#Christine Chapel x Reader

[aerospas]

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐍 ; their pet name for you ── tos characters !

𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐒 ; ᶜʰᵃᵖᵉˡ, ᶜʰᵉᵏᵒᵛ, ᵏᶦʳᵏ, ᵐᶜᶜᵒʸ, ʳᵃⁿᵈ, ˢᶜᵒᵗᵗʸ, ˢᵖᵒᶜᵏ, ˢᵘˡᵘ, ᵘʰᵘʳᵃ

( SWEETHEART ) sweetheart ; they'll tenderly cup your face in their hands, their thumb gently tracing the curve of your cheekbone. each glance at you feels like a stolen moment of bliss, as if the universe conspired to bring you two together. in their eyes, you are the embodiment of all things sweet and pure, a cherished gem in a world of rough stones. they'll shower you with affectionate words and gestures, their love for you pouring out in every touch and smile.

kirk, sulu

( DARLING ) darling ; it is a term that dances on their lips with an effortless grace, carrying with it a promise of warmth and tenderness. their gaze holds a depth of adoration that knows no bounds, as though you are the centre of their universe, a guiding star in their sky.

chapel, mccoy, scotty

( LOVE ) my love ; they possess an innate tenderness that envelops you like a warm embrace, their arms a sanctuary where you find solace and comfort. they lavish you with affection, expressing their devotion through every word uttered and gesture made. in their eyes, you are not just a person, but a soulmate a companion in the journey of life.

chekov, rand, spock, uhura

[neuroprincess]

Star Trek - How you met each other

Classification: Fluff

Pairing: B'Elanna Torres, Christine Chapel, Deanna Troi, Kathryn Janeway, Kira Nerys and Number One

Warnings: None

Word count: +900

B'Elanna Torres

You're an ensign assigned to the engineering division, just one of a dozen young recruits who have just left Starfleet Academy and couldn't have imagined finding yourselves in such a situation on the very first mission. Having B'Elanna as chief engineer is an almost amusing challenge, her geniality is accompanied by a strong personality, necessary to deal with all those who doubt her capabilities or resent her position. However, you're almost invisible in the eyes of the half-Klingon, probably because you don't give her any headaches or are usually on counter shift, at least until a big technical problem leaves her dumbfounded and you come to the rescue, solving something that even she couldn't, using only an old two-strike trick and a bit of luck. She genuinely laughs and tries to guess your name, a little embarrassed that she can't remember it, to thank you for the great help. 

Christine Chapel

It's almost a funny situation if it weren't tragic. After another unfortunate transporter accident and a fall that would make anyone feel the soul leave and return to the body, you find yourself in the sickbay having a general check-up, not to mention the fact that you've hit the head. Dr. McCoy, with a scowl, gives you an extensive list of recommendations and bonus scoldings, for a difference of a few adjustments he almost lost one of his best medical officers, who he considers his new pupil. "You'd better lie down, darling." a melodic voice comes from at your side and soft hands push against the stretcher, your eyes are closed in delight, when opened they reveal an angelic figure staring at you with concern, bright blue irises filled with compassion and curiosity. You smile and are relieved at how her presence brings immediate calm, before everything fades into darkness. 

Deanna Troi

When the USS Enterprise finally responds to the rescue signal, you've already given up all hope and started waiting for a quick death. A promising exploration mission turned into a nightmare when the ship was destroyed on landing and the locals are more like big feet, physically and mentally. With no outside contact, no food, limited energy, extreme temperature changes, several losses due to murder or consequences of the precarious conditions, in the fourth week, probably given up for dead by the Starfleet, you are the only survivor, a junior lieutenant grade with a diplomatic specialization, how ironic. It's all very fast, you don't remember much because you're almost unconscious, just a couple of faces, the feeling of being held by a warm body that whispered words of comfort, stroking your hair, telling that everything was going to be all right. Exactly what you needed at that moment. 

Kathryn Janeway

Being part of the Maquis wasn't even close to your childhood dream, having Starfleet Officer parents loyal to the Federation, a destiny was already set for you to follow in their footsteps, before everything changed drastically. The colony was attacked by Cardassians, many families were decimated and you were just another one left among the wreckage, orphaned, wounded, traumatized and with nothing but your own luck, which forced the development of survival skills and knowing nature like the back of a hand. This made a difference when it was time to enlist and ally yourself with them, driven by a blind sense of justice and pain that fueled resentment. Within a few months you find yourself fearing death and then wishing for it when rescued by Voyager, past experiences have created an aversion to anything related to it, but watching the captain run and fight to ensure that everyone, including the rebels, is safe, made you feel something unusual, a strange feeling in stomach, especially when she realizes your presence on the ship and smiles. 

Kira Nerys

The engineering area is fascinating and challenging at the same time, especially on an old Cardassian station, full of catches and new things to discover. You're curious by nature and this has paid off handsomely, such as an opportunity to serve as an ensign on Deep Space Nine shortly after graduating from Starfleet Academy, which you enthusiastically accepted. So much enthusiasm, mixed with anxiety and a hint of desire to make a good impression, that you threw yourself into the duties almost immediately, with diligence navigating and exploring around the machinery's complexities. One day, overwhelmed by new responsibilities, you made a small unintentional mistake that caused a huge commotion on the Promenade and a headache for security. It's no surprise when someone comes to complain, what is unexpected is that it's an energetic Bajoran who makes you lose words and feel an inexplicable urge to cry, the weight of the last few days falling on shoulders. She stops scolding you, terrified of the reaction, and starts finding ways to make you stop crying. 

Number One | Una Chin-Riley

Some would say you're a loner, others would say you're crazy. It's not just anyone who decides to leave the academy and a xenoanthropology specialization in the middle of the road, even less to venture out alone into the quadrants, that's what you've done. Years of independent exploration have yielded hundreds of files about culture, language, beliefs, structure and other aspects resulting from a lot of research and observation. When the Enterprise crew arrives on an M-class planet without any official first contact, they are surprised by the immediate warm welcome from the humanoid species, as if they were already familiar with earthlings. Later they understand the reason. You, the only other human there, and your skills of adaptability, linguistics and consequently diplomacy. Which impress them, especially First Officer Una. She is attracted by your vibrant personality and free spirit, the way you mediate all contact, your passion for cultural understanding and thirst for knowledge, this led her to convince Pike to make you an offer, to join Starfleet in continuing your explorations and sharing discoveries, seeing you as a promising addition. 

Join my taglist here ^^

[warpfive]

BEING PROTECTIVE ON AN AWAY MISSION

how protective the snw crew gets over you on away missions

CW: injured reader, gn! reader

CAST: chris pike, una chin-riley, spock, la'an, erica ortegas, nyota uhura, christine chapel

CHRIS - showing favoritism has always been something of a challenge for chris. he tends to care too much, get over-protective, go the extra mile for his crew. he especially tries not to let his protective instincts take over when you’re involved - every member of his crew should be treated the same. though, chris has always carried his heart on his sleeve, and his constant surveillance is noticed by anybody who’s paying attention. he lowkey always tries to know where you are, what you’re doing, and who you’re with so if the worst case scenario happens, chris will have a plan. he really tries not to baby you, but…well, playing favorites goes out the window when it comes to your safety..

UNA - 9 times out of 10, she’s assigning you to her team, if she can help it. partnering up with you, and if she can’t, partnering you with somebody she trusts. checks in with you semi-frequently and doesn’t even try to disguise it as a sit-rep. nah, una doesn’t try to hide her intentions. she keeps things professional, and doesn’t let her feelings interfere with the mission (mostly) but she sees no reason to give you the cold shoulder and distract herself with worrying about you. she knows how quickly things can go sideways, and una is nothing if not effective - if you’re around her, she can get to you. it’s as simple as that.

SPOCK - vulcans don’t feel protective - that’s the line spock would give you. no, no, it’s in his and the crew’s best interest that you get back to enterprise as unharmed as possible. knowing spock, he has backup plans for his backup plans. if a hostile native population finds the away team or the weather takes a freak turn, spock takes it upon himself to find a way out of the situation. and it’s not that he doesn’t think you can do it - spock truly respects your abilities. but this way, if something goes wrong, it will be on him. any failure to keep you safe would be his fault, and he alone will be the one to atone. of course, you tell him he wouldn’t need to atone for anything, but vulcans can be pretty stubborn.

LA'AN - simultaneously the one who worries the most and shows it the least. but obviously, with everyone she’s lost, it makes sense that la’an goes the furthest mile when it comes to keeping you safe. somebody she holds so precious and dear, it would be her own damn fault if she allowed you to get hurt on some routine assignment. of course, la’an shoulders all of the responsibility of keeping you safe. she believes she’s the most capable in doing so, but la’an would definitely get caught up in her emotions and have to let the others help. but at that point, she would be so afraid for your safety, a bit of wounded pride is a small price to pay for getting you back in one piece.

ERICA - tries to keep her cool, but ends up demanding for captain pike to beam her down to the planet herself. what would she do down there? who knows, but it beats being glued to the helm and hoping you don’t get yourself killed. she absolutely inserts herself into the discussion of retrieving you and your team, throwing everything onto the table and not once stepping away. and when the best plan involved piloting a shuttle down without detection, pike would have had to stun her to keep erica onboard. but as soon as she sees you, the fear is gone - replaced with a wide grin and a cheeky “hey, you had us all worried!”

NYOTA - at this point, with everything she’s been through, it doesn’t come as a surprise when nyota stops you in the corridor on your way to the transporter room. she asks you to stay behind, let someone else go on an away mission for once, you don’t have to go every single time. you sympathize, even smile, and tell nyota to ask the captain if he’d let her come along. that way, she can be as protective as she wants while you still get your work done. with a scoff and a roll of her eyes, she tells you she’s being serious. you could get really hurt out there, and what would she do if she lost you? though, it’s hard to continue arguing when you take her hand and kiss her cheek - she really outta trust you more not to get yourself killed.

CHRISTINE - she’d been handling the stress and fear just fine until spock finally through the opening of the cave, dragging you with him like a half-drunk klingon. even in the lowlight and the occasional flash of lightning to see by, christine saw the blood leaking from your face and head. maybe it means she’s a bad nurse, but seeing you in such a state really pulled her focus away from the rest of the injured away teams. she pulled one of her peers over, letting them take over just so christine can patch you up herself. honestly, she doesn’t really trust anybody else to do it. her hands shake, heart pounds, but when you eventually peek open your eyes and mumble her name, christine starts mentally preparing a nice, long speech for captain pike on why you should never leave enterprise ever again.

[starfleetimagines]

Slow and Steady [C. Chapel]

Pairing: Christine x female reader

Word count: ~1k

Summary: Y/N and Christine are best friends. After spending the day together, Y/N admits to not only being bisexual but having feelings for Christine, too.

Notes: Requested by an anon. This is my first time writing for Christine and my first full Trek fic in a while, so I apologize at its quality. Still accepting queer prompts for Pride month!

Tag list: @agent-catfish-kenobi @space-helen @plaguedoctorsnake @shadyfirecollector

Yours and Christine’s laughs bounce of the walls of the corridor as you make your way through the ship.

“I can’t believe you almost let me buy that,” you say between laughs.

Christine grins at you. “I didn’t know what it was! If I had realized sooner I would have stopped you before the shopkeeper came over.”

You roll your eyes, but smile. While the Enterprise is docked at a space station for a few meetings, most of the crew has been granted some R&R time, either on the station or on the ship. You and Christine decided to have a friend date on the station and see what it had to offer. You went to a few restaurants and a bar, visited a Vulcan meditation garden, visited an old fashioned movie theatre, and walked around the shopping level where you almost bought a Klingon sex toy.

In your defense, the shop had been called Treasures of the Galaxy and boasted their collection of items from all different worlds. What you thought was a pretty vase had been sometime else entirely. Luckily no one other than Christine had witnessed that, so at least you wouldn’t be teased about it by anyone else.

“I would have bought it for you if I’d known you were so into that kind of thing,” she muses teasingly.

You shove her shoulder and scoff. “You’re terrible.”

“I know.” She flashes you a grin and you can’t help but smile.

When you reach your quarters, you tilt your head to the side. “Want to come in? It’s not too late.”

Christine smiles cheekily. “Why, Y/N, if I had known I would be invited over I would have at least paid for dinner.”

You smirk and open the door. “You can buy next time.”

“So my lack of date etiquette hasn’t put you off?” she asks as she walks backwards into your quarters.

You laugh, though you wish you were both being serious. “Not in the slightest.”

“Good. Because I need someone to explore places with me.” She walks to your couch and gestures for you to sit with her. “Spock will only do so much with me.”

You give her a look as you sit next to her. “I thought you were over that.”

“What? Over Spock?” She smiles and leans her elbow against the back of the couch, propping her cheek against her closed fist. “I am. Don’t get me wrong, he’s amazing to look at, and I like spending time with him, but that silly little crush is long gone.”

“Oh.” You hope she can’t see the relief on your features.

“But speaking of crushes,” she drawls, shifting to pull her knees up. “That guy at the bar was totally flirting with you.”

“What?” You scoff.

Christine raises an eyebrow and smiles. “He was cute. You should have asked him out.”

You shook your head and looked away. “I didn’t really notice.”

“Really?” She laughs quietly.

“I was distracted,” you reply simply and you lean your foot out to nudge her ankle.

“Oh come on, I’m not that distracting,” she defends with another laugh.

You shrug and smile at her softly. “You can be.”

Christine rolls her eyes playfully. “Well, I’m sorry for cockblocking you, then.”

You laugh at her choice of words. “You didn’t. I… Kind of have my eye on someone else, anyway.”

Christine leans forward, eager to learn more. “Oh? What’s his name?”

You shift and clear your throat. Christine doesn’t know that you’re bi. She’s only ever heard about your ex—a guy you dated at the academy—and your attraction to women never really came up. You didn’t want your coming out to her being you admitting your feelings for her, but… The way she looks at you, the way she touches you every chance she gets, the way she laughs with you… It gives you hope that maybe the feelings are mutual.

“Um. Her name,” you mumble.

“Oh,” Christine says, then shrugs a little and smiles. “Okay, what’s her name?”

You try to hide a grin. Of course, you knew she’d react fine. She herself isn’t straight, and you knew it wouldn’t really be a big thing. But sharing this part of yourself with her, no matter how she feels about you, feels freeing and comforting.

“Um,” you repeat. “Her name is Christine.”

You see her eyebrows furrow and her lips part slightly.

Your heart hammers against your ribs, and you try your best to ignore it as you move closer. “It’s you. I uh. Maybe kind of have a crush on you? And I know you’re not—not really big on commitment and relationships stress you out and we don’t have to do anything or—or be anything but um—I thought you should know—”

Christine leans forward and cups your cheek with her warm, soft hand. “Y/N,” she says softly.

Your tongue darts out between your lips and you meet her gaze. You see a tenderness in her eyes that makes your stomach flip.

