Xenobiology 101 (ST:2009/ID, Spock) Secret Santa for Spoo

[RiversD]

I made a deal with myself that I had to at least reach this point if I was going to go for Secret Santa this year (and hopefully write something a lot shorter, or who knows what mess we'll be in a year from now), so here we are. Part six, in which I get carried away out of sheer stubborn unwillingness to 'kill my darlings'. It's fanfic, I can do what I want.

 

Part VI

Spock made a beeline for the bed against the far wall, sat down and began to take off his boots. Kirk, his body responding in a very human fashion to the long walk and change in temperature, headed to the bathroom instead. Fortunately, Capernian plumbing didn’t present any great intellectual challenges.

There were towels on a shelf beside the sink. Kirk wondered briefly how recently they would have been laundered, but quickly came to the conclusion that beggars couldn’t be choosers.

Since he had made a start, he decided to see what the rest of the bathroom had to offer. It really wasn’t bad- as far as he could tell, there was nothing untoward growing on any of the key surfaces, which was always a positive thing when it came to rented bathrooms. Unlike the facilities in certain places he had stayed (naming no names, Setis IV…), these looked as though you could actually leave them feeling cleaner than you did going in.

He knelt by the bath and inspected the faucet-like apparatus at one end. The means of producing water was pretty intuitive, although he spent some minutes fumbling with knobs before discovering how to affect its temperature. The result was surprisingly satisfactory.

He stepped over to the bathroom door and called out to Spock, who was sitting up with his feet hidden under the blankets.

“Hey, Spock! We’ve got hot water. Do you want to use the bath?”

Spock’s head snapped up with obvious interest. “If you have no desire to go first, Captain.”

Kirk smiled and stretched. “Nah, I’m just getting comfortable as I am. I’ll wash in the morning.”

“As you wish, Captain.”

 

Whilst Spock was making use of the facilities, Kirk wandered about the room. There wasn’t much to see, but there wasn’t much else to do, so he took stock as well as he could, noting the age of the paint, the creaky places in the floor, and the reassuring lack of the usual signs of damp. He heard some muffled sounds from the washroom that might have been sneezing or coughs, but he was neither certain enough nor cruel enough to pass comment.

He stood at the window for a while, staring at the narrow street outside and wondering, not for the first time, how it was possible for a random corner of a planet he had never visited before to seem so familiar. Perhaps there were only so many ways you could lay out a residential back-alley, after all.

The snow-darkened clouds rolling above the city were much more interesting. He watched them undulate across the sky until the sound of the bathroom door opening had him turning automatically to look.

Spock emerged, bare-chested, with a towel hanging across his shoulders. His neck and cheeks were flushed green, but he was moving much more like the Spock Jim knew.

“How are you feeling?”

Much improved, thank you, Captain.”

“Good.” Not wanting to stare Spock all the way back to his bed, Kirk turned back to the window. A sliver of bright silver forcing its way through a chink in the clouds bore witness that this planet was host to at least one moon. Spock would probably tell him how significant that was, later. Right now Jim only knew that it was piercingly beautiful.

He stood in the quiet of his own thoughts, only tangentially aware of the sounds of life behind him until he heard Spock’s breath catch oddly, and turned his head towards the sound. Spock was sat on the edge of his bed with his eyes closed, awaiting an oncoming sneeze. One hand was already half-curled around his nose, ready to pinch it closed.

“Spock.”

Spock squinted up at him uncertainly, and Kirk gave him the most meaningful frown he could muster.

Spock’s hand lowered a tad as he returned a puzzled frown of his own. It looked as though he would have liked to speak, but a sudden twitch of his nose snatched the breath away before he could use it.

There was a long, frozen moment of ticklish indecision, Spock’s hands hovering tremulously just shy of his half-open mouth. Then, having left it too late to do anything else, he sneezed explosively into steepled hands.

 “hh'ghISSCHH’uh!”

Kirk winced. That hadn’t sounded too much more comfortable than Spock’s labored stifles. And judging from Spock’s expression of distaste, it hadn’t been entirely dry, either.

“Are you alright?”

Spock sniffed gently, recovering. “I suspect I am experiencing the early symptoms of a viral infection, Captain. My immune system is likely to be susceptible to such things at the present time.”

