I have been staring at the ceiling for 33.6 minutes.
I sigh and roll over, then immediately return to my original position so as not to fall off the bed. I have become so accustomed to sleeping with Jim that I had forgetten that the bed in my quarters was a single one. In fact, I had nearly forgotten that there was a bed in my quarters. Certainly it was rare that I had occasion to use it.
Trying to sleep is useless, so I allow my thoughts to wander to Jim once again. I cannot understand why my request that he not go planetside tomorrow appears to have offended him. It would be perfectly logical for him to stay on the ship, for the Federation's relationship with the Halkans is quite fragile, and the situation could easily become hostile. It would make far more sense for me to go, as my diplomatic skills are far better, but he is insisting that I stay behind. It is infuriating.
Nonetheless, I cannot help missing him.
I sigh again. It is going to be a very long night.
It is morning, and my attempts at meditation are going quite badly. It comes as something of a relief when my door chimes—at least until I open it and find Jim on the other side. I feel something inside me clench, but I keep my face carefully neutral.
"May I help you, Captain?" I ask politely.
Jim frowns. "Spock." I raise one eyebrow, and he rolls his eyes, sighing. "Let me in, would you? I want to talk to you."
I obligingly move so he can step inside. Once the door has slid shut, he turns back to me. "I'm sorry," he says. I raise my eyebrow again, but he continues before I can say anything. "Last night, when I said I wished we'd never bonded..." He hesitates, looking at his feet, and for a moment I am reminded of a child. Finally he looks up at me again. "I didn't mean it, okay? I love you." His face hardens slightly. "But I am going down there today."
My response leaves my lips without my conscious consent. "No."
Jim sighs loudly. "Spock, come on. You know if this situation were reversed you wouldn't agree to stay behind. And there's no way I'm letting you go alone this time, either," he adds quickly.
The comment (which is true) gives me an idea. "If I did agree to stay behind," I say, choosing my words carefully, "would you?"
He is silent for a long moment. When he does speak again, I can see he is choosing his words as carefully as I did. "Only," he says, his voice low and alluring, "if we were to take ourselves off-duty for the day."
It only takes a second for me to interpret his meaning. My eyes widen slightly, and I can feel a green flush creeping up neck. Jim, of course, notices, a sly, seductive smile appearing on his face. He comes closer to me, subtly slipping his arms around my waist. "Do we have a deal, Mr. Spock?"
I pull him even closer to me, kissing him deeply. "Whatever you wish, Captain."
It is surprisingly easy to distract Jim from his smugness at his victory.