“Y/N,” she repeats, quieter this time, barely a whisper. Then she closes the gap between the two of you and kisses you. You involuntarily sigh through your nose and lean closer. The kiss is short, only lasting a few moments, but you’re both smiling stupidly when it ends.

“Wow,” you whisper, and Christine giggles.

“You’re adorable,” she says, leaning up to feather a kiss to your forehead.

Blushing you smile. “So… Can we consider today our first official date?”

Christine smiles, too, but she leans back a little bit. “I… I want to. But… You said it yourself, relationships stress me out.” When your smile falls, she quickly continues, “I want to try it though! With you, I… you make me feel like I could do it. But I just. Can we go slow?”

You wrap your arms around her neck loosely and nod. “Of course. We can go at whatever pace makes you most comfortable. I get it, I really do. I’m not going anywhere.”

Christine visibly relaxes and she sighs. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“I try,” you reply with a smile.

Laughing quietly, Christine leans closer and kisses you again and this time, it lasts longer than just a few moments.

[unknownfacelessfanfictions]

Hi! I saw that your requests were open, so I was wondering when if you can do where the team meets Fem! Y/n who is mute and is La’an’s twin sister?

Two Parts of a Whole

Pairing: (familial) La'an Noonien-Singh x fem!mute!reader; Crew x fem!mute!reader Fandom: Star Trek Strange New World Words: 4.5K Warnings: Mentions of La'an's Gorn trauma, Spoilers towards season 1 A/N: Thank you so much for requesting!! I hope it's satisfactory because this is the first time I wrote something like that. To be honest, I'm not entirely satisfied with it, but it won't get better. And I'm sorry that it took so long

The promenade of the space station she was currently on was packed and she was grateful that she had been able to get an empty spot on one of the pillars near the airlock. Not only several freighters had arrived almost simultaneously, but also two Vulcan research ships and an Andorian battle cruiser of the Imperial Guard. She had only noticed them in passing, however, as her focus was on the huge Federation starship. The USS Enterprise, NCC - 1701, Constitution Class and the flagship of the fleet. She, however, only cared about, one person on this huge ship.

Searchingly, she bobbed up and down, heel to toe and back again, hands clasped behind her back. Apparently she seemed to be so conspicuous that people were worried, because she was approached by an Andorian woman, quite brusquely, asking if she needed help, but she had quickly waved her aside. She was doing fine, even better than that, after all, she would be able to see her sister for the first time in months.

Perhaps it was a little paranoid of her to worry after such a short time, but the meeting with the Gorn had also left its mark on her. Unlike the rest of her family, she had not been on the SS Puget Sound because she had contracted Bolian smallpox, which was highly contagious, on the space station where they had stopped. Accordingly, she and her aunt, who was also ill, had been left on the station, with the expectation of returning to collect them after two weeks. At that time, no one could have guessed that it wouldn't come like that.

Her world had collapsed that day and, believing she had lost her entire family, she had spent days crying and refusing to eat or drink. And she probably would have gone on with it, had it not been for her aunt, who had begged her that her family had not wanted it that way and that she should not leave her alone. So she had carried on with her life as best she could, but it had seemed hollow and empty to her. Her siblings, but especially her twin, had been her motivation, her joy of life. A life without them had become unimaginable for her.

But just when she had convinced herself that it might, just maybe, be possible to survive without her family, the news arrived. La'an had survived. Her sister was alive. At first she hadn't wanted to believe it, the fear of raising her hopes unnecessarily was too great. Even when they were standing at the airlock, she had vehemently refused to even consider the possibility that she might still be alive. It was only when La'an had thrown herself around her neck, crying, and she had realised that, yes, La'an was alive, that she had been unable to hold on any longer and had cried just as unrestrainedly as La'an.

For the next few months, the twins were inseparable. Neither could last more than a few minutes in a room without the other, and their aunt had caught them both lying close together in bed at night to feel each other's body heat. Over the years, the situation had improved, but she still felt an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach when they were apart for long periods of time. She had been all the happier when she had learned that their paths would cross on this space station.

She herself was only nearby because she had been assigned by Starfleet to look more closely into the culture of Jitrav IV, with which it had only recently made contact. Strictly speaking, she was not a member of Starfleet in the sense of travelling the galaxy, but more in the sense of gathering information and reporting it back. In the past, she might have enjoyed flying through the quadrant in starships and getting to know new civilisations, but after the disaster with the Gorn, she had developed a real phobia about starships.

So she had devoted herself to exploring alien cultures from the safe distance of her home on Earth, but her work had been so distinguished that Starfleet had taken notice and wanted to hire her on one of their ships. She had decided against it, but in the end had gotten a relatively good deal out of it: Although she had to travel by starship from time to time, she would spend longer periods on other planets to learn about their cultures and languages. She documented her research thoroughly and sent it to Starfleet, whereas they paid for all her expenses as long as they remained within reason.

But this fear had not stopped her from getting into the first shuttle to this space station when La'an had told her that the Enterprise would dock there. She had been standing at her spot since early morning so as not to miss her sister. A few minutes ago, the first stream of Starfleet officers had poured onto the Promenade and she had to do her best to calm down. She knew La'an. She would not disembark until she was truly one hundred percent sure that there were no further duties. Knowing that her sister would need some more time, she began to observe the crowd of officers.

Frowning, she realised that most of them were human. She had expected this, but she had also been convinced that there had to be more non-humans on board. She noticed two Tellarites, a handful of Bolians and she thought she caught a glimpse of a Vulcan in a blue uniform out of the corner of her eye.

After twenty minutes of waiting, she saw an Aenar in a red uniform who was accompanied by a young woman in an equally red uniform who was talking intensely to him. Although he seemed grumpy and annoyed and gave the impression that he was not listening, she could see from his antennae directed at the young woman and the fact that she had spent two years on Andoria among Andorians and Aenar that he was listening more than attentively to her. Smiling, she shook her head and turned her attention back to the airlock. What a strange combination.

All in all, it took almost three quarters of an hour until she finally spotted her sister's dark braids, which were tightly braided back, but by then she could no longer be stopped. The promenade had emptied out a little in the meantime, so it wasn't particularly difficult for her to make her way to La'an, who fortunately noticed her in time. The latter fortunately noticed her in time to put her bag down before she crashed into the security officers. " Oof-" La'an groaned, but chuckled softly in response and after a short time of stiffness also put her arms around her to press her twin sister against her.

For a while they held each other tightly, even if it earned them some strange looks from bystanders. When she broke away from La'an, she noticed that she had blushed a little, but she didn't care. You are late, she signed. La'an nodded and smiled a little stiffly. "I know. However, I wanted to make sure everything was ready myself before I went to disembark." The young woman raised an eyebrow. Besides, you had to keep your reputation. La'an rolled her eyes. "Maybe a little."

La'an picked up her bags and followed her. They had agreed in advance to share quarters, so she just followed her to her quarters. Since it was difficult to converse while walking if one had to sign, they walked side by side in comfortable silence without another word to the other. It didn't bother her, as she knew that she and La'an would have plenty of time to talk. At the moment, it was simply important to her that her sister was with her again. Halfway to the lift, however, a voice stopped them. "Lieutenant Singh!"

They turned and she saw two women running towards them, whom she didn't know, her sister by all appearances did. One was slightly taller, had chin-length white-blonde hair and had apparently been the one who had called out to La'an. The other was smaller, had short dark hair and a cheeky grin on her lips. La'an just raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" "We were going out for a drink. Care to join us?" The taller one added with a quick glance at her" That goes for your...girlfriend too of course?" La'an narrowed her eyes. "She is my sister. And no thanks. I'm busy."

However, the two of them seemed not to have caught the last sentence, as the anthropologist and linguist was now the focus. "I didn't know you had a sister, Lieutenant." The blonde propped a hand on her hip as La'an took a deep breath. "Now you know." The shorter one held out her hand, which she hesitantly accepted. "My name is Erica Ortegas, Erica will do. And this is Christine." The blonde waved, but before she could do anything, La'an had placed a hand on her shoulder and hastily introduced her. "She is pleased to make your acquaintance, however we would like some time alone." Christine frowned. "Why don't you let her speak for herself?"

La'an's eyes only narrowed more, whereas she merely smiled in amusement and opened her mouth. Erica and Christine looked at her expectantly, only to look even more surprised when she began to sign instead. I'm mute and La'an translates for me, so it's all okay. She nodded her thanks to Christine. But thank you for your concern. After giving La'an a prompting look, she translated what her sister had said through clenched teeth, clearly annoyed at having been stopped by her colleagues.

Christine smiled but at the same time turned red in the face. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean it." She just tilted her head and nudged La'an. "That's all right. However, I would like to spend some time with my sister now." Erica and Christine, who was obviously still embarrassed by the whole thing, nodded and said a quick goodbye and she gave her sister a reproving look. You could have been a little nicer. La'an didn't respond any further.

Once in their quarters, La'an just barely took off her shoes and threw the bags on the floor before she fell backwards onto her bed and groaned. Her sister smiled slightly and snapped her hand to get her attention, whereupon she opened her eyes languidly. That bad? La'an sighed and sat up. "Well, I wouldn't know how to describe two run-ins with the Gorn any other way." She flinched and if she hadn't needed her hands to sign, she would have reached for La'an's. How? That was all she could bring herself to say, so much were her hands shaking. She knew how much the incident with the Gorn weighed on La'an, even more than on her, and the thought that her sister had had to face those monsters again did not make her feel at all comfortable.

La'an's voice broke several times before she was able to reply. "There were four Gorn ships. On Memorial Day. We barely got away, but we lost several crew members." She swallowed, but when she was asked if she wanted to stop, she replied in the negative. "The second time, we were on a planet, Valeo Beta V, responding to a distress call from a ship that had landed there. There weren't many of us, just a handful, and Enterprise had to move on and..." La'an broke off and her sister, who was now sitting next to her, squeezed her hand. In a shaky voice, La'an continued. "We found two survivors, however one was infected and before we knew it we were dealing with three hatchlings. Cadet Chia and Lieutenant Duke died. We almost lost our chief engineer as well."

But only almost? La'an laughed shakily. "It was more luck than good sense, really. We found out that the Gorn reproduce via their poison and Hemmer, our engineer, was hit. It didn't look good and without Doctor M'Benga on site...." She broke off. Gently her sister patted her back. He's all right though, isn't he? He's alive. "He was willing to sacrifice himself." La'an's voice was no more than a whisper and she had trouble understanding her. "I was the only one in the room with him, I could have stopped him, but I didn't do anything. I was too scared. If it hadn't been for the captain..." She tried to make calming noises to reassure La'an, however this seemed to have the opposite effect as she jumped up.

"No! You don't understand! I was ready to let a colleague, a friend, die because I was too scared! Because if I had thought even for a moment that he was from bloody Andoria, it might have occurred to me that he had a lower body temperature and consequently the process of hatching would be slowed! My fear almost killed Hemmer! How can I be head of security if my fear doesn't allow me to think clearly to protect the people who are under my protection?!"

She was shocked to see tears in La'an's eyes, which she resolutely wiped away. It's not your fault. She stood up and went over to her sister. Do you hear me? It is not your fault. He's alive, that's all that matters. "But I-" She clapped her hands loudly and interrupted La'an. No. It's not your fault, she repeated. Her gaze softened and she stroked La'an's shoulder. You have experienced traumatic things. No one blames you for being afraid. Most would have hidden in your place. Not you. No feelings of guilt. Please. La'an smiled bitterly before hugging her sister. "Thank you."

It took a while for the sisters to let go, but when they did, La'an seemed a lot more relaxed than before. At least, as relaxed as she could be. You have an Andorian as chief engineer? La'an frowned. "What makes you think that?" You said Andoria. "He's Aenar. They run even colder than Andorians. Don't ask me why though, I'm not a doctor."

I know. She grinned cheekily at her and they both had to think back to the incident in their childhood where La'an had tried to treat her wound with baking paper that did not absorb liquids. La'an smiled slightly. "I was six." So was I. Knew better anyway. She frowned briefly. Think I saw your chief engineer. "Oh yeah?"

She nodded. About that tall? She raised her hand. Red uniform. Grumpy? La'an smiled. "Sounds like Hemmer. Was he in company?" She nodded. Woman, small, short hair, black, red uniform. Talked a lot. La'an chuckled softly. "And that would be Uhura. She's a cadet, but one of the best linguists around. And she's somehow managed to befriend the grump of the ship." I didn't know you guys were friends. "Haha."

But he looked okay. Not hurt. A little grumpy, but healthy. "If that's your attempt to tell me it's all okay, stop. It's not making it better." She gave a silent sigh. Fine. But you need distraction. And relaxation. Her mind wandered back to the conversation from before. Fancy a drink?

~**~

It was like pulling teeth to convince La'an to go to the bar, but in the end she won and, followed by a somewhat grim-looking La'an, went down to the promenade, which by now, due to the hour, had filled up again. Which one do you want? Take your pick. La'an sighed and finally pointed to a larger establishment that formed the centre of the promenade. "If we're going to drink, let's do it properly." Her sister grinned and together they entered the room.

It was already well filled, yet she was still able to grab a small booth for them while La'an went to the bar to return with two colourful drinks. "Well then," La'an sighed as she slid into her seat and raised her glass. "To a wonderful evening." Her facial expressions were far too exaggerated, yet she didn't care. Cheers, she signed back, before picking up her glass herself and clinking her glass against her sister's.

The glasses clinked softly, the sound drowning in the noise around them, and in sync the sisters downed the drink. But while La'an remained expressionless, she screwed up her face and hastily put the glass down. What is this!!! La'an smiled to herself, which caused her sister's expression to darken further. "A little bit of everything." She screwed up her face. I'm going to have the hangover of my life. "Probably." Thank you for your compassion.

La'an grinned, however that smile faded as she looked past her sister. "Oh God." She turned, following La'an's gaze until her own gaze lingered on a group of people in Starfleet uniform. There were four people, three men and one woman, if she was so free to take that in. One of the men seemed to be "leading" the group. He wore a yellow and gold top, had silver and grey hair and a cheeky grin on his lips as he talked incessantly to the woman, also dressed in yellow. The latter had tied her dark hair into a high plait and did not look very impressed, but had a narrow smile on her lips. The other two were dressed in different shades of blue. One was slightly shorter, had a beard and was giving her dad vibes, whereas the other was clearly a Vulcan, his arms behind his back and one eyebrow raised sceptically.

The first man seemed to notice them because his face lit up and he waved at La'an before turning to the others, whereupon the group of four came towards them. La'an narrowed her eyes. "Just what I needed." Her sister gently slapped her arm and gave her a reproving look before the group was already beside them. "Hi." The man smiled broadly at her and briefly she wondered if this man had ever considered becoming a model for dental advertising, so white did his teeth appear. "Would it be okay if we joined you, La'an." The woman interposed. "Unless of course you'd like some time alone, which would be perfectly understandable." At that she gave the man a stern look, under which he shrank but his smile did not.

