Jim awoke from his first full night's sleep in weeks to a cold, empty bed. That was enough to jar him into awareness. He flung himself out from under the sheets and across the room, and clicked on the intercom.
"Kirk to bridge. What's going on?" He would reprimand Spock for not waking him up later, after the crisis was over.
"We are continuing on route to the Epsilon system. I estimate six point five three Earth days until our arrival," Spock replied promptly.
There was no crisis then.
"Good," Jim replied. "Kirk out." He turned off the intercom and sat back down on the edge of the bed.
He couldn't complain about his first officer's work ethic, at least.
But it had been weeks since they'd had any time together. They were on duty together on the bridge, as Spock would've doubtless pointed out - both of them had hardly left it with everything going on - but it wasn't the same. They had even taken turns sleeping during the worst of it, and when there had finally been a lull, Jim had collapsed out of sheer exhaustion, only to be woken up a few hours later with another crisis.
Amidst it all, he'd hardly had a chance to properly look at Spock. They only touched when they "accidentally" bumped into each other on the bridge. And that was fine. The ship came first for both of them, that was the only reason they were able to make it work at all.
But now that the crisis was over, Jim couldn't help but feel a little abandoned. Spock wasn't even technically supposed to be on duty. Jim had scheduled them both for an off shift - assuming there weren't any more crises that needed their attention - in the hope that they could both get some much needed rest and relaxation. He should have known Spock would get back to work as soon as he was sufficiently well rested. It had been nice of him to let Jim sleep, at least - they both knew how much the captain needed it - but unlike Vulcans, humans needed more than just sleep to recuperate.
But there wasn't any use in being disappointed now. Spock was already on the bridge and Jim wasn't about to tell him off for doing his duty. Now that he was awake, Jim supposed he might as well go and join him. And it would be nice to spend some time with the bridge crew now that they were no longer in constant danger - not that Jim knew how long that would last.
So, he finished getting dressed and made his way back to the bridge.
Jim had planned on returning to their quarters together when their shift was done, but he still needed to talk with Scotty about some essential repairs, so he took a detour down to engineering, leaving Spock to go alone. By the time Jim actually made it back, Spock was already sitting at the desk, working again.
"Sorry I'm late," Jim said with a smile as the door slid shut behind him.
Spock glanced up from the computer terminal. "You have arrived no later than anticipated. There was nothing urgent that required your attention?"
Jim waved off the suggestion. "Scotty just wanted to go over some repairs. An engineering detail will have to keep working at it, but we have the shift off." He gave Spock a smoldering look.
Spock's eyebrows rose in reply. "Rest is important for the maintenance of human faculties. However, I do not require as much sleep and have accumulated a significant amount of paperwork which I must complete." With that, Spock returned to the computer.
Jim huffed out a sigh. He pulled off his shirt and made his way over to the desk where Spock was working.
"You require something?" Spock quirked an eyebrow at Jim for emphasis.
"It must seem strange to you," Jim said, softening his words with a teasing smile, "but we humans need more than just sleep to 'maintain our faculties.'" He let his eyes wander from Spock's piercing gaze, over his sharp features and pointed ears, and down his long, narrow torso, and back up to his brown eyes. "I've hardly had a chance to so much as look at you in weeks."
"You have not looked at me significantly less than usual," Spock replied.
"I mean really look at you - admire you. We humans need closeness, and not just standing next to each other on the bridge. It's been longer than that since we last melded." Jim raised his hand toward Spock's face to emphasize the enticement.
"It has," Spock acknowledged, his expression softened. "However, my duty as your first officer comes first." He met Jim's eyes and Jim could feel the loyalty and affection in his gaze.
It was hard to argue with that, but Spock wasn't the only one with a stubborn streak. "Even you shouldn't be on duty all the time. Indulge my human weakness." Jim extended a hand toward Spock, the first two fingers out.
Spock glanced down at the computer terminal and back up at Jim. "Very well. It is nothing urgent, and your well being unquestionably takes the highest priority." He reached out and brushed Jim's outstretched fingers with his own, lingering where their fingertips met.
Spock slowly lowered his shields and allowed Jim's vibrant mind to pour in through the touch and let his own thoughts seep back through in kind.