Disclaimer: I don't own anything Star Trek it is all property of Gene Roddenberry, J.J. Abrams, Paramount, and whoever else owns rights to the franchise. I am not making any profits off of this so please don't sue me.
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Chapter 29
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The sun rose bright and hot over the desert planes of Vafer-Tor. A pair of dark eyes blinked open with the new morning light that softly streamed into his bedroom area through the arched window nearby. It did not take very long for Spock to regain his barring in regards to his surroundings. Just seconds after first waking from his slumber, Spock was on his feet and making his way into the bathroom that was connected to his bedroom area. Once inside, Spock quickly and methodically went about his mourning routine, culminating with a brisk, approximately three minute-long sonic shower. Once he was done, Spock emerged from the bathroom clad in a simple Vulcan bath robe, the clothes he had slept in having long since disappeared into the laundry unit chute within the bathroom. Without preamble Spock set about getting dressed for the day.
The Vulcan rummaged through the drawers containing his clothing and quickly grabbed up some undergarments before going about making the rest of his clothing chose a simple Vulcan tunic that was a soft emerald green, and a simple pair of black trousers similar to the ones he wore when he was on duty. Spock donned his chosen garments and then went about preparing for his usual morning session of deep meditation.
Spock had just laid out a simple meditation mat before the arched window when he was struck by a sudden desire. Feeling the tips of his eyes grow warm and flushed a light olive green, Spock abandoned his meditation mat and quietly exited his bedroom area. With all the stealth his Vulcan heritage provided him Spock made his way across to the doorway of the other bedroom area that made up the guest quarters.
Once he was at this doorway Spock partially pressed himself against the stone that comprised the sides of the doorway and carefully peered inside. Spock felt his heart beat faster in his side when his dark eyes fell on the bedroom area's lone occupant who was still sound asleep.
Where he lay beneath the covers of his bed, Jim Kirk looked the picture of peace. In the dimness of the room which the morning light had only just begun to permeate through, Jim look truly breathtaking. It took all of Spock's will not to simply barrel the rest of the way into Jim's bedroom and wake the human up simply so he could kiss him senseless.
During his time as Starfleet Academy, Spock had read many works of Terran literature dating back to the old ages. The words and their meaning had made very little sense to Spock and his Vulcan logic. The descriptions of beauty and the awe it inspired in the beholder had always been something foreign and illogical to Spock.
But now as Spock stood there gazing upon Jim's sleeping countenance, the Vulcan could say with certainty that at the very least, he was beginning to understand what those Terran writers of old had meant within their written words of such things as beauty that could melt the hardest heart and bring even the most jaded of men to their knees.
Thankfully, Spock did not physically feel like his heart was melting, or that he would actually collapse into an undignified heap on the floor, but he did feel this strange warmth course through his very being. If it were up to him, Spock was sure that he could spend the whole of this new day simply standing where he was, gazing at his love. But seeing as to how that would not be conductive to anything, and that he had a very active day planned for himself and Jim, Spock reluctantly moved.
Still employing his Vulcan stealth Spock slowly crept into Jim's bedroom and made his way to the sleeping young man's side. Then very slowly Spock sank to one knee beside the bed and leaned forward so that he was hovering a sparse distance from Jim's sleeping face
Spock took another moment simply to admire Jim for the handsome young man he was before he gathered his courage and leaned forward the rest of the way. Spock brushed his lips against the arch of Jim's cheek. It was the barest of touches, but the contact sent a tingling thrill through Spock none the less.
Spock drew back and spoke, his voice a light whisper.
" I love you."
To Spock's silent relief, Jim did not stir from either the barely their kiss he had just received, or Spock's whispered declaration. With reluctance, Spock rose from where he kneeled and with a lingering look of veiled longing, he turned and silently made his retreat.
But as he left, Spock didn't see the pair of sapphire blue eyes that slowly opened halfway and watched him as he made his exit.
A small smile curled up the corners of Jim's lips as he watched Spock disappear through the doorway. Spock had not been as stealthy as he had liked to have believed himself, and Jim had felt and heard everything, but had chosen to spare the Vulcan from embarrassment and kept up the semblance of being asleep.
With a small sigh Jim closed his eyes and drifted off back to sleep with a smile still on his face.
Jim may have spared Spock some embarrassment just now, but there was still a whole day ahead for him to take the opportunity to turn his Vulcan's pointed ears a lovely shade of green.
