Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Yeah, Bones, fucking hell will you chill, alright? I’m on my way… yes, I’ve got the- OH! HOLD THE DOOR PLEASE!!”

Severely late for his last annual medical of the school year, Cadet James Kirk was racing, quite illegally, through the Academy’s science wing. His best friend who also happened to be his doctor was going to be pissed if he had to reschedule the appointment. Again.

“Hold the dooooor!!”

A pale hand slid between the turbolift doors and Jim managed to duck inside right before they sealed shut. Heart racing from trying to get all the way across campus from the biomechanics lab to the science building, Kirk leaned against the wall and sighed deeply, closing his eyes.

“Thanks… not you, Leonard!” Jim hissed into his communicator, “Yeah. Bye!”

Blinking, Kirk opened his eyes, finally seeing who the other person in the turbolift was… the one who’d held the door.

The man was tall. Taller than him by at least four inches, and incredibly still, poised like a statue as he stared straight ahead with his hands behind his back. A classic at ease pose. Wearing science blues, Kirk couldn’t see a rank insignia, but there weren’t a lot of Vulcans enrolled right now so he thought the man must be rather new.

Perfectly cut black hair, straight as a ruler, and pointed ears… silently, Jim wondered if it was difficult for the Vulcan to make friends with people on Earth, since so few of his own people were here. It must be lonely. And as the foremost spokesperson for interspecies relationships- of all kinds- Jim thought it was only right that he extend a welcoming hand to this newcomer.

“Hi,” he smiled, projecting his voice. “Are you a new student? It’s just, you don’t see a lot of Vulcans in Star Fleet, so you got me a little curious.”

The man didn’t move at all, and when he spoke his voice was low and even, completely devoid of emotion or inflection, as if he was just reading off of a script.

“No. I am Commander Spock. I have taught Applied Physics and Molecular Science here for the last four years.”

Jim’s jaw dropped.

“You’re Commander Spock?!!!”

This time there was a faint tilt of the man’s head, and Kirk could imagine he had probably raised a perfectly straight-across eyebrow.

“Your reaction says that you are surprised.”

Trying not to sputter too much, Kirk stepped closer to the man and gave him an awkward once-over.

“Y-yeah! I mean, no… sorry, Sir! I just-”

God, how does he explain??

“...I thought you’d be older.”

The Commander gives him a pointed side-eye and Jim just about swallows his tongue when he sees just how physically flawless the man truly is. The confines of the turbolift start to feel just a bit hotter.

“I wonder which rumor gave you that impression.” Spock huffs. If a Vulcan could get huffy. Well, this one just did!

Jim stares awkwardly.

“Sorry! No, I mean… uh, you have a great reputation. Sir.”

A reputation for being pedantic, with lectures verging on verbal-marathons and test percentages so frightening that even Jim Kirk, Boy Genius, had shied away from taking his advanced courses.

Everyone also said that Commander Spock liked chess, herbal teas, and having office hours at 6AM in a book-ish studio on the top floor of the science building. Jim had obviously pictured someone a little older, like maybe Vulcan-grandpa-age?

He can’t possibly be that much older than me, Kirk mused thoughtfully, chewing mindlessly on the inside of his cheek while he tried not to ogle too much. It was a shame Spock was a Commander instead of a Cadet… how can he make standard-issue pants look so flattering?! Da fuk-

It turned out Jim didn’t need to worry about the moralities of staring at the Vulcan’s pretty backside any longer, because right then the turbolift jerked sharply and the lights winked off. The entire thing stopped dead as Jim was thrown against the back wall and Commander Spock braced himself against the still-sealed door.

Blinking, disoriented and trying to see in the dark, Kirk stammered in surprise and alarm just as the emergency lights came on overhead, bathing the small space in an orange-red glow.

“What the-”

Of course, Jim expected the lights to come back on and the power to return, since he knew these turbolifts had a back-up power supply, so when that didn’t happen he sighed and scrambled over to the control panel by the door, where Commander Spock was already pushing buttons.

“It appears there has been a power outage.”

Jim snorted. No, duh.

Unfortunately, where there should have been a lit button for emergency services and to call a systems repair team, the screen was just dead. Blank . Jim groaned.

“Bones is gonna kill me!”

His imminent death aside, Jim was not about to just sit here and wait for a rescue. Pulling out his communicator, it took the young Cadet all of fifteen seconds to realize that somehow, whatever was causing the power drain in the turbolift system was also jamming his com-signal. He couldn’t reach Bones, or anyone else.

Jim watched Commander Spock try his own communicator, but the Vulcan gave up when the machine only gave them static.

“Well, shit.” Jim sighed, rubbing his forehead.

This was not how he thought the rest of his day was going to go! He glanced up at Spock who was occupying a corner of the turbolift, still sporting a blank-face, though there was a bit of a pinch to those thin lips which could have passed for a slight frown.

“I believe that is an appropriate response to our situation.”

Shaking his head, Kirk unzipped the first few inches of his Cadet jacket, as the turbolift was beginning to get a little warm, and turned a gleaming-eye on the dead control panel.

“Oh no, Commander Spock. Just wait, we’ll be outta here in no time!”

Just need to slide the interface off like so… aha! Gotcha-

“You are attempting to bypass the safety mechanisms and short-circuit the turbolift power coupling in the hopes that it is a systems-failure repairable with a simple and crude power surge.”

Jim grinned, somehow finding the Commander’s technical jargon cute instead of grating like he’d heard from everyone else.

“I’m going to hotwire it, yes.”

While he got to work fussing over wires and cabling, he was vaguely aware of Commander Spock sitting down behind him. Normally, Jim would have had this bad boy up and working again in a few minutes, maybe four tops, but his attention kept wavering, being drawn by the fascinating alien he was now in extremely close quarters with.

