Jim was rushing home from having made a last-minute stop at the toy store. It was already two days before Christmas and he had to make sure Santa was going to deliver all the presents Georgie had asked for.
That morning, just before twenty-year-old Jim had left to go to his classes at Starfleet Academy, his little girl, Georgie, short for Georgette, named after his father, had advised him she’d asked Santa for a “Shelley Doll” and she sure hoped Santa would give it to her as she really really wanted it.
Jim had drawn a complete blank. He had never heard of this doll and it was the first time he’d heard Georgie ask for it.
Georgie was just four years old and very strongly believed in Santa. When Jim was sixteen and still living on Tarsus IV, he and his friend, Helen, slept together. Helen ended up pregnant and later, after giving birth to their daughter, she hadn’t survived the famine and killings there. Jim had taken Georgie back to Riverside with him and for a while, while he was still just a kid, his mom helped him.
But now his mom was back out in space herself, and Jim was going through the Academy. Georgie was with him in San Francisco.
He had to get that doll as there was no way he was going to disappoint his little girl. Fortunately, after his last class today, he was done until the second week of January.
But he was running late, later than he had intended, and he’d just received the second text from his babysitter asking when he would pick up Georgie.
So it really shouldn’t be a surprise when he ran smack into someone so hard that he went flying in the air and landed on the ground, smacking his head and his tailbone as he did so.
“Ow, fuck.”
“I apologize, I did not see you barreling toward me.”
The familiar voice cut through his pain filled head. Spock, the Vulcan instructor. Just figured.
Jim groaned and tried to sit up.
“Lie still, Mister Kirk. I will call for emergency transport to the hospital.”
“No, no, no. I can’t go.” Jim rubbed the back of his head. He wasn’t sure what hurt more, his head or above his butt. “Wait! Where’s my package?”
“Package?” Spock was crouched in front of him.
“Yes! Damn it. Where is it? I can’t lose Shelley.”
“You clearly need the hospital, you are delirious.”
Jim frowned, getting annoyed. “I’m not delirious. I had a bag from the toy store with a doll in it for my daughter for Christmas.”
“You have a daughter? But you are barely twenty.”
“Yes, I know. Where…” Jim spotted the bag nearby just before it was about to be stepped on. He snatched it up. “I hope it’s okay.”
He opened the bag to peer in. The doll seemed intact.
“Perhaps it is best to get up and out of the way of the pedestrians.” Spock reached down and pulled Jim to his feet. He held on to him when he swayed a bit. “I highly recommend you go to a hospital.”
“Can’t. It’s two days before Christmas and I gotta play Santa to my daughter. And right now she’s with her babysitter and I need to get her. Are you okay?”
Spock frowned. “I was not hurt.”
“Good, then I’m going to go.”
“If you will not get medical attention, at least allow me to accompany you to your home to ensure you are all right.”
Considering normally, Jim would jump at the opportunity to spend time with Spock, or jump on Spock, really, he figured he probably should agree.
“All right, fine.”
They only had another block to the apartment building where Jim lived, which also happened to be where Georgie’s babysitter lived.
The door to the apartment opened even before Jim had a chance to knock.
Leonard “Bones” McCoy peered out at Jim. Then he opened the door wide. “What happened to you?”
Jim gestured to Spock with his thumb. “Ran into a Vulcan brick.”
“Daddy!” Georgie hugged his legs.
“Hey, pumpkin.” Jim shoved his bag at Bones and scooped up his daughter. “Spock, this is Georgie and Bones. Bones is a doctor, so I’ll have him check me out.”
Georgie peered at Spock curiously. “Is he staying for dinner?”
Spock opened his mouth.
“I’m sure he probably has something better to do,” Bones interjected.
“I would like to stay,” Spock said with an arched brow.
Jim smiled. “Great. Uh. You want to come over too, Bones?”
“Someone has to be the chaperone,” Bones grumbled.
“Down, Daddy. I want to show Spock where we live!”
“Okay, okay.” Jim laughed and put her down. He was surprised when Spock let her grab his hand and lead her away from Bones’ apartment to theirs.
