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1.
When Kirk woke up at Starfleet Medical, the first face he saw was McCoy’s. “You were barely dead,” the doctor claimed, although the fear in his eyes told Jim otherwise.
But Kirk didn’t push him for details that he didn’t really want to know. Instead, he forced a grin through the pain and fatigue. He even managed to crack a joke as Bones scanned him and told him about Khan. “How’d you catch him?” he asked.
“I didn’t,” Bones admitted. He stepped away, revealing Spock.
Kirk’s smile was genuine this time. “You saved my life,” he whispered. Then his eyes drifted downward and he frowned. With his blurry vision, he couldn’t quite make out the object in his partner’s hands. “What are you holding?”
“It is a tribble.”
“Okay,” Kirk said slowly. “Why do you have a tribble?”
Spock opened his mouth to respond, but Bones was quicker. “Because he adopted it,” the doctor interjected. “The two of them have been living together while you’ve been here.”
Kirk blinked. His brain still felt half asleep, but he could already see a problem with this situation. “Spock, if you want me to move out, you can just say it.” He licked his chapped lips and gestured at the hospital surroundings. “Although I have to say, breaking up with your lover in the hospital is...pretty rude by human standards.”
“Jim?” Spock raised his eyebrow.
“I’m allergic to tribbles.”
“You used to be allergic to tribbles,” Spock replied. “According to the doctor, you no longer have allergies or any other immune abnormalities.”
“What?” Bones gave a small nod of confirmation, and Jim groaned. “Great,” he said, melodramatically throwing his head into his pillow.
“I would not endanger you, ashayam.” Spock idly stroked the tribble as he spoke. “And neither would Eva.”
“Eva?” Jim frowned. “You named the tribble…Eva?”
“Yes,” Spock replied stiffly. “I named the tribble Eva.”
Jim couldn’t help but laugh. “Why?”
“It is my understanding that most humans name their pets. It seemed logical that I should do the same.”
“You actually adopted the tribble,” Kirk said with disbelief. “Why?”
“I recommended he get something,” Bones said. “For emotional support. He chose the tribble.”
“Eva was a logical choice of pet,” Spock insisted. “She emits a tone that is pleasing to most humanoids. Her presence will benefit the crew of the Enterprise without creating an undue burden on our resources, as she does not require as much food or attention as most other creatures.” He stopped when he saw Kirk yawn. “Jim is fatigued. We can continue this conversation at a later time,” he decided.
“No, go-” Kirk was interrupted by another yawn “-on.”
“Spock’s right, you should sleep,” McCoy agreed. “Come on, Spock, we’ll have plenty of time to talk later.”
Spock nodded. “I will take Eva home,” he said. “Sleep well, ashayam.” He pressed his fingers to his partner’s in a Vulcan kiss, then left.
“Well, Bones,” Jim commented. “At least one of us has someone to cuddle with.”
2.
“So,” Kirk said as he looked at the bedroom. He had just been released from Starfleet Medical and was now viewing the temporary Starfleet quarters that had been assigned to Spock for the past month. It was a one-person bedroom that looked as if it had never been lived in. “This is home?”
“It is only temporary,” Spock said, catching his partner’s distress. “Do not worry. I am already searching for a more suitable living arrangement for us.”
Jim shrugged and smiled. “I don’t care. It doesn’t matter,” he said, offering a Vulcan kiss to his partner. “Starfleet could shove us in a broom closet and I’d be happy, as long as you were with me.”
“I will make sure that our next residence has such a feature,” Spock replied, returning the gesture. For a moment, Jim thought he was serious, but then he saw the fond look in the Vulcan’s eyes. Kirk grinned. “You should rest. Let me get you into bed.”
Kirk wanted to protest, but he was already exhausted from the hovercar ride. So he let Spock help him out of his wheelchair and into bed, taking care to arrange the blankets and pillows just the way his boyfriend liked it. “Thanks,” Kirk muttered drowsily.
“I will be back with your medications,” Spock said. Jim could hear the door open and close as he relaxed into the blankets and tried to find a comfortable position. As he shifted in bed, he felt something move under his shoulder and heard a loud squeak. He screamed.
