The first one seemed pretty well liked, so here's a sequel. Spock still finds Jim's hands to be fascinating and irresistible, but propriety demands that he keep his interest to himself, at least in public.

I meant to save this for some lighter-spirited reading after I'd done something with a little more drama, but I could use the good feeling that comes from having people read (and hopefully like) one of my stories. Once again, I tried to think of a couple of things that I hadn't seen in other stories. Some of these are supposed to be sexy (to Spock at least), but others aren't because I wanted there to be some more emotion in it than the last one. Maybe I'm being too cautious about the rating, but better safe than sorry!

Five More Times Spock Noticed Jim's Hands And One Time He Didn't Bother Holding Back

Spock watched his lover from across the bridge. Spock and Jim had been together for over three months now. Spock knew that many humans, at this point, began to lose interest in each other or find some fault to fight over and ended up choosing to go their separate ways for one reason or another.

There was no sign of this with Jim, though. They had shared their minds as well as their bodies, and he truly believed that what he and Jim had was 'built to last' as a human might say. Still, while they were, in many ways, reaching a point where they were no longer so desperately physical with each other, at least not all the time. Still, Spock found himself watching Jim as he performed his daily activities, many of which involved his hands.

Spock was amazed by how attractive he still found Jim's hands. Well, perhaps not how attracted he still was, but how the attraction continued to affect him. He still found himself fascinated and aroused by the various, everyday things he saw Jim doing with his hands. And sometimes, it was even harder than before to control the impulses his attraction caused, especially now that Jim was actually his and not some unrequited crush.

One of the many mixed blessings about his continuing attraction was that he was constantly noticing things that Jim did with his hands that he hadn't seen before. On the one hand, he was constantly fascinated by gestures and actions Jim made. On the other hand, they mostly took place in public, or while one or both of them were busy, and there was nothing Spock could do about it without damaging both their reputations.

Stretching and Writing

Spock still took great pleasure in watching Jim type. The sight of his hands moving quickly and efficiently over the keyboard or padd, or the way he gripped a stylus as he signed his name, was something he believed he would never tire of. One day on the bridge, however, Jim seemed to start and stop typing something on his padd's touch screen repeatedly. He kept pulling his hands back and flexing his fingers, a frown of discomfort on his handsome face.

Spock was considering how he might bring up the subject in a subtle, professional way. While their relationship was not a complete secret (the rest of the senior staff had been informed and it had steadily spread downward) they were certainly discreet about it. The mostly did not mention their personal relationship while they were on duty. They never touched each other in a way that could be seen as more than platonic in front of others. Spock wanted to simply ask if something was bothering Jim as his efficient First Officer, not his concerned lover.

Before he could say anything about Jim's hands though, Jim sat up a little straighter, laced his fingers together, and pushed them all backwards. Multiple and mostly unanimous loud cracking sounds echoed through the mostly silent bridge. Spock stared at him, shocked.

"Captain," he said, struggling to remain calm as Jim calmly flexed his fingers once more with an expression of relief on his face, "are you injured?" Jim looked at him, surprised. His expression softened as he read the worry visible only in Spock's eyes.

"I just needed to pop my knuckles." He explained. "My fingers were starting to feel kind of stiff, so I did that to loosen them up a bit."

"I see." Said Spock, trying to conceal how relieved he was that Jim was not injured. He realized this must be a typical human practice, one that he himself might find unpleasant. The sound of Jim's knuckles popping was still a shock in his memory. However, he couldn't help but feel a little spike of desire at the thought of way Jim wove his fingers together so tightly, and the expression of relief on his face after he'd popped his knuckles. Later on, he witnessed Jim doing the same thing before he proceeded to begin physically writing down his personal log. This was another thing Spock rarely got to see him do. The way Jim held the pencil in his hand, and focused on what he wished to say, was another reminder of the intellect attached the hands. Spock knew he'd have to wait until Jim was finished writing before he could demonstrate his appreciation, though.

Whistling

Like some of the early instances of Spock's noticing of Jim's hands, some of the more noticeable ones continued to happen in public or even on away missions. It was during a successful first contact mission that Spock saw Jim do something he had not yet witnessed. The local people there had rather odd looking appendages where most would have hands. They had long tentacles for arms that split into many tendrils at the ends.

