Check Mate

Last night, he'd suddenly had the best idea in all history. He was still pondering about his talk with Bones and his suggestion to simply come clean and didn't really pay much attention to the game. He was already about to lose the second game in a row.

"Jim? You seem distracted tonight. Maybe we should adjourn our game," Spock said, a tinge of disappointment in his voice.

Jim looked up at him. The way Spock used his first name always made a shiver run through his body. And suddenly, an idea struck him like lightning. "I've just been thinking. This game is getting a bit boring, don't you think?" he asked, looking Spock straight in the eye. His blue eyes sparkled with an intensity they'd been lacking lately.

Spock looked taken aback. He straightened up, seemingly unsure what to do. "I apologize. I was not aware that our meetings were no longer satisfying to you. Maybe I should retire for the night. If you will excuse me," Spock said, as he got up.

Uh-oh! This wasn't working too well. He had to find a way to pique his curiosity. "No. Wait. That's not what I meant. Sit back down. I only wanted to suggest a little… change of rules." Jim couldn't suppress the smile tugging at his lips as Spock's straight shoulders relaxed minutely.

"May I inquire which alternative of the game you are referring to? I do not believe I am familiar with any differing interpretations of the rules of chess," Spock said, raising an eyebrow, giving away his curiosity. Yes! Jim inwardly patted himself on the back.

"Oh, I'm sure you haven't heard of it before. It's an old earth tradition…" And here he was really taking risks, he was aware of that. If this went wrong, he would have ruined things forever. But he just couldn't stop himself, "It's called strip-chess…"

"Strip-chess…?" And Spock's eyebrow gravitated even further towards his hairline.

"Yeah. You know, every time you lose a chess piece, you take off a piece of your clothes. The last one with his panties on will be the winner." Jim had expected Spock to be embarrassed and find some kind of excuse to hastily leave his captain's quarters. Probably even send his request for transfer to head quarters immediately. Instead, he saw a spark in Spock's dark eyes that went beyond his usual curiosity. 'Don't get your hopes up just yet. You're probably just imagining this,' Jim tried to calm himself, before he got too excited over this small success.

"And you honestly believe that undressing in the progress of the game will benefit your concentration?" Spock asked. And the slight change of his tone combined with that spark in his eyes convinced Jim that his first officer was, in fact, only feigning innocence and playing on him. He could almost see the smirk hiding in his words. He was definitely interested. He just would never ever admit to it. But two could play at that game. Now he got him. Just you wait and see.

"It's worth a try." And he flashed Spock one of his trademark grins.

So they settled back into a new game. Nothing much had changed from before. Jim was still losing piece after piece. His tunic and undershirt were already tossed to the floor right next to the discarded boots. The difference, though, was now Jim was losing deliberately. He wanted to provoke a reaction from Spock and he was not being disappointed.

Spock could barely take his eyes off the play of the muscles of Jim's chest, while he licked his lips unconsciously. His stoic Vulcan mask was crumbling away as he lost his focus. His breath was hitching, and his hands shook slightly whenever he moved one of his pieces, no longer really caring where he was putting them. Any strategy, he might've had, forgotten at the display presented to him. Just what Jim had been hoping for. And all of a sudden, the tables had turned, and Spock was the one losing piece after piece of his clothing, until he sat there in nothing but his underwear that did very little to cover the bulge of his growing erection.

Jim was having trouble himself focusing on the game in front of him, while he took in the sight of his slightly disheveled first officer. His brain was just too preoccupied memorizing every inch of the fair skin presented to him. He would've never dared to even dream to ever get the chance to see this. Suddenly he was painfully aware of his pants stretching tightly over his own hardening cock.

Finally, Spock made his last wrong move, giving Jim the chance to steel his queen. Which also meant he had to take off his last remaining piece of clothes!

When he got up to do so, he was back to his usual calm self again. He showed no embarrassment or self-awareness as he presented himself to his captain. Nothing in his demeanor, as he fully undressed, indicated any of the arousal he'd been showing before - except for his member standing at attention just like him, his hands folded calmly behind his back as usual. The trace of a smile played around his lips as he fixated Jim.

Jim on the other hand was totally stunned. His brain had melted. This was more than his starved senses could take. All he could do, was sit there open-mouthed, gawking at the display Spock was showing him.

"Captain, I believe this means you have won the game. My congratulations", Spock informed him. "I did not imagine that your bending of the rules would in fact improve your game. But apparently I was mistaken."

