[HALLOWEEN PARTY!] -- [Open to ALL PLAYERS!] -- [IC Event!]

[kirktastic]

It had gone out as an announcement over a month ago, sent to every padd and station by one very excited Captain. A Halloween party! Must come in costume, must have fun

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[just_uhura]

Somewhere between her second and third trip to the bar, Nyota decided that she needed a break and moved through the crowds of people to an empty seat. Normally she would have been a little more enthusiastic, it was Halloween after all. But the exhaustion that had taken a toll on her for the past few days persisted, so she hoped everyone would excuse her for hiding in the corner.

The first thing she did was discard the mask, dropping it on the table with a small sigh of relief. Next year she would reconsider so much leather in her costume. She unpinned her hair, letting it fall down about her shoulders, and took a look around the room. Tina was busy in conversation with her Vulcan Cuddle Buddy and she didn't even want to think about who he would have brought with him. She glanced back down to the table, her fingers gripping her glass as she realized, with a deep pang of homesickness, that she didn't even know what her brother had dressed up as. Maybe he'd outgrown their stupid tradition, but she had no idea.

"Well I'm fun tonight

[kirktastic]

"You look beautiful, though." Kirk said as he heard her little comment, sitting down beside her. He had already stripped off a lot of his costume and was in the open white undershirt, black pants, mask, and gloves. He offered her a tired grin, "Finally get a chance to talk to you."

[just_uhura]

Nyota turned her head with surprise as Kirk spoke up, watching as he sat down beside her. It wasn't that she had been avoiding him exactly, but after visiting him in sickbay she'd needed time to step back and analyze the fact her feelings were changing.

"Nice mask," she replied, granting him a brief smile before taking another sip of her drink. "I'm so sorry I missed your grand entrance. I idn't have you down as an opera fan."

[kirktastic]

That made him laugh as he learned back. "Not an Opera fan, but I love the book." He gave her a warm smile, "I practiced forever to do it, before..." He gestured, "Everything happened."

[just_uhura]

"I can only hope that someone got it on video," Nyota teased, though her smile tightened a little at the mention of everything. The aim of the night was to enjoy the party, the brief respite from all of the drama that seemed to surround them. "Or I'll have to try and get a repeat performance. If I'd have known you were going to sing, I wouldn't have taken so long to get dressed."

[kirktastic]

"You and Tina look great, so it was worth it." Kirk looked to her, those beautiful eyes and smile. Worth it, not getting what I want, I think. Kirk almost laughed at his own thought, but instead just shook his head.

He reached over and touched her hand, "You're a lucky girl." He winked, then with a squeeze, headed towards the crowd.

It was early, but he felt exhausted. It was early, though... maybe he could take a fast nap and come back.

Plus, he wanted to sneak up to the bridge.

[just_uhura]

For a moment she was confused, and sat in her chair, a frown crossing her features. Since when did Kirk just walk off without at least trying to annoy her once? Sure, she hadn't particularly wanted to face the fact he'd seen her cry (an embarrassment she was still trying to live down in her mind) but his departure was so abrupt.

Perhaps she was the one who needed a nap, or at least to drink a little less, for she found herself rising on her feet and following after him. Definitely the alcohol, she justified to herself despite the fact she wasn't the least bit drunk. She was completely in control as she reached out for his hand. "You," she began, giving his hand a gentle tug. "Do not seem like yourself."

[kirktastic]

Kirk had been making his way towards the doors out when someone caught his hand. He jerked, a little, and half-turned, but stopped when he saw it was Uhura. It was hard to hear her, away from the quiet corner, so he gestured towards the door with his head. If she wanted to talk, she'd come.

Outside, he was slightly surprised to see she actually had followed. "...Sorry, hard to hear in there." He grinned, looking at ease, but there was a strain around his eyes.

And red marks at his jaw.

[just_uhura]

As soon as they were outside, Nyota released his hand, tilting her head with concern. Despite her best efforts to remain detached, it seemed impossible when it came to him. For her and Spock. She still wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"Is something wro--" Her sentence broke off as she spotted the marks on his jaw, familiar marks. She'd had a few of those in the past, though hers generally tended to be in places she could hide them. "Is that... are those hickies?"

[kirktastic]

Fuck. But Kirk could brush it off easily. He gave a lazy grin in her direction, "Probably. I'm a popular man tonight." Which was a strange lie to give. He was used to that being the truth, but he had... seen it. People looking at his face when they thought he wasn't looking, murmuring things he couldn't hear.

[just_uhura]

"Will you just stop doing that?" Nyota snapped, taking a step closer to him. She wasn't sure why it annoyed her so much, that false smile he was flashing around as much as she did. But it did, and she just wanted him to stop and be honest with her for once. Maybe it wasn't just him, maybe it was a lot of things, but right now her focus was on him. "God, you all treat me like I'm made of glass. Just be honest with me for once Jim, you think you can do that?"

[kirktastic]

Her anger made Kirk blink in surprise at the sheer strength of it. He stared at her for a long moment, then shook his head. "What do you want me to say, Uhura? And I was honest with you in sickbay, so it isn't for once."

Like how your boyfriend and I almost fucked in the turbolift? How these hickies are from him? Like how I have no fucking clue why I want him so badly but I do?

"And you are the last person I'd think of as glass."

[just_uhura]

Realizing how close she was to him, Nyota took a step back, pressing her hands to her face so she could try and collect herself. For so long she had managed to avoid this, showing any kind of vunerability around him. But now she wasn't sure if she wanted to scream at him, hit him, hold him.

"You talk and talk, but you don't say anything." Nyota replied with a shake of her head, taking another step back to distance herself from him.

[kirktastic]

She was absolutely beautiful. It made him...

Don't say anything.

He stepped forward and brought up his hand, lightly holding her chin with his thumb and the edge of his index finger. He gave a tiny smile, and kissed the corner of hre mouth. "...the both of you are amazing." Before he kissed her lips straight on.

[just_uhura]

Watching him step forward, she knew that she was right. Of course it was Spock, she didn't need him to tell her that for her to know. She'd felt exactly what he'd felt that day, before all of this started to fall apart. But she had wanted to hear it from him, to hear something honest.

Her heart beat a little faster at his touch, her eyes slipping closed with the first brush of his lips. "Stop," she whispered, though it sounded like a weak protest even to her ears. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen, why did he keep messing up her plans? But despite knowing she should push him away and tell him that he couldn't just solve everything like that, she couldn't move, just let him kiss her. She stilled for a moment, her mind and body raging a pointless war that was lost the second she pressed her lips back against his. It was harder than he had because she was so angry with so many people.

[kirktastic]

It surprised him when she finally kissed him back, just a split moment before he was about to pull back because of her stop. He brought up his hand and cupped her jaw and cheek, smoothing his thumb against the silk of her skin. As much as he wanted to (and fuck did he want to) keep going, he knew it wasn't going to solve anything.

He let it last just a second more, what he had hoped for for so long, before pulling back. He kept his hand where it was and the smile came back to his lips. "I turned him down. And I might have grabbed his ass." He laughed, just a little. "It was fucking stupid of me." But he wasn't sorry for it.