#vulcan matchmakers
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Headcanon: Vulcans are Incorrigible Matchmakers
Every unpartnered person who knows a Vulcan finds themselves living in a rom-com. The Vulcan will arrange dates, meet-cutes, entire academic conferences if you want a buffet of options. They will not rest until their single friends have partnered up. They can't help it
One of a Vulcan child's early memories is of their parents and family elders hunting for their future spouse. They're bonded at the age of 7, then watch the same process happen for all their siblings, cousins, and friends.
Their bonding is probably a lot like a bar/bat mitzvah. Whatever little kid emotions it was socially acceptable to express until then are expected to be bottled up. You are now Bonded. You have a future Spouse! You are a miniature adult.
In the fulness of time, Bonding becomes Marriage, and for those who wish it, they have children of their own. Now they're on the other side of that race. They have seven short years to find this newborn a spouse. Every baby they meet is sized up as a potential in-law.
If your kids are spread out every 7 years, which seems to be pretty common, then you are perpetually playing matchmaker right up until your youngest has their bonding.
Meanwhile, having been through Pon Farr a time or two yourself, you know exactly how dangerous it is for a Vulcan adult to be unbonded.
When you meet an unbonded adult your first thought is FIND THIS PERSON A SPOUSE, STAT! Even if that person isn't Vulcan.
They can't help themselves. It's both a biological and cultural imperative. Your Vulcan coworkers, friends, and especially bosses will not relent until you are either partnered up or you convince them you're part of a celibate religious order.
Everyone around them finds it a little endearing and a lot weird. But damn, they really are good at finding people partners who are remarkably compatible!
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Tuvok and his pet, Torabru-fo. (+ matchmaker's notes)
#Torabru-fo is part of a species of tortoise whose markings look similar to makeup#they're called 'thousand year ladies' bc they're rumored to live for a thousand years - though it's more like 400#So Torabru-fo was actually Tuvok's mother's father's pet who was passed down#and in my mind she's still alive in canon - though very old! Lives at his parents' house#Tuvok's 'real' childhood pet was a sehlat named Wari but his father thought the tortoise would make him stand out more#Tuvok#st voyager#st voyager art#bea art tag#picturing that Vulcan children usually have a lot of extracurriculars or indiosyncratic skills#bc their parents want to put as much as they can on their matchmaking file or whatever it is - if they don't have familial prestige#Kal-Toh lessons :/ vs Kal-Toh lessons taught by a Vulcan master :O !!!!!
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Okay so I just finished the TOS novel "The Vulcan Academy Murders" and it was amazing (and the author got her start working on fanzines which is so iconic of her). What really got my brain going was the Vulcan customs and traditions pertaining to matchmaking.
Because in the book Dr. Corrigan (the most esteemed human doctor on Vulcan) is constantly consulted by his close colleagues and friends on potentially finding a wife for him. Which, while being a cool worldbuilding thing, got my fanfiction brain going quick.
Imagine the Enterprise Gang™️ trying to matchmake Spock and Kirk while every Vulcan that is somewhat close to Spock is also trying to make the two a match. And every Vulcan or telepathic species the crew meets is just like "yep- those two should just fuck already."
But I also like the idea of a somewhat comedic fic starring a weird mash-up of Vulcans and the Enterprise Gang™️ trying various logical and illogical methods of getting the pair together before Spock and Kirk get together in the dumbest way possible that had nothing to do with either party.
I may not be making sense rn but matchmaking and somewhat scheming Vulcans trying to make up their family members and friends is such a cool thing to think about I love it sm.
#star trek#jim kirk#spock#star trek tos#tos star trek#tos kirk#bones mccoy#tos spirk#tos novels#the vulcan academy murders#star trek novels#sure the novel was about murder but it was also about matchmaking and love#love is more important#and the concept of spirk always lives rent free in my mind#i should be writing one but y'know-#life
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youtube
This is any Vulcan for that matter with his Sidekick Human.
#star trek enterprise#star trek voyager#star trek deep space nine#human is the personal relations officer to smooth things with the locals#Vulcans are just there to do work#then gets a date from the hot native#human sidekick does his matchmaking#vulcans none the wiser#star trek next gen#star trek tos#star trek aos#Youtube
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imagine if the star trek tos gang had tumblr lol
🔄 vulcanfuckerjt reblogged 1stofficerspock
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mannnn why are vulcans so.... ahfhfjfj lik????
🖖 1stofficerspock Follow
Hello captain.
😍 vulcanfuckerjt
sPOCKWHEN DJD YOU GET TUMBLR
🖖 1stofficerspock
Dr. McCoy reccommended this app to me this morning.
😍 vulcanfuckerjt
okkkk i think me and dr mccoy need to have a TALK
#in the meantime i need to purge this blog eughhhh
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🔄 cptnjtkirk reblogged 1stofficerspock
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rb for reach!!
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FLOWER OF SCOTLAND SWEEP!! 🏴🏴🏴
🇷🇺 russianthings-daily Follow
RUSSIAN ANTHEM SWEEEP!!! 🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺
🟥 redshirt-ensign Follow
who tf submitted a mitski song
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i did. it reminded me of how @'cptnjtkirk feels about @'1stofficerspock :]
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What?
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IGNOREE HIM PLEEASE
#bones istg
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🔄 scottishthings-daily reblogged russianthings-daily
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if the enterprise was a woman id want her to sit on my face
🇷🇺 russianthings-daily Follow
🤨
🏴 scottishthings-daily
wRONG BLOG
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🔄 redshirt-ensign reblogged redshirt-ensign
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abt to go on my first mission, wish me luck!!
🟥 redshirt-ensign
med bay
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🔄 cptnjtkirk reblogged klingon-commander
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this is a callout post for @'cptnjtkirk hes a vulcan fucker and a war criminal
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you say that like theyre equally bad..?
🤬 klingon-commander
they are.
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too bad im not actually either of those things lmao
#i wish... #not about the war criminak thing obv i mean #wait dammit spock can see this blog nvm
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🔄 klingon-soldier-6 reblogged scottishthings-daily
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Posting Russian things every day, day 567: Nevsky potatoes!
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they look stupid
🇷🇺 russianthings-daily
i have your family name and home coordinates. you have 3 days to delete that post.
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ay, laddy...@'cptnjtkirk said to quit yer fighting!
😡 klingon-soldier-6
stfu ur in love with an ugly ass spaceship
#istg you starfleet ppl are like asking to get bullied or smthn #not my fault ur easy targets
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@'klingon-soldier-6 's full dox
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🔄 cptnjtkirk reblogged romulan-invasion
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@'cptnjtkirk Sir, there's an asteroid coming towards the ship at an alarming speed! 3 hours until impact!
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cant we just move out of the way.? or blow it up
🗡 thereal-mrsulu
I can't, sir! Our controls are all jammed!
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can confirm, @'cptnjtkirk sir!! nothings working!!
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how?? how could this have happened???
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:3
🌠 cptnjtkirk
shit
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🦴 bonesbonesbones Follow
"ooo mccoy what do i do" "oooh mccoy im in love with my first officer" "ooh mccoy--" boi stfu im a surgeon not a matchmaker
#go talk to someone else if you want help with that bucko #bones rambles
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i wish people would stop vagueposting about me :( at least @ me if ur gonna say something rude
#personal
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@'cptnjtkirk is a massive simp
#not what i meant but thanks i guess
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#star trek#star trek tos#spirk#long post#dashboard simulator#fake post#unreality#leonard mccoy#leonard bones mccoy#james t kirk#captain kirk#spock#s'chn t'gai spock#hikaru sulu#nyota uhura#montgomery scott#scotty star trek#pavel chekov#someones probably already done something like this#but this has been sitting in my notes app forever#and i spent way too long figuring out how to format it#so here ya go
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A collection of my spones fics! My personal favorites are bold and brash blue!
Series
Between Worlds. Spones raise Joanna on board the Enterprise. 9 fics. Ongoing.
After the Fire. Spones get-together centered around the original series movies. 2 fics. Complete.
Doubt and Trust. Mirrorverse spones - first fic is a tos s1 rewrite in mirrorverse. 2 fics. Ongoing.