When Kirk looked again, Spock had moved from sitting into a poised crossed-knee position, similar to a lotus pose… Jim had taken yoga as an elective during his first year thinking he’d get to meet some sexy, flexible hotties… in the end, he hadn’t really met anyone terribly interesting, but had enjoyed the class so much that he stayed for another two years. Now he was the sexy flexible hottie!

Anyway, Commander Spock was resting with his legs crossed and hands placed comfortably on his knees. His eyes were closed and Jim could faintly see some dark purple eyeshadow or liner on his lids, which he realized must be adding to the Vulcan’s cat-like appearance.

He likes make-up, huh? I wonder if he’d like getting dolled up for me sometime…

Coughing, Jim’s face heated as he quickly shook away those kinds of thoughts. Fingers still tangled in wires, he bounced from foot to foot, humming to himself as he worked. It was hard to clear his mind of the cute Vulcan in the room with him when the room was locked… and also only a few fucking feet wide!

“Are you, uhm… meditating?” Kirk cleared his throat after he spoke, finding his own voice a bit tense and awkward after that stretch of silence.

He knew Vulcans were known to meditate quite often to renew their mental shields, and he expected that would be true even more so for a Vulcan that lived on earth, floundering under the emotional rubble of the human race, et. al… but? Was this really the right time to just plonk down and start zoning out??

Jim heard Spock’s deep, melodic voice as he hummed softly, and then responded, as if this was a totally obvious next move…

“Indeed. We may be here for a considerable amount of time considering the situation. It is logical to utilize this time for something constructive.”

Grumbling, Jim muttered under his breath as he continued fiddling with the turbolift systems-

“I’m getting close… power will be back on soon…”

“Negative.”

Kirk paused. Gritting his teeth, he turned to the Vulcan and put a hand on his hip.

“Oh, really? And how did you deduce that from all the way down there, Commander Spock?”

Jim was mostly pulling the dude’s leg, but c’mon now! He could surely use some Vulcan attention-to-detail getting these cables straightened out!!

Spock’s eyes opened minutely. Enough for him to pin Jim with a little glare, the depths of which caused the poor Cadet to have a mild cardiac event…

Oh, Bones will definitely kill me if I have a heart attack because of some pretty, chocolate-brown eyes-

Spock shut his eyes again and Jim was about to just shake it off and continue tinkering, when the Commander replied.

“Due to the nature of the malfunction in both of our communicators, and the full black-out of the turbolift systems, there is a 87.3 percent chance that the area is experiencing an unforeseen meteorological event which has disrupted communications signals and implemented a full power drain. It is unlikely you will be able to achieve a full-restart to the turbolift systems, as during a power drain such as this, all secondary systems such as transportation are shut down as a safeguard against a sudden surge if the systems should reboot spontaneously. I have also determined that, should I attempt to force the doors open, judging by the time since the turbolift had begun its ascent, we are nowhere near an exit. I estimate the nearest one is approximately 3.7 meters above us.  Furthermore, during a power outage such as the one I have described, emergency teams are dispatched in a specific order, starting with the housing units, then the buildings in zones A through F. The science building is in zone F. They will check the turbolifts last, as the security-clamps holding us aloft will have been automatically engaged, and life support in areas such as these is always sustained through back-up generators which include safeguards. I have calculated the amount of time it will take for them to find us and determined it would be best served through meditation or reflective thought, as there is little else we can realistically accomplish. Your thoughts, Cadet?”

Hot.

Kirk was absolutely flummoxed by the amount of info the man had gotten in the exact same seconds Kirk had been in the same situation. It was majorly impressive and mildly terrifying to think what other kinds of things the Vulcan was capable of noticing.

Like my heart racing and my cheeks dusted pink-

Suddenly inhaling, wheezing a little because of how his breathing had just stopped when Spock had started monologuing with that big ‘ol brain of his, Jim Kirk waves a hand, realizes he is still tangled in wires, and tries to remember how to move his tongue to form words so he doesn’t look like a complete idiot in front of this man.

A partial idiot is okay. Jim is willing to live with partial…

“Great. Cool, yeah. I totally knew about that power surge thing. And the buildings. Emergency services. Cool, so we’ll just meditate then?”

Jim sat in front of Commander Spock and copied his pose, eyes blinking wide in surprise when he glanced up and found the Vulcan watching him with immense focus. Kirk’s skin crawled a bit, being the center of this magnificent being’s rapt attention, but the feeling was sort of like butterflies-in-your-stomach type of unsettling. He bit the inside of his cheek again in embarrassment and looked away.

He thought the Commander was just going to ignore him after that and go back to meditating. Maybe Jim could sneak a couple of glances over and get another look at that handsome face. Instead…

“You are the James Tiberius Kirk who was accepted into Starfleet at seventeen years of age, correct?”

Kirk gaped at the man, then laughed uproariously, slapping his leg like Bones sometimes did when he was a little too drunk and overly-excited.

“Hah! Yeah, that’s me! I didn’t think they were still making a big deal out of it. What? Did you see my name on one of those ‘You Should Enlist In Starfleet Today’ ads that they used to run?”

Commander Spock blinked those sweet brown eyes at him again and Jim smiled.

“Negative. I recalled hearing about your impressive record of disciplinary measures, and the lengths at which you went to contest each event. There has never been a student in Starfleet who has remained on the Command Track for as long as you, while concurrently being the subject of numerous disciplinary hearings.”

