When I open my eyes, the first colors of the day I see are black and white. Jim had already left earlier. I could see shape of his body left on the bed. I turned in the direction of Leonard to see he was fast asleep, snoring, cuddled close to my chest. I had my hands away from him. One hand cupping the side of my cheek and the other on the bedding. I slowly slid myself out of the bed then made it. The doctor groaned turning on the side of the bed. Last night had been long dealing with a sheep like entity that was turning officers into itself and had been stopped only by shaving it to undo what it had done. The bed started to gain color. I went toward the bathroom to prepare for the morning. I heard light footsteps follow after me and tired groans from the doctor.
"Mmmmhm, mornin', sweety," Leonard said.
"Morning, ashayam," I said.
I was brushing my teeth when I looked toward his direction. His matty hair was messy. It was black as night much like his defiant, bull horn shaped eyebrows. I could not see the curl in his hair as it blended in with his hair. My light gray tooth brush gained the color of blue. His eyes were partially open struggling to remain that way. The doctor put on the cream that prevented a beard from growing out afterwards. I looked toward the mirror to see I was colored unlike the doctor. For a majority of my life, everything I had touched gained color when I first awoke. People I didn't touch remained colorless. I did not realize it was unusual until my mother asked me what colors I was seeing when I looked at father. The doctor walked into the sonic shower. He came right out, stark naked, a minute afterwards.
I reached forward once spitting into the sink and brought the doctor into a kiss with his hand wrapped around his waist catching him in his path. I kept my eyes open watching the color return to his face. The doctor's eyes were closed. I saw his pink skin return with a blush spreading on his face. Blushing was illogical when one was married to their partner. I saw the aging bags under his eyes become high lighted by the color. His eyebrows remain dark. I closed my eye resuming the kiss. I felt his small, feminine hands be wrap themselves on the sides of my shoulder. The bond was brimming with life with the touch of our lips. Our foreheads were touching as the doctor passionately kissed me. I let go of the doctor's waist then stepped aside with one hand lined behind my back. The doctor wore a dazed expression on his face holding his two hands out. He fell to the floor with a hard thud.
"Damn it, Spock!" Leonard complained. I looked over toward the doctor who was laid onto his side glaring at me. "Stop doin' that to me."
"As you wish," I said, then walked into the sonic shower.
Leonard got up rubbing the side of his face quite awake.
"Vulcan doesn't know when to start a kiss in the mornin', I swear," Leonard said, making his way to our quarters.
We shared the same quarters now, as a bonded couple, as a tradition well kept in the Vulcanian culture. I do not appreciate to be surrounded by liquor hidden throughout the restroom. Sharing the same bathroom as Scott is not as pleasing as some engineers have been ramping it up to be. I stepped out of the sonic shower, dry, to see the doctor's return. Leonard brushed his hair and started to apply the make up. I joined him after getting dressed. I was tempted to steal a ozh'esta from the doctor as I did, normally, in the morning with him. The sonic shower was now a shade of blue with a black inside. I kept my fingers away from the doctor's hand. I caught confused glances from Leonard. I pretended to ignore his glances. Leonard stopped then closed his make up as he sucked in a breath and exhaled. He turned toward me.
"Is there somethin' wrong?" Leonard asked, facing my direction.
"No, why would there be?" I asked.
"I ask because ya normally violate my hand," Leonard said.
"I am simply abiding your wish, doctor," I said, as I finished putting the misty blue eyeliner on.
"Oh," Leonard said. "Oh," he nodded his head. "Duh!" then he unexpectedly smacked his forehead. "I forgot," he leaned himself against the counter. "What I meant to say is: don't kiss me when I am barely awake." I closed the golden themed eyeliner.
"Jim has no problem with it," I said.
"He is a mornin' person," Leonard said. "I am not." he straightened his uniform.
"I shall abide your request," I said.
Leonard sighed, then approached me.
"Ya can kiss me on the lips all ya want after I have my mornin' sweet tea," Leonard said. "now don't restrain yourself around me," he held his two fingers out for me. "Not after how far we went through to get here."
"Are you wide awake?" I asked.
"No," Leonard said.
"Then I will not violate your hand in this state," I said, then went right past him.
"Gob damn, Leonard," Leonard chastised himself.
I exited our quarters.
The mess hall was crowded as usual in the morning. Jim, however, was somewhere else aboard the ship engaging with the matters pertaining to our next away mission. Chekov was going on and on about how the radio was made in Russia, passionately, while Riley gave a look of disbelief. The Russian's chatter about the device was genuine. It was invented in Russia, unfortunately. Leonard sat down alongside me. His fingers trailed after mine but I slid my hand back. I did not smell sweet tea off him. Leonard had a hurt expression on his face staring at my direction.
"Doctor, no," I said.
"Spock, yes," Leonard said.
"You have not had your mandatory sweet tea," I said.
"Why is it mandatory?" Leonard asked.
