Spock held his elbow close in to his body, frowning. His mother had stayed on Vulcan, hoping to coax his older brother out of one of those frightening moods of his. And Sarek wouldn't be pleased to have negotiations interrupted by him being clumsy—real vulcans weren't clumsy enough to slip on ice, Spock was sure. Never mind that Spock hadn't seen ice before this and was sure than no other vulcans living on the equator had either. So, Spock looked at the door to the large banquet hall and actively decided to stay outside, on the cement patio that all other life-forms had abandoned in favour of the heated and bright building interior.

"Hey," Spock tensed as the voice called out, too frozen to jump at the unexpected noise coming from the other direction, or even to turn and see who had spoken—which really didn't seem like an issue as the steeps increased cadence as they approached from behind him, clearly coming to meet him. "Hey, you alright?" A human boy who was surely younger than Spock circled cautiously to stand in front of him, short of breath and starting to bite on his lower lip the second he stopped moving.

"I am satisfactory." Spock forced his own lips to carve out of the frozen-ice air.

"Satis—oh, I ain't ever seen a Vulcan before." The boy took a step closer, directing his eyes away from Spock's exposed ears, while pushing a hand through his well-groomed brown hair, as though it was even long enough to be in the way. Snow transferred from his hair to his gloved hand. "Aren't you guys not supposed to like the cold or something?"

"Vulcans, although mammalian, are cold blooded. As I have already said, I am nevertheless satisfactory." Spock's jaw was requiring unaccustomed effort to direct towards remaining still.

The boy stuck out a hand, "I'm Leonard, pleased to meet you."

For a moment it seemed as though the stray conversation floating out on the crystallized water stilled, as neither teen said a word. Spock, pulling his arms yet closer into himself replied, "As you have shown an interest in my species, you may find it fascinating to learn that vulcans convey intimacy through hand contact with one and other."

Leonard drew his hand back. Then, his mouth twisted awkwardly again, teeth seeming to suck in his lower lip permanently this time. The hand shoot back out, a smile for the first time gracing the others face. "Well, humans convey intimacy through it to and besides, I'm not a vulcan, am I." His hand hung out in the air for three mississippi's. The smile grew. "Sure you don't want to try. It's polite."

Spock hid his distaste at those words, which were tossed around on his trip to Earth with alarming frequency. But they remained enough motivation to extend his hand to the earthling across from him. He was in Georgia after all to show that xenophobia no longer played a vital role in communications between disparate cultures. Once his fingers wrapped around Leonard's larger ones, Spock immediately made an attempt to remove them—the glove was cold from the frost, and even without direct hand-to-hand contact the situation was less than ideal. The hand tightened around his without warning. Spock would have grimaced had his facial muscles allowed it. Instead, with voice pitched at the breaking sound it had only some months ago stopped exhibiting in normal conversation, he said, "I would much like for you to release me now."

"Wha—oh, yeah." The other let go of his hand before stepping yet closer, not even looking at his eye level while doing so.

Spock took an equal length step backwards, careful this time not to slip on the ice he now knew he was standing on. In a voice imitating as well he could his father Spock asked, "What is your intent in entering my personal space?"

Leonard stopped stalking forward then, carefully straightening his back and taking care to not lean forward. "I'm three feet away from you, personal space is a lot closer pal." He crossed his arms, before immediately seeming to loosen them again, "And you're bleeding, if that's what that green stuff is. Let me have a look—my Dad's a doctor."

Spock without taking his eyes off of the other, although no longer moving away from him either, spoke. "Skills of that specificity are non-heritable. What is it that you propose to do?" Then, in a manner he had been told by his father to not speak in while here, Spock added, "Unless, of course, you mean to stare at my wound and do nothing."

Drawing himself to full height, Leonard scuffed. "Of course not. Now trust me and let me see that elbow!"

"I fail to see—" Spock was cut off as the other successfully lunged for his elbow and held it between his hands.

The other didn't even look up, unapologetically mumbling, "If you can't see, it must be pretty serious."

"—why I should trust you." Spock, not caring to start a scene and then have to find somewhere else to spend the night, gave in to the stubborn child's ministrations.