La'an glanced briefly at her sister before, in the face of the hopeful smile, she sighed in surrender and slid up a little to make room for the four. As everyone looked at her more or less expectantly, she took over the introductions. "This is my sister. She is currently working on Jitrav IV as a xeno-anthropologist. This is Captain Christopher Pike, Commander Una Chin-Riley, Lieutenant Spock and Doctor Joseph M'Benga. We serve together." She grinned at La'an. Oh really, I would never have guessed. La'an just rolled her eyes, however, she seemed to have caught the interest of the others.

The Vulcan, Spock, raised his eyebrow. "You use sign language." Mockingly, she raised her eyebrow in turn. Oh do I? I hadn't noticed. La'an snorted into her drink and tried to suppress a laugh. "What did she say?" Pike looked at her as if she was the most intriguing thing he'd ever seen, which flustered and confused her in equal measure. It wasn't that special now. La'an cleared her throat. "That she is pleased to make your acquaintance." Indignantly, she slapped La'an's arm. I didn't say that! "Subtext," La'an added, which earned her a snort.

She then turned her gaze to Spock. I am mute. Sign language is therefore my only way of communicating with others. It has been done that way for centuries. La'an translated for her without twisting the words in her mouth this time. Well, hands. M'Benga cleared his throat. "I thought there were treatments by now." She shook her head. No long-term ones. Besides, the risks are too great. After that, the four of them left it at that and they returned to a more relaxed conversation. At least they tried to, since most of the conversation was really just Pike and her, La'an's translations excluded, and the occasional comment from M'Benga. Una spoke up from time to time, as did La'an, but Spock was silent almost the entire time.

After half an hour, their drinks were empty and Pike offered to get more, which everyone agreed to, but he came back with two more people in tow, though she had already seen them. "Look who I ran into. Thought it would be nice to add to the fellowship," Pike grinned as he placed the drinks on the table, pointing to the Aenar and the young woman standing behind him. While the Aenar, Hemmer if she remembered correctly, looked just as grumpy as before, the young woman, Uhura, smiled all over her face and instantly locked eyes with her.

"Hi, you're Lieutenant Singh's sister, aren't you? The Captain had mentioned it." She held out her hand. "I'm Cadet Uhura, but please call me Nyota. This is Hemmer and don't worry," she leaned down a little towards her, "He's only half as grumpy as he looks." Hemmer scoffed. "I'm blind, not deaf, Uhura. I heard you." Nyota blushed but didn't apologise and on closer inspection, she could see that Hemmer didn't really look mad. She smiled at them both and quickly introduced herself. To her surprise, La'an didn't even bother to translate, as Nyota seemed able to do so herself.

"Oh, that's a beautiful name." You know sign language? Apparently one could see the surprise on her face, because Pike laughed softly. "Uhura is quite talented with languages, you might say." For the first time in half an hour, Spock spoke up. "Cadet Uhura speaks over thirty-seven languages, so by human parameters, she is more than 'quite talented'." Her jaw dropped? Thirty-seven? You're too good for this ship. That elicited a laugh from Uhura and after they had all scooted up, the other two had also squeezed onto the bench, Hemmer a little more reluctantly than Uhura, which was why she was now squeezed between La'an and Pike. There were worse things.

In time, they were joined by Erica and Christine, who had a young man named Sam Kirk in tow, which was the moment they decided to move the whole thing to a larger table. Now seated between M'Benga and Hemmer, facing La'an and Uhura, she noted with relief that her sister seemed to be starting to warm up. She knew that La'an would have preferred to be alone with her, but they would have plenty of time for that and at the moment she simply enjoyed being among so many people, which was not really common in her job, with the constant changing of places.

However, after almost another half hour of the crew telling their stories in Starfleet, including the amusing part of the Gorn disaster where Hemmer and Uhura were shot off the ship (Uhura confessed, admittedly a little drunk, that Hemmer had looked like a meerkat. The latter had protested, but his antennae and dark cheeks had betrayed him), they turned their attention to her and her profession. Patiently she answered, with La'an's help, until Uhura asked a question that made her think of something. "How do you manage to do your job with people who don't speak SSL (standard sign language)?"

For a moment she paused and frowned. What do you mean? La'an quietly translated for the rest and Uhura shifted back and forth in her seat. "Well, you meant that you were getting to know the native inhabitants of the planets to study their culture and the intricacies of their languages more closely, but how-" -can I do that without speaking myself? Uhura nodded and she smiled at her. One moment.

She rummaged in her trouser pocket and pulled out ten rings, each of which was connected to another, smaller ring with thin steel bands. She slipped them over her fingers so that the larger ring sat on her knuckle and the smaller one just below her fingernail. She then rolled up her sleeves to reveal two bracelets, one on each wrist, which she tapped on for some time until they beeped briefly and began to glow blue.

I don't need to speak. I have these. She signed, but a tinny female voice spoke for her. The people around her stared at her with wide eyes and of course Spock was the first to catch himself to ask a question. "Why didn't you use that before." It isn't complete. She regarded him with narrowed eyebrows as the voice continued to translate for her. It's missing the sensors for the face, arms and torso that I usually wear. Sign language is not just language of the hands. Is complex.

She looked down at her hands. It's not exact and I have to sign very slowly and clearly for the right thing to come out. Besides, it's slow. Takes longer than living translator. Not a problem with speeches, awkward with conversations. With that, however, she seemed to have caught Hemmer's attention. "Sure the whole thing couldn't be calibrated more sensitively?" She shrugged. Don't have a clue about such things. Starfleet takes care of that sort of thing. However, this is just a prototype, better is to come soon. Apparently she had signed too quickly and uncleanly this time, because the voice didn't spit out "Starfleet" but "Stargazer". Annoyed, she frowned and deactivated the bracelet.

"I think it's cool," Nyota declared, smiling broadly, which earned her a slight smile as well. Quite a bit.

After that, the conversation turned back to more mundane things and no one talked about the bracelets, even though she sensed that Hemmer was tempted to get his hands on them. He did not say so, but his antennae twitched conspicuously in her direction. After two hours, however, La'an and she decided to leave. This was accompanied by a series of disappointed noises, but they did not let themselves be brought down. After promising Uhura to polish up her SSL and Hemmer that he could look at her speaking aid tomorrow, she and La'an wished everyone a good night before they left the bar.

In the lift, they leaned against the wall and La'an heaved a sigh. "This is not how I had imagined my evening to be, if I'm honest." But it was still nice, wasn't it? La'an pursed her mouth. "Tolerable." She grinned at La'an. I can live with that. She pinched her sister's cheek to keep her attention. I like them, all of them. They're nice. La'an shook her head with a smile. "Especially Uhura though, right?" It's always nicer to talk to people who understand you without you. The lift doors opened and La'an pulled her behind her. "Come on. You owe me another game of cards and this time you won't be able to wriggle out of it."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@bigblissandlove1 @akamitrani

[spockprimebigbang]

Hello everyone! The sign-ups for Spock Prime Big Bang 2024 are open!!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15_lm98QKhnOLdaHs9cTOqN8zmQO5dpPdKYg9wch26yw/edit

[ozarkthedog]

soooo would anyone read a silly blurb about Chapel x GN!Reader x Spock if I posted it?

[toboldlygohome]

"Patch Me Up, Doc"

Leonard McCoy x Reader

Summary: When disaster strikes on the Enterprise and the unavoidable happens, Bones is there to patch you up again.

Character(s): Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, James "Jim" Kirk, Christine Chapel

Warning(s): Wounds, Minor character death, Violence, Cursing

Leonard wasn't sure how his day could possibly get worse. Three cases of Ankarian flu, several engineers came in with all manner of abrasions and burns, and an ensign went into anaphylactic shock. All in the last two hours.

The one thing he had been looking forward to all day was seeing you. Today you were scheduled for your bi-monthly physical. Despite the engineering department being notorious for having the most casualties, you were one of the few exceptions.

You were always careful and aware of your surroundings and you never made silly mistakes. It was one of the things Leonard really liked about you, but that also meant he didn't see you as much as he'd like to. At least you were taking care of yourself. If that meant he only got to see your beautiful smile a few times a week, it was worth it.

Leonard looked down at his PADD and frowned. You were late, which was very unlike you. He had tried to call you multiple times, but you weren't answering any of his messages. After about thirty minutes of waiting, Leonard dialed Scotty.

"Hello?" Scotty said. In the background Bones could hear what sounded like a hundred hammers banging on pipes. That was his first clue to what was holding you up.

"Scotty, where is-" Leonard started, but was cut off by the head engineer.

"Ah! Doctor, what can I do you for?"

Bones huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lieutenant Y/L/N is late for her medical exam," He grumbled.

"Oh yeah! She mentioned something about that. Is it that time already?" Scotty asked. "We're a little busy down here. I'll send her up when we get this figured out." Suddenly there was a loud hissing sound. It was so loud that Leonard had to pull the communicator away from his ear.

"Dear god man! what's going on down there?" Bones talked over the static.

"Something strange is happening with the warp core. We're running on a power shortage."

"Power shortage? What do you mean, power shortage?" Bones implored. As if in response, the lights dimmed with a dangerous sounding hum before brightening again. "Ah. That power shortage."

"Losing power up in med bay!" Scotty announced to his crew before responding to Bones. "Don't you worry doctor, we have all hands on deck to figure out what is draining the power. When we do, I'll send your lass up for her physical."

"How long is this gonna take?" Leonard furrowed his brows.

"Oh at the rate we're going at, I'd say a couple hours at least-"

"A couple hours?! Forget it. Just tell Y/N I'll get with her later to reschedule." Bones ran a hand over his face.

"You got it lad!" Scotty hung up.

An hour went by and the power outages were growing more frequent. Leonard couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen. But of course he was a doctor, not a psychic.

Bones busied himself at his desk filling out some patient reports, when a low rumble coursed through the ship. It vibrated the floors and walls, shaking the contents of Leonard's long forgotten coffee mug. When the shaking slowed, the lights slowly faded out and didn't turn back on.

"What the hell are they doing down there? Opening a god-damned back hole?" Bones shoved aside his chair and stormed out of his office.

The nurses in the medbay already had out their flashlights and were pulling open the automatic doors, which had frozen in place with the power outage.

"Back up generators should be switching on any minute" Nurse Chapel said as she fiddled with her PADD screen. They waited in tense silence for the lights to come on. When nothing happened, Leonard grabbed a flashlight of his own.

"I'm getting to the bottom of this mess." He grumbled and marched toward the door, only to be thrown against the wall by some strange force. The nurses, biobeds and all manner of medical equipment felt the impact as well. Dimly, Bones registered a loud boom from deep within the enterprise that rattled his insides. What followed was the sound of emergency sirens and flashing red lights.

"Everyone okay?" Leonard called out as he pulled himself up. There were various murmurs of agreement as the nurses regained their balance. Dr M'Benga rushed in soon after, along with a steady flow of medical personnel. Everyone worked in a frenzy to prep the medbay for...whatever it was that was happening.

"Jim! medbay to bridge! Pick up dammit!" Leonard hollered into his communicator over the blaring sirens.

"Bones! Read you loud and clear!" Jim responded.

"What in god's name is going on? are we under attack?!" Leonard could barely hear himself think over the sound of the red alert.

"Not entirely sure."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, i'll get back to you on that. Right now I need a medical team down in engineering ASAP!"

Leonard felt his stomach drop. That must have been where the explosion was. 'All hands on deck' Scotty had said. So many people were down there. He was down there.

You were down there. Dammit.

Leonard hung up and grabbed his kit "Alpha shift, you're coming with me to engineering. Beta and Gamma shift, stay here and get ready. I have a feeling we're gonna be busy."

~~~

Down in engineering, you struggled to stand. Your legs felt weak and your head was pounding. The room was spinning and it was unbearably hot. You couldn't hear anything at first, the ringing was so bad. Then the ringing turned into sirens, then into shouting. Your eyes adjusted to the lights.

There was fire everywhere. The whole engine room was a mess of destroyed systems and fallen cross beams. You couldn't recall what happened at first, then slowly you remembered the alien device. the one harvesting the power. There must have been multiple, and they must have been bombs.

Amid the grogginess, you heard your communicator beeping. It was Scotty.

"M'here boss" Your voice sounded much more hoarse than you were expecting. you must have been screaming when you went down.

"Where are you? I've been trying to find you!" Scotty yelled from the other end.

"I'm by the eastern bulkhead." You pushed yourself up on your knees to survey your surroundings.

"That's perfect! Captain says they see an unfamiliar ship closing in. Given the circumstances, we can assume it's not too friendly."

"Affirmative," You whole-heartedly agreed as you struggled to your feet.

"We haven't enough power for shields. The captain needs us to redirect all the power to the warp coils."

You huffed, catching your breath. "Consider it done, be careful Scotty." you hung up and hooked your communicator to your belt. The smoke was terrible and it was hard to breathe, but you had a job to do. You grabbed a rogue toolkit and rushed toward one of the massive power panels. On the way there, you saw something that froze you in your tracks.

It was an ensign trapped under a large pipe. She appeared to be incapacitated. You dropped everything and rushed over to her.

"Nella! Can you hear me?" You cried out. She didn't respond. "Nella, I'm going to get you out of here! Just hold on!"

You grabbed one end of the pipe and started lifting, but it wouldn't budge. "Come on!" You grunted, putting everything you had into it. You pulled and pulled, but you couldn't free her alone. "Help! over here! Someone!"

Footsteps. Your prayers had been answered. Dr. McCoy came rushing around the corner with his med kit and those strong arms you needed right about now.

"Leonard! Thank god, I need your help! She's trapped, I can't get it myself!" You swallowed the lump in your throat. You were so glad to see him, Bones always seemed to appear just when you needed him.

Leonard froze when he saw the ensign on the floor and held up his tricorder.

"Come on doctor, we gotta get it off of her" You said through gritted teeth, fighting to lift the pipe off your fellow engineer.

Leonard's scanner beeped and he sighed. "Y/N, I... I'm sorry." He placed a firm hand on your shoulder.

You froze, trying to comprehend what he meant by that. "You...what?" You asked in a daze.

"She's gone Y/N," he squeezed your shoulder.

You let go of the pipe and turned your gaze to the ceiling. You were on the verge of a breakdown and you needed to stay calm. There were other people, living people, who needed your help right now. You pressed the heels of your palms to your eyes and took a deep breath.

Leonard moved his hand to your back. "Lieutenant, we have to go."

You steeled yourself, grabbed your tool bag from the ground and darted toward the power panel. Leonard grunted and hurried after you.

"The doors are this way! where are you going?" Bones caught up with you as you navigated the mess of wires, pipes, and rubble.

"To redirect the power!"

"Slow down dammit, you're injured!"

"If I don't transfer the power to the warp coils, all of us are gonna be dealing more than just a few bumps and scrapes, Doctor"

"What you have there is not a 'scrape' Darlin' you've practically sprung a leak!"

"Perfect! You can follow my blood trail!" Everything was going wrong. This was one big, terrible nightmare. The floor shook again and you stumbled forward into the power panel. Leonard fell into you from behind, that was when you noticed the searing pain in your side.

"Shit," you winced.

"What did I tell ya?" Leonard grumbled as he helped you up. You reached for the controls, only to find the displays were fried. With a cry of defeat, you slammed your fist into the keyboard.

"Nothing can ever be EASY, can it?! Time to get creative then!" You went to the side of the panel and pried it open to reveal it's mechanical innards. "You work on me, I'll work on this!"

Bones didn't need to be told twice. He dove into his medical bag for his hypo spray and bandages; meanwhile, you were looking for the command cable that would allow you to divert all the power coming into the panel to the warp coils.

You ignored the sting of the hypo entering your neck and focused on finding your coveted wire.

"Lifting your dress Lieutenant." Leonard warned, already gripping the bottom hem.

"Do what you gotta do doctor, modesty is the last thing on my mind right now." You groused as you dug deeper into the panel. Not that modesty was an issue, you were wearing leggings after all.

He lifted your dress and winced on your behalf. Bones gave it some sort of antibacterial spray that burned like hell despite the pain medicine he injected you with. The barrage of what you assumed to be phaser cannons didn't lighten up. The floor kept shaking, but neither of you payed it any mind.

The world seemed to slow as you finally found the cable. "YES!" You beamed, ripping it out of it's socket.

"Woah, woah, woah. You're messin' up your bandages!"

"No time for bandages! I have to get these cables into that panel" You pointed across the destroyed engine room. "That'll reroute the power, then we can get the hell out of here!" You struggled to stand amid the shaking and Leonard hoisted you up. If the circumstances weren't so terrible, you would have relished in the feeling of his arms around you. Unfortunately, time was of the essence. Once you were on your feet, you were already running through the wreckage to the panel. Leonard was hot on your heels, shielding his face from the flames as he ran.

A powerful crash sent you flying forward yet again, knocking the wind out of you. Behind you, Leonard was in a similar predicament. You didn't stop. All you had to do was plug it in, then the enterprise would finally be out of danger. You tore into the panel. This time you knew just where the cord was supposed to go. You ripped the old cord free and replaced it with the new one.

Instantly you felt the ship lurch forward. All at once, the shaking stopped. The familiar hum of the warp coils lulled you into a sense of ease. You were back on your feet, the ground steady beneath you. You turned and found Bones, pulling himself off the ground. Your relief was immeasurable. It was all over. The ship was safe.

Leonard was safe.

You smiled so brightly, Bones was sure it out shined even the brightest star in the galaxy.

Unfortunately for you, the universe was against you that day. You took one step toward him and your world lit up. You saw nothing. The only thing you felt was pain. The last thing you heard before drifting away was the sound of Leonard, crying out for you.

