Nothing Lay Between (5A/?), Kirk/Spock, PG-13
Title: Nothing Lay Between (5A/?)
Authors: salvaged_pride and dancing_mercury
Fandom: Star Trek (XI)
Characters/Pairings: eventual Kirk/Spock
POV: Kirk
Rating: PG-13
Words: 5.711
Inspired by: This prompt on st_xi_kink: Spock is a Vulcan concubine/courtesan.
Chapter summary: Downtime in San Francisco leads to some interesting results.
A/N: Back to our regularly scheduled programming. This chapter was just big enough to require a split.
All Chapters || Chapter Four, Part C
It did not take long for Kirk to arrange the tour of the California Academy of Sciences, using one beautiful brilliant lady he knew there from his hand-to-hand classes that could kick ass and take names, so when he was walking back to the hospital gardens to find Spock and Pike, he felt pretty good. It would be something, he hoped at least, that Spock would really enjoy doing. He hadn't missed the way the Vulcan's face had lit up slightly at seeing the huge building, and well, he felt a certain level of...protectiveness wasn't the word. Friendship wasn't it either, they barely knew each other. There was just something that nudged Kirk to want to make the Vulcan happy, comfortable in this world away from his home. Guilt? Maybe.
What he was not expecting was to come back to Pike and Spock sitting on the fountain's edge, turned in towards each other, with Spock's hand on Pike's face in a very weird fashion, their eyes closed. Kirk hung back, watching the tail end of whatever they were doing. Just sitting there--then Spock suddenly opened his eyes, like coming out of a dream. As his hand slowly fell away from Pike's face, Kirk was shocked to see that the older man had been crying.
Yet a smile came to Pike's lips as he watched, a hand coming up and touching Spock's face for just a moment. He was a little too far away to hear what was being said, but he thought he saw the other man's lips form 'Thank you.' He also saw Spock raise his hand to touch Pike's, and their eyes locked in a silent conversation.
Then Spock caught a glimpse of Kirk. He withdrew his hand, and himself, from Pike, standing suddenly from his seat at the fountain as if he had been caught in some sort of infidelity. As he stood at parade rest, all the quiet, comfortable ease that he had the moment before disappeared to be replaced by a rigidity one could only describe as apprehensive. It contrasted sharply with the soothing tones of the garden.
Kirk walked over with an easy grin on his face, not having any clue what Spock had done, but the sudden change in attitude put him on alert. "Hey," He said simply, giving time for Pike to turn away, hands brushing across his face to remove the last remaining tear-trails. Kirk kept his eyes on Spock, respecting the man's dignity. "I'm all done here, but I've got an errand to run over at the Science Academy. You wanna come or stay here?" He ignored the strange look Pike was giving him as the older male turned back to look at him, face composed again.
Spock gave a brief glance in Pike's direction, before his gaze focused back on Kirk. He nodded once. "I will come with you." Some of the initial tension subsided. Spock brought his hands forward to tug lightly on the front of his science-blue shirt, eliminating the wrinkles that had formed in his hasty actions.
He's a little OCD about every uniform he wears, Kirk thought to himself in amusement. He looked to Pike and offered the Admiral a grin. "I'll make sure we come by before the Enterprise is ready to go out again." He enjoyed Pike's company, the oddly fatherly feeling that came from him.
And was pleased to see a smile come to Pike's lips. "I hope you do." They shared a handshake, Kirk bringing his other hand up and squeezing for just a second in a sign of affection. They shared a silent look, then it was over.
Kirk turned back to Spock and smirked. "Come on, this shouldn't take too long." With a head-gesture in the direction of the exit of the gardens, he started out that way.
No conversation passed between them until they were out of the hospital and into the taxi on the way to the Academy. Spock's hands folded neatly in his lap, his eyes wandered out towards the buildings they drove by, and a small bit of reservation still lingered in his manner. "What errand do you have to complete at this Science Academy?"
"Nothing major, I just found out a friend is there for the day, someone I thought was dead. I wanted to go see her." Not completely a lie. She had been on the 'dead' list because she had been on another of the ships that had met the Narada. He had freaked out when they had gotten back to Earth, having had plenty of time to read the lists that proclaimed who had been on those other ships, to find out she had been kept ground-side instead of leaving.
She was amazing at giving head and loved getting eaten out probably more then any other woman he had ever met.
Nothing more was said on the topic until they came up to the front of the Academy. It was perhaps the oddest assortment of buildings in the city. While most everything else was built out of concrete and steel (brick if it was ancient), the over-four-hundred year old campus had gone through so many redesigns, expansions, and upgrades that by this time it looked like a science experiment on its own. Green space was everywhere, an over-abundance of nature placed alongside copious amounts of technology and modern engineering and architecture. The outside walls shone with the characteristic gleam of darkest-black solar panels, accented by sharp, clean lines of steel pipes that twisted around corners and onto the roof. On the buildings (each its own height) were the half-domes of submerged, translucent globes, which occasionally crackled with a burst of purple electricity.
It was an area practically bursting with the pure essence of science, expanding before them as they stepped out of the cab and in front of the clean, concrete sidewalk that extended in front of them between two lush gardens. This pathway led to a building with a tall glass front, where over its front colourful, flowering vines crawled over a trestle that had been worked in seamlessly to the architecture.
If Spock had shown some mild, candid interest upon merely driving by the entrance sign, his awe was relatively obvious now: his eyes widened slightly to taken in the sight of this place, utterly still, and, for perhaps the first time since they had met, completely ignored Kirk. He even stepped forward onto the sidewalk first. It took every bit of will power not to laugh at the sight. Like a kid in a candy store. Only a Vulcan. He grinned, letting Spock actually lead the way, completely and utterly amused by the other's reaction. Not that he did not understand it - he had been impressed when he had first seen the building as well.
Slowly they went into the building, Kirk resisting the urge to nudge Spock the whole way, and he was pleased to see Miranda standing off to the side. He put on his most charming smile and walked over to her, all swagger and sex appeal. "Baby, you're looking beautiful as always," He said in a rich tone to her, keeping it quiet for the sake of the people walking by.
"Always the charmer, Jim," She purred right back, playing into the game. She looked over his shoulder, some of her blonde hair falling into her eyes for a moment. "So that's him?"
"That's him," Kirk agreed, grinning loosely. "Think your boss will--"
"If he's anything like you said, my boss will love to try and pick at his Vulcan brain." Miranda glanced to Kirk, smiling warmly. "He's up in the bio lab, clearly terrifying all of my co-workers."
