Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto)

Today we revisit Spock and Jim from Who Does Spock Wake Up With (as well as the one where Spock fell down the stairs)

Spock finds the celebration of Halloween a puzzlement. It is not that he has not done the research, of course he has, but the practice of dressing up as something you are not, and eating candy, partying, and in ancient times, bobbing for apples, made no logical sense.

Yet Jim announces enthusiastically one morning as they are having breakfast in the Academy Cafeteria, that there is a Halloween Dance he would like to attend.

Spock ignores this until he understands Jim is looking at him expectantly.

He wonders what the proper response is for a bit, mulling it over in his mind.

He and Jim are most assuredly a couple now, with Jim moving in to Spock’s apartment entirely when Spock fell down the stairs, and though perhaps there were some who would claim they got to such a serious state too fast, Spock would argue their pace suited them.

At the table with them were Jim’s friends, McCoy, a doctor who seems always grumpy, but well meaning in regard to Jim, and a self-proclaimed jokester named Finnegan, Spock did not find particularly amusing. He tolerates Jim’s friends because Jim tolerates his.

Spock swallows the bite of waffle he had been chewing. “When is it?”

A polite enough non-committal sort of response.

McCoy looks at Spock sharply, but Spock ignores him, as usual.

Jim smiles. Spock likes his smiles, they soothe him.

“October 31. On Halloween. They’ll turn the cafeteria into party central. Food, drinks, dancing. Costumes. Sounds wicked.”

Spock is aware that ‘wicked’ is supposed to be good, but he doesn’t quite get that either.

“Sounds stupid.”

This comes from the new arrival to the table, carrying a tray containing a massive hamburger and fries. Mitchell. He slams the tray down and several fries jump onto the table. For some reason, Jim reaching for them and eating them bothers Spock. Not the issue of hygiene, though that element exists as they landed on a not so clean table, but that Jim eats food from Mitchell.

“Why you think that?” Finnegan asks.

“Just lame. We should forget the kiddie games and go get wasted at Calhoun’s.”

Calhoun’s is an establishment Spock does not care for, but he is aware that Jim frequented the place with his cohorts prior to his association with Spock. He waits for Jim’s reaction, aware that Humans can be prickly. Jim most especially.

“You can go to Calhoun’s, Gary,” Jim says easily, stealing fries off of Mitchell’s plate now. Mitchell does not stop him, and Spock wishes he would.

Spock pushes the remains of his waffle and vegan sausages toward Jim, who smiles, and tears off a hunk of the waffle.

“But?”

Jim shrugs. “Spock and I are going to the Halloween thing.”

Spock knows he has not agreed to any such thing, but he also knows not to say so, and certainly not to say anything that would give Mitchell leverage to convince Jim to change to his plans.

Spock does not miss that Jim’s three friends are looking at him now, daring him to contradict what Jim has just said.

He would not, not in front of any of them. He knows better.

Jim is also looking at him, a smile playing at his lips, lips that very morning were wrapped around his…

“Indeed, we are.”

And that earns Spock a glorious smile from his Human and he knows he answered wisely. And he knows he will be forced to wear some inane costume. But somehow, as that smile lights the room, and Jim covers Spock’s hand with his own, he does not mind so much.