Rather than clapping as the treaty was signed, they brought the tendrils to their mouths and blew through them, producing a whistling sound. As the treaty that sealed their agreement with the Federation was signed, many of them, the leadership included, began to produce their whistling cheers. Wanting to go along with their response, Jim surprised Spock by bringing his thumb and index finger to his mouth, inserting them, and producing a whistle of his own that was louder than everyone else's. Many of the delegates looked surprised, but pleased to see that Jim was making an effort to accommodate their culture. Later at a reception, many of them congratulated Jim on being able to whistle so loudly, and asked him about the human's ability to whistle. Some of them even wanted to examine Jim's fingers, and learn how he did it.

Once they had begun their romantic relationship, and Spock had told Jim about some of the times he'd noticed his hands, including the honey incident at a diplomatic dinner. He had mentioned to Jim that he found the sight, or even the very idea of Jim's fingers in his mouth to be extremely erotic, however innocent it might be. Jim had, every now and then, indulged his fantasy (Jim called it a kink) as a show of affection. However, the idea of Jim doing such a thing, even only in the name of friendship and cooperation, in from of someone else, nearly sent Spock into a primal rage. He had to fight the urge to forcibly remove them from Jim's space, calling up all of his Vulcan control to politely excuse them and steer Jim away from them. No one else had the right to his lover's hands, mouth, or any part of him. If Jim was going to teach anyone a trick that involved putting his fingers in his mouth, it would be his mate!

When he asked about it later, Jim told him how he'd once been unable to whistle that way, even though many of his classmates could. He'd been teased for it for some time before his older brother finally took him aside and taught him how. Hearing this make Spock feel more than a little guilty for getting jealous about it. It was a treasured memory of Jim's and he would never consider the gesture in a sexual way. Spock knew when he heard the story that he would not be able to think about it in a sexual way without feeling some guilt for it. Still, Jim's forgiveness along with the memory of all those tentacles reaching for his hands helped dispel the guilt a bit.

Dining

As with the honey incident, there were times when Jim did something while eating drew Spock's attention. Surprisingly, one of the more significant times did not involve him putting his fingers in his mouth.

They were on shore leave, and had a rare opportunity to go on a date that was not on the ship (Spock did not believe that 'fooling around' as Jim put it on an away mission counted as a date) and had gone to a Chinese restaurant on Risa. As was typical when they got their meals, Spock started on his soup first, not wanting it to cool off too much. Jim, on the other hand, needed his to cool down a bit so it would not burn his mouth. It was the typical routine for when they dined together, due to their different anatomies.

As Spock was finishing his soup, he glanced up to see just how far along Jim was with his own meal. He saw that Jim had finished a third of his food, before his eyes zeroed in on the way he was holding his chopsticks in his right hand. Spock himself had learned that he had a rather difficult time handling them after he and Nyota had once eaten Chinese food together. He'd been given the typical utensils he was accustomed to as well as two thin wooden sticks known as chopsticks. Nyota had explained their purpose to him. He'd wanted to try them to add to the experience of sampling the cuisine for the first time. The way he had tried to position his fingers was simply too uncomfortable. Nyota had also seemed to have a little difficulty with them. Jim seemed perfectly comfortable though.

Watching Jim hold his hand that way, however, was extremely fascinating. He watched for a moment as Jim easily picked up food with the thin sticks and brought it to his mouth. Jim froze suddenly in mid bite, having seen Spock watching him eat.

"Is everything okay?" He asked. "Is something wrong with your food?"

"Everything is fine." Spock assured him. "I was simply impressed by your ability to use the chopsticks correctly. The very first time I ate Chinese food, I was unable to hold them properly. Any time I have eaten Chinese since then, I have used the usual utensils I am accustomed to."

"Ah." Said Jim, understanding his problem. Spock expected that they would not discuss it more, seeing as he once again had a knife and fork at his disposal as well as the spoon for his soup. However, Jim rarely did as anyone expected. Instead of returning to his meal he smiled, set his chopsticks down on the plate, and stood up. He came over to Spock's side of the table to stand behind his chair. Spock could only wonder what he was doing before Jim bent over him, picked up the chopsticks, and placed them in his hand. Then, he put his own hands over it and began positioning Spock's fingers.

"J-Jim?" Stuttered Spock. He felt an exhalation against his cheek that meant Jim was laughing quietly.

