Izuku called Katsuki 'sweetheart' so casually, it threw Katsuki off-guard. Pet names? They don't do pet names. Katsuki was Kacchan—why did his boyfriend suddenly feel the need to change that?
Yesterday’s @ficwip word was clothes and I have that one!! A snippet from Fire and Ice and an inspo pic!
Xaden honestly deserves a fucking medal for how easily he had me back in his clothes the night of the blackout. I’ve never pretended he wasn’t as smooth as butter, he more than proved that when he easily slid into the ice bath and even more easily had me in his bed. But so much has happened since then, and yet it felt so good, so right to be kissed by him again. Just like it feels so right to steal the zip up sweatshirt he left behind. It’s warm when I put it on, and it smells like him.
I send him a selfie of me wearing it, leaning over his desk with a sultry smile. A little treat for when he’s done fighting a fire. The angle is just right to where he can get a nice view of my chest.
tags: alternate universe - fusion au, creature feature, magic au, paranormal elements, small town au, southern gothic, urban fantasy, the doppelgänger-verse, politicaltorch, stormhammond
TJ weaved his arm with motions he was wholly familiar, his violin responded in kind with melodies that seemed to send his own thoughts into a daze. The intonations from his instrument of choice released music so sweet, he, himself, felt compelled mimic his own violin.
-
TJ Hammond’s eighteenth birthday was steadily approaching and his powers were manifesting. With his older brother guiding his steps, he should be just fine. Right?
written for be kind, rewind: make me (crack) ship it! hosted by @ficwip
Rating: Mature/18+
Fandom: My Time at Sandrock
Relationship: Builder/Logan
Word Count: 3084
Tags: NSFW. Established relationship. Romance. Action. Fluff/Angst. Hurt/comfort. POV Second Person. PTSD. Explicit language. DubCon. Eventual Happy Ending. No Beta, We die like Yan’s schemes.
Summary:
The monster hunter comes home…
A love that does not scream but threads lightly in and around the edges of our everyday... not loud, rather whispers... not imposing, but requesting... offers safety and comfort, a respite, a soft place to rest between the chaos of the lives led.
For @ficwip
The door slams as you enter, and the distinct sound of water running in the shower echoes throughout the empty workshop.
Earlier that morning, while fulfilling commissions, you came across the sheriff's horse, happily grazing while hitched at the Civil Corps Office. The realization hit you, the sand and gravel broke underfoot, rolling off your boots as you sprinted home. It has been five days since you last saw him; he's been on an expedition through the Eufaula desert, hunting…
***
A week ago…
"We need to go!"
The stern commanding thick drawl echoes through the halls, not commanding, more decisive.
The rainstorms in the Eufaula are rare but offer a precious respite from the punishing, harsh conditions of the desert. A blessing to all the inhabitants who call their little piece of paradise home. As with everything in this unforgiving environment, it is a double-edged sword, and the last brutal one brought the new guests from the peripheries.
The occurrence is by no means an anomaly; the expanse, large, almost immeasurable by any scale, and everyone is welcome to partake in the beauty and the resources that the Eufaula offers for those who yearn, deciding to call the place their hearth.
The problem lay in the numerous reports that have been pouring in that a flock of them has been attacking the travelers and smaller villages. The fact that little is known about their kind, even Howlett had no entry in his journals, making them very dangerous. The priority has always been the citizens who live and flourish under the Eufaula.
The information has been sparse, and the description varies with every account. A snake with long fangs, colors red… green… blues… bright as the sun… hisses… screams… fires arrows… spits venom… attacks from the ground, no during flight… flies… with a wing span of 10, no 20 meters… feathers causes dust devils to giant tornadoes… One piece of information they did agree upon is the fact that the new monsters are vicious and attack without provocation.
He thought about giving up and going in blind; it is a sacrifice he was willing to make, and it would not have been the first time, given his line of work.
You protest and call upon all your old contacts, demanding that he give you time.
"One day."
The tone offers no repute, and you agree.
The intel arrived from an unlikely source, Commander Avery, giving an account of one of the governors from one of the neighboring settlements. He proceeds and gathers as much information as possible before setting off with the Sheriff, and Coco, an owl, the strongest among your pets.
Sleep elusive, worry and woe are your constant companions.
