#Keenser knows

[thesconesyard]

Yeehaw!

When the Cactus Blooms

13. Yee-caw!

Keenser had seen Scotty then McCoy enter the stables. Jim had ridden off right after lunch. Spock and Sulu and Chekov had all wandered to different corners of the ranch to work on various things. Christine and Uhura were working and showing something to Jaylah on the porch.

Keenser smiled. The ranch was a happy place. The people here had accepted him and helped him and he was home in a way he never had been before arriving.

A bird nudged his leg with its head. The birds had all learned quickly which leg to bump. He leaned down to pick it up. It was still a small thing, he could pet the top of its head with one finger. With a smile he set the bird on his shoulder and continued on to the gardens.

He preferred to stay closer to the house. With only one leg and the prosthetic the doctor and Christine had set him up with, it was too much for him to hike all over the ranch. Keenser liked to help Scotty when he could, but he was quite content to raise all the birds on the ranch and do other small jobs for the ladies, like keeping the stoves going.

A growing flock was following as he walked. The bird on his shoulder peeped at him, and he chuckled before giving it another pet. He reached the garden and opened the gate that usually kept the birds out.

“Go on,” he told them.

The guinea hens would go after the pests that would bother the garden. Keenser watched for a few moments as the birds all scrambled quickly between the well laid out rows. He’d come back in the evening to lead them to their roosts.

The little bird peeped again and he reached up to get it. Keenser set it gently down on the ground and it hurried off after the others.

Uhura had asked for a pair of chickens for dinner, so Keenser made his way to the coop to take care of that unpleasant job. He heard the ladies laughing on the front porch and smiled. The new girl was laughing with them. Keenser’s heart went out to her. Jaylah she was named, and now she was alone in the world. He hoped they could at least find out what had happened to her family. And if they couldn’t, well, he hoped she’d stay.

Chickens clucked at him as he entered the coop. They had quite a large flock of chickens, for they had many hungry mouths to feed each morning at breakfast. Keenser found two of the older hens who had stopped laying, and picked them up. He carried them with him.

It was on the other end of the house, away from the coop when he stopped. He had insisted that the place where they killed the chickens and any other fowl they ate should not be anywhere the other birds could see. Keenser was as kind and understanding with his flocks as Spock was with the cattle during branding.

A few loud squawks and the business was taken care of. He hung the two birds by their feet over a pair of buckets. He would come back to pluck them in a bit. Christine would have something cool for him if he headed to the porch where the ladies were.

Keenser stopped in surprise as he passed the stables and heard Scotty singing lightheartedly as he worked. There was something new in his old friend’s voice. A moment later Keenser heard the low rumble of a second voice joining the song. He couldn’t help blinking in surprise and a slow smile spread on his face.

At last! Well, he was glad for them.

“Hello Keenser.” Jaylah was the first to spot him coming to the porch.

He nodded a greeting to the ladies, then found the small chair he liked best.

“Something to drink?” Christine asked.

“Please.”

She got up and went into the house. She came back with a full glass and handed it to him. Keenser looked her in the eye, then darted his eyes towards the stables.

“Happened,” he told her.

She looked at him, puzzled for a moment before understanding cleared her face.

“Finally?!” she asked happily.

He nodded again and Christine let out a delighted laugh.

“Took’em long enough,” she grinned, as she sat back down.

“What happened?” Jaylah demanded. Uhura had also raised an eyebrow in question.

Christine looked over at Keenser, then back at the other two gals.

“I think you’ll figure it out by dinner,” she said, smiling mysteriously.

The ladies turned their talk back to other things and Keenser was content to let their chatter wash over him. He put his feet up on the porch railing and tipped his head back.

After a while the sound of hooves entered the yard. Keenser slowly opened his eyes and saw Jim wave at them as he turned his horse for the stables. Keenser had a brief moment of worry for Scotty; he hoped the two men weren’t in a compromising situation. Lord knew Jim would never let the doctor live it down.

Uhura and Christine got up and went into the house.

“It’s nice here,” Jaylah said softly.

“Gonna stay?” Keenser asked. He looked over at the bright eyed girl. He saw her eyes welling up.

“I want to find my family,” she said fiercely, wiping a fist across her eyes.

“Hope you do,” he said quietly.

“Thank you,” she replied in nearly a whisper.

McCoy was with him when Jim finally came to the house from the stables. They settled in a pair of chairs near Jaylah.

“Christopher was sorry to hear about your situation,” Jim told her. “He’s gonna send some men out searching as soon as he can.”

Keenser saw Scotty heading for them. He wasn’t surprised when his friend stood leaning against the railing by the doctor instead of coming to the chair by him. He gave Scotty a knowing look when he glanced at him. Scotty’s face blushed and he mumbled something about helping the ladies, before he disappeared in the house.

Keenser stood. He still had chickens to pluck. Young Chekov came around the corner as he reached the place.

“Do you need help?” Chekov asked. He brushed his hands against his thighs.