~~~

An incessant beeping stirred you from your slumber, that and the terrible ache you felt in every part of your body. It took a long time for you to work up the courage to open your eyes, but when you did, you were blinded by the overhead lights in the medbay.

You groaned and tried to shield your eyes with your arm, but you just felt so weak. Instead, you closed your eyes and hoped your head would stop throbbing

"Lights at 50%" A familiar voice drawled.

You peeked your eyes open again and hummed approvingly at the light levels.

"Hey darlin'...how are you feeling?" Leonard asked as he sat on the edge of your biobed. He looked so tired. You just wanted to reach up, take his face into your hands and hold him until he fell into a restful sleep.

"Like I was swallowed by the sun and spit back out again." You tried to smile.

"Well, at least you're feeling something." He placed the back of his hand on your forehead. "I'd be mighty worried if you felt nothing at all."

You closed your eyes and sighed, relishing in his gentle touch. "How are you feeling?" You asked softly.

He chuckled lowly and slowly pulled his hand away. "You nearly get blown to bits and you're asking me how i'm doing?"

"Have you slept?" You ignored his question.

Leonard sighed "you are something else... Not yet. Don't think I could fall asleep if I tried," he reached up and tapped on the screen of the biobed to check your vitals. You wanted to say something, anything. You wanted to thank him, reassure him, tell him you'd do it all again if you had to.

"I'm gonna check your bandages sweetheart. It might sting a little, but I'll try to be gentle," he said whispered.

"I trust you Len," you gave him a tired smile.

Bones pulled back the sheet on the bed. Your arms were all bandaged and one of your legs was in a cast. You couldn't see the rest of you under the hospital gown. The cold air stung your burns and you clenched your teeth. Leonard pulled up the side of the gown to check your cut. You had nearly forgotten about that wound amidst all your new ones.

"Just as I thought," he muttered "Time to change your bandages. Y/N, are you-"

"Patch me up, doc." You closed your eyes and tried to relax.

Leonard frowned and heaved a sigh through his nose. He brought his hands to the bandages, but stopped just sort of cutting them off. He was much quieter than usual. You were used to his grumpy complaining, his witty banter. His silence was unsettling, his hesitation even more so.

"Bones?" You whispered.

"Y/N, I...." He trailed off and looked at you. His eyes glistened with unshed tears. The sight of him so distraught... You didn't know what you were feeling. You focused hard and ignored the pain as you lifted your arm.

"H-hey, don't-" he started. You ignored him and brought your hand to his cheek. He closed his eyes and swallowed thickly.

"I'm not going anywhere..." You said softly. "Not now, not ever."

"You can't possibly promise me that darlin'..." His voice came out as a broken rumble.

"I can't promise you that I won't get hurt... I can't promise that I will never be in danger. But I can promise that no matter what happens to me, I will always come back to you... who else would I trust to make me better again?" You brushed your thumb over his cheekbone. He ghosted his fingertips over your hand and pressed a tender kiss to your palm.

It was then that you knew everything had changed.

"I'm gonna hold you to that," Leonard whispered against your skin.

"I wish you'd hold me in other ways too," you giggled.

Leonard smiled and shook his head. "We'll discuss all that when you're better."

"Well, then you'd better get a move on doctor~"

[440mxs-wife]

Written in the Stars

Pairing: Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy x F!Reader. Other Characters: Jim Kirk, Nyota Uhura, Cmdr. Spock, Christine Chapel (mentioned).

Word Count: 8029

Warnings: Soulmates, show-level violence, Away Team member injury, mutual pining, a smidge of angst due to perceived unrequited love, but FLUFFFFF

Summary: When Dr. McCoy got married, he knew she wasn’t his soulmate, but it didn’t matter to him. After the divorce, he figures he’s missed his chance, due to his age and previous marriage. The Reader joins the crew as the new Science Officer aboard the Enterprise, assigned to Cmdr. Spock’s team. She hasn’t met her soulmate yet, but she seems drawn to a particular member of the Enterprise crew. Could these two lost soulmates have found each other at last?

A/N: If you’ve been tagged here, it’s because you’ve interacted one or more times on a McCoy story of mine, or we’re moots. Whether you like or reblog, I am eternally grateful for your support. If anyone else would like to be tagged on any future Karl Urban character postings, please let me know. Thank you, and enjoy the show!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dr. Leonard McCoy joined StarFleet and was assigned to the Enterprise after a few unfortunate events. He left for the five-year mission right after his divorce, having known full well that the woman he married wasn't his soulmate. It didn't matter though, because Leonard didn't believe in that stuff. He was impatient, not interested in living alone anymore, therefore not waiting to find his soulmate. At the time, he'd loved Jocelyn enough to marry her. Only she didn't love him enough to want to stay married to him, or so she'd said.

Of course he had his soulmark, just like everyone he knew had one, with his shaped like a starburst and visible on his wrist. At his age, though, he felt that he should have met his person by now, the one he was destined to be with forever. So after the fiasco with Jocelyn, he'd stopped looking, figuring he'd missed his chance. Which is precisely when his soulmate appeared, and where he least expected it.

The Enterprise was making a scheduled stop at Starbase 42 to pick up supplies and some new crew members. Capt. Kirk had sent over the files, which Dr. McCoy decided to review before the ship reached its destination. Most of them looked pretty routine, a couple of ensigns for Engineering, three for Security. Then there was your file.

According to your bio, you were to be assigned to the Science Department, under Cmdr. Spock. You had been in StarFleet for a bit longer than the average crew member, and had risen to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander (LCmdr.). However, to Dr. McCoy, that only meant you carried a wealth of life experience with you. The only family you had left were your two brothers, each with their own families, and a best friend who became more like your sister.

Leonard glanced at the clock and noticed it was time to head to the transporter room to greet the new additions to the crew. Though the information in your file was fairly standard, Leonard couldn't help but give yours a bit more attention than the others. It was like he was drawn to it, wanting to dive into it and find out all there was to know about you. He arrived at the transporter room and walked in, finding Capt. Kirk and the other officers waiting. "All right, Jim. I'm here, so let's get this show on the road," he grumbled.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As the shimmering light-particles of the transport beam disappeared, you had re-materialized aboard the Enterprise. It was your dream assignment, to be on StarFleet's flagship, and you looked forward to working with Cmdr. Spock. And of course, you were excited to be serving with Capt. James T. Kirk, one of the most decorated and colorful captains in StarFleet. But almost as soon as you appeared on the pad, you felt a pull in another direction, something you hadn't experienced before.

Once everyone had arrived, the captain introduced himself and the other commanding officers. Your companions handed over their orders, then exited the transporter room to be shown to their quarters. You stepped forward and handed your paperwork to Capt. Kirk and introduced yourself in the process.

"At ease, Commander," Kirk smiled. "We're a little less formal and bit more family around here, not that I don't run a tight ship," he explained.

"Of course not, Captain, and thank you. I'm honored to be here," you responded.

"Your credentials are impressive, Commander," Spock commented. "I am looking forward to working with you."

"I'm fortunate to be on your team, Cmdr. Spock. Thank you," you acknowledged before turning your attention to the dark-haired man in the blue medical uniform. He was standing off to the side, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. As you took in his appearance, his furrowed brow seemed to relax and you felt that same pull as when you first arrived.

Your silent observance of the man by the door did not escape Capt. Kirk's notice. He walked over to where the man was standing and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Commander, this is our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Leonard McCoy. Bones, say hello to our newest crew member," Kirk grinned.

You stuck your hand out in greeting. "Pleased to meet you, Dr. McCoy," you remarked.

"Likewise," he replied as he took your hand and shook it. The instant your hand touched Dr. McCoy's hand, a jolt of electricity shot up your arm. It surprised you, but you kept your hand in his. What the hell was that? he thought. Instead, he inquired aloud, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, sure, everything's fine, Dr. McCoy. I'm kind of a little nervous. May I be shown to my quarters, please?" you asked.

"Right this way, Commander," Spock gestured with his arm for you to precede him out the door.

When you reached the doorway, you popped your head back inside and caught Dr. McCoy's attention. "By the way, hope to see you around, Dr. McCoy," you winked and left the transporter room.

"So, that was inter--" Kirk started.

"Jim, no comment necessary," McCoy muttered. Despite his gruff reply, there was the ghost of a smile on his face, thanks to the Enterprise's new science officer. Interesting indeed, he thought.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once inside your quarters, you started to unpack your bags. You hung up your uniforms in the closet and arranged your toiletries in the bathroom. The rest of your personal items were placed throughout your room. You were surveying your work when you heard a chime at the door.

Your visitor introduced herself as Nyota Uhura, Communications Officer. While you unpacked, she perched on the end of your bed and you got to know each other. She brought you up to speed on herself and life on the Enterprise.

The topic came around to your personal lives, Uhura mentioned that she and Cmdr. Spock discovered they were soulmates a few years ago. "What about you? Have you met your soulmate yet?" she asked.

"Sadly, no, not yet. But I hope my posting here will put me closer to finding out who it is," you replied, thinking back to your electrifying encounter with Dr. McCoy.

"Oh, really?" Uhura was leaning forward, her curiosity piqued. "Who do you think it is?" she wondered.

"Hmm, not sure, but I've been having this certain feeling, like whoever it may be, he's here onboard this ship. Add that to one of the many reasons I'm glad I'm here," you chuckled.

"Well, we're glad to have you. There's a 'Welcome to the Enterprise' party going on later in the recreation area. It's a chance for us to get to know you all, and for you to mingle with the senior officers," Uhura mentioned.

"Sounds great, I'll be there. Um, about what time?" you inquired.

"I believe the captain said it'll be getting started at 1900 hrs.," Uhura replied, then checked the time. "Oops, I'm supposed to be meeting Spock in a few minutes. See you later at the party?" she asked.

"You bet, I'll probably see if I can take a quick power nap before then. Want to be well-rested before meeting up with everyone so I don't say the wrong thing," you replied nervously.

"I understand that, but don't worry. Everything will be fine, and I already have a feeling you and I are going to be great friends," Uhura remarked as she walked to the door.

"Thank you, and I'll see you later," you called. Once Uhura left, you crawled into your bed and settled in for a nap. You made sure to set an alarm to give yourself time to get ready for the party, then closed your eyes and drifted off to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Back in his quarters, Dr. McCoy was reviewing some information on his PADD when his door chimed. At first, he ignored it, because he rarely had visitors and didn't want to be disturbed. When it chimed again, he rolled his eyes and strode to the door. He opened it, only to find Capt. Kirk on the other side, grinning from ear to ear. "What do you want, Jim? I was in the middle of something important when you interrupted me," he bristled.

"Hey, Bones, good to see you," Kirk replied as he breezed past his friend and plopped into a chair.

"Make yourself at home, Jim, by all means," McCoy stated dryly. "Whatever it is, the answer is no."

"Wanted to drop by and let you know there's a 'Welcome to the Enterprise' party for all the senior officers to mingle with the newbies. Now I know none of them are medical, but it would be nice if you'd put in an appearance. By the way, that new one on Spock's team was pretty cute, wasn't she?" Kirk asked.

"Jim, I haven't got time for this. Besides, what are we, in high school?" McCoy retorted.

Kirk shrugged. "Looks like the two of you shared a moment in the transporter room, that's all," he remarked.

McCoy rolled his eyes at Kirk's observation. "There was no 'moment', it was an introduction. Stop trying to make something out of nothing. Except it didn't feel like 'nothing' when our hands touched, he thought. "Look, I'll try to swing by, if I get a chance. Good enough?"

"That's the spirit, Bones! See you later," Kirk hastily replied, clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder before bolting out of the room.

McCoy shook his head, then went back to where he'd left his PADD. He picked it up, intending to read, but instead stared off ahead, deep in thought. What would it hurt to show up for a drink or two? I suppose that would count as 'putting in an appearance', he reasoned with himself.

His mind made up, Leonard changed into a more casual attire of jeans with a hole in the right knee and a navy-blue Henley. He left the top two buttons undone and pushed the sleeves up to his elbows. He slipped on his well-worn dark brown cowboy boots and dabbed on some cologne before heading out the door to the rec area.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You entered the rec area a little after 1900 hrs., when Uhura said the party would be starting. As soon as you walked in, your eyes scanned the area for her or anyone else you recognized. Fortunately, the captain soon spotted you and waved you over to his table.

