T'Lera has not stopped bouncing since she returned from school. His daughter's enthusiasm and excitement over James attending their evening meal simply too much for her emotional control to handle.
She chatters away relentlessly over everything and nothing.
Spock simply nods in all the right places and agrees on occasion so as to try and calm her but he finds that he has a dilemma of his own to contend with. He has changed no less than four times in preparation for tonight. First; a formal tunic embroidered with his clan's insignia, long black robes that swirled around his bare feet as he moved before hastily discarding it as he caught sight of his reflection – his father staring back at him.
He even went as far as donning a buttoned up white shirt with black linen trousers, a blazer completing the look but the he discarded that as well on the grounds that it looked like he would be attending a funeral.
The third outfit had the amusing outcome of making his daughter laugh, loud enough like a crack of a whip. In his haste to remove the ''Hawaiian'' patterned shirt he pulled it over his head without undoing the buttons and subsequently stood there in front of the mirror, a look of pure despair on his face as the shirt hung like dried meat his from pointed ear.
In the end - his hair was pointing in all different directions accompanied by a flush of green on his cheeks due to his exertion as well as a bulging nerve on his temple.
When he had first arrived on Earth he had attempted to blend in by wearing what the Humans called 'jeans'. He had a navy pair in his wardrobe that had hung there for several years, always catching his eye whenever he opened his wardrobe but having never had the confidence to try it on – he had simply ignored its presence ever since.
He sucked in a deep breath and quirked a brow.
Now he found himself sitting rather impatiently on the couch in his living room, dressed in navy jeans and a white polo-neck sweater that irritatingly snagged at the hairs on the back of his neck.
He did not wish to place James under any pressure to conform to what he may perceive as Vulcan customs or norms so he had opted to dress in as casual and human a manner as possible. His bare feet moved silently against the hardwood floor as he crossed his legs for the tenth time since seating himself.
T'Lera ran in and out of the room every five point two minutes to ascertain whether their dinner was yet cooked and he breathed a sigh of relief when the timer he had set pinged melodically in the background. He extracted his nervous posterior from the couch and set the table with his daughters help – reminding her yet again to not run while she handled their dinnerware.
''Father, will he be here soon?'' a squeaky voice floats up to him from the kitchen as he places their drinking glasses down pinkie first.
''Upon meeting him yesterday he informed me that he is always a few minutes late to every meeting. If he does not intend to attend I am confident that he will be courteous enough to inform me.''
The aroma of their meal wafted through the house as Spock gingerly opened the oven – conscious that his daughter was weaving in and out of the kitchen and placed the homemade meal on a tray which he then carried through to the dining room.
The lights he dimmed to fifty percent and the ambience suddenly became more intimate than he had intended. Increasing it to seventy percent he nodded in the direction of a space to his left and his daughter took to her seat with a slight bounce; legs swinging beneath the table.
''It appears he will be late father, as it is now 18:30 and he is still not here.'' She pouts as she reaches for her glass of water.
''Indeed. We will wait – '' the doorbell rings and Spock freezes in place. '' He is here.'' He states and the muscle that keeps his body alive beats erratically in his side.
''I'll go let him in!'' T'lera squawks and before Spock can say anything she bounds across the room towards the front door and skids to halt when she reaches it.
''Identify yourself, please.'' She asks with all seriousness and he takes a deep breath when he hears a throaty chuckle from behind the door.
''It's Jim.''
Spock counts to ten before forcing his heart back into his natural rhythm and motioning for T'Lera to move aside. The door opens and Spock wonders illogically how a human can be so attractive that one would want to eat them.
''James.''
''Hi Spock.'' His smile is radiant and the flush on his cheeks - accompanied by his quick breaths - suggests that he had run to the apartment in order to be on time.
''Please, come in.'' Spock motions with a hand and T'lera lifts her hand in the Taal.
''Welcome to our home.'' His daughter says politely and Spock nods in agreement and approval at her manners.
''I'm happy to be here. I'm sorry I'm a bit late. Bones is on kid duty tonight and I got dragged into an argument about what I could and couldn't eat tonight. Living with him feels like living with my mother sometimes.''
Spock notices that there isn't any anger behind his words and assumes he is quite used to this 'Bones' treating him in such a way. Upon that thought a spike of something sharp clenches around his heart and he identifies it as jealousy.