The magnificence of the Eufaula is a mixed blessing; the unimaginable beauty adorned with a crown of thorns, the dangers that lurk and exist under the shadows of the grandeur are something you have learned to respect and accept… on occasions such as these, fear.
***
The sound of the swinging gate brings you back, as you arrive at the workshop, to the sight of Rambo, his majestic goat, quietly resting in the stable; you approach and fish out a rutabaga, offering him his favorite treat, which he gladly gobbles up. A healthy appetite is a good sign; the tears gather as you nuzzle the precious beast, muttering grateful thanks for bringing him home safe and into your arms. The goat leans in and welcomes your appreciation; the warm breath and calm heartbeat settles your own.
On his perch, Coco quietly sleeps; you sigh and leave her alone for now. The golden scorpion will be ready once he wakes.
You visibly tremble with tears brimming, as you notice the smeared blood evidence on the saddle, and the droplets that glare at you from his boots, left at the doorstep.
The pounding of your heart makes it hard to take a breath; the mere fact that he hurried to take a shower first before seeing you meant he didn't want you to witness the carnage. An icy-cold hand drags down and takes hold of your spine and wickedly cradles you in its embrace… the feeling makes itself at home all too familiar… exacting a toll… a price for love… for loving him…
He is home.
He is safe.
Your mind whispers, repeats in fervent prayer in an effort to calm yourself.
"The kitchen," you quietly instruct yourself; you need to keep your hands busy as you wait, or else you might explode. The suds and the warm water soothe your fraying nerves, and they settle.
You didn’t even notice the sound of the water stop running, the door opening, or the silent footsteps across the hardwood floor. The large arms slowly wrap around you, the dampness and droplets of water cold, making your skin prickle, but his skin underneath is feverish. The crisp scent of vanilla and spice surrounds you as his body envelops you from behind. You close your eyes, feeling the familiar and the presence comforting—Logan.
You know this… You know him… Your body relaxes in his embrace, and yet you feel the tension that has not left his body. His arms tighten, not harsh, more grounding. You reach and tussle his damp hair and breathe, "You're home."
You feel his shoulder drop, but his hold keeps, anchoring himself, as if the storm brewing refuses to break. He rests his head on the crook of your neck, breathing in the shape of you as if you were to disappear; his hand reaches for the waistbands of your trousers, undoing your belt in one movement as if he had done it a million times. The buttons unfasten as his leg expertly maneuvers and parts your thighs.
The moves are measured and calculated, performed from practice and muscle memory.
Your pulse quickens as your breath hitches, but remain quiet.
A finger traces your wet folds as he releases a heavy sigh in the shelf of your ear. The touch is not harsh but deliberate. A moan escapes you, and your heart beats thudding in your ears.
He growls as his finger enters you; you gasp and tighten around him. Like a whisper, his other hand slips under your top and cups your breast as his thumb draws tiny circles around your nipple, making them peak. Your knees shake, you cup the back of his head and grip the counter with the other like a lifeline as he begins to move at a glacial pace in and out; your arousal soaking his hand… another growl now more guttural and deep… he places another finger in as his thumb draws around your engorged, sensitive clit devastatingly slow and deliberate, a stream of needy pleas falls from your lips, as he grunts your name on your skin.
He offers you no reprieve as he continues reaching where he knew you teetered at the edge.
The moans that escape your lips are lost between your ragged breaths.
The familiar coil tightens as the heat builds inside you, and your hips move to his rhythm; he grunts in approval and bites your soft skin, leaving his mark.
A smug smile laces his lips as his thumb draws a long, brutal outline on your clit, and you mewl. You bite your lips and stifle a scream as your hips stutter, the coils snap, and your orgasm tears through you, soaking his fingers and hand.
A deep sigh leaves him, satisfied and yet aching for more.
Slowly, he pulls his hand; your body clenches hard at the void he has left you, and he licks his fingers beside your ear, not hungry but addicted.
He turns you to face him, his chalk-white hair still damp, pupils impossibly blown, and he allows his towel to fall, revealing his own arousal; your breath hitches. The massive figure towering over you, he leans in, his lips engulf yours, his tongue grazing your bottom lip, famished, demanding entry. You open, he explores, and you taste your own arousal inside him; it was enough to make you almost come again.
His fingers made good work of your top; it slips off, and he moves to your trousers, all your clothes splay on the floor.