“What’s this?” Bones asked, shaking the bag.
“Shelley.”
“Huh?”
“Georgie asked Santa for a Shelley doll. So…”
Bones nodded. “Got you. I’ll hide it with the others until tomorrow night.”
“Thanks, Bones.”
“What’s with you and the hobgoblin?”
Jim shrugged. “I don’t know. My ass is killing me though.”
“Hey, no telling me personal stuff!”
Jim rolled his eyes. “I fell. Hit my tailbone and my head.”
“No wonder you’re with him,” Bones cracked. “Let me put this away and get my medical bag and I’ll be right over.”
“Thanks.” Jim smiled and shook his head as he heard Georgie chattering away at Spock. It would be an interesting night, for sure.
Okay, maybe things weren’t that bad. He wasn’t out freezing to death in a snow drift or anything.
He had shelter.
The Riverside farmhouse.
There was no power though. That had gone out when the blizzard started.
He had a fire in the fireplace, burning pretty good, actually, so he hadn’t lost his fire-starting skills. Sitting close to said fire made hm feel toasty warm.
But it was Christmas Eve and he had been expected at a party across town. Of course Jim suspected that party was likely either scaled back or canceled altogether. His communicator had lost service right after he’d sent his regrets to the host.
Since he had only arrived in Riverside that morning and would be leaving again the day after Christmas, or that had been the plan, he hadn’t bothered to decorate the place for Christmas or buy any special food.
Coming here, actually, had been a spur of the moment thing. None of his family happened to be in residence. Bones had gone to Georgia to see his kid during the Academy’s winter break. He’d invited Jim but Jim hadn’t felt like intruding on a family thing. Then one of his ex-girlfriends had invited him for her Christmas Eve party and Jim thought, eh, why not.
Who knew a damn blizzard was coming?
“I did warn you the weather report was troublesome.”
Oh, Right. He wasn’t alone either.
Somehow, and Jim was now not sure exactly how it happened, he ended up inviting Spock, his Vulcan instructor at the academy for physics. He’d been pretty sure Spock would say no, after all he barely acknowledged Jim’s existence.
And yet, here Spock was, sitting beside him next to the fire.
“We don’t really get white Christmases. Snow this early is kinda rare and a blizzard even more so. Apologies to Irving Berlin but white Christmases are kind of a myth. Not impossible but not really likely.”
Spock just stared at him which made Jim realize he was babbling again. Something all his friends told him he tended to do when he was nervous. What did he have to be nervous about?
Right.
His crush was sitting very close beside him, snowed in with him, and there was no one else in the house but them.
“We could sing Christmas carols.”
“I would rather not.”
Yeah, Spock had about as much holiday spirit as Ebenezer Scrooge. Well, before he was reformed. Scrooge that is. Spock had yet to be.
“Why’d you come anyway?” Jim couldn’t help but ask.
“Because you asked me.”
“Yeah.”
Silence for a bit more then…
“Why did you ask me?”
The dreaded question.
“Well.” His face heated and not from the fire. “You know. I sorta…that is…I kind of like you.” He cleared his throat.
More silence. And for a moment Jim thought that would be the end of it. Spock wasn’t going to acknowledge what Jim just said.
Might be for the best.
“That is why I accepted.”
Jim glanced at Spock. “Because you knew I liked you?”
Spock nodded. “And I reciprocate.”
It took five whole minutes for the meaning of that to work its way through Jim’s brain. He blinked.
“Aren’t you with Uhura?”
“It seems I am with you.”
Only thirty seconds more because then he was moving closer to Spock, actually straddling the Vulcan’s lap, and grabbing his face to kiss him. And kiss him.
Many minutes later, they lay side by side in front of the still blazing fire, both of them without clothes, sated and happy. For Jim he was slightly sore, but almost pleasantly so.
“I’m glad we got snowed in,” he murmured. “Merry Christmas to me.”
Spock shook his head. “You must transfer out of my class.”
“Yeah okay. Done.” Jim looked over his Vulcan lover and kissed him again. “Come on. I’m getting cold again. Warm me up.”