He lives with another man.
He is not pleased by this information. Not in the slightest.
Not. At. All.
''You live with this man?'' No inflection or tone accompanies his words.
He hopes.
''Oh, yeah… I mean, it just made sense after we quit 'fleet and he's a great help with David. Plus its close by to his own daughter.'' Jim smiles and Spock makes a note to delve deeper into this matter later on.
''May I take your coat?'' he asks as James stands in the hallway while T'Lera stares up at him in fascination.
''You're pretty.'' She remarks and Spock feels a bubble of laughter pop in his chest - he does not give it chance to escape but his eyes give away the emotion regardless.
He takes the black leather jacket from James and hangs it up on a hook to his right before presenting the blonde human with a pair of black slippers.
''Ah…no shoes. Gotcha.'' James kicks off his boots and slips them on, stumbling on one leg, causing Spock to grab him by the arm to steady him. ''Thanks.'' He whispers and as result Spock's stomach fills with jitters at the look James gives him from that angle.
Absolutely absurd the effect this human has on me.
He chides himself and proceeds to walk into the dining room. T'Lera walking backwards to keep an eye on their guest.
''Wow. Something smells fantastic.''
''We have made you a lasagne. Father and I do not eat meat but we have a vegetarian and a meat option for you.'' T'Lera informs him and Spock watches James discuss food with his daughter as he makes his way to the head of the table.
''You shouldn't have gone through the extra trouble. I love veggies as much as I love a good burger.''
Spock inclines his head as T'Lera scoots her bum onto the chair next to James and proceeds to stare at him.
''T'Lera…Humans consider it rude to stare. Have we not discussed this?'' Spock remarks and sighs quietly when her shoulders droop and she turns to face him.
''But he is so pretty Father. I have counted no less than five different shades of blue in his eyes!'' she says passionately before turning her attention back to the human male who is now blushing and chokes on his sip of water.
''I…thank you, T'Lera. That is very kind of you to say.''
''See Father? He does not mind that I stare.''
''I, however, do mind. It is not appropriate behaviour.'' Spock says before Jim waves a hand and Spock reluctantly drops the matter.
Spock lifts the lid on the tray and reveals their meal and while they dish up Spock notices James eyes keep shooting back at him every few seconds. He quirks an eyebrow and James throws him a wink.
''You know T'Lera… I think your father is very pretty as well.'' James says before smiling around his fork as he takes a bite.
Food halfway to his mouth Spock stills like a statue; mouth open and ears now a sizzling green of embarrassment and secret joy at the compliment.
The human's nervous laughter is indicative of fright that he has somehow overstepped and Spock quickly shakes his head.
''Thank you.'' Taking a sip of water he places his fork back down for fear of accidently dropping it or stabbing himself. ''Thank you, James.'' Spock ducks his head and reaches for the garlic bread in the centre of the table.
''You have a son do you not, James?'' T'Lera raises her voice excitedly and bounces once on her seat in anticipation of his answer.
''I do. A little boy, David.''
''Why did you not bring him with you?''
''Oh… Well, you see, David is... special. He doesn't cope very well with strangers or situations that change too quickly. I'm sure he would love you once he gets to know you but for now… well, maybe we can arrange something for the upcoming weeks instead? Spock?''
''We have no other plans in place. We would welcome the opportunity to meet him. As long as he is comfortable with the idea.''
''Don't you worry 'bout that. I have my ways.''
''I love making new friends! Father, after you and James get married that would then mean David will be my brother, yes?''
James bursts out laughing while Spock hastily whips his head in her direction – bloody pressure high and pulsing at her absurdity.
''I see your daughter has plans for us Spock.'' Another round of laughter and Spock clenches his hands around his utensils to stop from digging a hole in the middle of his lasagne – the urge to hide away incredibly strong.
''T'Lera has always had a propensity to assume and plan without asking questions. A characteristic no doubt inherited from my mother's side of the family.'' A hum of rumination escapes him as his calculated mind begins to compare and catalogue all known family members' traits with T'lera's'.
''Come back to us, Mister Spock.'' Jim chuckles and he realises that he has once again disappeared into his head and ignored his guest.
''My apologies, I have not spoken to my mother in quite some time and it reminded me that I should communicate with her at some point in the future.''
