[TWBI] Vulcan Language Lesson
Title: Vulcan Language Lesson
Series: That Would Be Illogical
Fandom: Star Trek XI
Rating: PG13
Length: 1,013
Pairing: Kirk/Spock
Summary: This is not the first illogical action I have ever participated in because of James Tiberius Kirk. I doubt it will be the last. Masterlist
Previous: Sex Kitten
"Du maut e'tum," I murmur against his neck.
Jim suddenly sits up and twists to look back at me. "Did you just call me a kitchen?"
The edges of my mouth twitch down. "That is af'tum."
He smiles sheepishly. "Oh, right." He lowers himself onto my chest again. He sits between my legs as I recline back on the pillows of the bed. Alpha shift has just ended and while I was going to begin reports on our latest engagement with Klingons, Jim has dragged be onto the bed to do nothing more than sit and talk. In the beginning, I would argue against such an act, which would lead to him giving me 'puppy eyes', as humans may call it, and I would relent. I soon realized that this was Jim's way of relaxing after a tense shift or mission. I now rarely protest. At least not in earnest.
"Why do you enjoy my speaking Vulcan if you cannot understand what I say? More often than not you misunderstand me."
He shrugs. Jim has been trying to learn the Vulcan language for nearly half a decade, but he has not been able to reach above the proficiency of a very small child. And his pronunciation is atrocious.
"Yet you continuously ask that I speak it."
"It's kinda a human thing," he explains. "Humans like to hear people speaking to them in a language they don't know."
I raise an eyebrow. "I normally find most humans are annoyed by others who speak a foreign language."
"I mean in a romantic setting. They like people saying romantic things to them in other languages. Lot of humans like exotic things, and languages they don't understand seem exotic."
"How do they know their partners are saying affectionate things?"
He shrugs again. "They don't. It's not about the words. It's about how you say them, the emotions projected through your tone or body language. You could be giving me the most horrible insults, but as long as you say it in a seductive voice, it doesn't matter."
I raise an eyebrow. "Another example of humans considering attached emotions more important than the content."
Jim smiles. "To humans, the emotions are the content. Words can be interpreted in different ways, but not emotions. Someone speaking in another language allows you to just concentrate on their emotions and not get tripped up with the words. You take the same sentence, say it different inflections and it changes the meaning of the words."
"Yes," I say, slight annoyance in my voice, "which is why sarcasm escapes me frequently."
"Exactly," he says cheerfully.
"Which is also why Vulcans speak frankly and in a stoic tone of voice, so that the meaning is not misinterpreted."
"Only it usually makes humans think that you're really rude or arrogant."
"It is an unfortunate secondary ramification."
"So even if I speak Vulcan like I've got tribbles stuffed in my cheeks, it should still convey the same meaning, right?" Jim attempts to say the accepted Vulcan declaration of love between bondmates, and I wince. He frowns. "That bad?"
I tug him close and kiss his temple. "Taluhk nash-veh k'dular."
He shivers against me. "Ditto."
I stop a chuckle before it starts. "I proclaim my love for you, and you say 'ditto'?"
"Would you rather I try to say it again?"
I hesitate. "Perhaps not."
"Can't you just teach me Vulcan through a mind meld or something?" Jim asks, gesturing to his head. "Just implant it into my brain?"
I raise an eyebrow. "I could replace your understanding of the Standard Language with Vulcan," I offer.
"Yeah, that'll be useful in a crisis," he says sardonically. He grins and rotates in my arms. "Maybe you should speak to me in Vulcan some more."
I hide my amusement and ask, "What would be the purpose in doing that?"
His grin widens and he wraps his arms around my neck. "Maybe it'll help me improve my speaking."
"You would be improving your listening," I correct, being difficult for the sake of being difficult.
Unfazed, he brings himself up and barely brushes his lips against mine. "I guess I'll just have to feel the movement of your lips while you speak. Help with my pronunciation and all."
The corner of my mouth twitches up. "Ashalik t'nash-veh."
He grins against my lips and gives them a chaste kiss.
"Du taluhk na'nash-veh." I kiss his cheekbone, under his eye. "Ek'wak kupi-glazhau nash-veh na'du."
Jim's eyes close as he leans more into me.
I move to kiss his slightly stubbled jaw. "Sem-tor igen-kur-kurak t'du nash-veh."
His breaths begin to become deeper.
"Aitlu nash-veh du mesakh'vath-veh." I kiss his neck and feel his breath hitch in his throat. "Tar-tor nash-veh na'nashveh 'kup-pekhal nash-veh'. Rilokav'es."
He hums lowly with contentment.
I move down to where his neck and shoulder meet. "Yon-tor du shaukaush svi'nash-veh."
He tightens his arms around my neck.
"Svi'pid-yesik'es dungi-aisha du nash-veh khaf-mev-eikan."
He pulls back, grinning. "That one wasn't affectionate, was it?"
Both of my eyebrows rise. "No, it was not."
He laughs and tugs me closer again. "Told you so."
"Indeed," I say, slightly exasperated. I will have to work on further repressing my expression of my emotions.
"What did you say?"
"You will have to be more specific," I answer, even if I believe I know which line he is referring. He needs to learn to be less vague.
"The one that wasn't about me."
"I assure you, they were all about you."
"The last one. The one that wasn't lovey-dovey."
I raise a puzzled eyebrow. Humans can say the strangest phrases.
He frowns. "You know what I mean."
I smile slightly. "As you have lead me to understand it, the words do not matter; only how I say them."
His eyes narrow at me, suspicious. "They were all about me? You sounded annoyed."
"Indeed?"
He straightens slightly. "What did you say, then?"
"That here is a high probability you are giving me an aneurysm."
He laughs and relaxes, kissing my forehead. "I love you."
