The Closer I Get to You (with images on the blog supplied by J)
Release Date on AO3: June 22, 2020
Relationships: AOS Kirk/Spock, TOS Kirk/SPock
Summary: After Kirk and Spock from the Kelvin Universe get together, they are engaged in a mission that requires them to time travel to save the life of a Starfleet Commodore. But their traveling doesn’t quite go as planned and they end up traveling not just to another time, but another universe, where they meet their TOS counterparts. Jim assumes their counterparts are a couple, just like he and Spock are, but he is surprised to learn from TOS Kirk and Spock that they are not. Before he and Spock head back to their own universe/timeline, he sets out to change the relationship of their counterparts, or as Spock would say, violate the Prime Directive.
Jim approached the café where he was meeting his new boyfriend for lunch. It was a warm sunny day and he was very much hoping he could convince his boyfriend to eat outside.
Sunglasses firmly in place, Jim stepped into the entryway for the restaurant. Of course his boyfriend was already waiting.
He smiled. “Hi Spock. Been waiting long?”
“Only ten minutes.”
“Mind if we have an outdoor table?”
“No, that is fine.”
After they were seated, Jim noticed Spock was eying him rather than the menu. Pushing away his nervousness, he smiled.
“Something wrong?”
“I do not believe so.”
“Made up your mind about your food already?”
“No.” Spock paused. “Jim. May I see your eyes.”
Jim tried laughing it off. “What? Why?”
“Jim.”
He sighed. Took off his sunglasses and waited.
“You have a black eye.”
“Yeah.”
“You have been fighting again.” The reproach was there. Oh, yes, it was.
“Geez, Spock, you make it sound like a frequent thing.”
Spock pursed his lips, picked up his menu and said, “Is it not?”
“No. I mean sure, since we’ve been seeing each other there have been three times but…” Jim put his sunglasses back on. “I’m not like that.”
Spock remained silent, continuing to look at his menu.
Jim’s heart was pounding painfully. “You-you’re rethinking this, aren’t you?”
“Lunch?” Spock murmured.
“No and you know that’s not what I mean. Us.”
Spock put down his menu. “May I inquire as to the nature of this particular latest skirmish?”
Jim bit his lip. Then winched. He’d forgotten it was slightly split. “Some guy said some stupid shit and I hit him and his friends jumped me and it went from there.”
“Stupid shit,” Spock repeated.
“Yeah.”
“About me.”
Jim nodded and looked away.
“Jim, give me your hand.”
He glanced at Spock, then put out his hand which Spock took in his.
“First, no, I am not.”
Jim frowned.
“Rethinking us.”
“Okay. Good because…”
“I do not care what they say about me.”
“Words have power.”
“Only if you allow them to, which I do not. And I would never wish for you to be put in harm’s way over thoughtless words spoken by those who are meaningless to us.”
“But—”
“I ask that next time, you simply walk away and contact me. We will discuss their words or their inferior thinking or the weather or what we plan to do later that day. Anything but engaging in violent confrontations. And if I am not available because I am instructing a class or in a meeting, I ask that you walk away anyway and wait for me.”
Jim closed his eyes, sighed, and nodded. “Okay.”
“Ashaya. Remove those glasses and look at me. I wish to see your beautiful eyes, even if they are damaged.”
Jim smiled a little and took the glasses off and set them on the table. “Are you hungry?”
“Not particularly.”
“Me either. And if I am later, we can order something to be delivered. Let’s get out of here. I just want to go home and be with you.”
Spock squeezed his hand. “I concur.”
They got up and left, telling the hostess as they left that they wouldn’t be staying. And side by side, they walked home.
Okay so I have one more flash(ish) story to write for June.(No longer true, I have finished June now) I also have the first two written for July. Still if I continue with MWF flashes for July that means I have 12 to go there. So yeah.
This means no updates on AO3. Sorry. But that’s the way it must be until I get some sort of breathing room on those flashes.
