When Spock returned to the apartment it was to Jim sitting on the new couch, curled up with his bare feet on it, eating directly from a carton of ice cream. His eyes were red, though not moist, so Spock could not tell if he had been crying or his eyes were red from something else.

“Hi.”

“Good evening, Jim.”

Jim said nothing else for a moment, just shoved another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. He seemed distressed, but Spock could not quite put a finger on it as to why or how he even thought it was the case. Jim’s body language seemed relaxed enough but there was something off about him even taking away the red eyes.

“I didn’t know you were going out,” Jim said then. “Came out of the shower and you were gone.”

Spock nodded. “I had an engagement. I did leave a message.”

Jim’s shoulders hunched in then. Just a tiny bit. “First night in our apartment, I kinda thought we’d spend it together. You know?”

Spock did not know. Jim had not said and Spock didn’t know there were rules about these things.

He cleared his throat. “An unspoken rule?”

Jim blinked, then shrugged. “No. Just an assumption on my part I guess. But I guess there’s that old saying my Gran used to say for a reason.”

“Saying?”

“To assume. Makes an ass out of you and me. Get it?”

Spock did not, exactly, but he knew there were many things Humans paid attention to that Vulcans did not.

“I do apologize for leaving, but I had arranged to meet someone.” Spock went into the kitchen to make tea.

He was surprised when Jim unfolded himself from the couch and followed him. He put what was left in the container of ice cream in the freezer.

“Where did you obtain that?” Spock wondered. They had not shopped for any food that he recalled and they hadn’t moved any either

“Convenience store on the corner. When I realized you were gone, I went down there and got that.”

“I see.” Spock put a teakettle on for hot water. “Do you want some tea?”

Jim bit his lip. His hair was in disarray and he somehow looked far younger than Spock knew him to be. “You got any of that tisane with the little blue flowers?”

“I do, yes.”

Jim nodded. “That would be nice.” He leaned up against the counter. He had pulled on loose fitting pajama bottoms and an oversized T-shirt with some cartoon character Spock did not recognize. It was likely why he seemed so young just then. “Did you, uh, have a good time?”

“It was…educational.”

Jim smiled very slightly, but his gaze slid away, his cheeks vaguely pink.

Spock once more thought he might be missing something, but he had no idea what.

When he made Jim his tea, he picked up the cup and gave Spock a rather shy smile. It made Spock’s stomach hurt again.

“I think I’ll take this to my room and get to bed early. Have a morning class I can’t be late for. Thanks, Spock. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Jim.”

Should I do Jim’s POV or stick with mostly Spock (Amanda’s part an exception)