That made Kirk laugh mostly because he knew her boss, who, at only three feet ("and a half inches!") tall, ran the lab like a dictator. Nothing slipped his attention. Kirk had taken a class from the man in his second year. One of the few classes he had actually made sure to turn in all of his homework on time because the scientist could rip someone apart and leave them begging for extra homework. Not that Kirk had ever had that happen. Nope. Okay, maybe once. "How is Professor Delfs?" He asked curiously.
"He says he won't teach again this year. I believe that... not." Her voice dry. The old man had been teaching for nearly a fifty years; Kirk doubted he would stop even when he could no longer walk to his classroom and would be berating idiotic students from a wheelchair.
"Mm, I'll believe that when I see pigs fly." Kirk smirked, then gestured with his head. "Come on, come meet him." Kirk turned lightly on his heel and walked back over to Spock, who looked absolutely mystified. He heard Miranda trying to suppress a giggle. "Spock." Trying to get the Vulcan's attention. "I'd like you to meet Miranda Farrell, head of the biology labs here at the Science Academy." While Professor Delfs was in charge of the entire department.
After Spock tore attention away from the geocrystal display case he had been hovering over with some fascination, he turned towards them both. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Farrell," Spock greeted her with a polite bow of his head. There was something different about the way he did so--different than when he had greeted Kirk for the first time and different than when he had met Pike again. It seemed like Spock had been trained to be a perfect gentleman to women, which made Kirk hide another grin. He had seen this with Uhura, too.
It had its intended effect on Miranda. "And you, Spock." She glanced between them, then spoke to both of them. "Jim and I need to speak in private, but my boss, Professor William Delfs, is most interested in meeting you." The last remark clearly to Spock. "If you don't mind being studied like an experiment for a few minutes." A slight lean forward, as if conspiring, "He does that to everyone, so try not to be offended."
"It will take more than curiosity to offend me, I assure you," Spock replied with an easy, calm tone. Almost like--no, Vulcans don't flirt, do they? "Will I be meeting this professor now?"
"Might as well." She gave him a small, flirting smile in return, then led the way towards the lifts nearby.
Kirk leaned over and half-whispered to Spock, "...Man, do they all fall for you so easily?" In a completely amused tone. "Must be the whole gentleman Vulcan thing." He was teasing, as he would almost anyone; Spock gave him a sidelong glance and the slightest arch of an eyebrow. He watched Miranda turn in the lift and slid up along side of her as Spock moved in beside him, fingers innocently brushing her ass. That earned him a look from her (bedroom eyes, oh yes), and she pressed the level of the bio labs.
He had informed her that he had a new scientist aboard his ship, a Vulcan one to be precise, who was curious about the Science Lab. She had been tickled to find out it was Spock's first time ever on Earth, had about a million questions about Vulcan and the person coming from it. He had half-truthed a good deal of them, lied outright about others and covered it with his easy nature. As far as she knew, Spock was just a new member of the crew and Kirk wanted him to get to see Earth and the Academy before they left Earth's orbit again.
The lift stopped on the top floor of the building, if the buttons on the console were any indication, which opened up to a hallway with several doors lining each side, all the way from one end to another. Offices. The walls by each door were customized bulletin boards, with scrawled notes and schedules and inside jokes between colleagues. Their footsteps echoed on the tile floors as they walked down the corridor, to finally stop by one door. W. Delfs. Miranda knocked once, heard a gruff 'come in', and stepped inside.
The office was designed for its occupant, and everything felt very low to the ground except for the two normal sized chairs. Delfs was indeed a little person, looking up to the three people coming in. He looked remarkably young for his supposed age, but stern. His eyes landed on Spock and remained there, "So this is the Vulcan?" He had an accent that was almost charming.
"...Professor..." Miranda said, trying to dissuade him being so rude.
"Well he is what he is. Sit down, sit down, you make the office look messy." He gestured towards the chairs.
"Sir, Jim and I-"
"Good student, brat in class, interesting ideas on human circadian rhythms when in deep space," The professor said tersely. Kirk hid a smirk down, unable to believe the man remembered him so well out of thousands of students. "I remember, I remember. Off with you two, I want to talk to-- What was your name again?" The intense gaze focused again on Spock, demanding an answer to the question. "Full name. Wani ra pi t'Yakana ro ken-torsha," He stated surprisingly fluidly. Somehow, Kirk was far from surprised to know that the old man would know it. He glanced to Spock to see what the Vulcan would do.
"Spohkh, sa-fu na'Ti'Valka'ain, dvinsu t'maat t'Kirk." Spock had been truthful about none of this offending him; he kept the same calm tone and manner.
...That was a NAME? Kirk looked sharply to Spock with complete and utter confusion on his face. And was that his last name tucked in at the end there? Spock looked back at him, as if unaware of the cause of his surprise. "...What the hell did you just tell him?" Kirk asked very quietly. Delfs was giving him one very odd look, and now Kirk was worried as to why.
"I merely told him that I was affiliated with you," Spock told him in an equally quiet tone.
Kirk just gave him a long look, clearly with disbelief. "...Uh huh. Why do I not believe you in the least?" He said bluntly.
"For your sake, I did not reveal my true status to you, though if you would prefer that I amend the title to include it--"
"I will kill you if you do," Kirk said, groaning a little in his voice. "We're going to have a talk about this later." He looked over to Miranda with a silent, Get me out of here look.
"If you'll excuse us, Professor..." Miranda decided to take pity on him it seemed and grabbed Kirk's arm, tugging him up from the chair. Kirk got up, offered a slight sorry about that grin to his once-teacher who still looked very surprised, and left with her. He didn't stare at her ass as they walked. Nope. Course not. Sure as hell grabbed it though.
Later, finding Spock was slightly more difficult. Kirk was in a good mood, a fantastic fucking mood, and took his time wandering through the labs. Maybe it should not have come as a surprise when he finally discovered the Vulcan in the physics lab. What was a surprise was the crowd of people in lab coats, listening as Spock spoke, leaning over some complicated looking machine, padds spread out around on every flat surface and in hands.
"Obviously, in this manner, the calculated number ignores the fact that the total baryon number is conserved, ultimately leading to this minute discrepancy in your experimental and mathematical data," Spock went on as Kirk leaned against the doorway, listening in. "The theory of quarks you apply to this experiment is also somewhat dated and simplistic. It may be fitting for more basic experiments, though when you are dealing with small portions of the quantum field and these particular masses, it is inadequate. You may also think that the nature of your study allows you to ignore the top-quark and the top-antitop, but it is just as essential, regardless of whether it is the subject."
The whole of it was completely outside of Kirk's studies, so it went a little over his head. Not completely, but mostly. It nudged the memories of Academy classes loose from where ever they were hiding enough to give him a few definitions but little else. He slipped off to the side and dropped down into a chair not currently in use, simply waiting Spock out. He's about a million miles from home, and I don't think I've ever even met a Vulcan here at the Academy before, but I know we have a few. Right? He tried to remember, but shrugged. Well, out of place. Not here, though. They all are looking at him like he's the God of Science descended. The thought made him chuckle to himself.
