his nose to the nape of his neck and inhaling the scent of him.
"If... if ordering the symptoms to c-cease manifesting actually caused them to... to do so..."
He kissed the back of his head. "Worth a shot, y'know?"
Spock said nothing, still shaking in Jim's arms. One trembling hand moved to rest on top of Jim's at his waist.
Jim smiled at that small offering of contact, even when Spock was starting to go through one of his episodes. "Got a reason for panicking this time?" he asked, trying to somehow scoot closer to him.
More silence, and Jim thought Spock would refuse to answer. His eyes had already drifted shut again when he finally said something. "I have not shared a bed in..." He trailed off, his brain too overloaded to do the math properly. "Awhile," he finished, uncharacteristically vague.
Jim couldn't help the pang of jealousy. "You thought I was Stonn?"
The shaking was interrupted by a quick huff in Spock's breathing, and with anyone else it would have been considered a laugh. "No. Stonn was not so... demonstrative."
He tried to translate that. "So he didn't plaster himself all over you when you were sleeping?"
"No."
"Oh." He kept his hand on Spock's waist, trying to disengage himself otherwise, giving Spock some space. "Sorry, I didn't mean to smother you or overwhelm you or-"
He shut himself up when he realized Spock was moving with him, keeping his back firmly pressed against Jim's chest. "You are not..." He shook his head, tried again. The shaking was starting to subside a little. "It was overwhelming when I first woke. I am finding it... It is..." He froze in Jim's arms for a moment, then rolled himself over in small degrees. When they were face to face, he raised a hand hesitantly, looking as if he expected to be batted away at any second, finally resting his fingers at Jim's jaw, trailing up over his cheek, stopping just before they hit his temple. "Jim," he said quietly, like it explained everything.
"Yeah," he smiled back. He sifted his fingers into the tangled mass of black hair, cradling the back of his head as he leaned in for a kiss, heedless of the stale taste of morning breath between them.
Spock seemed to melt into it, his body easing from the light trembling until he was completely relaxed against Jim's chest. Spock surprised him when he tongued at Jim's upper lip, licking at the seam of his mouth until Jim recovered enough to open for him. Spock made a delicious rumbling sound at that, almost a purr. Jim drank it in, suckled it right out of his mouth, pressing his body up against Spock's at every point of contact he could.
That broke whatever spell Spock had been weaving. His hips jerked away from the sudden contact, mouth pulling away from Jim's, eyes wide and a bit hazy. "Jim-"
"Sorry, sorry," he chanted, trying to force down his frustration, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Got ahead of myself, just wanted to-"
"Jim, according to the chronometer it is 0912 hours."
Jim's lust-addled brain tried to keep up with the conversation. "Huh?" he asked with as much eloquence as he could muster before he'd been properly caffeinated.
"It is Thursday. Your computer course is at 0945."
He broke out into a wide grin. "You memorized my course schedule?"
Spock just gave him an even look. It was almost the neutral, aloof expression he'd worn when Jim first met him, but he could see little hints of... smugness? fondness? There was something warming the depths of those deep brown eyes. He found it was a look that forced him to steal another kiss.
"You're kicking me out so I'll go to class?"
"Yes."
He tried for his best hurt puppy look. "I always go to class. I can skip it just this once."
"You will miss information that may be vital in the future," Spock admonished him, sounding eerily like the computer technician teaching the course. But then he turned a faint sage green color, unable to meet his eyes. "And your Orion friend will wonder about your absence."
He laughed. "You haven't even met her and you know she's a shameless gossip."
Spock looked slightly offended. "She showed an inordinate amount of interest in the notes I was leaving under your door last night. I noticed her door was open when I brought over one of the letters."
Jim's laughter died down to an amused chuckle. "Yeah, she does that. She thinks she's subtle. No one's told her otherwise because it's better to know when she's watching you rather than give her an opportunity to improve on her stealth."
"Jim, it is now 0913 hours," Spock informed him, trying to get the conversation back on track.
"I could be late," Jim offered, pressing a kiss to the point of his ear. He was pushing his luck and he knew it.
Spock's breath hitched and he gave a full-body shiver, fisting a hand in Jim's uniform. "You cannot..." He tried again. "I am expecting a transmission at 0915."
Jim sighed and broke away, sitting up and smoothing down his wrinkled uniform. "Business matter?" he asked, knowing how Spock valued his professionalism.
He shook his head, still curled into the sheets. "My mother. She and my father will be departing for Vulcan in 5.12 days. She wished to speak to me before their return."
"Wow, they were here for quite awhile." He got out of bed, searching for his shoes and slipping them on before bending over Spock for one last kiss. "Can I come back here tonight?"
Spock kissed him back, hand cradling his jaw for a moment before letting go. "That would be acceptable."
"Glad to hear it," Jim grinned, showing himself out.