On your way to meet him, you wandered past a beautiful mahogany pool table with clawfoot legs. It was covered in blue felt and had leather nets under each of the six pockets to catch any one of the fifteen brightly colored orbs. Hmm, wonder who might be up for a game or two later, you thought as you ran your hands along the rails.

There were two open chairs on the captain's left side, one putting you next to him or, the other, Lt. Uhura. You chose to sit next to Uhura, who immediately stood to give you a hug and raved about your outfit. You were wearing jeans with a pastel purple, off-the-shoulder peasant blouse, along with your black suede ankle boots. Around your neck was a teardrop pendant of your birthstone on a delicate silver chain.

You were about halfway through your first margarita, when you heard a deep voice behind you ask, "Is this seat taken?"

Turning around, you were pleasantly surprised to see Dr. McCoy standing behind you, a glass of bourbon in his hand. "Um, n-no, Dr. McCoy," you stammered. Way to go, you berated yourself with a mental facepalm.

"Relax, Commander," McCoy chuckled. "Please call me Leonard."

You gave him your name in return, stating it was better than being called "Commander" all the time. "Especially with so many of us around," you joked.

The captain finally noticed that Dr. McCoy had joined the table and taken the seat next to him. "Bones, you made it after all. Good to see you!" Capt. Kirk exclaimed.

"Why thank you, Jim, I was beginning to wonder if you were even going to notice," McCoy replied.

The doctor's nickname used by the captain did not escape your notice, but you filed it away to ask about later. "So, Leonard, tell me about where you're from," you started.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Your conversation with Dr. McCoy stretched far into the evening, the two of you asking questions to better get to know each other. Eventually, your Q & A transitioned to the pool table for a friendly game of 8-ball. One by one, the others left the recreation area and returned to their quarters. Neither you nor Leonard noticed you were the only ones left until you were deep into your third game of pool, with you lining up your shot.

Standing up after watching the #15 roll into the corner pocket, you looked around at the empty recreation area. "Leonard, what time is it?" you asked.

He checked the time and was surprised at the hour as well as the deserted room. "It's after midnight. Guess time really does fly when you're having fun," he grinned. "Your shot, darlin'," he drawled. You noticed his Southern accent was a bit more pronounced after a few rounds of bourbon.

"Okay, but after I knock in this #12, I'm on the 8-ball," you smirked. You took your time to survey all the angles before settling in to take your shot. With a smooth, fluid stroke, the cue ball connected with the object ball, which went in the side pocket. The 8-ball was of little challenge to you as well, sailing into the exact pocket you intended.

"Well, I guess that's the game, then," McCoy remarked. You gave him a small curtsy before placing your cue stick on the table and returning to finish your drink. "Where'd you learn to play like that?" he wondered.

"Had a pool table in the basement growing up. I used to spend quite a few hours a day, practicing until I was good enough to win against my brothers and all their friends. Then I met my best friend at the Academy, and we took turns, um, how shall I say this? Oh, yeah. Separating the new recruits from their money," you grinned sheepishly.

Leonard threw his head back and laughed. "You are full of surprises. Which leads me to my next question, and feel free to punch me for it if you want, but I have to know. How is someone as lovely and fascinating as you are still single?"

You felt your cheeks grow warm with the compliment. "Well, I won't punch you for asking a question like that. The simple answer is, I haven't found my soulmate yet."

McCoy gave you a sideways glance, one eyebrow raised. "You believe in that? One person, one heart, all that?" he wondered.

"Sure I do, don't you?" you replied. "I mean, a person as handsome and charming as you isn't attached to anyone either. Why is that, if you don't mind me asking?" you quizzed.

"I don't mind you asking, darlin'," he replied, then took a sip of his drink. "I was married once, but it didn't take. At the time, I loved her, and even though she wasn't my soulmate, I didn't care. I was too impatient in my youth and didn't want to be alone the rest of my life, so we got married. When I came onboard here, I was fresh off my divorce. When I met Jim, I told him that my ex got everything, and 'all I got left is my bones'. Probably why he calls me that," he muttered.

"Hmm. And here I thought it was because you were in the medical field. You know, a doctor used to be called a 'sawbones', I figured that's where it came from," you quipped.

"I guess it could go either way, although your explanation is a little less depressing," Leonard conceded.

You reached over and covered his hand with yours, trying to ignore the small spark at the contact. "Your soulmate is still out there, waiting to be found. I'm just sure of it," you remarked.

McCoy gave you a hopeful smile. "You think so? I guess I figured that with my age and jumping the gun and marrying Jocelyn, that I missed my chance," he replied.

"What do you mean, 'with my age', you're hardly an old man, Leonard. Besides, I'm betting that you haven't missed your chance, so keep the faith," you winked. "Come on, Doc, it's late. Walk me to my quarters?" you asked.

McCoy drained the last of the bourbon from his glass and stood up from the table. His grin grew wider as he held out his elbow for you to take. "Shall we, shweethahrt?" he said in his attempt at a Bogart impression.

You laughed as you looped your arm through his, and he tucked it in closed to his side. "Leonard, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," you answered.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And it was. At first it was you and Dr. McCoy, two friends sharing breakfast together on most, if not all, mornings. Sometimes the captain, or Spock and Uhura would be there, which made for lively discussions. But you were most content with the days it was just you and the good doctor enjoying each other's company.

It wasn't just the mornings, you took turns hanging out in each other's quarters, watching old movies or reading together. Other times, it was sharing stories about your lives, your families, even your Academy days. Being with Leonard was a comfort for you, a natural and easy friendship to fall into.

The first time you noticed your thoughts wandering from friendship to more was one night you were cooking dinner in McCoy's quarters. Your room was not equipped with a kitchenette, only a replicator, so Leonard offered to let you in to his to make dinner. He had some last-minute duties in the MedBay, but said he would join you later.

You were putting the finishing touches on your Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli casserole to put into the oven, when Leonard strode through the door. He stood behind you, put his hands on your shoulders and glanced down at the dish. "That looks amazing, sweetheart," he grinned and gave your shoulders a squeeze before heading to the showers.

As you watched him walk away, you couldn't help but notice how domestic the whole scene was, and how comfortable it all felt. Leonard coming home to you after a difficult day in the MedBay, to see you making dinner. Of course, it could also just as easily be the other way around, with him in the kitchen, waiting for you to come home. Then you shook your head to clear those thoughts. Although the two of you had become best friends, that still kept you in the "friend zone", right?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Leonard reached for his towel to dry himself off after his shower. Coming back to his quarters to see you in his kitchen was a comforting sight to see, not to mention how natural it felt. Like it had been that way for years instead of the months since you'd gotten to know each other. Lately, there was many a night he'd lain in bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering if you were having as much trouble sleeping as he was.

Ever since he met you in the transporter room, Leonard knew there was something different about you, but couldn't put his finger on it. That night the two of you spent in the rec area at Jim's "welcome" party was one of the best he'd had in a long time. Sitting and talking with someone, finding out you had like interests and similar values was refreshing for him. You were sweet, intelligent, and you made him laugh, something his friends thought he needed more of in his life.

Most of his time was spent in the MedBay, caring for others, but there were times when he wanted someone to care for him. You certainly fit the bill for that as well, such as when you stopped by with a coffee for him on one of your breaks. Or when you sneaked into his office to hide scraps of paper with jokes written on them to make him chuckle. And your home cooking was some of the best he'd had since the last time he visited his ma on Earth.

There were dozens of reasons why and multiple occasions when he wished there was more than friendship between you. However, after his experience with marriage to Jocelyn, he was a little hesitant to pursue anything beyond friendship with you. Jim would probably say he was "spooked", whereas Leonard would counter that he was "protecting his heart".

Early on, you'd admitted to him that you believed in soulmates and were still looking for yours. He'd been down the road once where he ignored the concept, if only to avoid being alone for the rest of his life. You deserved that one person, that one heart that Fate had decided truly belonged with you. He'd never want you to settle for a life with him if he wasn't your soulmate. Thus, he continued to keep things with you in the "friend zone".

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A couple of weeks later

"You want me to do what, now?" you asked the Captain.

"I know you heard me, Commander," Kirk replied. "It's a few weeks until Valentine's Day, and I think it would be a great idea to have a celebration. Music, food, drinks....and you dancing with a certain country doctor would certainly be all the entertainment I'd need for a while," he smirked.

You, on the other hand, rolled your eyes at his obvious matchmaking attempts. "Jim, we're just friends. And I resent your insinuation that Dr. McCoy would want anything to do with me beyond that," you retorted.

"Why is that so hard to believe, that Bones would be interested in you as more than a friend?" Jim persisted.

"Because...." you murmured, your gaze dropping to your hands in your lap.

"'Because....' why?" he gently prodded.

You huffed in exasperation. "Because I'm me, and he's....handsome, witty, fascinating, charismatic and could have any woman in the universe he wants. I've seen him at those diplomatic functions, Jim. Women more or less throwing themselves at him, hanging all over him and what does he do? He just smiles at them and turns on the Southern charm. Soulmate or not, what chance do I have," you whispered.

"Wait, he's your soulmate? How do you know? More importantly, why haven't you told him?" Kirk peppered you with questions.

"You're just full of curiosity today, aren't you?" you sassed. "I saw his soulmark on his wrist, and it matches mine here." You tilted your head and pulled your hair back to reveal a matching starburst behind your left ear. "I've been in love with him since that 'welcome' thing you arranged, when we talked and shot rack after rack of 8-ball till after midnight. But I want him to love me for me, not due to some pre-destined, matching tattoo on our bodies."

Kirk stepped out from behind his desk and took the chair next to you. "Listen. I've been friends with the man for a long time. I've seen him at those diplomatic galas, and let me tell you that I haven't seen him look at any of those women the way he looks at you," he explained.

"Now I know you're out of your mind," you snorted. When Kirk tried to protest, you held up your hands. "Stop. Okay? I'll do as you ask, plan your little Valentine's Day party for the crew. It's a nice idea, and I think we're due for some fun around here. Just please quit trying to push me and Dr. McCoy together, huh?" you pleaded.

Kirk reached over and sandwiched your hand in his. "Although I know I'm right, I will honor your wishes and stop forcing the issue with you and Bones. Fair enough?" he asked.

You nodded and stood up from your chair. "Yes, thank you, Jim. I appreciate it. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my quarters, trying to figure out how to put this thing together," you replied. You gave him a weary smile before exiting his Ready Room.

Jim waited until you were out of his office before voicing his thoughts. "I may have agreed to honor your wishes, but that doesn't mean I can't go at it from Bones' point of view," he vowed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The following week, you were busy transforming one of the large, rarely-used conference rooms Jim set aside for you into a sea of red, white and pink. There were pink paper hearts attached to the walls, along with red cutouts shaped like Cupid with his bow. The long conference tables would be used for food and drinks, and were set up along the outside edge of the room.

You were scanning through the food and drink list on your PADD when Leonard walked in. A bright smile graced your face at the sight of your best friend. "Why, hello Len! What brings you here?"

Leonard scanned the room before answering. "So this is the 'secret project' you've been working on for the past week," he replied. "I've been looking everywhere for you. I started in the lab, then I checked your room. Had to ask the ship's computer for your location," he remarked.

"Yeah, sorry, Jim put me in charge of this, so here I am. And it's not a 'secret project', as you called it. We have all these decorations and the tables will be full of drinks and all kinds of foods," you explained. "While we're on the subject, I have something to ask you, Leonard."

"Oh? What's that?" he wondered.

"Well, this is going to be kind of a formal, dressing-up kind of thing. And there'll be music and dancing, so I was wondering....if you'd like to go with me....as my date?" you asked.

Leonard froze. A date? he thought. His heart wanted very much to take you up on your offer to accompany you to the party. He could picture you all dressed up in a formal gown and your hair perfectly styled, a veritable vision of beauty. His next mental picture was of the two of you walking into the party with your arm safely tucked into his side. His brain, however, reminded him that this was a Valentine's Day dance, and you two were not romantic partners, only friends.

You must have heard his brain's internal reminder loud and clear and interpreted his hesitation as a decline of your invitation. "You know what, never mind. It's all right. Forget I asked," you backpedaled. "I'm sure you have much more important things to do than go to a stupid dance with me," you muttered as you gathered your PADD and other supplies.

"Wait a minute, where are you going?" McCoy implored.

"Uh, I forgot I told Cmdr. Spock that I would come into the lab later and see if I can make some more progress on my assignment," you explained. "So, I'm sorry, but I can't meet you for dinner tonight, Dr. McCoy," you added, then hurriedly left the room without a backwards glance.

Leonard stood gazing at the floor, hands on his hips and shaking his head. As he stood in place, he was trying to figure out what just happened and how he knew he had to fix it. Uhura was watching your interaction with Dr. McCoy since he joined you, so she walked over to him. She placed a hand on his arm to get his attention. "Dr. McCoy, are you all right?" she asked.

He looked over to see the concern in Uhura's eyes. "I....I don't know," he rasped. "I think I made a huge mistake with her and I may need your help."

She led him over to one of the chairs, where he filled her in on his conversation with you. Uhura listened intently, waiting for him to finish providing as much information as he was willing to share. When he finished, she was silent as she thought about her response. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I want you to say the first thing that comes to your mind." McCoy nodded. "Are you in love with her?"

"Yes," he immediately answered.

"As a friend, or more than a friend?" Uhura asked.

"More," McCoy hastily replied. A startled look crossed his face at the realization. "I'm in love with her," he whispered. "But she said she was still looking for her soulmate, and I don't know what her soulmark looks like or where it is."

"Dr. McCoy," Uhura gently chided. "Do you really need visual confirmation of her soulmark to know that you belong together? From that first night, everyone could see it, based on how the two of you looked at each other, how you interacted. How long did it take you to realize that everyone had left?" she giggled.

McCoy grinned. "We didn't really notice much of anything outside of ourselves until after midnight. She'd just beaten me two games out of three at 8-ball," he chuckled ruefully. "I have to find her and tell her," he declared as he hastily stood up.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. I don't know if now is the best time to tell her," Uhura warned, taking his arm to stop him.

"Wha--why shouldn't I tell her right away how I feel about her?" McCoy asked, confused.

"She may not be in the right frame of mind to hear it right now. Think about, Dr. McCoy. She gathered up her courage to ask you to be her date to the dance. When you hesitated to answer, her brain told her not only was your answer 'no', but that you didn't reciprocate her feelings. That's why she bolted out of here, she was trying to protect herself from embarrassment, from her heart being broken any further. Give her some time, then try and talk with her again," Uhura advised.

"How long should I give her?" McCoy asked.

"Try again after a couple of days, Doctor. She should be ready to talk by then," Uhura replied, gently patting his arm.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You checked your notes again, frustrated that the data was not matching up with the results. Irritated, you pushed away from the table and flopped onto a chair. You closed your eyes as your fingers massaged your temples, trying to stave off the impending headache.

"Are you all right, Lieutenant?" Cmdr. Spock asked. "It is late, and I have observed that your evenings are usually spent with Dr. McCoy. May I ask why you are here instead, working?"