Keenser nodded and handed him one of the birds. Chekov kept up a stream of talk as they cleaned the chickens. Keenser just smiled listening to the young man. He was enthusiastic and always raised Keenser’s spirits.

In the cool of the evening Keenser returned to the garden. He gave a chirpy whistle and waited for the guinea fowl to flock over to him. Something bumped his leg and he looked down at the small bird from the morning. A pet to its head and then he placed it on his shoulder once more.

He closed the gate again and began to walk. The birds followed, chattering amongst themselves. Ahead Keenser could see Scotty and McCoy walking off towards the creek. Something caught a ray of evening sun and glittered. Keenser smiled. A bottle. The two were off to share a drink.

Securing the birds and the chickens for the night, Keenser made his way to the porch again. Someone in the house was singing, probably Uhura, and the sound made Keenser’s heart swell. He sat in his favorite chair, popped his feet on the porch railing and leaned back. Yes, this was home.

[higglety]

Take it from me, a Scotty/Keenser shipper

thinking "haha what if i jokingly shipped them" is your last chance to get out btw

[icantspellthings]

I just know these two had something going, they were the only two people alone on delta vega for months. Scotty immediately dragged Keenser onto the Enterprise when he got the job as the cheif engineer. When Scotty quit his job, Keenser also handed in his resignation as well. They're literally attached at the hip, there was definitely something going on between them.

I'm just saying!

(Whats the shipname 🫣 is there even a ship)

[anonymousewrites]

Logos and Pathos (AOS Edition) Chapter Seven

AOS! Spock x Empath! Reader

Chapter Seven: Aboard the Enterprise

Summary: Spock Prime and (Y/N) Prime help Kirk get back to the Enterprise. Spock and (Y/N) have their own problems to deal with.

            “Hello!” said Kirk as he, Spock Prime, and (Y/N) Prime entered the Federation outpost on Delta Vega.

            A small officer speaking in an alien language greeted them in return and began to lead them through the post until they found another officer working on some of the machinery. The smaller officer tapped him in the back, and the officer turned around.

            “What?” He noticed the three looking at him, and he crossed his arms. “You realize how unacceptable this is?”

            “Fascinating,” said Spock Prime.

            “Wow,” said (Y/N) Prime.

            “What?” said Kirk, confused.

            ((Y/N) Prime was amused by the general confusion Kirk display whereas Kirk Prime just pretended like he knew what he was doing instead of showing confusion)

            “Yeah, I’m sure you’re just doing your job, but could you not come a wee bit sooner?” demanded the officer. “Six months I’ve been here, living off Starfleet protein nibs and a promise of a good meal. And I know exactly what’s going on here, okay. Punishment, isn’t it? Ongoing, for something that was clearly an accident.”

            “Scotty,” chuckled (Y/N) Prime.

            “Huh?” said Scotty.

            “You are Montgomery Scott,” said Spock Prime.

            “You two know him?” said Kirk.

            (Y/N) Prime smiled at him, and he understood. They knew the alternate timeline’s future version of him.

            “Aye, that’s me. You’re in the right place.” Scotty scoffed. “Unless there’s another hard-working, equally starved Starfleet officer around.”

            “Me,” said the smaller officer.

            “Keenser, shut up!” said Scotty. “You don’t eat anything. You eat like a bean, and you’re done. I’m talking about food. Real food.” He glanced at the new people. “But you’re here now, so thank you. Where is it?”

            “You are, in fact, the Mister Scott who postulated the theory of transwarp beaming,” said Spock Prime, fondly remembering his friend.

            “That’s what I’m talking about.” Scotty sighed. “How’ you think I wound up here? I had  a little debate with my instructor on the issue of relativistic physics and how it pertains to subspace travel.”

            That sounds like Scotty, thought (Y/N) Prime.

            “He seemed to think that the range of transporting something like a, like a grapefruit, was limited to about a hundred miles. I told him that I could not only beam a grapefruit from one planet to the adjacent planet in the same system, which is easy by the way, I could do it with a lifeform.” Scotty coughed. “So, I tested it on Admiral Archer’s prized beagle.”

            “Wait, I know that dog. What happened to it?” asked Kirk.

            Scotty avoided eye-contact. “I’ll tell you when it reappears.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. I do feel guilty about that.”

            “Poor dog,” said (Y/N) Prime, shaking their head.

            “What if I told you that your transwarp theory was correct?” said Spock Prime. “That it is indeed possible to beam onto a ship that is travelling at warp speed?”

            “I think if that equation had been discovered, I’d have heard about it,” said Scotty.

            “The reason you haven’t heard about it, Mister Scott, is because you haven’t discovered it yet,” said Spock Prime.

            “I’m a, uh, what…” Scotty furrowed his brow. “Are you from the future?”

            “He’s taking it well,” said (Y/N) Prime, smiling.

            “Yeah. They are. I’m not,” said Kirk tiredly.

            “Well, that’s brilliant,” said Scotty. “Do they still have sandwiches there?”

