Jim wakes up to a dim room with the lights at five percent. It's dark enough to blur around the edges of his sleep-ridden vision but he can still see the vague outline of the body lying next to him, wrapped in his arms. The annoying tune of his alarm is blaring, ringing in his ears and urging him to just get up already and throw the damned thing away.
He feels irritation rising in him but as he gets a hold of his sense of smell, he calms down. He takes deep breaths, letting the sweet, soothing scent of vanilla overwhelm him, making him feel warm and tingly from his nose to his lungs and from his spine to his fingertips. He makes a note to buy more of those scented candles as he vows to get rid of the alarm later that day but he knows it's in vain.
He always forgets about it. He's always busy, always taking care of his duties as the captain of the flagship. In the mornings, he showers, gets dressed, crams paperwork, goes to the mess hall, and rushes to the bridge, after which he helps out with Engineering if he doesn't have a mountain of paperwork waiting for him in his quarters.
Before, he used to skip either breakfast or lunch just for the stupid paperwork but after a certain conversation with Bones and Spock involving dozens of hyposprays deliberately stabbed in Jim's abused neck and countless eyebrow raises that gave way to butterflies in his stomach, he finally agreed to a strict diet as prescribed by Bones and breakfast in the mess hall under the supervision of Mr. Spock who wakes up at the same hour as Jim, if not earlier.
Spock didn't wake up early today though, and Jim smiles at this thought. Spock has been spending a whole lot of his time at the lab, conducting several after their most recent first contact mission. He only takes time off for meditation and maybe an hour or two of sleep.
Of course, he's been feeding Jim the whole 'Vulcans do not require as much sleep as humans' crap and Jim's humoring him just because it's been a busy week for him too but he's been worried. Many a night he spends staring at the ceiling and wondering if Spock had dinner or if he got too caught up in his work like Jim did. He wonders if Spock is nearing his limit, wonders just how long it will take those experiments to finish.
Now though, he doesn't have to worry anymore. Just feeling the way Spock is curled up against him is enough to remind him that whatever happens and no matter how hard things get, they're strong and they're going to get through to the end.
Jim knows that in the same way that Spock's warmth will always be a comfort to him, they will end up together somehow, in each other's arms, offering comfort, appreciation and love to one another. He knows that no matter how much time they spend without each other, their feelings will stay the same, if not grow stronger. So he lets go of all his uncertainties and hugs Spock tighter, basking in the peaceful quiet of his t'hy'la's dreamless sleep.
When Spock finally stirs minutes later, Jim is on the verge of letting his eyes droop close, absentmindedly running a hand through Spock's hair, making the Vulcan look more rumpled and groggy than usual. He smiles when he feels Spock plant a kiss on his cheek, and then one on his lips. He kisses back chastely, almost lazily, as his hand finds its way to Spock's, intertwining them.
They only look at each other when they pull away, taking in each other's tired yet beautiful faces and poking at the edges of each other's mind, teasing and caressing, as if to say that they want each other so much—love each other so much but god, look at the time.
Even though Jim wants nothing more than to spend the whole day with Spock like this, he knows that he has a lot to do, and so does Spock. They share another kiss, this one more passionate than the former, but it doesn't last long. They press their foreheads together, hands on the back of each other's necks, and let their shields down. Thoughts run freely between them and as usual, there are so many that Jim has to close his eyes to concentrate on the feeling that Spock is sending him.
I love you, it whispers, prodding at his eyelids until they flutter open and all Jim sees is the shy little smile on Spock's face and the emotions in his eyes.
Jim murmurs a soft I love you too right before he captures Spock's lips with his own, marking the start of another busy day. They might not be together as much as they desire but Jim knows that there's definitely something he can look forward to, and that's Spock.
AN: well, this is the first fic i wrote for star trek even though i've been a fan for a while now. right now, i'm watching the voyager series but i just can't get kirk/spock out of my head. i just had to write something so this happened. /o\