Still, all Jim could do, was to stare at Spock and he had a feeling, he stared hard enough to leave actual marks on the delicate skin in front of him. He could neither move nor speak. His mouth was as dry as a Vulcan dessert. "If I am not mistaken, it is also an earth custom that the winner gets to make a wish." Looking him in the eye, Jim could've sworn, he saw a smug grin trying to take over Spock's features. That sneaky bastard was actually playing on him – him! – and enjoying himself royally. Oh, he'd get him for that!

That finally drew Jim out of his shock state. And before he'd even realized it, he got up himself, wrapped his hands around Spock's neck, and drew him in for a long, passionate kiss. Jim's tongue found Spock's lips parted, inviting him in where he was met by the Vulcan's hot tongue, just as eager to explore as he was. They battled for control, until Jim had to pull away for some much needed oxygen.

That drew a small growl from the Vulcan, and in one smooth move he slid across the table to sit right in front Jim, scattering the forgotten chess board and pieces across the room in the process. His legs encircled Jim's hips, their groins pressed together. He could feel the heat emitting from the Vulcan's skin. "…I…" Jim tried to say something, anything, though the puddle that used to be his brain had no idea what. And apparently Spock didn't want him to talk anyway, as he put a finger to his lips, and the look in those dark eyes clearly said, "Shut up!"

So he did the only thing that came to his fuzzy mind: he sucked in the finger that lay on his lips, his tongue mapping out every inch of it until it was fully sheathed in his mouth, which elicited a deep moan from Spock, making him scoot forward and rocking his hips to gain some friction. And it also reminded him that Jim was still in his pants – an error that had to be corrected immediately.

He retracted his hand from Jim's mouth, who had started sucking on the second finger since Spock seemed to obviously enjoy it. He fumbled a moment with the fastenings of the stubborn pants. And Jim took the opportunity to dive in for another scorching kiss, before he helped him get rid of the offensive piece of cloth.

His finger drew patterns onto the hot skin while he licked along the outlines of Spock's ear, lightly nibbled at the green flushed pointed tip. When he drew back a little, he was met with Spock's gaze, and his eyes silently pleaded with Jim to give him relieve. He would've never believed his first officer could look this vulnerable. That was all the motivation he needed. He took Spock's hand, wrapping it around both of their cocks, closing his own hand over Spock's to direct him into a slow stroking rhythm.

As their speed increased, Spock threw his head back in ecstasy, baring his throat to Jim, who took to chance to kiss along Spock's jaw line to his neck. He sucked in the soft skin there and carefully bit into it, watching a small green flower blossoming, and decided to plant some more along his collar bones and onto his chest.

Jim knew Spock was almost there, when his grip around their cocks strengthened until it got painful. He drew in a sharp breath. Jim used one hand to remove the tightly clenched fingers, while the other continued the steady rhythm. He led Spock's hand to his mouth, licking at the mixed tastes of the both of them on Spock's palm. Sucking at his fingers again and grazing his teeth over the knuckles, finally send Spock over the edge, and Jim followed only a few strokes after him. Spent and happy, Jim leaned heavily onto Spock's shoulder.

"Is this all you have to offer?" the Vulcan whispered into his ear after a pause, sending shivers down his spine.

Jim looked up grinning. He leaned in to suck the barely visible sarcastic little smile off Spock's lips. "Let's move this to the bed…"

Before Jim had even finished speaking, Spock had already dragged him to the bed and pinned him to the mattress. And now the ever stoic Vulcan was straddling him, his eyes gazed over with lust. He was actually touching himself, one hand working himself open to receive Jim, while the other stroked his again hardening member.

At the sight, Jim's brain froze again. He couldn't process what was happening. All he could do, was stare and burn the pictures into his memory, just in case he didn't get a chance to see this a second time.

A hand grabbed his chin, tilting it up to meet Spock's eyes. "Focus!" he ordered in a husky voice, drawing Jim out of his daze, and dove in for a long kiss. Jim returned the kiss, deepened it. He wrapped his hand around Spock's dick, stroking him in a slow rhythm. Spock rocked his hips with Jim's strokes. Then his movements suddenly came to a stop. "Wait…" he moaned, breaking their kiss.

Spock steadied himself on Jim's shoulders to lower his body onto Jim's throbbing cock. And then Jim was sheathed in the melting Vulcan heat.

And as they moved their bodies together in perfect unison, Jim felt so complete and he knew this was what he'd been searching for. Never had he seen anything more beautiful then when this rigid Vulcan statue began to fall apart to his touch, completely surrendering to him. They came at the same time, collapsing onto the mattress.

Before he could give in to the tiredness that was rolling over him, Jim said, "Please, don't tell me I could've had this all along?"