            They had Scotty on board. Spock Prime and (Y/N) Prime explained the problem with Kirk filling in details they hadn’t seen from the planet below. Scotty understood that they needed to get Kirk back on board the Enterprise. All of them were willing to work together to do the right thing, and Scotty quickly escorted them to the Delta Vega transporter area.

            Spock Prime and (Y/N) Prime were particularly glad to have Scotty back. Every time they encountered one of their old friends, they felt a little stronger, a little more hopeful that Nero could be stopped. There was nothing the Enterprise crew couldn’t achieve. With all of them together…Nero couldn’t win.

            “Well, she’s a wee bit dodgy,” explained Scotty as he gestured to the transporter. “Shield emitters are totally bandjacked, as well as a few other things.” He began to fiddle with the controls and punch in equations. “So, the Enterprise as had its maiden voyage, has it? She is one well-endowed lady. I’d like to get my hands on her ample nacelles, if you’ll pardon the engineering parlance.”

            Some things never change, thought (Y/N) Prime. Scotty and his love for the Enterprise were a constant in every universe.

            Scotty looked at (Y/N) Prime and Spock Prime as Spock Prime sat down to work out some equations. “Except, the thing is, even if I believed you, right, where you’re from, what I’ve done, I don’t, by the way, you’re still talking about beaming aboard the Enterprise while she’s traveling faster-than-light, without a proper receiving pattern.” He glared at Keenser climbing some equipment. “Get off there! It’s not a climbing tree.” He looked back at the older officers. “The notion of transwarp beaming is like trying to hit a bullet with a smaller bullet whilst wearing a blindfold, riding a horse?” Spock Prime stood, and Scotty peered at what he’d programmed. “What’s that?”

            “Your equation for achieving transwarp beaming,” said (Y/N) Prime, smiling.

            “Imagine that,” mumbled Scotty. “It never occurred to me to think of space as the thing that was moving.”

            “You’re coming with us, right” asked Kirk, staring at (Y/N) Prime and Spock Prime.

            “No, Jim. That is not our destiny,” said Spock Prime, shaking his head.

            “We’ll make our own way off Delta Vega. But Nero cannot know we’re involved. It’ll only stoke his anger and make him harder to deal with since he could act rashly,” said (Y/N) Prime.

            “You’re desti—He, the other Spock, is not going to believe me. Only you can explain what’s gonna happen,” said Kirk.

            “(Y/N) will believe you,” said (Y/N) Prime.

            “And they can help get Spock to see reason,” said Spock Prime, nodding.

            He knew all about Spock’s softness for (Y/N), and he was absolutely certain that this timeline had the same love between them. Theirs was a love that couldn’t be changed. It transcended universes—they had seen it in the Mirror Universe, and they’d see it here.

            “But—”

            Spock Prime cut off Kirk. “Under no circumstances can those two be aware of our existence. You must promise us this.”

            “You’re telling me I-I can’t tell you that I’m following your own orders. Why not? What happens?” said Kirk.

            “The Enterprise of this timeline must be allowed to reach its full potential,” said (Y/N) Prime. “You have to learn to work together to defeat Nero, and knowing about us…it will only cause problems.”

            “Jim, this is one rule you cannot break. To stop Nero, you alone must take command of your ship,” said Spock Prime. That would put the Enterprise on the right track to being the talented, strong crew and ship it was in their timeline.

            “How? Over your dead body?” said Kirk sarcastically.

            “Preferable not,” said Spock Prime.

            “Please don’t kill him. I and this timeline’s (Y/N) would be upset,” said (Y/N) Prime brightly.

            “However, there is Starflet regulation 6-1-9. 6-1-9 states that any command officer who’s emotionally compromised by the mission at hand must resign said command,” said Spock Prime.

            (Y/N) Prime looked at their husband in surprise. “Spock…” He was completely serious. He was suggesting forcing himself—a version of himself—to show emotions, something he disliked.

            “It’s what must be done, T’hy’la,” said Spock Prime.

            (Y/N) Prime nodded, but they still reached out and touched their first two fingers to his, and Spock Prime relaxed at the touch.

            Kirk looked between the two. He was putting together the relationship between them, which had taken a moment since he wasn’t used to Spock Prime or Spock’s softer side, but he could see the mutual care.

            Okay, so he really does have feelings, thought Kirk, and he began to understand Spock as a man beyond the Vulcan. “So…so, you’re saying that I have to emotionally compromise you guys?”

            “Jim, I just lost my planet,” said Spock Prime, his voice heavy. “I can tell you, I am emotionally compromised. What you must do is get me to show it.”

            “How?” said Kirk.

            “Spock cares about his friends and family,” said (Y/N) Prime, and Kirk looked at them. They smiled. “He doesn’t show it like others, but he does. If you insinuate he doesn’t…that would do it.” That's what they had done with the whole plants-controlling-mind's thing on Omicron Ceti III and what had made Spock Prime break down when unhibited after the trip to Psi 2000.

            “You know me very well, T’hy’la,” said Spock Prime. He was fortunate to have them by his side. If he was alone in this world…their loss would weigh heavily on him. He loved his t’hy’la.