Spock quietly re-entered his own bedroom area after his impromptu visit to Jim. Wanting to calm his many racing thoughts, Spock quickly made his way to the arched window where he had first laid out the meditation mat he had abandoned. Gracefully sinking down onto his knees on the mat, Spock let the early morning sun gently bath him in its warmth as he slowed his breathing down to a calm rhythm and cleared his mind of all his swirling thought, for the time being at least. And so, for the next few hours Spock lost himself in mediation.
But for all of Spock's mental capability and control, he could not keep thoughts of the individual sleeping in the other bedroom area very far from his mind, nor did he even try to protest this.
Two hours later...
Sarek's house was still and quiet with the early morning as Spock slowly padded down the main hallway that led into the structure's center. Spock silently entered the living room area and made his way straight across to the door that led outside to the veranda.
The moment he stepped outside, Spock was bathed in the early morning light. Had Jim been out here at this hour, he probably would have collapsed from the heat, but to Spock the warmth of the New Vulcan sun was pleasant against his skin.
Spock slowly made his way across the veranda and came to stand at the railing. Dark eyes slowly traveled across the desert plain that surrounded the entire house. The land was a rich and earthy auburn hugh, with a touch of gold from the newly risen sun. Far away in the distance loomed the small chain of mountains painted black against the sun, marking the very last outskirts of the Vulcan colony.
Spock stared out at the vast terrain and contemplated various things that ranged from what he had planned for the day with Jim, to elder Selik's words from the previous evening. So deep was Spock in his thoughts that he almost did not hear the soft sound of approaching feet, almost. Spock turned around and was met with the sight of his father, dressed in a simple light brown tunic and dark green trousers, over which was a light, long jacket of the same dark green.
" Greetings to you Sa-fu." Sarek said as he approached Spock and came to stand beside him.
" I greet you in turn, Sa-mekh." Spock replied with a small nod.
" James still sleeps?" Sarek asked.
" Yes father, as you know humans require at least eight hours of sleep for optimal function, Jim has only had approximately six point three hours so far." Spock replied.
" That is well, for I desire to speak with you my son." Sarek said while giving Spock a knowing look.
" Indeed father." Spock said, all the while trying his best to quash the sudden urge to squirm beneath his father's serious gaze.
" Come my son, let us be seated and converse." Sarek said as he gestured towards the plush chairs that stood over by the other side of the veranda.
Spock gave a nod and wordlessly followed his father across the veranda. When father and son reached the veranda chairs, they each took respective seats and sat in silence for a long moment before Spock finally spoke.
" What is it you wished to discuss with me father? He asked feeling a hint of apprehension in his gut.
Sarek looked upon his son for a beat before he spoke.
" I shall start by simply asking what your plans are for the day." He said.
" I plan to give Jim a guided tour of the colony, culminating with a visit to the sehlat breeding facility." Spock replied.
Sarek nodded in approval before he pinned Spock a look and spoke.
" Now may I ask what your plans are relative to the remainder of your life?" He asked, deadpan.
" And do they include the young man who is currently still sleeping in my guest quarters?" Sarek added.
Sarek watched on in silent amusement as his son jerked in surprise and almost gawked at him in shock.
" F-Father I-" Spock began once his voice returned to him, but Sarek smoothly cut him off.
" I may not have the truly remarkable sense of intuition you mother possess, but I would have you believe that I was married to her long enough to develop a small sense of intuition of my own." Sarek said, before he looked Spock square in the eye and continued.
" You did not bring James here with you to Vafer-Tor just to see the colony, did you my son?"
Sarek watched as Spock's cheeks and the tips of his pointed ears flushed a deep olive green as he averted his gaze to the stone floor of the veranda. He looked for all intents and purposes like a youngling rather than an adult. It reminded Sarek of the times when Spock was a youngling, and they had sat together and spoke after Spock had gotten into a fight with one of his Vulcan peers.
" Speak my son, for I desire greatly to know if my reasoning is accurate." Sarek said quietly.
Spock slowly brought his eyes back up to meet his father's gaze, and with a small steadying breath, he spoke.
" Your reasoning is not inaccurate father, I did have an ulterior motive for asking Jim to come to Vafer-tor with me." Spock answered finally.
Sarek gave a small nod of understanding before there was a beat of silence between father and son. Then Sarek spoke again.
" I will respect it if you choose not to answer, but may I know what this ulterior motive is my son?" He asked.