It was a hot summer’s day in San Francisco. Not unusual, certainly. In the distance, Spock spotted what the human’s around him called thunder clouds though in the amount of time Spock had been in San Francisco during the warm summers the clouds never seemed to accumulate enough to produce any precipitation.
Last summer he’d taken a few weeks during the Academy’s typical summer break to visit his parents on Vulcan. It had been a tense and unpleasant time there. His father still wasn’t speaking to him for deciding to enlist in Starfleet rather than the VSA and his mother did her best to keep the peace between them. He could see they were only causing her pain and so this summer he chose not to go to Vulcan.
Spock didn’t find the heat nearly as bad as his Human counterparts, being from Vulcan after all, so he was out for his afternoon walk, passing one of the apartment buildings known for housing cadets.
“Oh. No.”
Spock heard the note of panic in those words and he instantly reacted to the distress, stopping in his tracks and looking upward.
A male Human with sandy blond hair hung precariously by only one hand from a top floor balcony. He wore only a light blue tank top and low-slung denim shorts that appeared to be in danger of falling off at any moment. But the man himself was in far more imminent danger.
Spock made a decision.
“Let go. I will catch you.”
“What? Are you crazy? No.”
Spock could see him desperately trying to get his other hand to grasp the railing of the balcony but he was failing.
“Your hand is too sweaty.”
“Thanks. Tell me something I don’t know. Damn. I don’t wanna die.”
Spock calculated the distance from the balcony to the ground. “I do not believe you would die but you would likely have grievous injuries.”
“Grievous. That’s a good word.”
“Your most logical strategy is to let go so that I may catch you.”
The man’s laugh was shaky. “Well, far be it from me to go against logic. Are you sure you won’t drop me?”
“I will not. And Vulcans do not lie.”
“Not sure that’s as reassuring as you think it is. But okay. Uh. Here goes nothing.”
After a rather nerve-wracking hesitation the man let go of the railing and fell quickly to Spock’s position.
He landed in Spock’s arms and instantly he hooked both arms around Spock’s neck. Spock felt a wire string against his skin.
The man moistened his lips with his tongue and looked straight into Spock’s gaze with the bluest eyes Spock had ever seen. He was breathtakingly beautiful in Spock’s opinion.
“What are you holding?” he asked.
“Huh?” The man blinked and then grinned. “Oh. A string of Christmas lights. I was trying to hang them on my balcony. I climbed onto the railing and then my foot slipped. I thought I was a goner.”
Spock glanced up again. “The railing is too narrow to accommodate your person.”
“Now he tells me,” Jim murmured, drawing Spock’s attention once more to his lips.
“Christmas lights?”
“Yeah. For a Christmas in July party. Which I have to say since you rescued me from an unkind fate you just have to come.”
Rather than agree to that strange invitation, Spock said, “May I suggest a different method for hanging your decorations?”
“Yeah, definitely. Jim.”
“What?”
“My name. Jim Kirk.”
“Spock.”
“I know who you are. Everyone does.”
Spock didn’t quite know what that meant and he also realized he still had his arms full of the man. The strangest thing was that he found himself quite reluctant to set him on his feet. He had to, of course.
So, he did. Jim slipped from his arms to stand next to Spock.
He gave Spock a crooked smile.
“Thanks for the rescue again. It’s really hot out here.”
It was a non sequitur.
“Yes. Quite warm.”
“I have a big pitcher of iced tea upstairs in my apartment. You could, you know, spot me, while I finish decorating for that party. You are going to come to it right?”
“When is it?”
“Tonight. Just a few hours from now. If you come upstairs for that iced tea, you could just hang around until the party.”
Spock was not one who usually gave into spontaneity. But he found himself wanting to go up to Jim’s apartment for that iced tea. And whatever else might be offered.
And he didn’t think he was mistaken about those possibilities he saw twinkling in those blue eyes.
“Yes, I would like some iced tea. And to attend your strange festivity.”
Jim laughed. It was a very good sound.
“Come on then, Spock. And welcome to my strange life.”