He pauses long enough for you to catch your breath and for him to gaze at your nakedness. The lustfulness makes you ashamed, but before you could react, he grabs you, settling you onto the counter.
The move more desperate.
He thrusts into you as if he owns you; the stretch burns as he buries himself in like penance to the hilt. A groan is released, vibrating and traveling to your core. The heat builds, and your walls pulsate around him; you tremble as he continues to pound into you. The movement intentional, not punishing, but grounding.
The sensation slowly turns into a delicious ache, being replaced by pleasure—a need. His breath ragged, every inch, every vein, every twitch of him inside you. Helpless, your thighs tensing, as your legs anchored around his waist, you beg, "Please, Logan."
Slowly, he withdraws almost the whole length, and he thrusts to the hilt, and you lose your breath; his thumb sneaks and massages your clit as he pounces on you, as his other hand holds to your hips hard enough to bruise—moving, claiming. A stream of wrecked, needy pleas escapes you, and your nails dig in, creating crescent shapes on his skin. Drunk with desire, he continues to grind into you with heat and purpose driven by unbridled lust sharpened to a point. He murmurs long and dark in your ear, you're lost, drowning in the sheer force of him.
The pleasure crushes over you, and he follows. You clench and pulse around him, dragging every last wave, making his orgasm last longer, and his body collapses over you…
You hold him grounded as your body anchors him to you… a safe place for his desires and needs… his pain and fears… for his happiness and joy… a sanctuary solely for him—only him
His heart settles and beats in rhythm with yours… You feel his entirety melt into you…
He is home…
In an almost inaudible tone, he whispers, "I love you."
He is drunk and delirious with pleasure; he kisses you tender and soft, like the storm had passed and the need satiated.
The silence stretches not oppressive but calm and serene offering comfort.
He slips out and groans as you feel the warmth drip down your leg.
Like a whisper, his arms slip under you, and he carries you to the bedroom. You lie intertwined in his arms with his head resting on your chest, mindful not to crush you with his weight. Your heartbeat calms his own.
“Did I hurt yer?”
You trail your fingers through his hair and answer, “No.”
“I love you… I’m sorry I missed you… I needed you…I-I…”
Softly, you ask, "Will you tell me what happened?"
The muscles tense for but a breath, but you caught it, and you decide not to push. Well aware that he will tell you when he's ready.
You whisper, “I love you.”
He is home. Safe. It is enough.
He takes in a labored breath and buries his head on your chest, and begins. "There were three of them, fast and stron'; emitting a piercing sound before attackin', which was debilitatin'. We needed a workaround, and figured out that stuffin' the cotton backin' from our armors in our ears enabled us to withstand the sound and fight."
Silence.
The beads of sweat forming at the tips of his skin as his heart raced; you carded your fingers through his hair to calm him.
You hold him until slumber comes to claim him.
His breathing settles into an even rhythm, and you slowly free yourself.
The mudroom welcomes you, and the armor is sitting neatly folded in his laundry basket. Slowly, you pick it up; your breath hitches as you examine the blood and guts, and the toxic material that marred every inch of the fabric. The scent of burned leather and ash, laced with a hint of iron and rotten fish, permeates the tiny room, making you gag and wrench, tasting the bitterness of the bile coating your tongue and lingering in your mouth. The tears stream down your cheeks; in your hands, you behold the evidence, imagining the brutal fight that must have taken place.
The room spins and…
Thud!
The floor cradles you as you crumble into its cold clutches at the thought you could have lost him—your love—your sweetheart.
The tears stain your cheeks, and you weep until there are no more.
The storm over, you gather yourself, load the laundry, and go about the chores as if it were any other day.
The kitchen needs tidying, aware that school will be let out soon and Andy will come home.
The evening arrives without fanfare, and at dinner, Andy asks, "How's the big lug?"
You swallow hard, "He needs to sleep it off.
"That bad, huh?"
The silence stretches between the knowing glances and deliberate movements as if the space needs to restore balance. You both settle in quiet contemplation, taking comfort in the knowledge of having him home safe.
Andy is well aware… too aware, in your opinion, of the perils of the desert and the life of a monster hunter.
You work as a team and go about clearing the dinner table, and homework is next on the schedule. The mundane routine grounds and settles both of you.