Spock was silent, for once having difficulty expressing his thoughts. Taking in another steadying breath, Spock finally spoke.
" It is foolish and presumptive." He began.
" Let me be the judge of that my son." Sarek countered.
Spock sent his father a barely veiled look of gratitude as he spoke.
" While it is true that I wished for Jim to see the progress of Vafer-tor and that I also asked for him to spend his shore-leave here with me so that we could continue rebuilding our personal relationship, there is something else I desire to achieve while he and I are here for the next three months."
" What is this goal you desire to achieve my son" Sarek asked feeling his own anticipation growing with each passing second.
After another beat Spock gathered his nerve and spoke what would be among the most significant words he would ever say in the entirety of his life.
" Father, I deeply desire to take James Tiberius Kirk as my bonded mate."
When Spock's voice faded away after the last syllable, he was left in awe of himself for actually saying it, for laying his desire down before his father. There was no turning back now, he had made his intentions known to his father.
Sarek for his part sat there beside his son in utter silence and with his expression blank and unreadable. The seconds ticked by in silence, illogically feeling more like hours to Spock as he waited for his father to give some kind of reaction, be it a good reaction or bad one. Let his father please just give him something.
The stalemate was finally ended when Sarek slowly blinked and then leaned forward slightly, his gaze never once wavering from his son's dark eyes as he spoke.
" My son, though you have reached adulthood, you will always be my child, which is why I must ask." Sarek began, his voice deadly serious.
"Does your intent to take James as your mate stem from true desire, or are you doing this out of obligation and guilt for the pain and suffering you caused him?"
It took all of Spock's will to quash down the surge of molten hot anger and hurt that rose up inside him at his father's words, but he knew that he had no right to get feel any kind of indignation. His father was well within his rights to ask for the true roots of Spock's intention, because there would be many lives affected by the desire that Spock had just voiced.
Forcing himself back into calmness, Spock spoke.
" Father, though I can say with a great deal of certainty that I will harbor guilt over the way I treated Jim for the rest of my life, it is not my guilt that fuels my desire to bond with Jim." He said firmly.
Sarek nodded in acceptance of this and then made a small gesture for Spock to further elaborate.
" This is not the first instance in which I have harbored the desire to take Jim as my bondmate." Spock began, doing his best to remain calm while a storm of emotions was raging within him.
" I was on the verge of proposing marriage to Jim, but those plans were derailed because of... what happened to Jim, and the part I played in adding to his misery. Father, I believed that I had lost Jim irrevocably by my actions, and yet against all probability Jim found it within himself to forgive me and take me back."
Spock paused here a moment before he looked his father square in the eye with quiet intensity.
" It matters not whether Jim chooses to honor me by becoming my bonded mate, I know that for a long as I shall still draw breath, to the very depth of my katra I know that I belong to only to him." Spock said softly.
Once Spock's voice faded, there was only silence and a kind of near total stillness as father and son sat facing one another.
The silence seemed to go on for eternity, and Spock fought the very human urge to fidget under his father's intense but unreadable gaze. This silence went on for the better part of an eternity before something finally shifted in the air between father and son. Spock felt his heart stutter almost to a stop when Sarek raised his hand and slowly began reached towards him. The younger Vulcan sat stock still, all the while wondering what it was his father was going to do. A moment later the silent question was answered as Sarek, in an unprecedented move, gently cupped his son's pale cheek.
" S-Sa-mekh?" Spock whispered shakily, for once ignoring proper Vulcan decorum, his eyes wide in astonishment as he all but gawked at his father.
" Be at ease my son, for all is well, better than well in fact." Sarek assured.
" You approve of my choice?" Spock asked, wonder clear in his voice.
" Very much so Spock, I believe James will be an excellent bondmate for you." Sarek said as he withdrew his hand from Spock's cheek and a faraway look filled his countenance as he spoke.
" Once more, I acutely feel your mother's absence my son. I have no doubt that she would have been pleased, but she would have gone further by being able to openly show her pride and joy, both for herself and on my behalf as well."
His father's words about his departed mother were like a photon-torpedo straight to Spock's heart, and for once he felt no shame as he felt his Vulcan control crumble, if only for a few moments. Sarek watched on in respectful silence as he watched his only child duck his head and blink rapidly in a bid to still remain composed.
Several long moments would pass before Spock finally looked back up and met his father's gaze as he spoke.
" Thank you Sa-mekh." He said quietly, all but whispering it.
