Title: Where Home Really Is
Authour: Dracavia
Betas: Thanks to Corcalamus and Jaylee_G for looking this over for me. Any errors are all of my own doing!
Series/Fandom: Star Trek 2009 (ST:XI)
Rating: PG-13 (for minor swearing)
Length: ~8,200
Warnings: Probable mixed-country spelling, is that something to warn for?
Pairing/Characters: Kirk/Spock, pre-Scotty/Uhura
Genre: First time
Summary: People often say they're going home for the holidays, but sometimes home isn't about a place, it's about people. This year Jim Kirk learns just how true that really is.
ksadventPrompt: Spock is anonymously given a cat for Christmas. Seeing Spock pet it and play with it is the most adorable thing Jim's ever seen.
Disclaimer:I don't own the boys or any of the other Trek characters, and sadly don't make a dime off any of them or their shenanigans. I'm just trotting them out for the amusement of myself and others (hopefully).
Notes: The amazing art for this story is by the talented pointe_dancer01, the art post can be found here: http:/ /pointe-dancer01 .livejournal .com/2877 .html (copy & paste with removed spaces)
The Earth month of December was a popular one amongst the Enterprise crew, and not just because the majority of them had been raised there. After nearly a year in deep space, with only a few days shore leave here and there on the odd planet or starbase, the crew jumped at the chance for a bit of fun and frivolity, and December provided plenty of that. There were various holidays of both religious and secular significance, some were more serious but most included or highlighted camaraderie with family or friends. Out in space, so far from home as they all were, the crew were often both those things to each other.
This December was also particularly special to the crew because it was the first they'd spend together on their five year mission, and it would set the tone for all the rest. The senior staff had all been very conscious of this fact, and had gone to great lengths to ensure that all of the major holidays were being recognised, and even a few of the more off-beat ones had been thrown in to increase morale. The celebration of Interstellar Ice Cream Day had especially been a hit.
It wasn't a surprise to anyone that Captain Kirk himself was the greatest champion of the month-long festivities, he'd done his best since the start of the mission to encourage his young crew. What did surprise some was that Commander Spock had proved to be nearly as enthusiastic about the festivities as that captain, in his own quiet, Vulcan sort of way.
Jim had just collected his tray from the food synthesizer and was headed towards the table he usually ate dinner at. He was running a bit late today, and no doubt Spock, Bones and Scotty would already be seated. As he approached, he realised there was already someone standing beside the table, and he picked up his pace when he realised it was the security officer he still privately referred to as 'Cupcake'.
"-must find all these holiday celebrations very illogical, don't you, Commander?" Cupcake asked in tone that was just a hint too smarmy to really be respectful.
Jim gave a frustrated sigh, most of the crew was very accepting of their Vulcan First Officer, even if they did find him rather odd at times. Unfortunately, however, there was a small but vocal minority that wasn't quite so understanding, and they enjoyed provoking Spock in ways they didn't think he could retaliate against.
Spock quirked his brow in the way he did when he thought someone was being particularly unintelligent. Jim knew that quirk, it was directed at him often enough, especially in the early days of the mission before he and Spock had found their equilibrium as a command team. He couldn't wait to hear Spock's reply.
"Actually I find this endeavour to be a fascinating exercise in Earth social customs. Vulcan IDIC philosophy embraces diversity, but even so the culture has become very homogenized, especially in light of more recent events. Conversely, even with the globalization of the Earth governments, differing religious and ethnic customs persist and this is proving to be an enlightening look into the culture of the world my mother was born to."
Cupcake didn't seem to have a response for this polite and mater-of-fact reply to his dig, and on seeing Jim approaching with a grin on his face, the man grumbled something under his breath and walked off.
Jim set his tray in the remaining seat at the table, his hand clapping Spock on the shoulder as he sat down beside him, "So, did I miss anything exciting while I was slaving away at my mountain of paperwork?"
If Bones and Scotty had shared a knowing sort of look as Jim sat down, Jim wasn't commenting on it, they'd been doing that a lot lately and frankly? He just didn't want to know.
"Not particularly, Jim, and as there was in fact no paper involved in your paperwork, I believe your exaggeration loses some of its effect." There was that eyebrow again, though this time the angle of the quirk suggested he merely thought Jim ridiculous as opposed to actually stupid.
Jim waved his protest away, "It's a metaphorical mountain, which applies, paper or no. So, how are you all coming on your Secret Santa gifts? I was considering requesting an additional 12 hours docked at Starbase 10, that way we should have plenty of time to allow everyone on the crew who wants it a few hours to do some holiday shopping."
"Aye Captain, that sounds like a grand idea. I've been tryin' to find a gift for Nyota for weeks now with no luck." Scotty looked over at Spock almost beseechingly, "I don' suppose you have any suggestions? You've known her the longest."
