“Good God, it’s hot and muggy here.” Jim wiped his brow with the cooling cloth Bones had given him. Cooling cloth, his ass. It didn’t do a damn thing.
“Georgia in August, Jimmy. What did you expect when you agreed to come with me?”
Jim eyed the old house. “Central air. Please tell me you have that at least.”
Bones chortled. “Course it does.” Bones stopped just at the front door. “Listen, you sure you’re okay?”
“Sure. Almost as good as new.”
“I know. Physically, of course I know. But about Spock…”
“Hey, it’s fine. No problem. We don’t even have to mention old pointy ears.”
“We, uh, sure, but…”
“He’s the one who decided to go to New Vulcan for three weeks instead of spending time with me, so just…drop it.”
Bones pursed his lips. “If you say so.”
“I do. We’re spending the next few weeks having fun in the sun. Or you know in central air. Bars with air and tropical drinks. Pools. Waterfalls. Lovely ladies. Cute guys.”
“What about Spock?”
“Oh, will you leave it? It’s not like I’m going to…”
Bones opened the front door.
Jim stepped inside.
A Vulcan stood there with a quirked eyebrow.
“Spock!”
Jim rushed at Spock throwing his arms around the Vulcan, who wrapped his arms around Jim and pulled him close.
“So much for fun,” Bones said.
“Bones, you devil. You set this up.”
“Ya think?” Bones made a grumpy face. “Happy anniversary or whatever.”
Jim released Spock and hugged Bones. “You old softie.”
“Yeah, yeah, about those drinks.”
Jim returned to Spock and kissed him.
“Old pointy ears?”
“Uh.”
“Lovely ladies, Cute guys?”
“I’ll make it up to you. Blow job later?”
“I can hear you!” Bones yelled from the kitchen.
Jim laughed, grabbed Spock’s arm and led him toward the kitchen. “This is going to be great!”
I had not intended to update this one any time soon, and they didn’t work for Christmas in July, but I gave in to a plea, and wrote this little tease of my Pinto couple from The Thought of You is Consuming Me.
The sort of clothes they boys would be wearing
“Zachary, have you heard?”
I looked up from my copy of the London Times, folded it on my lap and picked up my small glass of sherry. I had arrived at the gentlemen’ club, White’s, about an hour before. I’d had a dinner of roast beef in the dining room and had just recently relocated to the reading room to enjoy the news in peace. Clearly I was not going to be allowed that peace.
“What are you talking about this time, Chauncy?”
Chauncy smirked and seated himself in the plush chair next to me. “That particular friend of yours. Lord Christopher Pine.”
My heart skipped a beat. “What about him?”
He shrugged. “Only that there’s a rumor he’s engaged to Lady Annabelle.”
I scoffed. I knew Chris would have told me had it been true. “I have not heard. Nor do I believe it to be true.”
“Hmm. It’s all over London. The season’s about over and everyone will be returning to the country before the weather gets bad. Supposedly it will be announced before then.”
It couldn’t be true. Not that I knew Christopher could stay unattached forever. Neither of us could. Eventually we would have to keep up appearances and wed. But surely he would tell me if there had even been a hint of it happening this soon.
It would change nothing between us, of course. We had determined we would remain close even when fulfilling our duties as peers of society.
“Anyway, I’ll be off now,” Chauncy declared, rising. “I’m due at the Rileston Ball. Will I see you there?”
I shook my head. “Not likely. I plan to make an early night of it.”
“All right, old chap. See you then.”
With a sigh, I once more began to read the Times. After a bit I dozed off, and woke to the scent of a cigar. I blinked rapidly as it was brought right before my face. I seized it and quirked a brow at Chris, who now stood over me.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He sat in the seat vacated previously by Chauncy, holding a cigar of his own as well as a glass of sherry. I noticed mine had been refilled.
I drew on my cigar and then flicked my head in his direction. “I hear congratulations are in order.”
“Hmm?”
“Chauncy tells me you and Lady Annabelle are about to announce your engagement.”
