Fic: Christmas Nonsense | STXI AU | Rating: PG - 15
Title: Christmas Nonsense (is actually a good thing)
Author: rven_julies
Series: STXI AU
Rating: PG - 15
Length: 3,389
Warnings: Hints of sex, bad words
Summary: Spock's not in a good mood. Kirk has no idea why, but it's not for the reason she might think.
Note: I am so sorry! This like...has vague hints of the prompt. -sob- But I really didn't have time! Damn you work! -slugs back to said work-
-x-x-
She knew something wasn’t totally right when she didn’t get her customary good morning kiss. Not that she had been expecting it mind you it was just kind of, you know, always there. Not that she was pouting in any sense, nope, the captain of the fleet flagship did not pout. She was James T. Kirk damn it and she didn’t pout (although she forever scorned her parents for wanting a boy so bad they gave her a boy name)! But she did know something was up the moment she woke up that morning. It was the lack of noticeable body heat that was the first warning sign. The other side of the bed was cold like it hadn’t been slept in for at least four hours and that was a long time considering her bedmate usually only crawled out of bed when she did.
“Spock?” Kirk asked as she sat up, shivering when the blanket pooled around her bare waist.
A quick survey of the room came to the same conclusion Kirk had about the bed Spock just wasn’t there. Kirk clucked her tongue against the top of her mouth as she tossed the blanket off the rest of her less than clothed self. This had been the norm a few weeks now and Kirk was starting to really wonder what was wrong. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she stretched her arms over her head; she would have time to worry about that later after she had a few cups of coffee. Once she had wakened her body up for the most part, she stood up from the bed and padded over to the bathroom area. Okay, this time she did pout a little as she took a quick sonic shower. Her usual morning ritual of making Spock take an actual shower with her was missed. Sure, it usually ended with them wasting more water than strictly necessary but what can she say, shower sex had always been a personal kink of hers.
Once she was properly cleaned and fresh for the day, Kirk was working on zipping her pants up and nearly caught her own fingers in the rivets when she looked up and there was Spock.
“Geez! Spock, how many times do I have to tell you not to do that?” Kirk huffed as she finished up her pants and walked across the room.
“Seventeen,” Spock answered.
Kirk’s brow furrowed as she dug around in a drawer for a bra and socks. She looked over her shoulder and studied the Vulcan standing just about middle of the room. Spock was wearing the usual science blues and pants neatly tucked into her boots. Her long black hair was braided back as was her usual as well. The only thing that really wasn’t usual about Spock was the tense line of her shoulders and the very slight furrow between her upswept eyebrows.
Kirk abandoned her search her anything that didn’t have black lace (not “proper” Captain material after all, damn regulations) and slid to stand in front of her partner in crime. She stood there a moment, bare chest and all, but Spock didn’t look up from the corner of the floor she had pinned beneath her stern gaze. Kirk eventually had to lower her head to catch Spock’s eye, brow arched in a curious silent question.
“Forgive me,” Spock said as she straightened a little more, “I have had a most…trying morning.”
“Sharing is caring,” Kirk offered with a tiny quirk of her lips.
“Why is it that you humans take such pride and care into a simple date? It is rather illogical to celebrate a supposed Judo-Christian figure’s “birthday” by decorating every available surface with foliage.”
“What?” Kirk blinked.
If she didn’t know better, Kirk would almost say Spock huffed in annoyance, “I believe you call the holiday, Christmas?”
It took Kirk’s mind a moment to click all the pieces together and once she had, she almost beat herself for forgetting. Tomorrow was Christmas! How in the world could she gave forgotten such an important date?
“You’re irritated at all the decorations.”
Spock nodded once, “They clutter work space, offer no significant cultural value, and are an eye sore if I am honest.”
Kirk snorted, “Spock, that’s like me asking why you insist on “cluttering” our room with all your Vulcan…stuff.”
She motioned vaguely around the room and Spock’s eyes followed. She frowned just slightly before looking back at Kirk.
“They are important pieces of artifacts.”
Kirk mentally winced when she realized how that sounded. This wasn’t the point she was trying to make. She shook her head and stepped into Spock’s space, wrapping her arms around the Vulcan’s neck and pressing her chest flush against Spock.