            “Aye, then, Laddie. Live or die, let’s get this over with,” said Scotty, coming over as he finished his preparations. He and Kirk stepped onto the transporter pad. Keenser tried to follow, but Scotty pushed him back. “You cannae come with me. Go on.” He wouldn’t put his friend in harm’s way—only himself.

            “You’re coming back in time, changing history. It’s cheating,” said Kirk, staring at Spock Prime and (Y/N) Prime.

            “A trick I learned from an old friend,” said Spock Prime fondly, and (Y/N) wink smiled.

            “You would do the same, Captain Kirk,” said (Y/N) Prime with a wink.

            Spock Prime lifted his hand in a Vulcan salute as the transporter powered up. “Live long and prosper.”

            Kirk and Scotty dematerialized, and Keenser let out a sad sigh. (Y/N) Prime looked at him and smiled to alleviate the sadness clouding his aura.

            “They’ll be alright. And Scotty will come back for you,” said (Y/N) Prime.

            “Until then, we should make our own exit,” suggested Spock Prime. “Do you have a shuttle to refurbish?”

            Keenser nodded and rushed off. Spock Prime watched him go.

            “How are you feeling?” asked (Y/N) Prime.

            “I worry for the future of Vulcans and our culture,” said Spock Prime, straightforward with (Y/N) Prime. They were his spouse. They shared their troubles.

            “The Enterprise will stop Nero. Together, we’ve always handled everyone we’ve gone up against. From Khan to resurrection, we’ve faced everything, and we succeed because we’re together,” said (Y/N) Prime. They touched their fingers to his. “And while this Enterprise protects the galaxy and those within it, we can help Vulcan. Together.”

            Spock Prime’s gaze softened. “I am fortunate to have you by my side, T’hy’la.”

            “I’m here because I love you. Luck has nothing to do with it,” said (Y/N) Prime.

            Spock Prime leaned in and smiled slightly. “I love you, too, T’hy’la.” He kissed them.

            He had lost so much, from his previous timeline to his planet, but his love was still standing. They’d help Vulcan find a better future. Together.

l

            Aboard the Enterprise, this timeline’s Spock and (Y/N) were hard to work trying to regain proper communication with Starfleet Command while the ship flew towards the Laurentian system in a desperate race to beat Nero.

            Chekov frowned as his display beeped with an alert. “Captain Spock, detecting unauthorized access to water turbine control board.”

            “Bring up the video,” said Spock.

            The security video appeared on the viewscreen, and it showed Kirk and another man soaking wet in the turbine section.

            “How did he get on board? We’re at warp,” said (Y/N), in surprise (and impressed).

            Spock furrowed his brow and pressed the comms button. “Security, seal the engineering deck. We have intruders in turbine section three. Set phasers to stun.”

            The security cameras showed officers coming to get Kirk and his new friend. They responded by running, but with the deck sealed, there wasn’t much they could do, so they were caught and dragged to the bridge where everyone stared at the soaking wet men.

            Were they in the water turbines? thought (Y/N).

            “Who are you?” said Spock, looking at Scotty.

            “Uh, Scott? I’m with him,” said Scotty, nodding to Kirk.

            “He’s with me,” said Kirk.

            “We’re traveling at warp speed. How did you manage to beam aboard this ship?” questioned Spock.

            “You’re the genius, you figure it out,” shot back Kirk.

            (Y/N) blinked. His emotions were filled with the anger they had been before. Is he…trying to rile up Spock? What good would that do him?

            “As Acting Captain of this vessel, I order you to answer the question,” said Spock.

            “Well, I’m not telling, Acting Captain,” retorted Kirk. “What di….What, now, that doesn’t frustrate you, does it? My lack of cooperation. That-that doesn’t make you angry?”

            Spock ignored Kirk and looked at Scotty. “Are you a member of Starfleet?”

            “I, um, yes. Can I get a towel, please?” asked Scotty awkwardly.

            (Y/N) tilted their head. Scotty seemed uncomfortable, but he didn’t seem surprised about the confrontation going on. What were those two thinking? Were they planning something? Who really was Scotty? Why was he helping Kirk?

            Something had happened while Kirk was gone. There was so much more focus in his mind.

            “Under penalty of court martial, I order you to explain to me how you were able to beam aboard this ship while moving at warp,” commanded Spock.

            “Well—”

            “Don’t answer him,” said Kirk.

            “You will answer me,” reiterated Spock.

            “I’d rather not take sides,” said Scotty as nervous emotions flittered through his aura.

            “What is it with you, Spock? Hm?” Kirk took a step closer to Spock. “Your planet was just destroyed, your mother and best friend nearly murdered, and you’re not even upset.” He followed (Y/N) Prime’s advice: challenge his feelings towards those he did care about.

            (Y/N) sucked in a breath and stood, their own anger flaring at the disrespect and callousness of the words directed at Spock. “Kirk!” they said, but Spock raised a hand to tell them to stand back, and (Y/N) bit their tongue, still furious.

            “If you’re presuming that these experiences in any way impede my ability to command this ship, you are mistaken,” said Spock, words still carefully monotone.

