snowynight

“Look at this!” Jim caught Spock’s arm. “A paperbound version of Twelfth Night!” He caressed the book cover with a smile. “I’ve never expected to find one in such pristine condition.”

Although Spock was used to Jim’s excitement for his discovery in the old book shop, he still felt a tinge of spark on his skin for Jim’s touch. To distract himself, he asked, “Why is it so significant?”

“It’s my favourite Shakespeare’s comedy. I always laughed at the dialogues. Have you ever watched a Shakespearean play on stage?”

“No, I have not,” Spock admitted. Thanks to his mother, Spock had a wide knowledge of Shakespeare’s work. However, he had not devoted his time to further study.

Jim widened his eyes. “You have missed up a lot!. It’s time to remedy this oversight, my friend. We’ll watch a vid of a theatre production tonight.”

“I do not see the use of it,” Spock said, but already knowing that he would surrender to Jim’s smile. Besides, he was secretly interested in understanding more about his human heritage so as to better control it.

“It’s very useful for to understand we illogical human,” Jim said with a wink. “Why not have a trade? If you watch it with me, I’ll go to the California Academy of Sciences with you tomorrow.”

Rather than pointing out that the California Academy of Sciences was also on Jim’s agenda, Spock agreed to it and Jim beamed up. “It’ll be worth it! Trust me! You have to watch a play in a theatre production to understand the charm.”

Spock watched the vid with Jim in Jim’s dorm room at night. Jim laughed at the jokes, made enthusiastic waving motions at specific points of the play and caught Spock’s arm when he explained something to him. Truth be told Spock found Jim’s reaction was interesting than the vid.

The next day Jim fulfilled his promise and they went to the California Academy of Sciences together. Spock watched the fossils on display in interest, as it was hard to imagine this scale of biodiversity in Vulcan. Jim paid extra attention to the dinosaur exhibit, as he had said he wanted to be a fossil hunter as a kid. “I spent a summer digging around, but I only found some clovis points. They’re still cool though.”

Spock found the aquarium and the plant exhibits overwhelming with their abundance of life. Although he had read about many of the species, it still could not replace watching the actual specimens. Jim slowed up to let Spock catch on with the display, and Spock appreciated his silence.

They had meal together at a cafe nearby, where Spock ordered a dish of dumplings served on yoghurt sauce, and found the taste satisfactory. Jim devoured his smoked spicy macaroni with soft cheese and enthusiastically discussed the exhibits with Spock.

When Spock parted with Jim, Spock continued his work and returned to his room to mediate. He went through this day’s event, analyzed and controlled the emotion that came up with his memory. As usual since his encounter with Jim, most of them surrounded him.

It was the summer holiday, so most students returned home. Spock had nowhere to return to since his argument with Sarek over his decision to enlist into the Starfleet Academy, so he decided to stay to continue his work.

He met Jim at the school library, when they both reached for the same reference book.

"Sorry," Jim said while releasing his grip on the book. "Do you mind informing me after finishing it? I need it for my paper."

Spock agreed and exchanged his comm number with Jim, expecting that their contact would be limited. However, Jim expressed an interest in him by asking what Spock worked on, and Spock was surprised by his intelligence and scientific knowledge despite being the command track. Their conversation was refreshing and Spock agreed to Jim's invitation for another meeting.

Even though most of the library resources were electronic, some of the materials Spock needed were still only available in printed form so he needed to go to the library in person and found that Jim was also a frequent visitor. He was surprised by Jim’s diligence in his study while a lot of Spock’s human peers placed entertainment over the academics. Before long Spock was used to join Jim’s side when they both engaged in their study quietly.

Jim had a great fondness for 19th century English literature and shared his hobby with him. It was interesting when discussing them with Jim because of his open-mindedness and insight, albeit quite often illogical.

“It’s romantic how Carton sacrificed himself for his love. ‘It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.’ A great understatement,” Jim said when discussing A Tale of Two Cities

“I notice that the human notion of romance is often quirky and illogical.”

Jim laughed, “Surely! it is messy and often beyond good sense, but it can inspire courage in a coward, Who would desert his beloved or fail him in the hour of danger?”

Jim’s word reminded Spock of the Vulcan concept of warrior bond, but he chose to respond to Jim literally, “This kind of courage is often dangerous to the one who’s inspired and the others.”

“Sometimes, but the world will be a cold desolate place without love.”

For indiscernible reasons, Jim enjoyed and actively seeked out his company. Throughout the summer, they went to music concerts, joined reading and literary events, hiked on the Lands End Trail, shared meal together at various restaurants and cafes with vegetarian options, visited museums and watched theatre plays. Spock had explored more of San Francisco with Jim during the two months than he did in previous years in school.

When the holiday ended, Spock wondered whether he would see much less of Jim now that his friends had returned to school and suppressed a tensed feeling following the thought. It was useless to speculate, and Spock was fine on his own.

However, when he received the message from Jim asking about him and discussing their lessons together, Spock felt the lessening of the weight in his stomach.