''Grandmother Amanda lives on Vulcan. She's incredibly pretty as well!'' T'Lera informs the table and Spock sees Jim pop an eyebrow up in confusion. ''Amanda? That's… a very human name for a Vulcan.'' He says softly and before Spock can answer - his daughter lets forth a quiet two second puff of a laugh before composing herself.
''Grandmother Amanda is human. A human name for a human and a Vulcan name for a Vulcan. Most logical.'' She is full of pride and Spock curses internally at the slip of his daughters tongue.
It is not that he is ashamed of his mother, or the fact that he is half human, but simply because most people upon discovery of this fact tend to consider him a half-breed, or a lesser being and he was concerned that James may look unfavourably upon him as well.
''Really? That is awesome!'' Jim chimes and Spock lifts his head to meet the man's eyes. There is no judgement, no reproach or endless barrage of questions and once again he marvels at the complicated simplicity of the man. An illogical statement, but the pure fact that James could accept his half-human heritage so readily spoke volumes of the man's outlook on life.
''I used to live on Vulcan. With father….and mother. But I think Earth is equally as satisfying to live on and I am happy to have so many friends here.'' Her smile is not as bright and Spock sees how Jim notices the change in her voice upon mention of T'Pring and does something extraordinary.
''I moved away from my mother too, when I was little. I don't see her much but I know she must think of me often. After all, I am her son and it is only logical isn't it?'' he winks at her and she blushes before giving him a closed lip smile that is impossibly wide despite the lack of teeth on display.
He is in awe of this human's ability to so easily understand and interact flawlessly with his daughter.
''James, would you and David like to join T'Lera and I at the aquarium two weeks from now? We are attending a lecture on marine life and after we will have a private tour from the Director around the facility.''
''I think…. I think a lecture may be asking too much of David. He doesn't cope well with crowds…''
Spock is slightly disappointed at the refusal but he understands. ''Spock, would we be able to join you after the lecture? There would be less people and I know how much David loves animals. I think it would be a perfect setting for us all to meet and get acquainted.''
''I... I would be pleased to have you accompany us. We ourselves prefer not to be overstimulated by crowds. Vulcans as I'm sure you are aware are telepaths and on occasion when we are amongst large crowds their emotions and thoughts can adversely affect us.''
He is curious to ask James about his son's heritage but decides to leave the matter be until such a time as James was ready to divulge the information himself.
''Wow, T'Lera, so that means you were incredibly brave when you fought your way through to my ice-cream stall.'' James mouth is wide in a circle with exaggeration and his daughter's chest pushes out while she adjusts her spine to sit up properly. ''Yes.'' She replies and Spock is amused by her confidence.
''Amazing.'' Jim mutters while shaking his head, the last bite of his food disappearing into his mouth.
Dinner conversation flows smoothly after that, talk of Starfleet and unexplored planets the main topic of conversation as T'Lera pesters him continuously for information. In the end Spock had to clear his throat to get her to cease talking and let Jim finish his drink.
The clock on the table in the living room chimes nine times and Spock can see that Jim has become restless.
''T'Lera, bid your farewells to Mr Kirk.'' ''Jim!'' he corrects. '' Bid your farewells to Jim as he will be leaving shortly and it is as they say – past your bedtime.''
T'Lera frowns but nods in acknowledgment.
''Goodnight Jim. It was a satisfying and fascinating evening.'' She says before sticking her hand out in the human way and Spock quirks a brow at the display. Jim looks quickly over to Spock to ascertain whether it was acceptable to shake her hand. Grateful for the consideration he nods that if she was comfortable with the gesture, so was he.
Jim bends down on one knee and shakes her hand, her impossibly tiny fingers clasped between his own long but lean digits. ''Goodnight T'Lera. It was equally as fascinating and enjoyable talking to you and your dad tonight.''
Jim smirks as she all but radiates joy at the compliment before walking backwards off to her bedroom.
''She is a wonderful girl, Spock. You've done well. No, seriously I could tell after five minutes of speaking to her that she is going to go places no one has ever dared to go.''
It is the first time – apart from his mother naturally – that someone has praised him for the way that he has raised his daughter and he is briefly overcome with an emotional urge to embrace this human male in gratitude.
''She is my greatest achievement.''
''No doubt.''
Spock begins to lead them to the front door, bypassing the lounge and upon reaching the doorway he hesitates before handing James his jacket.
