Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto)

And here is my story for V Day this year. It’s an AU, obviously (see the end for more notes)

I felt stupid the moment I walked into Spock’s office to see Nyota Uhura sitting on the edge of the desk directly next to him. The hear-shaped box I clutched in my hands slipped as my palm sweated.

Across the front of the desk, taped there, were various garish Valentine Day’s cards, no doubt doing their best to ask the Vulcan to be theirs.

“Was there something you wanted Mister Kirk?” Spock asked politely.

Uhura craned her neck to look over her shoulder at me. She gave an ugly smirk that made me hate her. I didn’t like the feeling.

There’d been rumors at the factory that she was sleeping with the boss, but up to that point I hadn’t believed it. There were also rumors he was gay and I’d wanted to believe that one. How wrong I’d been.

“I was just leaving,” she said coolly. She slipped off the desk, bent close to Spock, and said something in his ear. His only response was to nod. She straightened, gave his shoulder a squeeze, and sauntered around the desk and out the door without sparing me another glance.

Spock now gave me his full attention and it made me break out in a fresh sweat. Not that there was anything fresh about sweat.

Besides the cards, I noticed a few wrapped gifts on his desk too, pink and red. I wondered how silly he thought Humans were to celebrate such a thing as Sweetheart’s Day or whatever it was called.

I glanced down at the box I clutched and brought it forward. The box itself was dyed ruby red and then it had a cellophane wrap over that, cinched to the middle to give it an extra fancy appeal. I’d had the girl at the shop wrap it special.

I’d been an idiot.

His gaze went to the box. “I do not indulge in chocolate.”

He said it stoic and somewhat harshly as though he’d said it a hundred times that day and I supposed he must have had to do so. There was a slight derisive curl to his lip too.

“I know. This is…this isn’t chocolate. It’s an…well…it’s a carob assortment.”

“Carob.”

“It’s made from plants.”

“Yes, I know.”

He made no move to come out from behind his desk to take the box and I felt even more ridiculous. What had I been thinking?

Sure, Gaila had said…she’d been wrong, obviously.

Before I could think better of it, I slipped the lid off the candy box myself and took out a carob confection. When I was in high school I’d known a girl named Nicolette. Her parents were Dutch and they ate very healthfully. I remembered she’d always brought carob covered raisins to school. 

I took a bite and blanched. “Oh, my God, that’s atrocious. Ugh. Yuck.”

I probably should have been embarrassed, but I was kind of past that, so I spit it out directly into my hand. Spock was now staring at me with wide eyes, no doubt wondering if the lunatic in his office was next going to commit some act of violence.

I spotted a tissue on his desk, so I reached for it and wiped the spit carob from the palm of my hand onto it.

“Gross,” I declared. With a disgusted grimace at my own idiocy, I turned and chucked the heart box of carob candies in the nearby trash basket. The box, which was still partially open from my having pilfered one, opened the rest of the way and spilled the contents into the trash.

“Did you just throw away my box of carob candy?” Spock asked.

I quickly glanced from the trash to him and saw how I had shocked him. I suddenly felt my face flame with heat.

“Oh, God. I’m so sorry! I did. I just…do you like carob?” I asked in a strangled voice.

He nodded but otherwise did not speak.

“Wow. Okay. Yeah. That was a super dickish thing to do. I just…I tasted it and then the thing was you had your uh your girlfriend here and—”

“Nyota is not my girlfriend.”

“And I felt super stupid to even be here when you clearly don’t want Valentine’s Day gifts from anyone and—”

“I would not have minded the box of candy from you.”  

“You…what?”

Spock stood up finally and came around the desk. He walked over to the trash basket and looked down. “A lost cause, I think.”

“Yeah.”

He glanced at me. “Dinner perhaps?”

“I’d-I’d love to, but it’s really short notice to get a reservation tonight.”

“Quite. I shall have to make you dinner at my apartment.”

My jaw dropped open.

“For dessert I will make carob mousse.”

My mouth closed.

“I am in jest, of course, though there are many delicious carob mousse recipes.” Spock paused to arch a brow at me. “Do you accept?”

“Gaila said…well…she said that you might like…”

“Gaila is right. Do you accept?” he asked again.

I smiled for the first time since I’d walked into his office. “I definitely accept.”

• no actual carob candies were harmed
• There are a surprising amount of carob mousse recipes should you wish to look for one
• Nicolette is a real person I knew in high school who brought carob raisins to school