A/N: Nope. Still no excuse as to why this took so long to post up. But hey, it's here now. Enjoy! Please excuse any typos I missed.

Chapter 4

Leisure Time

"Now why the hell does everything need to be color coordinated?" Kirk asked sarcastically.

"It's all about the aesthetics, Captain," Uhura answered while lifting two different colored pieces of cloth onto the wall. She switched them back and forth while squinting her eyes to get a better image in her head.

"Alrighty then. The halls will have a small string of lights hung to give a vintage feel to them and I guess the bridge will be like the cool, chill lounge? The lights will be dim here. And then we'll make the C deck the main dance floor."

"Okay." Jim was lying against the wall, his gaze unconsciously on his first officer. He was tuning in and out of Uhura's conversation. As much as he loved her enthusiasm, she pretty much lost him after her long explanation of why ribbon leading the guest through the halls is important.

"What theme do you want for the main dance floor?" She asked him. Jim was observing how Spock's shoulder blades were visible through his uniform shirt by his slouch over his station.

"I don't know."

"Okay, well what's your favorite color?" Uhura asked once more.

"Blue." Jim spoke instinctively. He blinked at his response.

"Really? Well I guess we can do blue tones. I can see that working." Uhura twiddled with her pony tail. Jim took himself by surprise. Was blue his favorite color?

Then he realized he was staring at Spock's shirt.

"Chekov! We need to buy the flatware in different shades of blue! Add that to the shopping list!" Uhura called out before entering the lift.

"Brilliant idea!" Chekov answered.

Throughout his whole shift, Jim carried on with his usual work load which was reviewing numerous documents which all seemed the same after a while. He couldn't help but turn to see Spock's post every once in a while. He impatiently looked at his PADD. How long 'til their shifts are over? Jim was too embarrassed to admit but he made sure his shift aligned with Spock's so they can end their shifts together. Oh, great, only a few minutes left actually.

Jim started reviewing in his mind what other tasks he needed to complete on his leisure time. He needed to sign off many forms and...something else. He couldn't quite remember what.

He saw Spock tidy up his station and slowly stand up, still focused on the screen in front of him. Jim always enjoyed seeing Spock in his own little world. The way his eyes were focused on the screen, ever so slightly frowning while concentrating on the data before him. He saw him pick up his PADD and head towards the lift. Wait, where was he going? Oh right! Their shifts are over. Jim instinctively stood up too and made his way towards the lift.

What was the other thing he needed to do? Hm. Probably nothing important. Knowing that him and Spock both were on break right now made every other activity that did not include his first officer seem unimportant.

"Sulu you have the conn. My shift is over for now." Jim called out, picking up his PADD and heading towards the lift too.

"Yes Captain."

The lift opened and Spock made his way inside, turning swiftly on his heels to face the bridge and saw Jim making his way towards him. He pressed the button on the side to hold the door.

"Thank you Mr. Spock." Jim made his way inside. Spock nodded in acknowledgement and closed the door, the sound of floors passing them by hummed.

"Any plans right now?" Jim asked him, rolling his head in attempts to stretch his neck.

"Seeing as how I am not assigned much work, I will attempt to meditate in my headquarters to pass my leisure time." Jim couldn't help but feel happy hearing this. In other words, Spock wasn't busy.

"Are you in dire need of meditation?" Jim asked him. The doors opened and Spock motioned for Jim to walk out first.

"Not exactly." Spock raised an eyebrow, following his captain into the hall.

"Oh, so then you don't mind on skipping that and hanging out at my headquarters instead?"

"Do you need assistance in anything?" Spock asked. Jim shrugged his shoulders.

"Nope, just wondered if you'd like to keep me company. Gets kinda lonely in there. You can meditate there if you want." Jim smiled at him. Spock followed him without saying a word.

Jim sat at his desk, reviewing the files he had to sign. In the meantime, Spock sat on his couch, meditating. The room was silent, a comforting silence however. All that could be heard was a faint buzz from the engines of the ship. After half an hour of signing every other page he read, Jim huffed and placed his PADD on the desk. He leaned back into his chair and rubbed his eyes, yawning. He looked over at Spock. Yup, still meditating. Jim leaned into his desk and rested his elbows on it. He stared at Spock.

He laughed internally. He looked like a statue; he was so still. His porcelain skin made him look like a sculpture. Jim exhaled deeply. He was mesmerized by the view. He leaned to one side and placed his chin on his hand, still resting his elbows. A few minutes passed and Jim still kept on staring. A small smile crept on his face.

Spock slightly lifted his head and turned to look at Jim. It took Jim a few seconds to realize what he was doing and quickly sat up.

"Oh hey. Um, are you done meditating?" Jim asked, lifting his PADD from one side of his desk and then absentmindedly placing it on the other side. He tried acting like he was preoccupied but Spock noticed.

