Leonard absolutely could not stop thinking about Spock. He couldn't stop thinking about how he was tempted to kiss him that one day. He couldn't stop thinking about the man- his face, his voice, his mannerisms, his eyebrows... Every time he did something or saw something, he would think, 'What would Spock say about that?' Or when he read or witnessed something interesting, he'd think, 'I should show this Spock- he'd probably find it fascinating!' He never actually did mention any of those things to the Vulcan, but he thought about it. Boy, did he think about it.
He really almost felt bad. He was Spock's only friend, other than Jim. And he just shut down on him. He was probably lonely. Probably about as lonely as Leonard had been for the past several years.
During dinner, it was just him and Spock, and it was borderline awkward. Despite all of the things that he'd been wanting to tell and show to the man, he was suddenly out of things to talk about. Spock sat there quietly, eating some cooked vegetables and drinking tea (as always). The man seemed obsessed with tea...
"Is there a reason why you drink tea all the time?" Leonard asked, finally finding something to talk about.
"Aside from the pleasing taste, most teas have calming and stress-relieving qualities." Spock explained, and Leonard nodded. He'd never really tried the stuff himself.
"You mind if I try some?" He asked, and Spock hesitated before nodding slightly. He grabbed the cup and took a swig, grimacing as soon as his brain registered the taste. He set the cup back down, and looked at Spock, who was watching him with an eyebrow raised in amusement. "It's not for me." Leonard grumbled, and gulped down some of his soda.
"I have observed that many humans are not fond of the taste of tea." Spock explained, making Leonard snort.
"Well you 'observed' pretty accurately. Humans tend to like much sweeter, more flavorful things. A lot of us don't enjoy your... leaf water." He said, frowning at the liquid of abominations.
"Admittedly, I did not initially enjoy the taste of most Vulcan teas. It is my inference that it has become a sort of acquired taste." Spock explained, and took a drink from the tea, as if speaking about it made him thirsty. Leonard nodded, and he became a bit warm as he thought about how they've indirectly kissed via the shared beverage. 'Damn it man, snap out of it!' He thought to himself. He didn't want to think about such things while the man was with him! Suddenly Spock was looking at him expectantly.
"You say something?" He asked, feeling slightly dumb for thinking so hard that he missed what Spock said.
"I inquired as to whether you would be amenable to sparring with Jim and I in approximately 0.962 hours." Spock said, and Leonard thought about it. Did he really want to deal with Jim tonight?
"Eh, might as well. Gotta make up with him eventually." Leonard grumbled, almost inaudibly, to himself.
"Are the two of you experiencing conflict?" Spock asked, sounding a bit surprised. Leonard glared at him.
"No. We're perfect. I don't like your tone." He said, and he thought that he almost sounded like a parent. Why was it that he only thought of being a parent while he was around Spock?! It's not like he thought the Vulcan was like a son to him or anything. Fathers didn't want to kiss their sons. Well, actually, it was sort of often that that kind of incest popped up somewhere. But that was beside the point! He stood up, even though he had barely finished any of his sandwich. "I'll meet you there!" He said, and left before Spock could say anything. He exhaled a breath of relief, and set off to his quarters.
When he got to the otherwise empty gym, Spock and Jim were already throwing each other around. Leonard stood against a nearby wall, crossed his arms, and watched them. Both men were already sweating slightly, and when their bodies hit each other, Leonard almost felt like he was watching a sex video. And it almost made him gag. It's not like it was disgusting, it's just that the idea of Spock and Jim together like that made him... irritated.
Jim pinned Spock against the floor, and that's when Leonard walked over to them, nudging Jim off the Vulcan gently (sort of) with his foot. Jim glared at him. "What? You know I'm not-"
"Yeah, I know, Jim." Leonard grumbled, and held out his hand for him. Spock could get up on his own. "Havin' fun?"
"Yeah, got him all warmed up for ya." Jim smirked, patting Leonard's shoulder. "You can have all the fun now. I made him come with me here a half an hour early so that I could get outta your hair when you got here." He winked with the eye that wasn't visible to Spock, making Leonard glare back. Damn man was so suggestive. It was a wonder that he wasn't an Orion in disguise. He waved goodbye to Spock and walked off.
"Well. Let's get to it then?" Leonard suggested, walking over and getting into position. Spock nodded and took position a ways across from him. Time for the close, sweaty, physical exertion. He swallowed, trying to ease his stomach. He could handle this. He'd done it before...
He was slammed to the floor too many times to count, before Spock helped him up once again and said, "Your mind has been wandering. Should we continue at a later date?" Leonard shook his head.
"No, don't worry about it." He said, trying to steel himself. Vulcans could read thoughts. He could not slip now. No thoughts of attraction or hotness or kissing. None of it. "Let's go." He clapped his hands together and got into position. Spock gave him the chance to go first, so he took it in his stride- a new ambition to win coming over him.
He and Spock tumbled to the floor, with Leonard landing on top of him. He pushed himself up painfully, catching his breath and looking down at the Vulcan. His mind flashed again to the desire to kiss him, and he looked down at his mouth. Dry from exertion, but still smooth and luscious... He looked into his eyes. Spock probably knew what he was thinking about, and yet he wasn't reacting to it. But he wasn't pushing him away either.
He swallowed hard, and glanced at Spock's lips again. He could just inch closer. That's all it would take. He lowered himself down slowly, angling his head. Once he was close, so close, he shut his eyes. He hesitated again, briefly, but went even lower until their lips finally touched. His heart beating unhealthily fast, Leonard could feel his face blushing slightly, but he couldn't bring himself to pull away.