Family. Old married spones and their relationships with Sarek and Amanda. 2 fics. Complete.
Canon Compliant
If the Stars Looked Down. Ace!Spock chronicles. Complete.
The Houseboat. Spones go on shore leave together. Written for summer of spones 2021. Complete.
Lines Around Your Thoughts. 5+1 McCoy loves Spock's art <3 Complete.
The Logical Thing to Do. Spones retelling of the DS9 episode "Change of Heart". Complete.
Every Stitch. McCoy knits Spock a sweater. Written for 12dos 2021. Complete.
The Importance of Keeping Your Vulcan Awake During Sehlat Hibernation Season. Old married spones and their pet sehlat. Written for 12dos 2021. Complete.
Held Together. McCoy proposes to Spock when he's half-asleep. Written for summer of spones 2022. Complete.
More Than Adequate. Trans!Spock gets a massage from McCoy after binding too much. Written for summer of spones 2022. Complete.
Just a Pinch of Salt. Spones get into a dumb argument while making breakfast. Complete.
Traditions of Intimacy. 5+1 spones making a meal for each other. Complete.
First Impressions. Spones through canon but ALSO mainly 5+1 McCoy meets Sarek :DDD Complete.
AUs
Spock 'n' Roll. Rockstar!Spock. Complete.
This Mysterious World. Pokemon AU! Also a series lol. 2 fics. Ongoing.
Take Me Out. Baseball AU - M rating. Written for summer of spones 2022. Complete.
Peach Melody. Stardew Valley AU. Written for summer of spones 2022. Complete.
Entangled. First contact AU. Written for the spones zine "We Go Together" vol. 1 issue 1. Complete.
Not Safe for Vulcans
Surgeon's Hands. Spock gets a taste of them surgeon's hands. Complete.
Bones. Post the tholian web, if you catch my drift ;) Complete.
Behind the Mask. Matchmaker Chekov convinces Spock to go to a masquerade party. Complete.
QPR
Whatever Gets You Through the Night. Post man trap + QPR mckirk. Complete.
Not Explicitly Shippy
Of Gods and Ghosts. Missing scene at the end of the Final Frontier. Spock and McCoy talk about loss. Written for 12dos 2021. Complete.
Weight of the Universe. Two scenes post some disastrous weddings. Written for summer of spones 2022. Complete.
AOS
Reciprocal Averaging. Sarek uses statistics to figure out Spock's most suitable mate. You'll never guess who it is. Complete.
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ᯓ A CHANGE OF HEART // profiles !
╰┈➤ yang-uchinaga household
-ˋˏ [ yang mihye — 19 ; bs accounting ] ˎˊ
quite popular in their uni due to her having suitors friends in literally every department. disturb her during her study time and you die. basically she’s THE academic weapon. usually the only one who can hold off kazuha’s crazy (borderline illegal) ideas. everyone’s passenger princess. extraverted introvert and the mom of the group. hopelessly in love with giselle.
❝ am i not worth it? ❞
-ˋˏ [ kazuha "zuha" uchinaga — 19 ; bs civil engineering ] ˎˊ
mihye’s other half, and giselle’s younger sister. the ringleader of their friend group when it comes to troublemaking. loves to sneak out of her classes. her black kawasaki vulcan is her number 1 baby. totally not unrequitedly in love with her best friend.
❝ you'll always have me. always. ❞
-ˋˏ [ riki "niki" nishimura — 19 ; bs civil engineering ] ˎˊ
kazuha’s number 1 partner in crime. should be considered a villain at this point because his prank ideas are also borderline illegal.
-ˋˏ [ jisung park — 19 ; bs medical technology ] ˎˊ
an academic weapon like mihye, but a party animal like kazuha. has a reputation in their university as a matchmaking god because he has a 95% success rate in matchmaking. also created the gc AND the gc name. he’s the only one who knows about kazuha’s secret crush.
-ˋˏ [ shotaro "taro" osaki — 19 ; bs computer science ] ˎˊ
you disturb his rest time and you die. has a way of making people either shiver in fear or die laughing with his insults. likes to threaten people of inserting malware into their computers. mihye’s trustworthy confidante. secretly wishing upon giselle's downfall and mihye’s breakup.
-ˋˏ [ ??? — ?? ; to be added soon. ] ˎˊ
go to: mains ; face cards
#⸻ a change of heart.#⸻ a change of heart: characters#⸻ vice:aus#aespa smau#aespa angst#kpop smau#kpop wlw#giselle angst
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Mcspirk bingo
They never learn, hands
ao3
content warning: Blood and injury, non-graphic surgery
@mcspirkevents
It’s another day on the enterprise, Doctor McCoy is staring down at his coffee whilst idly reading some research about the Vulcan healing trance. Something he’d never even known existed before Spock joined their ranks on this ship, for a lack of a better word he finds it fascinating how Vulcans have such control over their own bodies both mentally and physically. He’d seen Spock do it before and he had to be slapped to wake up from it. McCoy has grown closer to Spock recently despite how it might look on the outside, arguing and throwing insults at each other though Spock did it more subtly by insulting him with his big words. Leonard had developed a soft spot for the half-Vulcan and he blames it on Jim, the damn matchmaker! Not so subtly coaxing his buried feelings for Spock like you would trying to disarm a landmine, when Spock and Kirk got together Leonard put his affections aside and showed them his fullest support. Though deep down he longed for both of them, with Jim it was easier to admit his feelings for him as they had been best friends years before they departed to space together. Maybe they screwed around in their academy days. Maybe.
With Spock however, Leonard didn't know when his feelings for him started, at first McCoy would poke at Spock about his feelings and humanity. Then it grew into something more and they'd debate the mundane to the nonsensical, Spock would occasionally give him a small smile that made his ridiculous heart skip a beat. Maybe he should have gotten that checked out because now he's having a goddamn heart attack over the stupid green-blooded man. Who's being rushed into sickbay with a stab wound to the chest, and of course Jim with his shirt ripped to pieces that he may as well just be shirtless. Not that he'd mind a bit. However, he also has a couple of gashes and bruises, though not as bad as Spock.
“Get him prepped for surgery, Stat!” McCoy shouts out his orders and follows after Christine who's diligently checking over the hair-brained Vulcan.
McCoy switches into doctor mode, ignoring the fluttering in his stomach when he looks at the emerald green blood leaking out of his partner, he tries not to think about how close the wound is to his heart. Spock had long since entered a healing trance which McCoy is thankful for, he doesn't think he'd be able to stop himself from lecturing the man about how stupid he is, though he'll do that once Spock wakes up. He and Jim better have a good explanation for this one.
The doctor breathes in and out, it's all a blur after that. Green blood staining his hands as he sets about discerning the damage, cleaning the most obvious wound and administering anesthetic. The offending weapon had not penetrated the patient's heart and had grazed past his stomach which only required him to use the tissue regenerator for a short while before knitting the flesh back together with an Autosuture as a dermal regenerator wouldn't do much for a deeper wound. The bleeding has stopped, slowly but surely the patient's pale skin starts to pull together and is only left with a green scar atop it. McCoy sighs and starts to work on mending the other lighter wounds, then makes sure there are no other issues present. It's slow work but he's glad the patient is all patched up and not bleeding on him, he grabs a hypospray that will accelerate organ tissue growth and help Spock heal quicker. As he isn't perfectly healed up quick yet, he dreads trying to keep the stoic Vulcan off duty for a couple of days.
McCoy takes off his protective gloves, Christine gives him a reassuring pat on the shoulder and smiles at him knowingly before leaving. The room is empty and quiet, the only noise being the heart-rate monitor which is slow because of the healing trance. He sits down on a plastic chair and looks up at Spock's face that's eerily still, Leonard intertwines their hands and thinks about hugging him when he wakes up. After a couple of minutes, Jim comes in and sits next to him.
“Is he okay?”
“Yeah he's okay, Jim. It was a close call though…” he huffs.
“I'm glad he’s okay, sorry for worrying you Bones.” Jim puts a hand on his thigh and gives him a small smile.