Jim probably should have felt embarrassed or ashamed, but frankly he was a little smug about it. Truth be told, a lot of it had just been the fact that he was a good student and he’d done his homework on Starfleet’s laws and codes of conduct. He was a hell of a defense lawyer… for himself. That was really how he’d stayed on the Command Track all the way into his senior year. Those old goobers on the decision panel, deciding his future, probably had a pavlovian response by now whenever they saw him walking down the halls.

Smirking to himself, Jim rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged in false-modesty.

“What can I say? ‘If there were no bad people, there would be no good lawyers.’”

Commander Spock’s fine eyebrow raised, clearly recognising the quote from the early 19th century novelist.

“And despite this talent you seem to have for the law,” Spock managed to sound snippy even with a controlled expression- “You still intend to command a ship someday?”

Kirk puffed up, grinning broadly as he jabbed a thumb against his own chest.

“I don’t intend anything. I’m going to sit in that chair, and soon. For me, it was never enough to just see the stars from afar. I’m going to get out there as soon as I can, get right up in their faces, and touch them.”

In the least pervy, most awe-inspiring way possible!

After Kirk’s rousing speech, he settled back against the door of the turbolift and sighed. Spock was probably right in assuming they were going to be here for a while. That was fine… maybe . The only issue was that Jim was basically the equivalent of a very literate hamster, or a dog who needed to be let out to run a dozen times a day.

If there was no enrichment in his enclosure, so to speak, nor proverbial fields to run amok in, he started to get a little… stir crazy?

Not wanting to inflict his leg-tapping/humming/ADHD on his new Vulcan companion, Jim tried to meditate for a while, failed, and then tried to recite the entire first three textbooks of interplanetary mediation in his head, just to keep things interesting.

It didn’t work.

“Ugh,” he lamented, banging his head on the door lightly. “How long has it been??”

Spock, eyes still closed, barely stirred the air as he replied evenly.

“Approximately seven minutes since you last inquired.”

Jim frowned. This was insane!!

Standing up, he tried fiddling with the control panel again, mostly just making a bigger mess than whoever would have to fix the turbolift later, but whatever. He was bored.

Eyeing the ceiling hatch suspiciously, Jim wondered if he would be able to reach it if he stood on something… like the strapping shoulders of a young Vulcan gentleman.

“Hey, Spock!” He grinned, gesturing.

“Why didn’t we think of that!! We could totally get out of here through the emergency hatch, duh! This is literally an emergency!!”

Thrilled with his new plan, Kirk waited for the Commander to share in his enthusiasm, but Spock merely batted his sexy Vulcan eyelashes at him demurely and said-

“The hatch is eleven point four inches above the extension of my own arm. As I am the tallest of the two of us, it was an obvious conclusion that this would not be a viable escape.”

“Spock, you could just give me a boost.”

The Commander’s eyes opened again, this time slightly wider, and again, Jim had to hold his breath for a moment as the intensity and utter warmth of that stare floored him.

Eye-contact is so… intimate, he realized for the first time. Have I ever felt like this before? Like he might as well be looking through my clothes, my skin, into my very soul??

“Hmm,” Spock murmured, one angled eyebrow raising and making Kirk’s heart skip a beat. “That is… not an option I had considered.”

Bouncing from foot to foot, Jim couldn’t help but grin, poking fun at his new friend a bit.

“Oh yeah? All those computations you made in under ten seconds and it didn’t occur to you that I could act as a Vulcan-arm-extender? Come on, Spock! Let’s get out of here! Want me to stand on your knee, or do you wanna- WOAH!!”

Jim exclaimed, squeaking slightly as he was suddenly lifted off the ground. Feeling entirely weightless and as if he was suddenly floating, he looked down and his mouth dropped open.

Spock was… Spock is holding me, like… really holding me-

Like, around the waist. He’d just grabbed Kirk like he weighed nothing and was holding him aloft underneath the emergency hatch, both arms outstretched as if he was trying to keep Jim as far away from his own body as possible.

It was… incredibly attractive, actually. Jim didn’t think it was possible to hold someone up like that as if it was nothing. Spock was really insanely strong!

“Woah,” he mumbled lamely.

Spock raised an eyebrow again and eyed the hatch, a small crease forming on his forehead. “Please proceed, Cadet Kirk. I am sure you are aware that Vulcans are not very comfortable with physical touch. I would appreciate swiftness.”

Jim balked, suddenly remembering.

“Oh, god! Yeah, sorry! I’ll just-“

He reached up, hands easily finding the ceiling panel. His heart lifted as it moved with only a bit of effort, and then he was pushing it to the side as Spock gingerly lifted him higher.

Once Kirk was able to lift himself onto the top of the turbolift with his own arms, Spock let go. Jim appreciated how Spock’s hands lingered by his body, as if making sure he was stable, preparing to catch him at a moment’s notice.

“Come on up, Mr. Spock! The view is just fine!” Jim lay on his front and dangled his arms over the edge, watching as Spock eyed his hands warily.

Jim wiggled his fingers, “I can put my socks on my hands or something if you really don’t want to touch me. It’s okay, I under-“

Warm hands clasped his own. Jim felt a flash of static and heat from that point of contact and he shivered, confused and surprised by how nice it felt, just this simple touch… Spock’s hands were soft-

Spock huffed, “Cadet Kirk? A little assistance?”

Jim blinked out of it and immediately began helping Spock up. It was rather quick once Spock got a hold of the edge of the hatch, he just pulled himself up no problem, the crazy bastard. Jim’s arms were still hurting from hoisting himself up, but Spock made it look easy! What was it they said? Vulcans had four or five times the strength of humans?! Jeez…

Jim surveyed the four walls of the turbolift shaft they were in, finding the service ladder which would lead up to the next floor. Spock extended a hand, gesturing for Jim to go up first. 

Jim suppressed a little smile.

