“You were correct, Captain. This has indeed been fun in the sun.”

Jim looked at his first officer. Looking didn’t hurt, at least.

“Sarcasm, Spock?”

The Vulcan stared back at him with what Jim could only categorize as Vulcan insolence. It was particularly sharp and hurty.

And sure, he guessed, he had it coming. He winced when he heard a noise from the other side of him.

“Well, gee, Jim, do you think it might be because the three of us are burnt to a crisp from head to toe?”

“Trust me my burning flesh has reminded me of that. Energize.”

They reappeared on the transporter room of the Enterprise.

“Welcome back aboard, Cap’n,” Scotty greeted them. “I trust you had a relaxing shore…oh, aye, what happened to you lads?”

“We fell asleep,” Bones yelled. “Oh let’s have some drinks while we lie out on the sand under the hot sun’s rays.”

Jim grimaced. “Well I…”

The transporter doors opened and Uhura strode in.

“There you guys are. You’re a little late and I…wait. What the hell did you do to my boyfriend?”

“Ex-boyfriend.” Jim scowled at her.

But she came forward and helped Spock off the transporter. He moved as awkwardly and painfully stiff as he and Bones.

“I don’t know what was in those drinks,” Bones was saying, “but they knocked us off our asses. We fell asleep and you see the result of that.”

“Aye, a cooked lobster comes to mind.” Scotty glanced at Spock. “Er, ‘cept you, Commander. Uh, not sure what to make of you.”

Spock glared at the engineer balefully but he didn’t say a word. He’d had very little to say since they’d awakened on the beach.

“You got drunk and fell asleep, Spock?” Uhura asked him.

“Negative. I had decided to meditate and…”

“He fell asleep, too,” Bones added when it seemed that Spock wasn’t going to continue.

Jim nodded. “There was this nice ocean breeze and well…we were all kinda tired.”

“Idiots,” she muttered. “Come on, Spock.”

Jim opened his mouth to protest her splitting with his boyfriend, decidedly not ex, but one look at Spock’s stony face made him shut his mouth again. Instead he turned to Bones.

“You have something that can fix this right?”

“Such as?”

“A spray or something that puts us back to normal.”

“You haven’t been normal since…”

“Bones,” he whined.

Bones sighed. “I have a spray that will give you some relief but you’re going to have to deal with this for a few days, Jim.”

“I can’t wear my damn uniform over this burning hot flesh.”

“I’ll put you out for forty-eight hours. You too, Spock. And me.” Bones sighed again. “Come to the medbay and I’ll spray you down.”

“Okay.”

Jim walked with his legs kind of bowed so his stinging red skin didn’t have to touch as he trundled after Bones.

****

He’d been in his quarters wearing the tiniest pair of briefs he could find, and nothing else, with the temperature set to Delta Vega, when there was a light tap at his door.

“Enter” formed on his lips before he realized he should ask who the hell it was considering his state of undress, but it was too late and the door slid open.

“Spock.”

Well, at least Spock had seen him naked, so that wasn’t a problem.

“It is extremely cold in here,” Spock said, flatly.

“Er yeah. Computer raise temperature twenty percent.” He surveyed his boyfriend. He hoped his boyfriend. “You look improved.”

Spock nodded. “It still hurts but it is manageable.”

Jim took a step back when Spock approached him. “No offense. I love you a huge amount but I think touching me right now would probably kill me.”

“Doctor McCoy—”

“An exaggeration. But yeah. I mean the spray helped. And he gave me some to keep applying but I gotta say, I’m damn miserable. I’m sorry, Spock.”

“You are not to blame.”

Jim closed his mouth. Opened it. “I’m not?”

“Of course not. I blame Doctor McCoy.”

“Bones? What…you know what?” Jim smiled. He walked close to Spock and leaned in to kiss him. That didn’t hurt, at least. “Me too. I agree to blame Bones.”

Spock arched a brow but did not respond to that. Instead his gaze went to the bed. “Am I permitted to sleep here tonight?”

“You’re always permitted to sleep here. Want something cool to drink?”

Spock nodded. “Yes.”

Yep, still his boyfriend. And despite the sunburn, Jim felt good.