#aahwtq

[marlinspirkhall]

And Her Heart Was Then Quicksilver

🟨 Teen + Up • ⬜ No Archive Warnings Apply

🟩🟪🟥🟦 multi: f/m, f/f, f/m/m, background m/m

🚫 Incomplete as of 15/5/26

Characters: Nyota Uhura, James T. Kirk, Spock.

Relationships: Nyota Uhura/James T. Kirk • Nyota Uhura/Spock • Spock/Kirk • Nyota Uhura/James T. Kirk/Spock • Nyota/Original Characters

Words: 51,935 • Chapters: 18/25

Summary:

Nyota is seven the first time her soulmark fades.

Her whole family gathers round and asks what's wrong, but she can barely get the words out between the tears. She simply extends her arm so the evidence can speak for itself- and stares in disbelief as the pale golden scratches reassert themselves.

For @uhuramonth

🌅 Chapter 01: Fading Light

🪙 Chapter 02: One Chance

💛 Chapter 03: Fighting With Words

🔶 Chapter 04: Copper

🧡 Chapter 05: The Boy With Two Marks

✏️ Chapter 06: Exquisite Corpse

🩶 Chapter 07: Mercury

💚 Chapter 08: When To Speak

💔 Chapter 09: Christine

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Chapter 10: The One With The Wales

♦️ Chapter 11: Unknown Variable

🃏 Chapter 12: Numerous Scenarios

❕ Chapter 13: Field Promotion

🤍 Chapter 14: Marooned

🖖 Chapter 15: A Vulcan-shaped Bump

⏳ Chapter 16: Hourglass

📀 Chapter 17: Gold

🛜 Chapter 18: Video Call

[marlinspirkhall]

It's been one hour. Chapter 16 of AAHWTQ is up.

Summary: In which the dramatic tension is ramped up in an unexpected way.

Excerpt:

The strangest thing about the elder Spock aren’t his similarities to the younger. No, the strangest thing- the thing which unsettles her the most- is the fact that there’s a difference. One very notable difference. Like Spock, Selek has a soulmark on his neck, but it isn’t a line. It isn’t golden, either, though that fact is less surprising… No: as Nyota peers at it, she feels an odd sense of foreboding. She knows that mark. She’d know it anywhere; even blindfolded. It’s a silver hourglass.

[marlinspirkhall]

WIP From And Her Heart Was Then Quicksilver (soulmark AU), for @uhuramonth

"Well, unfortunately, whatever triggered this latest reaction is a mystery to me." "Could be dust," the patient quips. "It's usually dust." "Starfleet Headquarters are not renowned for being particularly dusty." "Maybe not. But-" "Your tricorder results were inconclusive, so we're going to run some tests-" "Bloodwork?" Kirk groans. "Only to see what could have caused-" "- Yeah, yeah." Kirk lies back on the bed. "But, really, I feel fine now." "That's because you're in a sterile environment, and-" "- So, you agree, it could be dust?" "– You know it's standard procedure to update your list of allergens, so nothing like this happens again." "But it will happen again, and honestly, I'm used to it. Can I please continue with the open day? I-" "- Mr Kirk, if you try to leave that bed, I'll have to call the Admiral. Now, wait here." Vrushta strides from the cubicle, and Kirk rubs his face with exhaustion. "Well, this was a mistake," he mutters. Nyota frowns. The Admiral? If Kirk is related to someone in Starfleet, that may be where she recognises the name from. Still, she moves closer to get a better look at him. He looks pale and sickly, and something catches the light. She studies the side of his face. He has a silver mark on his right cheek- not scratches, like hers, but one large, shiny mass. He turns to her. There's a glimpse of gold- She steps back behind the curtain, breathing fast.

Amina laughs, and peers through the gap. Her eyes widen. "Nyota," she says, "His marks are like yours.”

[marlinspirkhall]

Hi! It's been months. Chapter 15 of AAHWTQ is here.

Summary: Kissing <3 and mind melds

Excerpt:

His uniform is strewn somewhat carelessly across the floor, starting with the blue shirt. There's an enquiring grunt. “An untidy Vulcan?” She muses. “Or am I holding you to unfair standards in a moment of distress?” “Nmn.” “Well, in that case, I apologise.” She sits on the edge of the mattress. The lump wriggles closer. She reaches a hand out. “Is this your head?” A purr.