Maybe he is interested…? Great excuse to look at my ass-

Jim was pretty aware that Spock was following close behind as he climbed, but for some reason, aside from making him nervous, it also felt a bit… nice .

He remembered how carefully Spock had lifted him up to reach the turbolift hatch, his hands lingering even after Kirk was safe, just to be sure. Jim couldn’t help but feel a little relieved that he had someone looking out for him as they continued climbing higher and higher up the shaft.

He wasn’t afraid of heights, far from it! But the journey definitely gave one a sense of vertigo that was just inescapable. By the time Jim had reached the sealed door indicating the next floor, his vision was spinning just a little.

Wrapping one arm around the topmost rung, Jim stood precariously on the ladder and attempted to open the door with the emergency override button on the side. It continuously flashed red, but there was power, so that was something…

“Cadet Kirk?” He heard from below.

Jim sighed. “Hold on, I think there’s something wrong with the-“

Loosening his grip, Jim was reaching for the button panel on the wall when he tipped just a little too far backward and his foot began to slip.

There was a split-second of panic, his heart leaping and his breath halting in his chest as he felt himself falling. That panic was seized soon after, when Jim felt one strong hand seizing his ass, the impossible grip righting him immediately.

“Waaah!” Jim grabbed onto the rung again with both hands and blinked, disoriented.

It was several moments later that his brain came back to life and started checking a few boxes…

Commander Spock saved me from falling. He saved me by grabbing a handful of my ass and pushing me back up. Commander Spock’s hand is big. Commander Spock’s hand is still on my ass-

“Uh, thanks, Spock.” Jim called down hoarsely, skin flushing bright red.

After another moment where he heard nothing, but was still being felt-up, Jim chuckled nervously and said-

“Y’know, you could at least buy me a drink first!”

Finally, Spock mumbled a soft “what?”

Jim swallowed. “Your hand is still on my ass.”

Jim finally managed to glance down and got to see a moment of confusion cross Spock’s face, before his eyes widened and immediately let go of Jim’s posterior.

A bit disappointed, Jim made sure to absolutely have a better grip on the ladder, and then resumed his task of opening the door.

Turns out his time back in the day working with cars did help them out, because he was able to hot-wire this door to release at least…

He and Spock emerged onto the next floor, and before Jim could even get a good look at Spock’s face and whether or not the man was blushing green, a loud voice could be heard echoing from down the hall.

Jim groaned, “What the hell, Bones?! Do you have a tracking device on me or something? That’s really freaky, you know.”

His informal friend and long-time doctor… or was it the other way around? came stomping down the hall scowling, which for Leonard McCoy was standard practice.

“Jim, I swear to high heaven , why is it you can never be on time to a goddamn medical appointment?!”

Kirk glanced pointedly and Spock and then back to Bones.

“Uh, I don’t know where you’ve been,” Jim snorted. “But there’s an actual power outage going on? I was just stuck in the turbolift with Commander Spock here, for like over an hour.”

Bones narrowed his eyes, then gave Spock a once over.

“Did he put you up to this?” Bones demanded, “Vulcans don’t lie, so if you say it’s true then I’ll think about not giving Jim the business for being a lazy so-and-so.”

Jim glanced up at Spock and pleaded with his eyes. Spock looked between the two of them, all traces of emotion gone, though his eyes did still hold their magic allure that left Kirk weak in the knees…

“Mn,” Spock said finally, crossing his hands behind his back. “It is true that Cadet Kirk and I were trapped inside the turbolift. Perhaps it was a localized power shortage, although the odds of that are very rare considering the whole system is on a grid.”

Bones blinked, then grabbed Kirk to whisper in his ear, lacking all stealth.

“Where’d you find this guy?”

Jim hissed, “I told you! We really did get stuck! Now shut up, since I missed my appointment already I’ll just see you for it tomorrow-“

Kirk was about to wander off but Bones grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back.

“Oh no ‘ya don’t! You’re getting you’re medical done today, right now in fact-“

“Doctor,”

Jim and Bones stilled. Commander Spock was… still here? Jim blinked, surprised to see the man still standing there when there was no more reason for him to be.

Was it just Kirk’s imagination or did Spock actually look kind of… shy right now?

Jesus fuck that’s cute-

“I regret to inform you that Cadet Kirk has another obligation to attend to before he can report to the medical bay.”

Jim gaped, stupidly mouthing “I do?”

McCoy, forever used to Kirk and his impeccable bullshitting abilities, was doubtful, but Commander Spock was higher ranking, and a Vulcan to boot. In the end, Bones really couldn’t argue.

Jim left with Spock, giddy as a schoolboy and trailing behind his new Vulcan best friend as they made their way, this time, down the stairs and out of the building.

When they got outside, Jim looked over at Spock, who still hadn’t uttered another word.

“So?” He smiled, “This other obligation I must attend to? Would you like to tell me what it is now?”

Spock paused, then turned to Jim, bowing his head slightly.

“I am deeply regretful for my actions and would be grateful for the opportunity to make amends. I believe there is an establishment not far from here that serves various beverages of an alcoholic nature…”

And then those deep soulful brown eyes were looking up into his, and Jim was absolutely blinded-

“I assume this is what you meant, Cadet Kirk, when you said a drink, although if you could specify the variety, that would be most appreciated.”

Cute. Fuck, he’s so cute-

Jim bit his lip to keep from smiling too hard and resisted the overwhelming urge to reach out and take Spock’s hand. Instead, he collected himself to the best of his ability and gestured for Spock to lead the way. After a mere moment’s hesitation, Spock did, and off they went.

Chapter Text

“Oh, hey! There’s a chess set at that table! Wanna play?”