"One, you are not thinking straight, two, you need a drink before you get on the bridge to see how the captain is doing, three, your mind needs to be clear not from arousing pleasure but from calming yourself and awakening your mind," I said. "sweet tea has been confirmed to be a valuable asset in waking one up in the morning according to several studies conducted in the federation."
"I just gave myself a bad day, didn't I?" Leonard asked, in realization.
"You have effectively killed any arguments with me with your own words, doctor," I said.
"Cursed memory," Leonard said. "keep my sea for me, will ya?" the doctor stood up from his chair. "I am gettin' sweet tea."
"Of course," I said. I briefly paused. "You don't have a sea named after you, doctor."
"Ah shut up," Leonard said, then he brushed past me.
"Arguments were invented in Russia," Chekov said.
"I believe arguments were invented on Mars as that is where humanity originates from," I said.
"Ve do not knov if that is in fact vhat happened to Mars," Chekov replied.
"It was proven you came from Mars." I said.
"Yes, but not vhat happened to it," Chekov said. "still a open mystery."
"What do you believe happened,Mr Chekov?" I asked.
"Asteroid viped out the atmosphere so everyone had to go underground," Chekov said. "and then make an escape to Earth."
"Quite a logical assumption," I said. "some theorize it was their own doing."
"And you?" Chekov asked.
"There's a leading study that implicates it was their own fault," I said. "electronic files have been found underneath the planet in caverns that were advanced as the technology that Vulcans had before making first contact with humans. Very well preserved even the cars that were found in the tunnels."
"They are not cars," Chekov said. "those vere debunked."
"Mr Chekov, have you visited the museum of mars in your youth?" I asked.
"Yes," Chekov said. "and they are not cars. They are hubs." Rounded, odd shaped vehicles with headlights. Have yet to run out of power to this day.
"Hubs are still being attempted to be backwards engineered," I said.
"That will never be replicated," Chekov said. "what was lost remains lost. It should remain that vay. Ve left the technology behind for a good reason, Mr Spock," my eyes were tracking the flipping fork going through his fingers. "It is beyond our technology. Could hawe easily excelled the Wulcans."
"If they sent themselves backwards," I said. "they could not have excelled to the next logical step."
"Vhich is?" Pavel asked.
"Evolution to a higher being," I said. "According to be in a thousand years if humans keep this up."
"Vhy just humans?"Pavel asked.
"Humans are different from everyone," I said. "for example, ESP is spreading throughout their population," I took a sip from my plomeek soup as the fork was still twirling in the man's hand. "Vulcans, on the other hand, are advanced than them. It will take around five hundred years for the next step to be reached for the Vulcanian civilization if only they wish to evolve and apply logic."
"So Wulcan's are not likely to evolve," Chekov said.
"It would be too illogical," I said. "given what could be experienced."
"So logic vould hold Wulcan's back?" Chekov asked.
"Of course," I said. "humans will likely be extinct. Logic always remains."
"A powerful liwing being," Chekov said. "that vould be a amazing accomplishment." his eyes twinkled at the idea.
"Indeed," I said, as Leonard sat back down at his seat with his sweet tea in one hand. He was taking a sip from it.
"Ah sweet tea," Leonard said.
I believe one day, someday, color will not come when I touch someone or something. That my world remains as black and white. Perpetually in the gray. A haze, as some humans said, defining it as depression. What I have is rare. It's unknown. I was resistant against talking about it for the beginning of the five year mission with the captain and the doctor. Even touching them because humans have a reputation to die unexpectedly on away missions. If I had touched them, and seen their light, it would have broke me not ever to see it again. I am afraid of their light going out. What I have is illogical. My father claims not to have what I experience every day. T'Pau confirms this knowledge. One day, I will touch the captain, the doctor, and no color will come. Being trapped in a dark world. Color highlights them, every single one, and it makes the experience of being alive much tolerable. More aesthetically pleasing. It was like looking at glowing gold when it came to the crewmates being colored on the Enterprise. Their happy smiles when off duty. I sometimes play my lute there to see them smile. Even Commander Uhura, with her beautiful singing voice, being mentored to play the lute by myself.
It is nothing of a 'when you first see your soulmate, you start seeing color' cliche often seen in romantic novels. I could relate to these stories yet not entirely as my situation was different. I glanced over toward the doctor admiring his colorful, almost radiating appearance. The lighter blue highlighted his baby blue eyes. His long sleeved, more fitting medical tunic made his female like figure stand out. Almost thin. I sometimes worried if he was anorexic. By medical standards, Leonard was healthy. More healthy than Jim. And he did have a history of changing his gender in his youth. It was his figure. And he was completely happy with the way he had turned out. I rarely heard Leonard's mother call him 'Lynn' from the comn terminal when she called to see how he was doing. I admit, I am scared of being in the dark forever. Leonard's free hand traveled to my own electing a spark through our bond sending shivers of powerful, passionate emotions up through my skin to my brain. I could feel a hint of tired thoughts passing through with plenty of grammar problems. However, I cherish him enough not to be interested in hearing his most private, tired thoughts. He will be wide awake within the next five minutes in order to fully appreciate his hands.