            “And yet you were the one who said fear was necessary for command,” said Kirk, still pushing at Spock. “Did you see his ship? Did you see what he did?”

            “Yes, of course I did,” said Spock curtly.

            “So, are you afraid or aren’t you?” challenged Kirk.

            “I will not allow you to lecture me about the merits of emotion,” said Spock, tone clipped in a way only (Y/N) noticed.

            Their brow creased in worry for Spock’s state of mind. The situation was hard enough without Kirk pushing him, trying to get him to react.

            “Then why don’t you stop me,” said Kirk, again stepping closer.

            “Step away from me,” said Spock, his tone not a warning but a statement. Anything he felt was still contained.

            “What is it like not to feel anger or heartbreak or the need to stop at nothing to avenge the threat to the life of the woman who gave birth to you, of the only person who actually acts like your friend?” said Kirk, voice low and cold.

            “Back away from me…” said Spock, tone low, and (Y/N) took a step towards the pair. They didn’t like where this was heading.

            “You feel nothing! It must not even compute for you!” said Kirk. “You never loved her or cared about them!”

            Spock let out a cry of anger and swung at Kirk. He stumbled back, and Spock attacked him again, throwing him onto a console and grabbing for his neck. The sudden swarm of anger and sadness made (Y/N)’s head spin. The intensity of Spock’s emotions surged outwards with his loss of control.

            “Spock!” said (Y/N), running forward to pull him off Kirk. Spock froze as their hands pulled him back, the feeling of their presence in the midst of his loss of control causing shame to run through him. (Y/N) held him still as Spock took several deep breaths, the heat of fury still running through his veins. “Kirk, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

            “I’m doing what I have to,” said Kirk.

            Upon hearing his voice, Spock tried to step forward again, and (Y/N) knew if he attacked, they couldn’t hold back his Vulcan strength.

            “Spock,” said a firm voice.

            Everyone froze and stared at the newcomer on the bridge. It was Sarek, Spock’s father. Spock straightened and immediately tried to compose himself. (Y/N) let go of him and stepped back respectfully. Sarek gazed at Spock, who averted his eyes.

            “I…am no longer fit for duty,” he said, voice tight. “I hereby relinquish my command, based on the fact that I have been emotionally compromised. Please note the time and date in the ship’s log.”

            (Y/N)’s eyes softened, and they fought the urge to follow Spock to check on him as he left. Sarek followed. It seemed the father and son (and likely Amanda would join them) were going to discuss all that had occurred.

            “You want to go after him, don’t you?” said Uhura quietly. “I can cover you if you’d like.”

            (Y/N) shook their head. “No. He needs time with his family. But…I will check on him after if he doesn’t return to working.” Because then something will be really wrong.

            Uhura nodded and squeezed (Y/N)’s shoulder in consolation.

            “I like this ship!” said Scotty brightly. “You know, it’s exciting.”

            “Well, congratulations, Jim,” said Bones with considerable less friendliness and a good helping of sarcasm. “Now we’ve got no Captain and no goddamn first officer to replace him.”

            “Yeah we do,” said Kirk, sitting down in the Captain’s chair.

            “What?” said Bones.

            “Pike made him first officer,” said Sulu.

            Was that…to become Captain? (Y/N) furrowed their brow. Just how much was Kirk planning? He had so much focus and intentional strategy. Something had definitely changed on Delta Vega.

            “You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Bones, staring.

            “Thanks for the support, Bones,” said Kirk.

            “I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Captain,” said Uhura, narrowing her eyes.

            (Y/N) moved back towards their station and paused behind the Captain’s chair. “This better have been for a reason.”

            “It was,” said Kirk, and his sincerity was startling. Then, he focused on the comms and began an announcement. “Attention crew of the Enterprise, this is James Kirk. Mister Spock has resigned commission and advanced me to Acting Captain. I know you were all expecting to regroup with the fleet, but I’m ordering a pursuit course of the enemy ship to Celia. I want all departments at battle stations and ready in ten minutes.” His gaze was set and defiant as he looked out at the stars on the viewscreen. “Either we’re going down or they are. Kirk out.”

Taglist:

@a-ofzest

@grippleback-galaxy

@genderfluid-anime-goth

@groovy-lady

@im-making-an-effort

@unending-screaming

@h-l-vlovesvintage

@neenieweenie

@keylimeconstellation

@wormwig

@technikerin23

@ilyatan

@nthdarkqueen

@kyalov

@starlit-cass

[ficfinder-general]

I'm new to Codywan. Doyou have a list of Must Reads or Fandom Classics or anything like that? (Bonus points for longfic!)

Funnily enough, I'm not sure I'm an expert on Fandom Classics, but I do think that the long Clone Wars rewrites/fix-its are a perfect way to start! (And then you can move on to shorter fics and crazy AUs haha) So these are all longer, and can be fit into TCW continuity, even if they diverge at some point because the writers can't help themselves and will fix canon (as they should).