He doesn’t feel like lecturing Jim today, but he gives him a look that communicates how he feels. They never learn, he thinks and rolls his eyes. McCoy knows it comes with the job, all these unknowns and dangers but there’s also a beauty in it, when Spock talks about the new life he’s found on the planet or performing experiments with him down in the labs just because Leonard knows it makes him happy even if he doesn’t express it. Slowly he feels himself drifting off, holding his partners' hands as he sleeps.
Leonard dreams of Spock, putting a hand on his face and stroking the pale skin gently, tracing his fingertips over his pointed ears which makes the Vulcan start to purr softly. He feels at peace. Jim is petting his hair lightly too.
The dream turns sour. Green and red blood soaking his hands as he panics, only darkness is around him and he can hear his lovers yelling out in pain and he can do nothing but search the endless void covered in their gore.
He wakes up with a soft gasp, his heart beating fast and for a second believing his nightmare to be true. However, it isn’t, as Jim is next to him and resting his head on his shoulder whilst he naps. Leonard squeezes both of their hands. In the end he drags Jim back to their quarters for the night, it won’t do them any good to sleep in the shitty sickbay chairs and have an awful neck ache in the morning. Jim reluctantly follows, they eat some food and shower before falling asleep next to each other.
The next day, McCoy promises to watch over Spock so that Jim can get back to his duties as captain. Sickbay is mostly quiet, aside from a couple of crew members who had either had an accident in engineering or caught a minor virus. Leonard is thankful for that, being occupied for the morning to take his mind off Spock for a little while. When there’s no one else left to treat he drifts over to Spock's bed and simply looks at him, taking in his appearance as well as glancing towards the monitor. He finds himself thinking about what could’ve happened, seeing Spock with a knife wound to his Vulcan heart and dying in front of him, he bites his lip and feels himself becoming emotional even though his partner is right there in front of him sleeping away. It’s illogical to dwell on the what ifs, Spock would chide him but give him a small smile that acknowledges his concerns.
Then he’s sitting by the biobed again, wiping a tear from his eye. He’s about to grasp Spock's hand when the heart rate monitor picks up, in his mind he feels a pull and he knows it’s time to wake up Spock. Leonard stands up and puts a hand on Spock's cheek, instead of slapping him he intends to try a different approach. Leaning forward, he presses a kiss to Spock's lips and bites his lip. That seems to be enough to break it as Spock is kissing him back within seconds, he feels a surge of affection from the Vulcan - Leonard huffs and pulls back. Spock is giving him a questioning look with a raised eyebrow.
“Welcome back to the land of the living.” McCoy boops Spock's nose.
“An unorthodox way to bring me out of my trance,” he rasps.
“You’re welcome, darlin’.”
They kiss again, Leonard cards a hand through Spock's silky hair. He feels better now, banishing the what ifs from his mind to enjoy his lover's presence once again. Jim’ll be ecstatic to hear Spocks woken up, he’s probably already on his way.
“You really worried me there for a second Spock…” he takes a step back, taking in Spock's lively form.
“I am sorry, Ashalik.”
“You better be! If you die, I’ll bring you back and kill you again dammit. I love you…”
He crosses his arms and sighs, Spock gives him an apologetic look and sends his affections back through their bond. McCoy grabs Spock's hand and holds it tightly, projecting some of his previous thoughts, the alternatives. If that knife had been a centimeter closer, the green blood on his hands, not being able to save him. Neither of them say anything but Leonard knows Spock feels guilty and he knows Spock loves him and that he’s okay. A moment later, Jim bursts into the room and takes Spock's other hand, kissing him on the cheek.
“Spock!” Jim smiles.
“Jim. Should you not be on the bridge?”
McCoy rolls his eyes at that, as if Jim would stay there when Spock's awake and well. It’s not like the Klingons were attacking them or anything. At least he has the excuse of working in sickbay.
“I’m glad you’re okay, I’ve missed you.” He looks over to Leonard and holds his hand which makes him huff.
“And I, you.”
Jim stays for a while longer before giving him and Spock a peck on the cheek before departing back to the bridge reluctantly. Leonard traces lines over Spock's palm and closes his eyes, imagining having him and Jim in his arms before they sleep as they always do. He can feel Spock's approval, a soft purr thrumming through his body and they relax in each other's presence, no more thoughts about Spock's viridescent blood coating his arms, only peace and love as he holds his partner's hand in his.
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This might sound like an odd thing to say, but when I got into Kirk/Spock I realized that Bones is my favorite third wheel of all times. I mean it in the most affectionate way! He's so perfect for that role that I can't imagine anyone doing better. He's so close to both of them – don't tell Spock though :D – that he cares about their happiness without really picking a side; he's their best friend and loves them both like brothers, he's always ready to support them but at the same time he's not afraid of telling them what he thinks and trying to stop them when they're doing something stupid. He's the kind of close friend who'd be happy to be invited to join them on a trip and then complain ("Dammit Jim, why did you invite me if you two can't keep your hands off each other?!"), but next time he'd hope to be invited again. He's the divorced man who has seen the most epic love story of all times in front of his eyes, so he can tell everyone that yes, true love exists. He's the best friend who would give his life to save theirs, and he knows both of them would do the same for him, but he'd never allow either of them to die, because "do you think I'd be happy after telling your husband that you died for me?"; he knows this can happen and he knows Spock trusted him with his katra and Jim risked his career and stole the Enterprise to help him too. But at the same time he knows he was Spock's second choice and not the person Jim was really missing, so he stays by their side and is happy to see them as two parts of the same soul, and he's frustrated for all the years it took them to get it. He'd roll his eyes every time they're too dense to see each other's feelings and he'd roll his eyes every time they're too open about their feelings and should get a room. He'd want them to leave him alone ("I'm a doctor, not a matchmaker!") but he'd absolutely want to be their best man, there's no way they can get married without asking him. He'd tease Spock for being a Vulcan computer without emotions, but he'd know that he has never met a human who loved someone as much as Spock loves Jim (except for the way Jim loves Spock). And of course he'd be the unfortunate victim of too much information, because at the end of the day he's still their doctor, and of course sooner or later Jim will visit him and tell him that his butt really hurts and Bones will have to ask him WHY and that's how he'll find out that pon farr is not the only period male Vulcans are sexually active, and that's not something he needed to know at all (but also: "Good for you, Jim. Just take care, you're a human and you're not getting any younger. And stop grinning!"); he'll think everything is under control until Spock's katra gets inside his head, and then he'll see and FEEL too much and nope nope Jim get your horny Vulcan husband out of my brain right now! He is so done with them but he also wouldn't change a thing about them. They know, and they're happy to have him.
#leonard mccoy#spirk#star trek tos#k/s#kirk x spock#leonard bones mccoy#star trek movies#star trek the original series
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Spirktober 2023, day 8: Matchmaker
Remember the good ole days when I could successfully tell a story in under 2,000 words? Yeah, me too. Here is my pass at a matchmaker spirk fic, featuring: Nyota getting what she wants and deserves, the fun of hurt/comfort without having to write action scenes, and Bones being the best.
Also posted on AO3 here!
☆☆☆
Leonard dropped his lunch tray onto the table across from her with just a hint more aggression than normal, and she knew that she was in for an entertaining if not entirely unbiased accounting of someone’s audacity.
Leonard McCoy was not one to hide his complaints from others (one of the nurses was keeping a tally of “I’m a doctor, not an X” statements and there was a long-standing betting pool on which occupations would get mentioned), but Nyota considered herself privileged to be one of the only people to whom he confided identifying information.
“That boy is going to be the death of me, Uhura,” he grumbled, and stabbed a fork into the saddest replicated salad she had ever seen. She hummed empathetically and continued to eat her soup while he got his legs under him, so to speak, for whatever monologue was sure to follow.
“Full of spit and vigor, too much courage for his own good, but not a lick of the common sense that God gave a rock. One of the most handsome men on the Enterprise, even if that’s not to my taste, but I’ve heard enough of the ensigns crying over him to their friends at one point or another in the maintenance closets. Hasn’t dated seriously in years, despite desperately wanting to be in a relationship, and yet! And yet! When he comes to me and says, ‘Bones, I’ve fallen in love and I think it might be the forever-type,’ and I say, ‘Well, you damn fool, aren’t you going to say something?’ And He says,” and Bones pressed his lips together in a manner that made his eyes seem more protuberant than normal. “And he says, ‘No, I don’t think I will!’ Can you believe it?”
