Jim stepped up to the door of his quarters and gained entry. All he had to do was change his clothes and then he’d go to the party. He felt good. Festive even. Bones would be there, of course. And everyone. Uhura, Sulu, Jaylah, Scotty. But most importantly Spock.

Only three days ago, Spock had expressed to him that he wanted to be more than friends. And they hadn’t got much farther than that. They’d done a little bit of Vulcan kissing, according to Spock, but they’d both been busy with…well everything.

On his bed was a package.

With a smile, Jim picked it up and saw that it was from his mom. How she had managed to get it to him, he wasn’t sure.

He opened the brown box and found several wrapped items within and a note from his mother.

“Jimmy, I had this sent to you when the Enterprise stopped at Starbase 6. Your friend Leonard McCoy picked it for me and promised to deliver it to you for the holidays. I hope you like the gifts. Some might make you a little sad. They did me. But I wanted you to have them. Love, Mom.”

He opened the presents and found sleep shorts with a heart on the butt that made him rolls his eyes, a nice casual shirt, socks (how many times did he have to tell her he didn’t wear socks?), and then…a framed holo photo of his mother, father, and Sam.

Jim stared at the photo. He never got to be with his dad, even like this. But Sam did.

Attached to the frame was a note.

“The only picture of the four of us.”

Jim frowned. Then he looked closer and saw his mom had a baby bump.

He laughed. Perhaps with tears in his eyes, but he laughed.

Then he opened the next one and realized it was an old watch with a battered leather band and a Starfleet insignia from several decades ago, too. Then he found another note from his mom.

“This was your dad’s. I found it recently. I had it repaired so it works again but I didn’t want to change the band because well your dad wore it. You know. Anyway, this was from his Academy days. I guess we can’t find Sam, but I do know where you are, and I thought…maybe you’d like to have something of your dad’s.”

Jim didn’t even bother to hold back the tears anymore as he ran his finger along the old worn leather. Inside the band someone had stitched GK.

For a long time he just sat there amongst the things his mother had sent. Holding George’s watch and the picture of the four of them.

“Captain? Jim?”

He looked over to see Spock standing there. He hadn’t heard the door or anything.

“Hi.”

“What is it? You are distressed?”

“No. I mean, yeah. I don’t know. Gifts from my mom.”

Spock’s brows furrowed. “They were unpleasant?”

“No.” He laughed again. Didn’t know why. He wiped his eyes. “Uh, listen, I’m not really up to the party, I think. But you can go.”

Spock walked closer to the bed where Jim sat. “Would you like for me to leave?”

“I don’t want you to miss the festivities.”

“Forget the festivities. I am interested in you. Do you want me to leave?”

Jim shook his head. He handed the stuff to Spock, who looked at it very intently. Then his gaze rose to Jim’s.

“I will stay.” He sat next to Jim on the bed and for a long time neither of them said anything.

“It’s stupid, right? To miss someone you never had,” Jim said after a bit.

“I do not think so.” Spock hesitated. “I miss my mother.”

Jim reached for Spock’s hand and held it. “We should just go, huh? To the party, I mean. Everyone is expecting us.”

“Perhaps. But only if it is what you wish to do.”

Jim squeezed Spock’s fingers.  “Yeah. Let me just get dressed and we’ll go.”

He rose from the bed and changed out of his uniform and into jeans and the Christmas sweater he had planned to wear.

“Are you certain, Jim?”

“Yeah. I mean, you and I, we’re alive right? And together. That’s something to celebrate.”

And he leaned in, placing a kiss on Spock’s lips. It was the first human kiss they’d exchanged. And it felt a little weird, kissing Spock after all this time, but nice weird. If he wanted to linger just a bit and kiss him again, well, he was entitled right?

“Mm. Okay.” Jim sighed and started to pull away before the kissing got more heated. “The party.”

Spock pulled him back and lowered his lips to Jim’s. “One more minute.”

Merry Christmas (You will likely see this K/S Again January 11th)