“But they give you some sort of comfort, right?” She asked.
She chuckled at Spock’s press of lips, “And don’t you dare deny it. It gives you a sense of home, of peace, of familiarity to have these things around you. It’s the same for the Christmas decorations. It gives the crew who celebrates it a little sense of home.
Besides, it’s only for a little while. Once Christmas is over I’ll order they take it all down.”
That seemed to appease Spock a little because she wrapped her arms around Kirk’s waist and turned her head so their lips were just brushing.
“Not a moment after.”
“Not a moment after,” Kirk agreed with a smile.
-x-x-
“The Commander was in a pissy mood this morning.”
“Well, can you blame her? She’s been at that experiment for days now and she keeps getting the same results. Anyone would be a little pissed at that.”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean she has to practically bite my head off when I don’t get the PADD fast enough for her.”
“Believe me that was the Commander being mild. I’ve seen her really pissed.”
Kirk pretended she wasn’t listening to the conversation of the two Ensigns on the bridge but everyone knew she was they were just polite enough to pretend they didn’t notice. Apparently, Spock’s day had been rather horrible. She had been called down to one of the labs on an emergency call and was there for hours before going down to the mess hall. Turns out, the replicators were acting all the shit so she had to fix those before finding out that she had reprogram it for her specific diet. That had taken hours of sitting and manually entering the code. After that, she was roped into Security training for the rest of the morning. Then after she had spoken with Kirk, one of the plants in another lab nearly ate her arm off while some dumbass advisor started going off about how Spock wasn’t a right Vulcan. It hadn’t been Spock’s day at all, and she didn’t know anything about Sarek calling Kirk up to check up on Spock. Spock would flip a table when she found out. And now there was this.
Kirk stood to make her customary round over the bridge and stopped by Uhura.
“What’s that all about?” she hissed in a whisper, leaning against the console and crossing her arms over her chest.
Uhura glanced at her from the corner of her eye before turning back to her instruments, “Spock’s been trying to do some sort of experiment for weeks now. Apparently, she got the idea when we were sent to that diplomatic meeting. It’s been a complete failure as far as I know.”
Kirk hummed in acknowledgement as she looked out across the bridge. Sulu and Chekov were playing a game of hitting each other when the other wasn’t looking. Chekov waited until Sulu was signing a PADD for a yeoman before reaching over and jabbing Sulu in the thigh with a couple of knuckles. It must have hurt from the way Kirk’s pilot tensed. Kirk couldn’t help but crack a smile as Sulu handed the PADD over and turned to punch Chekov right in the hip. She shook her head, boys.
“So how are you and Scotty getting along?” Kirk asked casually.
Uhura turned to her with a smile, “With all due respect, Captain, but I don’t think that’s any of your business. But good, if you absolutely must know.”
Kirk held of her hands, “I was just wondering. Can’t blame a girl for asking.”
Uhura just shook her head with a smile.
“All right, I’m going to go and check on Spock before she eats a poor Ensign. Sulu, you have the con.”
The only answer she got as she entered the turbolift was a rather high pitched, “yes, sir” as Chekov hit him right between a couple of ribs.
-x-x-
Well, Kirk could certainly see why Spock had been a little upset about all the decorating. For a bunch of nerds, the science department took their Christmas very seriously by the look of it. It brought a little warm feeling to Kirk’s heart as she paused by the door and played with the end of a garland hanging over the door. It made her happy to see that her crew was making do with what they had.
She turned from admiring the décor just in time to see Spock coming through a door in the back of the lab. She was covered head to toe in something black and green. A nearby lab tech handed her a towel and Kirk could read in the stiff way she wiped off whatever it was, that she was still in a rather bad mood. Kirk carefully crossed the room so not to disturb anyone that was at work.
“You okay?” Kirk asked.
Spock gave her a look that said, “Do I look all right?” before tossing the towel to the tech.
“I’ll take that as a no then,” Kirk added with a low whistle.
“I am in need of yet another uniform,” Spock said stiffly as she peeled off the outer science blue shirt.
“So that’s where all your clothes keep going. I was starting to wonder if you were hoarding them somewhere for some reason,” Kirk quipped.
