Spock looked up from his notes so fast and rather violently he nearly knocked over his tea. As it was a few drops landed on his notes. He fought back aiming a glare at his mother for stirring in him a reaction best left dormant.
But his mother smiled, unfazed by his hard stare. “He’s absolutely adorable, Spock. You should ask him out.”
“He is Human.”
‘You are half yourself,” she reminded him with an elegant raised eyebrow. “And really, poor boy, hardly anyone talks to him.”
That much was true. Why the beautiful blond haired blue eyed Human was working as a librarian in the Federation Literature Building on Vulcan, Spock couldn’t guess. The man was shy and wore glasses that just made him more, as his mother said, “adorable”.
Once or twice, Spock had seen the librarian walking home from the library to a stark, plain apartment building Spock knew had furnished apartments for outsiders to rent while on Vulcan.
He and his mother were currently having tea just on the other side of that building.
The truth was, his mother was also quite correct that Spock wanted to ask him out.
“Go on,” she urged. “He’s just over there at that table by himself. Ask him out and then have him join us.”
Spock almost said no, but what was that old Earth saying about cutting off his nose to spite his face?”
“It’s almost Valentine’s Day, you know.”
Spock blinked at her. “So?”
“The perfect time to find new love.”
He sighed and pushed back. “It is a date, Mother. Let us not get ahead of ourselves.”
But she grinned, her dark eyes, which he’d inherited, twinkling.
The shy librarian’s eyes widened behind the thick glasses as Spock sat at the chair across from him.
“My name is Spock.”
“Uh.”
“May I have your name?”
“Jim Kirk.”
“Hello, Jim. I would like for you to join my mother and me for tea over there if you are willing,” then Spock paused, “Also, are you free for dinner?”
“To-Tonight?”
“Indeed.”
“With you and your mother?”
“No. With me.”
Jim’s mouth hung open for a moment, and then his tongue came out to trace his lips.
“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “I am.”
Spock nodded. “Join us?”
Jim looked. “I’ve seen you two before. Your mother is Human?”
“Indeed. Apparently, fondness for Humans is a family trait in my family.” Spock rose and gestured for Jim to do so too. “Shall I carry your teapot for you?”
He was rewarded with a bright smile.
As he carried the teapot over to the table where his mother waited, Jim brought his cup.
This month begins a series of flashes for The Original Series. I don’t know know how often I will post, it will be to my whim, honestly. But here is the first one. Some of these are going to be “pre-slash” as I use some series episodes.
If Spock was surprised to see him, he didn’t show it. He just stood back and let Jim in to his quarters.
Jim had a moment where he wondered why he’d come himself. But he had to get this out, he guessed.
The door slid closed after him and he stood rather awkwardly there. He spotted a chess set up where Spock had clearly been playing against the computer. He’d played Spock a few times in the rec room, but never privately.
“How’s the game going?” he asked.
“I am winning.”
Jim smiled. “Of course you are, Mister Spock.”
“You wanted to say something?”
“I wanted to…thank you.”
“Thank me, sir?”
Jim nodded. “For saving my life. When that…creature attacked me, I froze. I didn’t know how to fight against it. It was sucking the salt out and…”
“You are welcome,” Spock said. “But, of course, I merely did my duty as your first officer.”
Jim smiled faintly. “Yes, of course, your duty.”
“Any capable officer would attempt to save their captain,” Spock said calmly.
“I know. But if you hadn’t come along, I would be dead. McCoy was not able to react rationally in that moment.”
“He saw only Nancy.”
“Yeah. So…thank you. Again.” He slid his gaze off of Spock, feeling awkward and uncomfortable, and it landed on the chess set. “If it wouldn’t disrupt your match with the computer, care to challenge me, Spock?”
Spock nodded. “It would not. If you will give me a moment, I’ll set things up.”
“Of course. Thank you, Mister Spock.”
Spock didn’t respond to that, but he did move to set up the game, and after a time, Jim moved in to begin.
“Who the hell gets married at Christmas?” Jim demanded as he walked side by side with Bones.
“Your dumbass brother as you would call him.”
“Well. Can you blame me? He’s always pulling something like this.”
Bones eyed him. “Is he really pulling something? I mean maybe he just wanted to marry Aurelan.”
Jim shrugged. “But why pick that day? Sam’s always making it about him and now he’s even making Christmas about him.”