Gaila had pounced on him the second he'd left the building. She'd been sitting on a bench outside just waiting to ambush him. "There's something terribly wrong with you," she informed him, handing him a recyclable paper mug and attaching herself to his left side as they walked to the Academy.
"Morning, Gaila," he grumbled, his mood softening considerably when he took a swig from the cup. "Oh my God, you brought me coffee. You're my hero."
"Maybe you didn't hear me, but there's something terribly wrong with you," she repeated, her serious expression betrayed by the mischievous glint in her eyes.
He rolled his eyes but he was much more willing to play along since she'd buttered him up with coffee. "Okay, I'll bite. What's terribly wrong with me?"
"You walked into the Vulcan's apartment wearing this yesterday." She tugged on his sleeve to indicate his uniform. "And you're wearing it again today. And it's all rumpled and your hair is a disaster."
"You do know how to make a guy feel good," he muttered.
"But you don't smell like sex," she finished, glaring at him. "So what's wrong with you?"
"What do you mean, what's wrong with me?"
"Couldn't get it up?" she continued her interrogation, heedless of the looks she was getting from people they passed by on the street.
Jim turned bright red. "No," he growled. Then, realizing how that sounded, "No, that was not the problem."
"Do Vulcans have sex differently than humans? Is it all mental?"
Jim wondered if hitting her would be wrong under these circumstances. "Hell if I know."
"Are you a virgin?"
"What?! No!"
"I'm just making sure," she defended herself. "Is he a virgin?"
"Not that I asked, but I don't think he is. Also, how is this any of your business?"
"Jimmy, you spent the night with a Vulcan and all you've got to show for it is a rumpled uniform and some wicked bed-head. This is a tragedy that I cannot even begin to describe to you."
"Gaila, this would only be a tragedy if it were some epic Orion saga. In the human world, folks don't always jump into bed with each other at the first opportunity."
"Honey, the first opportunity came and went weeks ago. You've been flirting with this guy ever since you asked me where you could buy tea for him. That's like... four months of blue balls. That isn't good for your health, Jimmy, mental or physical."
He sighed, grateful that their building was coming into view. "It's not exactly how I planned to spend these four months, but it's fine. We'll get there eventually."
"Oh no. I'm not letting this go on for another twenty four hours, much less longer than that."
"Gaila, I expressly forbid you to get involved in my sex life."
"Who died and made you admiral?" she retorted. "You need to get laid. Actually, no, you don't need to get laid that badly, but I bet the Vulcan does. Might improve his disposition."
"You do know Scotty was joking when he told you the tale of his magical healing cock, right? You are aware that's not actually a secret human superpower or something, right?"
"Doesn't hurt to try," she chirped merrily, flouncing into class.
Jim screwed up his nose and rubbed at his temple. It was going to be a long, long day.
He was wrong. It wasn't a long day at all. It was interminable. He was firmly convinced the day had no beginning and no end, and his conviction only became stronger when Gaila roped Chekov into the problem.
"He is shy?" Chekov asked in between bites of replicated meatloaf.
"I am not discussing this with a teenager," Jim insisted, glaring at Gaila and then at his semi-congealed spaghetti. The Academy food replicators were notoriously awful.
"He's legal," Gaila waved off his protest. "And yes, Pavel, the Vulcan's really shy. Maybe we could liquor him up?"
"He doesn't drink," Jim droned, folding his arms on the picnic table and burrowing his head in them.
"How about vodka?" Chekov offered.
"Maybe you didn't hear me, but I said he didn't drink."
"Vodka does not count. Is Russian drinking water. Cures shyness and also the flu virus."
"And I'm not getting him drunk and taking advantage of him," Jim continued.
"Getting who drunk?" Sulu asked, having sneaked up on them while Jim still had his head burrowed in the table.
"Jimmy's Vulcan boyfriend," Gaila explained. "How about a holovid to get him in the mood? I bet I could find one in my collection that he would-"
"No," Jim cut her off.
"You have a Vulcan boyfriend?" Sulu asked, sitting next to Chekov.
"And he won't put out!" Gaila cut in before Jim could say anything. "So we gotta figure out how to seduce a Vulcan."
"Quantum physics problems and astronavigational theory?" Sulu grinned.
"Hilarious," Jim deadpanned.
"Perhaps if you recite pi to a thousand digits?" Chekov asked, joining in the joke.
"I've got a vibrating studded collar I bought from a Cardassian sex fair," Gaila offered.
"Hey, you could try to dissect Surakian theory for an argument about why sex with humans is logical," Sulu continued.
"Do Vulcans even have sex?" Chekov wondered.
"Of course they do. How do you think baby Vulcans are made?" Sulu returned.
"I have never seen a baby Vulcan. Perhaps they do not exist."