My eyebrow twitches. "Ditto."
Next: Drunk
Series: That Would Be Illogical
Fandom: Star Trek XI
Rating: PG13
Length: 1,013
Pairing: Kirk/Spock
Summary: This is not the first illogical action I have ever participated in because of James Tiberius Kirk. I doubt it will be the last. Masterlist
Previous: Sex Kitten
"Du maut e'tum," I murmur against his neck.
Jim suddenly sits up and twists to look back at me. "Did you just call me a kitchen?"
The edges of my mouth twitch down. "That is af'tum."
He smiles sheepishly. "Oh, right." He lowers himself onto my chest again. He sits between my legs as I recline back on the pillows of the bed. Alpha shift has just ended and while I was going to begin reports on our latest engagement with Klingons, Jim has dragged be onto the bed to do nothing more than sit and talk. In the beginning, I would argue against such an act, which would lead to him giving me 'puppy eyes', as humans may call it, and I would relent. I soon realized that this was Jim's way of relaxing after a tense shift or mission. I now rarely protest. At least not in earnest.
"Why do you enjoy my speaking Vulcan if you cannot understand what I say? More often than not you misunderstand me."
He shrugs. Jim has been trying to learn the Vulcan language for nearly half a decade, but he has not been able to reach above the proficiency of a very small child. And his pronunciation is atrocious.
"Yet you continuously ask that I speak it."
"It's kinda a human thing," he explains. "Humans like to hear people speaking to them in a language they don't know."
I raise an eyebrow. "I normally find most humans are annoyed by others who speak a foreign language."
"I mean in a romantic setting. They like people saying romantic things to them in other languages. Lot of humans like exotic things, and languages they don't understand seem exotic."
"How do they know their partners are saying affectionate things?"
He shrugs again. "They don't. It's not about the words. It's about how you say them, the emotions projected through your tone or body language. You could be giving me the most horrible insults, but as long as you say it in a seductive voice, it doesn't matter."
I raise an eyebrow. "Another example of humans considering attached emotions more important than the content."
Jim smiles. "To humans, the emotions are the content. Words can be interpreted in different ways, but not emotions. Someone speaking in another language allows you to just concentrate on their emotions and not get tripped up with the words. You take the same sentence, say it different inflections and it changes the meaning of the words."
"Yes," I say, slight annoyance in my voice, "which is why sarcasm escapes me frequently."
"Exactly," he says cheerfully.
"Which is also why Vulcans speak frankly and in a stoic tone of voice, so that the meaning is not misinterpreted."
"Only it usually makes humans think that you're really rude or arrogant."
"It is an unfortunate secondary ramification."
"So even if I speak Vulcan like I've got tribbles stuffed in my cheeks, it should still convey the same meaning, right?" Jim attempts to say the accepted Vulcan declaration of love between bondmates, and I wince. He frowns. "That bad?"
I tug him close and kiss his temple. "Taluhk nash-veh k'dular."
He shivers against me. "Ditto."
I stop a chuckle before it starts. "I proclaim my love for you, and you say 'ditto'?"
"Would you rather I try to say it again?"
I hesitate. "Perhaps not."
"Can't you just teach me Vulcan through a mind meld or something?" Jim asks, gesturing to his head. "Just implant it into my brain?"
I raise an eyebrow. "I could replace your understanding of the Standard Language with Vulcan," I offer.
"Yeah, that'll be useful in a crisis," he says sardonically. He grins and rotates in my arms. "Maybe you should speak to me in Vulcan some more."
I hide my amusement and ask, "What would be the purpose in doing that?"
His grin widens and he wraps his arms around my neck. "Maybe it'll help me improve my speaking."
"You would be improving your listening," I correct, being difficult for the sake of being difficult.
Unfazed, he brings himself up and barely brushes his lips against mine. "I guess I'll just have to feel the movement of your lips while you speak. Help with my pronunciation and all."
The corner of my mouth twitches up. "Ashalik t'nash-veh."
He grins against my lips and gives them a chaste kiss.
"Du taluhk na'nash-veh." I kiss his cheekbone, under his eye. "Ek'wak kupi-glazhau nash-veh na'du."
Jim's eyes close as he leans more into me.
I move to kiss his slightly stubbled jaw. "Sem-tor igen-kur-kurak t'du nash-veh."
His breaths begin to become deeper.
"Aitlu nash-veh du mesakh'vath-veh." I kiss his neck and feel his breath hitch in his throat. "Tar-tor nash-veh na'nashveh 'kup-pekhal nash-veh'. Rilokav'es."
He hums lowly with contentment.
I move down to where his neck and shoulder meet. "Yon-tor du shaukaush svi'nash-veh."
He tightens his arms around my neck.
"Svi'pid-yesik'es dungi-aisha du nash-veh khaf-mev-eikan."
He pulls back, grinning. "That one wasn't affectionate, was it?"
Both of my eyebrows rise. "No, it was not."
He laughs and tugs me closer again. "Told you so."
"Indeed," I say, slightly exasperated. I will have to work on further repressing my expression of my emotions.
"What did you say?"
"You will have to be more specific," I answer, even if I believe I know which line he is referring. He needs to learn to be less vague.
"The one that wasn't about me."
"I assure you, they were all about you."
"The last one. The one that wasn't lovey-dovey."
I raise a puzzled eyebrow. Humans can say the strangest phrases.
He frowns. "You know what I mean."
I smile slightly. "As you have lead me to understand it, the words do not matter; only how I say them."
His eyes narrow at me, suspicious. "They were all about me? You sounded annoyed."
"Indeed?"
He straightens slightly. "What did you say, then?"
"That here is a high probability you are giving me an aneurysm."
He laughs and relaxes, kissing my forehead. "I love you."
My eyebrow twitches. "Ditto."
Next: Drunk