They stopped before a building and Jim looked it up and down. Two days before Christmas and his brother’s wedding to Aurelan.
Just as he was about to go in to view the place, a Vulcan was coming out. A really cute one. Jim recognized him.
“Professor Spock.”
“Cadet Kirk.”
Knowing this was a wedding venue, Jim frowned. “Uh. Are you, uh, getting, uh, you know.”
Spock arched a brow. “I do not know.”
“Married.”
Jim hoped not. Not that he had a damn thing to say about it, of course, but he had the hots for Spock and Spock never gave him the time of day. He’d hate to think of Spock marrying someone. Other than him of course and now he was getting ahead of himself.
“I am not. A friend works at the venue.” Spock paused. “And you?”
“Nah. I’d never be serious enough to get married.”
Bones made a choking noise and Jim glanced at him to see his friend giving him a strange look.
Jim cleared his throat. “You know. With, uh, with anyone I’m currently seeing. Not that I’m seeing anyone at present. I’m not. I’m completely up for grabs. Well, not for grabs. But if you want to grab me—”
“Jim, perhaps we should go inside to meet your brother,” Bones interrupted Jim’s babbling.
“That’s who’s getting married. My idiot brother.”
“I see.” Spock nodded. “Good day to you then.”
“Wait!”
And when Spock stared down at the hand that had, actually, grabbed Spock’s arm, Jim knew he should let go. Sure.
“Would you, uh, Christmas Eve. Would you want to have dinner with me? I could make you this zucchini lasagna thing.”
“You are inviting me over for dinner?”
Jim nodded, afraid to say too much for Spock didn’t immediately refuse.
“Very well.”
“You mean you’re coming?”
“I believe I said as much. Cadet.”
And as he moved away, Jim called after him, “Six O’clock.”
When Jim turned around and saw Bones was shaking his head.
“What?”
“You do know Sam’s rehearsal dinner is Christmas Eve, right?”
“What? Damn. God, he’s just ruining Christmas.”
“You sound like you’re a character in a holiday special,” Bones said dryly. “You’ll figure it out.”
“Right. I think they can do that rehearsal without me.”
“Jim—”
“I can’t help it. I just go nuts at Christmas.”
“If only it was just Christmas. Come on, we’re late.”
Amanda glanced up from her spot on the floor where she was finishing up wrapping a gift for a child.
It was a holiday party for Federation children of all races and religions. Some had been orphaned, some just had parents off planet doing things for the Federation and Starfleet. Many hundreds of toys had been donated and Amanda was helping to wrap them.
“Sarek?”
Her friend, Ellie, smirked. “Is there more than one Vulcan you like?’
Amanda felt herself blush. “I didn’t expect him to come to the party.”
“He arrived with several other ambassadors. I heard he was looking for you.”
She bit her lip. She wanted to see him. It was true she had something of a strong crush on him, but she did say she would wrap these gifts.
“Oh take a break, Amanda. I’ll wrap these toys.”
“Well…” She smiled. “Okay!”
She struggled up from the floor, smoothed out her blue and silver gown she had chosen to wear and walked out of the private room to the main room of the party.
A waiter passed by, and she snagged a glass of sparkling cider off his tray. Her gaze sought out her Vulcan and spotted him only a moment later approaching her.
He wore severe black from head to toe but somehow it managed to make him look more attractive. Amanda was aware he’d been married before to a Vulcan woman and that they had a son together. She’d been told that Vulcan woman had died, and she knew absolutely nothing about the son.
“Ms. Grayson,” he greeted her and bowed slightly. “It is quite pleasant to see you here. I had been told you were a volunteer at this event.”
Amanda dared to hope that was why he had come.
“It’s Amanda, please. And it’s equally pleasurable to see you, Ambassador.”
“Amanda, then. And I give you the use of my name as well.”
She smiled widely. “I’d ask you to dance but it’s not that sort of gathering.”
“Amanda!” Ellie suddenly rushed up to her. Amanda realized she was clutching the Santa costume in her hands. “It’s an absolute disaster.”
“What’s happened?”
“The Santa we hired has canceled.”
Sarek arched a brow. “That hardly seems to be a disaster.”
She chuckled. “It is for the children, believe me.” Amanda sighed. “We’ll have to find another to play him.” A thought occurred and she glanced at Sarek. “Ambassador—”
“Sarek.”