"Yes." Spock uncrossed his legs and stood up. Jim frowned. He was leaving already. Hmm. What was the other thing he needed to work on?

"Oh!" Jim spoke aloud. Spock turned to look at him.

"Can you review what I've written so far for the ceremony speech? You know, help me write it?" Jim asked nicely.

"I believe the speech is to be written only by the Captain." Spock placed his hands behind his back.

"Well yeah but I want a few pointers, you know? I need someone else's input." Jim reached down to one his desk's drawers and pulled out the PADD with the information the officer gave him the other day.

"I wrote a small portion of it so far. Do you mind reading it?" Jim walked over to Spock and handed him the device. He plopped down on the couch Spock was just sitting on while Spock stood beside him, reading the text on the device. A few moments passed by and Spock handed him the device. Jim looked up at his face for answers.

"So? What do you think?" Jim asked.

"You seem to speak only about the crew's efforts and accomplishments." Spock tilted his head slightly.

"Yeah. So?" Jim did not see anything wrong with that. Was he coming off as an ass kisser to everyone? Who cares! They all deserve it! Every single one of them.

"You fail to mention your own accomplishments." Spock paced around.

"Oh. Well, I was gonna get to that but I duuno, seems kinda awkward to write about yourself like that." Jim scrolled through the text.

"It should not be difficult seeing as how there are many admirable accomplishments to mention." Spock stated casually.

"Really? Like what?" Jim leaned in, curious to know what Spock admired.

"Your initiative to go after Khan, making sure Starfleet would not be connected to our party when landing on Kronos, protecting lieutenant Uhura, trying to save the entire crew by taking full blame when confronted by Admiral Marcus, and most importantly you aligned the core of the ship therefore allowing the ship to function. I fail to see how these accomplishments passed your mind, Captain."

It took a few moments for Jim to respond. He was washed over with many memories. All those scenes fled to his mind. The last scene lingered. Him, lying next to the glass door that separated him and Spock.

"Right." Was all that could slip from his mouth.

"You had many admirable accomplishments too, you know." Jim said, putting his PADD aside.

This statement grabbed Spock's attention and he slowly paced toward Jim.

"Irrelevant as they have already been briefly mentioned among the others in your introduction." He sat across from Jim on his other couch.

"Yeah, briefly. I didn't want to show favoritism." Jim huffed out. Spock tilted his head in confusion. Jim gave him a look.

"Oh come on Spock, if I had gone into detail about all that you did in order to stop Khan, the speech would take 3 hours. What you did was amazing. Beyond amazing. You saved the crew when I wasn't there to help. You even ran after him for crying out loud! Man, I would have loved to see you kick his ass. You helped me throughout the entire mission, which wasn't a surprise at all. You always keep me in check and I love that. You always keep me right." Jim's voice died down. He was babbling on too much. He felt his face warm up. Spock was just staring at him, not saying a word. Just genuinely listening to him.

"Sorry. What I'm trying to say is, I will forever be thankful for all that you did. When you were in command and what you did when we were in engineering." Jim's lips curled into a smile.

"I as well, Jim." They both stayed in silence for a few seconds. Jim spoke up.

"By the way, does the Vulcan salute have many meanings?" He noticed Spock tense up.

"Yes." He answered hesitantly, hoping Jim wouldn't press on the matter. Spock got up and made his way towards the door.

"Wait," Jim quickly got up to follow him and swiftly turned to stand in front of him.

"What other meanings does it have?" Jim asked, fidgeting with his hands together. Spock stopped in his tracks and slowly dropped his gaze to his Captain's hands.

"It has various meanings. Depends on the context and situation." He looked up at met Jim's eyes.

"So, what we did when we were in engineering. What meaning was that?" Jim asked, raising his hand in between them, making the Vulcan salute. Spock felt his ear tips start warming up. Spock wondered if Jim knew what he was signaling.

"In what context was that, Spock?" Jim asked innocently, having a clue as to what it might mean, but wanted to push the answer out of Spock's lips. He motioned his hand closer to Spock. Without thinking, Spock slowly lifted his hand, reaching to grab the offer. He stopped himself. He put both his hands behind his back.

"It may be done to give comfort when one is in distress. Reassurance."

Not the answer he was looking for, but still, comforting.

"Ah. I see." Jim said, slowly putting his hand down.

"If you do not need my assistance anymore ,Captain..." Spock motioned towards the door.

"Ah, right. Go ahead. Thank you so much Mr. Spock." Jim moved to the side to let him walk. He watched him exit his quarters. He stood there for a few more moments. The room felt empty once again.

A/N: Okay seriously I have the next chapter started, I will try to post it sooner this time! Favs & reviews are always welcomed loves! I love to hear what you think. I'll try to spice up the next chapter! xoxo