Spock was back by his side within seconds. “Jim, what’s wrong?” he asked anxiously. “Are you hurt?”
Kirk stared at him with wide eyes as his heart monitor shrieked. “Why the hell is there a tribble in our bed?!”
3.
Soon after being discharged from Medical, Kirk started physical therapy. Khan’s transfusion had repaired every cell in his body, but the long hospital stay afterward had left the captain with very little physical strength. When Kirk joked to Bones that another dose of serum might transfer some of Khan’s super-strength to him and save everyone a lot of trouble, his friend looked horrified. “Never say that again, Jim,” he said gravely. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Kirk felt a little annoyed to be chastised like a child when he was the one living with the effects of Khan’s serum, but he dropped the subject.
Kirk’s physical therapist was a man named Josh. He was used to working with Starfleet officers, and he pushed Kirk hard. At the beginning of his first session, Jim couldn’t even sit without support. Now, three weeks later, he was starting to walk again.
“Captain Kirk,” Josh said as Spock wheeled his patient into the room. “It’s good to see you again. Are you ready to get started?”
“Always,” he replied with a smile.
“Commander Spock, will you be staying today?”
Spock shook his head. “I will be back to pick up Jim when his session has concluded.”
Josh grinned at Kirk. “He’s just scared that I’m going to make him work out, too.”
“You hear that, Spock?” Jim teased. “I think he might be right.”
“Vulcans do not experience fear, Jim,” Spock replied. “I believe you are aware of this and you are attempting to express humor.”
“Attempting?” Josh laughed. “Ouch.”
“As you are scheduled for a ninety-minute session and two of those minutes have already passed, I recommend that you begin your therapy without further delay,” Spock said. “I will be with Eva until you are finished.” He left the room without another word.
“Sorry about that,” Kirk said. “He wasn’t like this before my accident. He just wants me to get better.”
The physical therapist shrugged. “Don’t worry about it,” he replied. “Come on, get on the mat so we can start.” Josh watched as Kirk transferred from his wheelchair to the ground, just as he’d taught him. “Who’s Eva, by the way?”
Jim sighed. “Eva is…his pet tribble.”
Josh’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding. Your Vulcan boyfriend has a pet tribble?”
“Yep. Named her himself and everything. He even keeps her in a cage with extra blankets so she’s comfortable when he can’t be home,” Jim reported. “That’s why he never stays for sessions. He says he doesn’t like leaving her alone for too long.”
He shook his head. “Wow. I’ve never heard that excuse before.”
Kirk suddenly felt uncomfortable. “He’s a good boyfriend,” he said defensively. “He just…needs extra emotional support sometimes. It’s been a rough few years for him.”
Josh nodded. “Alright.” He glanced at the clock. “Why don’t we get started?”
4.
Even though the Enterprise was still undergoing repairs, there was plenty for her captain to do. Now that Kirk had passed his physicals and was deemed healthy enough to return to work, most of his day was spent at Starfleet Headquarters, taking meetings and filling out paperwork. He hated it, but at least at the end of the day, he always got to come home.
Kirk frowned as he opened the door. The lights were dimmed and his boyfriend was nowhere in sight. “Spock! I’m back!” He dropped his PADD and communicator on the table by the door. “Spock? Where are you?”
“I’m in the bedroom,” Spock responded, his voice slightly muffled through the door. Their new Fleet-issued apartment was easily three times larger than their quarters on Enterprise, and it had been strange at first to have so much room. They would both have a hard time adjusting to living in space again when their ship was repaired.
Kirk grinned, already wriggling out of his shirt as he hurried towards his partner. “I’m sorry my last meeting ran long. I hope you weren’t waiting too-” He stopped mid-sentence as he opened the door to find Spock sitting on the floor, fully clothed and tinkering with some kind of small electronic device. “What the hell are you doing?”
Spock just shrugged. “Eva was shivering last night,” he said calmly, not even looking up from his work. “I am constructing a warming surface so that she will be more comfortable.”
“You built a tribble heater?” Jim gaped at him. "It's February 14th!"
“Yes.” Spock finally glanced up. “Where is your shirt?”
