Disclaimer; as usual, I own nothing but the story itself.
Coffee Stains
Spock shivered quietly as he stood in front of the aged door in front of him. His breath was visible in front of him as he was surrounded by the cool air and snow. The Vulcan sought warmth in his tightly wound scarf from the harsh element around him as he was unaccustomed to the freezing temperature. He could hear footsteps nearing him with his heightened sense. Growing fast. Eager. It could only be Kirk. He showed no surprise in his eyes as the expected blond man quickly opened the door but raised a brow in interest as his colleague gave him his trademark grin.
"Jesus Christ, Spock, you look like you've been out here for hours!" Kirk exclaimed, seeing the Vulcan's obvious discomfort. His pant legs were caked with snow and shoes were most likely filled with the soft white powder as well, but he made no comment at the condition of his clothing.
"If I may enlighten you, Captain, I've been merely here for a matter of minutes." Spock murmured through his scarf. His hands felt frozen behind his back, his fingers getting painfully numb under his gloves.
Kirk gave a short chuckle and quickly let his friend in. The room was warm, but made the Vulcan aware of the tingling of his cheeks, turning a gentle hue of green.
"You can leave your stuff there; I just gotta get back to the kitchen. Tea or coffee?" The blond asked as Spock unwound his scarf and removed his gloves.
"Tea would be sufficient." The Vulcan answered, rubbing at his knuckles in slight discomfort at the frozen fingers. Kirk seemed to notice this and clasped his hands against the Vulcan's, causing Spock's eyes to widen.
"Captain?" He felt his blood rise more to his cheeks than before at the feel of Kirk's hand against his. Jim looked at his friend's face, seeing even his pointed ears turning green in embarrassment and finally realized his mistake. He quickly let go.
"Haha, sorry 'bout that. Forgot how you Vulcans are with your hands and stuff." He apologized, scratching the back of his head from the awkward silence Spock was giving him. Spock gave a short nod in forgiveness, returning his hands behind his back after removing his shoes and shaking off the snow clinging to his pants.
He wandered into the living room, noting the warm fire on the hearth and seated himself on the couch. Spock could hear his captain shuffling around the kitchen. The clinking of mugs was audible, the sound of something leaving the stove and suddenly a curse under one's breath.
"Are you in need of assistance?" The Vulcan asked in curiosity; his tone calm and clear from the kitchen.
"Nah, I'm ok. Just burned myself a little bit from the kettle." Kirk called out. He could then hear the running of the tap and believed it to be the other man getting his hand under cold water. Soon enough, the blonde returned holding two mugs, from what Spock could tell, one being tea and the other coffee.
He reached for the cup in the man's hands and thanked him as he felt the warm liquid in his hands. The heat radiating off of it soothed his cold fingers quickly and he drank in silence. It was camomile tea.
"So what have you been up to?" Kirk asked, yet already knowing the answer. He seated himself in an armchair opposite from Spock. The Vulcan stared at him for a brief moment, believing the human knew as well but accepted his attempt at conversation.
"I've been by the new Vulcan colony in hopes of assisting them in rebuilding their new home." Spock began. "I've also taken the opportunity to converse with- "He took a moment to find the suitable word. "My older self."
"Oh? How was it?" Kirk asked in interest, leaning a bit forward, hoping to catch every word.
"Most satisfactory, Captain." Spock simply replied, a faint smirk appearing at the corner of his lip at the man's look of disappointment in the answer. There was little reason to inform his captain of everything they discussed as the main focus was on the Vulcan's past future.
"It's Jim, when we're not working." The blonde explained, looking a little less bothered by Spock's answer as his attention switched to something else.
"Jim." The Vulcan murmured the name and quickly received a grin from the other man.
"That's it. It's no fun calling a friend by rank, am I right?" Jim smile seem to grow larger and he took a sip of his coffee.