" There is no need for thanks my son, it is only logical that you would choose James as your bondmate, considering how deeply you feel for him and he feels for you despite all that has transpired between the two of you." Sarek said.
" Indeed father, I am truly fortunate that James has allowed me back into his life after my own grievances against him." Spock said with a nod.
A moment of thoughtful silence passed between father and son before Sarek spoke.
" While I am in full support of your choice Spock, I am curious as to how and when exactly you are actually going to ask James to bond with you." He said, expectant of a speedy answer.
The older Vulcan watched as a light green slowly tinted his son's cheeks and the tips of his delicate ears as Spock spoke after a moments pause.
" I am not exactly sure when I will propose, only that i greatly desire to do so. To be fair to Jim, though I do believe that he would very much be receptive to the kind of commitment bonding with me would entail, I know for certain that there are issues that Jim is still working through." He said, all the while feeling a twinge of guilt and sadness for the one he loved.
" I take it that these issues you speak of are... intimate in nature?" Sarek asked with veiled knowing.
Spock could only give a mute nod . Sarek nodded in turn before speaking.
" It is quite clear to me that there is still much work you must do regarding your relationship with James." He said before continuing.
" If you will allow it, might I impart on you some of my own wisdom?" He asked.
" Of course father, your counsel would be most acceptable." Spock said, preparing to hand off Sarek's every word.
" This matter is a most delicate one my son, and I advise that you address these issues that still remain between you and James head on." Sarek began, pausing to allow Spock to absorb his words before he continued.
" By no means do I mean for you to force anything with James, for that would undoubtedly be disastrous."
" What do you suggest I do father?" Spock asked.
" Keep doing what you have been doing Spock. However, I believe that it would serve you well to be slightly more forward with your words, but subtle in your actions my son. As your mother in all her qualities often said to me, one can possess the deepest of feeling for another being in their hearts, but what good would any of the be if one cannot express these feeling, however loudly or quietly, to the one they are for?" Sarek said, smiling inwardly as memories of his beloved Amanda saying these words to him passed through his mind's eye.
It was several moment before Spock spoke.
" Your logic is quite sound my Sa-mekh." He said quietly.
" Indeed my son, but only because your mother's logic was more sound in regards to the topice we have been discussing." Sarek said simply.
Father and son sat in a comfortable silence for a while after that, each silently mulling over what had been said between them. It was Sarek who finally broke the silence.
" I am quite please as to what the future may hold for you my son, but shifting the focus onto the present, may I inquire as to your plans for the day?" He asked.
With the still early morning sun softly surrounding them in it's light, father and son began discussing all of Spock's plans for the day, mainly the tour of Vafer-tor he had planned to take Jim on, culminating with a visit to the sehlat breeding facility run by one Lady T'Sera and her family. Spock let his father in on the fact that he secretly planned on buying which ever sehlat Jim liked the most as a gift to the human.
Sarek greatly approved of his son's plan.
A few hours later...
Jim's face was held in a sour expression as he stared at the item he was holding in his hand. The item looked small and harmless, but Jim knew better, boy did he know better.
What Jim was currently holding in his hand was among the few things that were a bane to his existence.
A hypo-spray, courtesy of one Dr. Leonard H. McCoy. Held within this hypo-spray was the tri-ox compound that Jim would need to last in the arid New Vulcan climate and if he didn't take it, he ran the risk of some serious heat-stroke. With a resigned sigh, Jim adjusted his grip on the hypo and slowly brought the business end of it to the side of his neck. With a look of trepidation, Jim gingerly pressed the blunt tip of the spray to his neck and slowly brought his thumb to hover over the button that would activate the spray. After several long moments of debating with himself, Jim closed his eyes, inhaled a deep breath through his nose and then pressed the button on the spray to administer the shot of tri-ox compound.
Jim let out a low grumble as he felt the sharp sting of the shot. He opened his eyes and glared at the now empty spray he was holding with open disdain.
" I miss ya to Bones." Jim grumbled with a small smirk at he reminder of his best friend and doctor who seemed to go out of his way to spray him with these things every chance he got.
With a small huff Jim tucked the empty hypo-spray back in the convenient little carry case Bones had given him before they had parted ways for their respective shore-leave. McCoy had given him more than three months worth of the stuff just to be on the safe side. With a small chuckle Jim got up and placed the tri-ox case on the deck that stood by the window and stretched.