Chris rolled his eyes. “Oh stuff it.”
“True or not then?”
“Wouldn’t I tell you if it were?”
“I thought so.”
“Course I would. Chauncy never knows what he’s talking about. Not that Lady Annabelle and her family doesn’t want that. They do. But no engagement is coming. At least not for this season. I can push it off for a bit longer.”
“Ah, but will the fair Annabelle wait for you for next season?”
He shrugged. “Perhaps. I don’t know. But I’m not rushing things for anyone.” He eyed me over the rim of his sherry. “How about you? Any prospects for a blushing bride?”
I snorted. “Not hardly. I plan on putting it off for quite a bit longer, if you must know. I rarely even attend the balls for that very reason. I don’t need all those mamas pushing their oh so beautiful daughters in my direction.”
“A wise thing. I’m supposed to go to Rileston’s tonight, but I don’t want to.”
“Come to my place instead. We’ll finish these and be off. I have my coach.”
Chris smiled as he took a sip. “Very tempting.”
“Give into it.”
He laughed then, with delight, I might add, and I knew I had won his concession. Lady Annabelle be damned.
We finished our cigars and sherries and were in my coach headed to my home in only thirty minutes. As soon as we got into our seats in my coach, Chris was kissing me, eagerly.
I cupped his jaw and deepened it, tangling our tongues. We kissed like this for the entire ride home, which due to the traffic of the season’s balls and fetes, took over a half hour to reach it.
He was beautifully flushed and only slightly rumpled as we exited where my driver left us. My butler let us in, and after refusing more glasses of sherry, we headed upstairs.
Jim looked down at the straps of the ahn-woon around Spock’s throat. The way Spock’s eyes bugged out. Jim’s heart thundered so hard in his chest, it hurt.
The desert heat had him sweating so badly his uniform shirt was soaked through and clinging to his body. He felt vaguely faint and incredibly weak and drained.
And yet…
“No.”
“Jim. Let go of him!”
Bones pulled Jim away.
“No.”
“Jim. Spock…”
“It’s not real, Bones. Tell me it’s not real.”
Bones craggy face blurred in front of his eyes and Jim realized he was crying. “Jim, I’m sorry, but Spock is dead. You killed him.”
Jim was aware then that a group of Vulcan males came and took Spock’s body away. He sat on the ground, numbly staring at where it used to be.
But how could this happen? He’d wanted to save Spock from Stonn, T’Pring’s…well whatever he was. True he hadn’t known it was to the death, but…
“You’re going to have to kill him, Jim.”
“Kill Spock? That’s not what I came to Vulcan for, is it?”
But that’s exactly what he’d done. And now—
“Well, Captain Kirk, this is a surprise,” the Vulcan woman, T’Pring, said as she approached him. “I had not expected this outcome.”
Jim stared at her. “What?”
“I had thought Spock would win easily against you.” She straightened. “I never imagined a human could be strong enough to…well. This changes things.”
“It what?” Stonn shouted and came forward, clearly angry, despite the nonsense about Vulcans not having emotions. “I am to be your mate.”
T’Pring shrugged. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. It is up to the captain if he wishes to discard his interest in me.”
Stonn turned cold eyes to Jim.
T’Pau came over to them. “Well, Kirk, what is it to be? Will you join with T’Pring in the mating chamber? After all you have a rightful claim to her after defeating Spock.”
“Mating chamber?”
T’Pring smirked and put her hands on his arm, her nails digging in. “Come, James. My champion.”
“No. No. I don’t want this. Spock……”
“Spock is dead. You killed him.”
“No.”
“Spock is dead. You killed him.”
“No, no, this isn’t…”
“Spock is dead. You killed him.”
“Nooooo.”
“You’re going to have to kill him, Jim.”
“You’re going to have to kill him, Jim.”
“NO!”
Jim sat up, panting in bed. He wiped the moisture from his eyes.
A hand was rubbing his back and the lights in his room were on. He looked at Spock.
Spock.
Alive.
“Are you all right now, Jim?” Spock asked.
