Author's Chapter Notes:
Ugh, the conversation in this one was difficult for me. I had to force it all. I don't think it turned out too bad. Hopefully you guys think so too.
The newly introduced couple stood silently in the middle of the spacious room. There was a bit of awkward shifting before they spotted apparel laid out on the bed for the banquet. They each took their respective outfits, thankful for something to occupy them. Spock gave a shallow bow before retreating to the ensuite bath, giving James his privacy.
Spock looked at the outfit that had been picked for him. It appeared to be some form of human formal wear consisting of an embroidered green waistcoat, grey slacks, a white button up shirt and a tailed jacket. Spock thought it was alien to him but he supposed it was for their sake of not standing out too badly at the party. He slipped on the clothing and smoothed it out, making sure to get rid of any wrinkles. Spock rapped three short knocks on the door to inform James of his presence.
The more adjusted clothing gave Spock a better view of his future husband's figure. The outfit was quite similar to his, only with a brown waistcoat and different style of jacket. The slacks emphasized the length of his legs attractively and Spock flushed slightly.
"Hey are you okay? You look pretty sick. Your face is all green." Jim asked with confusion. He had never seen anyone's face actually turn green.
"No, my blood is green. It is a Vulcan trait. I assure you I am not…ill."
"Oh, okay then," James nodded and continued to put on his coat. It took him only a second to freeze again and let a grin creep up his face, "Hey, that means you're blushing!" He walked over to his fiancé still grinning madly, "You think that I look hot don't you?"
The Vulcan raised an eyebrow, "Pardon me to disagree, James. Vulcans do not blush." Jim scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Sure buddy, whatever you say."
Spock straightened his spine and regained his composure, "Shall we join the others in the ballroom?"
"Sure if you want to go with your tie hanging out of your breast pocket." Jim teased.
"My…tie?" Spock looked down at the pocket on his chest to see it had a piece of silk dangling from it. He removed it and looked at it with confusion, "What do I do with it?" He asked, examining the accessory carefully to determine its purpose.
Poor guy has never seen a tie before, Jim thought to himself as he grabbed the green tie and wrapped it about Spock's neck, tying it quickly. "See? Tie. Goes 'round your neck."
A hint of a smile quirked Spock's lips, "Thank you, James." He smoothed down the tie and tucked it into his waistcoat as Jim had done with his own. Jim's grin fell and he walked back quickly. "I don't like you. Just so you know. I'm gonna find a way out of this, I know I can." He didn't want Spock to get the wrong impression about their relationship. He definitely didn't plan on getting married anytime soon.
"James, I fail to see why you are so adverse to our arrangement. I have reason to believe our relationship will be a…rewarding one. There is no need to treat this so…harshly, before you have even had a chance to know me." Spock had tried to be comforting but it seemed he had only angered the human further.
"Yeah well, you're not the one who's being thrust into a completely different culture. Let's go, father will appreciate us being early." James rebutted with a clipped tone and gestured to the door. Spock said nothing more and resolved to try again later. He simply followed his future bondmate out the door to meet Jane once again so she could escort them to the palace's ballroom.
The ballroom was almost blinding when the two walked in. Every surface was made of either glass or pure white marble. The numerous lights bounced off the polished surfaces and created an elegant atmosphere for the guests fortunate enough to be able to attend the engagement banquet. They could barely get in the door before a crowd of people had swarmed them and were animatedly asking questions of them:
"What's Vulcan like?"
"How will the wedding proceed?"
"Will you have an additional ceremony on Earth?"
"Is the cat purebred?"
"How do you plan on producing an heir?"
"What shampoo do you use?"
Spock, overwhelmed by the attentions of the guests, tried to squeeze through them, ignoring the questions still being flung in their direction. Jim tailed close behind. After a little bit of work, the two managed to break the crowd and enter a space where the population was less dense. They looked at each other for a moment or two, neither knowing if they were supposed to stay together or if they would be allowed to go their separate ways until dinner started.
They did not have to wonder long, the Emperor and Winona soon joined them, looking jolly, "Ah, splendid! The guests of honor have arrived. We'll be starting in about five minutes. Before that, we'd like to introduce you to someone, Spock." A coarse looking fellow nodded from beside the married couple, "This is Leonard McCoy, James' doctor. We thought it would be best for Jim's health for Leonard to accompany you to Vulcan."
"Pleased to meet ya, your highness." The gruff man grumbled in what seemed to be his most polite tone, offering his hand to shake.
Spock lifted his hand in the standard ta'al in greetings to McCoy, "Your logic is…sensible, Emperor. We will be pleased to accommodate at the palace. I will arrange for a room for him later tonight with my father. It is good to meet you doctor, I trust you will keep James in…good health."
McCoy cleared his throat uncomfortably and retracted his hand, seeing that he obviously wasn't getting the handshake he was expecting. "I'll try my best. This one never knows how to keep himself outta trouble for more than ten minutes." Leonard said, glaring at his patient. Jim simply stuck out his tongue at the country doctor, much to the displeasure of his parents.
"I'm sorry Spock, you know how kids are. He'll grow up eventually, you'll see." George said apologetically to the Vulcan prince.
"No need, Emperor. I believe it is a trait that could be considered...endearing." Spock raised an eyebrow at the flustered human and continued, "I believe we should take our seats. It seems dinner is about to be served." He recommended, motioning to the servants that were nearly finished preparing the massive dinner table for tonight's meal.
The Emperor nodded, "…Indeed. Your places are recognizable by your names on cards at the reserved places." People had begun to take their places. Winona was whispering and giggling to George as they parted with their son and future son-in-law. The family sat at the head of the table, with Jim and Spock, of course, seated beside each other.
The Emperor called a toast for the entire table once everyone was settled, standing and hitting a spoon on a glass for silence. "My good people, I'd like to take a moment to honor the official engagement of my son James Kirk with Prince Spock of Vulcan. It is a momentous occasion marking the coming together of our two planets. May they be happy and prosperous in their relationship and bring honor to both of our empires." The Emperor looked down to his son, who was glaring at him, but saying nothing. For that, he was grateful. "Now, without further ado, let the meal begin!" On the Emperor's command the servants brought out dozens of silver platters donning massive amounts of beautifully decorated food.
Spock took what vegetarian dishes he could find. He glanced at his fiancé's plate to see it was relatively empty and James was making no effort to eat anything there. "James, will you not eat?" He whispered to him with slight concern shown in his voice.
"No thanks, I'm not really hungry." Jim clipped, turning his head away to look at nothing in particular. Spock paused for a moment before scooping something that looked like mixed vegetables with a thick, caramel-like sauce onto the prince's plate, "I think you will find this…suited to your taste." He returned to his own plate in silence and continued to eat.
Jim looked at the vegetables on his plate. What the heck, it couldn't hurt. Jim scooped a mouthful of the vegetables into his mouth. Sure enough, Spock was right. They definitely suited his tastes. The sauce catered to his sweet tooth perfectly. He ate a little bit more before pushing his plate away and continuing to look at nothing. Spock's lip twitched, pleased with his triumph over the stubborn James Kirk.
The rest of the evening progressed with relative quiet, few words were exchanged and the couple was informed that they would be leaving at dawn for Vulcan. When the meal ended they said their goodbyes to each other and retired to their separate quarters for the night. Neither of them slept.
Chapter End Notes:
So there we go. Again, let me know if there's anything you want to see in the next chapter. Sorry if I portrayed any part of the banquet inadequately, I've never been to one myself. That's about it, thanks for reading!