“Shhh. Bones, stop yelling.” Jim laughed, and looked around the mess room self-consciously. No one seemed to be looking at them at the moment and he spotted Spock sitting at a table for two with Uhura across the way.
“Are you out of your mind? How?”
“How do you think? The usual way.”
Bones gave him an exasperated look. “How did it happen? Uhura’s gonna go berserk.”
Jim paused to feel a bit guilty. He cleared his throat. “We were, uh, arguing. Like always. And then suddenly he was pushing me against the wall in my quarters and—”
His friend held up a hand to stop him. “That’s definitely enough. What are you going to do now?”
Jim stared at him. “Do?”
“You slept with Spock. In case you didn’t think of it, he’s with—
“Yeah, I know. Nothing though. I’m pretty sure it was a onetime thing.”
“You’re pretty sure?”
Jim nodded. “Well, I mean, is anybody totally and completely sure of anything, Bones?” He smiled. “I really have to go. The bridge is waiting.”
And he scooted out of the mess room and to the bridge right after.
It was an hour or two later that he realized he was getting strange looks from the bridge crew. He kept feeling Uhura’s stare but every time he glanced in her direction, she was looking at her station.
And he sure didn’t miss the strange looks he was getting from Spock.
Strange.
It began to make him uncomfortable.
“Uh, I’ve got, uh, I need to take a quick break. You have the conn,” he called over his shoulder as he ran to the turbolift.
But Spock followed him right inside as the doors closed.
“Didn’t I just give you the command?”
“Mr. Scott is on the bridge, he can handle it.” Spock pulled the handle to stop the turbolift.
Jim’s eyes widened. “What—”
“Apparently we slept together,” Spock said, getting straight to the point. “Something I was, somehow, unaware of.”
Jim felt his face redden. “That was…do you know what today is, Mr. Spock?”
Spock simply stared at him, eyebrow raised.
“April Fool’s Day,” Jim supplied. “I was just playing a joke on Bones. I figured he’d get what day it was, but, um, and anyway, how did—”
“Mr. Chekov overheard.”
“Damn, nosey kid. I should have known.”
“I should warn you Nyota has filed a formal report.”
“A what?”
“A complaint with Starfleet.”
“Now wait just a minute.” Then he narrowed his eyes. “April Fools.”
“Indeed.”
“Funny. Can you restart the lift?”
“As a matter of fact, Nyota does not care at all,” Spock said then. “And for a moment thought it was true.”
“Why wouldn’t she care?”
“We are not together. We broke up some time ago but remain friends.”
Jim rolled his eyes. “Ha ha. April Fools. You’re taking the jokes a little far now, Spock. I get it and learned my lesson.”
Spock suddenly crowded him against the wall of the turbolift. “I am not speaking in jest, Captain. Perhaps later in your quarters I can convince you of my sincerity.”
Jim’s jaw dropped open but then closed when Spock leaned in, kissed him, moved back, and restarted the lift. A moment later, Spock got off, leaving Jim staring after him.
A heavy sigh and then, “I’m sure I should be worried.”
Jim chuckled low, though their situation was hardly something to laugh about.
Both of them, he and Bones, were shackled to a stone wall. Bones had a broken leg, Jim had been kicked in the side. Both of their faces were battered and bruised.
They had the Klingons to thank.
“If we get out of this—”
“We will.”
Jim appreciated Bones’ attempt to be optimistic. He really did. He just didn’t think it was warranted this time.
“What were you thinking?” Bones finally asked when Jim fell silent.
“If we get out of here, I should finally tell Spock how I feel.”
“Now I know you really don’t think we’re going to be rescued.” Bones frowned. “Not in time.”
“Well. It’s pretty dire, Bones.”
Jim was fairly certain he had internal injuries from the kicks. He was having trouble breathing and was getting weaker as time passed.
Maybe Bones would be rescued in time. Jim certainly hoped so.
“Things have been dire before, Jim. It doesn’t get any worse than you being dead.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry, Bones. I’m just tired.”
“You can close your eyes, Jim. I’ll keep watch over you.”
The thing was why would anyone, least of all those two have such a private conversation on an ordinary pathway on Starfleet Academy campus?