"Just relax." He whispered. Spock just took deep breaths while allowing Jim to arrange his fingers around the chopsticks and felt grateful that they were in a rather secluded spot of the quiet restaurant. He felt all the familiar sensations that Jim's touch brought on as he guided his hand into the proper position. He could feel everything, from the slightly rough texture of the wooden sticks to the very grooves of Jim's fingerprints ghosting over his sensitive flesh. He could also feel from the contact that Jim knew exactly what his touch was doing to him. "Just hold it like this." He released Spock's hand and gestured to the plate as he moved back to his own seat. "Try to pick something up now."

Spock took a few seconds to try and get his body back under his mind's strict control. Then, he had to struggle for a moment to get the chopsticks to move apart correctly. He struggled again to get them to close around something rather than slipping past each other and dropping the food. After a few attempts though, he began to actually get the food to his mouth. He looked at Jim to see a smile on his face that was equal parts smug and satisfied. Spock realized it was not just from the fact that Jim had taught him how to do something he had believed he could not, but because of the way Spock had responded to his touch. It told him that Jim had been perfectly aware that what he was doing could be considered seductive, that he'd wanted it to be.

The first few months of a new relationship could be considered what many called 'the honeymoon phase.' It was a period of time in which the relationship was considered exciting and new, when partners were still learning about each other. After the honeymoon phase, things settled down and romantic partners formed routines. Sometimes without that newness and excitement, the relationship fell apart. Spock and Jim had already begun to settle into routine behavior. It was not a hard thing to do when one lived the orderly life of a shipboard Starfleet officer. They saw each other on duty almost every day. They took meals together, played chess, and, if they could, made love in their spare time. They had to plan many such encounters, as being in the service did not permit much spontaneity.

Spock realized that what had just happened was a spontaneous act of seduction. Jim had seen an opportunity to be flirtatious and sensual with him, and had taken it. As they had already begun to settle into a routine for themselves, Spock felt very touched that Jim would do such a thing. It showed him that Jim, in spite of their being past the honeymoon phase, still wished to make the effort to be seductive for Spock, and show Spock that he still found him worth the effort to seduce.

Knowing such a thing gave Spock feelings of excitement and anticipation for the future of their relationship. It also gave him hope.

Obscene Gestures

During another shore leave, Spock and Jim had been surprised to run afoul of an old friend of Jim's, Gary Mitchell.

"So, this is who you settled on? Geez, Jim, if I'd known you liked 'em frigid I'd have never bothered with you!" Jim was clearly struggling to keep his temper in check. Spock knew Jim and Mitchell had a history that involved some kind of serious disagreement, but he hadn't believed them to be involved in any way. Jim's sneering response cleared up his confusion.

"Don't be bitter just because you could never get into my pants, Gary." He said coldly. "Just because I didn't turn out to be the manwhore of your dreams doesn't mean he's not out there somewhere."

"Watch it Kirk!" Mitchell practically snarled in response. "Just what made you think you were too good for me? Did you think it'd be funny if you spread your legs for anyone else and just shot me down? You think he satisfy you any better? I bet it's like getting fucked by a machine!" Now Jim let his anger really show

"I'm not gonna let you ruin my shore leave just because you're pissed I wasn't the easy lay you thought I'd be!" Jim was almost shouting. "I'm definitely not gonna let you take it out on someone who's at least twice the man you are! Get over yourself!" He raised his hand in a fist, his middle finger extended, a gesture Spock had seen but did not know the meaning of. In spite of the situation, he couldn't help but wonder about the gesture as he saw Jim's strong hand making it. Then he grabbed Spock's hand. Spock almost flinched at the angry and aggressive feelings that came through their contact. Instead, he allowed himself to be dragged off.

After they could no longer see Mitchell (he apparently stormed off in the opposite direction) Jim let go of Spock.

"Sorry." He muttered. Spock cocked his head to the side.

"For what are you apologizing?" Jim shrugged.

"For starters, that whole scene back there. Gary's always been jealous of other people's desirable qualities, and his reputation kind of took a blow when he couldn't get into the pants of the Academy whore." Spock almost flinched again. He hated hearing Jim referred to in such a way, especially by himself. Jim had not been celibate during his Academy years, but he was nowhere near as promiscuous as rumors had led many people to believe.