"Maybe they divide like amoebas do," Sulu mused.
"No, they have sex," Gaila informed them. "If they reproduced in some totally logical, non-emotional way they'd put it in our databanks. But they've kept their reproductive behavior totally secret, which means it must be shameful and dirty and delicious." She virtually purred the last word.
"You are the three least helpful people I've ever met," Jim muttered. "I don't need help seducing the Vulcan."
"Clearly you do, since you haven't managed it yet."
"Now look-" Jim was cut off by the sound of his communication unit beeping. "Oh thank God," he grumbled, flipping it open. "Kirk here."
"Hello, Jim."
Jim's eyes went wide and he fumbled his communication unit, almost dropping it in the grass. "Oh, um, Miss Grayson-"
"Amanda," she corrected him. "Is now a bad time?"
Chekov and Sulu were peering at him curiously. Gaila looked downright evil. "Um, actually-"
"Who's that?" Gaila piped up.
"Mind your own business," Jim growled at her. "Sorry, Miss Gr- er, Amanda," he tripped over her name. "It's not a bad time, really. I'm just having lunch with some friends. Hang on." He glared at the three of them. "Stay here. Especially you," he jabbed a finger at Gaila.
He loped over to a nearby tree, sitting with his back against the trunk and turning down the volume on the unit, pitching his voice a bit lower to attempt some semblance of privacy during the conversation. "Sorry about that."
"It's not a problem. Was that your Orion friend? The one who propositioned my son?"
"That's her."
"I really must meet her someday." Her voice changed then, the amusement gone. "I understand you and Spock are..." She trailed off, apparently unsure of how to describe them.
"Yeah," Jim saved her from trying to think of the right word. "We are."
"How is that going?"
He hesitated, wondering what he could tell her without violating Spock's privacy. "Um, how did he say it was going? I know he was going to talk to you this morning."
"He was elusive, just like you're being. Is it a disaster? You can tell me, Jim. I'm not going to call him and rake him over the coals for being difficult. A relationship with him would be tough no matter what. I can't imagine how much harder it is when he's..." She trailed off again.
"It's not a disaster," Jim told her honestly. "It isn't easy and I'm not about to lie and pretend that it is. I've been convinced on two or three different occasions that he'd give up on it, but he hasn't. It's... It's difficult and I don't know what the hell I'm doing. But I think it'll be worth it, in the end."
"Good." And it wasn't judgmental, wasn't aimed at keeping Jim in line, but genuinely pleased to hear that he wanted to make it work. "Anyway, I wanted to let you know about an... opportunity, I suppose you could call it."
He perked up. "Yeah?"
"Vulcan will be visible from Earth tonight. For the next four or five nights after this, as well. If you... that is, if he would be open to leaving his apartment, I'm sure he'd love to see it."
His smile turned pained. With all the emotional upheavals Spock had been through in the past few weeks, he doubted he would be able to convince Spock to go anywhere other than his own apartment, much less leaving the building entirely. "I'll give it a try," he promised anyway, remembering what McCoy had told him about pushing his boundaries when he needed it.
"Thank you," she returned, relief coloring her voice. "I'll let you get back your meal." She paused, and Jim had a sudden image of her weighing her words the same way Spock did. "I'm happy to know he has you for a friend."
He couldn't help it; he blushed again. "Yeah, well, I'm glad he puts up with me."
She chuckled. "Goodbye, Jim."
"Bye." He snapped his communicator shut.
"Was that his mother?" Gaila asked, and Jim almost jumped a foot in the air.
"I thought I told you to stay over there!"
"You did. I decided not to listen to you." She was kneeling right next to him. Jim mentally kicked himself for having lost track of his surroundings so much that he hadn't noticed her there. "Anyway, I have a plan for tonight."
"Gaila, he's not going to leave the building. I can pretty much guarantee you that. Doesn't matter how technologically advanced the observatory is."
"It is pretty sexy and science-y," she admitted, waving towards the building where the observatory was located. "But I've got an idea that doesn't involve leaving the building."
"The view out my window is good, but it's not that good," Jim told her, guessing at her next plan. "There's only a small chunk of the sky visible. There's no guarantee I'd be able to see Vulcan from there."
"Yep, I know," she grinned at him smugly.
Jim warred between the desire to stalk away from her on principle and his natural curiosity about her idea. She'd been absolutely correct the last time she'd given him advice about Spock. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to hear her out again. "All right, I'm game. What is it?"
She punched him in the shoulder. "Dunno if I should tell you. You still owe me a bottle of Jack from our last therapy session."
He rolled his eyes. "I'll buy one for you on the way home. I'll buy you two if your brilliant plan works out."
She grinned, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll hold you to that, you know. Now, about tonight..."
To Chapter Twenty One
(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-11 04:57 am (UTC)-twisting_vine_x