Kirk and Spock #10

Truth or dare?

The bottle spun around the circle of friends and colleagues, eventually coming to rest facing Doctor McCoy. There was a collective intake of breath; he was known for his tough dares. "Truth or dare, Jim?" he asked, with laughter in his eyes. The captain smiled in defeat, and sighed. "You've been dying to get me all evening, Bones," he said accusingly, and the doctor shrugged. "Guilty," he chuckled. "So... what will it be?"

"Dare," replied Kirk brazenly, the side of him that craved action coming to the forefront. It was no surprise to anyone in the circle. "Very well," smiled Bones grimly. "I dare you, James Kirk, to... kiss Mr. Spock!" There was a smattering of nervous laughter that quickly petered out. Kirk looked astonished, his mouth forming a small 'O'. He glanced across the room to where his First Officer was sitting apart from the merry group, reading. He had looked up when he heard his name, and a disapproving frown now sat heavily upon his brow. "I would remind you, Doctor McCoy, that I am no part of your festivities," he said sternly, and was about to return to his book when Kirk rose steadily to his feet.

"No, a dare's a dare," he said, as if challenging Spock to say otherwise.

"Obviously," replied Spock dryly. Kirk struck out across the room, his back to the group so that he did not see the smug, it's-about-time smiles from his companions, or the congratulatory looks they were giving McCoy. Kirk sat down heavily beside the Vulcan and looked directly into his dark brown eyes. "Never back down," he muttered, before leaning in and clumsily placing his dry lips on Spock's unresponsive mouth.

He withdrew, and returned to the group. Nobody was looking at Spock, their gazes all directed at the captain, but if anyone had been looking they would have observed that the Vulcan looked quite shaken, his customary calm replaced by a bewildered expression of mild panic. Kirk lowered himself into the waiting space in the circle and looked about at the disappointed faces, hardly realising that his own expression was perfectly mirrored in theirs. "You in now, hobgoblin?" called across McCoy. "Seeing as you're a part of the game already, you might as well." Spock conceded graciously if reluctantly, closing his book carefully and taking his place between Chekhov and Kirk. The captain winced inwardly, thinking how awkward Spock must be feeling.

The bottle was spun again, and Uhura grinned as it landed at her feet. "Mr. Spock," she asked without a moment's hesitation, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," answered Spock simply.

"Did you dislike the last dare?" Silence reigned in the room, all heads turned expectantly to face the First Officer as they awaited his response. Kirk opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by a fierce glare from Bones. Spock appeared to think deeply about his answer, which in itself was a surprise to the captain- perhaps more so than to the rest of the gathering. He had assumed that the reply would be obvious, instant, but clearly Spock was fighting an internal battle over the correct response. Finally, he raised his head and opened his eyes. "No," he said.

There was a pause as if he was expected to continue, but it was immediately clear that he would say no more on the matter. Kirk thought that he was dreaming, and pinched his arm sharply. When nothing changed, he was forced to conclude that the situation was really happening. "But... it wasn't even a good kiss!" objected Kirk before he could stop himself. He groaned inwardly, hardly believing what he had just said.

Spock picked up the bottle and, with a carefully calculated degree of force, spun it. It landed, unsurprisingly, in front of him. He looked up and said, "Truth or dare, captain?"

Kirk gaped at the Vulcan, utterly confused by recent events, but his mind clung to the familiar phrase in the turmoil of his emotions. "Dare," he managed, as always.

"I challenge you to improve upon your response to the parameters laid down by Dr. McCoy in your previous dare," Spock said smoothly, though inside he was trembling. Kirk took a moment to process the request. He leaned in close to the Vulcan, his shallow breath fluttering against Spock's ear as he inhaled the musky, metallic scent. He let himself succumb to long-term desire and trailed the tip of his pink tongue along the line of Spock's defined jaw. Spock suppressed a shudder of pleasure at the burning trace it left, not wanting to give Kirk the wrong impression.

Kirk cupped Spock's head in one hand, entwining his shaking fingers into the silky black hair, pulling their faces closer together until their breath intermingled in the short space between them. Suddenly, Kirk closed the gap, his eager lips tenderly alighting upon Spock's mouth like a butterfly upon the petals of a delicate flower. His head swam and his heart raced, but he dared not end the moment by pulling away for breath.

Spock felt the gentle lips upon his own and a pleasant tingling flooded his body. He believed that he could understand to appeal, perhaps, that humans found in kissing, if it was always so sweet. He was aware that the real pleasure, however, was Kirk's, as he sensed his stuttering heart and heard his thoughts; pulses of revelry and an aching fulfilment. Then something happened that made Spock forget the rest of the world – Kirk slipped his hand softly into his, curling warm fingers around the back of his hand, fingertips stroking rhythmically, enveloping his palm and pressing firmly against his trembling fingers... It was blissful, and made all the more so by the knowledge that Kirk had known about the Vulcan preference for contact with their sensitive hands, that he had cared enough to think of it in the midst of such all-consuming desire.

An awkward cough interrupted their embrace, and the two men parted unwillingly, their hands still intertwined until Spock was forced by the overwhelming sensation to break contact. "You can thank us later," chuckled Bones. Kirk met Spock's eye and felt his insides melt. Sliding closer until their legs touched, he leaned in for another kiss, earning himself a rare half-smile from his First Officer. Kirk's eyes flashed suggestively toward the lift doors as he pulled Spock closer, both men clearly desperate for more than kisses. "Well," amended Bones with a wry grin, "you can thank us in the morning."