Sleigh Riding

“You are to come with me.”

Spock blinked and looked up from the document he was perusing on his terminal in his apartment. He stared at his nephew, Vanik. “How and when did you come in?”

Vanik straightened to his full height. Which was not altogether that high at four feet. The boy was dressed quite casually in jeans and a maroon colored sweater with a snow man on it. Likely purchased by his mother, Anoria, his brother, Sybok’s human wife.

“A moment ago,” Vanik replied.

Spock barely refrained from a most illogical sigh. “You copied my palm print and hacked into the system to acquire entrance.”

Vanik pursed his lips. “Perhaps. Be that as it may, I still require you to come with me.”

“For what purpose?”

“We are meeting Jim.”

“Who is Jim?”

Vanik rolled his eyes. “You know who Jim is. Since you refused to take my advice and inquire into his availability to dine with you, I have been forced to take matters into my own hands. We are meeting him for a one horse open sleigh ride.”

Spock turned fully from his terminal to glare at his nephew. “I did not agree to these plans.”

“I agreed for you. You will need your coat as it is liable to be rather cold when the horse pulls the sleigh. We are meeting at the park as they apparently have such frivolities this time of year to amuse citizens.”

Spock almost still refused for he did not care to be manipulated. But since he did want to see the blond human from the department store again, he didn’t wish to spite himself, so Spock rose to retrieve his coat.

He ignored Vanik’s satisfied look.

The park was, at least, a short walk from Spock’s apartment. They made it in no time, and Jim was already waiting beside a sign that read “Sleigh Rides, 60 credits for 30 minutes.”

Even before they reached Jim, Spock’s pulse had increased at an alarming rate. Jim’s cheeks were red from the cold wind, but his blue eyes shined like the prettiest of crystals. He smiled at them with stunning white teeth.

“Hey there.”

“Hello Jim. Thank you for meeting us,” Vanik spoke up. He clutched Spock’s sleeve. “You recall having made the acquaintance of my uncle, Spock.”

“Yeah. Nice to see you again, Spock.” He turned that smile exclusively on Spock, who felt his own cheeks warm.

“Uh.”

Jim’s gaze remained on him for a second before turning to Vanik rather quizzically. Spock didn’t blame him, but Jim made him rather tong-tied.

Spock looked at the sign instead and directed his words to his nephew. “60 credits for 30 minutes seems unreasonably high.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Jim said. “I’ve got it.”

Vanik shook his head and stepped forward to the man waiting there. “Dad presented me with the credits.”

And before either Spock or Jim could stop him, Vanik paid the driver of their sleigh.

Spock eyed the small seating in the back of the sleigh. It would be tight for two adults let alone two adults with a child.

“After you, Jim,” Vanik said, gesturing to the sleigh.

Jim shrugged slightly and crawled up into the seat, his jeans stretching across his bottom as he maneuvered into it. Not that Spock stared or anything.

Vanik then told him to get in.

Spock did, but the whole while he kept thinking all three of them would not fit. Both he and Jim were fairly tall and…

“Vanik…” Spock knew that it was his nephew who wished to try the sleigh so he was about to volunteer to stay behind and let Vanik ride with Jim.

But then, to his shock, Vanik stepped back.

“Please take them around the park,” Vanik told the sleigh driver.

“Wha—”

But the horse driven sleigh was already in motion. Both Spock and Jim turned as one to look back at the half Vulcan child who waved at them.

Jim then looked at Spock and laughed. “I think that was planned.”

“Most definitely,” Spock agreed.

Jim smiled and for a moment he remained silent as the sleigh traveled through the park. It was more a carriage, at that, for there was no snow or anything. It was still San Francisco, after all.

“Sorry about that,” Jim finally said, softly.

“For what do you apologize?”

“Well. I think your nephew figured out that I kind of like you and so he forced this on you.”

Spock’s heart stuttered in his side. “Only…kind of?”

Jim blinked at him. “What?”

“I was certain that Vanik set this up due to his realization that I am…interested in you.” Spock paused. “As well.”

The smile he received was a blindingly beautiful gift. As was the simply spoken question.

“Yeah?”

Spock looked straight ahead at the park, carefully moving his hand to rest over Jim’s hand, which rested on his thigh. Jim didn’t move his hand away. And in fact turned it upward, until they were palm to palm.

And though it was a different winter song that declared something about it being thrilling, Spock decided that it definitely applied here.

Jim moved closer to him in the seat.

“Yes,” Spock finally answered. “Yes.”