“No, I can’t,” Nyota murmured, and she smiled conspiratorially at him. She started narrowing down the list of candidates. One of the most handsome men on the Enterprise could be any number of people, depending on one’s proclivities, but she knew Leonard liked a blonde as much as the next man. Courage, with no common sense? Well, every man on the Security staff, certainly, and most of the bridge crew besides. But who among them were unpartnered?
“You know him,” Leonard said, accusatory, and jabbed his fork in her direction. “You know that he would be a wonderful husband to anyone who didn’t mind playing second fiddle to the Enterprise.”
“I know,” she said, though she didn’t. “But good luck finding someone who doesn’t mind competing with and losing to a ship.”
“That’s the worst part! Or the best, depending on which way you look at it.”
“What makes you say that?”
“He’s in love with maybe the only person more dedicated to his duty than he is.”
There was a little click in the back of Nyota’s head, similar to the sensation she felt when the puzzle pieces of a language’s syntax slotted into place for her. Leonard finished his salad and tossed his fork down onto his tray. He pressed both palms to the table and leaned towards her. She leaned in towards him, unwilling to miss a single syllable or inflection. She had to know.
“Let me tell you, Miss Uhura,” Leonard said, and stood up. “Mr. Spock is going to leave our damned captain high and dry if he can’t buck up the courage to say something before some nice Vulcan woman tries to fill T’Pring’s shoes.”
Confirmation. Nyota did not let her face show that this was new information to her. “But what if Spock doesn’t love him in return?”
Leonard scoffed. “Find me a man who looks at anyone the way Spock looks at Kirk and tell me that he isn’t in love.” He nodded to her, bussed his tray, and vanished through the officers’ mess doors back down the hallway that led to Medbay.
The Captain was in love with Spock?
Well, that was certainly interesting news. She would have to pay closer attention to the way that Spock looked at Kirk in return. If she couldn’t read Spock’s body language better than anyone else on this ship, she would resign her commission and go home. She considered Spock a good friend, and he had never mentioned anything to her about being smitten, though she didn’t think Vulcans had a word for anything close to that. But would he mention it at all? Or would he prefer to keep it to himself, if he had developed romantic feelings for someone?
She resolved herself to acquire new information, solely through legitimate means, of course, to determine if Leonard’s gossip was true. And she was only going to collect information. She had a policy against meddling in the affairs of others. If they couldn’t work it out on their own, that was their business.
☆☆☆
Nyota watched Kirk and Spock carefully over the next three shifts. They were respectful of each other, perfectly matched teammates. Spock balanced Kirk’s more impulsive decisions, and Kirk’s nonlinear thinking pattern pushed Spock to consider the merits of new ideas. They were good for each other, as they had been for years. But it was only as she watched them carefully that she witnessed how Kirk looked at his first officer when his back was turned. The captain, under Spock’s careful gaze, was professional, warm, guarded. The moment Spock had turned away, or turned his formidable focus on someone else, Kirk’s eyes softened, his smile relaxed. He was in deep.
What Nyota could not tell, though, was whether or not Spock felt similarly. He allowed Kirk his friendly touches --- a hand on the shoulder, a tap on the arm --- but tolerating the easy affection did not necessarily imply that he welcomed it. When he looked at the captain, Nyota could easily see his affection and respect. But was that friendship? Or something more?
When Spock requested the pleasure of her company in his quarters a few days later, she readily accepted. This was not an unusual request, as he had been teaching her the Vulcan lute and she was introducing him to Earth’s classical music, but she had never before approached their time with a covert mission. When she arrived, he replicated her a cup of the tea she preferred (chamomile, with lavender and honey) and brought down his lute from its place on his bookshelf. They had been working through children’s songs, but she was finally starting to feel as though her fingers knew where to go. In exchange, she introduced him to a new one of her favorite pieces: the overture to Swan Lake. He liked dark music, minor keys, percussive stringed instruments, and she thought he might enjoy the melancholy nature of it.
“It is beautiful art,” he said, when the last notes had died away.
“It is usually accompanied by ballet. We should see if any theaters nearby perform it on our next shore leave,” she said. “We could have a night on the town.”
“I would enjoy that,” he said. There was something in his tone that few others would have perceived; a distance. He was distracted by something. It must have been a heavy thought indeed, to distract the unflappable Vulcan.
“Spock,” she said gently, rewriting her body language to be inviting, calming, uninvasive. “Is there anything you would like to discuss?”
He glanced up at her from his lute, which he held carefully. His eyes and body said yes but his mouth said, “No, Nyota. Thank you.”
The set of his shoulders was so determinedly miserable that she decided a little pushing might go a long way, even if he chastised her for her intrusion later. She had learned long ago the human aspects of his mind needed community even if he didn’t know how to ask for it. “Are you sure? I don’t mean to intrude, but you seem a little… distracted.”
He held her gaze for a minute, deciding. She kept her face on the caring side of neutral. After a period of consideration, he sighed quietly through his nose.
“I have been changed,” he said. She felt the corner of her mouth twitch, but hid it.
“What do you mean?”
He plucked one string on the lute, the note dissonant on its own. “I did not believe it to be possible for me. After T’Pring chose the kal-if-fee and I nearly destroyed the captain, I did not consider finding a compatible mind to be possible or probable.” He looked up at her. “But I have discovered a compatible mind on the Enterprise; so close to my own that if we were to meld, I believe a bond would form spontaneously.”
“Spock,” she gasped. “That’s wonderful. Why are you speaking like this is a bad thing?”
“This is a bad thing, Nyota,” he said gently. “What human would submit to the possession of a mating bond?”
“Your mother did,” she said. “Someone who loved you might.”
“I could never bear to take away his freedom. And,” Spock paused. He closed his eyes. “I do not think that this person is. Interested. In me. In men.”
Kirk, you enormous idiot. “Have you asked him?”
“It has not come up in casual conversation on the bridge, no,” he said. So it was someone on the bridge crew. It couldn’t be anyone but the captain, right? She did not think that Sulu would be Spock’s type. Swords were an illogical weapon of choice.
“We do frequently talk about sex on the bridge,” she pointed out. “But some people --- two in particular --- do not participate at all, because you’re both consummate professionals.”
Spock gave her a warning glare, but she had to be sure. “If I am following your meaning, which I think I am, it would not be logical to assume that, just because he has not expressly stated that he is interested in men, the interest does not exist.”
“I am unwilling to entertain any hope on this front. I believe it would be detrimental to our working relationship.” He did not contradict her on her assumption. Bingo.
“It could strengthen it beyond your imagination,” she pointed out.
“The risk is too high. I will not compromise our friendship for anything in this universe or any other.”
“I know, Spock. But this could be something beautiful for you both. You’ll never know unless you ask him,” she said. “Maybe he feels the same way you do, feels your compatibility, and thinks that you’re not into him. You’re not exactly an open book.”
“And yet I am to you, dear Nyota,” he said, and now she could see the twinkle of warmth in his eye. She knew in her bones that Spock would be a wonderful partner. She had even considered him for herself at one point, before deciding that she was looking for a distinctly more feminine energy. She knew that if he and Kirk managed to get over their egos and fears and talk to each other, the brilliance of their partnership --- their marriage --- would rival the stars in the sky.
“Will you please talk to him?” she asked. “I simply want you to be happy.”
“I know,” he said. “But I want him to be happy.”
In light of new information, Nyota thought that she might have to reconsider her policy of nonintervention.
☆☆☆
Leonard was already seated at their typical lunch table when Nyota arrived. She had been caught up in a particularly knotty translation, and the captain had been concerned their newest encryption level had already been broken. She was running late, and feeling agitated, and was unwilling to beat around the bush any longer.
“Len,” she said. “I need your assistance.”
“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow at her tone. “Is there a bee in your bonnet?”
“There is,” she said. She dropped her voice. “Has Kirk talked to you any more about his feelings?”
“Only every weekend for the past six months.”
“And there’s been no change?”