“You’re catching a cold, you mean?”

“In all probability, Captain.”

Jim shrugged. He’d always pegged Spock as the sort to downplay physical illness. But then, stranded in unfamiliar territory, it also made sense that he would share something that might affect their plans.

“This has come on fast, then?”

“Not exceptionally so, Captain, presuming that the virus was already present in my body before the cold weakened my defenses.”

That was another thing Jim had been wondering about. Since it had come up, he asked:

“How come the cold affects you so badly anyhow? I mean, it’s nippy out there, but we were moving.”

“Vulcan bodies are optimized for higher temperatures than are humans. Thus we are more seriously and more quickly affected by extreme cold. The situation is now improved, however. I am in no danger from our present conditions.”

“So you were earlier?”

Spock looked away, his silence speaking volumes. Jim took a deep breath.

“And you didn’t say anything?”

“We were already seeking shelter. Nothing additional would have been achieved by distressing you.”

“You can’t be sure of that! We could have, I don’t know, shared body heat or something.” Spock raised a slow eyebrow, and Kirk backpedaled slightly.

“Alright, I don’t know exactly what I would have done, but there was probably something. And even if there wasn’t, I still would have preferred to know, alright?”

“Understood, Captain.”

Satisfied for now, Kirk settled himself down on his own bed. He would have let the matter drop entirely, but another thought struck him before he could do so.

“The Enterprise is calibrated for humans, though, and you seem alright on there.”

Spock sighed. “On the ship, I am generally wearing thermal underclothing. Given the local temperatures in Ostra, I did not believe it was necessary to do so today.”

“Hang on.” Kirk blinked. “You’re telling me that for you to be comfortable… every bridge duty we’ve ever done together, you were wearing long underwear?”

“Somewhat crudely put, Captain.”

“Still.”

Kirk sat back and considered a crack in the ceiling, his thoughts very much elsewhere. He was wondering how it had never occurred to him that Spock, a being from a world quite different from Earth, might have to make adjustments in order to live in an environment that fully suited Kirk.

On a single-species ship, ambient temperature, atmosphere, and gravity would be designed to mimic its crew’s home world wherever possible. Kirk realized that, being so well served by the current system on the Enterprise, he had fallen into the trap of thinking of his crew as though they were all alike, even though a significant portion of his crew were in fact living day-to-day under conditions that they had not evolved to suit. That was surely better than subcategorising them as ‘human’ and ‘alien’ as his ancestors would have done, and yet…

Was it all that much of an improvement to give their differences no thought at all? To expect his non-human crew to conceal their cultural and physical divergence from the ship-wide norm while the human contingent made no real concessions at all? Thermal underclothing was probably just the tip of an iceberg he had never known about- scratch that, had never looked for. He had just accepted the crew’s dynamic at face value and expected to be told about anything important. Come to think of it, he was pretty sure he had never clarified what counted as important.

It should have been important to know more about his non-human crew, he knew that much. It wasn’t right to try and lead them without understanding anything about where they were coming from- not knowing, when he gave an order, how much he was really asking of them.

Jim was almost certain Spock would tell him if he was being asked to do something unreasonable, but he had no idea if the rest of the crew would have that confidence. Besides, based on today’s experience, it was more likely that he would simply make plans to deal with whatever situation they found themselves in, without realizing that a non-human crew-member would need extra help dealing with the circumstances. Things like ambient temperature were basic- there must be a hundred little ways he could unknowingly inconvenience, or even endanger, someone under his command. No, it really wasn’t good enough. He had asked for this responsibility, begged for it, and it was on him to take it seriously. He had to start pulling his weight if he wanted to be a captain worthy of the crew fate had gifted him.

A polite cough from Spock cut across his Kirk’s meditation. He pulled his attention back down to ground level and blinked at the Vulcan, who seemed to be awaiting some kind of response.

“Sorry, what?”

“If you have no objection, Captain, I will retire now. I believe rest is the most sensible course of action with regard to my physical state.”

“Sounds about right.” Sleep sounded pretty good right now, Kirk had to admit. “Whatever we do next, it can wait until morning. Goodnight, Spock.”

“Goodnight, Captain.”

