For Fun

August Rambles 2020

I’m in the middle of a massive heatwave.

Saturday my phone said 108. It’s supposed to be 100s all week. Yes I am melting. It’s hard to want to do anything when it’s hot like this. There are flex alerts and power outages and just all around bleh.

Doesn’t seem to bother Luna

But as you can see, I could see the smoke of a fire from my parking lot over my garage

Now have a pretty August flower to calm down

Anyhow, I have now written my flashes through September 11, but I still have like 8 more to go. That’s where my head is right now.

When I feel I can breathe on the flashes, I will get a new chapter of Clarity done. But until then…

Thank you for your time.

August 18, 2020

Flash Fic, August 12, 2020

“Three months stuck on this rock.”

Jim eyed his brother dispassionately as he set a box behind the counter. “You got some place better to be?”

“Any where’s better than here. They don’t even know how to party in ShiKahr.”

Jim shook his head. “You’re engaged to Aurelan. It’s time to forget about partying.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “I don’t mean screwing around, I mean drinking. I haven’t found a single bar. Mom said there would be.”

Jim bent down to open a box. “Probably said that so you’d come.”

“Yeah, I figured. Soon as summer’s over, I’m leaving. Supposed to meet Aurelan in Illinois September the first.” Sam ran his hands through his hair. “Anyway, who’d be stupid enough to open a non-dairy ice cream place in the capitol city of Vulcan.”

“Give Mom a break, will ya? Anyway, she was asked to open it. To give it a try by her company. If it doesn’t work out, she’ll go home.”

Sam leaned against the closed door of the shop. “What about you? You’re not staying beyond the summer, are you?”

“I don’t know.”

“No? Thought you were thinking of taking after Dad and getting yourself killed in Starfleet.”

“Shut up. I haven’t even decided about any of that.”

“Well, you’d better decide soon or Mom will take over your life for you.” Sam straightened. “I’m gonna go get more boxes.”

Jim watched Sam leave the shop, and he left the door open. Jim considered closing it again, as they weren’t even close to being ready to open, but considering it was super warm and stuffy, he left it that way and continued getting ready.

It was about ten minutes later when he heard someone sort of shuffle inside. He was down below the counter, stocking goods, so he stood up, ready to tell whoever it was they weren’t open yet.

But the words stilled in his throat as he looked at the most gorgeous guy he’d ever seen. Most gorgeous Vulcan guy. Any guy, sure. But his gorgeous guy was Vulcan.

“Uh.”

Smooth Jim.

The Vulcan looked anxiously from the door to Jim, a slight furrow between his brows. “Who…”

Jim came forward from behind the counter, wiping his hands on the apron, subconsciously. He knew Vulcans didn’t shake hands or anything.

“Jim. Jim Kirk.”

The Vulcan’s lips quirked very slightly. “Spock. Who owns this place and what is it?”

“Oh. My mother. Winona Kirk. She’s with the Tastes Like Real Ice Cream Co. This is the, uh, the first shop of its kind on Vulcan.” Jim shifted. “Non-dairy. Vegan.”

“I see.”

Jim glanced toward the counter. “I can offer you a sample.”

“You are not open, are you?”

“Well, no. Getting set up.”

Spock nodded. “Forgive me for the intrusion. I am meeting my mother for lunch in ShiKahr and just saw someone I hoped to avoid. I ducked into the first open door.”

Jim smiled. “My fortune then. Sample?”

“I really should not. My mother will be waiting.”

Yet he followed Jim to the counter when Jim went there and behind it.

“I’ve only got a couple of flavors available. Uh. Not chocolate.” Jim winked.

Spock arched a brow. “No indeed.”

Jim put the little sampler spoon in the vanilla and handed it to Spock. “Not that I think you’re a vanilla kind of guy or anything.”

Spock did not react to that, so Jim figured it had gone over the Vulcan’s head.

“It is quite good. I will have to return to try other flavors when you are open. Something more adventurous than vanilla.” He quirked that brow again and Jim couldn’t help but grin in response.

“Yeah, yeah, definitely.”

“I must go now.”

Spock turned around and went to the shop door. Then he looked back at Jim.

“When do you get off work?”

“Oh. I guess somewhere around six-thirty.”

“And do you live nearby?”

Jim nodded. “Yeah. We’re staying in an apartment above the shop, actually.”

“I would like to ask you to dinner, Jim. May I come by at seven to have you accompany me?”

Jim couldn’t agree fast enough. “Yes. Yes. I’ll be ready.”

Spock inclined his head. “I will see you then.”

He made it through the door just as Jim’s mom was coming in with a box.

“Good day,” Spock murmured.

She watched Spock walk down the street. “Who was that?”

“Spock.”

She laughed. “Spock? Who is Spock?”

“My date for this evening.”

“Figures. Only here a day and already has a date.”

“Who has a date?” Sam asked, coming in, arms full of boxes.

“Jimmy?” She put a box down on the counter. “With a very handsome Vulcan.”

“What? I wasn’t even gone but a few minutes!”

“That’s Jimmy. Charms them every time. Let’s break for lunch. I’m starving.”

August 12, 2020

Flash Fic, August 10, 2020

“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!”

August 10, 2020

Flash Fic, August 7, 2020

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.

August 7, 2020

Flash Fic, August 5, 2020

Another prompt from J

“He’s dead, Jim.”

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.”

“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.”

August 5, 2020

Flash Fic, August 03, 2020

This was a prompt from J. Thank you!

“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.

He was screwed. Seriously screwed.

He wanted Spock. And he wanted Spock, badly.

What the hell was he going to do about it?

August 3, 2020

Walk with me, July 2020

This month’s walk with me is just around my condo complex. These pictures really prove that God or Nature can do color better than anything man can come up with.

All of this bougainvillea is just amazing.