He’d halted at the sound of tears in Uhura’s voice and tried to turn around before her words reached his ears. He’d failed.
“It’s over, Spock.”
“Nyota—”
“And you could at least have the grace to be sorry about it!”
And then she made to run past Jim.
She stopped, stared, tears pooling in her eyes. Her lip curled in disdain.
“Kirk.”
That one word was filled with more venom than he’d heard in years. Oh, he’d heard worse. Just not in a long time.
She was gone before he thought what he could say or if she should say anything.
Spock stood staring after her, hands clenched behind his back, his face expressionless. He wasn’t wearing his professor uniform so clearly he was currently off-duty.
“I didn’t mean to overhear,” Jim said in a rush, less the Vulcan make his displeasure known. “I was on my way to the sociology building and this is the most direct path.”
“I am not looking to you for any blame.” His shoulders sagged slightly but otherwise he did not change his stance.
“Pretty intense?”
“You could say that.”
Jim nodded. “I’m sure, uh, when she calms down you’ll work things out.”
“We will not,” Spock said softly. “She was correct when she said it was over. Nyota wants things from our relationship I am unable to provide.”
“Oh. You didn’t tell her about—”
“Of course I did. I value honesty.”
That explained her rage and venom. And Jim really wasn’t proud of it.
They’d been arguing in a classroom, he and Spock, not at all an unusual thing, when suddenly instead of throwing insults they were kissing. A lot.
It hadn’t gone farther than that. Not because Jim hadn’t wanted it to, but because no matter what anyone said about him, he didn’t sleep with other people’s SOs.
Spock had still seen it as a betrayal of his relationship with Uhura and Jim guessed it was.
“I’m sorry then. Just like I was then. It…shouldn’t have happened, Spock. You can assure her it was all my fault.”
“Except that wouldn’t be honest. For us to engage in that sort of intimate behavior indicates a certain amount of trouble in my connection with Nyota. I recognized that and had to confess my doubts accordingly. I anticipated this outcome and you are not at fault, Cadet.”
“Jim. And I kind of am. I’m the one who you were kissing.”
Spock inclined his head.
“And the one who kissed you in the first place.”
“I remember it quite differently.”
Jim took a tentative step closer. “You do?”
Spock nodded. “I do. I initiated the kiss as I had wanted to do for some time. As I still do right now. Given that, I could hardly–”
Jim kissed him. He grabbed the collar of Spock’s sweater and kissed him hard.
“Sorry, I just—”
Spock stepped back. “Yes, now might not be the time. I do wish to kiss you again, Jim. And frequently.”
Jim moistened his lips. “I want the same. But yeah, I get it. I have class and you just…”
“Ended my relationship.” Spock nodded. “I will contact you in a few days.”
Jim smiled and nodded and went to turn away.
Spock grabbed his wrist, turned his hand over and touched his fingers to Jim’s.
“I hope you have a good rest of your day, Jim.”
Jim squeezed Spock’s hand. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Yes, it is.”
Jim continued on to his class, feeling hope for the future.
Spock shook his head. “It isn’t as easy as that. Not with the captain.”
“Tell me what?”
“Were you eavesdropping, Captain?” Nyota asked, angrily. She crossed her arms in front of her, all aggression.
Spock and Nyota were near the waterway on Yorktown having what they both thought was a private conversation.
Jim’s eyes narrowed. “Actually, no. I was looking for you, Lieutenant. Commodore Paris needs your communication expertise and I approved your assistance at the command center.”
Nyota instantly lowered her arms, glanced at Spock, and then said, “Yes, Captain. I’ll go right away.”
After she departed, Jim stepped up to where Spock stood by the waterway.
“Something you wanted to tell me?”
Spock was surprised that Jim wouldn’t look at him.
“Is something wrong, Captain?”
“Are you going to tell me you’re leaving after all?”
That did give Spock pause.
“You knew about that? Doctor McCoy?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I am not leaving.”
Jim nodded. “Then what? You and Uhura finally getting married or uh…bonded?”
“No.” Spock paused. “In fact, we are no longer romantically involved.”