"What are you talking about?"And he could hear the wicked smile in Spock's voice.

"This! Us! You did notice I've been flirting with you for months, didn't you?" Jim returned exasperated.

"Of course, I noticed the change in your behavior. And even if I had not, Nyota warned me early on that you were up to something," Spock returned evenly.

"Right, I remember. She actually threatened to kill me or something." Jim shivered slightly.

Spock placed a hand on his chest and started rubbing small circles into his skin. "I would not have allowed that to happen…" His eyes gleamed with amusement. "But I had to make sure you were not acting on one of your whims again, that this was not one of your infamous games to challenge my emotional controls. So I waited to see how long it would take you to tire of this game. You did not give up, though. I have to admit I am quite impressed with your patience. Your previous behavior showed you usually tend to act impulsively and purely instinctively. And thus, I estimated it was time to reward you for your patience," Spock explained in his usual lecturing tone, but traced his fingers over Jim's lips. He bit into them to stop the embarrassingly precise analysis of his character.

Realization washed over him. Yet, he was too relieved by this turn of events to actually get mad for having been fooled all this time.

"So all this time you were testing me?" Jim rolled them over and pinned Spock to the mattress. He glared at him threateningly, their faces only inches apart.

"Yes," he confirmed, wriggling his arms out of Jim's grip.

He just couldn't believe this man's impertinence. "You know, you're not Pavlov and I'm not your dog," Jim said, smiling, and before Spock could lapse into the inevitable lecture about how unfitting that comparison was, since Jim was obviously no canine, he stopped him with a mind-bowing kiss.

"I should've known the direct approach would work better with you," he mumbled between the feather light kisses he placed all over his face.

"Why did you never apply that strategy?" Spock's hands traced his spine, before he threaded his finger through Jim's hair.

He had to bury his face in Spock's muscular shoulder to hide the blush that burned in his cheeks. "I was terrified of scaring you off," he admitted.

He was rewarded with one of those telling eyebrow raises. And even though he couldn't see it from his position, he knew it was there. "I never believed you to be a coward."

"Shut up!" Jim was embarrassed.

"Is that an order?" Spock was actually mocking him. He looked up at him speechless. He would've never imagined him capable of that. But so far, the night had proven there was still a lot he had to learn about this mystery of a man. He cuffed him lightly in the ribs. But Spock was unimpressed. He only tightened his embrace to stop Jim from further assaults.

Caught in that snug embrace Jim decided it would be better to just surrender and let him have his way, at least this time. He snuggled closer and took in the sweet scent of Spock's skin, like cinnamon. For a while, they lay in silence, just holding each other.

"How long?" Jim broke the silence. Spock looked at him questioningly. "How long have you been interested in me?" he smiled shyly.

"A while," was Spock's unusually vague answer.

"Commander, I expect you to be more precise," Jim probed, struggling against the Vulcan's strong grip to sit up.

But Spock never answered him nor did he let him go, just traced his hands over Jim's cheekbones and drew him back in for another longing kiss. He hooked his legs around Jim's waist and off they went for round three. The night seemed to go on forever, between kissing and caressing and charting each other's bodies. Jim hoped morning would never come. He didn't want to leave this bed ever again. And anyway, how could he possibly face his crew when he couldn't wipe off the wide grin that spread on his face?

Jim must have fallen asleep somewhere along the line. When he woke up he was in high spirits. He hadn't felt his great in what seemed like ages. Last night seemed like a dream to him. Being encircled by that cozy body heat had been like coming home. And from now on he would have that every night. But why did his bed feel so cold now? Jim sat up in his bed and blinked around him.

Spock was gone. There was no trace of him ever having been at Jim's quarters. The mess they'd made in their haste to get into each other's pants last night was cleared. Even the chess board was set up on the table again like nothing had happened. Only the lonely black king lying at the foot of his bed was evidence that last night had been more than a feverish dream. He picked it up and turned it in his fingers.

All of a sudden, his good mood was gone. The sarcastic little voice in his head chimed in, wondering why Spock had just stolen out in the middle of the night. With that one thought, all the insecurities he'd developed over the past weeks were back to haunt him. So maybe to him this had been a life changing experience. But he had no idea what Spock thought. Maybe he'd just been curious about Jim's behavior and now that the experiment had been completed successfully and his curiosity satisfied, there was no need to repeat it. Or he had, after all, decided that this affair had been the worst idea ever. Or…

No, he wouldn't jump to conclusions again. He would get dressed now and go to the bridge and do his job. And Spock would be there, and everything would be alright. And once their shift was over he would talk to him. Problem solved!