Jim was a fleet captain within Star Fleet. It was a compromise that Star Fleet made with him in order to get him promoted, and also, to keep him in space. Five years in space then spending the rest of time guarding the neutral zone. Star Fleet needed starships around rather than space stations. To keep an eye on the Romulan ships that dared to go through and pose a threat. I had declined promotion as it was simply not logical to have two captains aboard one ship. I suspect Jim is planning to change that using his best passionate, yet irrational logic. The Enterprise had came across more planets in the first year of the second five year mission than the first under Jim's command. But the doctor could see that it was taxing on him, and I, as well could see it. He was getting even worse headaches. I allowed myself the hint of a smile at the humans expense. His glare intensified.
I turned my attention away back toward my plomeek soup. Suddenly, Chekov started to fall back out of my lane of vision, I turned catching him with one hand on the middle of his back. His fork landing on the rug. Color seeped into his uniform. The new variation that had the neck zipper. My fingers were mere inches away. Some days, the only people I touched were the doctor and the captain. My station, several lab equipment, my uniform, the turbo lift levelers, cards, and several other non-mattering objects were touched in my day. The young man had a boyish smile at me that was both apologetic and embarrassed. His brown, football shaped hair grew alive once color took on over it.
"I will get that for you, Mr Chekov," I said.
I reached my long hand out and grabbed the fork then handed it to the man.
"Thank you," Chekov said. He turned placing a hand on Riley's shoulder. "Did you see that sick move I did?" and color seeped into his yellow uniform as he nudged the man's shoulder. Riley's golden uniform gained its color.
"Say, Spock. . ." Leonard said. Jim's probably going to be stressed out on the turbo lift when ya see him, can you do us a favor and unravel him? "ya should do us a favor."
"I will consider it," I said.
I felt Leonard's fingers trace over my knuckles gently with precision sending shockwaves of emotion.
"Ya better," Leonard said, as I placed my hand under my thigh. "Spock, ya can't eat with one hand."
"Until you are wide awake, doctor," I said. "I can."
"Ah come on!" Leonard said.
"It hasn't been five minutes," I said. A fond warm emotion was swept through the bond to my end.
"Hmm, you're right," Leonard said, turning his attention to his breakfast.
I made my way down the corridor. The hall had gained its light gray, red, and black color in the matter of an hour since touching Chekov. I did not expect for Leonard to have taken me into the nearest empty room and engage into kissing. I nearly lost my footing because of him. I currently understand the point that the doctor tried to make. I caught him off guard. It was well worth the fifteen minute session that we had together in the conference room. Several many ozh'esta before walking away from each other. I saw several grayed officers strolling on past. I can feel Jim's thoughts through the bond as I came closer and closer to his destination.
The captain was rubbing his wrists waiting for the turbo lift to open when I arrived.
"Good morning, captain," I said.
"Good morning, Mr Spock," Jim said. He shared a smile back at my direction. "Sorry about leaving-"
"Apology accepted," I interrupted him. The turbo lift doors opened letting out the two Andorian officers. "have you had any coffee this morning?"
"Two cups," Jim said. "Drake's ship just got itself into a problem."
"What kind of problem?" I asked, as we entered the turbo lift side by side. I grabbed the leveler nearby.
"Nasty," Jim said. "Bridge," his fingers latched onto the leveler. The turbo lift started to move. "Ion storm just left them stranded between two neutral zones. Severe damage. Need repair at the nearest starbase. Romulans want to destroy it, Klingons want to destroy it, and Drake just wants to get his crew out of it." He let go of the leveler rubbing his hands together. "Honestly . . . I am not sure if I can get them out of this mess."
I let go of the peach colored turbo lift leveler then reached my hand to his shoulder. Jet gold dripped out of my fingers onto his uniform. Jim looked up toward me. His black and white figure turned into a glowing golden one with his hazel eyes appearing to be conflicted yet comforted. The darkened hair became engulfed by a sea of brown. It used to be golden in the beginning of the first five year mission. His pink skin made his youthful face stand out. Compared to Leonard's, who was getting up his years, he was in his prime. As was I. I half wondered to myself where the time went. Compared to me and the doctor, Jim was the youngest of us. The doctor was six years older than the two of us which makes sense why his hair has starting to grow gray at the sides. Jim's unsure hazel eyes looked at mine.
"Can we?" Jim asked.
"If that is what you wish," I said.
"Taluhk nash-veh k'du," Jim said, his hands wrapped around my waist then placed himself against my chest.
I slid my hands under his short, muscular arms onto his back.
"Taluhk nash-veh k'du, T'hy'la," I said. When there is a will, there's a way.
The captain relaxed against my chest as I sent to Jim's side of the bond, warmth and comfort. You're right, Spock.
The End.