Disclaimer: Not mine…

For the st_xi_kink_meme prompt that asked for a crying Kirk and Spock to comfort him which can be found at:

st-xi-kink-meme dot livejournal dot com slash 16934 dot html?thread=16486182#t16486182

Aftermath

The Enterprise has an 18.7% higher mortality rate on missions than the average Starfleet ship. The higher rate is due to the high status of the ship and her crew in the Federation and the high risk nature of many of their missions.

Spock did not think, however, that offering an understanding of why, would serve to console the Captain. That being said, he was at a loss for what he should do when confronted with the silent tears rolling slow and steady down Captain Kirk's dust and blood streaked cheeks.

It had been a sharp shock when Spock had first realized that the Captain had not been asleep like the others as he had presumed, but that he had actually been sitting with his back against the damp cave walls, lips pressed tightly together, sealing in any sound that might have otherwise escaped as he cried silently. In the dim orange light cast by the planet's three moons, Spock could just make out the torn necklace of beads in the Captain's hands.

The necklace had been given to the Captain by Ensign Kevin Riley moments before the man had perished from the stab wound inflicted upon him by the hostile natives. They had been forced to leave the body of the Ensign behind by the natives chasing after them but the Captain had held onto the necklace of beads throughout their escape.

When the Captain's eyes, gleaming with yet more tears, suddenly met his, Spock froze. Quickly, almost desperately, his eyes darted to the five other occupants of the cave. They were all asleep, leaving only Spock who was on watch to deal with the crying Captain.

As if sensing his discomfort, the Captain closed his eyes and bent his head down and away from Spock. It did not stop the tears from escaping. Despite the illogicality of it, Spock felt ashamed at having seen those tears and even more so for having failed to offer any comfort.

Touch, Spock suddenly recalled, accompanied by traditional phrases of condolences was often part of the ritual for humans when one is grieving. Spock knew only the Vulcan phrases of condolence but he believed the intention would be understood and the Captain's character supported that the gesture would therefore be appreciated even if it were not the most appropriate.

Slowly and quietly, he moved the few steps from his position at the mouth of the cave to where the Captain sat and stretched out his hand. He froze for a moment with his hand hovering over the Captain's. Vulcans were not a tactile race. Despite his half-human heritage and the efforts of his mother and human acquaintances, Spock's experience with touch, especially that which served no practical purpose, was extremely limited. Among those limited experiences, contact had, in all but three cases, been initiated by the other party.

A warm teardrop fell on his hand. Spock made his decision.

The Captain's eyes snapped back open when Spock laid his hand upon the Captain's, clasping the necklace of beads between them.

"I grieve with thee."

Blue eyes, bright with pain and tears, stared into his own for a long moment. Then Captain's lips quirked at the corners, creating a haunted ghost of his usual smile. He tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement and squeezed the hand in his tightly, causing the uneven beads to dig uncomfortably into his palm. Spock did not let go.

A/N: So earlier today I realized I did not actually turn in the assignment that I was supposed to which I was up almost all night last night working on…. about 10 minutes after the deadline (and the online submission portal closed). Thus, some gratuitous h/c to cheer me up from my stupidity.