The one-sided discussion concluded with a few questions from the surrounding scientists, including one or two from men who looked twice Spock's age--greying, wrinkled, and maybe a bit annoyed that this young Vulcan, not even affiliated with the research laboratories, had just walked in there and potentially changed their experimental procedures. Spock did glimpse Kirk during this question-answer session, though it was without the alarmed surprise as before, and took his time to finally excuse himself from throng of researchers. He stepped over to Kirk. "Have you finished acquainting yourself with Miss Farrell?" He asked politely, apparently ignoring the implications of his words.
A cool smirk. "Damn straight." The smirk turned into a fierce grin and he stood up, stretching, "Done playing science god?" He couldn't help but tease, eyes bright. There may or may not have been a hickey at the edge of his shirt.
That eyebrow arched in his general direction again. "I have given them as much advice as they have asked for. We may leave."
"They look sort of ticked off," Kirk said with utter amusement. He gestured with his head, then started out. He had a bounce in his step and a stupid grin on his face but, who cared? "Man, I'm definitely going out tonight. Find some bar or something in the city and just...relax for a while." He glanced over at Spock as they walked through the building back towards the street. He had plans to beam back up to the ship and dig around in his drawers until he found something he looked drop dead gorgeous in and find somewhere to get wasted that no one would know he was the Captain of a ship.
To his revelation of his plans, Spock ventured none of his own; he glanced at Kirk briefly before asking, "Is that how you usually spend your time during shore leave?"
"Never had shore leave before," Kirk offered in return. "If you can believe it, that whole thing with the Narada? My first mission. I wasn't even supposed to be on the ship." A very strange sort of smile touched his lips as he thought about Bones dragging him onto the ship. (What little he could remember of it, damn allergies.)
"The fact that you were a stowaway hardly matters now, in light of what you did while on board," Spock said as they entered another taxi. The compound did light up brilliantly in orange glow of the evening, through glass, steel, and plants alike. Spock watched it disappear around the corner, before turning his full attention to Kirk for the first time since they had arrived at the Science Academy.
"Pretty sure that's why I'm Captain now," Kirk agreed, smirking. "So how did you end up telling a bunch of old geezers what they're doing wrong?" He asked in a tone full of curiosity, turning in his seat as much as the seat belt would let him.
"After giving me a tour of the research facilities," Spock began, his hands folding together in his lap. "The professor asked if there were any experiments that I would like to observe. I selected their quantum physics division because it was most relevant to my own research. One of the assistants asked for my opinion regarding which of two procedures I would pursue, and the discussion proceeded from there."
"And ended up looking like a bug had crawled up their asses." Kirk laughed a little, a grin on his lips. "Did you like it there? Supposed to be some of the most advance everything in all of the Federation's planets combined into one huge series of labs. Next best thing is the Enterprise." He tilted his head a little, glancing out the back window for a moment at a passing sign ("Go where no man--" Was all he caught before a building ducked in front of the sign), then back to Spock.
"It was an interesting ensemble of various scientific branches; I was rather surprised they managed to connect them all with such purpose and efficiency." A slight pause, with Spock shifting in his seat, thumb sliding under the seat belt. "Though their physics division is overly-reliant on receiving material from space, a problem that the Enterprise does not share."
Brows rose, and Kirk hid a grin for a moment. "So you prefer being in the labs on the Enterprise?" It was definitely a question of ego, but he couldn't help but be proud of his lady in the sky.
Spock's motions paused, that thumb held still right at his stomach, pinned underneath the wide seat belt. His eyes flickered from Kirk, to the seat of the cab, to out the window and the passing lights of the city. "If it were ultimately my decision to make, then--yes."
His Enterprise-related ego stroked, Kirk grinned a little more. "Good." He hesitated before asking out of curiosity, "So what do you plan to do tonight?" Wondering what the Vulcan would do when they had roughly just under two days before shipping out. Kirk was more interested in relaxing, getting things settled down on the ship, and receiving their next mission.
"I will probably spend most of the time sleeping," Apparently he hadn't been kidding when he told Kirk, earlier, what he did when he wasn't working.
A look of disbelief came to Kirk's face and he scoffed. "...Seriously? Don't you ever go out and just... have fun for a night? Go dancing, drink, hang out with friends... whatever the hell Vulcans do to relax?" They had to relax sometime, right? No being could just work, eat, sleep, and nothing else.
Spock tilted his head slightly in what looked like a light mix of confusion and curiosity. "The 'fun' you describe was a near-nightly occurrence for me when I worked on Vulcan."
Silence. The good nature Kirk had died completely with those words as guilt came through him. He said nothing in reply, turning in his seat and looking out the window. ...Fuck, maybe he should have stayed on Vulcan. I should have rejected the gift like I was gonna. Fuck, fuck. He propped his chin up with his hand, glancing slightly to the reflection of Spock in the taxi window. The Vulcan was still looking at him, but by the rustle of clothes against the seat, turning slightly to face forward again.
"Captain," A softer tone than before--less business and more of something else. "I apologize for making you uncomfortable."
"...Jim. We're off duty." He muttered, but didn't sound any less uncomfortable because he wasn't. "...I'm sorry, Spock. That they forced you on me. I should have said no."
There was a silent pause before Spock speaks again. "Would you rather that I work for someone else, or does your guilt originate from the fact I am working at all?"
"I don't want you to have to do shit like this at all!" Kirk growled, turning to look at Spock, "Dammit, Vulcans might have some screwed up morals, but... I want you to be able to chose where you go, who you work for, where you end up, what you're doing! Not... not having to look to someone for everything, me included! I want you as a member of my crew, maybe even friends if we could stop this crap, but... fuck." Another growl and Kirk turned back away again, frustrated with his own feelings on the situation. Every time he thought he was making some sort of progress with Spock, this shit came right back up in his face. What the hell was he supposed to do? He kept trying to do what was right, to give Spock the freedom to have his own life for the first time. He couldn't tell when Spock was serious about something or it was that damned training of his.
And then, after another pause, the most ambiguous request Spock could ever make came right up, just as Kirk was doubting whether any of this was genuine or not. "...may I accompany you tonight, then? As we will not return for some time, and my survey of the city is incomplete, perhaps the opportunity for exploration..." The words trailed off quietly.
Did Spock really just ask that? No, no way. There was no way Spock knew what he was getting himself into by asking for that. "...Spock, I mean, I'd love ya to, but I really don't know if you'd enjoy it." Which was true, because well... the Vulcan was so damned reserved about everything. The point of tonight was to be anything but that.
