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His comm beeped. And again. And a third time.
Leonard looked up. His eyes scanning the room and landing on his comm, on the little table by the couch. He looked back down to his paperwork. And his comm beeped again.
And once more.
He sighed, ressigned, and got up.
Spock
> Leonard, I have encountered someone new.
> He... He is not unlike you. And yet very unlike you.
> I believe he was... flirting.
> With me, I mean. Flirting with me.
> Leonard, please.
Leonard choked on air reading the messages, and couldn't help the laugh that came out of him.
you cant be serious <
where did you meet him? <
> In the coffee shop we frequent. I believe he is the newest barista.
> And yes, I am quite serious.
sounds like you like him <
i wanna meet him <
you still there? <
> I have left already. But we do have a standing date there tomorrow at 16hs. Do we not?
we do <
guess ill meet him then <
And the very next day, at 15:59hs Spock rounded the corner and Leonard smiled at him from where he was leaning against the wall, two buildings down from their usual coffee shop.
"'ello there. Lookin' pretty today ain't we?" Leonard said, his eyes never leaving Spock's. He would swear he saw a smile in there.
"Greetings Leonard," Spock raised his hand, two fingers extended, and Leonard met him with his own.
"C'mon now, I wanna meet this pretty boy of yours and see if he's as much of a flirt as you say."
They walked inside the little coffee shop, with it's blue walls and big windows, where their pastries were actually good and they sold that weird tea Spock liked and wasn't sold anywhere else, with decent prices and, today, a radiant smile waiting for them behind the counter.
"You came back!" The guy wore the uniform shirt and cap, which did nothing to hide his dirty blonde hair nor his defined muscles. He had dimples on his cheeks, adorning his face with more than just his freckles, and his eyes shone showing the true delight behind his smile.
Leonard got it. He knew Spock better than anyone else, and now, looking at this pretty guy with a pretty smile who was truthfully excited to see Spock, he got it. He got why Spock had messaged him, why Spock had been interested, he got it.
"And you brought another delight to the eyes with you!" The guy continued, turning to Leonard. "Hi there, I'm Jim. Welcome to the Enterprise Cafe."
Leonard got it.
It was easy, talking with Jim. He was easy to talk to, fun, intelligent, actually interested in listening. He was great. It wasn't long before they were actually friends, Jim joining them on their usual table when there were few customers and all three of them going out after Jim's shift. Jim was interested in their research and they learnt that Jim was trying to get his degree. Leonard got someone to get competitive with at Mario Kart and Spock got someone as interested in space as he was. They got to meet Jim's friends and Jim met Leonard's daughter. Jim told them about his father, his mother, his brother and stepfather, and Spock told him about his parents and siblings and Leonard about his father and ex-wife.
Then, suddenly, it'd been a year since Spock sent those panicked messages to Leonard's comm, and they sat together in their shared kitchen having breakfast two hours before they were to meet Jim for lunch.
"We're really doing this, huh?"
Spock looked up. "If by 'this' you mean inviting Jim to form part of our romantic relationship then yes, we are doing 'this.'" He considered Leonard. "Unless, you do not want to, in which case no, we are not doing it."
Leonard shook his head. "Haven't changed my mind, no. Just thinkin'. It's mad, isn't it?"
"I do not know what you are referring to."
"All of it. Jim, the three of us. Everything."
Spock took a moment to consider his words before speaking. "I believe... I believe that we make each other happy. And Jim makes us happy, both as individuals and as a pair. And I believe we make Jim happy, individually and together. And we have proven to care for each other, trust each other, and be compatible, and be attracted to one another. And we both want this. So, we will ask Jim if he wants this too. And if he doesn't, he will remain our friend, and if he does..."
Leonard sighed. "You make it sound so easy. I hate it when you're all logical and all."
"No, you do not." Spock smiled, that little smile that few had seen.
"No, I don't," he said, and leaned in to kiss him.
And then, as fast as blinking, they were all three laying in bed, seven years after first meeting, barely a week after their wedding, when Leonard brought it up.
"I ever told you Spock commed me when he first met you?"
"Wha-?" Jim rolled back, lifting his head from Spock's chest. "Me?"
"Yeah, commed me panicking because a pretty boy flirted with him," he chuckled.
"Leonard," Spock's exasperated tone said.
Jim perked up at that. "Really? Tell me about it."
"I can do ya' better. I can show ya'. I've still got it in my comm." He went to get up only to be stopped by Jim reaching to him from Spock's other side and somehow still managing to get a hold of him. "Goddammit Jim!"
"No!" He whined. "We said not moving from bed unless there's a life or death emergency. You can just tell me about it."
Fifteen minutes, a pillow fight and three feet to get his comm and back later, Leonard began to read.
"Leonard," he said, doing a bad impression of Spock. "I have encountered someone new. He is not unlike you. And yet very unlike you." Pause. "I believe he was... flirting." A longer pause. "With me, I mean. Flirting with me." And then with a whiny undertone to it, "Leonard, please."
Jim's hysterical laughter eventually gave up to high-pitched giggles and once he could breathe again he pressed a kiss to Spock's cheek and whispered, "I went to the back room and told Sulu about this really hot guy I just served right after you left." And then he kissed Leonard's cheek. "And the next day, after you both left, I spent the rest of my shift telling Uhura how cute you both were. And I burnt myself with coffee because I wasn't paying attention, a lot," he laughed.
And hours later, the three of them would wake up, warm and comfortable, with the people they loved most, just like they would do for the rest of their lives.