You took a deep breath. "I'm fine, Cmdr. Spock. Just trying to keep my headache at bay, that's all," you replied, managing a weak smile.

"If you are feeling a pain in your head, I am certain Dr. McCoy can relieve it with a hypospray," Spock suggested.

"Not when he's the cause of the headache," you muttered.

A puzzled look crossed Spock's face. "I do not understand. Is there some sort of problem in your relationship with Dr. McCoy?" he inquired.

You took a deep breath before explaining the events of the afternoon, beginning with Capt. Kirk's assignment of the Valentine's dance. Then you told him about asking Leonard to be your date for the dance, and how mortified you were when he declined your request. "The only relationship I have with Dr. McCoy is one of friendship. Though my feelings for him have gone beyond the friend level, I should have known better that his do not, and likely never will."

"To assume that Dr. McCoy does not think of you as more than a friend without his express verbal confirmation is not logical," Spock replied. "You must ask him how he feels about you."

"Since when are the human heart's desires logical? Anyway, I'm sure I've already embarrassed myself enough for one day. Permission to return to my quarters?" you asked.

"Permission granted, Lieutenant. I sincerely hope that your personal difficulties with Dr. McCoy will soon be resolved," Spock offered. "It is also not logical for two people as compatible as the two of you to be separated."

"Thank you, Commander," you remarked. "For your counsel and your understanding." You gave him a small smile, then left the lab.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You had almost reached your quarters when the captain requested you to come to his Ready Room. "On my way, Captain," you replied, tapping your communication badge. In your head you grumbled that you hoped his request had something to do with real work and nothing to do with Dr. McCoy.

In the captain's office, you were briefed on an upcoming Away mission, in which you would play a part. A fairly routine mission, you were tasked with gathering soil and mineral samples that would be catalogued upon returning to the Enterprise.

The area where your team would be working had been declared as deserted. That meant you would not be at risk of encountering any difficulties from any local inhabitants of the planet. All in all, a good mission to help me gain experience as part of an Away Team, you thought as you stepped onto the transporter pad.

You also hoped that going on this mission would also help you sort out your feelings about Leonard and figure out your next move. As much as you didn't want to, you were going to have to distance yourself from him. It'll only be for a couple of days, you reasoned. When I get back, Len and I should probably have a talk about what happened and what it means for us going forward. Decision made, you picked up your PADD and reviewed the parameters of the Away mission.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For the past two days, the MedBay environment was not the most pleasant place to be. Dr. McCoy had been more demanding and grumpier than usual. His staff had no idea that his thoughts revolved around you and how badly he needed to talk to you. He was trying to do as Uhura suggested, by giving you time to yourself. When he could no longer wait to speak to you and confess his feelings, he put Dr. M'Benga in charge and left the MedBay to find you.

He checked your quarters first, but when there was no answer, he figured either you weren't there, or you knew it was him and didn't want to answer. He left and headed down to the conference room, but no one there had seen you for the past couple of days. Finally, he tried the lab, praying to find you there. When he asked Spock where you were, nothing could've prepared him for the answer he received.

"What do you mean, she's on the Away Team?" McCoy demanded.

"I should think my response is fairly self-explanatory, Doctor," Spock replied.

McCoy rolled his eyes. "She's not ready for an Away mission yet, anything could go wrong down there!" he exclaimed.

"On the contrary, the Commander has proven to be more than competent in performing her duties. The captain and I felt that this relatively low-risk mission was the perfect one to introduce her to this aspect of her duties," Spock explained.

"Since when does something deemed 'low-risk' ever turn out that way? You don't understand, Spock, I can't lose her," McCoy implored. "Not before I've had a chance to tell her I love her," he whispered.

A faint smile graced Spock's features. "It appears I was correct in my theory regarding your feelings towards her," he answered. His tone that could almost be considered smug, if not for the fact that he was half-Vulcan. At the confused look on Leonard's face, Spock relayed the conversation the two of you had after he'd found you in the lab working.

"So she cares about me like I care about her," McCoy murmured. "What time are they scheduled to be back? I have to be there right when she gets back so I can tell her how I feel. I've already wasted too much time," he muttered, then jumped up from his chair. Before he could walk out of the lab, Capt. Kirk was at the door.

"Good, you're both here. The Away Team is returning to the ship ahead of schedule. It appears that they ran into some problems on the planet's surface. Something about a run-in with a band of native inhabitants," Kirk explained. "Possible weapons discharges and there may be injuries," he reluctantly revealed.

"StarFleet's report stated that the area in which the Away Team would be working was declared as deserted," Spock pointed out. "There should have been no reason for any discharge of weapons."

"You see?? This is exactly what I was talking about, Spock!" McCoy exclaimed, his arms waving in the air. "How could you send her down there, Jim? She's not ready for something like this," McCoy snapped.

"I chose the team based on their skills and how it matched the intel we were given. Do you really believe I like putting people I care about in harm's way??" Kirk retorted sharply. "I have a job to do, but so do the two of you. And right now, the Away Team is depending on you to carry out those duties to the best of your ability. The personal stuff can be sorted out later, all right?" Kirk barked. "For now, let's just get everyone home and safe."

Spock and McCoy nodded and each of them went their separate ways to begin assisting in the missions aftermath. Kirk was on his way back to the bridge, while Spock was gathering his equipment. "Captain?" McCoy called out before Kirk had fully exited the lab.

"What is it, Bones?" Kirk asked wearily.

McCoy walked over to join his captain at the door. "I'll be in the MedBay, standing by for any casualties," he replied, then started down the hall.

"Thank you, Doctor. And Bones?" Kirk added, causing McCoy to turn and catch Kirk's gaze. "She'll be all right. Besides, you probably owe her a dance, right?" he smirked.

"Among other things, Jim," McCoy admitted before finally resuming his path to the MedBay.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When McCoy returned to the MedBay, it was a flurry of activity. The casualties had already arrived, only three of whom were being worked on by multiple teams. Head Nurse Christine Chapel met him near the entrance to give him a PADD with a rundown of the injuries. He had just started scanning the list when he heard, "DOCTOR!! Dr. McCoy, we need you over here!!"

McCoy all but sprinted to BioBed #3 and was shocked at the sight before him. You were the injured party, with a stab wound to your left shoulder that had seemed to stop bleeding. There was a moderate head laceration near your hairline, but its bleeding also looked to be under control. However, it was the 6-inch gash across your stomach that was of utmost concern, because it was still steadily leaking blood.

"Oh darlin'," McCoy whispered as he pushed your hair back from your face and tucked it behind your ear.

"Hey, Dr. McCoy," you rasped, which sent you into a minor coughing fit.

"Shh, take it easy, sugar. We're going to take good care of you, get you all patched up good as new," he soothed.

"Len....'m sorry....about earlier," you wheezed but were thrown into another coughing session. "Ow, it hurts," you whimpered.

"Hold on, sweetheart, I'll get ya something to take away the hurt," McCoy promised. One of the nurses promptly handed him the hypospray containing the pain med. Leonard gently rolled your head to the side for better access to your neck. He pushed your hair out of the way and pressed the hypospray to your skin and delivered the pain medication.

When McCoy withdrew the instrument, he was startled when he saw your soulmark behind your left ear, a starburst that matched the mark on his wrist. It was you. You were his soulmate, the one he should've waited for and he was the one you were waiting for. As he stood next to you, he felt the bond between you grow, as it sent a wave of warmth through his body.

You somehow found his hand and took it in yours, giving it a gentle squeeze before dropping it. The movement and seeing your hand hang limply at your side was enough to snap Leonard back into action and tend to your injuries. "All right, let's get this bleeding stopped so we can close up this gash and clean up these other wounds," McCoy ordered, getting back to the task at hand.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For some reason, you couldn't move your right hand due to some sort of weight on top of it. You were having a hard time opening your eyes as well, though you did manage to crack them open halfway. There was an IV in your left arm and as for your right side, you smiled when you saw a familiar crop of dark hair. Leonard was hunched over the edge of your bed, his head resting on his elbows and covering your hand. You could only imagine how tired he must be after the events of the past few hours.

The Away mission was your first since you came aboard the Enterprise, and not exactly the low-risk scenario as mentioned in the file. The briefing said the area had been declared uninhabited, but the natives you encountered proved otherwise. Some of their weapons were rudimentary by StarFleet's standards, while others looked confiscated from other unsuspecting visitors.

You were the first to be attacked, by a stab to your left shoulder and blow to the head, then all hell broke loose. The wound in your midsection was caused when you stepped in to defend a fellow crew member. You were relieved when you saw the familiar surroundings of the MedBay, and even more relaxed when Leonard's face appeared. However, you'd have given anything to take away the pain and worry you saw in his eyes as he hovered above you, assessing your injuries.

Gingerly, you felt around on the bed for the call button, not wanting to disturb the doctor sleeping at your side. Your slight movement caused him to lift his head and for his eyes to immediately zero in on yours. A sleepy yet relieved smile graced his face as he slowly reached up with his right hand to cup your cheek. "Hi," he whispered.

"Hi," you whispered back. "How long have I been out?"

"About twelve hours," he answered. "You had me worried there, sweetheart," he murmured. "I thought I wasn't going to get the chance to tell you something very important."

"I'm here now, though. What is it you wanted to tell me?" you asked. You shuffled around in your bed, trying to raise yourself to a more upright position. Leonard saw what you were doing and helped to rearrange the pillows and angle of the bed to where you wanted it.

Leonard returned in his chair and pointed it so that he was gazing directly at you. He brought your hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it. "Ever since Jim handed me your file, I knew there was something special about you. I felt it when we shook hands in that transporter room, and I think you felt it too," he replied.

You nodded. "Felt like electricity shooting up my arm," you smiled.

"Exactly. The more I got to know you through the time we spent together, the more I believed in the idea of a soulmate. I only dared to hope you were mine. I saw the mark behind your ear, so now I know you that are the one I belong with in this life. Even without that, darlin', I fell for you anyway. Your kindness, generosity, your gentle spirit and so many more reasons are why I love you," Leonard remarked.

You could've been knocked back unconscious with a feather. Of all things you thought would happen when you woke up, a love confession from Leonard wasn't anywhere near the list. Although it made you happy to hear that he loved you in return, there was also a part of you that was having doubts.

Leonard mentioned that he'd seen your soulmark, and that he'd fallen for you anyway. Jim knew about the matching marks, and how you wanted Leonard to love you for who you were, not some cosmic tattoo. You'd put your heart on the line once when you asked him to the dance, and it didn't end well. Did you dare take that kind of chance again?

"Sweetheart, please say something," he implored hoarsely.

"Guess this means you owe me a dance?" you replied with a watery smile, as you decided to take the leap. "Len, of course I love you, and not because of some mark put on us by Fate. You are the one I've been searching for, and you're well worth waiting for."

That was all the confirmation Leonard needed, and more. He stood up from his chair and walked around to the left side of your bed. You scooted over a bit to leave room for him to sit on the edge of your mattress. Leonard placed a hand on either side of your face and tilted your head up to meet his gaze. As his left thumb gently caressed your cheek, you latched your hands to his wrists, with your finger tracing over his soulmark.

Leonard leaned his head towards you, tenderly brushing his lips over yours at first, then returning with more passion. His soft yet insistent lips moved with determination, expressing the depth of his emotions for you. When he nipped at your bottom lip, you gasped in surprise, creating the perfect opening for him to slip his tongue in to explore your mouth. Your sweet sound of pleasure that escaped seemed only to spur him on.

The kiss broke before the alarms could be set off on the BioBed for your elevated heart rate or any other escalated vital signs. Leonard leaned back slightly to give himself and you a chance to catch your breaths. He gingerly brushed the hair back from your face and tucked it behind your ear. "So beautiful," he whispered.

"And all yours," you whispered back. Your hand drifted up for your fingers to run through his dark locks, your nails scratching his scalp. The gesture earned you a deep sigh from him and he closed his eyes in contentment. "Have been for a while now, you know," you added. "I love you, Leonard McCoy."

Leonard opened his eyes and smiled softly. "And I'm all yours, my body and soul belongs to you. I love you too, sweetheart," he remarked as he touched his forehead to yours.

The two of you stayed like that, holding each other, until the sound of a throat being cleared broke the silence. Leonard turned his head slightly then rolled his eyes at seeing Capt. Kirk and Cmdr. Spock. The captain wore a look of smug satisfaction at seeing his two friends finally getting together. On the other hand, Spock's face held a look of concern about your recovery from your injuries.

"Guess you can't outrun Fate, can you, Bones?" Kirk crowed. "Seriously, though. I'm happy for you two," he winked.

Spock turned to you. "It would seem that you have received sufficient confirmation of Dr. McCoy's feelings towards you, correct?" he asked.

"Complete confirmation, Spock," you answered. "Did you come to gloat too, or was there something else you needed?" you inquired.

"Vulcans do not gloat. I am merely checking up on the health of one of my team members. It is fortunate that Dr. McCoy was able to successfully treat your injuries and put you on the road to recovery," Spock observed.

"Fortunate indeed," you concurred. Off to the side, you spied Uhura making her way to your bedside under what looked like quite a head of steam.

"I leave you two alone for five minutes, and you're down here causing trouble. Hi there honey, Dr. McCoy," Uhura greeted you and Leonard. Her words to you and Leonard were in direct contrast to those she aimed at Kirk and Spock. "All right, these two need their rest, so off you go. Bye sweetie," she winked. After your friends exited the MedBay, you and Dr. McCoy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Never want to be on her bad side," Leonard quipped. "Alone at last," he murmured, brushing the back of his knuckles on your cheek.

"Just the two of us now," you replied. You shuffled over further in your bed to make room for Leonard. He settled in next to you, curling his arm around you and guiding your head to rest on his shoulder. You slung your arm around his midsection and snuggled into his warm embrace. "Sweet dreams, Len. I love you," you mumbled.

"Goodnight, my love," he whispered, kissing your temple and closing his eyes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tags: @marvelouslytrekking @spacedancer1701 @anna-phora @hailbop1701 @writercole @lassie-bird @huffle-pissed @phoenixisred @wayward-dreamer @erindiggory @strangesgirl @dumpsterhippie @genevablog26 @lokis-deares @medicatemedrmccoy​

[the-great-bob-off2024]

let the bob-off commence!

submissions are closed, and we are ready to start round 1!

a few things to be aware of...

78 bobs have been submitted to the tournament, and the first round will consist of 39 matches

each matchup has been decided at random (some of them have put my beloved bob blorbos in dire situations but. we move) by a random name generator - I haven't selected the match-ups myself

each match will last for a week, and I will post two matches a day

you can still send bobaganda (bob propaganda) when the tournament is underway! stick up for your bob blorbos! each poll has a section for bobaganda, and if one of your faves' has been left empty, please help me out by sending some my way! you can even submit reasons that your faves bob should win if they already have bobaganda attached - you can never show too much love to your favourite bob!

enjoy the tournament, and bob speed to you all...