''I would walk you back to your house James, however I cannot leave T'Lera unattended.'' He says, a slither of regret leaking through his voice and Jim closes the space between them until they are both standing in front of his jacket a mere five inches apart.
''That's OK, Spock. We should expect that dating with children will be different than what other couples do and go through. I'm just happy to be here with you.'' His voice has dropped to a seductive whisper.
Spock shivers.
James' right arm reaches out slowly and Spock is puzzled when his own arm is brought up and their wrists connect…
James extends two fingers, touching them softly to Spocks.
A kiss.
A Vulcan kiss.
It was tender, it was inhumanly passionate and he cannot stop his eyes from closing or how his heart stills for a moment at the feeling of Jim's emotions washing through him.
Amusement. Fondness. Lust. Curiosity.
He opens his eyes slowly when Jim removes the contact between them but he discovers that he yearns for more and before he can analyse his actions he has leaned in kissed him.
James' lips are soft, a slight scratch from an afternoons worth of stubble, warm and inviting after the initial gasp of shock.
They deepen the kiss and it comes to a surprise to both of them as they simultaneously let out whimpers of enjoyment at the first taste of each other.
Spock pulls back, embarrassed at his lack of self-control but he dares to overstep and places a hand on Jims' cheek, cupping his chin. ''I am extraordinarily drawn to you James. For reasons I cannot fully comprehend.''
''I feel it too. It such a bizarre feeling to feel so comfortable with you. To be so attracted to you without fully knowing you yet feeling like I do. Does that make sense?''
''You are babbling, Jim.'' Spock notes and this causes a hearty laugh before Jim kisses him once more.
''I would absolutely love to continue this but I need to get home to David. Bones also has a life to lead and I feel bad making him babysit so often as it is.'' Jim steps away but Spock grabs his wrist.
''This… Bones… is he your friend? Perhaps more?''
''Oh god no. He's my brother. Well, not blood related, but may as well be. Or is father the more accurate term? Depends on the day of the week I suppose. He's family, Spock.''
'I apologise. It is illogical of me to enquire into a situation that does not concern me. ''
''Not at all. We are seeing each other Spock. And just so you know… I don't share either.'' He says with a cheeky wink. A quick squeeze and a smiling kiss on the cheek later and Spock was suddenly surrounded by a vast amount of space around his person and he instantly mourns the loss of Jims contact.
''I'll call you tomorrow, ok? I'm afraid I'm going to be a bit busy this week as its nearing end of term for my students and summer holidays are just round the bend.'' He gives a long suffering sigh but bounces back to his earlier mood just as quickly as Spock's next breath.
''I would be gratified to see you whenever you are next available, James.'' He clasps his hands behind his back and looks to the floor. Suddenly unsettled by the thought that he will have to wait an unknown amount of time before seeing him again.
''Hey, we'll talk. All the time. I'm only a comm message away and maybe we could meet for lunch again before picking the kids up?'' he queries with an adorable head tilt and Spock looks up with to see the same disappointment at their impending time apart.
''Indeed.''
An itch begins to surface beneath his skin. A demand, a voiceless whisper of an urge that wants him to bring James back into his apartment and claim him. He quickly squashes it down as he steps backwards into the safety of his home, resisting the temptation.
''See you soon, Spock.'' A shy wave is given accompanied by the biggest smile imaginable and his heart stutters once more in his chest.
Surak… he has never felt… anything like this before.
The door to his home closes and James disappears from view leaving him with a quiet house and nothing but the sound of a clock ticking against the far wall.
The sensations and emotions which had so rapidly changed and coursed through him all evening left his body in one big sigh and suddenly all was as he knew it. Logical. Separate. Apart.
As a proud member of the Vulcan species he should be overjoyed at regaining his senses and returning to a familiar state… yet he felt nothing but displeasure at the lack of Jims' presence.
For the first time in years he relished feeling…something. This strange pull; this sirens call whenever he was around James had to mean something.
As he walked past his daughters room - the door slightly ajar - he heard a rustle from the blankets and stopped to peer through the crack.
''Father… if you do not marry Jim, I will. '' A sleepy giggle wafts up from beneath the covers and Spock's jaw drops at the declaration.
He refuses to respond and turns on his heel, four steps to his own bedroom and upon reaching for the doorknob he laughs.
''Brat.''