“You could play Santa Claus.”
“Me?”
Ellie closed her mouth and shoved the costume into Amanda’s hands. “I’ll, uh, get back to wrapping. Good luck.”
Amanda muttered ‘coward’ as her friend scurried away. She turned back to the Vulcan who looked downright owlish at the moment.
“All it takes is wearing this costume with a bit of padding and a fake beard.”
“Amanda—”
“You wouldn’t want to distress all those children who will be arriving to see Santa any minute, would you? You just sit on that throne over there and the child sits on your lap—”
“On my person?”
“Well, just for a moment,” Amanda explained. “Long enough to tell you what they want from Santa Claus.”
“I do not understand.”
She moved closer to him and patted his arm. “I know. Let me summarize it. You put this on, pretend to be Santa, go ho ho ho and all that, speak softly and kindly to the children, ask them what they want from Santa, no need to make promises or anything, and hand them a candy cane, and they move off to another part of the party where the wrapped gifts are. Once you’ve seen every child who wants to visit with you, you’re finished and can take off the costume.”
Sarek frowned. “How many children?”
“Oh…perhaps fifty or sixty.”
“That is a lot.”
“It will go fast. Please?”
Sarek looked away and then back at her. “This is quite illogical.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “My family is Jewish. But…the children were promised Santa.”
“If I agree then you must accompany me to dinner tomorrow night.”
Amanda smiled. “I would have agreed to that anyway.”
Sarek nodded. “Then you have made quite the bargain.”
She laughed. “Indeed.” She pushed the costume at him. “Thank you.” She leaned close and kissed his cheek.
Sarek took hold of the costume and with one hand, held out two fingers. She looked a question at him.
“You touch your same two fingers to mine.”
Amanda exhaled and touched the pads of her fingers to his. “Is this right?”
“Yes.”
Both of their eyes were shining.
****
A bit later, Amanda snuck close to Santa’s throne to listen in on the children visiting the very serious “Santa.”
“And what is your name, child?’
“Billy.”
“Very well, Billy, what logical present do you wish Santa to bring you?”
Amanda covered her mouth to stop her laugh from bursting forth.
“Huh?”
“What is it you want?”
“A bicycle.”
“Santa” nodded. “A practical present for traveling to school.”
Billy frowned. “No. I wanna ride it around the neighborhood.”
“Want to.”
“Huh?”
“The proper way to make your request is to say, I want to ride it around the neighborhood.”
“Oh.” Billy nodded. “Can I have my candy cane now?”
“Santa” sighed and presented the candy cane to Billy. “Ho ho ho.”
Spock went looking for Jim in the early evening on the first night of Hanukkah. They were visiting Spock’s parents on Vulcan during the time Hanukkah started and though Sarek did not care at all, Spock’s mother had been raised Jewish and enjoyed participating in many of the traditional celebrations.
That morning she had cheerfully served them all sufganiyot. On the menu tonight was potato latkes.
Jim had given to sitting outside in the evenings, the view of the city being one he was particularly fond of. He would sit outside sipping coffee and mulling over the fate of the Universe. Or so he would jest with Spock.
“Jim, Mother is preparing to light the Shamash candle to begin the first night of Hanukkah,” Spock said as he found his husband sitting next to the wall that surrounded Sarek’s house.
Jim smiled. “Great. I meant to go in before. I got lost in thought. Help me up?”
Spock reached down and pulled Jim up from the chair. He had a feeling Jim was bored with their visit, but he never said so.
“Do I need to change?”
“Certainly not.”
They returned to the house where Mother waited. There was no sign of Sarek, which Jim commented on.
“Sarek doesn’t come for the lighting?”
Mother smiled and shrugged. “Sometimes yes, sometimes no. At present he is in conference and we cannot wait.”
They gathered near the Menorah. Mother lit the candle in the middle, the Shamash candle.
“Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha’olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.” Mother spoke the first blessing.
“And now, since it is the first night, we say the Shehecheyanu.”
“Blessed are You, O Lord Our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us and brought us to this season”, Mother said in standard this time.
“Amen,” they replied.
She used the Shamash candle to light the first candle on the left. She then picked up the Menorah and brought it to sit in a window to the left of the main door.
“There! Thank you, boys, for indulging me.”
“We are hardly boys, Mother.”