Dressed in a simple white v-neck t-shirt and worn blue jeans, Jim was relatively cool in his bedroom area, but still wondered how he would fair in the New Vulcan sun for the rest of the day he was going to spend with Spock. Jim let a soft grin spread across his face despite the lingering twinge in his neck from the hypo. He could hardly wait to see what Spock had planned for them to do for the day. He was most looking forward to the visit to the sehlat breeder Spock had promised to take him to.
Jim was so caught up in his thought about a certain Vulcan that he was thoroughly startled when said Vulcan's voice rang out.
" Are you ready for breakfast Jim?" Spock asked from here he was standing in the doorway to Jim's bedroom.
" Jeez Spock, way to sneak up on a guy!" Jim exclaimed as he grinned at Spock.
" My apologies Jim, it was no my intention to startle you." Spock said as he stepped further into the room. " I merely wished to ascertain if you were ready to leave our quarters and join my father for breakfast."
" Oh, yeah I'm good to go Spock."
Jim made his way toward Spock when the Vulcan spoke.
" Have you taken the tri-ox compound Dr. McCoy provided you with?"
" Oh yeah, didn't you hear me groaning in sheer agony?"
" I may have heard something, but I would not describe the sound as one of sheer agony as you have so put it."
" Still stung a lot though, and you know how much I hate those things on any given day, more so since I'm on vacation."
Jim reached up to rub the side of his neck to emphasize his point, his fingers ghosting over the small, slightly reddened circular patch of skin just below his jaw bone. Seeing this had Spock instantly struck with boldness as he stepped closer to Jim and spoke.
" Indeed, I have witnessed your aversion to hypo-sprays on many occasions on board the ship, therefore allow me to alleviate your discomfort."
" Spock wha-" Jim began to say, but the rest of his words were abruptly cut off as he felt a strong arm gently wrap around his waist and slowly pull him forward, giving him ample time to pull away if he wanted to, till he was pressed up against Spock. The next thing he knew, Jim was letting out a small gasp as he felt Spock's lips pressed against the spot on his neck where he had injected the tri-ox. Jim felt his eyes flutter on their own accord at the unexpected but not unwelcome. Without even thinking about it, Jim's arms snaked up and wrapped themselves around Spock as he chuckled softly and spoke.
" Spock, you sneaky humanoid jack rabbit." He all but whispered into Spock's pointed ear with a grin, absolutely loving the feeling of Spock's lips against his skin.
Spock drew back slightly so that he could speak.
" Forgive me if my actions have been too forward."
" Why would I mind Spock? We're together and you didn't overstep with me at all." Jim assured before a mischievous glint filled his bright blue eyes.
" And since you were kind enough to kiss it all better for me, I can think of only one way pay you back."
Spock and Jim drew back but remained in each other's arms as the Vulcan spoke.
" Jim paying me back for a kiss is totally uness-"
The rest of Spock's sentence was cut off when Jim swiftly pressed his lips to the delicate arch of Spock's pointed ear in a lingering kiss. The action seemed to make all coherent thought momentarily flee from Spock's mind as he barely bit back a gasp at the warm and unexpected contact.
Grinning from ear to ear, Jim spoke into Spock's pointed ear.
" Now I hope I haven't overstepped any boundaries with you, have I Spock?" He asked teasingly with a slight huskiness to his voice that reeked havoc on Spock's senses. Jim himself was pleasantly surprised at his own forwardness.
" No Jim, you most certainly... have not overstepped any bounds." Spock assured while unconsciously tightening his hold on Jim.
" In fact your actions are most pleasing." Spock added.
The couple tapered off into a comfortable silence after that, with the occasional chuckle from Jim, simply enjoying the closeness they were sharing. It was Jim who reluctantly broke the quietness between them as he spoke.
" Spock while I really really enjoying our current position, you did say that you had a lot planned for us today and I'm pretty sure that your dad's waiting for us with breakfast." He said with a bright smile still on his lips.
Spock drew back from Jim with a nod and reluctance in his heart as he spoke.
" Indeed you are correct Jim, in fact my father was the one who set me to fetch you in the first place." He said with a light green blush staining his cheeks.
" Well if that's the case, then we really shouldn't keep him waiting any longer, plus I'm starving so let's move." Jim grinned before walking off with a noticeable bounce in his step.
Spock quickly followed suit with his eyes smiling.
It may have seemed illogical, but as he walked side by side with Jim, Spock couldn't help but feel that today was going to be an exceptionally good day.