{recs under the cut, please mind the tags listed on ao3}

in our hearts some ancient song by whimsicalimages (@keensers)- Fives discovers the chips, he's on the run and gambles his life on the assumption that there's something going on between Cody and his general, so they would help him. Some amazing lore in this fic. 40k words

Golden Shield of Brightness by NerJetii (@nerjetii)- Soulmate AU, your soulmates' (romantic and platonic) names are written on your wrists. "Only" 15k, but I would recommend it even if you're not a fan of soulmate AUs (=they don't fall into each other's arms just because they're soulmates). Focuses on Obi-Wan, mostly, but we also learn a bit about how the Kaminoans treated the clones.

I am teaching myself how to be free by tattooedgreenhouse (@gershwyndl) - this might be THE Clone Wars rewrite for me because the author has taken upon themselves to literally retell the whole series from Cody's AND Obi-Wan's POV. It's ambitious, I'm pretty sure it's technically canon compliant, but we do get our happy ending. Appropriately, it's 113k long.

i'll orbit your flickering star by sunskippa (@sunskippa) - Also a Clone Wars rewrite (by this I mean that it goes through the events of the series from Cody's POV), also canon compliant, 78k words. Might be my favourite ending in the genre, beautiful. I don't even know how to sell this, but it's a must-read imo

|to failure sweet victor| by littlekaracan (@cillyscribbles)- 20k words. In case you've read all those rewrites and you just want to skip to the part where Cody leaves the Empire and they find each other again on Tatooine *with a twist*

you read my mind, I'll read yours series by sospes - This is very much canon divergent. Starts off as a mission fic, Cody and Obi-Wan discover an artefact that creates a Force-bond between them. Misunderstandings ensue. Look at the tags/ratings, some of the works later on are spicier/angstier. But you could also read the first one and call it a day if those aren't your jam. (The whole thing is 166k long at the moment.)

will you be an anarchist with me? by a_alene (@birdiedoessw) - an outsider POV (Rex's) on Cody's and Obi-Wan's relationship. With the extra twist that they can't stand each other at the beginning of the war. This is something I would've loved to read when I was getting into codywan, it's a great way to start. (25k words)

shoulder the sky series by Night Fury (@shootingstarpilot) - Last but not least, an ongoing series (all but two works are finished, more than 200k words atm). You'll have to "get through" the first work to read the more codywan-focused fics (and I don't mean this in a bad way because the story is a m a z i n g. Just so you know.) To be honest, I think it might be a bit confusing to read at the moment because as far as I can see a work was removed from the series, but it's still up? I'm not sure what happened there, but I suppose you could simply read all the author's works in chronological order :D This series is pretty much Obi-Wan AND clone troopers focused and relies a lot on the Jedi Apprentice series (which isn't canon anymore) but you're gonna be fine if you haven't read it.

(If anyone reads this, please feel free to add your own suggestions!)

[dira333]

A little boring isn't all that bad

Scotty x Reader

Request: “Are you SURE I can’t punch him in the face?” “Yes.” “What if I just break his nose a little?”

Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott has worked with many people through the years. He’s had his fair share of boneheads, may it be teachers that wouldn’t believe in him or his ideas or subordinates who liked to doubt every single one of his decisions.

He’s worked with lots of people. Some of them he liked and some of them he even fancied and when he meets you for the first time, it’s not that special, at least he’d like to think of it that way.

You’re one of hundreds of newbies that have stepped out of the academy and onto their respective Ships. You’re smart, but that’s no surprise. You wouldn’t be on the Enterprise of all ships if it were different. And Scotty likes to make sure that he doesn’t have to work with more boneheads than necessary as long as he is the Chief Engineer.

What makes you stand out from the others, perhaps, is the smile edged on your face as you walk through the hallways. It’s bright and inviting and as you talk to one of your peers, he can see that it’s infective.

Maybe you like new beginnings.

Two months into their mission and three extremely annoying and nerve wracking training courses with the newbies later he realizes that your smile is a permanent feature.

He’s seen you jump out of your room in the middle of the gamma shift for a night training - you had smiled at him, hair disheveled, wearing your shirt the wrong way.

He’s seen you wobble down the catwalk with a hand pressed to a deep cut on your arm. The smile is there, shaky maybe, but still edged onto your lips.

And he can’t help to be intrigued.

But he’s the Chief Engineer and he tries not to pry into the lives of the ones that work under him. He’s never liked it when people tried to do that with him either.

It’s not until five months into their mission that he learns one important clue.

.

It’s time for a shore leave. Everyone is buzzing with excitement and as he walks down the catwalk for a last check-up, he runs into you.

The smile on your face has light up, something he hasn’t even thought to be possible. You’re practically beaming right now.

“Excited to go on a break?” He asks and your head bobs up and down as you nod.

“I’m meeting up with my significant other,” you ramble as you walk alongside him, “Haven’t seen him in months. Are you meeting family too? I’ve heard Dr. McCoy’s meeting some closer family members. Apparently he’s almost happy today.”

He listens to you talk and feels the weight of disappointment settle in his guts, surprising him with how much he must have hoped for a chance with you.