"I have, but I do not think any suggestion I might have would suit your purposes. My understanding of the human concept of romance is somewhat lacking, otherwise the brief excursion our relationship made into such things might have lasted longer."
"You're still her best friend though, I'm certain I could figure something fine out for the lass with a bit of an idea where to start," he replied assuredly.
Spock tipped his head in acquiescence, "Very well, I will send a list to the console in your room later this evening."
"You're a good sort, Mr. Spock, I thank ye," Scotty grinned and took a sip from his mug.
"And if that doesn't work to get her to finally go out with you, you can always try the time tested method of alcohol to butter her up at the Christmas Party," Jim grinned, "After all, we know you have plenty of that around."
Scotty didn't even blink at the playful jibe, tossing back one of his own, "Aye, because we all know how well that worked for you. That's no way to romance a Lady."
Jim flushed slightly at the reminder of that night four years ago, "It's a perfectly legitimate dating technique, we just weren't meant to be. That night was really about the start of Starfleet for me."
"And black eyes," Bones muttered, causing Jim to shoot him a look.
"Besides, I wasn't really into Uhura like that, she just presented a challenge. If I'd wanted something serious with her, I'd have managed, no one can resist the Kirk charm when it's properly applied," Jim asserted confidently.
When Spock quirked his brow this time, Jim wasn't sure what it meant, it was an angle he didn't think he'd seen before. So when Bones brought the conversation back around to the shopping opportunities on Starbase 10, he found himself relieved, even though he wasn't quite sure why.
"I can't believe I let you talk me into spending my three hours of leave with you. Christine and I were going to check out the bazaar together, I heard a rumour there's a stall there with a small selection of Denobulan flutes!" Uhura gave him a look that clearly indicated just how much she thought she was giving up by accompanying Jim on his shopping trip.
He gave her his best winsome smile, "Well if we're lucky something will present itself quickly, and you'll still have time to go meet up with Chapel like you planned." They entered the station's turbo lift, and entered their destination, before Jim turned to her with a sincere expression on his face. "Really, Uhura, I appreciate this. I've had a few ideas of what to get him, but nothing's seemed quite right, and this year of all years he deserves just the right gift."
She eyed him for a moment as though she still wasn't quite sure she believed him, but eventually seeming satisfied, she sighed and relented. "Well, your heart does seem to be in the right place this time, and it's my job as a best friend to ensure you don't get him a piece of junk."
"That's the spirit!" Jim enthused as the lift came to a halt and the doors opened on the station's main promenade level. The promenade had about 40 stores on that level alone, and Jim figured if he couldn't find his Secret Santa gift on Starbase 10, he was never going to find one.
They walked in and out of shops for over an hour, and nothing seemed right. They'd moved on to the second level of the promenade, and Uhura was starting to become certain she'd never get a chance to meet up with Chapel. Jim was starting to wonder if she was right, and if he was expecting too much of himself in looking for the 'perfect' gift. That was when the display in the window of a shop that had just come into sight around a corner caught his attention and he stopped to stare at it.
Noticing he'd stopped, Uhura stopped as well and turned back towards him, "Kirk, what-"
"That's it!" Jim exclaimed, a grin spreading over his face.
She followed his gaze to the storefront and took on a thoughtful look, "Huh, that's actually not a bad idea..."
Jim looked at her eagerly, "I'll need your help to hide it until Christmas Eve though. There's no way I can keep it in my quarters without him finding out, and I really want it to be a surprise."
Uhura sighed, but a smile was tugging at her lips, "My quarters aren't much better, but I'm sure we can sort something out between us. Alright, let's go, and then I should still have at least an hour to meet up with Christine."
She started towards the store, but Jim bounded off ahead of her with boyish enthusiasm. He just knew this gift would be perfect.
Jim wrapped the towel around his neck, having just finished his twice-weekly workout. He was looking forward to getting back to his rooms and spending a long time under the sonics to wash away the sweat, when Uhura entered the door at the end of the gym. Her eyes traveled over the room until they spotted Jim, and she walked over at a fast clip.
Upon reaching him, she hissed quietly, "We need to get it out of my room, quick!"
There was only one thing 'it' could be, Jim's Secret Santa gift, and his brow furrowed. "Why, what's wrong?"
"I tried to switch our weekly music session to his room, but he said he has an experiment set up in there that he doesn't want to risk disturbing. I have no idea what kind of experiment he'd have in his room, but he was adamant we couldn't use it."
"So why don't you switch it to a rec room?" Jim asked reasonably.
She gave him a withering look, "You know how much he likes to keep certain parts of his life private from the crew at large, this is one of them. I'm not going to do that to him."