"Neither of us will know in the absence of an initial experience," Spock told him in a shadow of that tone he had used earlier at the laboratory.
Scientist to the end, Kirk thought to himself, sighing as he looked away for a moment. Well, why the hell not? At worst, he can leave. He glanced back, eyes tilted, and finally smirked, "Alright, how about this? Tonight, you can treat like an experiment. But to have the experiment work, and we can learn if you actually enjoy it or not, you have to follow the rules and do everything that's required."
He was still getting that curious look, perhaps a tiny bit intensified from his initial proposition. "Such as?" The restrictions didn't appear to daunt him in the slightest.
"Getting dressed in the right uniform," Kirk said without a trace of laughter in his voice, but it was in his eyes. "Following the proper movements, eating and drinking like I would." Okay, I am having too much fun with this. I think I'm being an asshole. But you know what? I'm gonna go out anyway, he obviously wants to at least try to come, so what the hell.
"Uniform?" A trace of confusion. The shadowing part didn't seem to bother him, but, of course, the uniform part would.
"You'll see when we get back to the ship. Some of my stuff should fit you." He eyed the Vulcan sitting beside him thoughtfully. Yea, just about. He's thinner then I am though, less muscle. Might be a little weird in the shoulders, but that's about it. Same height just about too. This should be a hell of a night. Kirk grinned as he leaned back in the seat, the evening sun still bright.
"Jim, I believe these outfits are attracting attention."
"...Spock, that's the point." Kirk grinned towards a few ladies walking past, who eyed the two men walking towards the club they were just leaving. He lavished them with a wink, which sent one of them giggling and the other tugging her friend off. He felt the wind catch at the tails of his open shirt and felt damn good about tonight. A quick glance to his side caught sight of Spock in jeans, a half-buttoned black shirt that Kirk couldn't even remember where it came from, and Kirk's own beat-up leather jacket. Somehow, Spock wore it better than he did. Dammit. Their foot sizes were too different to make up, so Kirk had finally decided, "Keep the boots." He had immensely enjoyed getting the Vulcan to wear something he doubted any Vulcan had ever worn.
Even better was with a little bit of gel? That fucking weird bowl cut of Spock's became something way, way better. It was--what did one of his girlfriends call stuff like that?--dramatically messy. Yeah, that was it.
Kirk already had to tell himself a dozen times that he was not enjoying doing this to the Vulcan.
Already had to tell himself he was.
Himself? He wore a nearly identical pair of jeans, a black tank top, and an open long sleeve shirt that matched the color of the sky. He could distinctly remember the girl who had given him the shirt, saying it matched his eyes. Then proceeded to tie him up with it and suck him off. Problem was that he couldn't remember her name. Something that started with an R. Rachael? Rebecca? ...Something like that.
The breeze of the bay swept through the streets they were walking in random bursts, which could explain why Spock had his hands hidden in the pockets of the borrowed leather jacket. Seeing them tucked into the jacket at Spock's sides--not folded front or back-- added more of a casual touch to his outfit. A bit strange, but in a good way. "By what method do you decide which establishment to enter?" Spock asked as they passed under a hanging sign.
"Whatever feels right." Kirk eyed the building they were coming up to, giving a lazy smirk, "And this is it. Call it intuition, I guess." He gave that charming smile to the guard at the door; he gave them one look, then suffered them to enter.
They heard the music from the outside before they passed through the antechamber and the two sets of doors that protected the main body of the club . A deep bass pulsed through the walls and their rib cages, slowly being accompanied by more and more frequencies until the steel and glass double-doors swung open to admit them, and the music hit them full-blast. It was something almost sensual, something you could lose yourself in with the help of the crowd and the strobes and the well-stocked bar up against the wall to their left. There were tables along the outer edge of the large room, people getting to know each other with more looks and touches and drinks than simply words, but the gravity well, the place everyone was drawn to eventually, was the centre dance floor. The crowd swelled and jumped and moved like a school of fish, bodies close, apart, and then much closer again.
Above them loomed another level, joined to the bottom floor by two spiraling staircases lit by purple neon lights. From their place at the entrance, Kirk couldn't see exactly what was up there, but the constant movement of people up and down between the levels, to and from the staircases, it was just as lively as the rest of the club. The entire way in, Kirk had that brilliant grin on his lips, eyes darting from place to place as he checked the club out. Good choice, He thought to himself. The beat of the music was already in his bones, in his blood, timing his heart to its rhythm. No one, except for Spock, knew who he was here. He could get drunk and chase ass and be himself for just a night before he had to be good for the next day.
He turned that grin on the Vulcan for a moment, then gestured with his head. He gracefully made his way towards the bar through the massive crowds, leaning on it. Then, he hesitated. He looked to Spock and gestured for the other to come close so he could say against the pointed ear, "Hey, whadiya like to drink?"
Spock glanced over the selection on display behind the bar, obviously considering each of the bottles, before he turned his head towards Kirk to speak in his ear. "I would like to sample the bottle of Kentucky Bourbon." The tone he used, said at such a close distance, fit seamlessly with the intimacy of the club as a whole; he spoke in a lower tone that cut through the electronic melodies and harmonies but kept above the booming bass. They weren't even touching, no more than an idle brush of jacket to shirt, but the pulse of the music and the movement of the people around them made it feel as if they were already pressed up against each other. Kirk had to suppress a shiver that ran through him at feeling the body heat of the Vulcan even through leather and cotton.
With a gesture and a certain look, he caught the bartender's eye with ease. "Shot'a Kentucky Bourbon and a shot'a Cardassian Sunrise, not the pure shit," Kirk said easily. The bartender gave them a look, eying Spock in particular, then shrugged. He pulled up two shot glasses and a bottle of the deep amber spirit. With a flick of the wrist, the glass was full. The second shot required at least three bottles, all picked up at the same time. One was clear, one was a brilliant, shimmering yellow, and the last was orange. Kirk watched the familiar making of the shot, remembering the taste of it from the past. The shimmering yellow bottle was the actual Cardassian Sunrise, but it was so potent on its own that a pure shot would have made the rest of the night start to blur. It was good for getting absolutely smashed as quickly as possible, and expensive if bought by the bottle. He knew it was brought straight from across the universe, and that was the reason for its amazing price. Not quite illegal to have, but from the word of mouth, it was all smuggled.
Kirk paid the credits for the drinks without looking, grasping the glasses in either hand. He turned away from the bar, facing Spock, and held out the amber shot. "Bottoms up, Spock." He smirked towards the Vulcan, holding up his own. He'd get a beer to nurse slower then this, but any good night had to start out with an equally good shot.