He forces himself to make small talk with you, ask you questions, smiles at you. He doesn’t want you to notice anything. It’s not your fault that he’s managed to develop a crush on you.

He can only hope that your partner knows how lucky they are to be the one who sets a smile like that on your lips.

.

He makes it his mission to not spend his break in misery.

He goes out with Keenser and drinks until he no longer cares about the brightness of your smile.

But the next day when he walks out of the little apartment they’ve given him during shore leave, he walks into you. And your smile is gone.

Your eyes are red, your face is pale and your lips are stretched into a wobbly line as if you might start to cry again.

And he knows that not even the shower he’s had has taken away all of last nights smell, that his hair looks like he’s been standing too close to an explosion and his shirt is wrinkled at best, but he can’t just let you walk away when you’re looking like this.

“Hey,” he puts a hand on your shoulder and faces the insecurity in your wide eyes, “Do you want to talk about it?”

You break out in tears instead and he holds you in the small, unlit hallway as you sob, unable to speak.

.

And later, when he’s managed to get you to eat and drink something - fruits and a cup of tea, even though he would have liked something stronger instead - you start to speak, unable to stop.

It all ends in a broken relationship, a broken promise, a broken trust. And tears. Lots and lots of tears.

He lets out a breath that sounds more like a heavy sigh.

“I’ll punch him in the face,” he declares and it doesn’t matter that the person of question is a highly trained security officer, he’s still pretty handy when he wants to be.

You laugh. It’s short and a little bit strained, but it’s the first step back to that bright smile on your face.

“You can’t punch him in the face.”

“But are you SURE I can’t punch him in the face?”

“Yes.”

“What if I just break his nose a little?”

You laugh again, louder this time and you stretch out one hand and rest it on his shoulder and he would be lying if this simple touch didn’t mean the world to him.

“No, Mr. Scott, you can’t even break his nose a little.”

“That is boring,” he tells you with a smile that you reciprocate.

And maybe it is boring, how you sit in his room in shared silence for a while, how you move on to spend your shore leave in that same shared sense of quiet comfiness, but he’s happy and as he sees that smile on your face grow and light up again, he knows you’re happy too.

How foolish of him to think that any other person but you yourself could put that smile on your face.

But as shore leave ends and everyone moves to get back on the ship, your paths cross more often than they used to.

And when your hand slips into his one day and he feels your smile on his lips, he thinks, that maybe, just maybe, a little bit boring isn’t all that bad.

[geminiwritten]

game night ; bones

fandom: star trek

pairing: bones x reader

summary: after accidentally injuring yourself, you refuse to go to MedBay before attending a games night with the crew and your favourite grumpy (and very jealous) doctor

notes: this is bad!!! i am very sorry!!! i didn’t want to abandon it, so i forced myself to finish and it took several days, it is very disjointed, but i hope readable? let me know what you think!

important -

in this fic, the crew play pool (or billiard) but i am australian and to avoid confusion (because we probably play it differently / wrong, and i am not a professional lol) here are some notes:

the balls with the band of colour (more white) are called ‘bigs’ and the full colour balls are called ‘smalls’

you get a second shot if you sink one of your own balls

your opponent gets two shots if you sink the white ball

word count: 5363 (oops)

“Shit,” you snatch your hand away from the machinery in front of you, shaking it as if the movement would rid you of the hot stinging sensation spreading through your fingers. You look at your gloves and curse again, finding all four of the material fingertips burnt through.

“Are you okay?” Clarke, one of the newer lieutenants on board, asks as he approaches your workbench. He’s very handsome, with sandy blond hair and bright green eyes, there were five people in this room alone that would sell a kidney for just one date with him. You, on the other hand, had forgotten about his existence less than ten seconds after he handed you the tool you’d asked for this morning.

You snatch the gloves off and stare at the hot pink flesh of your fingers, “Fine, just frustrated.”

He gingerly grabs your hand, turning it toward himself, “come over here, you need cold water.”

He tows you toward the large trough across the lab, where a spread of tools and parts were waiting to be washed or drying out on the nearby benchtops. You spot a small square contained with several labels reading ‘KEENSER’S LUNCH – DO NOT EAT’ in a variety of languages, and you can’t help but giggle. The little alien was yet to find out that it was best friend Mr. Scott always stealing his food.

Clarke turns on the faucet and checks that the water is cool before pulling your hand under it. You only realise then how close you are to him, and that his eyes aren’t just green but have little flecks of gold in them, and that there are several sets of eyes glaring at you from across the room.

“Thanks,” you say, though you can’t help acknowledging the fact that you were more than capable of doing this by yourself.

“I’m no doctor,” he chuckles softly, “but you should probably go to MedBay.”

Your heart feels like it flips in your chest, sending a woozy amount of blood to your head and undoubtedly turning your cheeks pink. “I-I think I’m good, but thanks again.” You pull your hand away and dry it gently on the front of your uniform.

“What’ve ya done now’?” Scotty asks, walking toward you with a comical amount of greasy fluid smeared across his face.