The warmth engulfs you as the tiny body hugs you goodnight. He tells you he is too old for stories, but you read him one anyway, insisting on your need to find out what happens in the next chapter. It is a tradition you intend to keep until he is indeed truly too old for one—not tonight, not yet. Sleep claims him even before you utter the last word, and a smile laces your lips.
The innocent slumbers, and all is as it should be.
You brush a kiss on his forehead and whisper, "Good night, my sweet boy. I'll see you in the morning."
The door closes.
Your bedroom welcomes you, bathed in moonlight, beautiful, serene, and quiet. The mattress dips slightly as you settle in to join him, holding his tired body; he gravitates deeper into you, and you tuck him in as if he belongs there—because he does.
You tremble as your eyes trace the bruises and large welts that are now more visible on his body. A testament to the brutal encounter with the monster… You do not dare mention its namesake and shudder at the thought as if naming it might speak it into existence, bestowing more power upon it.
The movement precise and gentle; your delicate fingers roam his body and apply the salve on each stain, marring his alabaster skin. You catch the sob in your throat, you refuse its existence—you will not fracture.
Sleep finally comes for you, granting respite from the horrors of the day past.
The morning after, you find yourself in City Hall attending the debriefing with the Mayor, the Monster Hunter, and the Civil Corps.
You are cognizant that he didn't want you to hear what happened; he could not keep you away. This is part of your duties as an Honorary member of Civil Corps, a title you earned during the Geegler attack, which you faithfully uphold together as a builder in the City of Sandrock. A position he respects and supports, but not today.
The Sheriff is taking the lead, and he is quietly sitting, scribbling in his journal, occasionally chiming in when an important point needs emphasis.
A calm envelops you as you watch him listening to all the information. The pounding in your chest echoes in your ears, and yet you stay silent and in control. The composure and poised demeanor are a stark contrast to the trepidation gripping your spine. You remind yourself repeatedly,
He is back. He is safe…
…until next time.
The intrusive thoughts persist, and you silently push them away. It is of no benefit.
The walk home a reiteration of the mundane, with your fingers interlaced with his, as he watches you in silent approbation. Your stalwartness amidst the overwhelming details of the carnage is more than he could ever ask for.
You know better; he could not see you break, nor will he ever see you shatter.
You are his anchor. He needs to know you are fine—You are.
The sound of the gates swinging heralds that you are home. The silence breaks. He asks, the concern dripping from his voice, "Are yer okay?" The blue sea-glass eyes, grounded by salt and history, stare into yours, that flickers between blue and green, never one, always both; soft and searching. "It ain't easy being a monster hunter's wife…havin' to hear all those things…"
The words hang…
You erase the space between you and caress his cheek, with such gentleness, he loses his breath, "You're home, safe. That's all that matters."
He envelopes you in an all-encompassing embrace, and you anchor him… his north star.
That evening, the scent of a promising, delicious meal wafts from the kitchen as you enter after a long day of fulfilling commissions.
The thick drawl echoes from the galley and vibrates throughout the walls. "Hey, sweetheart, dinner will be in an hour."
You smile and proceed to have a bath before then.
The warm water calms you.
In your hand, the monster hunting journal, you open to the page, and your breath dissipates as you weep. The hand-drawn picture of the monster stares back at you, and the words of that morning's briefings resonate and scream inside your head. The notebook slips from your grasp and lands on the tile floor, and your body trembles uncontrollably.
A silent whisper falls from your lips, the monster's name, "Bellwing Sirens."
The quiet susurrations creep in from the shadows, innocent at first, and gather strength, matestisizing into something ominous and potent, threatening… your control fracturing…
You plunge your body inside the tub the waters overflow, and you hold yourself under… the deafening silence surrounds you as the thoughts run rampant… your lungs begin to ache… susurations of what could have been continue… you hold submerge… your lungs ache, begging… you refuse, stillness… the whispers begin to quiet and settle… silence…
The water splashes and overflows as you emerge, taking in lungfuls…
A short while later, you silently watch, Logan and Andy, in matching father and son aprons, busy setting the table and plating the food.
It does not take long before the familiar scent of lavender and jasmine beckons, and he notices your presence. A smile tugs at the corner of his lips, his sea-glass eyes dance, the blues deepening; he offers you his hand, taking it, you find yourself enveloped in the warmth of his embrace, with his lips touching yours, lighter than a breath, yet passionate and grounding.
