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"May I join you?" Spock asked.
La'an gestured to the chair that Una had vacated less than twenty minutes ago. She wasn’t avoiding Spock, but she hadn't actively searched him out after she returned to her original form.
When she turned into a Vulcan, she had been prepared for multiple outcomes. She honestly thought it would bring out the best in her, refine her. Instead, it had made all her fears and insecurities surface in an ugly way. She was still reeling from the experience.
"I—," she stopped as a server came up to their table, "I'll have another."
"I will have the same, thank you, " Spock said. The server nodded and left them to get their order.
"I wanted to see how you were, given it has been a few hours since you returned to your original form," Spock told her.
"I'm a little mortified," La'an admitted before she downed the last of her drink and blew out a soft exhale.
"It is a common sentiment shared by the others," he stated.
"I'm guessing it was easier to convince them to change back, given you did me last," La'an asked. The server came back. They both thanked them for the drinks, and they were left to their devices again.
They both took a sip of their drinks. La’an mused at Spock's faint frown at the tang of mint and sharp note of alcohol in the mojito. She knew he didn't like it as he placed to the side of the table to look at her.
"I would not say any of you were easy to reach, though the others were less violent,” he remarked.
"I'm-" La'an started to apologise, but he cut her off.
"You have no need to apologise. I know when it comes to your fight-or-flight response, yours is always fight." he assured her.
La’an said nothing as she took another sip of her drink.
"Though, I was unprepared for the depth of your emotions for me. It is why I did not wish to delay this conversation, especially given the nature of our relationship," He explained.
"I know we—"
"I feel the same as you do," Spock blurted, as if he was worried she was going to say sorry or worse, potentially break up with him as a knee-jerk reaction to protect herself from being hurt. "I thought perhaps I was the only one breaking their word. Then we—I was deeply moved by what we shared in your katra."
"It was something, wasn't it?” La’an asked rhetorically. What happened between then was probably one of the most profound moments of her life, however she wasn't prepared to discuss it in the bar. “And, anyway, I knew you felt the same before that because you purposefully left your socks in my quarters," she told him.
"My socks?" he asked, confused.
"Yes, you left your clean socks in my dresser," La'an told him.
Spock frowned, "I did no such thing."
"I have your socks to prove it, and I know you did it because of your research and it is a not-so-subtle gesture to say you want a more serious relationship," La'an told him.
"Last week, when you joined me for my evening meditation practice, you complained that your feet were cold. You borrowed my socks and did not return them," Spock corrected her.
La'an frowned in confusion, and then she remembered that she had borrowed his socks. She must have cleaned them with the intention of returning them and then forgotten with everything going on. "Oh yeah, I did do that," She mumbled.
"Is this why you were uncomfortable with me joining you for breakfast yesterday morning with Una?" he asked.
"Oh my god, I’m such an idiot," La'an breathed in embarrassment.
"You are not an idiot, though you could have asked me, and saved yourself from undue stress," Spock mused as La'an groaned and dropped her face into her hands. "Though, you are right, I do wish for us to explore a more serious relationship. I want you, La'an, all of you. I want you at your best and at your worst," he said sincerely.
La'an lifted her head up at what was one of the most clunky yet romantic declaration of her life.
"Are you sure? My worst is hellbent on mischief and galactic domination like my ancestors," La'an grumbled self-consciously.
Spock wore a faint empathetic smile, "That is not true, and you should not take everything I said in our Katra session to heart.”
"You were right when you pointed out my flaws,” La’an argued.
"Arrogance, paranoia, suspicion, and aggression are a small part of your core. Though they can be flaws. They are also what make you an exceptional security officer," Spock said.
"I guess when you put it that way… it's not so bad but I am sorry that I fought you so hard,” La’an told him. It felt so paltry to apologise after what she put him and the others through. She couldn’t think of what else to do or say.
"I, too, am sorry. I was selfish in my motives as I feared I would not have the physical capacity for your high sex drive if you remained Vulcan," Spock deadpanned.
La'an burst out laughing, Spock looked pleased as the tension in her eased, "I needed that."
"Would you like to return my socks?" Spock asked in amusement.
La'an shook her head, "They are my socks now."
"According to my research, it is common for partners to steal their partners' clothing as a sign of their deepening affection. It is also scientifically proven that owning something with a partner's scent reduces anxiety and stress levels," He informed her.
"For the record, I did not sniff your socks," La'an said as she didn't need him imagining her sniffing anything of his.
"How did you know they were clean?" he asked.
"I must have cleaned them, can we please talk about something else?" she asked.