It wasn’t very late yet so the bar was mostly empty. A lone bartender was wiping down a table and a middle-aged woman that was all legs fiddled relentlessly with the retro jukebox. Besides them, Jim and Spock were the only ones there. The vibes of the place were rather warm and cozy, and Jim felt right at home.

When he looked over his shoulder to see if Spock was following him, he instead saw the Vulcan giving him his, apparently signature, eyebrow raise.

“You… play chess?”

Jim snorted rather ungracefully and waved Spock over.

“I’m not just sexy,” he rolled his eyes, sitting down at the table in the corner which held a chess board in the center. He started to arrange the pieces.

“I do use my brain on occasion.”

As Spock settled down into the other chair Jim waved at the woman, clearly the waitress who’d gotten the short stick if she was here working such a slow shift. Jim could relate. Or, once upon a time he had…

“Hey! Two fingers of saurian brandy for myself and… Spock? You want one?”

The vulcan stared at him rather pensively for a moment, and just as Kirk was going to say no worries, that Spock didn’t have to drink tonight, the man jerked his head sharply once and hummed in the affirmative.

Jim grinned, “Make that two, please!”

“Sure thing hotstuff-”

Ah, what a nice evening. Sitting here, chess all ready and set up, flirting casually with the waitstaff while his super hot date gave him a sexy little eyebrow raise.

Jim Kirk really must be doing something right!

Kirk immediately took white and Spock black, and as their drinks arrived and Jim took his first burning sip, Spock gestured for him to make the first move.

“I’m wondering what my strategy should be,” Jim chuckled, twirling the head of his Queen between his fingers, already seeing several moves ahead in the game.

“Should I be trying to beat your logic here, or you?”

Spock surveyed the board, pursing his lips.

“One would assume they were the same thing.”

“Wrong!” Jim finally moved his piece as he shotgunned the rest of his drink. He knew he should probably slow down, but he was having too much fun to stop!

“Obviously you’ve taken leave of your logic tonight already. I think my best bet is reading… just you, and basing my moves on that.”

Spock’s eyes were like pools of dark water, and as the Vulcan took a tentative sip of his own drink all without blinking, Jim started to feel that familiar heat rising back up under his collar.

“In regards to my supposed taking leave of my logic, to which instance are you referring, Cadet Kirk?”

Jim waved his hand, “Call me Jim, please.”

While Spock waited for his answer, Kirk motioned for him to go ahead and make his first move. It seemed Spock was ready for that. He moved one of his pawns fluidly, all without breaking eye-contact with Jim, once again.

Kirk smiled, putting his chin in his hands.

“You’re here with me, aren’t you? That doesn’t feel very logical…”

Their game continued in much the same way. Spock, with his enduring confidence, his almost arrogant demeanor as he placed piece after piece without ever looking closely at the board. Kirk, already on his third drink by the time they were halfway through the game, relied mostly on his own charm to distract Spock, find weaknesses in his armor, and eventually, confuse him so much with his semi-serious flirting that all would turn out in his favor.

It had worked for him before. Repeatedly . Never with a vulcan, but there’s a time and a place for everything, he supposes.

“Most of my biology is Vulcan, but I do possess certain characteristics of my human mother,” Spock was saying.

Jim was listening intently, half-paying attention to their almost-finished game in the back of his mind. Genuinely though, chess could wait. He had taken such a sudden interest in Spock, not just for his attractiveness, but for his whole vibe. His enormous mother-fucking brain that, everything he opened his mouth, made Jim wet his panties a little bit. Gods, there was just so much about him that made his mouth water… in the best possible way.

“Interesting. But, you grew up on Vulcan?”

Spock nodded, placing another piece and taking another of Kirk’s.

“Yes. It was a… difficult period, reconciling the parts of myself that were unlike that of my peers. I have found humans to be much more accepting of differences such as these. It is one of the reasons I chose to join Starfleet after a near-perfect entrance score for The Vulcan Science Academy.”

Jim blinked, fingers toying with the rim of his empty glass. Spock had just finished his first…

“Near- perfect?”

Spock clocked him with those dark eyes again and Jim just about melted-

“I did not choose to accept their offer. That was, in their eyes, an imperfect decision.”

Jim probably had heart-eyes right now, just listening to Spock talk for the last two-ish hours. He could fall asleep listening to that voice, and also jerk off to it, but neither of those things were possible right now so instead, he rallied and tried to pull focus back onto their very challenging game.

Spock was definitely multi-talented.

As Jim thought deeply about his next play, he let his mouth distract his opponent… he was, of course, determined to win.

“Well, I’m glad you joined Starfleet. Or, well… I’m glad you decided to tell those Vulcan jerks to kiss your ass. Whoever says uniqueness and difference is an imperfection needs to have their head evaluated! Variety is the spice of life! Yada yada, suffice it to say that we are always better off for listening to and learning alongside the underdogs. They simply have the most incredible perspectives, wouldn’t you agree, Spock?”

As Jim placed one of his last pieces, primed and ready to execute a surprise hijinx in the next round and topple Spock’s queen, he heard a sort of breathy inhale from across the table, and as he raised his eyes to look, Spock was, once again, staring at him. It was at that moment that he also realized one of his knuckles was slightly brushing Spock’s hand. And… Spock wasn’t pulling away.

Do Vulcans really blush this green, or is the lighting in this room getting funky?

Their eye-contact was- fuck . Fuck eye-contact. From where their skin touched Jim was feeling all sorts of crazy tingles, warm and cold, electric zaps… it was like Spock was a live wire and he’d just reached out and grabbed him.

Watching Spock’s full lips part slightly as he inhaled was like watching a star go supernova. Jim has only seen a star do that once in person, but, yeah… the look this Vulcan is giving him right now might actually be even more amazing, come to think of it.