“Well, I came home to find you in the bedroom,” Kirk said defensively. “I kind of just assumed that you’d…be in bed.”
Spock blinked. Then he set down his laser micrometer and stood up. “I apologize if I have misled you. If you desire intimacy at this time, I would be more than willing-”
“Forget it,” Jim replied. “I’m going to lie down in the living room.”
Somehow, that seemed to arouse Spock’s attention more than seeing his partner shirtless. He stepped closer to Jim, examining him with an intense gaze. “Are you experiencing any blurred vision, shortness of breath, or dizziness?” he asked as he took Kirk’s pulse.
“What? No.” Kirk put his hand over Spock’s, both to reassure his partner and to render him unable to reach the medical tricorder on the nightstand. “I’m not having symptoms, Spock, it’s just been a long day and I’m tired.” His boyfriend looked unconvinced. “I’m in perfect health, remember? I promise there’s nothing wrong with me.”
“Very well,” Spock said, expertly erasing the tiny signs of worry on his face. “I wish you rest, ashayam.” He let his hand linger for just a second longer before he let it fall. “Please inform me if there is anything you need.”
Kirk said nothing as he walked away. Then, after the door was closed, he muttered too low for his boyfriend to hear, “I need animal control to give me a decent Valentine's Day.”
5.
It was warm and sunny in San Francisco on the day of Enterprise’s re-dedication ceremony. Kirk almost wished it were cold. The anticipation of speaking in front of such a large crowd had him sweating, and he knew the holocameras would be broadcasting his anxiety all throughout the Federation. As he was introduced and climbed onto the stage, Jim glanced back at Spock who was sitting in the third row. The Vulcan gave him a supportive nod. He took a deep breath and tried to imagine that it was just him and his partner as he started to speak. “Our first instinct is to seek revenge when those we love are taken for us,” he began. As he continued, he could feel his chest begin to relax. He knew the speech. He was fine.
“When Christopher Pike first gave me his ship-” Kirk’s voice wavered slightly and he stopped. He looked to the third row, hoping for a reassuring face, but found only an empty chair. His heart began to pound faster and he gripped the podium to keep himself from swaying. He found Bones a few seats away and remembered to breathe. Somehow, he managed to locate his place again on the teleprompter. “When Christopher Pike first gave me his ship, he had me recite the captain’s oath.” He managed to finish the speech with no other issues, but his heart was no longer in it. All he could think about was Spock.
Jim almost left the ceremony to find Spock as soon as he finished, but he knew he couldn’t. The public might not notice a disappearing first officer, but the flagship captain’s absence would be far too conspicuous. So he put on his best fake smile, hoping that his partner would let him know if something were seriously wrong, as he exchanged pleasantries with too many officers to count.
In a momentary break from shaking hands, Kirk managed to locate Uhura. “Do you know where Spock went?”
“No, sorry,” she replied with a shake of her head. “He just left.”
“Did he say anything?” he asked.
Uhura shrugged. “All I know is that he got an alert on his communicator and then rushed out.”
Kirk nodded. “Okay.” He wanted to ask more questions, but another group of admirals ambushed him and the chance was lost.
Finally, the crowd had dispersed and the holocameras were gone. As Jim made his way to the nearest transporter terminal, he quickly searched for the location of Spock’s PADD. Then, he did his best to swallow down his worries as he inputted the coordinates into the computer and beamed home.
He found Spock in the living room, stroking Eva with one hand and using a tricorder with the other. “Spock?” he asked worriedly. “Where did you go?”
Spock averted his gaze. “I apologize for leaving during your speech,” he said. “I received an alert from Eva’s biomonitor-”
“Eva?” Jim echoed, his concern suddenly morphing into anger. “You left because of Eva?”
“Her biomonitor indicated that she was in distress,” Spock replied. “I believe that the sensor malfunctioned. I will have to replace the component. Could you hand me the microdyne coupler?”
Kirk gaped at him. “So that’s it,” he uttered. He shook his head in disbelief.
“That is what?” Spock asked.