Leonard gave her a side-eyed glance. “What’s it to you, Miss Uhura?”
She sighed and prepared to lay her cards on the table. “Correct me if I’m wrong. But the captain is in love with Mr. Spock.”
“Yes,” he said quietly.
“But he won’t say anything because he’s a professional, because Spock is Vulcan and allergic to public emotions, and because he values their friendship too much to mess it up. Am I still on track?” Leonard looked suspicious, but he nodded. “I have it on good authority that Spock feels the same, but won’t act on it because he doesn’t want to subject Mr. Flights of Fancy to an unbreakable marriage bond.”
Leonard’s eyes widened. Then he frowned. “So Spock feels so strongly about the captain that he would bond with him, but won’t say anything because he doesn’t want to force the captain to commit. And Kirk feels so strongly about Spock that he wants to commit to, and I quote, a ‘forever kind of love,’ but he won’t say anything because he doesn’t want to subject Spock to having to deal with his feelings.”
“That seems to be the case.”
Leonard frowned again, deeper, etching every line in his face into stone, before howling with laughter and smacking his knee. “Those two idiots deserve each other,” he said, wiping his eyes when he could breathe again. He took a deep breath. “So how are we going to do this?”
Nyota grinned. Despite his grouchy exterior, she knew she could count on Leonard to be in cahoots immediately. “Listen,” she said. “I’ve read a lot of romance novels, and wooed a man or two. Here’s what I was thinking.”
☆☆☆
Step 1: Forced Proximity (Completed)
Nyota was on her third translated Andorian poem of her promised five when the conniving crewman she’d enlisted instant-messaged her.
> Lt. Karros: K in position. I pulled some wires - no real damage, but annoying warning signals. S being sent to investigate.
>NUhura: Thank you! Keep me updated. Poems being sent soon.
> Karros: THANK YOU
She bent her head back to her translations -- credits would be too easy to track, so in exchange for Lieutenant Karros’s assistance with her project, she had offered to translate some poetry from Andorian to Standard for Karros’s nefarious purposes. And by ‘nefarious,’ Nyota meant only that Karros’s attempts to woo an Andorian stationed on another ship were sweet if ill-timed. Far be it from her to criticize the desires of the heart.
>Karros: K and S both in position. Jeffries tube sealed.
>NUhura: [Attachment: Do You Trust This Sender? Cybersecurity Is Everyone’s Prime Directive.] andorianpoems1-3.pdf.
>NUhura: Good work :) more to come!
When the “assistance requested” message came through from the maintenance panel in the tube Kirk and Spock had been trapped in together, Uhura set up a pretty little software package that sent the request on a very circuitous route through the Enterprise’s brain before arriving at Commander Scotty’s workstation. She didn’t intend to leave the boys in there for long; just enough to get some quality face-to-face time.
By the time the captain and Spock appeared on the bridge, Nyota had translated the last two poems, sent them off to her new favorite Security personnel, and schooled her face and body to reveal nothing except a friendly relief that they had arrived. Body language was a language unto itself and Nyota was nothing if not an exemplary communications officer, after all. Kirk’s eyes were light and his face was twisted up in a grin, and even Spock was not at his most austere. Preliminary success, she thought, and she smiled prettily and innocently at Spock when he looked her way.
Step 2: Hurt/Comfort (Failed successfully?)
Having a new relationship to look forward to on the ship was quickly becoming one of the joys of Nyota’s life. Leonard had deputized Christine Chapel to help Nyota brainstorm and scheme after he kicked Nyota out of his office, shouting, “I’m a doctor, not a kidnapper!” after she tried to convince him to give her chloroform. Despite Christine’s quiet demeanor, she had a wicked sense of humor and few qualms about emotional manipulation. Nyota discovered, to her delighted surprise, that she and Christine also had a very similar taste in novels, especially regarding certain flavors of pulp fiction from twentieth-century Earth.
She and Christine had been planning their next move in her quarters --- figuring out how to lock Kirk and Spock into their quarters without alerting Scotty or giving them time to escape through their conveniently shared bathroom --- when the red alert went off. All thoughts of romance fled from her mind as Christine ran to Medbay and Nyota sprinted to the bridge.
“The Klingons beat us here,” Sulu said grimly as she skidded into her seat, kicking her hapless relief off the bridge. She jammed her earpiece in and closed her eyes to concentrate. His Klingon abilities were good, but hers were better.
Spock and the captain had beamed down on what was supposed to be a quick check-in on implementation of a treaty that had recently been signed between the Federation and the planet’s government, and their mission had gone to shit almost immediately. The governor was dead, it seemed, her seat filled by a Klingon general whose name she recognized from horrible reports of cruelty on other planets. Her stomach turned to lead as she translated his grunts, coming through Spock’s open comm, full of static and wrath.
Then, she found that she suddenly did not need to translate any longer, because General V’Tar had switched to Standard.
“Uhura, what’s happening?” Scotty, acting captain, clenched the arms of the center chair. She switched the audio from her earpiece into the overhead speakers so the rest of the bridge crew could hear. Clever Spock had left his comm line open so that they could hear what was going on.
“You intend to colonize a planet for resources your ships don’t even use? What good does that do you?” Jim, unflappable in the face of danger, sounded genuinely curious.
“This isn’t about resources, Captain Kirk,” V’Tar said. “This is about you.” Nyota’s stomach dropped. Something was about to go very wrong.
“About me?” Confusion, and the slightest hint of worry leaked into Kirk’s words. Nyota’s hand flew to her mouth. She could hear it in V’Tar’s voice: they had been set up. She pulled up everything that she could find about V’Tar on her console and scanned through his known history. Oh no. Oh no.
She called Chekov. “Pavel, you have to get them out right now! The Klingons are here for revenge!”
“I’m trying, I’m trying! The signal is weak --- I almost got them!”
“Uhura, explain.” Scotty’s voice was strained with tension.
“This general was on Organia --- Spock embarrassed the Klingons when the mind sifter didn’t work --- this was a trap!”
Over the comm, V’Tar said, “Klingons believe that the leader is responsible for the behavior of all subordinates. What do you think, Captain Kirk?”
Uhura heard Kirk gauge his response, and he inhaled before saying, “Well, I think---”
“I disagree,” Spock said.
“Oh?” V’Tar said. “You disagree, hybrid trash?” Nyota snarled.
“The captain did not ruin your mind machine,” Spock said calmly. “I did.”
“Commander, be quiet,” Jim said. His voice was brittle.
“I almost got them, almost,” Chekov said. “One more second, medical on standby-”
“I’ve wanted to put your dog down for years, Captain Kirk,” said V’Tar.
“I’ve got them!” Chekov cried. A disruptor fired. Spock exhaled sharply. Kirk cried out, “No!” Spock’s comm link dropped.
There was silence on the bridge. Then Chekov’s voice over the comms: “Got them!”
Scotty roared, “Take us out, Mr. Sulu!” Nyota tossed her earpiece onto her console and dashed into the turbolift. “Transporter!”
The transporter room was in pure chaos. There was a pack of nurses surrounding someone prone on the transporter pad. Nyota heard Leonard’s voice, steady in the storm, calling for hypos and hands and support. “Three, two, one - lift!” A collective surge of movement --- six nurses, led by Leonard, ran for the turbolift. His hands were covered in green blood. Someone called, “Medbay!” The door slid shut and whisked them away.
Nyota turned back to the pad. Jim knelt where he had been revealed, arms resting on his thighs in front of him. He stared into the middle distance, face slack with shock. There was green blood across his uniform, dripping down his fingers, sprayed up onto his jaw and the side of his neck.
“Hi, captain,” she said, and stepped up to kneel next to him. “Can you look at me?” His face turned towards hers, but his eyes were unfocused, staring somewhere over her shoulder.
“He…”
“I know, honey.”
“He took that shot for me.”
“I know, honey.”
Finally, Jim’s eyes met hers. Her heart broke for him. “Why would he do that?”
Because he loves you. “You need to ask him that. But I think you know.”
He shook his head, and Nyota could see unshed tears shining in his eyes.
“Yes,” she said. “You have to promise me that when he pulls through, you’re going to have a conversation with him about it.” She stood and tugged on his arm, and he came pliantly with her. “Promise me,” she insisted.