Chapter Five, Part B
Authors: salvaged_pride and dancing_mercury
Fandom: Star Trek (XI)
Characters/Pairings: eventual Kirk/Spock
POV: Kirk
Rating: PG-13
Words: 5.711
Inspired by: This prompt on st_xi_kink: Spock is a Vulcan concubine/courtesan.
Chapter summary: Downtime in San Francisco leads to some interesting results.
A/N: Back to our regularly scheduled programming. This chapter was just big enough to require a split.
All Chapters || Chapter Four, Part C
It did not take long for Kirk to arrange the tour of the California Academy of Sciences, using one beautiful brilliant lady he knew there from his hand-to-hand classes that could kick ass and take names, so when he was walking back to the hospital gardens to find Spock and Pike, he felt pretty good. It would be something, he hoped at least, that Spock would really enjoy doing. He hadn't missed the way the Vulcan's face had lit up slightly at seeing the huge building, and well, he felt a certain level of...protectiveness wasn't the word. Friendship wasn't it either, they barely knew each other. There was just something that nudged Kirk to want to make the Vulcan happy, comfortable in this world away from his home. Guilt? Maybe.
What he was not expecting was to come back to Pike and Spock sitting on the fountain's edge, turned in towards each other, with Spock's hand on Pike's face in a very weird fashion, their eyes closed. Kirk hung back, watching the tail end of whatever they were doing. Just sitting there--then Spock suddenly opened his eyes, like coming out of a dream. As his hand slowly fell away from Pike's face, Kirk was shocked to see that the older man had been crying.
Yet a smile came to Pike's lips as he watched, a hand coming up and touching Spock's face for just a moment. He was a little too far away to hear what was being said, but he thought he saw the other man's lips form 'Thank you.' He also saw Spock raise his hand to touch Pike's, and their eyes locked in a silent conversation.
Then Spock caught a glimpse of Kirk. He withdrew his hand, and himself, from Pike, standing suddenly from his seat at the fountain as if he had been caught in some sort of infidelity. As he stood at parade rest, all the quiet, comfortable ease that he had the moment before disappeared to be replaced by a rigidity one could only describe as apprehensive. It contrasted sharply with the soothing tones of the garden.
Kirk walked over with an easy grin on his face, not having any clue what Spock had done, but the sudden change in attitude put him on alert. "Hey," He said simply, giving time for Pike to turn away, hands brushing across his face to remove the last remaining tear-trails. Kirk kept his eyes on Spock, respecting the man's dignity. "I'm all done here, but I've got an errand to run over at the Science Academy. You wanna come or stay here?" He ignored the strange look Pike was giving him as the older male turned back to look at him, face composed again.
Spock gave a brief glance in Pike's direction, before his gaze focused back on Kirk. He nodded once. "I will come with you." Some of the initial tension subsided. Spock brought his hands forward to tug lightly on the front of his science-blue shirt, eliminating the wrinkles that had formed in his hasty actions.
He's a little OCD about every uniform he wears, Kirk thought to himself in amusement. He looked to Pike and offered the Admiral a grin. "I'll make sure we come by before the Enterprise is ready to go out again." He enjoyed Pike's company, the oddly fatherly feeling that came from him.
And was pleased to see a smile come to Pike's lips. "I hope you do." They shared a handshake, Kirk bringing his other hand up and squeezing for just a second in a sign of affection. They shared a silent look, then it was over.
Kirk turned back to Spock and smirked. "Come on, this shouldn't take too long." With a head-gesture in the direction of the exit of the gardens, he started out that way.
No conversation passed between them until they were out of the hospital and into the taxi on the way to the Academy. Spock's hands folded neatly in his lap, his eyes wandered out towards the buildings they drove by, and a small bit of reservation still lingered in his manner. "What errand do you have to complete at this Science Academy?"
"Nothing major, I just found out a friend is there for the day, someone I thought was dead. I wanted to go see her." Not completely a lie. She had been on the 'dead' list because she had been on another of the ships that had met the Narada. He had freaked out when they had gotten back to Earth, having had plenty of time to read the lists that proclaimed who had been on those other ships, to find out she had been kept ground-side instead of leaving.
She was amazing at giving head and loved getting eaten out probably more then any other woman he had ever met.
Nothing more was said on the topic until they came up to the front of the Academy. It was perhaps the oddest assortment of buildings in the city. While most everything else was built out of concrete and steel (brick if it was ancient), the over-four-hundred year old campus had gone through so many redesigns, expansions, and upgrades that by this time it looked like a science experiment on its own. Green space was everywhere, an over-abundance of nature placed alongside copious amounts of technology and modern engineering and architecture. The outside walls shone with the characteristic gleam of darkest-black solar panels, accented by sharp, clean lines of steel pipes that twisted around corners and onto the roof. On the buildings (each its own height) were the half-domes of submerged, translucent globes, which occasionally crackled with a burst of purple electricity.
It was an area practically bursting with the pure essence of science, expanding before them as they stepped out of the cab and in front of the clean, concrete sidewalk that extended in front of them between two lush gardens. This pathway led to a building with a tall glass front, where over its front colourful, flowering vines crawled over a trestle that had been worked in seamlessly to the architecture.
If Spock had shown some mild, candid interest upon merely driving by the entrance sign, his awe was relatively obvious now: his eyes widened slightly to taken in the sight of this place, utterly still, and, for perhaps the first time since they had met, completely ignored Kirk. He even stepped forward onto the sidewalk first. It took every bit of will power not to laugh at the sight. Like a kid in a candy store. Only a Vulcan. He grinned, letting Spock actually lead the way, completely and utterly amused by the other's reaction. Not that he did not understand it - he had been impressed when he had first seen the building as well.
Slowly they went into the building, Kirk resisting the urge to nudge Spock the whole way, and he was pleased to see Miranda standing off to the side. He put on his most charming smile and walked over to her, all swagger and sex appeal. "Baby, you're looking beautiful as always," He said in a rich tone to her, keeping it quiet for the sake of the people walking by.
"Always the charmer, Jim," She purred right back, playing into the game. She looked over his shoulder, some of her blonde hair falling into her eyes for a moment. "So that's him?"
"That's him," Kirk agreed, grinning loosely. "Think your boss will--"
"If he's anything like you said, my boss will love to try and pick at his Vulcan brain." Miranda glanced to Kirk, smiling warmly. "He's up in the bio lab, clearly terrifying all of my co-workers."
That made Kirk laugh mostly because he knew her boss, who, at only three feet ("and a half inches!") tall, ran the lab like a dictator. Nothing slipped his attention. Kirk had taken a class from the man in his second year. One of the few classes he had actually made sure to turn in all of his homework on time because the scientist could rip someone apart and leave them begging for extra homework. Not that Kirk had ever had that happen. Nope. Okay, maybe once. "How is Professor Delfs?" He asked curiously.
