Kirk, M-11 Starbase Club
"She just had this brightness about her that could boost anyone's mood." Uhura smiled sadly at the flute of wine inhabiting her hands.
Kirk had absolutely no idea how he ended up across the table of his teary-eyed communications officer. It was not how he he had planned to spend the night that he and his crew had off after successfully completing their first mission.
"And if she wasn't winning her way into your heart, she was winning her way into your pants." Kirk replied.
Uhura snorted, covering her mouth so that the alcohol did not come spurting out. "Very true."
Kirk thought, no knew, that by this time of the night he would usually be in the bed of a good looking club goer. Instead he was having a discussion about a past and now dead girlfriend. And he was surprisingly fine with that.
"She exasperated me to the point where I lost my temper and gave me many hellish nights in the library, but I loved her." Uhura had a big grin on her face, it lit up her features but had just a hint of melancholy to it. "She was my first friend at the academy and my closest. Those qualities that annoyed me were what made me adore her. Not a minute goes by where I don't think of her. I just- I miss her so much." She clutched a hand to her chest, in obvious pain.
It was weird. He had never seen someone completely bare their heart to him before, especially someone that he thought despised him. He stared at her as she spoke, a strange feeling knotting in his chest and leaving him breathless as he saw the emotion build inside of her.
"It hurts, I know. We both cared about Gaila in our own way." He said when he realized that she was waiting for him to speak. He had been so transfixed with the emotion that was plain on her face, the one that she was showing to only him. "She was a handful, but one worth dealing with." He looked back down at the glass in front of him.
"I'm sorry," She chuckled with embarrassment and brushed a tear that had escaped off of her cheek. "I just haven't really talked to anyone about Gaila yet and you were here and I'm a little tipsy and I just needed to get it all out." Her eyes drifted down to her lap and she spoke quickly. "Normally there's Spock, but he just lost his mother and his planet and I'm in no situation to lament and push my emotions on him. I'll go now." She stood up and he felt an overwhelming need to give her some kind of comfort.
"Hey," he took hold of her arm just as she was about to leave. "Just because someone takes loss differently than you doesn't mean that your way is wrong or any less important." All the usual smugness he had was gone from his face as he stared up at her.
Uhura looked at him with surprise and blinked back the wetness that had worked its way up in her eyes. She offered him a small smile and gave the hand that held her arm a tight squeeze . "Thank you, Jim."
Kirk felt more strange, alien feelings rise up in him as he watched her make her way to the table the other female officers occupied. He stared down at the hand that had taken hold of her bare skin. It was quivering slightly. "Huh."
Sorry for taking to long to put up the second chapter for those who were waiting. A mix of lots of schoolwork and writer's block!