Jim sighed and nodded, "Fine, you're right." He considered his predicament for a moment, before a grin split his face. "I've got just the two people to help us, and as you're the only one who knows who I've got so far, I won't be breaking the rules of the game by telling them. Sulu and Chekov just got off duty an hour ago, they'll probably be in their quarters. I'll go check it over with them and we should be by in about 15, that do?"
Uhura gave a sharp nod, "Just don't take much longer than that. I'll have everything ready to go when you get there."
"Great, see you shortly then."
Both of them quickly left the gym, heading off to put their plan in motion.
Jim stood off to one side of the rec room that had been commandeered for the night to host the senior officers' Christmas Eve Party. There were about 25 people included in the command and senior staff, and not all of them normally celebrated Christmas, but they'd all agreed it was the easiest theme to share between them. There was talk of rotating which holiday theme they used each year, but for now this was the one they'd chosen.
Sipping from his glass, Jim surveyed the gathered crowd, almost everyone had arrived, and the pile of gifts beneath the tree was quite large. His own gift wasn't there yet, however, and it was making him a bit restless.
They'd designed their Secret Santa exchange as a bit of a game as well as a gift exchange. Everyone participating had from Christmas until New Year's to guess whom their 'Santa' was, those that got it right would split a prize of extra 'goodies' that everyone had contributed to. Those that hadn't, would find out whom their gift was from at the New Year's dinner they were holding. To help keep the secret, that's where the 'telling rule' came in. Each person could only tell up to four others whom they had to gift to, ensuring it wouldn't spread too far and spoil the surprise. Regardless of whether you told someone or not, everyone had to switch wrapped gifts with someone else before arriving at the party, that way the surprise wasn't given away and it only eliminated one person from the potential list of 'Santas'.
Sulu was supposed to be bringing Jim's gift, since it was last kept in his room, and he was the only one who'd had yet to arrive. Jim really hoped nothing had gone wrong, he'd been very careful in picking out the box he'd given Sulu to put the gift in.
Just as Jim was thinking he should perhaps go see what was keeping the helmsman, Sulu arrived carrying a large box. Jim gave a small sigh of relief and leaned back against the wall again, clearly he'd been worrying over nothing. Now he just hoped his gift would go over as well as planned.
They'd drawn numbers to see what order everyone would open their gifts in, and Jim was grateful his gift was going to be opened relatively early in the list. He kept glancing over at the tree to make sure his box was still fine from time to time, and he counted himself lucky things seemed to be going as well as he'd hoped. Sulu had taken him aside briefly after arriving to let him know he'd had no problems, he just thought it was best to limit how long the box sat under the tree, but Jim wasn't going to take for granted that his luck would continue to hold out.
When the time came, everyone gathered around the tree and one by one they began to retrieve and open their gifts. When it was Uhura's turn she gave an excited shriek upon opening the gift. Inside the tissue lay one of the Denobulan flutes she'd been hoping to see on the starbase, but had never gotten to. Her reaction brought a grin to Jim's face, as he knew it was just the kind of reaction Scotty had been hoping for.
The grin quickly died though, and Jim unconsciously held his breath, as Spock got up to retrieve his gift next. Upon locating his package, the Vulcan carefully carried the large box over to his seat, mindful of the note on the tag that said to treat the package gently. Seated with the box on his lap, Spock deftly untied the ribbon holding it closed and lifted off the lid to stare into the box with what was unmistakably, to those that knew him well, surprise. The room fell quiet as everyone turned to see what Spock had received, when a small blond tabby head with perky triangle ears peaked over the edge of the box.
Seeming satisfied with the safety of its surroundings, the cat put its front feet on the edge of the box and stretched up to sniff Spock nose to nose. The cat apparently liked what it found because a moment later it butted its head gently against Spock's chin and a loud rumbling purr began.
Spock moved the box to the floor and lifted the cat out to set it in his lap, giving its head an experimental stroke, which caused the purring to grow louder. "Fascinating," he opined in what sounded to be a genuinely interested tone, which caused Jim to finally begin to breath normally.
That seemed to be the cue for the jovial chatter to resume once more. The cat curled up contentedly in Spock's lap, as the deft fingers ran over its fur. For a moment Jim felt a surge of jealousy towards the cat, which he viciously quelled as a ridiculously irrational impulse, and he turned his attention to the next gift being opened, content in his knowledge that his gift hadn't turned out to be a mistake after all.
It was almost an anticlimax when his turn turn came towards the end to open a gift. Jim collected the two packages tied together with ribbon, from beneath the tree, and returned to his chair. He was curious what his secret gift giver had gotten him, though the curiosity didn't come anywhere near the level of anxiety he'd experienced watching Spock open his own gift. That was of course until he'd unwrapped the smaller gift in his set and started at it in shock. Before him lay a slightly worn, leather-bound copy of Robin Hood, and he gently trailed his fingers over the cover.