I am supposed to post my T’hy’la Bang story on Monday, June 22. I have not heard from my artist in weeks even though I have emailed her. Sigh.
Anyway the story is lovely if I do say so myself so I hope you will enjoy!
I’m going to give some serious thought to whether I want to do flashes MWF in August. It’s not that I don’t love the flashes but I also have to begin preparing for 25 days of December, if I am going to do that again, and that takes a ton of writing, so…I may drop to say M and F for August, September, October, and November. We shall see where and how far along I can get on other things.
Jim noticed Spock was walking slightly hunched up as they approached Spock’s quarters after they’d had dinner in the mess.
Spock hesitated for just a minute before pressing the control for opening the door and Jim was pretty sure he knew why.
He followed Spock inside though and let the door close behind them.
“You know if you don’t want me to spend the night with you, it’s okay to say.”
Spock turned dark startled eyes on him.
Jim smiled. “I know it’s still new between us and if need your space then…”
“That is not it. I just…my back is paining me and I do not believe I will be up for sexual activity.”
“I thought it might be bugging you. Hang on. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Spock looked confused, adorably so, but Jim went toward Spock’s bathroom, remembered the new ship didn’t have connecting bathrooms, and with a sigh walked out of Spock’s quarters to his own.
After changing quickly out of his uniform, he got the supplies he needed, and then went back to Spock’s quarters.
Spock eyed him. “What are you wearing?”
“Sweats and a tank top. This is my uniform.”
“Uniform?”
“Uh-huh. Strip down and lie on your stomach.”
“Jim—”
“Relax. I’m not a sex maniac. Okay, I am, but I can control myself. I’m going to give you a massage.”
“A…massage?”
“Yep. Back before I became the sexiest Starfleet cadet on two legs—”
“Two—”
“Cadet Rashah.”
Spock nodded.
“Anyway, back in Riverside I was trained on massages. So at least take your shirts off and lie down on your stomach.”
After Spock complied and was on his stomach in the bed, Jim reached into the little sack he’d brought with him for some oil.
He could see Spock had his neck turned so that he could watch Jim’s movements.
“When did your back start bothering you?”
“After the battle on Cathica 12.”
“That Klingon kicked your back pretty hard. You refused treatment from Bones.”
“His methods normally turn my stomach.”
“Vanilla, strawberry or lemonade?”
“What?”
“Essential oil. I rub it into your back muscles.”
“Vanilla.”
Jim nodded. “Good choice.”
He crawled up onto the bed and squirted out the essential oil to apply liberally all over Spock’s back.
“It is cold.”
“I know. Not for long.”
Then he started massaging Spock’s back, rubbing the oil into his back, paying attention to the spots that made Spock grunt and especially tight areas.
After a while, Jim realized Spock had fallen asleep.
Being careful not to jostle the bed, he got back off, packed up his oils and went to return to his own quarters.
“Computer lights off. Temperature raise 15 degrees.”
“Love you,” Jim whispered, as he exited the quarters.
Jim ducked down as a disruptor was fired in his direction. He returned fire.
“Okay, well, this really isn’t the time, Mr. Spock.”
Spock fired from across the corridor. “Agreed. But it is never the time.”
“When we return—”
“The odds are not in our favor that we will return to the Enterprise, certainly not intact, therefore, it stands to reason, logical even, that should I not be the one who returns intact or otherwise—”
“You’re giving me a bitch of a headache, Spock.”
“Acknowledged. And speaking of acknowledgement.”
Jim spared him a glance before looking back at the enemy. “What?”
“Do you, perhaps, return my regard or not?”
“Really? We’re going to do this now?”
“Jim.”
“Fine. Yes. Yes. My regard is the same. Can we concentrate on—”
“Spock to Enterprise. Two to beam up.”
“Wait. Seriously? You had them on standby all this time?”
First Spock had to realize there was a problem and he did not at first.
It was Wednesday and Jim tended to stay at the Academy longer on Wednesdays than Spock did. He had later classes. Spock left in early afternoon, took a leisurely stroll through the park’s nature trail, and then stopped at the local grocery mart for provisions.
