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If Kirk wasn’t able to get out of this conference in the next 15 minutes, he was certain that he was going to die of boredom. Why he and Spock had been invited to a conference on recent technological breakthroughs in the study of warp mechanics instead of the far more talented Scotty was beyond him. Probably because the phrase “Captain Kirk and Commander Spock” was far more glamorous than “Chief Engineer Scott”. At least while they were inside the lecture hall they were safe from the press.
It had been two weeks since Kirk and Spock had made their bond public, and the press still hadn’t gotten over it, most likely because there was still another month until their public Terran wedding (sponsored by Starfleet, of course). It seemed that either of them couldn’t go an hour without being bombarded by press questions, each one more fantastical than the next. The press had really latched on to the fact that Spock had been betrothed to T’Pring in the past, despite the fact that said betrothal had been ended years ago, and T’Pring had moved onto another relationship. Unfortunately, Kirk’s statement, “T’Pring and Spock are no longer romantically involved. Hell, my guess is that right now she’s making out with my communications officer,” only added fuel to the fire, and brought T’Pring and Uhura into the rumor loop as well.
So, the two of them continued to pretend to pay attention to the presentation being made, for fear of what awaited them outside. Kirk could feel his mind drifting, and instead of trying to focus himself again, he let the daydream take hold, escaping fully into whatever fantasy his brain had to offer.
He was in his quarters on the Enterprise, and he saw that Spock was there too. So the willpower that the Vulcan prided himself so much on was no match for monotonous engineering lectures. Kirk walked over to his bondmate and took his hands into his own.
“So, you couldn’t last either?” he said in their dream.
“I found the lecture to be uninteresting, given my lack of knowledge in the subject. Besides, I would rather spend time with you.” Spock replied.
The two of them came together in a gentle kiss, and Kirk was reminded yet again of how much he loved Spock. Spock swept his bondmate off his feet and carried him, bridal-style, over to their bed. The two of them lied down next to each other, and Kirk started pressing soft kisses to Spock’s jaw and neck.
“It doesn’t get much better than this, does it, Spock?” Kirk asked, wrapping himself around the larger man.
“Well, I could think of many things that would be more--”
“It’s a figure of speech.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Remember the first time that we did this? You were so worried that I wouldn’t love you after I learned how inexperienced you were.”
“I can see now that that fear was unfounded.”
“You’re warm,” Kirk said, his words muffled by the fact that his face was buried in Spock’s chest.
“That would be illogical, Jim. My natural body temperature is several degrees cooler than yours.”
“You smell nice.”
Resigning to the illogical nature of his bondmate, Spock didn’t reply, only rested his head on top of Kirk’s, and willed himself to relax. They were just about to fall asleep when--
“Hey, hey, Captain Kirk! It’s time to leave.”
An ensign that Kirk didn’t know was waving his hand in front of Kirk’s face.
“Is the lecture over already?” Kirk replied, rising from his chair.
“It ended several minutes ago, sir.” the ensign replied.
Kirk was impressed with how long he and Spock had been dreaming. “Well, I suppose it’s time to leave.”
“Oh, one last thing before you go. There’s a whole bunch of reporters outside, waiting for you and the Commander.”
Shit. So they knew where to go. “Thank you, Ensign.”
As soon as the ensign had left the room, Kirk turned to Spock, but before he could say anything, his bondmate spoke.
“We will have to, as you say, ‘make a run for it’.”
Kirk was surprised at the rather impulsive idea his bondmate had thought of. “Just run through the reporters and not look back?” he asked.
“That would be correct,” Spock replied.
“That’ll certainly be something for the news. ‘Captain Kirk and Commander Spock flee from the press’.”
“It will certainly send a message.”
“But it probably won’t be enough to stop them from hounding us.”
“Do you have a better plan?”
“I suppose I don’t. Well, there’s no use stalling anymore. Let’s do it.”
As soon as they had left the building where the conference was being held, they were swarmed by reporters, some holding microphones, some holding holoimagers, some holding PADDs to take notes on. They were all asking questions at once.
“Captain Kirk, is it true that right now you would have an affair with ‘no hesitation’?”
“Commander Spock, what do you think of your former bondmate’s relationship with one of your officers?”
“Captain Kirk, is it true that one Janice Rand is currently pregnant with your child?”
“Commander Spock, what is your opinion on Captain Kirk’s previous romantic relationships?”