Jim did look at him then and he was clearly quite surprised by this information, which made Spock hesitate even more.
“I thought after Altamid…” Jim shook his head.
“We briefly discussed the possibilities,” Spock admitted. “But the same issues we’d had that led to my choice to depart existed. Given that we remain close friends. It is…still a work in progress though.”
“I imagine.” Jim pursed his lips. “What is it then?”
“I do not wish to place undo burden—”
“Spock. What is it?”
He took a long breath and then let it out. “I have developed romantic feelings toward you.”
Jim turned away from the waterway to fully face Spock.
“Does that mean you have the hots for me?”
Spock blinked. “I…”
Jim grinned. “Don’t worry. I have the hots for you too.”
Now thanks to Gaila, Jim found himself looking at Spock differently as the Vulcan came through the tea shop towards where Jim sat waiting for him.
Spock had a thing for him? That seemed…impossible to believe.
“Good afternoon, Jim.”
“Hey. Are those three Vulcans still out there?”
“Three Vulcans?”
Jim nodded. “Gaila said they were out there wanting to give me gifts.”
Spock arched a brow as he took his seat. “There are no Vulcans out there currently.”
“Oh. Well then maybe she was wrong.”
“Perhaps.”
Jim shrugged. “Let’s get started then. You want some tea first?”
“Negative.” Spock hesitated. “Perhaps I should move closer.”
Jim eyed Spock. Okay that was strange. Was Gaila right? She’d gotten the three Vulcans waiting to give him Valentines wrong, but…
“Sure.”
Spock scooted his chair over until he was right beside Jim. He glanced at some of the things Jim had on the desk.
“You are intending to submit for the Vulcan Science Academy?’
“Hm? Oh. Yeah.”
“I assumed you were interested in Starfleet.”
Jim smiled. “Yes, I am. I don’t intend to actually attend the VSA.”
“I do not understand.”
“Just…I mean I’ve already been approved for Starfleet so I can’t even say I was hedging my bets. I want to prove to those old guys that a Human can be worthy of their prestigious school.” Jim laughed and felt himself blush. “You probably can’t understand.”
“You would be surprised.”
“Well, let’s just get to this.”
But shortly after they began, Jim felt Spock’s gaze on him instead of the material.
Jim looked up and sure enough the Vulcan was staring at him.
“Spock, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Why are you coming to me for tutoring?”
“You are an expert in miliary tactics.”
“Okayyyy.” Jim leaned back. “But it’s occurred to me that you know all the answers before I cover the material. Spock, are you playing me?”
“Playing you?”
“Yeah. I mean, I don’t know, making fun of me or something. I can’t figure out any other reason.”
“You cannot?”
“Well. Gaila suggested you were interested in me romantically but—”
“She is right,” Spock said quietly.
Jim’s eyes widened and he noticed his glasses were fogging up. “What?”
“It is true. I apologize for the subterfuge but I attempted to obtain your attention when you first arrived and you did not appear to notice me.”
“Not notice you?” Jim laughed. “Are you crazy?”
Spock frowned. “I have no diagnosed mental illness.”
Jim sighed and grinned. “I’ve noticed you. Why not get straight to the pint and ask me to go out?”
“You do not seem interested in anyone. Those Vulcans outside—”
“Wait. They were out there? I thought Vulcans didn’t lie.”
“I sent them away so technically it was not a lie.”
“Technically?”
“Vulcans embrace technicalities.”
Jim leaned in and kissed Spock on the lips. “Maybe embrace me instead.”
Spock blinked. “When do you get off work?”
“Now?”
A few minutes later, Jim joined Spock on the sidewalk outside the tea shop. Three Vulcan males and two females stood nearby.
“James!”
And several held out heart-shaped cards and even boxes of chocolates.
“Uh.” Jim looked to Spock. “Am I really irresistible to Vulcans?”
“Apparently.”
Jim laughed, linked arms with Spock, and started walking away.
“Wait! Choose us, he’s only half Vulcan.”
Photo by Jessica Lewis ud83eudd8b thepaintedsquare on Pexels.com
Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto) 