She laughed. “To me you are. Let’s have some wine. Well, you and me, Jim. Spock can have some if he wants.”
Spock inclined his head. “A small amount would be fine.”
She poured them all small glasses of red wine and they sat in the room overlooking the Menorah.
“Many Vulcans over the year have asked Sarek why he allows me to continue with these traditions,” she said, taking a sip.
Jim raised his brows. “And? What does he say?”
She smirked. “I do not allow her anything. She is free to make her own choices.”
Jim saluted with his wine glass. “Wise.”
“It reminds me of home, of my family. For years, when they were alive, we could participate in it together, over conferences, videos, that kind of thing. Once when I was quite young and Spock had been recently born, we were even on Earth at the time, and we spent that time with them in person.”
“I did not know that,” Spock replied. “I do not remember.”
“It was a lovely time. And you were a Kanbu.”
Spock sniffed.
“Now,” she said wistfully. “Most are gone and I do it to remember them. I’ll be following them soon enough.”
“Mother—”
“No one lives forever, Spock. Not even me. I am not saying I will pass tomorrow, but each Hanukkah might be my last.” She shook her head. “I don’t pretend to think you’ll carry on the traditions when I do, but it’s nice to be able to share it with you now, while we are both here.”
Jim reached over and squeezed Spock’s hand. He knew Jim was thinking of already having lost Spock once. And Spock did not look forward to the day he would face without Jim. Without them all, likely.
But for now—
“How about a toast?” Jim said, speaking up cheerfully. “To being together, to family, friends, to traditions. Happy Hanukkah.”
Mother smiled. “Happy Hanukkah.”
And they all took their sips. The potato latkes were particularly good that night.
Spock looked up from the holiday card he had just received to look at Nyota who had just approached him to hand him a creamy glass of eggnog. A vegan version, she had assured him when she offered to fetch it for him.
Rather than admit that he likely was, Spock instead replied, “I was looking at this morning’s Secret Santa gift.”
Nyota nodded. “What you get this time?”
This was the last day of the silly present game Nyota had signed Spock up for. He hadn’t known who got his name, that was the point.
The first day he had gotten a box of rare teas. He had been surprised, pleasantly, by the gift. The next day a beautiful teapot with a rare glaze made only on Vulcan. Vulcan Prime that had been destroyed.
He had begun to suspect the identity of his Secret Santa, but this surely clinched it.
Spock pursed his lips. “I cannot say at this time, but I will tell you after I present myself to obtain my final gift. If you will excuse me, Nyota.”
Spock left her holding both eggnogs and he made his way to the gift giver’s quarters.
“Come.”
The door slid open and Spock stepped inside.
His captain stood in the middle of his quarters, fingers hitched in the hem of his black undershirt, his gold command shirt already having been removed. He was also barefoot.
“Oh, hey, Spock. What’s up?”
Spock waved the paper he had received in his box. “I have come for my gift.”
“Huh?”
“You are my Secret Santa, are you not?”
Spock had expected it when he’d received the tea and was nearly certain when the teapot came. But now, he was positive.
Jim frowned and turned just the slightest shade of pink. “You guessed?”
The two of them had been dancing around each other for weeks. Jim had been extra flirtatious and Spock had given back in kind. Though there had yet to be anything physical between them, Spock had guessed it would be only a matter time before one of them made that move.
Given his “gift” that move had been made as far as Spock was concerned.
“I did. And I am anxious to claim my present.”
Jim blinked at him. “Uh, what?”
Spock read from the note.
“A lap dance from Captain Kirk.”
Jim’s eyes widened. “Shit.”
For the first time, Spock felt uncertain. “Captain?”
Jim laughed then which made Spock feel a little better. “That…that was a joke. A gag.”
“I do not understand.”
“I couldn’t figure out what to give you for your final present and I told Bones. He said I should promise a lap dance, and we both laughed, and I wrote out that note, but that wasn’t supposed to go into the box. I wrote an IOU. I figured next time we went to a space station I would have you pick something out and I’d get it for you.” Jim shook his head. “I have a feeling Bones played a gag on both of us.”
Spock nodded. “I see. Very well. I am waiting.”
“What?”
Spock arched a brow. “You might have thought that your offer was in jest, but in fact this is exactly the present I want.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Spock pulled out a chair and sat. “Perhaps a Santa hat would add to the experience.”