Spock quickly took Kirk’s hand, which inspired a flurry of photos to be taken, and the two of them exchanged a single glance. Kirk felt one word through their bond.
Run.
They ran through the pack of reporters, shoving when necessary, and before long they found themselves on the other side of the crowd. However, they weren’t out of the woods yet. The reporters had processed what exactly had happened, and they weren’t going to give up the chase any time soon. Normally, they would have just another gossip story for the tabloids, but now… Now they could run a story about how Kirk and Spock had finally cracked, and how they had fled the press after a conference. The two of them knew that they wouldn’t be able to run to their apartment in time, it was simply too far away. McCoy’s house, however…
The two of them were out of breath by the time they got to McCoy’s house, Kirk far more so than Spock. Kirk desperately pounded on the door, hoping that his friend was actually home.
“If you’re trying to sell me something I’m not interested-- Jim! What the hell are you doing here?” McCoy exclaimed as he answered the door.
“We’re running away from the paparazzi. We need to stay here until they leave. Then we can go home.” Kirk replied.
“Dammit, Jim, I’m a doctor, not a safehouse keeper,” McCoy replied, but he let his friends inside all the same.
“Thanks, Bones,” Kirk said after the door had been closed.
“What the hell happened to you two?” McCoy asked.
“The two of us were attending a lecture on warp mechanics that we were forced to go to. When we left, there were reporters surrounding the exit of the building. We had no choice but to flee.” Spock explained.
McCoy sighed and shook his head, probably thinking back on all of the events in his life that had lead to this moment. “I’ll go check to see if they’ve left. You two can help yourselves to whatever in the kitchen,” he said, and walked over to the window.
“You hungry, Spock?” Kirk asked, making his way into his friend’s kitchen.
“I do not require sustenance at the current moment, however, some tea would be nice,” Spock replied, taking a seat on one of the barstools at the island.
“Replicator, Vulcan spice tea. Extra cinnamon, less sugar.” Kirk said, and the replicator quickly made the drink. Kirk was surprised that McCoy owned a replicator, given the amount of time he spent complaining about the mediocre quality of the food that it made. Whatever the reason, Kirk wasn’t complaining. He deposited the hot drink in front of his bondmate, and sat down on the stool next to him. Kirk held Spock’s free hand and looked into his bondmate’s eyes. Kirk had traveled all over the galaxy, but he had never seen anything more beautiful than the deep brown eyes of the man he loved.
“I am grateful that you feel that way, Jim, but I would not make such a conclusion so quickly,” Spock said. Sometimes Kirk forgot that because of their bond, Spock could hear his thoughts, and that ability was only enhanced by skin to skin contact.
“It’s still true, though. You’re the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen.” Kirk replied.
“I find your physical appearance pleasing as well, ashayam.”
Their fingertips met in a Vulcan kiss, and Spock smiled that secret Vulcan smile that Kirk loved. The two of them leaned in for a kiss but were interrupted by McCoy entering the room.
“First of all, quit flirting in my kitchen,” he said, staring pointedly at his friends. “Second of all, the reporters are gone. You two can go home.”
“Thanks for letting us stay here, Bones,” Kirk replied, getting up out of his chair.
He heard McCoy mutter “It was nothing” under his breath as he practically shoved Kirk and Spock out of his house.
“Go make out somewhere else, you two,” he said, closing the door as the two husbands began the walk back to their apartment.
“These articles are ridiculous,” Kirk said, reading one of the stories written by one of the reporters that he and Spock had fled from earlier that day. “This one says that you growled at a reporter who tried to ask you a question.”
“This one says that McCoy threatened the author with a shotgun when he asked for an interview. You do not need to worry about these stories. No one important reads them, and even if they did, they would not take them for truth,” Spock replied. “You should go to bed, Jim. It has been a long day, and you require rest.”
“I’m only going to bed if you go to bed,” Kirk replied, smirking.
“Very well. If that is what it takes to get you to sleep, I will happily comply.”
“You know I love you, right?” Kirk asked as he pulled the duvet over himself and his bondmate.
“It is a sentiment that you express at every opportunity. Logically, I should be aware of it.” Spock replied.
“You smell nice,” Kirk said, nuzzling into Spock’s shirt.
Spock dismissed the illogical nature of Kirk's statement and wrapped his arms protectively around the smaller man’s shoulders.
“Good night, vaksurik,” Kirk said, using one of the few Vulcan words that he knew.
“Good night, ashayam,” Spock replied.