“Jim-”

“Here’s the bill, sweetheart. No rush.”

Spock and Kirk both jerk away from the center of the table as the waitress comes over. Somehow Jim loses control of his limbs. The piece he has goes flying and in his clumsiness he ends up scattering the rest of the board entirely, most of them rolling off the table and thunking loudly on the wood floor.

As Spock starts to stand to get them, Kirk stammers and waves his hands.

“No! I-It’s okay, I got it, Spock. Damn, I was so close to winning!”

He hears Spock sniff. “A draw, you mean.”

Kirk perks his head up from the floor, realizing as he does that he must have had way too much to drink, because the sudden movement from up to down (or was it down to up?) is really messing with his head.

“Woah… yeah, I don’t know what world you’re living in buddy,” Kirk says, returning to the table after gathering the wayward chess pieces.

“That right there!” He points, “Was a win for white!”

Spock inclines his head. “And then I would have turned it into a draw by performing the Chiswick Staunce maneuver.”

Jim’s mouth fell open. Briefly. Damn . That was like, some master-class level stuff. Spock, even one drink down, was a tough opponent.

Kirk liked that about him.

“I like this about you, Spock.” He says, after fighting Spock to be able to split the bill, despite Spock insisting it was his treat.

“What is that-”

“Ooh! Candy!! Sorry, I mean-” Momentarily distracted by the little pile of chocolate mints they’d left with the bill, Jim pops one in his mouth as he unwraps another for Spock.

Jim grins. “It takes a seasoned chess player to leave me feeling challenged, my friend. You are, of course, an expert in this as well.”

Spock accepts the candy from Jim, their fingers touching again briefly as he passes it over, and again, there’s that same electrical current that makes Spock’s ears turn green and Jim’s thighs clench.

He stands quickly, shaking his head to forget the sight of the way Spock’s throat bobbed as he swallowed the mint.

“Well, I think that does it.” Fuck, Kirk is terrible at goodbyes! Usually dates end when the other person is asleep and then he can just sneak away… no strings, no biggie.

Spock… Spock is a biggie. Spock is so much of a biggie that Kirk even accepts his offer of walking Kirk back to his dorm. Yes, his . Because Jim was a star student and a senior and he was bougie as hell. Also, no roommates of his lasted for more than a week.

Anyway. The night was cold. Colder than he’d been preparing for, so when Jim leans a little closer to Spock on instinct as they make their way back across the street and toward the residential part of campus, Jim is surprised when the vulcan lets him, eventually putting a light arm around his low back and walking side-by-side with Jim like he’s… like they’re really on a date.

Kirk doesn’t normally get butterflies in his stomach, but they’re there now.

The walk is entirely silent, save for Jim’s heavy breathing. They both make the somewhat laughable but understandable decision to walk up the stairs the seven flights to Jim’s room, even though being stuck in a turbolift tonight had been the greatest stroke of luck Jim thinks he’s had in years.

Finally, head still a bit swimmy from the drinks, face flushed from the chilly walk back and also Spock’s hand still cradling his back, Jim pauses at his door and manages a deep inhale to prepare himself for the inevitable awkward goodbye that is about to happen. This is going to suck-

“Jim…”

Woah, Spock’s voice was so low. So deep . Was Spock’s voice always this deep, or is it just because he was speaking right now into Kirk’s ear?

Wait, huh??

Turning his head, Kirk gasps softly at the sight before him. Something must have happened to Spock on the way over here because he looked decidedly disheveled. Alarmingly and attractively disheveled…

Spock’s cheeks were now tinged that bluish-green, his eyes still dark as night but looking somehow bigger, though his pretty lids were low and heavy. That soft mouth, like before, was parted again, and as Jim began to feel the cradling, overwhelming embrace of being pushed by Spock’s body closer together against the door, he also ended up listening to his own intrusive thoughts about this whole situation, reaching up a hand to slide a finger right between the vulcan’s plush lips.

“Mngh…”

Oh. Wow. What Jim wasn’t expecting was for Spock to let him leave it there, sitting on his tongue, his fingertip enveloped by his wet lips as they stared at each other in the charged silence.

“Spock?” Kirk was terrified to ruin the moment, whatever insanity had just come over them, but he had to ask.

“Is this… okay?”

Spock was fully leaning over him now, plastering his body to Jim’s own against the door and providing Jim with his delicious heat. In answer, a slightly rough tongue flickered over Jim’s finger, before Spock nipped lightly and Jim squeaked and pulled his hand back.

Half-hearted protests died on his lips then as, with a great big sigh, Spock grabbed Jim’s face in both hands and kissed him.

Jim lost the ability to breathe almost immediately at that slanted mouth curved entirely over his, Spock’s lips already damp and wet from his playing with them. Roughly, as their tongues met inside Jim’s mouth, searching, aching hands fluttered up to grip at Spock; his hips, back, shoulders, anything-

There was desperation in this kiss, but there was also something else, something other than just frantic mouthing at each other. This kiss was deep, it was passionate . There were places within Jim that Spock seemed intent on exploring even if that meant crawling entirely inside him. And Jim was only too happy to oblige.

Tasting alcohol and mint on the vulcan’s tongue, Kirk shuddered as he felt the hard press of Spock’s body against him, the long fingers gripping his face and holding his jaw open, the flutter of Spock’s eyelashes against his cheek…

Jim had never before felt that he was being consumed by someone, and that they were loving every second of him, but that is exactly what this felt like. His heart thudded painfully in his chest, shocked and alarmed, because suddenly, Jim didn’t know how he could ever go back to anything else. Anything that was less than this.

