"Oh, come on, Spock. It'll be fun," Nyota breathed smoothly as she wiggled into her green cardigan, smiling as the Vulcan gazed dubiously at her from his perch on the edge of their bed, arms folded in his lap as he resisted the urge to take off his sweater and slip into his commander's uniform, apparel that was at least as familiar as it was comfortable.

"I highly doubt that, Nyota. The probability that the night will be enjoyable is-"

She flitted over to place her fingers against his lips, smiling as she shushed him.

"Irrelevant," she interrupted gently, and he found himself enamored with the exact shade of her eyes, staring up at her from the bed and overcome with the sudden urge to make sure they didn't leave the room for the night, but the lieutenant was adamant that they go to the theater, having already decided the exact time of departure and movie choice, eager for the taste of popcorn and butter as she bounced on the balls of her feet, dark hair swept up in a tight ponytail.

After slipping into her jeans, she turned her attention back to her boyfriend, donning the most casual of clothing she'd ever thought to see a Vulcan wear, his blue jeans standing out against the white walls behind him. She reached forward and pressed her hands to his palms, smiling happily, her excited laughter making the very corners of his lips turn up the slightest, and she tugged him forward, batting her eyelashes at him mockingly as they left the room.

...

"It can't be any worse than the time we had that double date with Logan and his girlfriend. I mean, I know Spock will probably be…difficult," Ororo murmured to the mirror, staring distractedly at Kurt's reflection from his stance behind her as she tried to apply her lipstick, his tail snaking up to wrap around her waist, "but he's our friend, and you know how Uhura would get if we turned down her offer."

Smacking her lips together, Storm swiveled, and fell directly into her husband's embrace, smiling up at his yellow eyes as he gave her a devilish grin, locks of his inky hair falling across his forehead, the faint edges of his countless runes illuminated by the lights overhead.

"Which is Storm-speak for 'It will be an interesting night because Vulcans can get quite awkward in social situations'," Kurt murmured laughingly, the brightness of his fangs outlined by the blue of his lips, his three-fingered hands limply pressed to the sharp bones of her hips as she rolled her eyes, stifling her giggles, her warm palms pressed to his chest, skin soft against the smooth material of his worn t-shirt.

She stepped back to gaze appraisingly at him and grinned wickedly when he finally met her eyes.

"You know, I haven't seen you wear anything remotely casual in a long time."

She put a hand to her chin, pressing the pad of her finger to her lips, acting as if she was deep in thought.

"Too bad it'll all have to come off when we get home; it looks good on you."

Walking out the door, Kurt didn't miss the mischievous glint in her almond eyes, and she definitely didn't miss how he raised his eyebrows, surprised, her mocking laughter-echoing down the hall-being the only sign that she was enjoying herself far too much.

...

Kurt hadn't wasted any time ducking out of sight, opting to teleport into the darkest, emptiest corner of the movie theater the moment they arrived, and Storm wasn't entirely convinced that it wasn't just to avoid Spock's company, but she'd let it go anyway, too distracted by Nyota's animated chatter about the movie they were seeing. Spock got odd looks from the passerby, and Storm got plenty of attention due to the latest news story about Xavier's mutants, but Uhura didn't seem to mind as she walked hand in hand with her boyfriend, all the while laughing when Storm made a joke about one of the actors playing in the film.

Storm listened as her friend brought Kurt into the conversation, asking about him and reminiscing on his and Ororo's wedding two months before.

"They'll get along," Nyota whispered discreetly to her companion, who'd taken on a melancholy look when her husband had been mentioned, and Storm glanced at her, surprised. Nyota smiled reassuringly, jerking her head in Spock's direction, who was distracted by the bright lights and scenery of the theater, his eyes wide.

"I know Spock can get…reserved around strangers, but he'll warm up to Kurt. I know him and I think he's a good guy, and Spock will understand that, too," she said comfortingly, and Storm smiled in return, nodding gratefully at her friend.

...

As far as movies went, Spock thought that the film was more than adequate, having equal amounts of humor and severity and just enough of everything to make it well-rounded. Uhura had smiled the entire time, shoveling popcorn into her mouth absently, as if it had magically become second nature during the span of the movie, and Storm had done the same, seated beside her and holding her hand during the scene that had them both sniffling.

Kurt, who'd somehow ended up beside the Vulcan, had remained silent throughout, eyes glowing in the darkness. Spock was thankful that the back row of the theater hadn't been occupied, since vividly glowing eyes tended to draw unwanted attention. The shadows had concealed most of the mutant's inhuman features, but Spock couldn't help glancing every now and then at the lazily flicking tail behind the man, and every chance that had arisen found Spock curiously examining it, wondering how it worked.

The glow of the credits scrolling down the screen brought Spock back to the present, to where Kurt was looking across from him at his laughing wife, smiling at a joke that Nyota had made, and Spock marveled at how they could laugh so much, or how they found the joke at all humorous, since it obviously wasn't. Uncomfortable, he shifted in his seat, and hoped that they could leave soon, after his girlfriend felt satisfied with her social outing enough to grace him with her decision to leave, and so distracted was he by his constant hoping that he failed to notice the mutant beside him, staring diligently at him with sad eyes.

"I know I'm a stranger to you," Kurt murmured quietly, unheard by the women but caught by Spock, who turned quickly to stare at the man, furrowing his brow.

"You are," he agreed lowly, wary of disturbing Uhura's conversation, and Kurt laughed soundlessly, amused at the straightforward response.

"I have the feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other, since they seem very close." He gestured to the girls chatting away beside them, and Spock's eyes widened slightly as the man's hand came fully into view, but his face gave away no emotion.

"Besides, although you may not know me now, you will, and I can see a friend in you."

His accent grew heavier the more he talked, and Spock had to remember the lilt of it and store the information for later, so that he could easily understand the man without having to card through the countless accents already heard.

German, he thought quickly, and Kurt's bright eyes flickered over to where the women were standing slowly, preparing to leave. Spock turned, and he didn't see how Kurt dug for something in his pocket, smiling like he knew the greatest secret in the world.

"Want to know how I see that?" Kurt asked politely, and Spock turned back and stared, blinking, unsure of how to respond, but the mutant didn't need affirmation, and he just smiled kindly, standing.

"It's because I have faith," he murmured, reaching forward to place something warm in Spock's palm, "and you will, too."

Spock glanced down to stare at the rosary beads piled in his hand, giving them a curious gaze before looking back up to Kurt, who'd already teleported, the dark wisps of blue barely visible in the receding darkness, the smell of brimstone lingering, pungent, in the air.

On their way out of the movie theater, he was about to toss the beads into a nearby trashcan, but he heard his mother's admonishing voice in his head and frowned, opting at the last second to put them in his pocket, and he looked over at Nyota. She looked like she was having the time of her life, caught up in the moment with her friend, her cheeks puffy from all the smiling she was doing, her dark eyes lit from within with the oddest kind of light.

If faith was what could make Uhura look so radiantly peaceful, Spock thought, then maybe he could have some, too, if only to enjoy the moment along with her.

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