“I-I don’t know. That was…”
“A dream?”
“A nightmare. You…we were back on Vulcan. All those years ago with T’Pring.”
Spock watched him. “When you and I fought.”
“Yes. Only, you didn’t kill me. Or even think you did.”
“I do not understand.”
Jim shook his head. “I killed you. Only it wasn’t McCoy’s trick. I really had. With the ahn-woon.”
“It was only a dream, adun.” Spock soothingly rubbed his back. “We are here. I was not killed nor were you.”
“Yeah.” Jim laughed. But there was still moisture in his eyes. He reached for and squeezed Spock’s hand. “Think I’d better get up. Don’t think I can go back to sleep for a while.”
Spock glanced at the window of their bedroom. “The sun is rising. Would you care for a walk?”
“Yeah, yeah. Thank you. I’m sorry I woke you.”
“I would have risen soon anyway. Come, love, let’s walk off your dream.”
Jim nodded, rose from the bed, and eyed the ahn-woon on the wall dispassionately. “Maybe we can move that to another room.”
Spock patted his back. “0f course, Jim.”
Jim smiled and embraced Spock. “Love you. Let me get dressed.”
Spock turned to the ahn-woon and took it off the wall as Jim went into the bathroom. He shook his head.
“As though he ever had a chance to beat me. Illogical.”
“Paradise for three days, Bones. This is going to be so great,” Jim said to his best friend as they were preparing to go down for shore leave.
They were headed to the transporter room.
Bones looked behind him and spotted Spock walking several paces away from them.
“You know Spock broke up with Uhura.”
“Yep, he told me.”
“And?”
Jim laughed. “What?”
“Think you should invite him to join us?”
“Huh? What for?”
Bones sighed. “I don’t know. He’s by himself. Uhura’s partying with a new group of friends.”
“He doesn’t go on shore leave.”
“I think he’s going this time. He told me he has trunks.”
Jim frowned. “What?”
“Yeah. Swim trunks. And he was asking what we were doing.”
Jim stopped and leaned against the bulkhead. “Swell.”
“Jim.”
“Well, come on. I mean, I know we’re friends and all, but he’s going to crimp everything. I’m planning on getting laid.”
“You’re always planning on that.”
“I’ve already made an assignation with that Commodore from the Constellation. He’ll be there too.”
“What? That big beefy dude? Yule?”
“Yeah, that’s him. What can I say, Bones? I like the built, muscular ones. Why do you think I could never go for someone scrawny like you?” He pushed Bones.
“You wish you could have a chance with me.” Bones looked behind them. “Here he comes. Let’s ask him.”
Jim rolled his eyes. “Fine.” Jim smiled and turned to his first officer. “Spock, there you are. We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Waiting?”
“You’re coming down to shore leave with us and I won’t take no for an answer.”
Spock nodded. “Very well, Captain. I will go and get my belongings and will meet you down there.”
Jim patted his arm. “Meet us at the pool of the hotel we’re staying at, Mister Spock. I plan to be sitting under an umbrella sipping something tropical in no time.”
“I will be there.”
Jim watched Spock walk away toward the turbolift. He turned to Bones. “You owe me.”
“You like Spock.”
“Sure, I do. On the ship when he’s saying sciencey things to me.”
“That’s not a word.”
“Sure it is. I just said so.” Jim entered the transporter room. “But down on shore leave when I’m getting me some? Not so much. And he’s liable to sit there moping over his breakup when I’m trying to have some fun.”
“Wow, Jim, you’re in rare asshole form.”
“Well, come on, Bones. This is Spock. Well, whatever, the two of you aren’t going to keep me from having Yule. I’ve been planning this for a while.”
Sometime later, Jim was in his own swim trunks, sitting beside Bones under an umbrella by the hotel’s lagoon, sipping on a pineapple daquiri. He was attempting to contact Yule when Bones nudged him.
“Here’s Spock.”
“Mmm. Good.”
“Captain. Doctor.”
Jim finally looked up to see Spock standing next to their table. He blinked rapidly, lowered his sunglasses.