“I can’t believe I didn’t see it before,” Jim continued as if Spock hadn’t said anything. He began to pace angrily. “All this time, I’ve been trying to be patient. I thought this was some kind of grieving process that you had to work through and then we could be us again, but that’s not going to happen, is it? You really don’t want me anymore.”
“Jim,” Spock said. “Why would you say that?”
“Because it’s so freaking obvious, Spock, and it has been ever since Khan,” Kirk snapped. “You barely visited me in the hospital, and every time, that PADD or that tribble was glued to your hand. You have a perfect Vulcan memory, but somehow you ‘forgot’ to request quarters for two people when I was released from Medical.” He disappeared into the bathroom for a moment and reappeared with his toothbrush in hand. “You never take me out or come to any of my appointments. You don’t even know what medications I’m taking, but you have a color-coded spreadsheet to track her diet.” Kirk ducked back into the bathroom and returned clutching his hyposprays. “And when Eva breathed funny - also, I’d just like to point out that there is absolutely no reason why a tribble needs a biomonitor - and you dropped everything to rush home for her. When’s the last time you rushed home for me?”
Spock stared at his partner with wide eyes. “You have not needed-”
“Forget it,” Kirk replied. He roughly shoved his belongings into a bag. “I’m going to stay with Bones until we leave. And I’ll make sure we have separate quarters again on Enterprise since that’s clearly what you want.”
“Ashayam,” Spock interjected quietly. “That could not be farther from the truth.”
+1.
“Jim. Please sit down.” Kirk didn’t move. “I will not stop you from leaving if that is what you desire, but I request that you permit me an explanation.”
Jim hesitated, then slowly approached the couch. He sat on the very edge and clutched his bag tightly in his lap. “Fine,” he snapped. “Talk.”
Spock didn’t say anything for a moment. Out of instinct, he reached to stroke Eva but stopped himself just in time. Instead, he picked up the tribble and placed her in her crate, away from both of them. Then, he took a seat next to his partner, who watched expectantly as he searched for his words. “Do you know how Dr. McCoy was able to revive you?’ he finally asked.
“Of course,” Jim replied, confused by the sudden change of subject. “He realized that Khan’s blood could heal me, and he turned it into a serum.”
The Vulcan nodded slowly. “Do you know how he was able to devise this serum?”
Kirk shook his head. “No,” he admitted. “I assume he tested it in the lab or something.”
“He tested it on a tribble,” Spock said. “That is how he discovered the blood’s regenerative properties.”
“He tested it on a tribble?” Kirk echoed. He blinked in surprise. “Eva?”
“She was a specimen in Dr. McCoy’s lab who passed away shortly before our encounter with Khan,” Spock explained. “If he hadn’t injected her with a blood sample, the doctor have never known how to save you.”
“So Eva saved my life?”
Spock nodded. “Even after you received the serum, your health was unstable. There were many specialists who believed that you had been without brain function for too long to make a meaningful recovery. Others theorized that the effects of Khan’s blood would only be temporary,” he explained. “The serum had never been tested before. The only guide for how your body might respond to the treatment-”
“-was Eva,” Kirk finished.
“Indeed. When her health stabilized after several weeks, I felt reassured that yours would follow,” he admitted. “And it did, just a few days later. I was grateful to her and wanted to provide her with a comfortable life, but I also adopted her to ensure that I could monitor her.”
“So when you got that alert from Eva’s biomonitor, you - you thought that meant something was going to happen to me?” His stomach turned as he imagined how scared Spock must have been not just on this day but over the last year. He could hardly blame his partner for wanting to make sure he would live. “That must have been awful, sweetheart.”
The Vulcan nodded. “I apologize for my actions as of late,” he said. “I should have been more considerate of how my behavior could be perceived. I never realized that you felt I…preferred the company of a tribble over you.”
Kirk couldn’t help but smile. “I forgive you,” he said. “And I’m sorry we didn’t talk about this sooner. But I’m glad to know that you still want me around.”
“Of course,” Spock responded. “You are my t’hy’la. I will always desire you.”
“Thanks, Spock.” Jim reached out and squeezed Spock’s hand. “Let’s go to bed.” His boyfriend nodded and started to stand. “Without Eva.”
“If you insist.”