[marlinspirkhall]

Five Sentence Friday from AAHWTQ for @uhuramonth

Nyota smiles. "I'm here with my sister. She's eight, so she's always getting into accidents." "Ah," the boy nods. "I'm Jim, so I'm always getting into accidents."

[marlinspirkhall]

WIP Wednesday, from AAHWTQ @uhuramonth

“You should really go to medbay,” she says. “Telling me what to do already?” He hisses out a laugh. “I'm gonna have my work cut out for me, assuming I'm Captain for more than five hours, which is…. debatable.” He quiets, but lets her approach. Gently, she takes the applicator from him, and he draws in a breath. “Easy,” she murmurs. “If you're not going to go to medbay–” “I can't.” “– then I'll try not to make this hurt.” Gently, she cups his jaw, and he leans into the touch. He's tense. “Close your eyes,” she murmurs. He looks at her helplessly. “You've got a bruise around your eye.” He studies her for a long moment, but finally does as she asks. “You know why I can't go to medbay, right?” He breathes, at last. “Bones will kill him. Like, actually kill him, with his bare hands.” She smiles. “He cares about you.” “Too much.” He lets out a hollow laugh. Her heart thuds. “I don't think that's possible.

[marlinspirkhall]

WIP Wednesday– from And Her Heart Was Quicksilver for @uhuramonth

“You can go in now,” the doctor says, as she passes. She gets to his feet. “Is he okay?” “He will be.” She sighs. “He's a regular customer.” Nyota frowns, and enters. The ward is otherwise empty, and curtains have been drawn around the only occupied bed. She hurries over to it. Jim lies on his back, pencil-straight, with his arms at his sides. His concealer has been removed- medical bay protocol- and she stops in her tracks. His marks are all-too noticeable in the light, and, for the first time, she understands why he might want to hide them. She'd forgotten just how striking they looked. Everywhere he goes, people must stare. The curtains swish shut behind her. He doesn't stir. She thinks about the last time she'd seen him like this. They're in the same ward as last time, with the same pastel yellow walls. Jim looks every bit as sickly as he did back then- perhaps more so, in fact- but nowhere near as lean. She approaches him slowly, and settles on a chair beside the bed. “Hey,” she says, softly. She rests a hand on his arm. A pair of eyes meet hers, startlingly blue. At long last, he moves, just a millimeter. “Hey,” he croaks. “We've gotta stop meeting like this.” She reaches out, but pulls back. “What happened?” He watches her hand from the corner of his eye. “Oh, the usual. I saw a peanut and decided to end it all.” “Jim.” She grasps his arm. He smiles weakly. “I was allergic to something at the party; don't know what it was yet.” “How many allergies is that now?” He squints. “Thirty-six?” He shifts slightly. “They're never going to let me on a starship.” “Don't say that.”

[marlinspirkhall]

WIP Wednesday- from And Her Heart Was Then Quicksilver, for @uhuramonth

She steps into the ready room. The call is already over. Jim is slumped over his desk. “You’re surprised that her mark didn’t fade after The Kelvin, right?” he says, without looking up. Nyota stops in the doorway. “I guess there’s no point in me pretending this is about ship’s business.” He runs his fingers along the edge of the table. “Depends on the excuse, I guess. What were you going to say?” “Well…” She glances over her shoulder. “Rand’s doing a coffee run.” His mouth twitches. “I don’t think I need it.” “No.” She steps forwards, and the door shuts with a hiss. The ready room is distinctly more colourful than it was when they first inherited it: the seat at the edge of the room has been covered by a red throw blanket, and there are other touches of decoration here and there. A painting done by a crew member, a pink cushion, and a lively plant (no doubt acquired by Sulu). It was so empty when she first came on board- for all that talk of it being 'his' ship, Pike didn't really have time to decorate it before they blasted off into space, and the only thing he left them with was the room's centrepiece: the round, wooden table. Jim traces its edge again, and she notices a series of small grooves cut into the side. She can’t work out if they were made by him, or Pike. “You know, Spock would probably say my emotions are Ship’s Business,” he says, after a pause. She smiles. “That’s his way of asking how you are.” “I know.” He looks up, and holds her with a serious gaze. “My mother…” He stops. “Admiral Kirk. Everyone always treated her like it was her fault. Like she must not have loved him enough.” Nyota stays very still, scarcely daring to breathe. She's never heard Jim talk about his family before, and any interruption might cause him to shut down entirely. “I used to believe it, too,” he murmurs. “Used to believe she didn't love anything or anyone. She used to leave me for weeks on end. Not alone. Although that might have been better...”