Another part of his body was also quickly gaining his attention, but Spock was hardly letting Jim breathe and so very carefully but also desperately, he broke from Spock’s mouth with a cry and pressed a hand into his warm chest.

“Spock,” Jim gasped for air. “Wait-”

A shiver raced up Kirk’s spine as he heard Spock whimper, the Vulcan still pressing as close as possible to him and now furiously mouthing at his neck, placing kisses and hickies all the way under his collar and beneath his jaw.

Blinking up at the ceiling of the hallway and its single flickering light, Jim tried to think. He knew he shouldn’t be letting this happen. It was… so fast, so sudden. Spock was definitely drunk or… why the hell would he be doing this?! Fuck, Spock would be really upset and embarrassed when he sobered up and came to his senses, right??

“Hah-”

It was a little hard to remember though, why they shouldn’t be doing this, when Spock dragged that surprisingly textured tongue over Jim’s cheek and then kissed him sloppily on the mouth again.

A thick ribbon of want curled inside Kirk’s chest, and without thinking he raised an arm to get a handful of Spock’s silky hair. Still leaning against him and pushing him hard into the door, Spock whined and went slack in Jim’s arms, shuddering and shaking at the firm grip against his scalp. As their lips and tongues continued to lazily slide together, Jim could feel Spock very slowly grinding against his thigh… was it just his imagination or did his pants feel a little wet right there? Hmm, weird.

Jim pulled Spock back by the hair gently and gasped.

“Sweetheart, let’s get you inside, a-alright?”

Spock blinked dark, heavy-lidded eyes at him and nodded, expression lax but eager.

God, Jim was not going to be able to resist this man, lord help him…

Feeling behind him for the door panel, Jim managed to scan his thumbprint and then the door whooshed open, spilling the two horny idiots into the darkened room of his quarters.

“Woah there cowboy-“ Kirk laughed, doing a little dance with Spock pressed against him as they found their bearings and the door eventually closed.

Spock was nuzzling under his chin again, making those soft, breathy panting sounds that made Jim’s heart weak, still holding on dear life with his long fingers twisted deep into his clothes.

Marveling at the beauty of the incredible man in his arms, Jim tried to soothe Spock with a kiss to his cheek and a gentle hand running through his hair. Spock whimpered again and then, what was once a heavy leaning, suddenly became dead weight.

“Oooookay, there you go! Just hang on, I’ve got you-“

Jim struggled for a moment to hoist Spock back into his arms, the Vulcan finally losing the war with consciousness and falling asleep standing up. Breathing heavily, still stiff as a rock in his pants, Jim managed, defying death in the process, to plop the sleeping Vulcan on his sofa… more or less on the first try.

Panting, wiping a bead of sweat off his upper lip, Jim kneeled there and stared at the man in the dark of his quarters, at those pretty sleeping features and his shuddery breathing. Even Spock’s hair, which moments ago had been tousled and woven through by Kirk’s fingers, was all perfect again.

He was so perfect-

“Fuck.” Jim sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face.

He’d really fucked up.

Spock… Spock couldn’t possibly want this. They’d only just met tonight, and even though Kirk was a slut, and regardless, had been sure about the man from the moment they’d laid eyes on each other, the Vulcan was obviously much more… traditional? Patient .

He’d invited Jim out for drinks as a courtesy, maybe even to get to know him a little. Wasn’t this all Jim’s fault, for letting things go so far? For convincing Spock to stay for just one more drink, and then just another until they finished their chess game?

Spock… he deserved more than a quick one night stand. Like; romance, and dating, and commitment and whatever the fuck. All the things Jim was terrible at.

Standing quickly, suddenly petrified by Spock’s reaction when he woke up, to what had happened, what they’d done… god-

“S-Sorry, Spock-“

Jim bit his lip, backing away from the couch slowly. His heart… hurt .

He realized he truly wanted nothing more than to give Spock everything. Everything he deserved and more. But he was Jim Kirk, and he didn’t know how to do forevers.

Deciding to move Spock to the bed for the night, hoping it would be more comfortable than his old couch, Jim used the last of his energy to hoist the man into bed and then tuck him in. He took off his shoes, but that was all. Spock was still wearing his full science blues, buttoned right up to the top.

Unable to help but feel guilty for possibly taking advantage of the man, Jim sulked off back to the couch alone with only his stuffed bear as comfort. Cuddling the thing practically to death, he breathed in the faint scent of Spock still left on his clothes and tried to fall asleep. All he could feel was his heart racing a mile a minute and the way it seemed to want to break out of his chest and crawl its way into that cozy bed with Spock…

Jim thinks he finally fell asleep around three, but he doesn’t know what time he wakes up. It must still be early morning because the sun still hasn’t started to rise. There is warmth all over him, and it’s the sound of someone saying his name that makes him blink.

“Jim…”

“S-Spock??”

Hot breath is exhaled over his neck and then Jim gasps when Spock bites down, eyes flying open as he jerks awake.

“What the-! Spock?!”

The Vulcan currently teething on his neck sits back and Jim finally gets a proper look at him. Spock, sitting alert and upright on Jim’s thighs on the couch, blinks down at him with a heady mix of excitement and intrigue.

When he tries to dive down again for more nips and kisses, Jim plants a hand on his chest and stops him. This earns him a little frown, tilting Spock’s pretty lips and making his straight eyebrows twitch.

Jim breathes, “Spock? What’s going on? I-I left you in bed, are you-“ he inhales sharply when he finally notices Spock has taken off his jacket.

Holy hell.

The standard uniform’s black t-shirt has never looked so unfairly good. Not even on Jim and he thinks he’s pretty fucking attractive… no, this is unfairly sexy. Spock’s shoulders and arms, his pale skin, the way the black stretch-fabric absolutely clings to every curve and plane of his lithe, athletic body.