"Ew, you guys get a room." A tiny voice, adamant, protests loudly from the background.
He releases your lips, and you take in a breath, and he presses his forehead onto yours. Tenderly seats you onto one of the chairs, his eyes never leaving yours, breathing in the shape of you as if you were to disappear.
"Perfect timing, dinner is served."
On the table, a beautifully arranged bouquet of wild flowers with a card…
Sweetheart, I love you. Logan
Author's Notes:
This fanfic is part of the following challenges: FanfictionExchange_LoveFest2026, sweetheart2026, International Fanworks Day 2
Prompts: #Hey sweetheart #a bouquet of wild flowers
Happy Valentine's Day💖… Let's be honest, for a hopeless romantic like me, every day is heart's day🥰💖
I hope you enjoyed this little respite from Iris. Thank you😊.
He comes to in a room shrouded in darkness, the only hints of illumination from moonlight slanting through lateral steel beams framing the exterior wall like a decorative trim. Aside from this detail, Jim can sparsely make out any other features of his prison, though he does assess that there is another organic lifeform within the confines of the space fairly quickly.
With an undignified yelp, Jim startles backward at the sound of the creature breathing scant inches from him. A confusing jumble of limbs and the ache of joint over-extension follows, further disorienting the near-blind officer, until—
“Ensign,” says the voice, not without its fair share of exasperation.
And thank God, actually, because Jim would recognize that voice over his own.
“Captain,” he breathes, so greatly relieved to find he isn’t about to be eaten by some foreign predator in an undisclosed location. “Oh, fuck. I thought I was a goner for sure. Where the hell are we?”
Spock clicks his tongue, clearly displeased by the vulgarity but also not so much to properly chastise him. “We appear to be prisoners.” He says this in the same way most humans would informally follow up with, duh. Though he isn’t sure there is enough lighting for anyone to witness it, Jim grins triumphantly nonetheless.
A twinge in his arm reminds him of his rather precarious position. Spock seems to have gotten the better end of the strapped-to-another-person deal, since he has the good fortune to be able to lean comfortably against the exterior wall, legs extended and bent at the knee. Between which, of course (just his luck), Jim lies sprawled on his belly, yellow shirt riding up and exposing a strip of said torso to the cool ground below him. He has never wished he followed regulation more stringently before in his life; at least if he had in this instance, his tucked black undershirt would have saved him a modicum of dignity. Hindsight, twenty-twenty, whatever. Then, his attention is drawn to his hands, which are attached to some terribly tingly arms.
The metal cuffs—if they can rightly be called such—cover his arms to the elbow and cross at his wrists, entirely encasing every inch of skin between. Spock’s cuffs mirror his. At the palms, the cuffs wrap around only the backs of their hands, pressing their palms pretty snuggly together, right to right and left to left. As if the discomfort couldn’t get any worse, the connection of their cuffs extends to the wrists, leaving very little room for finding any position even remotely comfortable.
Experimentally, Jim tests the feeling in his hands by wiggling his fingers. Above him, Spock hisses out something in Vulcan and one of his legs kick down and jars Jim, yanking on the juncture where their arms are still very, very attached. It’s a wonder his elbows don’t pull right out of socket.
“Son of bitch,” Jim curses into the cement flooring with a regulation boot digging insistently into his side. Spock seems to shake out whatever the hell had briefly possessed him, because the foot retreats quickly after that.
“So,” he asks after several long seconds of breathing unevenly into the ground. “Is this the new normal? Will we have to learn to cohabitate? I’m kind of a slob.”
“Your incessant witticisms are unwelcome,” Spock states emphatically.
“They’re welcome everywhere, Captain. It’s a universal fact.”
“I do not doubt that you believe that.”
“Aww, you know me so well,” Jim coos, though the faux flirting does fall a little flat when he can’t flash his big ol’ doe eyes at Spock. “Look at us! We’re practically married already. Fair warning: I’m a high-maintenance gal.”
Spock doesn’t respond for a moment, and for a second Jim wilts, assuming he won’t rise to the bait. Then, as if the Vulcan just can’t help himself, he says, “Strictly for clarification purposes, I am compelled to ask: does your self-identification as a ‘high-maintenance gal,’” (Jim can sense the air quotes. They aren’t physical ones—he would feel them against his own palms—but they’re there, all the same.) “extend past impromptu quips, or does it, like most of your other unsolicited narrations, serve only to disarm?”