"It is hardly your fault that Mr. Mitchell is as petty and vindictive as he is. As for his comments, they had no effect on me." Jim shrugged again.

"If you say so. I'm also sorry I just grabbed you like that. It probably wasn't very pleasant for you be touched by me while I was feeling that way." Spock took Jim's hand in his again, and felt remorse coming through the contact.

"It is of no consequence." He assured him. Jim smiled, and that feeling of remorse lightened a little bit. Spock decided to try to change the subject. "You made a gesture with your hand right before walking away from Mr. Mitchell. I have seen this before, but I am unfamiliar with its meaning."

"Oh, yeah. I was flipping him off. That's pretty much like saying 'fuck you' to someone." Jim explained. Spock nodded thoughtfully.

"Then it has a sexual meaning? Is it not strange to use such a gesture when you and Mitchell did not engage in sexual relations?" Jim's face turned a little pink as he spoke.

"Um, well, like with a lot of gestures, it depends on the context. I was using it as an insult."

"I do not fully understand." Admitted Spock. "Given its meaning, as well as the way you have used that finger during-"

"Okay!" Jim cut him off. "I think maybe this is one of those things I should explain to you in private." Spock remembered that they were in fact in a public place in broad daylight. He nodded his assent to Jim. He smiled suddenly, in a much more flirtations way. "That's settled then. I promise to be very thorough in my explanation." Spock felt his face heating up, a very familiar feeling of excitement going through him.

"That would be most agreeable." He managed to say. Jim just smirked at him.

It would be a few hours before they would be able to get into their hotel room. Spock had a feeling that by that time, he would have absolutely no interest in whatever the typical use or meaning of the gesture was.

Signing

It was on yet another away mission that Spock learned of a rather unusual but very practical talent Jim had acquired in his life before Starfleet. They had made first contact with a race that was telepathic. They lacked the ability for speech, and apparently their kind of telepathy only worked with each other, through some kind of planet wide link all the people shared. They had just discovered warp drive, but could not communicate with other species without the use of machines.

Jim, Spock, and an away team were discussing with them the possibility of them one day joining the Federation when an ion storm, something that was unfortunately common on the planet, swept through and disabled the devices they were communicating with. Now they were in trouble. It wasn't that the Dumonians were a dangerous race; in addition to being extremely intelligent they were quite peaceful. However, they had not mouths, and therefore could not actually speak any language, even if they could understand it. However, their hands were very much like human ones.

Jim pulled some of the leaders aside and began speaking to them. They understood Federation Standard, but they could not respond vocally. Then, Jim began slowly making gestures with his hands, clearly letting them see what he was doing. He spoke the whole time, explaining what he was doing and what it meant. Spock realized with a start that he was teaching the leaders sign language, the language of hand gestures developed by humans for people who were deaf and/or mute.

Spock ended up coming closer so that he could watch, and maybe study what Jim was doing for himself. The Dumonians already knew the English alphabet, so Jim was translating it into the physical symbols he formed with his hands, speaking aloud as he shaped his fingers the right way. Spock watched as the Dumonians quickly picked up on the alphabet, and Jim beginning to teach them small sentences. He also showed them how to sign the names of the negotiating team. As the lesson progressed, Spock found himself impressed by the way Jim communicated as fluidly with his hands as he did with his voice, as if his hands were just as connected to his thoughts as his voice was.

Fortunately, the ion storm passed and they went back to using communication devices. However, the Dumonians expressed a desire to continue learning sign language in the event that such a thing happened again. Jim promised to send them files on the subject. Nyota had expressed some disbelief when Spock had contacted her and told her that Jim had kept the situation under control (she had not been present because there was technically no language to interpret). She seemed even more surprised when he explained how. She seemed almost indignant that Jim knew a language she did not, though she tried to cover it up by mentioning that hand gestures and spoken languages had very different levels of complication.

Spock had been rather curt as he signed off. Jim had proven himself to be extremely intelligent, even before becoming Captain of the Enterprise. He could not understand why Nyota continued to hold onto the belief that he was not as intelligent as he was. It sometimes caused a strain in their now platonic relationship.

To take his mind off of it, he questioned Jim about his skill later on the ship.

"How did you come to learn sign language?" He asked. "Due to medical advancements, deafness or muteness is not nearly as common as it once was. Why did you learn?"