His soon-to-be lover doubled over in laughter. “I don’t think I have one of those.”
“One can be replicated.”
Jim came over to him, leaned down and kissed him. It was their first kiss and it gave Spock a thrill.
“For the record, I was your Secret Santa,” Spock murmured.
“I know.” Jim’s eyes were shining.
“Santa hat, Jim.”
“Okay, okay.”
Jim walked over to the replicator and a few minutes later he came back to where Spock sat, waiting. He yanked off his black shirt and then undid his pants and lowered them to the ground. Spock noticed the red satin boxer shorts, immediately. “Nice gift,” Jim said with a wink. He set the Santa hat on his head and then straddled Spock.
They’d done it again. His crew. Saved the world or as much of the world that belonged to them from another threat of disaster.
This time they’d gone back in time for whales.
Sarek nodded at Spock, raised his hand in the ta’al and then walked away in another direction as Kirk waited for Spock to join him.
“Everything all right?”
“Of course.”
Side by side they walked as they had surely done so many dozens of times.
“What did your father have to say?”
Spock was contemplative for a moment. “Merely that perhaps he had been wrong about his dissatisfaction with my choice to join Starfleet.”
Kirk smiled faintly. “After all this time?”
“Indeed. And he inquired if I had a message for my mother.”
He glanced at Spock. “And did you?”
“I said I felt fine.”
His smile widened. “Good.”
He saw Spock’s gaze sweep over the crowd gathered outside the building they had just vacated. HQ. Still standing, though damaged from the probe. For a brief moment, Spock’s gaze landed and froze on Gillian Taylor as she stood talking to those that would train her on their time and their technology.
“Jealous, Spock?”
It wasn’t something they talked about often. Perhaps they should have. For Kirk there had been others over the years of their friendship, their…relationship. Many others. For Spock, a few as well.
They didn’t really talk about Saavik and what had happened on the Genesis planet. Kirk really didn’t want to either. Spock was alive and anything else didn’t make a difference.
With Gillian Taylor nothing had happened. Nothing would have happened. But there was history there and so Kirk wondered.
“No,” Spock said, softly.
Kirk looked at him bemusedly. “No?”
Spock arched a brow then. “Is there a reason I should be?”
He thought of their brief conversation where he’d joked with Gillian that he didn’t have her number. He shook his head.
“No.”
Spock looked at him then. “I know that no matter who catches your eye, your attention, your interest, in the end, you always come back to me.”
Kirk felt his heart twist. “Yeah, I do. As you do to me. Even without every memory you had before.”
“We are T’hy’la. No one else matters but us at the end of it all.”
Kirk looked away, swallowing hard. Perhaps he really was old now for he felt the prick of tears. He shook his head. “There’s not going to be anymore of those others, Spock. You’re stuck with me.”
“As you are stuck with me.”
Kirk grinned. “There’s an old Earth song that reminds me of us. It goes ‘I’m happy to be stuck with you’.”
He didn’t sing it but it was a near thing. He liked to sing even if he couldn’t really carry a tune. Spock had reminded him of that many times.
Kirk took a deep breath and turned away from the crowd and pointed to a much quieter street to use for their escape.
“Well, Mister Spock? Shall we?”
Once more they walked, side by side, as they had always been, as they were meant to be.
And that is a wrap of November and the “jealousy” theme. I hope you enjoyed my different takes.
“Unfortunately, I have already made prior plans for that period of time,” Spock replied.
His newly established boyfriend, Jim Kirk, had asked Spock if he’d care to come to Riverside, Iowa for the short Thanksgiving break they were receiving from Starfleet Academy. Jim planned to take a shuttle to Riverside Tuesday afternoon and then return Sunday afternoon to San Francisco.
He’d explained to Spock that it would be him, his mother, and Jim’s brother, Sam, and his new wife, Aurelan. His mother had a new man she wanted them all to meet as well.
Jim smiled at Spock’s response. There seemed nothing unusual in that smile.
“Oh, okay. No problem.” He paused. “Should I be jealous?”
Spock stared. “Jealous? Of what, Jim?”
Jim laughed then. “That you have plans with someone else.” He laughed again. “I’m only kidding, Spock.” He patted Spock’s arm just like he often patted McCoy’s arm, who at that moment was watching their interaction with narrowed eyes. “I gotta go. Got a class in three minutes and on the other side of the campus.”