“Oh, now we’re flirting? The Captain thinks I’m disarming,” Jim sing-songs, then wriggles around inelegantly on the ground in an effort to ease the ache in his joints, trying to ignore the fact that Spock’s crotch is about half a foot from his face. After much uninterrupted shuffling, he lets out a frustrated grunt. He may not be claustrophobic, but anyone would be greatly agitated by the sheer lack of mobility being chained up from elbow to wrist creates. “Listen, I hate to be the kind of guy to complain, but I gotta get out of these cuffs. And, barring that option, I at least have got to sit up or risk needing a double amputation of the arms. Or insanity. Whichever comes first.”
Spock stays quiet, but he does shuffle backwards a touch before carefully raising their joined arms. The leverage allows Jim to get his knees up under him, then from there he sort of–pauses.
He’s got options, for sure, but none are exactly inspiring.
Up on his knees like this, fingertips pressed to fingertips, Jim realizes just how close their bondage forces them, especially in the search for comfort. He could sidle his knees up to press flush against Spock’s thighs. Fuck.
“Ensign?” Spock addresses drily, perhaps curious as to why Jim has stopped both his incessant speech and his restless wriggling all at once. He still can’t see much, not with the hailing dark of the room, but his eyes have adjusted enough that he can pretty clearly make out the milk chocolate of Spock’s eyes, and for fuck’s sake, that is doing wayyy too much for him.
But he’s gotta talk, or risk being caught staring like a creep.
“Hnngh,” he manages, then wishes he could smack a hand to his face. “Sorry. Something stuck in my throat. Dry. Dry mouth, ‘cause I’m thirsty.”
“You have been unconscious throughout the duration of our stay.” Like it’s some sort of vacation. “In this time, I have calculated that we are monitored every two-point-two-three hours. As they have each time before, I am certain that, during their next patrol, our captors will provide necessary sustenance that will reduce your discomfort.”
Jesus, like wading through shallow water every time he opens his mouth. “Wonderful.” Then, before he can think better of it, he asks, “Permission to straddle your lap, Captain?”
Although his expression does not technically change, Jim imagines it might take on an even more bored look. “Permission denied.”
“But Captain. Caaaaptaaain. Please. My knees are falling asleep.”
“Permission considered. Permission pending.” Spock pauses as if actually thinking, but neither his expression changes nor do his eyes even waver from boring directly into Jim’s. “Permission denied.”
“Don’t make me wiggle my fingers again.” It’s a pretty hollow threat in the scheme of things, yet they still drag a greater reaction out of Spock than anything else he’s said yet as his eyes dart down at their joined hands and back up again. Those brown eyes assess his, as if trying to pin down just how serious he is, so Jim (curious; always too curious for his own good…) allows juuust his pinky to barely, barely shift to the left.
Spock’s eyes widen practically microscopically, but Jim catches it because he’s not just looking; oh, no, he’s fucking searching.
“Permission granted,” Spock finally allows, a strange but unidentifiable quality to his voice.
Gleefully, Jim pushes higher up onto his knees and sways his balance back and forth to individually swing both legs over Spock’s. After some minor adjusting, Jim finally settles back onto Spock’s strong thighs and thinks (because he can’t say it out loud without probably being murdered), damn. Probably the first motherfucker to sit here, huh?
Spock says nothing, but it is clear he could be more comfortable, for sure. Which is totally fair, because sitting in his ship captain’s lap isn’t Jim’s first choice for leisure. Sure, he’s thought about it in more recreational settings. This exact position, even, though maybe without the excessive bondage. It’s suuuper taboo—but that just makes the idea of it that much hotter, ‘specially for Jim.
And, fuck, for the life of him he cannot get those eyes out of his head; the eye contact is so focused that it bleeds everything to the wayside… to be fucked with those eyes looking right into his soul—
“James,” Spock interrupts his rumination, sounding strangled. Jim’s instantly on high alert, certain there is an immediate threat that he hasn’t caught onto yet, so he leans this way and that to look around. He doesn’t sense anything—a pin drop would be deafening in the still quietness of their cell. With furrowed brows, he returns his gaze to his Captain’s, and kind of freezes in place.