"He says he won't teach again this year. I believe that... not." Her voice dry. The old man had been teaching for nearly a fifty years; Kirk doubted he would stop even when he could no longer walk to his classroom and would be berating idiotic students from a wheelchair.
"Mm, I'll believe that when I see pigs fly." Kirk smirked, then gestured with his head. "Come on, come meet him." Kirk turned lightly on his heel and walked back over to Spock, who looked absolutely mystified. He heard Miranda trying to suppress a giggle. "Spock." Trying to get the Vulcan's attention. "I'd like you to meet Miranda Farrell, head of the biology labs here at the Science Academy." While Professor Delfs was in charge of the entire department.
After Spock tore attention away from the geocrystal display case he had been hovering over with some fascination, he turned towards them both. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Farrell," Spock greeted her with a polite bow of his head. There was something different about the way he did so--different than when he had greeted Kirk for the first time and different than when he had met Pike again. It seemed like Spock had been trained to be a perfect gentleman to women, which made Kirk hide another grin. He had seen this with Uhura, too.
It had its intended effect on Miranda. "And you, Spock." She glanced between them, then spoke to both of them. "Jim and I need to speak in private, but my boss, Professor William Delfs, is most interested in meeting you." The last remark clearly to Spock. "If you don't mind being studied like an experiment for a few minutes." A slight lean forward, as if conspiring, "He does that to everyone, so try not to be offended."
"It will take more than curiosity to offend me, I assure you," Spock replied with an easy, calm tone. Almost like--no, Vulcans don't flirt, do they? "Will I be meeting this professor now?"
"Might as well." She gave him a small, flirting smile in return, then led the way towards the lifts nearby.
Kirk leaned over and half-whispered to Spock, "...Man, do they all fall for you so easily?" In a completely amused tone. "Must be the whole gentleman Vulcan thing." He was teasing, as he would almost anyone; Spock gave him a sidelong glance and the slightest arch of an eyebrow. He watched Miranda turn in the lift and slid up along side of her as Spock moved in beside him, fingers innocently brushing her ass. That earned him a look from her (bedroom eyes, oh yes), and she pressed the level of the bio labs.
He had informed her that he had a new scientist aboard his ship, a Vulcan one to be precise, who was curious about the Science Lab. She had been tickled to find out it was Spock's first time ever on Earth, had about a million questions about Vulcan and the person coming from it. He had half-truthed a good deal of them, lied outright about others and covered it with his easy nature. As far as she knew, Spock was just a new member of the crew and Kirk wanted him to get to see Earth and the Academy before they left Earth's orbit again.
The lift stopped on the top floor of the building, if the buttons on the console were any indication, which opened up to a hallway with several doors lining each side, all the way from one end to another. Offices. The walls by each door were customized bulletin boards, with scrawled notes and schedules and inside jokes between colleagues. Their footsteps echoed on the tile floors as they walked down the corridor, to finally stop by one door. W. Delfs. Miranda knocked once, heard a gruff 'come in', and stepped inside.
The office was designed for its occupant, and everything felt very low to the ground except for the two normal sized chairs. Delfs was indeed a little person, looking up to the three people coming in. He looked remarkably young for his supposed age, but stern. His eyes landed on Spock and remained there, "So this is the Vulcan?" He had an accent that was almost charming.
"...Professor..." Miranda said, trying to dissuade him being so rude.
"Well he is what he is. Sit down, sit down, you make the office look messy." He gestured towards the chairs.
"Sir, Jim and I-"
"Good student, brat in class, interesting ideas on human circadian rhythms when in deep space," The professor said tersely. Kirk hid a smirk down, unable to believe the man remembered him so well out of thousands of students. "I remember, I remember. Off with you two, I want to talk to-- What was your name again?" The intense gaze focused again on Spock, demanding an answer to the question. "Full name. Wani ra pi t'Yakana ro ken-torsha," He stated surprisingly fluidly. Somehow, Kirk was far from surprised to know that the old man would know it. He glanced to Spock to see what the Vulcan would do.
"Spohkh, sa-fu na'Ti'Valka'ain, dvinsu t'maat t'Kirk." Spock had been truthful about none of this offending him; he kept the same calm tone and manner.
...That was a NAME? Kirk looked sharply to Spock with complete and utter confusion on his face. And was that his last name tucked in at the end there? Spock looked back at him, as if unaware of the cause of his surprise. "...What the hell did you just tell him?" Kirk asked very quietly. Delfs was giving him one very odd look, and now Kirk was worried as to why.
"I merely told him that I was affiliated with you," Spock told him in an equally quiet tone.
Kirk just gave him a long look, clearly with disbelief. "...Uh huh. Why do I not believe you in the least?" He said bluntly.
"For your sake, I did not reveal my true status to you, though if you would prefer that I amend the title to include it--"
"I will kill you if you do," Kirk said, groaning a little in his voice. "We're going to have a talk about this later." He looked over to Miranda with a silent, Get me out of here look.
"If you'll excuse us, Professor..." Miranda decided to take pity on him it seemed and grabbed Kirk's arm, tugging him up from the chair. Kirk got up, offered a slight sorry about that grin to his once-teacher who still looked very surprised, and left with her. He didn't stare at her ass as they walked. Nope. Course not. Sure as hell grabbed it though.
Later, finding Spock was slightly more difficult. Kirk was in a good mood, a fantastic fucking mood, and took his time wandering through the labs. Maybe it should not have come as a surprise when he finally discovered the Vulcan in the physics lab. What was a surprise was the crowd of people in lab coats, listening as Spock spoke, leaning over some complicated looking machine, padds spread out around on every flat surface and in hands.
"Obviously, in this manner, the calculated number ignores the fact that the total baryon number is conserved, ultimately leading to this minute discrepancy in your experimental and mathematical data," Spock went on as Kirk leaned against the doorway, listening in. "The theory of quarks you apply to this experiment is also somewhat dated and simplistic. It may be fitting for more basic experiments, though when you are dealing with small portions of the quantum field and these particular masses, it is inadequate. You may also think that the nature of your study allows you to ignore the top-quark and the top-antitop, but it is just as essential, regardless of whether it is the subject."
The whole of it was completely outside of Kirk's studies, so it went a little over his head. Not completely, but mostly. It nudged the memories of Academy classes loose from where ever they were hiding enough to give him a few definitions but little else. He slipped off to the side and dropped down into a chair not currently in use, simply waiting Spock out. He's about a million miles from home, and I don't think I've ever even met a Vulcan here at the Academy before, but I know we have a few. Right? He tried to remember, but shrugged. Well, out of place. Not here, though. They all are looking at him like he's the God of Science descended. The thought made him chuckle to himself.
