Retsina Blues

Fanfiction
Title:	Retsina Blues
Author(s):	Daphne Garcia and Kai Rhodes
Date(s):	1985
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
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Retsina Blues is a Kirk/Spock story by Daphne Garcia and Kai Rhodes.

It was published in the print zine Matter/Antimatter #5.

Reactions and Reviews

I love the Fourth of July, the camaraderie, the fireworks, the general silliness. I‘m ready but since I have to wait, I‘ll take the edge off by recommending this little shore leave story. Do you really believe that since they got together Kirk and Spock spend most of their shore leave time camping, going their separate ways or trading off activities that one enjoys and the other doesn‘t? Do you really think their relationship would be devoid of some of the mutual needling their creators Shatner and Nimoy are so famous for in public, and probably in private? These authors don‘t and, yeah, I can easily see their version, nodding and chuckling the whole, fine way through a shore leave story unlike any other I‘ve come across.

When Kirk moans the first words, ―Oh God, I‘m gonna die!‖, you may think execution, abduction, diplomats, but you should be thinking hangover, big, nasty, eyeball melting hangover. His head is throbbing, his mouth tastes like turpentine, he can‘t feel his nose, thinks he‘s in a strange bed, isn‘t sure with whom and doesn‘t know where Spock is. That‘s when panic sets in but with a little judicious groping, discovers Spock asleep on the other side of the bed and slowly remembers checking into this hotel after a night on the town. By the time Kirk manages to get out of bed and feel his way to the bathroom, there are low groans coming from his partner, who‘s still lying in bed. You see, Kirk likes to go barhopping on shore leave. He likes to go where the locals go and drink what the locals drink. Spock goes with him and drinks a little, too. On the ship, Spock claims he doesn‘t understand the human predilection for imbibing alcohol. He claims with his ability to regulate his metabolism alcohol doesn‘t effect him. Certainly, their friends would agree. But as the boys go from bar to bar along the waterfront on the Greek isle of Mykonos spreading their credits in an economy that has apparently recovered from the coming devastation, Spock is clearly enjoying himself. They go to a bar, order a bottle of retsina wine (a Greek wine that really does taste a little like turpentine), have a few drinks, take in the color and move on to the next bar. Pretty soon Jim‘s spinning tales and trading jokes with locals and Spock is off dancing. But they regularly hook up for a hug, that gets longer and longer, and an occasional public kiss. After that bar too far, Jim heads off to the docks to show the locals how to dive for sponges even though Spock assures him that sponges haven‘t lived in the area for the last fifty years. Jim strips down to skin first because he doesn‘t want to disrespect the uniform. This is a bit more involved than it should be because Spock is trying to put his clothes back on him while he‘s trying to take them off. Spock‘s afraid he might drown in his condition but they both end up in the ocean and Spock‘s the one that needs help.

Do you suppose any self-respecting Vulcan possessive of his mate could passively watch a bunch of strangers ogle and pat and goad and playfully pinch parts of his partner‘s anatomy that are normally covered in public without taking action? Particularly if said mate was complicit? That‘s a definite no. The groaning from the bed isn‘t because Spock has a monster hangover himself. His eyes may be bloodshot but he‘s thinking clearly and waiting for Jim‘s temper to blow when he finds out what Spock has done.