That is when Leonard ducked his head down towards the elbow and pressed his dry lips to it. Spock startled and if not for the steadying hand placed quickly round his back, would have suffered yet another injury. Leonard made a rumbling sound in his chest Spock had only ever heard from his mother and more recently, from Sybok. Spock couldn't quiet determine which person Leonard sounded most like in that moment. Leonard, grin full bodied now, like it had just being waiting for that moment to come out announced, "Sorry, I just thought that if we'd kissed the vulcan way, we'd better kiss the human way too. It's only fair, right?"

Spock held his chin perfectly perpendicular to the ground, doing a monumental job of not noticing that he was now half wrapped in a strangers arms. "How is it fair to trick me into two private actions. Please explain yourself."

"Adrenaline, it will warm you up." Leonard took his hand off the small of Spock's back, and the other off of his elbow. And then, without taking a step backwards and thus still very much in Spock's proclaimed personal space, Leonard began removing his gloves.

Spock, not able to stand even for the inept to suffer, couldn't help but speak. "I do not recommend removal of any clothing—the current temperature is capable of causing frostbite."

"Yeah, I'm well aware." Of all things then, Leonard started humming.

"They why—what are you doing?" Spock stumbled over his words.

One glove came off, exposing a pink hand underneath. "I'm humming a carol. You know, a Christmas tune." Then the other glove came off.

"By your calendar it is January." Spock was well aware of this, the diplomatic negotiations being carefully scheduled to avoid the still active holiday, much to both their hosts and his own mothers delight. Leonard stood there, gloves in hand. "As well, I was enquiring about the removal of your hand-wear."

"Oh that. Hmm . . . sure feels like Christmas." Leonard rocked on the balls of his feet just once before stilling. "Give me your hand and you'll figure it out."

"You cannot expect me to possibly give in to your demands in yet another instance?"

"Yes, I can. And yes, I do. Now let me have your hand please." At Spock's insistence on standing still, Leonard sighed. "Look, they're gloves, they'll keep your hands warm. And, because they belong to me and not to you, I get to put them on you." Leonard demonstrated what belonged to who with pointing back and forth at him and Spock, wrist bending oddly to point inwards given that he wasn't moving away.

Spock considered for a moment the logic in freezing his hands for the sake of his pride. "Very well. If you wish, you may lend me you're gloves." Spock held one hand out, not straight out and bumping into the others chest like had been done to him, but bent at the elbow and angled inwards.

"Thanks." Leonard prefaced his movements for the first time. "I don't want to see you hurt yourself now." The first glove fit on, too large for Spock but smaller would have been worse anyway—cutting off blood pressure would in no manner help to prevent loss of limb. "And black seems to suit you." The other glove snapped on, mainly due to Leonard pulling the elastic back from Spock's wrist and letting it go.

"I thank you for your consideration." Spock intoned once the new pain radiating from his wrist died down.

"You're welcome." Leonard took a step back. "Would you like to say thank you in a really considerate way?"

Spock glanced down at his new gloves, pulling them down harder so that the tips of his fingers were connecting with the warm fabric. He didn't look at the others eyes as he said, "I believe I may want to properly express my appreciation of your aid."

"Okay then, what is your name?"

Spock blinked and glanced up, having expected something else. "My name is Spock. Again—"

Leonard titled forward and pressed his now purple lips against Spock's browning ones. Once he pulled back, a mere second latter Spock's internal clock informed him, despite how long it had seemed, "You can't kiss somebody if you don't know them."

"Indeed. I—" Spock looked at the other, then he took his forward step and touched their mouths together lighter but longer than previously. He pulled back, and finished. "—I believe I wanted to try that again. So as to see if the experience was consistent." Spock coughed on his last words, cheeks greening with warmed blood.

"Aren't you just adventurous."

After a silence had passed, Leonard content to merely stand in silence, Spock broke the spell that had occurred. "May I ask what you are doing here, Lenard?"

"Oh, me? I just saw somebody standing here shivering all by his lonesome and slipped through the gate."

"I shall—have to speak to my father about security." Spock looked away, until he caught sight of the single guard pacing the perimeter.

"Well, you go do that." Spock looked up and Leonard was ten paces away already, hand waving in the sky as he didn't even look in the direction he was walking.