"It may not be very common anymore," replied Jim, "but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I had a deaf classmate in Iowa. He could read lips, and we mostly used computers, and he could speak pretty clearly so he didn't need anyone to know, but I thought it might be cool to learn." He grinned a little roguishly. "He was so impressed I got a few dates out of it." Spock stiffened. Jim laughed at his obvious jealously. "Don't worry, nothing really came of it. I only sixteen; I wasn't ready to be with a guy then. Still, we stayed friends, and he really liked having someone he could talk to like that."

Spock felt himself relax. Jim had not done it to seduce anyone, it had simply been curiosity. And it had come in very handy just now. And, he couldn't help but feel those familiar stirrings of arousal at the way he had seen firsthand how there was an amazing intellect connected to those hands he adored. Unfortunately, it would have to wait once more.

Music (The Time He Didn't Resist)

Spock had known Jim had a fondness for music, though he hadn't learned until after they began dating that he enjoyed playing it as well as listening to it. He'd first learned this when he came to Jim's quarters one night for chess to find a keyboard sitting on his bed. He'd been surprised to learn about Jim's musical talent. Jim had feigned emotional injury over his surprise, then asked Spock about Vulcan music. He even suggested that they try playing together sometime.

The piano and lyre blended together well enough, and Spock enjoyed watching Jim's fingers dance across the piano keys, much like when he was typing. Jim even offered to teach him, and Spock learned quickly.

It wasn't until a trip to Iowa for a holiday break that Spock was able to see firsthand Jim's talent with another instrument. Jim had mentioned after Spock's discovery of his piano abilities that he also played the guitar. He'd also expressed some surprise at the knowledge that Spock played the Vulcan lyre. It had nothing to do with musical ability; Jim had seen how smooth and unmarked Spock's fingertips were, while his were scarred from years of plucking his guitar strings. Spock had explained that Vulcan's did not retain such flaws after acquiring them because of their ability to speed healing through meditation. Also, the strings of the lyre were not quite as hard on the flesh as guitar strings.

Spock had come with Jim to Riverside for Christmas, and had met his brother, sister-in-law, and three nephews for the first time. It had been a wonderful visit, and at one point, Sam had produced Jim's old guitar, which he'd left behind when he left for the Academy. Everyone had wanted him to play something, so he had.

Spock had felt a strong swell of emotion from it. Not just the music, but watching Jim tuning the guitar, placing his hands into the familiar positions, and losing himself in the soulful music. He knew that by watching Jim do this, he was getting a glimpse at one of the happier moments of his past, of something that had helped him through some of the more difficult times of his life. While he found some eroticism in the sight of Jim's fingers plucking at the strings, it was the look of utter relaxation on his face that captivated him, that made him want to take Jim in his arms and hold him all through the night. Whether that led to sexual intimacy or not did not matter.

Whatever his impulses were at that moment though, they would have to wait until he and Jim returned to their hotel room. He did not wish to disturb Jim's strong image by giving into his impulse to comfort his mate. However, as soon as they were outside the house, Spock turned to Jim and wrapped his arms around him tightly. He felt Jim stiffen in surprise, and he knew that his relatives were likely watching from the door, but he didn't care. He felt Jim's arms come up to wrap around him in response, but he still felt some confusion from him. After a moment, he pulled back, keeping one of Jim's hands clasped in his own, answering Jim's questioning gaze with a reassuring one of his own. Now they needed to get back to their hotel room. As soon as they were alone, Spock was determined to really let Jim know that he had more than music to turn to for comfort. He had someone who loved him. Spock was going to do everything in his power to make Jim see that.

I'm not entirely happy with how this turned out, but I hope all you who are reading liked it anyway. It's not very well organized, and I was kind of reaching with some of the things Spock noticed. The reason I crammed stretching and writing together was because I suddenly thought of writing just I was finishing, and I didn't want to replace something with it. I realized they probably don't fit well together, but I wanted to do. As you can see, Spock isn't necessarily turned on by everything Jim does in this story, but in some ways, that's because they're together now and it's not forbidden fruit. Still, there's plenty of frustration to be found in knowing you can have it and having to restrain yourself! I hope that's how this came across.

I know the ending wasn't exactly a big finish, but I think Spock would need to take baby steps with the PDA. The one thing I am glad about is that this one was longer than the first. I still think the first one was better, but that's usually the case with the ones I write.