His father had been an avid collector of antique books before he died, and some of his fondest childhood memories involved those books. When he was very young, before his mother had returned to Star Fleet, she'd read aloud from those books to Jim and Sam each night before bed. Robin Hood had been one of his favourites, but it had also unfortunately been one of the casualties of his step-father Frank's desires to purge the house of his father's influence once his mother had flown off. Jim had been able to hide away some of those precious books in time, but this hadn't been one of them. As far as he knew, Bones was the only member of the Enterprise that knew anything about that piece of his history, and Jim looked up questioningly at his friend.
Bones shook his head, "Don't look at me kid, I didn't get you those gifts. I've got a bottle of Saurian brandy with your name on it waiting in my quarters for tomorrow morning." Jim nodded, believing his friend, though from the look in the older man's eyes he was certain that if Bones hadn't been the one to get the book, he at least knew who did.
Setting the book aside, he moved on to the second part of his gift and opened the box. He grinned upon seeing the treats inside, there were snickerdoodle cookies, spitz cookies, and best of all, "Fresh macaroons! Where in a hundred parsecs would someone have found fresh almond macaroons?" He eagerly pulled a macaroon out and bit into it, giving a little moan of pleasure as the taste spread across his tongue.
"Should we give you and your cookies some privacy?" Sulu teased from across the circle of chairs.
"Shut up you, or I won't share even a hint of this wondrous treasure with you," Jim threatened, waving his cookie for emphasis.
Sulu raised his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, who am I to risk a shot at fresh baked cookies?"
"Smart boy," Jim broke a snickerdoodle in half and tossed a piece each to Sulu and Chekov next to him. "Any other takers? This is a limited time offer, because really I'm more than happy to keep all these beauties to myself."
A few more cookies were passed out, with Bones quite eagerly helping himself to one of the macaroons as well. Jim took a last cookie out of the box to snack on before closing it back up, content in the knowledge of how he now planned to end his night. A plate of macaroons, a mug of hot cocoa, and his new copy of Robin Hood were definitely in his future.
Three evenings later Jim was curled up on his couch, ignoring paperwork in favour of finishing Robin Hood. On the table at his elbow was a mug of milky coffee and a plate with some of the cookies from Christmas, which he was carefully rationing out. All of a sudden he felt a weight land in his lap, and he moved his book to see Spock's cat staring at him curiously.
Jim set the book aside and began to rub the tabby behind the ears, "Well hello boy, what are you doing here?"
A voice came from behind Jim, startling him slightly, "Apparently both you and I left our doors to the bathing facilities ajar. He slipped through before I could stop him, I apologise for the interruption." Spock stepped into view, his glance clearly taking in Jim's book and snack.
"That's alright, I wasn't doing anything overly important," Jim smiled cheerfully. "So how are you getting on with this little guy?"
"His company has proven to generally be most agreeable," Spock replied. "I have found him to be quite self-sufficient, except in his occasional desires for company and athletic activity."
Spock's phrasing caused Jim to chuckle, "You mean he pesters you to play with him sometimes."
"I believe that is what I just said," Spock quirked an eyebrow as he replied. From the angle Jim thought it was the look that meant Spock felt he was being particularly thick at the moment.
Jim gave the cat's ears a last rub, before it hopped off his lap to twine about Spock's ankles. "So, what did you end up naming him?" he asked with a clear note of curiosity.
The cat stretched up Spock's leg, and the Vulcan obliged him by picking him up. A slight green blush tinted his cheeks as he held the cat and scratched under its chin. "I chose to call him Tiberius. It seemed a... fitting name."
So mesmerized by the sight of Spock cuddling the cat – cuddling it! - was Jim that he nearly missed what Spock said. Nearly, but he didn't, and his curiosity only grew at the revelation. "Oh? And how exactly do I relate to your new cat?" Jim asked with a grin.
Spock sighed, as though this was a revelation he'd been hoping to avoid, but had resigned himself to the inevitability of. "You have many traits in common. Superficially his fur is of a similar shade to your hair, and you both have blue eyes. It was, however, your personalities where I noted the greatest number of duplicate qualities. You are both of a cheerful disposition, highly energetic, independent though friendly, and possessing of a unique cleverness..."
Jim couldn't really explain the bubble of happiness that was welling up in him, he told himself it was because he was glad to know that his first officer had come to see him in such a positive light after the rocky beginning their relationship had. He couldn't help basking in that a bit, "Why Spock, I didn't know you'd come to regard me so highly!"
Spock gave him another one of his looks at the outburst and continued on with his explanation as though uninterrupted, "You are also both stubborn individuals, prone to bouts of inexplicable madness."
"Ah well," Jim said, giving him a cheeky smile, "It's part of our charm."
"Indeed," was Spock's dubious reply.
Deciding it was time to change the subject, Jim sat up from his sprawl on the couch. "So, seeing as you and Tiberius are here already, would you like to stay for a game of chess?"