Jim is hard again in seconds, sleep all but forgotten.

Spock is still frowning when Kirk finally comes back to himself.

“You left me in bed,” Spock is… Spock is pouting?!

Jim hears himself make a gurgling sort of noise, very un-sexy, as he feels Spock start to grind his hips down into him, pressing his own tented slacks into Kirk’s bare abdomen. He’d taken most of his clothes off before going to sleep, although now he’s wondering why the fuck he thought that was a good idea-

There is a Vulcan ass grinding into his dick and he’s trying really hard not to think about it!

“Spock,” Jim can’t help but gasp, reaching down and grabbing his waist in either a desperate bid to keep him moving or a plea to stop the torture. Those dark eyes gaze down at him, predatory but no less sweet…

“I’m sorry if I did anything you didn’t want last night,” Jim hurries to say. “It had been such a long day, we’d had a lot to drink. I didn’t think it would affect you so much, but I should have been more careful. If… if I pushed you in any way, I’m so sorry-“

“Stop talking.”

Jim blinks. Did Spock just…

Did Spock just tell him to shut up??

Hot.

Gaping, mouth hanging open like a dead fish, Jim’s mind goes absolutely blank as Spock, still carefully circling his hips, reaches up and begins to take off his own shirt.

Is Jim hyperventilating? He thinks he’s hyperventilating…

“You seem to be operating on an incorrect assumption,” Spock drawls lowly, long fingers finding the edge of his shirt and slowly, painfully slowly pulling it up, then finally over his head.

Jim… drools a little bit. Maybe. It can’t be proven!

With Spock’s beautiful naked torso on display like this for him, what is a poor Jim Kirk to do except touch? His hands reach up, almost without meaning to, and when he finally trails a light finger down the center of the Vulcan’s sternum, he hears and feels Spock shudder and flinch.

Jim’s pants are becoming extremely uncomfortable now.

“…am I?” Kirk doesn’t even remember what they were talking about. He thinks Spock was telling him to shut up. He thinks he liked it.

“Mn.” Spock’s deep, whispery voice sends tendrils of warmth down Jim’s spine, and he flexes into the feeling unconsciously, arching his hips up under Spock, who inhales a little and then grinds down against Jim furiously, planting his hands on Jim’s chest and bending down to reattach his mouth to the human’s throat.

Jim moans.

“You still think I don’t want this…” Spock’s tongue is still as rough as he remembers it being last night.

Jim closes his eyes, reaching up with shaking hands to grab at the Vulcan’s back and bare shoulders, so much warm skin for him to touch and stroke. His lungs feel like they’re going to explode.

“O-Oh yeah?” He pants.

“Yeah,” Spock seems to mock him, even as he slides a hand up Jim’s chest and taps a long finger across Kirk’s open lips, looking thoughtful.

“Did you know that even after consuming alcohol Vulcans do not suffer the same symptoms that humans do? Suffice to say, my species cannot get drunk like you on distilled spirits.”

Hearing Spock’s big brain working again makes Jim’s ridiculous cock twitch in his pants. He moans. He might cry a little. It’s all too much…

“But-“ he gasps, “You were totally drunk last night! You passed out! I was worried I was… hurting you or something!”

Spock leans back a few inches, abandoning Jim’s throat to stare deeply into his eyes. Jim does a very good job not swallowing his tongue and then does choke a little on his own spit when Spock huffs at him, a soft green blush spilling over his cheeks and ears as he softly says-

“It was the chocolate mint.”

Jim blinks dumbly. He feels very dumb right now…

“Mint?”

Spock shakes his head, tracing his fingers one more time over Jim’s mouth, like he’s distracted by it.

“Chocolate. The ones that came with the bill. Vulcans are highly sensitive to one of the prime ingredients of chocolate. If ingested without having recently taken in other nutrients, the cocoa reacts strongly with the neurotransmitters in our prefrontal cortex, acting similarly as alcohol does on humans. Dopamine is released, and our inhibitions lower.“

Jim blinks, “So… you were drunk? On cocoa?”

Spock nods, then makes Jim shiver as he starts shifting his hips back a little, purposely aligning their cocks to slide against each other, the friction just this side of too much. Jim feels like he’s flying too close to the sun.

“Our ability to perceive the resonance coming from another person’s psy-receptors is also highly aroused…”

Spock somehow makes that sentence the sexiest thing Jim’s ever heard, and suddenly Jim’s hands which were on Spock’s waist have traveled to his ass and holy fuck-

“You have a great ass-“ Jim gasps feverishly.

Spock gives a little jerk of his head and pushes back into Jim’s hands?!!??!!!

“Mn. As do you.”

Okay. Fuck. So, they’re really doing this!

Spock actually wants to do this.

Jim is going to do this.

“Hold on, psy-receptors? Did you read my mind or something??” Because that’s super cool-

Spock is already pulling Jim’s pants off from around his ankles by the time he answers.

“No. Strong emotions.”

As he settles back on Jim’s lap after taking both their pants off- yes, hello thighs! Jim also catches the faintest shy smile on the Vulcan’s face, which really just turns him into a lovesick pile of goo, honestly.

“I… felt you call out to me, Jim. Some part of you, maybe deep inside. It was…” Spock closes his eyes for a moment, brows furrowing. Jim reaches up to his hips again and strokes fondly. God, he really likes this Vulcan-

“It was… unlike anything I’d ever felt before.” Spock opens his eyes and blinks at him, “I still feel it. Where we touch. Jim,” Spock licks his lips- “Do you want to feel it too?”

“Fuck yes!”