Because Spock is—no. Surely it isn’t possibly, but newly gathered evidence would certainly argue with him. In the dimness of the room, Jim can just barely make out a tinge of green dusting Spock’s face. He’s blushing. No fucking way.
“No fucking way,” Jim repeats aloud. “Vulcans can blush?”
It doesn’t occur to him, in this exact moment, to really consider the why.
Spock averts his gaze. Well. His eyes shift from making direct eye contact to looking at the space marginally to the left of Jim’s eyes. “No,” he admits. Then, just as quickly as he had noticed the distinct coloration, it dissipates like it had never been there at all.
“You totally made that go away. How did you do that? Do you just—suck it back up into your body, or something? Like breathing through gills?”
“A wildly inaccurate comparison,” he says thinly. “And assumption, for that matter.”
What Jim wouldn’t give to jab him in the cheek right now, superior officer be damned. He’d risk it all right now just for some good ol’ fashioned slapstick. (It’s been far too long since he’s yucked it up with another human in person.)
“Ain’t you cute,” Jim adopts a seriously terribly southern drawl. “Blushing ‘cause you got a hot piece of ass in your lap.”
Oh, and thus appears the eyebrow of death: Spock’s always so good at looking greatly disappointed without a drop of emotion altering his expression.
“What, hit the nail on the head, did I?”
“As there are currently no implements within our reach to carry out such an activity, I should say not.”
Jim leans forward conspiratorially. “Was that a joke, Captain? A–what’d you call it? Incessant witticism? Careful, sir, I think your fondness is showing!” He can tell that Spock is physically preventing himself from reacting in any way that could be considered emotional, which is so thrilling. If just a little teasing can get him riled up like this, Jim wonders what Spock would do with a mouth wrapped around his—
“Jim.” Uh-oh. That’s a, you’ve been caught watching porn on the school desktop, ‘Jim.’ Like a deer-in-headlights, he blinks innocently down at Spock. “I can only assume that you did not attend a culture sensitivity seminar regarding Vulcans prior to your assignment to my ship.”
Oh. That’s not exactly what he was expecting. “Sure, I did. It was required. I mainly slept through it, though. Memorized enough to pass the exit exam.”
Clearly frustrated and mad about that, Spock shutters between furrowing his brows and smoothing them to their neutral position. Very carefully, very slowly, like Jim is a child: “Vulcan telepathy is limited to touch.”
Jim blinks. Then, blinks again. And once more as he glances down to where their hands rest splayed palm to palm.
Oh.
“Oh.”
“Yes.”
Abruptly, Jim’s face flames up, a perfect parallel to his Vulcan counterpart just minutes ago. “Oh, fuck,” he acknowledges blandly. “Captain, I’m so sorry. God. That’s… well. That’s unfortunate, is what it is, that I didn’t know that like ten minutes ago. I woulda kept my, erm, impulsive human thoughts under tighter lock and key.” He drops his head backwards, staring unseeingly at the pitch black ceiling. “I’ve violated like… fifteen sexual harassment regulations.”
“Surely only fourteen,” Spock states in his typical monotonous tenor, and Jim bursts out laughing, leaning a little more into the Captain’s space.
“God, I bet you’d get crucified telling a joke like that to another Vulcan,” Jim teases, and he doesn’t really notice but their foreheads nearly brush with their renewed proximity. Any closer and the strain on their arms would probably snap Jim back into awareness, into how wildly unprofessional and inappropriate he continues to be with his fucking captain, but Spock has been nothing if not receptive to the attention—the flirting—the touch…
Their noses brush. Jim can’t tell if he’s the only one leaning in, but he can tell that Spock’s eyes have sort of gone half-lidded, that they continue to dart between Jim’s eyes and his lips, and if that isn’t an invite in and of itself—
But of course, this is the precise moment when the door swings open, and two large lifeforms enter with an imposing Vulcan woman trailing behind them. First Officer T’mock salutes Spock, and the hiss-and-click between his and Jim’s body precedes the dull thud of their cuffs coming loose and releasing them.
After that, well. It’s a whirlwind of labyrinthine prison cells and heated negotiating with the locals, but then they’re being beamed aboard the Duhal’im once more where they belong, and Spock doesn’t even look his way once.
Despite everything else that happened in that room, it’s Jim’s fingertips that tingle for hours after their hands separate.