The next day found Spock and Nyota in the mess hall sharing lunch with Professor Lamb, the head of the Linguistics faculty. They sat at at table in the corner while the hordes of cadets came and went, poring over a variety of PADDs and picking at their food as they discussed proposed alterations to the curriculum. Nyota was highly in favor of the introduction of basic Romulan while Spock considered the addition of postgraduate level Andorian phonology to be more logical. Professor Lamb could see the merits in both proposals. After half an hour of discussion, Nyota reached for her cup and on finding it empty excused herself to get a refill.
"Can I bring you anything?" she asked Spock and Lamb, who graciously accepted. Nyota took her tray and discarded the contents into the recycling before making her way towards the drinks dispensers. She rested the tray against her hip and idly drummed her fingernails against the surface as she waited in line. She was just setting the final cup into the dispenser and reaching for the button when a shadow fell across the unit.
"Nyota," a voice uttered breathlessly and her shoulders sagged.
"Oh Christof please," Nyota whined, screwing her face up and rolling her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you?" Christof stepped closer.
"I know, I know what you said but I just...I think you're amazing," he explained. Nyota met his eyes with a sceptical look.
"An amazing piece of ass?" she quipped sarcastically. Christof's brow furrowed.
"An amazing person," he corrected. "And I told you, I didn't say those things about you, I was defending you."
"Sure you were," Nyota drawled, removing the now full cup from the dispenser and setting it onto the tray beside the others.
"Look, Nyota really I wouldn't say something like that about you," Christof continued. "I'm sure that hobgoblin you're so fond of must have misheard." Nyota shook her head in disbelief.
"Don't call him that!" she snapped. "Do you have any idea how insulting that is?" Christof raised his hands in a gesture of contrition.
"Okay I'm sorry, I just...I can't help it," he complained. "I can't seem to get a moment of your time. You're always with him and...then he tells you things I'm supposed to have said or done out of context." Nyota took a deep sighing breath and took a step away from the dispenser, Christof close at her side.
"Vulcans don't lie," she uttered with irritation.
"Oh and I suppose they don't get jealous either?" he muttered. Nyota clenched her teeth and came to a stop, turning to him angrily.
"Spock is a gentleman, unlike some people," she growled.
Which was completely accurate and as such, when Spock's sensitive ears picked Nyota's voice as she let out a cry of consternation, he was naturally inclined to come to her assistance.
"Ponfo mirran!" she exclaimed, loudly as Christof, following close beside her bumped into her from the side in an effort to dodge around another cadet passing with a loaded tray. The cups on her tray went tumbling over, hot tea splashing up the front of her uniform.
"Oh geeze, I'm sorry!" he cried, grabbing the tray out of her hands and dumping it hastily on the table.
"For god's sake!" Nyota groused, tugging her sweater away from her skin. Christof immediately reached for a handful of napkins and set about dabbing at the spill. "Look it's fine, I got it," Nyota told him, batting his hands away but he was insistent.
"Let me get this," Christof argued, pressing a bundle of tissues against her stomach.
"No really Christof!" Nyota countered angrily.
"I believe the Lieutenant has requested that you desist," a voice drawled and Nyota turned to see Spock hovering beside them. Christof narrowed his eyes and have Spock a sideways look of disgust.
"Oh christ, not again," he muttered under his breath, ignoring Spock and reaching for the hem of Nyota's sweater.
"Christof!" Nyota rasped, shoving his hand back and Spock moved closer, insinuating himself between them and narrowing his eyes at Christof.
"I must insist that you cease your attentions, Cadet," Spock told him, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice.
"Jesus, god, do you need to stand so close?" Christof gasped, raising his hands and taking a step back.
"I might ask the same of you," Spock countered moving forward a little way. Christof heaved an angry breath.
"Look you don't need to get in my face okay," he sneered. Spock glowered at him and moved closer. Christof huffed angrily, placed his palms on Spock's chest and shoved feebly as he tried to get past. Spock's brows furrowed in the fiercest expression Nyota had ever seen - she didn't realize he could even look so mean. She watched with wide eyed surprise and a hint of feminine awe as Spock let out a small snarling breath and shoved back.
Of course, when a Vulcan shoves a Human in Earth's gravity, the Human finds himself at something of a disadvantage. Nyota's jaw dropped as she watched Christof go skittering backwards to knock into a trolley of dirty trays that a first year cadet on mess duty just coincidentally happened to be wheeling by. Christof smacked into it with a loud, rattling thunk and a raft of trays tumbled off the trolley to crash loudly to the floor. A plastic cup clanged loudly against the tiles and rolled away with a scratching sound and when it came to a stop by Nyota's foot she realized the entire mess hall had gone silent.