Friends. They were friends. The idea was still new to the Vulcan as they had been at each other's throats not so long ago. Spock was not sure when they gained such relation, but the two men were definitely beyond simply calling one another simple acquaintance or annoyance. The Vulcan had pondered at the thought many times, there was a strange bond between them and sometimes he found them both acting a bit more than friends but nothing like a fellow sibling.
There were times when they played chess that Spock found himself concentrating at his captain's expressions then the real game. His trademark smile when he caught the Vulcan making a less great move, a short frown when he was losing, and a gentle flicker in those blue orbs when he won…
There was no logic in what he was doing. One does not pay attention to the other's expressions in a game of chess, unlike a game of cards. His interest shouldn't be targeted at something that was affecting his skills so much. He wondered if it was something drawing him to make such strange actions. Perhaps fate was tampering with him, forcing him to create a friendship just like the one his older self had.
"Spock?" The Vulcan suddenly snapped out of his reverie to look at the confused man.
"Yes…Jim?" His tongue felt strange using the blonde's proper name instead of rank. He took another sip at his tea.
"N-nothing. You just seemed to kinda black out there for a minute." Kirk explained.
"I apologize." Spock gave a short bow of his head.
There was a sudden high shriek sound which caused both men to jump in surprise and slight irritation for the Vulcan.
"Wait a sec, I forgot I left the kettle on." Kirk quickly got up and made his way to the kitchen again, leaving the Vulcan by himself. There was an eerie silence in the air and he tried to entertain himself by watching the snow falling outside. How such soft substance could lighten the mood for so many people fascinated him. How could something so cold and simple cause such a reaction, he was beyond understanding. It was beautiful, yes, but he did not exactly look forward to be walking in it.
Spock found his attention turning towards the living room table and caught himself staring at the mug not too far from him and raised a brow. His hands itched to pick it up, but he controlled himself. One doesn't simply take the cup of another being's. Illogical. Spock thought yet found the mug quickly in his hands.
His actions were making less sense as his reasoning began to thin, but he paid little mind as he examined the dark coloured liquid swirling inside. It smelled thick, aged as if it were. Perhaps it was mere curiosity of the drink or something else but somehow Spock found himself pressing his lips lightly on the rim, noting them being where Jim's lips had been not too long ago. He sighed. The coffee was still warm, and he found the strange bitter taste finding its way at his tongue. He frowned at the strange flavoured drink. Humans…
At the sound of approaching footsteps, he quickly returned the cup to its original place. He bit as his lower lip, as if he were hiding something. The thick taste of coffee still clung to the corner of his mouth and he furrowed his brow.
"Something wrong?" Jim asked, returning to his spot in his armchair. Spock did not answer, instead giving his captain a quizzical look. The blonde did not seem to notice anything with his mug and the Vulcan gave an eased look in silent relief.
Their conversation continued a little longer, switching through topics such as their future missions once their leave was over, their pasts, small ramblings on politics and an offer to play a game of chess in the future. Time seemed to slow for both men and they hid their looks of surprise as the sky was no longer a softened grey outside but a dark blue as the snow finally stopped.
They eventually called it a night. The Vulcan was quick to retie his scarf when they walked to the doorway. He fitted his gloves onto his hands and prepared himself for the cool air. There was faint grin on Jim's face that Spock could not understand, but said nothing as he had become accustomed to the blonde's unpredictable actions.
"You should stop by another time." Kirk offered and received a short nod in turn.
"A notable idea, Jim." The Vulcan gave him a small smirk.
When the Vulcan left, Kirk made his way back to the living room to pick up the two empty cups on the table. Lowering them into the sink, he gripped at the edge of the counter, giving a rather curious look to his reflection on the window. There was something a bit strange about Spock, but he couldn't seem to find a proper explanation. Well, the Vulcan was always a bit strange in Jim's mind but something seemed a little extra off today. Maybe he was going crazy and imagining things but-
"I could have sworn he smelled like…coffee."