“I promise,” he said, and he let her tow him to Medbay, let her wash off his hands and scrub Spock’s blood off his neck and face, and she held his hand as they both sat outside the surgical suite.
Leonard stepped out three hours later, more haggard than Nyota had ever seen him. They stood together, and when Jim squeezed her hand a little too tightly she didn’t complain.
“Bones, please,” Jim said.
“You’re a damn fool, Jim Kirk. When he comes out of the trance, you are going to tell him.” At ‘trance,’ Jim and Nyota sagged with relief against each other.
“Who died and made you captain?” Jim muttered, but he stepped in and hugged Leonard tightly before he had even had the chance to wash his hands. After Leonard walked away to scrub down and a little more of the tension had left Jim’s shoulders, he gave Nyota a side-eye. “You and Bones wouldn’t happen to have collaborated on your very specific instructions just now, would you?”
“No, sir,” she said innocently.
“Good,” he said, hands on his hips, and then he dropped the posturing. He scrubbed one broad hand across his face and looked up at the ceiling before looking back at her. He said quietly, “I had convinced myself that, as long as he hadn’t turned me down, I still had a chance. I wasn’t ready to lose that yet.”
What could she say that wouldn’t directly betray Spock’s trust? She was saved from responding by the blessed appearance of Christine, who said, “Would you like to see him?” They followed her down a hallway to a private room. As Nyota passed Christine, the taller woman passed a soothing hand down her back, and Nyota turned back to smile at her. Christine smiled sadly at her and shut the door behind them.
Spock looked so small, lying in the hospital bed. Nyota had never known him as anything but stalwart and steady, her closest friend on the Enterprise. She heard Jim stifle a noise in his throat. Spock’s chest rose and fell, but the majority of it was wrapped in bandages. Bruising spread in green lines like lightning away from the puncture wound, and he was developing black eyes from the trauma of impact.
“Spock,” Jim said miserably. There were two chairs, one on either side, and Nyota steered him to one before taking the other. They sat in silence with Spock as his body healed, until there was a knock at the door some time later.
“Lieutenant Uhura, we need you,” Chekov said. His eyes flicked from her to Jim to Spock. She stood immediately. “Thank you, Pavel,” she said. She bent down, pressed her lips to Spock’s forehead and thought at him, Heal fast. I love you. Then she walked to the door.
Something compelled her to look back. Jim sat with his head cradled in his hands. “Jim,” she said softly, holding the door. He looked up at her, and the naked emotion in his eyes was almost too much to translate. “I don’t think he would mind if you touched him. It might bring him comfort.”
The hope in Jim’s eyes made her heart constrict, and she turned away. As the door closed behind her, she saw Jim slide his hand into Spock’s where it lay near the edge of the bed, and he pressed his forehead into Spock’s arm. “Don’t leave me,” he said, muffled by the stiff cotton sheets. She left them to it.
Step 3: ????
Nyota and Scotty reported the events with the Klingons to Starfleet HQ. “Well, that’s a disappointment,” Admiral April huffed, and shuffled the papers on his desk. “That planet had strategic promise. But I’m glad that Commander Spock will make a full recovery.”
“We are as well, sir,” Scotty said.
“Thank you for checking in. Keep us appraised of any more unexpected conflict, and try not to start any fights.”
“A lady doesn’t start fights,” Nyota said primly.
“But she finishes them, hmm, Lieutenant?” Admiral April’s eyes sparkled before he nodded to them and cut the connection.
“He’s got your number, missy,” Scotty said, and chucked her affectionately on one shoulder.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, and followed him back to the bridge. They had warped to a clear patch of space, a safe distance from any contentious areas, and were awaiting future orders. In the meantime, Scotty had requested downtime for repairs and Nyota was updating the ship’s records on V’Tar and this sector to reflect the day’s events.
Her padd pinged with an instant message.
> CC: He’s awake!
Step 4: Profit
In the spirit of allowing Kirk and Spock to at least start the very necessary conversation between them, she allowed for thirty minutes between Christine’s message and her arrival. Nyota thought that she might have left skid marks on the clean tile floors of Medbay if she had raced in any faster after those thirty minutes were up. She didn’t see Christine or Leonard, and the nurses who did see her didn’t stop her from running back to the private room where she had left Kirk and Spock six hours previously.
She knocked. “Enter,” came Spock’s voice. She allowed herself to melt with relief at his solid, steady tone for one moment before collecting herself and letting herself in.
They were beautiful. Kirk sat in the chair that she had left him in, but his spine was straight now, and his shoulders were broad and square. The light had returned to his eyes, and his mouth curved in an easy smile. His right hand was on his hip, angling him towards her in the doorway, but his left hand was on the bed. More accurately, it was clasped between both of Spock’s, held in Spock’s lap. Spock was sitting upright, the healthy green flush returned to his cheeks. Though both eyes were still blacked and his entire torso was wrapped in bandages, he sat up straight, his composure returned. His eyes, when they met Nyota’s and then slid to Kirk’s, were warm and crinkled at the edges - the happiest she had ever seen him. And was that the slightest hint of a smile that tugged at one corner of his mouth? Leonard leaned against the wall on the other side, arms crossed against his chest, one hand gesturing in a way that made her think that she had interrupted a lecture.
Oh, her beloved, stubborn, frustrating brothers. “I believe we may owe you a debt of gratitude, Lieutenant,” Kirk said, smiling. She waved off the idea and took the seat between Spock and Leonard. Len squeezed one shoulder, and she patted it.
“You can make it up to me by scheduling us for some shore leave, captain,” she said, and Kirk threw his head back and laughed. She brushed one hand along Spock’s forearm, thrilling at his warmth and vivacity. Spock called her “my dear Nyota,” and Leonard called her a mastermind, and Kirk didn’t say anything else about her scheming.
Except for the presence of one little uncharitable thought in the back of her head, it was the best day of her year.
Step 5: Complete Victory for the Secret Gamemaster
Leonard kicked Nyota out of Medbay after the shift change. She complained, “But you’re letting Kirk stay!”
“Kirk is both the captain and Spock’s soon-to-be bondmate. You are neither of those things, and I think you might be wanted elsewhere.”
She rolled her eyes. “I wish. See you in the morning, Leonard.”
“Goodnight, darlin’,” he said, and he shut the turbodoor to Medbay behind her. Nyota took her sweet time wandering back to her quarters. She was so happy for Spock and Kirk, truly. She wanted nothing more than for them to find the love they both deserved in each other. But she didn’t think it was unreasonable for her to be the slightest bit jealous. The past few months had been wonderful, not because she loved to meddle, per se --- but because she had had compatriots. Meddlers-in-arms, after hours. She had had Christine. Now that their mission was complete, she wouldn’t have the same excuse to see Christine at odd hours, scheming in her quarters like they were having a sleepover. She found that the loss left her feeling bereft.
After Nyota was done wandering the halls in her own little pity party, she let her feet take her back to her quarters. She was a grown woman, after all, and could attend to her own needs just fine. But there was someone standing in front of her door; a tall, leggy, beautiful someone. Christine straightened up when Nyota rounded the corner.
“This is a nice surprise,” Nyota said, and smiled up at her friend. “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Christine said, in that surprisingly deep voice that Nyota loved. Her grey eyes glinted in the harsh lights of the hallway. “May I come in?”
“Certainly,” Nyota said, and keyed open her door. She pulled off her boots and stood on the carpet in her stockinged feet, turning to face Christine. “What can I do for you?”
“Nyota, I’ve so enjoyed the past few weeks.”
“I have too,” she said. She watched Christine carefully, but Christine was the only person she couldn’t read. The woman was more stoic than Spock, not that she’d ever say that to either of them. Her shoulders were square, long arms clasped in front of her, weight balanced on both feet. Nyota smiled encouragingly. Is that all she had come here to say?
Christine took a step towards her. “I have always thought of you as a good friend, but I feel like I’ve discovered a new side of you since we’ve started spending time together off-shift.” She took another step forward. “It’s a side I like quite a lot.”
Nyota felt her cheeks warm. Christine was a few inches taller than her, and each step forward made her have to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact.