Spock was ripped. Muscular. Adonis.
And Jim was staring like a lovestruck fool.
“Captain?”
“Uh.”
“Jim? Something wrong?” Bones asked.
“Hiya, Spock.” Jim licked his lips. Rubbed the back of his neck. He suddenly felt like covering himself in the face of such magnificence. Without thinking it through, he lowered his gaze to the trunks Spock wore. He didn’t fail to notice Spock’s significant package. “Holy shit.”
“Captain?”
Jim’s gaze flew up quickly to Spock’s face. He slammed down his sunglasses over his eyes. But of course that wouldn’t hide the reddening of his skin that showed his absolute mortification.
“Want-want a drink?”
“A virgin margarita would be acceptable.”
Jim felt his own cock jump at the word virgin and he felt even more in some kind of surreal place.
“Fl-flavor?”
“Strawberry. I am going into the pool for a swim.”
Jim watched Spock’s tight round ass as he walked away from their table. He watched him get on the diving board and he watched him dive into the pool. He watched…
“Jim, your communicator is buzzing.”
Jim kept staring at Spock as he swam.
“It’s Yule.”
“Who?” Jim asked, absently.
“Sorry, he’s not interested,” he heard Bones say.
Jim took a sip of his daquiri, watched Spock.
“Should I go get him the margarita?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Jim, what’s wrong with you?”
“Spock’s really really hot.”
Bones snorted. “I’ll never understand you as long as I live. I’ll be back with the drinks, Romeo. You want another daquiri?”
“Uh-huh.”
Bones left their table and Jim continued to watch Spock.
When I think of Going Boldly, it’s hard to believe I wrote 114,00 word fic in five months. But I did. And so I thought I’d choose them as my last Kirk and Spock to revisit for my July flashes.
It was nearly ten at night as Jim stood outside the rented cabin in Aspen, gazing up at stars that seemed so very far away.
It was light though. Being July. It was beginning to show signs of getting dark, but still he could see pretty well everywhere.
The door of the cabin opened.
“Ashaya?”
“Yep. Out here, babe.”
Jim waited for Spock to join him, smiling all the while.
“Your Christmas tunes are still playing in there,” Spock said, with a barely contained reproach to his tone. “And your egg nog martini is waiting.”
Jim laughed softly. “I know. Sorry to make you crazy.”
“That you have been doing for a number of years.” Spock searched his face. “You received a troublesome message?”
“Lisa Michaels has died.”
“Your counselor back on the Enterprise.”
Jim nodded. “Yeah. I mean obviously I hadn’t seen her for years. But…I’m sorry for her. And her family.”
“Natural causes?”
“Yeah. She was good at her job. She told me at the end of the first mission she intended to put in for the second one.”
Spock frowned a little. “I don’t recall her then.”
Jim gave him a sad smile. “She wasn’t. See, when she told me, we joked about whether I would approve her or not and she was sure I would but…”
“You did not,” Spock guessed.
“I did not, yeah. I had a bit of a bastard moment then. And rejected her.” Jim sighed and turned into Spock’s arms. “I regretted after but by then it was too late. I never talked to her again either. Bones sent me the message about her death. She wanted me to talk about things I just…I talked to you about them.”
“I know, adun. And I am sure that she understood.”
“Maybe.” Jim kissed him. “Let’s go back inside. I want that egg nog martini and I’m in the mood for some Christmas music.”
“In July.”
Jim laughed again. “Yep. Come on, babe. Love you.”
Spock considered that, really, he was lucky. A strange idea for a Vulcan to consider, but one he did, nevertheless.
Because in spite of his many mistakes over the years, and miscalculations, his T’hy’la was seated across from him currently concentrating very hard on his PADD.
Jim had recently taken on duties from Starfleet. From their home. Jim still didn’t or wouldn’t travel much. But what he did do for them seemed to help him a bit.
“More coffee?”
“Hmm? Oh. No. Um. Thank you.” Jim hadn’t looked up.