The feel of Spock's lips on his was so sensually harmonic, his whole mind was filled with nothing but pleasurable feelings. But then realization hit him- that he was actually KISSING SPOCK- and he pulled away quickly, and scrambled off of him. "I'm... I'm so sorry." He said, and they both stood up. Spock raised an eyebrow at him, his cheeks lightly flushed green.
"If you were truly sorry, then you would not have done it." He countered, making Leonard feel like shit.
"I... If you didn't..." He tried speaking, but his mouth stopped working. His mind was frantic. He just kissed Spock. Was Spock mad? Was he regretting not moving when he had the chance? Did he want to kill him? Damn it, he didn't know what the asshole was thinking!
"I had not expected you to act upon those thoughts." Spock said, stepping closer to him. Leonard mentally braced himself for the punch. He knew it was coming. He was already mapping out his hours in sickbay after all was said and done. "I am pleased." Leonard frowned at him.
"You... what?" He asked, not believing it. He thought Spock was pissed at him. "You don't look like it." He grumbled, gesturing towards that stoic, emotionless face.
"Do you wish to pursue a romantic relationship with me?" Spock asked out of the blue, and Leonard was taken aback. A relationship? With Spock? A romantic one?! What would that entail? What would it be like?
"How would I know if you're feeling anything?" Leonard asked, and Spock almost looked annoyed.
"You of all people should know that I feel a great deal." Spock snapped, making Leonard feel bad. "Although I prefer to suppress my emotions, I am seldom completely successful in doing so."
"Which is totally fine!" Leonard exclaimed. "You don't have to suppress your feelings around me. You've never had to! All I've ever wanted was to see you feel something." Spock stared at him, not replying, which made him almost regret saying that. "If you want to be in a relationship with me, then... I'm okay with it too."
"You are 'okay' with it?" Spock asked, seeming skeptical.
"Come on, Spock, you know I'm nervous!" Leonard admitted, to which Spock nodded, making him feel even more anxiety about it all.
"As am I." Spock said, making Leonard glare. "Can you not tell?" He asked, and he glared even more.
"No." He said before coming closer to him. There weren't even any clues. He could tell (usually) when Spock was angry, amused, or sad, but now he was like a brick wall. No clues. No hints. Nothing. "Would it hurt you to smile? Your steeled face makes me feel like you're not happy at all about this." He said, no doubt sounding a bit whiny, but who cared?! It was an emotional moment, damn it!
"Do not think such things, Leonard." Spock said quietly. "I am very... happy." The corner of his mouth quirked up the slightest bit, making Leonard grin immediately.
"Well damn it all to hell..." Leonard exclaimed quietly, shaking his head. "So you do feel after all." At that, Spock flat out glared at him, making him burst out laughing. "It was a joke! A joke! I had to get rid of some of my tension." He said, and sobered quickly.
"You are not taking this seriously." Spock assumed- which really made an ass out of both of them- and Leonard shook his head.
"I am. I really am. This is the most serious thing that's happened to me in a long time. And I'm scared. Excited, happy, and scared." He explained, giving out enough emotion for the both of them. He was only a sap sometimes. Only when the situation merited it.
"Shall we leave?" Spock suggested, walking away, and Leonard glared and caught up to him.
"You bastard, you completely blew me off there." He complained, trying to read Spock's face, but it was placid.
"I merely left the conversation to be continued at another time." Spock countered. Leonard wondered what in the hell he was doing, dating a man like that. Wow. He was dating Spock. They were boyfriends. Leonard had a BOYfriend. Never thought he'd see the day...
They walked out of the gym, and set off to Spock's quarters, since it was closest. Even so, it was still quite a ways away. The ship held about four hundred people, after all. It was like a tiny town. He looked over at Spock as they walked, who glanced over at him only briefly before continuing to look forward in a dignifying way. Leonard tried not to roll his eyes as he also looked ahead. The halls there were almost empty- only a few ensigns were wandering around. He looked down at Spock's hand, and before he could change his mind, he grabbed it.
"If you insist on holding my hand, then I suggest that you clear your thoughts of anything unwanted." Spock warned, but nonetheless blushed slightly and grasped his hand. "I hope you remember enough about Vulcan physiology to also know that our hands are quite sensitive. So please don't... move them together very much."
"No problem." Leonard said, even though he held no truth onto that answer. He wondered just how sensitive the hands were. Didn't Vulcans kiss with their hands? Or was that another species?
"There is the Vulcan kiss- in which both people slide their middle and index fingers together. If two people were to hold hands in a Vulcan vicinity, it would be seen as something quite vulgar." Spock explained, and Leonard nodded. So they were practically breaking the rules of Vulcan etiquette. He ran his thumb across the back of Spock's hand in thought, causing him to pull away immediately. "You lost your privilege." Spock said sternly, clenching his fist shut and blushing slightly. Leonard didn't know whether to feel victorious that he made the Vulcan feel something, or to feel disappointed that he lost his hand-holding privileges. Eh, he'd get it back eventually. No problem.
They walked in silence before reaching the door Spock's quarters. They stopped, facing each other. "Goodnight, Spock." Leonard said, smiling ever so slightly at the man.
"Goodnight, Leonard." Spock replied, which was one of the first times that he had actually said his first name out loud. Leonard leaned in slowly, and kissed him lightly. The press of their lips together felt amazingly sweet, but was finished as quickly as it began. Spock retired into his room, and Leonard sighed and took off to his own quarters.
What had he gotten himself into?