“If you don’t feel the same, I understand,” Christine said. “But if you do, I would like to continue to see you. Outside of the bridge and Medbay.” She took one final step. Her body language was now unmistakeable: if Nyota would let her, she would close the space between them. Nyota found that she wanted Christine to do it, very much.
Nyota reached across the gap and took Christine’s hand. She smiled at her. “I would like that very much.” Christine stepped forward, laced their fingers together, and kissed her. Christine was warm, and soft, and feminine in the way that Nyota liked. The little sprig of disappointment that had discolored her joy earlier melted away as Christine lifted Nyota from the ground and carried her to the bed without breaking their kiss.
Later, when Christine had stepped into the bathroom to brush her teeth before they went to sleep, Nyota checked her padd. She had one instant-message.
>RealMcCoy: You’re not the only matchmaker on the ship, you know
>RealMcCoy: Tell Chapel I said hi :-)
Nyota’s jaw dropped open as she reread the message and processed the implications. McCoy had bowed out of the planning early in Operation Kirk and Spock. For months he had said, “I’m too busy for these games,” all the while knowing that Nyota and Christine would be spending more and more time together.
>NUhura: YOU SLY DOG!!!
She and Christine sent him a case of Andorian ale.
#spirk#spirk fan fiction#kirk/spock#k/s#k/s fan fiction#spirktober2023#spirktober#spirktober 2023#nyota uhura/christine chapel#nyota/christine#star trek: the original series#kirk#spock#my writing
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Too Wise to Woo Peaceably
read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/53141068
by Veri_II
Jim has an unexpected interlude with Spock in the Mirror Universe. Misunderstandings abound and follow Jim home.
Words: 22994, Chapters: 7/7, Language: English
Fandoms: Star Trek: The Original Series
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Categories: M/M
Characters: James T. Kirk, Spock (Star Trek), Mirror Spock, Mirror James T. Kirk
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock, James T. Kirk/Mirror Spock, Mirror James T. Kirk/Mirror Spock, Mirror Spock/Spock
Additional Tags: Mirror Universe (Star Trek), Crossover, Dubious Consent, Vulcan Bond (Star Trek), Vulcan Mind Melds (Star Trek), Matchmaking, Drama & Romance, Romantic Comedy, POV Alternating
read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/53141068
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I really want to talk about how disappointing it is when Star Trek writers end up doing some character/s a disservice in trying to write plots for other characters.
Specifically, I'm talking about the episode “Gravity”.
Obviously this episode is a character piece for Tuvok - we get his backstory as a young and somewhat volatile Vulcan, his unusual relationship with Noss, etc. But my problem is with the writers deciding that they need some human influence to get their intentions and ideas across to the audience - and who better than resident rebel and emotional mess, Tom Paris?
Except it feels like such a disservice to Tom's character. We get such a sweet scene where he's talking about missing B'Elanna, we get Noss asking if he "loves her very much" and he says yeah he does - yet we're supposed to believe that at this point, Tom is still the type of man to tell someone that’s married to give up on getting home and just find someone new?
I get it to a certain degree - as a viewer I can even rationalize it in a roundabout way (because I have to, because the writers give us nothing). Tom is probably projecting a lot, missing B’Elanna, believing he will never see her or Voyager again, wishing he had some shred of comfort out in the middle of nowhere. Though it’s not something ever really pointed out, I find it really notable that Tom is stuck with the two least emotionally comforting people he knows (Tuvok and the Doctor). Considering the Silverblood Tom’s reaction to B’Elanna dying and finding out they’re copies (denial, anger, depression/apathy), the alternate reality Tom from “Before and After” telling Kes that when B’Elanna died he “wanted to die too”, and how he seemed to react to 30 days of solitary confinement - I can’t imagine Tom would have taken it well if he’d actually been stranded permanently with only the Doctor, Tuvok, and Noss for company.
(And despite the "two months" mentioned at the end, other references within the episode imply that it's been far longer than that - especially the time differential ratio, which would factor out to more like 8 months).
So there’s months of being stranded with no sign of rescue, constantly scavenging and fighting to stay alive, very little interpersonal contact or relationships, and Tom pining after the love he’s lost. The writers could have given us insight into how Tom was feeling during this whole ordeal - probably frustrated, lonely, grieving for the loss of B’Elanna and his found-family on Voyager. If that had been explored, I believe it would have made more sense for Tom to see Noss (hurting, pining for romantic companionship) and Tuvok (likely stranded for the rest of his life, but refusing to consider her offer of companionship), and want to try and play matchmaker - to give someone else the happiness that he probably thinks he’ll never have again.
The one good thing is that initially Tom does apologize to Tuvok, which honestly feels closer to his real character. It’s more believable to me that he might let his own feelings of loneliness and distress cloud his judgment and talk without thinking, but then come to his senses after some time and try to make amends.
Except because the writers needed their plot, needed to have a Tuvok romance episode despite him being steadfastly married, Tom jumps right back into trying to convince Tuvok to reciprocate Noss’s feelings. It felt forced and like a slap in the face for Tom’s character, who had been changing and growing over five seasons.
Though I wouldn’t necessarily want to take the spotlight off of Tuvok for the episode, I think “Gravity” could have given us a very interesting character piece between both Tuvok and Tom (and their very different relationship), if the writers hadn’t just used Tom as a plot device. Even the confrontation on the rocks could have been a chance to explore their differing viewpoints - Tuvok’s explanation of how his own emotions nearly destroyed him in his youth, how important self-control really is for Vulcans, while Tom finally admits how much he has given up hope of rescue, how crippling that is for him to deal with emotionally because he can’t just repress everything, and how he thought that at least someone deserved to find some happiness.
So yeah, I really like the episode “Gravity” but I hate the character assassination of Tom Paris that seems, to me, like it was only born out of the writer’s need to give Tuvok a romance story and a character foil.
Anyway thanks for coming to my TedTalk.
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MDZS/The Untamed fic recs
this quiet violence by curiositea
Post canon wwx wakes up one morning and finds that lwj is trapped in sleep. Alongside Lan Qiren, they dive into lwj’s mind to bring him back to the waking world. The family bonding! The EMOTIONS. No one out here doing it like ao3 author curiositea
Veritas by trickybonmot
Modern AU wwx has been taking increasingly terrible fake dates to family functions for years in order to stop matchmaking attempts. When his latest date cancels on him, lwj steps in, motivated to be the best fake date yet. And he doesn’t disappoint!
I will be chasing a starlight by feyburner, sundiscus
Star Trek fusion and what have you been doing with your life if you haven’t read this?? Lwj is a Vulcan, wwx loves ships, and even with telepathy emotions are hard to understand. Especially with telepathy. Features wwx’s brand of heroic recklessness. All time classic, instant favorite
A Sword With No Hilt by Deastar
A/B/O alternate canon omega lwj goes into heat in the Wen dungeons and beta wwx fakes being an alpha and terrible person to protect him from Wen Chao. But even though the acting is fake the consequences are real. Mind the tags, but a really good exploration of trauma and non-traditional a/b/o
I search myself (I want you to find me) by ilip13
Modern AU feature straight boy Wei Ying. Wwx doesn’t really think about much when he masturbates until he comes across a surefire fantasy – lwj and a pretend girlfriend who in no way resembles wwx. It takes a while but wwx figures it out in the end
Come sunset by danegen
Post canon wwx falls victim to a curse that can only be cured by lying in the arms of his beloved. Since wwx knows he has no beloved and is doomed, he goes to Gusu to bid lwj a farewell. You’ll never guess what happens next!
all this, and love too by friedkiki
Post canon wwx picks up a little ghostly traveler during his travels, nothing to be concerned about, except his little traveler really wants to taste human flesh – specifically lwj flesh. The ghost is a romantic cannibal
work song by lianhua_lianzi
Post canon wwx travels and sends letters back to Cloud Recesses, and lwj mysteriously finds he has business in the area that wwx was last seen in. They both have plans. Marriage plans. Such a sweet fic
Adventures in Pet Sitting by raitala
Modern AU lwj offers to petsite his brother’s many animals while Lan Xichen is off traveling with NMJ, and ends up cohabiting with nhs and wwx. There is much bonding and self discovery and thirsting happening in that apartment
of nothingness of everything of nevermind by Spodumene
Modern AU wwx asks best friend lwj what he wants for his birthday, to which there’s only one answer: to marry wwx. After thinking about marriage and the many things they could do while married for a month, wwx takes action
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Katoberfest 2022!