"I would not wish to impose..."
"You're not, I can finish reading later. Why don't you set up the board while I get you some refreshments like a good host?" Jim stood from the couch, "Your usual tea I presume? And what about a couple of cookies to go with it? They really are delicious, and it would be greedy of me to keep them all to myself." Never-mind that after that first night at the party he had done just that.
Spock hesitated only a moment before nodding slightly and setting Tiberius on the floor, "That would be most agreeable."
Spock set up the board and Jim got their snacks, before they settled in to play. About halfway through the game Tiberius tired of exploring Jim's rooms and hopped up to settle in Spock's lap. The Vulcan absently stroked the soft fur as he focused on the board, and Jim found his attention wavering from the game. It was when he found himself wondering what it would be like to have his head on Spock's lap, with those long and graceful fingers running through his hair instead of the cat's, that he mentally dubbed it a very strange evening.
He tried to shake the idea off, but it persisted, and his distracted state affected his game play. In the end Spock claimed a victory in the game, something that generally happened less than half the time, and upon which Spock felt the need to comment as they packed away the board for the night.
"You seemed to be off your game tonight, Jim," he gave his captain an inquiring look.
Jim smiled wryly in response, "Just tired I suppose, got up early for a 12 hour shift. I'm enjoying the holiday celebrations, but I'll be glad when we're all back on the normal 8 hour shift schedule next week."
Spock inclined his head in agreement, "As will I. I will take my leave then, so that you may rest. Good night, Jim."
"Good night, Spock."
Spock headed back for his room via their shared facilities, "Come along, Tiberius," with the cat following closely at his heels. Jim couldn't help the smile on his face as he watched the unusual pair go.
After that first night, Tiberius started making a habit of using the shower room to get into Jim's quarters. After two days of ineffectually attempting to stop the cat, Jim suggested that they might as well just leave the doors to their shared facilities open, except when they were in use. Spock had conceded that the idea was logical to both eliminate the time wasted in trying to circumvent the stubborn cat, and to provide him with a greater area to spend his time.
If this new policy seemed to encourage Spock to spend more time in Jim's quarters as well... Well, he certainly wasn't going to be complaining about that.
It was now the night before New Year's Eve, or Hogmanay as Scotty had informed everyone when he volunteered to organise the party, and Jim was in his quarters after yet another 12 hour shift. Jim thought it was one of the great ironies of space travel that days where you were just traversing empty space to get from one point to another were longer and more tiring than your average encounter with a hostile opponent.
Add to that the extra 4 hours on his shift, and all Jim wanted to do was to sprawl on his couch with a coffee, a book and preferably Tiberius on his lap. Unfortunately the cat wasn't in his quarters when he arrived home this time.
Usually Jim let the cat do its own thing, come to him on his own terms, but he really could use Tiberius' soothing presence to ease away some of his stress. When he'd bought the cat, he'd never anticipated that he'd end up being as glad of its company as he'd hoped Spock would be. So, since Tiberius was a big cuddle bug at heart anyway and was likely to welcome an invitation to his lap, Jim went looking for him.
He walked through to the shower room, confirming along the way that Tiberius hadn't buried himself in his bed again, and paused at the door into Spock's quarters.
"Hey Spock, do you mind if I steal Tiberius for an hour or so? I could really use a purring cat after the shift I just had." Jim waited for a response and frowned slightly when he didn't get one. "Spock?" Still no answer, the Vulcan must not have been in, he'd no doubt have replied otherwise. Not wanting to invade Spock's privacy without invitation, he tried calling the cat instead. "Hey Tiberius, come here boy. I'll give you some treats if you'll come sit with me."
No luck, the cat didn't respond to him either. From where he stood, Jim had a clear view of Spock's immaculately tidy bedroom, and the cat wasn't in sight. Most likely he was curled up in a ball out on Spock's chair or couch. Jim considered his options, Spock's entire quarters were generally just as tidy as the bedroom was, so if all he did was walk into the sitting area and collect Tiberius from the couch, he wouldn't really be prying into any of Spock's private things.
His decision made, Jim stepped properly into Spock's quarters and around the corner into his living area. His first glance informed him that Tiberius wasn't on the couch, the second informed him that the cat was up on Spock's desk, next to some sort of piece of lab equipment, with some trays spread out beside it.
His first thought was that Spock must be doing some sort of experiment in his room again. "Tiberius! Get down from there!" the cat startled and hopped off the desk immediately. His second thought was to wonder why Spock would be doing an experiment in his quarters, particularly since he had a cat in them now, and most unlikely yet, leave it unattended.