Spock lay down and drew the blanket up to his ears. Jim took a few moments to enjoy the image this presented, then folded his shirt, arranged the pillows to his satisfaction, and turned off the light.

[Shamaël]

Oh. OH. This is the best present you could give me tonight!  Spock's sneeze was just perfect and I really hope this is not over. I love your Jim (and he is not my favorite character, believe me) and his inner comments. And I LOVE the idea of Spock wearing "thermal underclothing" (the fact that the Enterprise is a ship designed and rules mostly by humans who didn't care about "aliens" is some of my obsessions, so thank you so much for pointing it out)...

The last part, with Jim's thoughts, was really great. I love when a writer gives one character's detailed point of view and when we can see his evolution. I like the fact that Jim starts to wonder about Spock's well-being (he's not a very experienced captain, after all, he has a lot to learn). And that's why I like your Jim so much.

And, of course, I really, really hope Spock is not feeling that well.

I really enjoy your fic, thank you so much!!!

[AngelEyes]

Poor Spock. Still always so logical. And I like Kirk's thoughts on his crew and changing the way he thinks about them. Very open minded.

[LeapYearKisses]

I love it!  Your characterization is still so good.   I'm glad Spock said that he was coming down with a cold instead of hiding it, since it's a lot more like him to be practical.  As always, I look forward to the next part!

[Red]

 You made me so happy, belive me. I'm in great anticipation for the next chapter. Can't wait for sick Spock spending the night with Jim in the same room. Maybe I'm a bit mean but I hope a vulcan cold is like a human one and it's worse at night. 

[ayslin]

I love this more than I can even express.  

The quality of the writing is superb.  Like Spoo, I would absolutely be reading this even if it weren't fetish-oriented.  Everything about it is awesome.  

 

[SneezeFanGirl]

This fanfic just fascinating! Works like that really rare - good style + favourite fandom + sneezes... Thank you and I hope, you wouldn't forget about it

[RiversD]

Well, I guess it's been long enough between updates....it's a bit filler-y, but we'll get there!

@Aliena H. I know you've been very patient... I'll try not to keep you waiting quite so long for the next part! Thanks for the review too- Jim definitely has a lot to learn at this point in the reboot universe if he's going to become the captain he has the potential to be. I hope I can keep him on the right track.

@AngelEyes Thanks! I like to think this version of Kirk is someone who truly cares, but often doesn't notice what it is he ought to be caring about. He'll learn...

@LeapYearKisses That's a massive compliment, thank you so much!

On 01/12/2016 at 8:25 PM, Red said:

I'm in great anticipation for the next chapter.

Whoops? Sorry, I paused so this wouldn't get muddled with the last Secret Santa and kinda... let it slide. Not much concerning that night I'm afraid, but there will be others....

@ayslin Thank you, really. It means so much to hear that.

@SneezeFanGirl Not forgotten, though certainly inexcusably late! Sorry, and thank you for reviewing!

Now, let's see if we can't get this back on the road.

 

Part VII

 

The morning light might have been pale, but it had no difficulty in penetrating the thin curtains of the hired room. Captain Kirk stirred out of an uneasy sleep as the light levels began to approach that of ship-board simulated dawn and found that he had wound the covers tightly round his legs as he slept.

He struggled his way free of the sheets and sat up. The room looked strangely washed-out under natural light, unless that was his eyes still struggling to wake up. He glanced over at the other bed, where the top of Spock’s head showed dark against the pillow. He didn’t seem to have been disturbed in the slightest by all Jim’s shuffling about.

 Jim frowned. That was no small lapse, for Vulcan hearing. There might well be something to Spock’s theory that he was coming down with something. Probably best to let him sleep, in that case.

He padded blearily to the bathroom and set about making himself fit to face the day. There was no soap, but he did his best with what there was. His hair refused to be entirely tamed, and he reluctantly gave up on it, reasoning that no-one was here who would tease him about it.

Spock was still sleeping when he re-emerged, though he had rolled onto his back, exposing his face to view. Something about it seemed strange to Kirk, until he realised that he wasn’t used to seeing Spock’s face so relaxed. With his mouth slightly open and his features smoothed by sleep, he looked vulnerable in a way that Kirk felt mildly guilty for having seen, given Spock’s earnest commitment to self-control whenever he knew himself to be under observation.