This year's Katoberfest will be held October 23-30, 2022.
There are seven days of prompts + a free day:
Sunday October 23: Personal Log or Control
Monday October 24: Heartbreak or Matchmaker
Tuesday October 25: Fake Death or Hugs
Wednesday October 26: A therapy session or Late night meeting
Thursday October 27: Cooking or Mentoring
Friday October 28: Rom-Com or Mirror Universe
Saturday October 29: Where is Katrina Cornwell right now?
Sunday October 30: Free Day
There are four extra challenges:
1. The Katrina: post every day
2. The Cornwell: combine both of the day's prompts into one work
3. The Vice Admiral: complete either the Katrina or the Cornwell AND create a work for one of the following additional prompts:
-Everything is the same but Gabriel and Katrina are married.
-Kat hallucinates an entire AU episode. I don’t care what, but there better be kissing and whiskey.
-What if Pike died instead? What would change?
-One wants true love/Other wants a fling
-Something with Christopher Pike, preferably no death
-Katrina Cornwell and Robert April (as friends, colleagues, lovers, anything)
-Kat as an alien (Vulcan, Bajoran, Trill, whatever!)
-Put Cornwell in your favorite non-Trek fandom
4. The Admiral: create one work that includes at least seven of the twenty-one available prompts.
There are no requirements or limits to any medium (e.g. word count, length of vid or pod, etc.).
You may answer as many, or as few, as you like and there is no specific format. The prompts are jumping off points and may be considered in universe or meta. Answers may take the form of essay, discussion, fiction, artwork, bulleted lists, gifsets, vids, vlogs, comics, whatever! Create something new, promote something you’ve previously made, or share a favorite work of someone else’s (with proper credit! Share their post if possible). It is also fine to answer prompts on a different day than that which corresponds with the prompt (if you miss it, or it is simply easier for you). There is no right or wrong way to participate! The purpose of Katoberfest is to celebrate Admiral Cornwell, not create work or drama.
When sharing on social media, tag your posts #Katoberfest2022. We will reblog and retweet all tagged posts.
The AO3 Collection is available here.
Any questions, do not hesitate to ask!
-Anika (@pixiedane) and Liz (@liz-squids)
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I just thought about something Vulcans always have a logical answer for everything they do. All their pets are large predatory animals that could help defend them if need be and or be given to children to teach responsibility like Sehlats or an unnamed Vulcan bird of prey (think our falconers) to send messages.
Just imagine what Vulcans would think if they saw a human with a strange pet that had no purpose and I’m not talking a dog or cat or ferret that can be used to hunt or keep pests at bay I’m talking Derpy goldfish in a tank, a garden snail or mouse that would actually count as the pest (I love mice and snails btw they aren’t pests but u know what I’m saying), or even a bug like a beetle, ant farm, or caterpillar.
If it were me I can imagine a Vulcan friend knocking on the door of my quarters to ask me a question like about anything: game/ movie night, a report, etc and asking their question while trying not to be distracted by the sound of water running in the background when the door finally opens. After the question is answered I can just see them trying not to look into my room cause it’s not polite and thinking I forgot and left a sink or bath running and with the desert climate of Vulcan I can see wasting resources like water being a HUGE pet peeve 😂
“Pardon me, but did you perhaps by accident leave the water on?”
“Huh?…” *💡* “ooooh that. Nah just the fish tank filter, it’s a waterfall filter”
“Fish tank?”
“Yeah lookie, it’s alright you can come in”
A minute of silence goes by as the vulcan blinks at the large fish tank, the fish show brief interest in hopes of getting food but soon go back to laying on the bottom or rooting around the substrate (I have corydoras a small bottom feeding shoalling catfish species, that’s pretty much all they do and act derpy 😂until they get evening zoomies and swim back and forth in the filter stream)
“What…is this?” The Vulcan gestures to the tank
“It’s a fish tank also known as aquarium and those are Corydora’s.”
“Ah. So your pets.” The human nods in reply and the Vulcan speaks up again “What purpose do they serve?”
“What do you mean?”
“What’s their function? Being aquatic they can not freely roam the room and eradicate pests. I also doubt they could provide any protection against intruders. What purpose do they serve?”
“Ooooh *laughs* nah they don’t do squat. They just swim around, eat, play, be derpy, and make a mess so I’ve got to clean their tank once a week.”
The Vulcan does that classic eye brow raise before slowly turning to face the human
“So not only do they not have a function but they make even more work for you?”
“Eh but I love them and would rather have my fishy friends then not. It’s therapeutic having something that needs me, even if it’s more work for me.”
“…” Vulcan deadpan
“…” Human stifles a laugh trying to mimic the emotionless deadpan expression
“I have a good acquaintance back on Vulcan who is having a hard time finding a mate as he is known to be, I believe the human expression is, high maintenance.”
“?”
“I believe you might be a good match.”
“…what’s this guy look like and what’s his personality type?”
—————-end————-
Omfg I love literally all of this! And the casual matchmaking at the end... *chef's kiss*
I honestly have no coherent thoughts to add to this, because my brain is imagining said "high maintenance" acquaintance. 👀 Don't misunderstand, the whole concept that you outlined above is amazing and I love it, but I am also inordinately curious about the Vulcan mans you dangled in front of me. 🙈 Yes, I'm ridiculous.
Anyway, I love this, Azora!! Thank you!!! 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
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Home Sweet Home
Warning: Some M/M works might show up here because the Spock/Uhura tag is used in ref to S/U as a side pairing, past pairing, etc. Currently there is no way to filter and exclude feeds on Ao3 to get only S/U F/M works.Solution. Read at your own risk.
by Solid_Medical_Advice
James T. Kirk is finally happy. Not only is Spock alive, but he's in Kirk's apartment saying he loves him. He couldn't be happier if he tried.
Then, somebody appears in his kitchen, and the crew is sent back in time to another universe where James T. Kirk is a little less happy.
Or, the TOS and AOS timelines collide and it's all Spock's fault.
Words: 1213, Chapters: 1/23, Language: English
Fandoms: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Categories: F/M, M/M
Characters: James T. Kirk, Spock (Star Trek), Nyota Uhura, Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, Pavel Chekov, Hikaru Sulu, James T. Kirk Prime, Spock Prime
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock, James T. Kirk Prime/Spock Prime, James T. Kirk & Nyota Uhura, Spock & Nyota Uhura, Past Nyota Uhura/Spock - Relationship, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott/Nyota Uhura, Pavel Chekov/Hikaru Sulu
Additional Tags: Alternate Universes, crossing universes, Time Travel, Fluff, Crew of the Starship Enterprise as Family, Getting Together, First Time, Space Husbands, Established Relationship, New Relationship, Three Timelines, three Spocks, So many Spocks!, Widower Spock, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, AOS is kinda shit but I love it anyway, AOS Kirk is also kinda shit but I love him anyway, Mild AOS Kirk Slander, Leonard "Bones" McCoy is a Good Friend, Bones is also fucking annoying, Awkward Conversations, Canonical Character Death, Vulcan Bond, T'hy'la, mild crack, James T. Kirk/Spock-centric, James T. Kirk Has ADHD, it doesn't come up a lot but I want to project, Dubious Science, Mild Matchmaker Kirk, Mild Matchmaker Uhura, Post-Star Trek (2009), Post-Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Fix-It, kind of, Vain Kirk, Growing Old, I really like Uhotty and you can’t stop me from writing them into everything, everyone is queer btw
read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/41786079
via AO3 works tagged 'Spock/Nyota Uhura' https://archiveofourown.org/works/41786079
Need an Ao3 invite? Don't want to wait? Get one via LiveJournal or Dreamwidth.
Remember to check out the Spuhura fanworks community on livejournal. Follow rssspockuhura for Spock/Uhura fanworks from around the web.
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