Forgetting his own resolution not moments before to respect Spock's privacy, Jim walked over to the desk to investigate it further. The piece of equipment, Jim was pretty sure, was one of the portable culturing cabinets the science department sometimes used on extended away missions. It was odd that Spock would be doing some sort of experiment involving that in his quarters, they had laboratories on the ship with much bigger cabinets, and they'd be better spaces for such work as well. He looked next at the trays, which were empty except for... crumbs?
Tiberius hopped back up on the desk, at the other end this time, sniffing at a sealed transparent box. "Tiberius! Honestly, why are cats so stubborn?" Jim asked the cat as it jumped back down. However, his attention was now drawn to the box as well, and he frowned at what he thought he saw within. It couldn't be, could it...? He took the step over and pried open the lid a bit. It was! The box was full of cookies, snickerdoodles, spitz and almond macaroons to be exact.
It took a moment for the conclusion to set in, it was such an unexpected one. There was no question about it though, Spock must have been using the cabinet to bake these cookies. That also made it seem likely that the 'experiment' which prevented him from rehearsing in his room with Uhura before Christmas was the baking set-up as well. Spock had baked the wonderful cookies Jim had spent the last week eating.
He had a hard time picturing it, Spock, baking, but the indisputable proof was right in front of him. He'd thought whomever got his gift had purchased the cookies from a shop he'd overlooked on the starbase, but to know Spock had gone to the trouble of finding a way to bake them himself, and was apparently making more...? He was truly stunned.
While he was still trying to overcome his surprise, the doors to Spock's quarters opened, and the man himself walked in. He stopped short when he saw Jim standing at his desk, and Jim felt an involuntary blush colour his cheeks at being caught snooping in his friend's quarters.
"Uh, hey," Jim offered, "I came in looking for Tiberius when I got off shift."
Spock's expression was completely unreadable as his eyes ran over Jim and the items sitting on the desk before him.
"Since you'd left the door to your quarters open, I didn't think you'd mind me grabbing him while you were out," Jim continued with his only reasonable defense.
The aforementioned cat pranced over to Spock, twining about his legs with a rumbling purr. Spock absently picked the cat up, petting Tiberius as he all but demanded. "I should have realised that was a logical possibility and closed my door... I will remember that for the future, though it is now a moot point in this instance."
Jim gave him an overly bright smile, "So, do you think this counts as cheating for the guessing tomorrow night? I mean since now I know without a doubt that you were the one that made my fabulous cookies."
"I do not believe so," replied Spock, relaxing just a bit Jim thought. "The only means of deducing the giver of the gifts which has specifically been forbidden is the direct questioning of other players in the game regarding whom gave what gifts."
"Excellent!" Jim grinned, genuinely this time, now that it didn't seem like his faux pas was going to cause a major incident between them. "Also, thank you by the way, I had no idea the effort you went to for those cookies, they really are delicious. I didn't know you could bake."
"It was not a skill I was particularly familiar with previously. I initially had hoped to find a purveyor of such goods on the starbase, however what I found did not match the specifications of which Dr. McCoy had informed me when I requested his assistance."
Jim was truly flabbergasted, not only had Spock baked the cookies himself when he couldn't locate them in a shop, but "You learned to bake specifically so you could make cookies for me?"
A faint green blush tinted Spock's cheeks, "As I had been able to locate one portion of my intended gift with greater success and expediency than expected, I decided that it would not be imprudent to attempt to create the rest of my planned gift myself. The requisite ingredients to do so were much easier to locate than the finished product."
Suddenly Jim was beginning to feel like his gift hadn't really been enough, after all it wasn't like he'd even provided Spock with much in the way of cat supplies. Just a pet cushion and a few toy mice since the synthesizers were capable of producing suitable cat food. Spock on the other hand had apparently discovered from Bones his favourite childhood cookies and one or more of his missing favourite books, locating the latter and learning to make the former himself. His own gift just seemed to pale in comparison.
"I think it's probably only fair that I tell you I was the one that bought Tiberius for you," Jim replied, "that way you can get some of the bonus treats as well. It seems like the least I can do given how much more effort you put into your gift than I did."
"I was already aware it was you whom had purchased Tiberius."
"You were?" Jim had thought he'd been quite successful in concealing the cat's presence prior to the party. "How did you figure it out?"
"You were the only logical conclusion. Tiberius has a very particular greeting procedure he follows involving the extensive sniffing of new acquaintances. He did not perform his greeting upon first encountering you in your quarters."
"I can't be the only one that has occurred with though."
"You are not, however I was already aware that Nyota was purchasing a gift for Lieutenant Giotto. Additionally it could not have been Mr. Sulu as I observed him to be the one whom brought the box to the party. Mr. Chekov was likewise eliminated because he is incapable of concealing his emotions, and his anxiety over the opening of Ensign Merriweather's gift was quite obvious." Spock seemed almost smug with his logical deductions, not that he would ever admit to being smug.