"Jesus Christ you fucking psycho!" Christof screamed and Nyota gulped, aware of the myriad eyes on them.
"Ah, okay," she gasped hurriedly. "Spock I think we should leave." Spock was standing stone still, glaring at Christof with a look of pure hate and Nyota was shocked. She gripped his elbow and hustled back down the hall to where Professor Lamb stood watching with wide eyes.
"Ahem," Nyota said as they approached. "I think we ought perhaps to finish this meeting elsewhere," she suggested.
"I believe you are right, Lieutenant," Lamb concurred, hurriedly gathering their PADD into his arms and following them through the door.
Spock was silent as they crossed the quad, staring straight ahead with a look of horror painted onto his normally blank face. Nyota flushed hotly and tried to look at anything but him.
"I apologize for this incident, sir," Nyota uttered breathlessly.
"Well certainly noone holds you responsible, Lieutenant," Professor Lamb said reassuringly, rifling through the materials in his arms and reaching across Spock's torso to hand Nyota her PADD as they walked. "Nor you Commander," he added, glancing up at Spock although he didn't seem to be listening.
"Oh no," Nyota agreed, meeting Lamb's eyes. "Most certainly not."
"I realize violence is distasteful to Vulcans," the professor said to Spock. "But you mustn't blame yourself Commander. It was a most...unfortunate circumstance."
"Indeed," Spock croaked as they passed through the doors into the Linguistics building. Professor Lamb cleared his throat.
"Perhaps we ought to reschedule for another time," he suggested. "To allow the commander some time to compose himself." Nyota glanced up at Spock at nodded.
"Yes, yes I think that's a very good idea," she agreed, meeting the professor's eyes. He gave a brief nod and scurried away down the hall. Spock set off at once for his office and Nyota licked her lips anxiously as she followed.
"Are you okay?" she chirped timidly from the doorway as they entered.
"I am...disturbed," Spock confessed.
"I'm so sorry," she said, stepping closer.
"You do not need to apologize Nyota," Spock assured her gently. "You are not to blame."
"I know you dislike violence but it really wasn't your fault," she said, moving to stand beside him.
"The situation was...unforeseeable," he replied and Nyota nodded as she met his eyes.
"That jerk," she commented with an awkward smile.
"Quite," Spock agreed.
"Thanks by the way," she added bashfully.
"For what?" Spock enquired softly, looking at her with a confused expression. Nyota opened her mouth and then closed it again.
"Erm," she mumbled. "Well for...stepping in and telling him to...go away." Spock nodded slowly and dropped his eyes to the floor.
"I allowed myself to become angry," he murmured. "I am ashamed." Nyota's heart sank.
"Oh no, don't be sorry," she said sympathetically. "And...well besides, I...well maybe I should be ashamed too because..." Spock raised his head and looked at her curiously. "Well, actually I was quite impressed, flattered even." Spock tilted his head to one side and he seemed to her in that moment unbearably innocent. Smiling fondly at him, she gently clasped his forearm and then, spurred on by some primitive female response to his chivalry, she reached up on tip toes and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. She quickly pulled back and looked away, suddenly too embarrassed to look up at the look of mortification on his face but when she chanced a glance through her lashes what she saw shocked her in the most wonderful way. Spock was...he...well, he melted.
There wasn't a chorus of angels singing and no rays of celestial light but when Nyota looked into his eyes something happened that was utterly unexpected. Spock's brow twitched and he opened his mouth to speak but no words came out and they just stood, staring at each other for a long moment until they were rudely interrupted by the jarring trill of her communicator. Nyota swallowed and looked away, hesitating for a moment before coming to her senses and digging into her pocket for her comm.
"Hello? Oh hey," she said into the speaker, taking a step away from him. "Hmm mm, okay, yeah." She peeked up and saw him watching her with a look of gentle longing on his face. "Sure well I don't think that will be a problem, there should be a free pod in the library," she said to the voice down the line. "Okay, okay I'll see you there." She ended the call and gently closed her communicator. "Um, that was my second year," she explained bashfully. Spock nodded.
"You have an appointment," he said and she nodded too.
"I ah...I need to but um..." she turned to fetch her coat and bag from the hooks on the back of the door. "I'll ah...see you later I guess." Spock nodded.
"I guess," he uttered somewhat dreamily.
"Nineteen hundred," Nyota added, shrugging her coat over her shoulders.
"Yes," Spock replied.
"Bye then," Nyota said, giving him one final smile and heading for the door. They shared one last lingering look and then she was gone.
A/N Stay tuned for the conclusion coming soon! Cheesy romance ahoy!