“You will be late,” Spock predicted.
“Guess I’d better run then. Bye.”
And Jim was gone. Spock was left with a now glaring Leonard McCoy.
“Are you out of your Vulcan mind?”
Spock had no idea what had earned him that question and he opened his mouth to reply.
“That was rhetorical,” McCoy snapped. “Just what do you have planned that’s more important than Jim?”
Spock frowned. “The importance of my plans has little to do with Jim. It is a science symposium I planned participation in many months ago that takes place in Colorado.”
“Uh-huh. You don’t get it. Jim invited you to meet his family. That’s hugely significant. He has…issues. Family issues, personal ones. This is the first time his whole family has gotten together in, well, maybe never before this. He wanted you to be there. Everyone’s going to have a significant other there except Jim. Can you imagine how that makes him feel?”
“No,” Spock admitted. “Since my attending a symposium is no reflection on my feelings or lack thereof for Jim. To conflate them is illogical.”
McCoy pinched the bridge of his nose. “All I’m saying here, Spock, is you are on extremely thin ice, and you really ought to rethink your rejection of Jim’s invitation.”
“As it was merely a rejection of his invitation and not of him, I cannot agree that it is a cause for concern. My plans for this coming week have already been set for months and Jim seemed all right with that.”
“Yes, he seemed all right, I’ll agree.”
“Then—”
“Look, you figure it out, Spock. Or don’t. But in the next day or so, Jim is going to distance himself from you and you’re going to wonder why and don’t say I didn’t warn you. And I have to go too. I don’t have a class, but I am meeting someone. If I don’t talk to you again, have a good symposium.”
Spock watched the doctor walk away and with a shake of his head, Spock dismissed his words. He and Jim were fine.
***
Sorry, Spock. I have a bunch of stuff to do and can’t make it tonight.
Spock read the message from Jim in regard to their evening plans. Spock was disappointed as he had been looking forward to spending time with Jim prior to their differing plans over the next few days.
There was, of course, tomorrow night, which would be the night before their Tuesday departure.
Understood. Tomorrow evening then? I will make dinner at my apartment, and we can retire early if that is your desire.
Spock got busy doing other things and didn’t see Jim’s response for a while.
Can’t make it tomorrow either. Really busy. Sorry. See you after the break.
And that set alarm bells off in Spock’s head. Since they’d gotten together, Jim was never too busy for Spock and vice versa. Any moment of spare time they spent together and in fact, Spock was close to asking Jim to share his apartment.
Spock had not spoken in person to Jim since Spock had advised he could not make the trip to Riverside.
Jim is going to distance himself from you and you’re going to wonder why.
Those words played in Spock’s head now. He re-read Jim’s two messages a few times before typing out,
Jim, is something amiss?
No, why?
And Spock, prior to his “warning” from McCoy would have just accepted Jim’s answer on face value. But now Spock conjured up in his memory that smile Jim had given him when he’d said, “Oh, Okay.”
Now that Spock thought about it, his words were much more. “Oh. Okay.” Two separate words. Not “Oh, okay.” Which the more he thought about it, there was a definite difference, subtle though it might be.
Spock brought up the site for the symposium and found his reservation.
***
Spock could see the look of surprise on Jim’s face when Jim arrived at his shuttle gate to find Spock standing there, waiting for him, bag in hand.
“Spock? What are you doing here?”
“I am here to accompany you to have Thanksgiving with your family.”
“But…”
“My plans changed.”
“They did or did you change them?”
“Does it matter?”
Jim shook his head. “Except you didn’t have to do that, Spock. You had something else to do. No big deal.”
Spock exhaled slowly. “I found that I decided it was a…big deal. You are concerned with seeing your family over these next few days, are you not?”
“Well. Yeah. I haven’t seen Sam in…I don’t know how long. Years. I was surprised he was coming. And bringing his wife. And Mom. Anyway, I was okay with you not coming. I can’t blame anyone who doesn’t want to deal with me and my family.”
“Spending time with you is not “dealing” with you, Jim. In fact, perhaps, when we arrive you can announce that you are now living with me.”
Jim laughed. “I am?”
“I want you to.”
Jim smiled and leaned in close to kiss Spock softly, and though Spock did not care for public displays, he found this time, he did not mind.
Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto) 