Jim couldn't help a small chuckle at Spock's attitude, there was a time it would have really pissed him off. After you've been through a few life-or-death situations with a person though, you start to develop an appreciation for them. Appreciation sometimes leads to looking at them a bit deeper, and when Jim took the time to do that with Spock... He'd been surprised to find such a kindred spirit in someone whom was outwardly so very different. So now? Now he could see Spock's smugness as endearing rather than annoying, because really, if it were him, he'd be ten times as smug and he knew it.
"Right, I'll make a note in my personal log to find better accomplices next time, or at least less obvious ones," Jim replied with a grin that wasn't at all chastened.
"See that you do," Spock's lips were quirked up at the corners in a self-satisfied way. On most people that look would barely be a degree above neutral, but on Spock it was nearly as good as a full grin on someone else, and Jim reveled in it.
"Well then, since I didn't help you there, I suppose I should just say I'm sorry for not doing a bit more for your gift than getting Tiberius and his bed." Jim's smile took on a self-depreciating quality, because even though this conversation was going better than he ever could have expected, he still felt a bit bad about it. "You went to great lengths to recreate a couple of the better pieces of my childhood, and I just got you a cat."
"Please do not. There is no offense where none is taken," Spock's voice had an unaccountably soft quality to it, and his gaze fell to the cat in his arms. "May I ask what prompted you to get me Tiberius?"
"I... Well, I know how much of a hard time you still get from some of the crew, and even those of us that call you our friend don't always seem to get you all the time. I guess I just thought you deserved a bit of unconditional love and acceptance, and the best way I know of to get that is from a pet." Jim's eyes rested on Tiberius, and why did he suddenly have the urge to take the cat out of Spock's arms and replace it with himself?
Spock seemed to consider this, his gaze still turned down towards the cat. "I have had only one other pet in my life. As a child I had a pet sehlat named I-Chaya, whom was passed down to me from my father... He died protecting me from a le-matya, and I never forgot the importance of his devotion and sacrifice." He looked up and there was a look Jim didn't know how to read in his eyes, "I appreciate the gift you have given me in Tiberius."
Jim wasn't sure how to respond to that, but as the silence drew out between them he finally spoke. "Well, you're welcome." He looked around for something else to say, seeing the door still open through to his rooms he smiled a bit, "Seeing as I've already disturbed your evening, would you like to join me for a game of chess and a snack?"
Closing the gap between them, Spock carried Tiberius over to him, that unfamiliar gleam still in his eyes. "I would find that an engaging way to spend my evening. Of course I must finish tidying things away before I do," he inclined his head towards the desk.
"Of course, I'll just go get things ready," Jim said with an unmistakable note of pleasure.
Spock placed Tiberius gently into Jim's arms, "I will entrust Tiberius to you in the meantime. He is the one you came here looking for in the first place, after all." The note of teasing in both his voice in eyes was unmistakable to Jim, and the familiarity of it helped steady Jim.
"I'll take excellent care of him in the 5 minutes he's under my care. No poisoned cat food, I promise!" At Spock's amused huff he turned away and headed back to his rooms, pointedly ignoring the part of his mind that suggested holding Spock in his arms would feel even better than the cuddly cat.
The Hogmanay party had been in full swing for over 3 hours now and it was quickly approaching midnight. The gift givers had all be revealed and the bonus gifts divided amongst the winners of the game. Between the prizes, snacks, desserts, drinks and lively music, the room was alive with festive cheer. Despite all that, Jim Kirk found himself once more alone, leaning against a wall while the others danced a short way off. He had eyes only for another lonely looking figure, silhouetted against the stars out the rec room window.
"Why don't you just go over there and get it over with?" was Bones' gruffly asked question as he took a place leaning against the wall beside Jim.
His brow furrowed as he looked away from one friend to the other, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
The older man snorted in disbelief and took a long sip of his whiskey, "For someone so bright, you can be pretty damn dense at times, Jim."
"Are you planning to spend the rest of the night talking in circles? It might be time to cut off your supply," he gestured towards Bones' drink with his own.
That earned Jim a scowl, "Look, most know of us know you have a thing for the hobgoblin." Jim gaped, but Bones didn't give him a chance to voice any protests. "It's been building for a couple of months. The thing is, just about the only ones that don't seem to realise it are you and him." He gestured towards Spock, still at the window, with his glass. "What makes that really priceless is that I'm pretty damn sure he's had a thing for you even longer than that."
Jim went from disbelief to dismissive, "That's a lousy joke Bones."
"It's no joke, kid. So either you can get your head out of your ass and do something about it before the pointy-eared bastard decides to move onto someone with more sense, or you can keep moping around here like someone's kicked your dog. But don't you dare expect me to offer a shred of sympathy when you get a clue and it's too late." Bones emphasised his sentiment with a strong poke of his finger against Jim's chest.