[underneath the cut, I have included the complete list of bob entries - tournament spoilers ahead!]

The Contestants!

Alexander Rozhenko (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Amity Blight (The Owl House)

Anne Shirley Cuthbert (Anne With an E)

Anya Jenkins (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

Armand (Interview with the Vampire)

B'Elanna Torres (Star Trek: Voyager)

Becky Botsford (Wordgirl)

Bruno Bucciarati (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)

Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Dr Charlotte DuBois (Falsettos)

Chris Noel (Dead Poets Society)

Christine Chapel (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds)

Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Lady Bird)

Colette Tatou (Ratatouille)

Dana Scully (The X Files)

Dora (Dora the Explorer)

Edna Mode (The Incredibles)

The Eighth Doctor (Doctor Who)

Elastigirl (The Incredibles)

Eleanor Levetan (Do Revenge)

Eliza Pancakes (The Sims 4)

Emma Frost (X Men)

Eurydice (Hadestown)

Fa Mulan (Mulan)

Go Go Tomago (Big Hero 6)

Haku (Spirited Away)

Han Sooyoung (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint)

Helmeppo (One Piece)

Himiko Yumeno (Danganronpa)

Jane (Descendants)

Jenny Calendar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Kathryn Janeway (Star Trek: Voyager)

Kira Nerys (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Kit Kittregde (American Girl)

Komaru Naegi (Danganronpa) 

Lady Mary Crawley (Downton Abbey)

Lestat de Lioncourt (Interview With the Vampire)

Lindsey Bergman (American Girl)

Little Lad Who Loves Berries and Cream (Starburst Ad)

Lola Luftnagle (Hannah Montana)

Lord Farquaad (Shrek)

Lydia Deetz (Beetlejuice the Musical)

Mahiru Koizumi (Danganronpa)

Maria Von Trapp (The Sound of Music)

Mavis (Hotel Transylvania)

Mei Lee (Turning Red)

Mei Misaki (Another)

Monaca Towa (Danganronpa)

Mon Mothma (Star Wars)

Mystique (X-Men)

Nancy Downs (The Craft)

Nancy Landgraab (The Sims 4)

Poppy O'Hair (Ever After High)

Quinn Fabray’s blonde bob (Glee)

Quinn Fabray’s pink bob (Glee)

Quinn Fabray’s platinum bob (Glee)

Rapunzel (Tangled) 

Ruby Sunday (Doctor Who)

Sabrina Spellman (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina)

Sophie (Howl’s Moving Castle) 

Spock's ‘break up bob’ (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

Stephanie (Lazy Town)

Suki (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Tanya (Mamma Mia!)

Tashi Duncan (Challengers)

Taylor McKessie (High School Musical)

Tina Cohen-Chang - gaga (Glee)

Toralei Stripe (Monster High)

Tori Spring (Heartstopper)

Tracy Turnblad (Hairspray)

V (V for Vendetta)

Valeris (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

Velma Dinkley’s live action bob (Scooby Doo)

Velma Dinkley’s animated bob (Scooby Doo) 

Velma Kelly (Chicago)

Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Worf (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Yuki Takeya (Gakkou Gurashi)

[lunarflux]

my dark companion (8/9)

aemond targaryen x fem!reader

genre—smut, dark romance song inspo—bad omens - death of peace of mind, billie eilish - my boy, halsey - young god, isabel larosa - i'm yours, florence & the machine - seven devils, 070 shake & christine and the queens - you can't kill me, breakk.away - outside, aurora - runaway summary— Aemond indulges in his twisted desires with a woman who knows his every need. They meet in secret, their passion driven by his anger and her willingness to submit to his painful advances. Aemond craves her, yet despises the intimacy that follows. He questions why she always returned to him, knowing that she did not love or care for him. The cycle of desire and anger persists, leaving him yearning for more, caught in a tormented state until their next encounter.

This would be the first night of many that Aemond would awake with his arms coiled around her. Adiel’s face remained nuzzled to his neck throughout the night, a dreamless sleep where they both felt peace in the presence of a comforting companion. At long last, the cravings changed, replaced with the sensation of being at one with her. The night did not end with their declaration of union over death. They danced to the familiar song of their trysts until the sun rose, and she fell asleep with her head on his chest.

But the peace would soon be disturbed. Alicent knocked on Aemond’s door, and when he revealed himself, her eyes immediately lay upon Adiel’s undisturbed figure in his bed, bare and tangled in his sheets.

“I require a word.”

Aemond covered himself and step outside.

Alicent looked worried. She clasped her hands together, “I have spoken to Lord Tyrell. With much convincing—”

“You are Queen Regent. There should not have been much to discuss.”

“Aemond, please,” she let out an exasperating sigh, “Lord Tyrell has accepted the betrothal, but there is a matter of Lord Borros. When he learns of this union, it will cause a stirring, and if your brother has his way, that stirring will be squashed with a firm hand.”

“Aegon is King,” Aemond pursed his lips together, “Lord Borros would be a fool to challenge him—”

“—Lord Borros is well within his right to be vexed by your rejection of his daughters. This is no laughing matter.”

“I am not amused, mother,” he remained solid, “Any man who challenges me or questions Adiel will meet death swiftly and without hesitation. She is to be a Targaryen, and that should silence all who doubt me or my choice.”

Alicent placed her hands on his shoulders, urging him silently to reconsider his haste to act.

“What will you have me do?”

“Solidify your marriage at once. There is little that can be done once your union is written in stone. I know things are moving quite quickly, but it will behoove you to take action, so that Aegon can act appropriately with the reassurance that you are firm in your decision.”

Aemond turned and reentered his bedroom without a response.

--

Midnight—that was the most appropriate time. Midnight was the time they always met.

Adiel stood before Aemond at the seaside chapel in a green dress, much unlike the custom. It was his request, and it was made with haste just for her. A septon, summoned by Alicent who sat nearby, read from his book, but Aemond heard little over the thoughts that drove him to this commitment.

While his mother insisted acting with urgency was for the sake of Aegon, Aemond had other reasons. This marriage would undoubtedly not last. Before long, the gods would beckon him to pay for his mistakes—those that he admitted aloud and those he held secret. He didn’t know how many days he could call her his Princess, or how many nights he would be able to experience that blissful, dreamless sleep. Adiel knew, just as he. She was right—they were a fire to be extinguished, but not by their own disinterest. They would be snuffed out by the weight of the realm and the waging war that surrounded them. Their marriage was an effort to usher the time they could have been happy together. Before long, those days and nights would come to an abrupt end, and only the gods would know how much longer they had left.

There were Targaryen vows they could have chosen, but they both understood that their joining was of a different nature.

Aemond locked both hands with hers. She spoke clearly, never once breaking eye contact, “In life, my body feels no other, and my mind seeks no more.”

As she spoke, Aemond felt the frost in his core thaw. The numb feeling he’d grown used to since infancy began to swell with emotions brought on by her vow.

Adiel’s fingers gripped his tighter, “In death, I will follow you until the moon brings you home. My spirit will linger where you lie, my love, and our souls shall remain—together, intertwined, for all eternity, until the goddess shines no longer.”

Aemond pulled a curious looking stone dangling from a silver chain. She raised her chin so that he could fasten the charm around her neck. A fragment of one of Vhagar’s scales encrusted with emeralds—it lay upon her chest delicately, but she felt the weight of his loyalty in its detail.

Adiel reached up to Aemond’s face and carefully removed the brown patch of leather that concealed the sapphire beneath before he spoke. She wanted to see all of him outside of his bedroom, to behold all that she was pledging herself to.

“I swear before the moon goddess and all who serve her,” he recited carefully, “My body may not be infinite, but my fealty is yours beyond death. Should I pass the coil alone, my soul shall travel endlessly by your side until we meet again in the afterlife and the next. My spirit will linger where you lie, my love, and our souls shall remain—together, intertwined, for all eternity, until the goddess shines no longer.”

There was one custom that they maintained though they would act it out in their own way.

Alicent approached them with a blade of dragonglass placed within a silk wrap.

Aemond drew a fine line of blood across his palm then mirrored the cut on Adiel’s. He unfastened the ties around his chest, exposing the skin beneath. Dragging it again, his blood trickled down, and she placed her hand against it. He handed Adiel the blade, and she made the cut on her breast. He held his hand on her, and their blood joined. They took slow breaths as one, feeling the union deep within.

He pulled her close to taste her anew, their kiss feeling much different than before as the endless torment they inflicted on each other transformed into a burning loyalty never to be tarnished by anyone who questioned them.

Adiel Targaryen stood before him in her glory, her eyes glistening with the grace of the moon.

[neuroprincess]

Star Trek - Cooking Together

Classification: Fluff

Pairing: B'Elanna Torres, Christine Chapel, Deanna Troi, Kathryn Janeway, Kira Nerys and Number One

Warnings: None

Word count: +500

B'Elanna Torres

The half-Klingon is passionate about cuisine in general, but that doesn't mean she's a good cook. B'Elanna loves experimenting flavors and daring spices, the same goes for unlikely combinations, some of which can be compared to pregnant cravings. Cooking with her can be great fun, with gentle jokes, exchanging smiles, sharing tasks, ironically it's safer to let her chop the ingredients than to use the stove, there's a big risk of setting the room on fire. In short, it's enjoyable in every respect and results in abundant dishes of dubious quality.  

Christine Chapel  

This woman can do many things with skill, but cooking has never been one of them. It's not even one of her interests. However, if you want to try a recipe, Christine will attempt it without hesitation, dedicating herself more to organization than to the preparation itself, making sure that all the necessary ingredients and equipment are available and that everything is clean. Over time, she creates a little more interest, specifically in baking, and it won't be long before you're tasting the best brownie in your life. 

Deanna Troi  

She knows how to cook, it's nothing extraordinary, extravagant or fancy, when inspired she can risk doing something different and intimate. A candlelit dinner made from scratch between sips of wine and caresses exchanged, Deanna touches your waist lightly as you move around the kitchen, fingers brushing across the arm in conversations that end in genuine smiles, admiring each other passionately, plus she likes to steal a few kisses. The betazed enjoys the whole process and romantic aura that is built up. Of course, you can't go without some chocolate dessert, which will be shared late at night.  

Kathryn Janeway  

Janeway is a minimally competent person who believes to be an expert in the art of cooking, which comes from her upbringing with a mother who prefers and values traditionally prepared food, teaching her a dozen things while growing up. The moment you decide to cook together, she naturally tries to take charge, very proactively, only to end up having to improvise to save a simple recipe that the captain swore she knew by heart. You may have to end up replicating something to eat, but the moments spent together make the scorched pots worth it.  

Kira Nerys  

Growing up in the context in which she grew up, cooking is a survival skill and Kira learned it easily. It's basic and nutritious, nothing fancy, but still tasty, believe me, she has a kind of gift. Little by little she learns that this is also a hobby that can be done for pleasure and as a couple, enjoying time, preparation, company, trying different things and, her favorite, watching your reaction when tasting what she cooks. The bajoran will be proud if you approve and expect her to repeat the dish several times just to please you. She also introduces you to various traditional dishes from her planet. 

Una Chin-Riley   

Maybe she's the best cook of them all. You can hardly imagine it until you get to the quarters and find her preparing a warm three-course meal, a cute apron with a cheesy phrase you picked up on a trip, smiling smugly and the delicious smell permeating every corner of the room. If you don't know how to cook, Una will be more than happy and excited to teach you. The brunette is a great baker too, her strength advantage is perfect for kneading bread and opening pasta, making homemade spaghetti has never been so easy. 

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[warpfive]

HAVING A SECRET ADMIRER

when the snw crew has a secret admirer, and how they handle it

CW: gn!reader

CREW: chris pike, una chin-riley, spock, la'an, erica ortegas, nyota uhura, christine chapel

CHRIS - first and foremost, chris would be absolutely flattered. he thinks the little gifts or poems left behind for him are really adorable and they always brighten up his day. he wouldn’t try to go out of his way to find out who his secret admirer is - he likes the mystery, as well as wanting to spare his admirer any embarrassment of being discovered. chris would also not really try to hide it. he’ll put the flowers in a vase on his desk, or share the delicious chocolate with friends who come to dinner. when others lightly tease him about it, chris would be a very good sport. or if someone like erica wants to help him find the identity of his admirer (because she’s so nosy), chris would forbid it. though, as all things do on a starship, you’re eventually caught and the mystery is over. still, chris would try his absolute hardest to try and prevent you from being humiliated in some way. he’ll thank you for all of the little gifts, ensure that he won’t say a thing to the crew, and finally asks if you’d want to have dinner with him - just the two of you. he’s still got some more of those chocolates you left for him, and chris is eager to share.

UNA - she knows you’re her admirer almost immediately, but continues to play dumb to prevent you from feeling embarrassed or foolish. she’ll let the rumors circulate, finding it amusing what the rest of the crew thinks of her secret admirer. una will resist any plans of trying to sniff out the mystery person, as she enjoys the days some new gift arrives for her and the rest of the senior staff are super eager as if it’s another clue to the mystery. in the meantime, una does treat you just a little differently. not enough to be too noticeable, but the knowledge of you being her admirer softens her. there are times when una thinks about just coming clean and telling you she knows everything. when the cat is eventually out of the bag, una keeps it all lowkey. she tries not to make a big deal out of it, making small jokes or smart comments to ease your embarrassment. but when she gets more serious - so warm in how she thanks you for the gifts, it makes you wonder why you ever tried to keep it a secret. then una suggests you two take some time together the next time the enterprise is in port somewhere, and she doesn’t miss when you ask the captain the next day when he thinks they’ll come across a starbase.

SPOCK - doesn’t really understand the concept of a secret admirer at first. he has a loose understanding, but only through the wire of human culture and spock doesn’t even really pay much attention to that. at first, he may just ignore it, thinking it’s simply a passing infatuation and will fade, as human emotions are prone to do. but the gifts left for him don’t cease, and it isn’t until a rather passionate poem comes along does spock finally decide to do some investigating. he’s a scientist, he doesn’t like a mystery to be unsolved if he can help it - plus, he stresses with nurse chapel, his secret admirer must be slacking in their duties on the ship. it really doesn’t take spock very long to discover the culprit, and once he’s face-to-face with you…well, he doesn’t know what to say. he’s never had a secret admirer before. you start apologizing, hoping you hadn’t embarrassed spock because you knew how private and introverted he is and you didn’t wanna scare him off with any grand gestures and- he cuts you off there. tells you that vulcans are incapable of embarrassment and it was actually very thoughtful that you wanted to spare his (nonexistent) feelings. plus, the poem was a very beautiful one, where did you learn it from? do you know of others that are similar? it kinda evolves into you spending time with spock via showing him your favorite poet and made you thankful you went the route of a secret admirer - it seems to suite spock a lot better.