Spock stood and went into the kitchen for more tea. He looked out the kitchen window. It was raining. There was a bit of thunder and lightening too. The humidity was not particularly comfortable either.
It was then that he noticed a tiny, worn, faded sticker at the bottom right of the window. With a frown, Spock leaned in to look at it. It appeared to be an image of the mythical Santa Claus, but much of the face was missing. Over the top of the image were faded words Christmas in July. Or at least Spock thought that’s what it said.
“Jim?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“There is an old sticker here on the window.”
“What?” Jim finally looked up from his PADD over to where Spock stood. “Oh. That. Yeah. That was from…” He scrunched up his face. “Think I was five.”
“That long ago?”
Jim stood up from his PADD and walked over to Spock, who wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. “Yeah. There was a festival in the city. Not Riverside. Iowa City. Mom took us. That was all before…Frank. Anyway, I got that sticker. I stuck it on the window when she wasn’t looking. She got mad, but she couldn’t manage to get it off either.” He shrugged. “Been there ever since.”
“Do they still have a Christmas in July Festival?” Spock wondered.
Jim shook his head. “I don’t think so. Too much trouble I guess for such an old-fashioned thing. It was fun though. Back then.”
Spock watched Jim process those memories. He moved his face closer to Jim’s so that their cheeks were touching. Touching Jim in some fashion always soothed him. It was an addiction he had no intention of breaking if Jim would indulge him.
“Were you working on Federation tasks?”
“Nah. I finished all that this morning. I was…Spock, remember what I mentioned when we got married?”
Spock was torn between moving away from being cheek to cheek with Jim so he could look into his eyes and wanting to stay there. Curiosity won out and he pulled back to stare into those beloved blue eyes.
“About children?”
“Yes. I know, maybe you aren’t ready, with-because of your son, but…there’s a little girl…she’s part Orion, part Human and part Romulan and no one wants her, and I was thinking…” Jim stopped. Sighed. “Too soon? Too much?”
“Jim. I did not say no.” Spock hugged him close, held him. Jim was shaking and Spock knew that was because this was so very important to him.
to advise that I haven’t been able to write anything to update on AO3. Sorry. Swamped at work. Busy tonight. Mother’s 94th birthday tomorrow (social distanced don’t worry) AND I am trying to finish August flashes.
He remembered a time when he was up before the sun, and then with the sun, and often before his husband, Spock. But those days had faded away now. And often he woke long after the sun and his husband rose.
This time he got out of bed mostly because he was hot and sweaty. This promised to be a scorcher of a day. Not that surprising in July.
But it made for uncomfortable sleeping.
He went into the bathroom, peed, and then turned on the shower. He made it warm, because he didn’t particularly care for cool showers, even in summer.
Jim smiled to himself as he soaped up. Just yesterday they’d been in the main town doing their usual shopping and Spock had made rather derisive remarks about the store’s advertisement.
“Christmas in July.”
“It’s a gimmick, Spock.”
“Hmm.”
They’d passed by the display of fake snow, gnomes, and garlands. Later, Jim considered going back for one of the gnomes he’d thought was kind of cute, but he never got back over to the display.
He did pick up some gingerbread cookies, though. Since he’d gotten older, he’d developed a terrible sweet tooth.
After his shower, Jim put on some loose fitting pants, that sweet tooth did not help his waistline, and a T-shirt. No flannel in July, thank you very much.
He made his way down the stairs, using the bannister more than he used to, of course.
Spock was putzing around the kitchen. In a few days, Spock would be leaving for three weeks to attend to the duties that surrounded his ambassadorship. Jim didn’t look forward to it. He could handle the time alone, but yeah, he’d miss Spock. A lot.
As he approached the kitchen he spotted something on the dining room table.
His mouth broke out into a huge grin.
“Spock!”
It was the ridiculously cute gnome he’d considered at the store, sitting on the table next to Jim’s coffee cup.
Spock turned and arched a brow. “A poor substitute for my company for three weeks, but…”
Jim came to him and gave him a big kiss. “Still. I love you. Thank you.”
Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto) 