She reached up and wiped away some of the grim Spock had missed. Spock’s tension seemed to melt from her touch and Kirk’s heart soared. She would never get over the giddy feeling she got when she was able to help put Spock at ease. The moment was interrupted by the com on a nearby wall.
“Cap’in, we’re havin’ a wee bit of a problem down here. If you and the Commander don’t mind?” Scotty’s thick accent cracked through the com.
Kirk shrugged a shoulder at Spock as she slid over to the wall, “Kirk here. We’ll be down in a few.”
“Aye.”
Kirk waited until Spock was ready before leading the way down to the Engineering deck. They entered the turbolift and got about a quarter of the way down before Kirk reached over and pressed the stop button. Spock arched a brow.
“What’s wrong?” Kirk asked with a frown.
“Specific.”
“You’ve been…tense all day. Normally, I wouldn’t ask because it’s your stuff to work through, but even the crew is starting to notice. And you’ve been working longer hours in the lab over this week. You’ve missed two of our diner dates because of it.”
“I have important work.”
“But I’m important too, Spock,” Kirk scowled. “Do you think I haven’t noticed that you slip out earlier and earlier while coming back later and later? Like I said, I wouldn’t have said anything but the crew has started to notice something is up with you. Come on Spock, just tell me what’s up and maybe I can help.”
“I very much doubt so,” Spock answered blandly.
“Damn it Spock! Give me a freakin’ bone here! These past few weeks I felt like I was the only one who gave a damn about this fucked up relationship we have going here! What the hell is going on? You act like I’m not even here most of the time!”
When Spock didn’t answer, Kirk hissed and jabbed at the start button. Fine. Let Spock stew in whatever it was the hell she was stewing in. It wasn’t-
“What the hell?” Kirk barked, glaring at Spock when she stopped the turbolift.
“Please, Jim, you must understand that I wish to tell you but under certain circumstances I cannot.”
Kirk wrinkled her nose at the nickname. She would forever damn her parents to hell. But the fingers on her chin snapped her out of her mental scorning. She blinked in surprise when Spock pressed a kiss to her lips and was even more surprised when the kiss went from chaste to demanding in milliseconds. Kirk grunted when her back hit the wall and Spock grabbed her hands, pinning them above her head. Well…at least Spock had missed Kirk enough to get this demanding. And somehow, knowing that Spock was just as frustrated at whatever it was as Kirk was, was almost enough to make Kirk forget what she was upset about. Almost.
-x-x-
“Now do you understand why I did not wish to have loose hanging decorations?” Spock sniffed.
Kirk rolled her eyes, “Yeah. I think they all learned that lesson. But you have to admit it was kind of funny.”
“I do not see the humor in nearly setting a level of Engineering on fire.”
Kirk just sighed. There was no reasoning with the Vulcan now. Sure, one of the potted plants on a table caught fire and somehow caused a mini explosion on the Engineering deck but it really was funny when you thought about it. And that was after they arrived about twenty minutes later than they had planned, everyone on the deck rolling their eyes at them as they stepped out of the lift. What, so Kirk’s shirt wasn’t tucked and Spock was in the process of braiding her hair again? She didn’t go around being all anal about the crew’s appearance. Anyway, back to the mini explosion that was funny as hell to Kirk and Scotty. Well, Spock didn’t think it was funny because she was sitting on the floor of their room, arms crossed so tight across her chest Kirk was surprised she could breath, as she waited for Kirk to finish.
“There! All done!” Kirk smiled.
Spock reached up and ran a hand through her now noticeably shorter hair. Kirk could tell she didn’t like it from the way she jerked her hand back down to her side. Okay, so this part of the explosion with Spock nearly getting set on fire wasn’t as funny.
“I dunno,” Kirk started as she sat back to examine her handiwork, “I think you look cuter with the shorter hair.”
“Then you are suggesting that I was not “cute” before,” Spock shot back.
“Not at all,” Kirk shook her head as Spock stood up and snatched up the small handheld mirror.