This particular day he bought many special things. Cheesecake flavored ice cream, potatoes so that he could make mashed potatoes, ingredients to make the special gravy Jim liked, a special version of a book Jim liked, and balloons.
He had the balloons set up and the book wrapped.
And he was preparing to make dinner when he realized Jim was well past his time.
His attempts at locating Jim through the communication device failed. So instead he contacted Jim’s assistant.
“Oh. Yes. He left some time ago, sir. I think I saw him head into that martini bar on third.”
“Thank you.”
With a sigh, Spock pulled on his coat and left their apartment in search of his husband.
Sure enough, Jim was sitting at the bar, alone, nursing what looked like might have been his third martini, based on the empty glasses beside him.
When Spock approached, Jim gave him a tired smile. “Oh, hi, honey. I guess I’ve been here too long, huh?”
Spock took the stool next to him and waved away the bartender. “I am in the process of preparing your birthday celebration.”
Jim sighed. “Yeah. Nothing to celebrate. I mean, it’s sweet but…”
“Jim.”
“I’m old, Spock.” Jim shook his head. “Seventy.”
“The alternative…”
“I know. It’s just, when I look in the mirror now, I see an old man.”
“All I see is my beautiful wonderful husband.”
“And I do love you for that. And I’m sorry I didn’t come straight home and spoiled everything, it’s just…this student today called me an old timer.”
Spock bristled. “What?”
“Not to my face. I overheard him. His exact words was, ‘when is that old timer gonna retire’?”
“I am sorry for his unkind words.”
“They were, sure, and for a bit they really hurt, but I was him at that age, you know? I would have said something like that. And anyway, they did get me thinking.”
“About what, T’hy’la?”
“Maybe it is time to consider retiring. I’m in pretty decent shape, the Khan blood helps, but honestly my heart isn’t really in teaching anymore. You’ve gotten a bit tired of it too.”
“True.”
“What do you say, Spock? Should we retire, leave San Francisco and…”
“Where would we go?”
“New Vulcan?”
Spock put his hand over Jim’s. “Really? You would go there with me?”
Jim smiled. “I’d go anywhere with you.”
****
When they got home, making plans as they made the walk, Jim smiled when he saw all the balloons and the present.
“You didn’t have to go through all this, sweetheart.”
“I did. It is your birthday. And though you are special to me every day, I know that you like to have your favorite things. I have your ice cream, and mashed potatoes and…”
Jim kissed him. “Thank you. For everything. Agreeing to retire.”
“It will benefit me too.”
“Yeah. But I can’t wait to live the rest of our lives together, however long that is, with you on New Vulcan.”
Well I was waiting for the notice to go out from AO3 but it appears that isn’t going to happen as I posted it at 11 last night and almost 12 hours later I don’t think the emails have gone out.
So for those who are interested, besides J, if any, the story Orchestral Maneuvers, my Pinto story, is concluded.
He was pretty sure based on the way his leg was twisted and bent beneath him that it was broken. He was also certain he had a pretty nasty head wound. Warm blood still flowed from it.
And no one was around.
He honestly figured this was it. The end. Again.
He’d died before and it felt like this. Hopeless. Painful. Over.
He sucked in a painful breath that caused him to cough and blood splurted from his mouth. Great. Just…
Strange bell-like sound and then—
“Enterprise, I’ve found the captain. Two to beam up.”
His eyes closed as Spock leaned over him.
His eyes opened as Bones leaned over him.
“How are you feeling?”
“Pretty terrible.”
A nod.
“It’s okay, Jim. You’re going to be okay.”
“Yeah?”
And then Bones moved away and it was Spock leaning over him.
Jim smiled weakly. “Hey thanks.”
“Your thanks are not necessary.”
“Still. Bones says…gonna live. You saved…”
Spock kissed his forehead. “Rest and save your strength, t’hy’la.”
Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto) 