The intensity of his friend's words started to get to him and his gaze went back to Spock, brow furrowing. "What makes you so sure he has feelings for me?"
"You don't wear insecure well, Jim." Bones sighed at the quick glare Jim threw him, and continued on with answering the question. "For starters, for the last four months the two of you have spent more off-duty time with each other than anyone else on this ship, maybe even combined. And that includes Uhura and myself. I swear the two of you are trying to set a record for the number of chess matches played by two people over the duration of a deep space voyage."
"That's just us trying to find some common ground that doesn't involve beating the shit out of each other in the gym, and work. You have to admit, we didn't exactly get off on the right foot, and we need to get along to be an effective command team." Bones' argument still hadn't swayed him.
"In the beginning, maybe, but it's been more than that for quite a while now. Then there's the part where you're all handsy with him -"
"I'm a tactile person!" Jim defended.
Bones gave him a glare for cutting him off and continued on, "and he lets you be."
"He knows that's just the way I am, no one else makes an issue of it either."
"No one else on this ship is a damned touchtelepath," Bones growled out, starting to lose patience. "He doesn't put up with it from anyone else, except maybe Uhura, and they were a hell of a lot more than just friends for a few months." Jim frowned a bit, finally considering Bones' words rather than trying to refute them. "There's also the part where he gives you his version of a smile even more than he shows it to Uhura, and before you say otherwise, it's true, she told me that herself."
"Uhura's talked about this theory of yours with you?" he couldn't help that his tone was more than a bit dubious.
"She sees it the same as Scotty, Sulu and I do, neither of you are particularly subtle to those of us that know you, especially you," Bones gave him a smirk.
There was silence for a few moments as Jim let the conversation and the last few weeks play over in his head. When he finally spoke again, his words threw Bones a bit, "You were the one that helped him decide what to get me for the gift exchange. You're the only one I ever told about Robin Hood."
"He came to me and said he wanted to get you something that would remind you fondly of home, said he'd gained a new appreciation for such things this last year and he wanted to do something meaningful for you. Even an ol' cynic like me could see he was being sincere, so I gave him a list of a few things, explanations where needed." He chuckled a bit, "Even tasted his first couple of batches of cookies, the original ones were terrible, but I'll give it to him for being a fast learner."
Jim smiled a bit, his eyes running over the crewmen partying away, over his friend beside him and then to the one in front of the windows. There was a sense of contentment that bubbled up inside him, knowing that thiswas right where he belonged, with these people, on this ship. "He didn't have to go to that much effort to make me feel at home, I already am."
"Well then, maybe you should go tell him that."
Jim gave a small nod and knocked back the remains of his drink, handing the glass off to Bones, before stepping away from the wall. He stopped when he was beside Spock, staring out the window with him. "Enjoying the party?"
"The festivities have been quite acceptable." Spock turned his head enough to look at Jim with a questioningly raised eyebrow.
"So, Bones has just been informing me that I've been a dense idiot recently... and I'm beginning to think he might be right." He turned his gaze on Spock, "I just want to be sure before I go making a complete fool of myself. Last night... when you 'entrusted' Tiberius to me, that was about more than just the cat, wasn't it?"
"Perhaps," was that hope he saw in Spock's eyes?
Jim reached out and tentatively took Spock's hand in his, lacing their fingers together.
Spock's eyes were glued to their joined hands. "That would be considered quite an intimate act in Vulcan culture," his voice was very soft as he spoke.
"Is it an unwelcome act?" Jim asked, just as softly.
His eyes traveled up to search Jim's, and Spock seemed satisfied with what he found. "Not under the present circumstances."
Smiling softly, Jim glanced over towards the rest of the party, which had gathered around the brightly lit chronometer they'd erected especially for the event. No one was looking their way, all eyes were on the readout as it hit one minute to midnight, preparing for the countdown.
He looked back at Spock, "There's a human tradition for the stroke of midnight, a rather intimate one, that I'd like to share with you." His gaze settled on Spock's lips, leaving little question what the tradition might be.
"Humans do not usually seem to need an occasion for that act." A glance up showed Spock's eyes were equally trained on Jim's lips.
"Ah yes, but this one is special. Earth tradition says that you share it with the one whom you wish to share the coming year with, to ensure happiness and prosperity." At the quirked eyebrow he received, Jim smiled, "It actually does have some basis in logic. It's a way to share joy, reaffirm bonds, and set the tone for the new year."
The crowd began the countdown to midnight, "10... 9..."
"It would be illogical of me to deny such a meaningful tradition," Spock's lips curled up.
"6... 5..."
"Well then, we can't have that, can we?" Jim grinned and used their linked hands to draw Spock close.
"2... 1... Happy New Year!"
Their lips met in a soft, but passionate, kiss. Yes, it was shaping up to be a happy new year indeed.