LA’AN - she’s usually pretty good at letting her icy exterior discourage any hijinks, and this includes secret admirers. most of the crew wouldn’t even think about doing something so brazen and wholesome to la’an - to be honest, she intimidates a lot of her crewmates. so when news starts spreading of somebody secretly crushing on the security chief, la’an had no idea how to respond. for a time, she thought it was simply just a sick joke. maybe some of the junior officers were making her the butt of a prank, which la’an has absolutely 0 tolerance for. the captain and a few others tried to explain that it was harmless, and la’an eventually came to terms with it. no prank can so worth it as to intently learn all of her favorite desserts, color, flower… okay, once la’an was sure there was no funny business happening, she absolutely wanted to find her secret admirer. why? she didn’t have a solid answer - it changed from person to person. it took no time at all to find your identity, and once she came to confront you… she was barely able to speak. it was a little humiliating for la’an - she just had no experience with this sort of thing and it blindsided her like nothing else. she let you ramble on, eyes averting whenever you talked about your feelings. but when you started apologizing, that’s when she cut back in with her usual blunt words, insisting you did nothing worth apologizing for. in fact, she really liked those flowers, and she wants to know how you got a hold of them - you know, for future reference. 

ERICA - honestly, erica would probably get a little cocky about having a secret admirer. it’s one thing to have someone crushing on you like school kids, but it’s different when erica keeps finding gifts and letters left for her, only her, and she can flaunt them around. of course, she’d be super curious about her admirer. i imagine she might bring it up to those she works closely with, hoping they saw or heard something that might lend a clue. once the newness wears off, erica’s curiosity would get the better of her, and she would actively try to investigate. though, she isn’t exactly subtle - discovering the identity of her admirer came as a complete accident. quite literally catching you in the act, and when you try to deflect, erica knows she’s caught her admirer. though, her victory is cut short when she sees just how embarrassed she’s made you - it didn’t really occur to erica that you wanted to be secret for a reason. so she softens up, thanks you for all the little gifts you left her, and she genuinely wants to discuss it. erica isn’t opposed to taking things further, but only on one condition - you gotta keep supplying the sweets you’ve been leaving for her. they’re really good, and they taste better when they’re gifted.

NYOTA - is immediately very shy about the whole thing, even when others are excited and curious and lowkey pushing nyota for as many details as she can give. and she does tell the stories of each time she discovered a new trinket or treat or letter, much to the pleasure of her nosy friends. but there’s something she keeps hidden from them, knowledge that nyota wants to keep to herself - she recognizes the words on the letters. she’s got an ear for language, as well as an eye for words. at first, she definitely tried to ignore what her gut was telling her. trying to spare you and herself the embarrassment, even though the knowledge was kept to herself. but it was the knowledge that slowly warmed her up to the idea of perhaps returning your affections - it’s quite hard to read such passionate words and not begin to feel something for the person you know is writing them. though, nyota isn’t quite as skilled in being subtle, and it’s easy to tell when she started acting different. that’s when your letters ceased, nyota got anxious, and she just had to say something. assure you that she wasn’t upset or uncomfortable - just the opposite, in fact. she very much enjoyed everything you’ve given her, and she knows they’ll stop now that she confronted you, but she wanted to clear the air. and of course, you care about her, so you ask her if she wanted you to keep writing letters. just because she seemed to enjoy them so much. nyota didn’t even realize she had nodded her head until you smiled and walked away.

CHRISTINE - equal parts flattered and shy. flings are one thing - no strings attached, no warm sentiments, and absolutely no rumors. christine was actually the last to know about her first gift, which was foolishly left by her corner of sick bay and discovered by everyone else. she was immediately bombarded with questions and theories and christine wasn’t even able to fully enjoy and inspect the gift until she brought it to her quarters. for a time, she attempted to ignore it. but small gifts grew into more personal objects that only someone who knew her would know. and those eventually evolved into letters and poems and christine was a little fed up at this point - not that these gestures weren’t unwanted. they always put her in a little better of a mood. but christine doesn’t like being purposefully excluded, and she’s definitely not used to more intimate gestures of affection. it was only a matter of time before the identity of her admirer was revealed - the ship wasn’t big enough to keep such a secret. she’s the one who confronted you, and admittedly, came off kinda strong at first. you apologized, promised it would stop, and that’s not what she wanted. instead of sneaking around, how about grabbing lunch, she offered. or maybe dinner, since your shifts don’t exactly line up. and when you agreed, christine couldn’t tell if she was relieved or even more on edge.

[ghost-king-kai]

The Requesting Hall Guidelines

Welcome to the request guidelines! Here you can be informed of my dos & don'ts, characters & fandoms available, and rules in The Requesting Hall.

Please review (or at least skim through) these rules prior to sending a request to the hall.

Request Rules

Be sure to keep asks and requests respectful.

Make sure the request is detailed enough for me to write for.

Anons are welcome! (if you'd like a specific designation, feel free to ask)

The Dos & Don'ts

These are the types of requests I do and don't do.

I Do...

x Male!Reader

x GN!Reader

x Transmasc!Reader

x NB!Reader

Fluff Fics

Angst Fics (Heavily dependent on the topics)

Platonic Fics (Familial, Teammates, Colleagues, Crewmates, Etc.)

Character Concepts for Reader (As long as the idea is feasible)

Oc Requests & Asks

I Don't Do...

x Fem!Reader

x Transfem!Reader

NSFW/Smut (Besides implications)

Triggering Topics (Sexual Assault, Rape, Abuse, Self Harm, etc.)

Fetish Requests

Character Ships

Characters Available For Requests

The listed characters and fandoms are the ones I am usually inspired to write on the regular or as of right now but that doesn't mean you can't ask if I write for a specific fandom or character that isn't on this list, especially if it's from the list in the Kingdom Directory.

Marvel

Specify Timeframe

Available for Romantic Requests: Peter Parker (Only Tom & Andrew Portrayals)

Platonic Only: The Avengers (Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, Thor Odinson, Clint Barton, Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Peter Parker, The Vision) [All Together & Individually] The Marvels (Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, Kamala Khan) [All Together & Individually] Etc. (there are literally so many characters-)

DC

Specify Adaptation & Timeframe (I mostly do DCAU & Young Justice, though)

Platonic Only: The Bat Family (Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown) [All Together & Individually] Jon Kent (Supersons Comics Series Version) The Team (Dick Grayson, Wally West, Kaldur'ahm, Artemis Crock, M'gann M'orzz, Connor Kent) (Young Justice TV Series) [All Together & Individually]

Persona 5

Specify Timeframe

Available for Romantic Requests: Ren Amamiya

Platonic Only: The Phantom Thieves (Ren Amamiya, Morgana, Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Yusuke Kitagawa, Makoto Nijima, Futaba Sakura, Haru Okumura) [All Together] Futaba Sakura Zenkichi Hasegawa Goro Akechi Sophia

Criminal Minds

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Platonic Only: The B.AU. Team (Aaron Hotchner, Jason Gideon, David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia, Alex Blake, Luke Alves, Tara Lewis) [All Together & Individually]

Star Trek

Specify Timeframe

Strange New Worlds

Platonic Only: The Crew (Christopher Pike, Una Chin-Riley, Hemmer/Pelia, Joseph M'Benga, Christine Chapel, Erica Ortegas, Nyota Uhura, Jenna Mitchell, Spock, La'an Noonien-Singh, George Samuel Kirk) [All Together & Individually] James T. Kirk

Discovery

Platonic Only: The Crew (Michael Burnham, Saru, Sylvia Tilly, Adira Tal, Keyla Detmer, R. A. Bryce, Joann Owosekun, Hugh Culber, Gen Rhys, Paul Stamets, Jett Reno) [All Together & Individually] Cleveland Booker

Kelvin Timeline

Platonic Only: The Crew (James T. Kirk, Spock, Montgomery Scott, Keenser, Pavel Chekov, Hikaru Sulu, Leonard McCoy, Nyota Uhura) [All Together & Individually]

Resident Evil

Specify Timeframe & Version

Available for Romantic Requests: Leon S. Kennedy

Fair Warning: Fandoms and characters will be added and removed a lot over time. Apologies in advance if a character or fandom you would like to request disappears overnight. Inspiration comes and goes and this section just reflects what and who I am gladly willing to write for at the time.

[rssspockuhura]

The Way I Loved You | James T. Kirk x Reader

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 misaverawrites

James T. Kirk and you are best friends, have been since your days at the academy, he has you placed on the U.S.S. Enterprise at the beginning of it's five year mission. The only issue? You both have been pining for one another since your academy days, and everyone knows it. These five years together on the U.S.S. Enterprise are going to feel very long unless one of you decides to say something.

Words: 908, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/M

Characters: James T. Kirk, Reader, Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Spock (Star Trek), Carol Marcus, David Marcus (mentioned) - Character, Christine Chapel, Nyota Uhura, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott

Relationships: James T. Kirk/Reader, James T. Kirk/You, James T. Kirk & USS Enterprise, James T. Kirk/Carol Marcus (past), James T. Kirk & Carol Marcus, James T. Kirk & David Marcus, James T. Kirk & Crew of the Starship Enterprise, James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Reader, Spock (Star Trek) & Reader, Spock/Nyota Uhura

Additional Tags: Friends to Lovers, Kissing, Breaking Up & Making Up, Flirting, Best Friends, Crew of the Starship Enterprise as Family, Daily Life on the Starship Enterprise (Star Trek), BAMF Crew of the Starship Enterprise, James T. Kirk & Spock Friendship, Genius James T. Kirk, Insecure James T. Kirk, POV Second Person, Eventual Smut, Eventual Happy Ending, History, James T. Kirk is a Good Captain, Fluff, Angst, Smut, Father James T. Kirk, Title from a Taylor Swift Song, Song: The Way I Loved You (Taylor Swift), Not Actually Unrequited Love, Love Confessions, Denial of Feelings, Blood and Injury, Blood, Poison, Leonard "Bones" McCoy is a Good Friend, Mutual Pining, Pining, Coma, Panic Attacks, Dissociation, Past James T. Kirk/Carol Marcus, Mentioned Carol Marcus, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Slow Burn

read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/47185735 via AO3 works tagged 'Spock/Nyota Uhura' https://archiveofourown.org/works/47185735

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.

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

Let’s Get Physical

Pairing: Christine Chapel x Female!Reader

Rating: T

Warnings: Fluff!! Nothing but fluff! Reader hates physicals. I mean also mentions of aspects of a medical examination; mention of needles in relation to a blood test. Also also yearning.

Notes: I literally had an idea for one line of Christine’s dialogue so I wrote this. It’s super short. Also not to be dramatic but I’m in love with her. Not beta-read.

Not sure who would be interested in this, so only tagging my darling Micky ( @wretchedwisteria​ ) so she can suffer with me.

Summary: Christine’s smile widens, eyes darting to yours before she winks. You’re certain your heart jumps in your chest. You can only hope that it doesn’t register on her sensors.

“Just relax,” Christine coos, her hand gently guiding you more deeply into the med bay. “It’s nice and quiet calm. Like, no one is here, you’re gonna be fine.”

“As fine as that time I fainted?”

“Better. Way better,” She reassures, lowering her hand and waving you into a biobed. You climb onto it dutifully, shifting nervously from side to side, unable to get comfortable.

“Okay...Okay...” You see Christine nodding in your periphery. “If you keep that up, I’m gonna get sick.”

You go still with embarrassment, sweating palms clamped to the side of the bed.

“Go ahead and lay down,” She adds. You swing your legs up, scooching down and settling in. You feel Christine looking at the diagnostics screen over your head.

“Palms flat, please.”

You hurriedly scrub your palms against your pant legs before laying them flat.

“Sweat doesn’t impede the readings, I promise.”

You can’t help but smile a little at the reassurance, your eyes darting to Christine. Her eyes are set on the screen, glancing around for a few moments before she raises her tricorder. She waves the scanner over your body, eyes lowering to the screen. Her lips purse together a touch.

“Blood pressure and heart rate are a little high...But I know you hate these, so I’m sure that’s not helping anything. We can check them another time, outside of the med bay, just make sure everthing’s normal.”

“Pffft, please. This is great,” You mutter. Christine’s smile widens, eyes darting to yours before she winks. You’re certain your heart jumps in your chest. You can only hope that it doesn’t register on her sensors.

“Temperature is fine...”

A stunning fact; you feel like you’re burning up.

“Just gonna check your lymph nodes. Is that okay?”

“Mhm,” You nod hurriedly before forcing yourself to hold still. Christine’s hands are warm and soft as she gently massages your neck, checking for any swelling.

“Alright, perfect. You can sit up,” Christine waves as she pulls her hands back. You swing your legs over the side of the bed, swallowing thickly, and trying not to think of the lingering buzz that her touch has left on your neck.

“Look at the light,” Christine urges, shining a small pen light into your eyes. You blink at the sudden onslaught. “...Straight ahead,” She adds softly, moving the light from one eye to another. “...Great. I need to take your blood, and then we are set here...I know,” Christine gives you an apologetic smile as you grudgingly unzip your jacket. “Already handling it like a champ, though.”

You scoff a nervous, slightly hysterical laugh before you shrug your jacket off. You nudge it aside, holding your arm out and averting your eyes as Christine takes up her hypospray. You look anywhere else—the other biobeds, the ceiling, the floor. Your heart leaps into your throat as Christine’s fingers wrap carefully around your wrist, steadying you.

“You’re gonna feel a little prick...” She warns, voice gentle and soothing, “Juuuust like your ex-boyfriend.”

The comment catches you off-guard, and makes you cackle. Christine grins, carefully pressing the hypospray against your arm. The jab isn’t pleasant, but it’s not nearly as bad as you’d built up in your head. It helps that you’re distracted. You glance at Christine as your laughter quiets, and find her smiling at you fondly.

“You alright?”

“Yes,” You nod, still resolutely avoiding the sight of the hypospray. “Thank you.”

Christine nods, lowering her eyes to your arm. It’s another moment or so before the needle is withdrawn. She takes up a cotton ball, pressing it steadily over the injection site before she sets the hypo aside. She twists away just a little, taking up a bland tan bandage and placing it over the cotton ball.

“Not so bad, right?” Christine asks.

“Stings,” You mutter petulantly. Christine’s eyes search your face for a moment before she grasps your wrist again. You watch, stunned again, as she draws your arm up and bends over it. You blink dumbly as you gaze at her shining hair, and feel the warmth and press of her lips over the bandage. Then she tips her head up, a soft, expectant smile on her lips.

“Better?” She murmurs. You nod hesitantly before nodding and choking out,

“Better.” 

Christine gently lets go of your wrist, turning to set the hypo in its proper place as you put your jacket on again, doing up the zipper with a slightly shaky hand.

“Are you feeling lightheaded or anything?” Christine asks. And yes, you are, but you resolutely mumble, “No.”

She gives you a knowing look regardless, smiling before she waves you to lay back down.

“Take a few minutes, relax. I’ll check in on you in a bit.”

You nod a little, scooching forward and settling back against the biobed. You shut your eyes, drawing in a deep breath to calm yourself. You force yourself to relax, though you find yourself and struggling not to think of the heat and tender press of Christine’s lips.