The Observatory

It was three days into shore leave when Spock got a call requesting he meet up with Kirk in the local Starfleet base's observatory room.

"You requested me Captain?" Spock appeared almost silently in the observatory's main dome – "I was given to understand it was urgent?"

Kirk shifted a little uncomfortably and determinedly did not alter his stance, hands behind his back, looking intently and thoughtfully out at the sky.

"Urgent is such a strong word" he could not help but sound just the tiniest bit guilty – "I believed the word I used was imminently."

"Might I then require as to the cause?" Spock walked over to stand beside him, his eyes following Kirk's gaze upwards out the windows.

"I see" he nodded a moment later, as a streak of light flashed by outside – "Yes I recall the meteor shower was scheduled for this location, beginning tonight at ten thirty eight precisely."

"Spock shh –" Kirk whispered – "For once just watch the pretty lights."

Beyond the sky lights flashed and sparked like a more elegant firework display, all the brighter and more dazzling for their being in the midst of it. A display with more weight and worth, Kirk thought, unable and indeed unwilling to force back the spread of warmth that infused him at the sight of the cosmological dance outside. To know that they sailed a ship through these dancing waters shuddered something inside him that skirted the border between the awe inspiring and the humbling.

It was only natural in this phosphorescent ocean for his hand to find Spock's.

"Captain –" Spock frowned, fractionally, though he did not, Kirk noticed, extricate his hand – "Am I to understand that you consider this some form of Romantic liaison?"

"Spock –" Kirk murmured – "You start upon the technical assimilation of a predictable meteor even with me and I will kick your unromantic ass. I know the science Spock."

"And yet you persist in sentimental association regarding the viewing of the event" Spock replied, in atone that could only sound non – judgemental coming from him – "Fascinating."

"I suppose it is strange –"

"To travel through the stars and yet still be mystified, intrigued in fact by them?" Kirk began to nod before Spock surprised him by saying, as they sat down on the observatory bench;

"No Jim it is not so strange."

"Spock I was all ready for an unweaving the rainbow speech. Don't do this to me."

"Of course – " Spock nodded – "It is no less important, if not more so to appreciate the beauty of how a thing works rather than the thing itself. Wonderment however, that spirit of curiosity – a thing I believe we both share – that can never be under – rated when it leads to the endeavours and achievements we see around us in our work every day."

"Spock" Kirk smiled, clasping his other hand gently and enthusiastically all at once – "You never cease to surprise me. Truly you keep unfolding like a flower."

Spock's eyebrows knitted a little;

"Captain – a flower does not keep unfolding, that would be –"

If Kirk had had a free hand he would have face – palmed.

"Spock!" he yelled, laughing instead.

"Might I make a suggestion Captain?"

"Of course you may Commander."

"Next time you require my presence for personal reasons simply state that in your communication?"

"That – wouldn't sound so great now would it Spock? "Would first officer Spock please rendezvous with Captain Kirk for star gazing?" – maybe not."

"Point conceded Captain."

"Just understand that next time I get you up here it'll be to talk constellation patterns and mythology."

"With pleasure Captain, agreed."

_x_

There actually is an observatory deck on The Enterprise, and I originally wrote this on there, but have since had it pointed out to me that a meteor storm would not be visible from a Starship and I am a total idiot (well that wasn't pointed out to me but is true all the same!) So I put them on shore leave which means this chapter doesn't really fit the theme but never mind, it's better than abysmal science :-)

On a side note, this was based on the fact that last night we got a fantastic view of a meteor shower in the north of England. It was all Romantic and stuff only the one time we actually saw a shooting star at the same time – cause we kept looking in different parts of the sky – I yelled in excitement, flailed and hit my hand against a bin. So there's romance for you.

In other news – I had to write something after seeing that and a return to my beloved space husbands seemed to only way to go. I realised, being able to pick them up like this after a while how much they really are my dearest otp. I love.