The one-sided discussion concluded with a few questions from the surrounding scientists, including one or two from men who looked twice Spock's age--greying, wrinkled, and maybe a bit annoyed that this young Vulcan, not even affiliated with the research laboratories, had just walked in there and potentially changed their experimental procedures. Spock did glimpse Kirk during this question-answer session, though it was without the alarmed surprise as before, and took his time to finally excuse himself from throng of researchers. He stepped over to Kirk. "Have you finished acquainting yourself with Miss Farrell?" He asked politely, apparently ignoring the implications of his words.
A cool smirk. "Damn straight." The smirk turned into a fierce grin and he stood up, stretching, "Done playing science god?" He couldn't help but tease, eyes bright. There may or may not have been a hickey at the edge of his shirt.
That eyebrow arched in his general direction again. "I have given them as much advice as they have asked for. We may leave."
"They look sort of ticked off," Kirk said with utter amusement. He gestured with his head, then started out. He had a bounce in his step and a stupid grin on his face but, who cared? "Man, I'm definitely going out tonight. Find some bar or something in the city and just...relax for a while." He glanced over at Spock as they walked through the building back towards the street. He had plans to beam back up to the ship and dig around in his drawers until he found something he looked drop dead gorgeous in and find somewhere to get wasted that no one would know he was the Captain of a ship.
To his revelation of his plans, Spock ventured none of his own; he glanced at Kirk briefly before asking, "Is that how you usually spend your time during shore leave?"
"Never had shore leave before," Kirk offered in return. "If you can believe it, that whole thing with the Narada? My first mission. I wasn't even supposed to be on the ship." A very strange sort of smile touched his lips as he thought about Bones dragging him onto the ship. (What little he could remember of it, damn allergies.)
"The fact that you were a stowaway hardly matters now, in light of what you did while on board," Spock said as they entered another taxi. The compound did light up brilliantly in orange glow of the evening, through glass, steel, and plants alike. Spock watched it disappear around the corner, before turning his full attention to Kirk for the first time since they had arrived at the Science Academy.
"Pretty sure that's why I'm Captain now," Kirk agreed, smirking. "So how did you end up telling a bunch of old geezers what they're doing wrong?" He asked in a tone full of curiosity, turning in his seat as much as the seat belt would let him.
"After giving me a tour of the research facilities," Spock began, his hands folding together in his lap. "The professor asked if there were any experiments that I would like to observe. I selected their quantum physics division because it was most relevant to my own research. One of the assistants asked for my opinion regarding which of two procedures I would pursue, and the discussion proceeded from there."
"And ended up looking like a bug had crawled up their asses." Kirk laughed a little, a grin on his lips. "Did you like it there? Supposed to be some of the most advance everything in all of the Federation's planets combined into one huge series of labs. Next best thing is the Enterprise." He tilted his head a little, glancing out the back window for a moment at a passing sign ("Go where no man--" Was all he caught before a building ducked in front of the sign), then back to Spock.
"It was an interesting ensemble of various scientific branches; I was rather surprised they managed to connect them all with such purpose and efficiency." A slight pause, with Spock shifting in his seat, thumb sliding under the seat belt. "Though their physics division is overly-reliant on receiving material from space, a problem that the Enterprise does not share."
Brows rose, and Kirk hid a grin for a moment. "So you prefer being in the labs on the Enterprise?" It was definitely a question of ego, but he couldn't help but be proud of his lady in the sky.
Spock's motions paused, that thumb held still right at his stomach, pinned underneath the wide seat belt. His eyes flickered from Kirk, to the seat of the cab, to out the window and the passing lights of the city. "If it were ultimately my decision to make, then--yes."
His Enterprise-related ego stroked, Kirk grinned a little more. "Good." He hesitated before asking out of curiosity, "So what do you plan to do tonight?" Wondering what the Vulcan would do when they had roughly just under two days before shipping out. Kirk was more interested in relaxing, getting things settled down on the ship, and receiving their next mission.
"I will probably spend most of the time sleeping," Apparently he hadn't been kidding when he told Kirk, earlier, what he did when he wasn't working.
A look of disbelief came to Kirk's face and he scoffed. "...Seriously? Don't you ever go out and just... have fun for a night? Go dancing, drink, hang out with friends... whatever the hell Vulcans do to relax?" They had to relax sometime, right? No being could just work, eat, sleep, and nothing else.
Spock tilted his head slightly in what looked like a light mix of confusion and curiosity. "The 'fun' you describe was a near-nightly occurrence for me when I worked on Vulcan."
Silence. The good nature Kirk had died completely with those words as guilt came through him. He said nothing in reply, turning in his seat and looking out the window. ...Fuck, maybe he should have stayed on Vulcan. I should have rejected the gift like I was gonna. Fuck, fuck. He propped his chin up with his hand, glancing slightly to the reflection of Spock in the taxi window. The Vulcan was still looking at him, but by the rustle of clothes against the seat, turning slightly to face forward again.
"Captain," A softer tone than before--less business and more of something else. "I apologize for making you uncomfortable."
"...Jim. We're off duty." He muttered, but didn't sound any less uncomfortable because he wasn't. "...I'm sorry, Spock. That they forced you on me. I should have said no."
There was a silent pause before Spock speaks again. "Would you rather that I work for someone else, or does your guilt originate from the fact I am working at all?"
"I don't want you to have to do shit like this at all!" Kirk growled, turning to look at Spock, "Dammit, Vulcans might have some screwed up morals, but... I want you to be able to chose where you go, who you work for, where you end up, what you're doing! Not... not having to look to someone for everything, me included! I want you as a member of my crew, maybe even friends if we could stop this crap, but... fuck." Another growl and Kirk turned back away again, frustrated with his own feelings on the situation. Every time he thought he was making some sort of progress with Spock, this shit came right back up in his face. What the hell was he supposed to do? He kept trying to do what was right, to give Spock the freedom to have his own life for the first time. He couldn't tell when Spock was serious about something or it was that damned training of his.
And then, after another pause, the most ambiguous request Spock could ever make came right up, just as Kirk was doubting whether any of this was genuine or not. "...may I accompany you tonight, then? As we will not return for some time, and my survey of the city is incomplete, perhaps the opportunity for exploration..." The words trailed off quietly.
Did Spock really just ask that? No, no way. There was no way Spock knew what he was getting himself into by asking for that. "...Spock, I mean, I'd love ya to, but I really don't know if you'd enjoy it." Which was true, because well... the Vulcan was so damned reserved about everything. The point of tonight was to be anything but that.