She looked at the new hairstyle with a disapproving frown. It was so short now that it really was just this side of being an old military buzz cut. It was certainly different from her longer hair, but Kirk thought she pulled off the “bowl” cut rather nicely. Spock set down the mirror and plopped down on the bed next to Kirk.
“Shame though, now I don’t have anything to grab onto and pull,” Kirk teased, sliding a hand through Spock’s hair and tugging on the short strands for emphasis.
“Shame indeed,” Spock said blandly.
“By the way, what were you doing anyway? I hear you’ve been a real pain in the ass to deal with these last few weeks.”
Spock sighed, “I have been attempting to recreate something I witnessed at Yuruh. I have yet to be able to recreate it.”
“It?” Kirk offered with a tilt of her head.
Spock took a deep breath and looked at the time. Setting the Engineering deck had taken the rest of the day and was well into the wee hours of the morning. She had snuck off back down to the lab while Kirk had been showering and stashed her experiment under the bed. Now, she reached under and pulled the small clear box out and handed it to Kirk.
“Spock!” Kirk gasped as she cradled the clear box with a suspended crystal in the middle. The crystal shimmered softly in the light, shadows of the room dancing across the rough looking surface. Kirk tilted it to one side and the crystal began to turn a soft green. As she righted, it returned to its pale brilliant blue. She tapped on the top and the crystal on top fluttered up and then to the right as she tapped the side, like it was trying to follow her finger. She looked up at Spock with a grin.
“This is beautiful! Where did you get it?”
“I created it. However, I was not able to get the color correct.”
“How’d you mean?” Kirk asked, tilting the box carefully upside down and giggling when the crystal turned a soft pink and bounced against the top of the box in protest.
“The color is not the correct color of your eyes.”
Kirk looked up at Spock with a blink, “Is this what you’ve been doing these past few weeks?”
Spock nodded, “I wished to get it completed before this terran holiday. I was aware of how important it was to many of the human crew and wished to do something for you.”
Kirk blinked again, “You…made this for me because…you wanted…”
“Correct. However, as I stated, it has not turned out as I wished it to.”
“Wow…my present feels rather lame compared to this,” Kirk whispered.
“Pardon?”
Kirk smiled as she stood up and moved to their shared closet. She dug around for a box and padded back over to the bed.
“You have no idea how hard it was to get my hands on this. But, when I started to notice you acting all weird, I called up your dad. Now don’t give me that look. I wanted to get you something to help you relax but I didn’t know what. So I asked him.”
Spock gave her a slightly suspicious look as she took the box and carefully removed the lid. Her eyes widened as a furry dark brown head popped up from the box with a yip.
“We’ll have to send him to your dad when he gets too big, but Sarek told me that that wouldn’t be for another couple of years,” Kirk said as the small furry animal turned and looked at her.
“I do not understand,” Spock said slowly as she reached into the box and pulled out the small cub, knocking the box off and onto the floor.
“Well,” Kirk shrugged. “You’ve had a rough couple of weeks and the year hasn’t been the greatest what with Nero and then all the other planets trying to kill us. And then there’s me, all emotion and shit. This was the closest thing to Vulcan I could get you. Sarek said you were really close with his so…”
She trailed off awkwardly and picked at a loose thread on the sheet beneath her. She looked up and watched as Spock carefully put the Sehlat cub on the floor and the cub instantly started darting around the room, sniffing at everything in reach. Spock then turned and looked at Kirk with more emotion than Kirk had seen in the entire year that she had known the Vulcan.
“Thank you,” Spock choked, a genuine smile gently pulling at her lips, as her eyes seemed to sparkle with all the unsaid things she was thinking and feeling.
The smile that took hold of Kirk’s face hurt but she didn’t care. She was just happy she had made Spock happy.
“Utan’es.”
“What?”
Spock leaned in and rested their foreheads together, “It is what I shall call the cub. It means compassion in Vulcan. He represents your compassion for me, which I do not deserve nor can I repay even if I tried for lifetimes.”
Kirk laughed, “Just be here. That’s all I could ever ask. Be here with me, forever and ever.”
“And all the moments after,” Spock whispered.
“And all the moments after,” Kirk nodded.
-x-x-
“Merry Christmas, Spock.”
“Merry Christmas, Ashayam.”