Kirk stood there for a little longer, uncertain of what action was called for, before the grumbling of his own stomach suggested a way that he could make himself useful. Whatever else the day ahead held, they would both need food. At least, he presumed that Spock’s requirements would be similar to his own- he ate on roughly the same schedule as the rest of the crew, although it now occurred to Jim that this might not reflect Spock’s needs so much as it did obedient conformity to ship-board routines.

That discussion could be had later, however. Pulling on his outdoor wear, Kirk picked up his credit stick and placed it in his coat pocket: much more suitable for the job than his trousers’ flimsy counterparts. They had passed a string of shops on their way to find lodgings. It should be worth seeing if they were open for business.

Shutting the door as gently as possible behind him, James Tiberius Kirk went in search of breakfast.

 

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“How can you just lose two Starfleet Officers?” Doctor McCoy demanded of the increasingly nervous young Capernian in front of him. The poor man was clutching his padd as though it contained his only hope of leaving this conversation alive.

“We are looking into that, sir. I assure you, we are as concerned as you are for the safety of the captain and-”

“I really don’t think so, kid,” McCoy growled. “I’ve had a heck of a lot more practice than you have. For crying out loud, it was a fifteen minute journey! It should be impossible to mess that up this badly, and somehow I’m not surprised that those two managed it. I swear, Jim could break his ankle down the only rabbit hole in a 5-acre field.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand the cultural reference you-” the young man started to explain, but McCoy waved the tangent away.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m just blowing off steam ‘cause I’m worried. What I want from you is some inkling of how an official vehicle managed to mess up a journey so short I could practically p- really very short, you understand?”

“Yes, sir. I’m as-” the official caught himself in time and hurriedly re-arranged his sentence. “We aren’t sure what happened yet, sir. I’m sorry. But Doctor Hamley swears they never arrived at the facility.”

“That right? And he never thought to phone across to ask why?”

“She- she presumed there had been a last-minute change.” The man swallowed hard. “We made arrangements for the visit through several intermediaries, it isn’t inconceivable that a sudden change in the itineraries might not reach her. And as you said, if they were going, it should have been an uneventful journey…” he trailed off in the face of McCoy’s unyielding glare. “I’m very sorry.” He managed.

Bones pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Alright. It’s probably not your fault, kid. Just tell me what you’re doing to find them.”

Edited July 13, 2017 by RiversD

[Shamaël]

Oh Rivers, this is great! Thank you so much!!! 

16 hours ago, RiversD said:

Something about it seemed strange to Kirk, until he realised that he wasn’t used to seeing Spock’s face so relaxed. With his mouth slightly open and his features smoothed by sleep, he looked vulnerable in a way that Kirk felt mildly guilty for having seen, given Spock’s earnest commitment to self-control whenever he knew himself to be under observation.

Awww my sweet Spock. I love when characters look vulnerable in their sleep (that's a great part of my weaknesses...).

And thank you for bringing McCoy back on the story!

16 hours ago, RiversD said:

I’m just blowing off steam ‘cause I’m worried.

Did he really say that? You're the best! (I can't wait to read the moment when Spock's going to wake up...)

[ayslin]

Worth the wait!  I'm still loving your writing style.  The level of detail is perfect.  

[AngelEyes]

On 7/13/2017 at 6:02 PM, RiversD said:

His hair refused to be entirely tamed, and he reluctantly gave up on it, reasoning that no-one was here who would tease him about it.

Untamed hair is the best. Makes me want to run my fingers through it. It's a weakness.

 

On 7/13/2017 at 6:02 PM, RiversD said:

Something about it seemed strange to Kirk, until he realised that he wasn’t used to seeing Spock’s face so relaxed. With his mouth slightly open and his features smoothed by sleep, he looked vulnerable in a way that Kirk felt mildly guilty for having seen, given Spock’s earnest commitment to self-control whenever he knew himself to be under observation.

Awww. Sweet babe.

 

On 7/13/2017 at 6:02 PM, RiversD said:

“I really don’t think so, kid,” McCoy growled. “I’ve had a heck of a lot more practice than you have.

LOL, too true! Go McCoy!

[ellwren]

Just re-read this and it’s so amazing. All my favorite things together. I hope at some point you come back to it!