"Neither of us will know in the absence of an initial experience," Spock told him in a shadow of that tone he had used earlier at the laboratory.
Scientist to the end, Kirk thought to himself, sighing as he looked away for a moment. Well, why the hell not? At worst, he can leave. He glanced back, eyes tilted, and finally smirked, "Alright, how about this? Tonight, you can treat like an experiment. But to have the experiment work, and we can learn if you actually enjoy it or not, you have to follow the rules and do everything that's required."
He was still getting that curious look, perhaps a tiny bit intensified from his initial proposition. "Such as?" The restrictions didn't appear to daunt him in the slightest.
"Getting dressed in the right uniform," Kirk said without a trace of laughter in his voice, but it was in his eyes. "Following the proper movements, eating and drinking like I would." Okay, I am having too much fun with this. I think I'm being an asshole. But you know what? I'm gonna go out anyway, he obviously wants to at least try to come, so what the hell.
"Uniform?" A trace of confusion. The shadowing part didn't seem to bother him, but, of course, the uniform part would.
"You'll see when we get back to the ship. Some of my stuff should fit you." He eyed the Vulcan sitting beside him thoughtfully. Yea, just about. He's thinner then I am though, less muscle. Might be a little weird in the shoulders, but that's about it. Same height just about too. This should be a hell of a night. Kirk grinned as he leaned back in the seat, the evening sun still bright.
"Jim, I believe these outfits are attracting attention."
"...Spock, that's the point." Kirk grinned towards a few ladies walking past, who eyed the two men walking towards the club they were just leaving. He lavished them with a wink, which sent one of them giggling and the other tugging her friend off. He felt the wind catch at the tails of his open shirt and felt damn good about tonight. A quick glance to his side caught sight of Spock in jeans, a half-buttoned black shirt that Kirk couldn't even remember where it came from, and Kirk's own beat-up leather jacket. Somehow, Spock wore it better than he did. Dammit. Their foot sizes were too different to make up, so Kirk had finally decided, "Keep the boots." He had immensely enjoyed getting the Vulcan to wear something he doubted any Vulcan had ever worn.
Even better was with a little bit of gel? That fucking weird bowl cut of Spock's became something way, way better. It was--what did one of his girlfriends call stuff like that?--dramatically messy. Yeah, that was it.
Kirk already had to tell himself a dozen times that he was not enjoying doing this to the Vulcan.
Already had to tell himself he was.
Himself? He wore a nearly identical pair of jeans, a black tank top, and an open long sleeve shirt that matched the color of the sky. He could distinctly remember the girl who had given him the shirt, saying it matched his eyes. Then proceeded to tie him up with it and suck him off. Problem was that he couldn't remember her name. Something that started with an R. Rachael? Rebecca? ...Something like that.
The breeze of the bay swept through the streets they were walking in random bursts, which could explain why Spock had his hands hidden in the pockets of the borrowed leather jacket. Seeing them tucked into the jacket at Spock's sides--not folded front or back-- added more of a casual touch to his outfit. A bit strange, but in a good way. "By what method do you decide which establishment to enter?" Spock asked as they passed under a hanging sign.
"Whatever feels right." Kirk eyed the building they were coming up to, giving a lazy smirk, "And this is it. Call it intuition, I guess." He gave that charming smile to the guard at the door; he gave them one look, then suffered them to enter.
They heard the music from the outside before they passed through the antechamber and the two sets of doors that protected the main body of the club . A deep bass pulsed through the walls and their rib cages, slowly being accompanied by more and more frequencies until the steel and glass double-doors swung open to admit them, and the music hit them full-blast. It was something almost sensual, something you could lose yourself in with the help of the crowd and the strobes and the well-stocked bar up against the wall to their left. There were tables along the outer edge of the large room, people getting to know each other with more looks and touches and drinks than simply words, but the gravity well, the place everyone was drawn to eventually, was the centre dance floor. The crowd swelled and jumped and moved like a school of fish, bodies close, apart, and then much closer again.
Above them loomed another level, joined to the bottom floor by two spiraling staircases lit by purple neon lights. From their place at the entrance, Kirk couldn't see exactly what was up there, but the constant movement of people up and down between the levels, to and from the staircases, it was just as lively as the rest of the club. The entire way in, Kirk had that brilliant grin on his lips, eyes darting from place to place as he checked the club out. Good choice, He thought to himself. The beat of the music was already in his bones, in his blood, timing his heart to its rhythm. No one, except for Spock, knew who he was here. He could get drunk and chase ass and be himself for just a night before he had to be good for the next day.
He turned that grin on the Vulcan for a moment, then gestured with his head. He gracefully made his way towards the bar through the massive crowds, leaning on it. Then, he hesitated. He looked to Spock and gestured for the other to come close so he could say against the pointed ear, "Hey, whadiya like to drink?"
Spock glanced over the selection on display behind the bar, obviously considering each of the bottles, before he turned his head towards Kirk to speak in his ear. "I would like to sample the bottle of Kentucky Bourbon." The tone he used, said at such a close distance, fit seamlessly with the intimacy of the club as a whole; he spoke in a lower tone that cut through the electronic melodies and harmonies but kept above the booming bass. They weren't even touching, no more than an idle brush of jacket to shirt, but the pulse of the music and the movement of the people around them made it feel as if they were already pressed up against each other. Kirk had to suppress a shiver that ran through him at feeling the body heat of the Vulcan even through leather and cotton.
With a gesture and a certain look, he caught the bartender's eye with ease. "Shot'a Kentucky Bourbon and a shot'a Cardassian Sunrise, not the pure shit," Kirk said easily. The bartender gave them a look, eying Spock in particular, then shrugged. He pulled up two shot glasses and a bottle of the deep amber spirit. With a flick of the wrist, the glass was full. The second shot required at least three bottles, all picked up at the same time. One was clear, one was a brilliant, shimmering yellow, and the last was orange. Kirk watched the familiar making of the shot, remembering the taste of it from the past. The shimmering yellow bottle was the actual Cardassian Sunrise, but it was so potent on its own that a pure shot would have made the rest of the night start to blur. It was good for getting absolutely smashed as quickly as possible, and expensive if bought by the bottle. He knew it was brought straight from across the universe, and that was the reason for its amazing price. Not quite illegal to have, but from the word of mouth, it was all smuggled.
Kirk paid the credits for the drinks without looking, grasping the glasses in either hand. He turned away from the bar, facing Spock, and held out the amber shot. "Bottoms up, Spock." He smirked towards the Vulcan, holding up his own. He'd get a beer to nurse slower then this, but any good night had to start out with an equally good shot.
Chapter Five, Part B