“Nothing, just accidentally-”

“Touched a soldering iron,” Clarke interrupts, and though you know it’s out of concern you can’t help the indignant scowl that settles between your brows.

“I’m fine,” you say.

Scotty glances at your hand, and instead of expressing concern his lips curl into a cheeky grin, “think ya need to go to MedBay, angel.”

From the corner of your eye, you see Clarke do double-take at the affectionate nickname.

“No, I’m fine,” you repeat.

“I can take her?” the lieutenant offers, at which your frown deepens.

“Can I just go back to my quarters?” you ask Scotty, “I just need a plaster.”

Scotty nods, “it’s well past ya finish time anyway.”

You smile politely at Clarke before turning back to your workstation and haphazardly untying your apron with one hand. Scotty begins packing up your tools before you can, and you know it’s his way of showing concern, but you still frown.

“I’ll see ya later, then?” he says as you turn to exit.

“Tonight?”

“Game night,” he replies, “the capt’n got that old pool table in workin’ order, remember?”

You vaguely remember being cornered by Jim yesterday afternoon after yet another lengthy shift, and being ordered to attend a night of drinks and shenanigans since the ship was going to be in friendly space for the next few days.

“Right, uh, do you know who else is coming?” you ask.

Scotty’s grin returns, “the usual.”

You narrow your eyes and open your mouth to demand he elaborate when Clarke cuts you off, “did you say a pool table? I love that game, my dad had one when I was little.”

“Oh, then you should come along lieutenant,” Scotty says, “the more the merrier.”

Your head aches with the effort that it takes not to roll your eyes. “Great,” you say, “then I’ll see you both later, now if you’ll excuse me, I need to shower.”

You reach the turbolift and step inside, thanking the universe for its speed when you arrive on the upper-most floor containing crew quarters in less than a few seconds. The familiar corridor leads you to your room, where you sigh dramatically as you kick off your shoes and wrestle out of your red shirt. Your hand stings when you step under the hot water of the shower, so you have to hold it out while you awkwardly wash your hair and body. Sitting on your bed in only a towel, you rummage through your personal medical kit for some plasters to wrap your fingers. You try desperately to recall even an ounce of your first aid training but unfortunately, there was always one huge distraction that prevented you from ever learning anything when it came to medical training. A distraction that happened to be the very doctor who was attempting to teach you.

You lay in your towel for longer than necessary, flipping through data on your PADD and absently watching the time until you decide to get dressed. Eventually you pull on a pair of denim shorts and an old Starfleet Academy shirt before snatching a hair tie from the table beside your bed and slipping into your sneakers. The crew commons are located only two floors above you, where the rec rooms resides behind the huge cafeteria and kitchen. You can hear the sounds of laughter and conversation before you even reach the end of the corridor.

“Look who finally decided to join us!” Jim exclaims the second he spots you; his steps are unsteady and his grin is wide, he’s already very tipsy.

“Hey Captain,” you giggle, “you look merry.”

Nyota bounds toward you and wraps her arms around your neck, “oh, thank goodness you’re here, I’m losing.”

Behind her you can see the pool table situated between the bar and a cluster of low, blue sofas. “Nyota Uhura losing a game? That’s unheard of.”

“I know,” she gasps, handing you a drink, “now catch up and let’s kick some butt.”

Before you can take a sip, Jim hands you a small glass of clear liquid, “first, you have to do a shot, it’s a rule.”

You roll your eyes before swigging from the little glass. It burns your tongue and the back of your throat, spreading a fire through your chest as it descends to your stomach. “Holy shit, what is that?”

He chuckles, “no idea, something Chekov picked up a few planets ago.”

You cringe and down half the bottle of your drink in an attempt to quell the burn.

“Y/N!”

You tip the bottle back down and find Clarke standing right where Nyota had been. “Hey,” your voice is raspy, still recovering from the shot.

He chuckles, “are you okay?”

“Yeah, that was just-”

“I know, the captain made us all do one when we got here.”

Jim grins and smacks a hand on Clarke’s shoulder, “you didn’t tell me you were making friends down in the engine room, angel.”

You roll your eyes once again and swap your now empty bottle with the full one in Jim’s hand, “maybe you should stop talking before I stick a pool cue up your ass, Captain.”

His eyes narrow at your sweet smile, “we’ll see who ends up with a pool cue up their ass tonight.”

“Gross,” you giggle as he turns around, and you follow him toward the pool table with Clarke in tow.

Sulu, Scotty, and Keenser are surrounding the table, arguing about whether or not Keenser was cheating while a couple of Nyota’s friends watch in amusement. Chekov is seated on one of the low sofas along with three other young lieutenants you’d only met once or twice, and Spock is standing alone by the back wall, no doubt assessing the physics of the game in front of him. Your heart practically leaps into your throat when you spot the doctor, sat on a barstool beside Spock with his arms crossed over his chest and the usual frown set between his brows.

Your feet forget how to move in coordination and you stumble forward, but Clarke is quick to catch you. His arms wrap around your shoulders and steady you before helping you upright. “Thanks,” you say, as you look up to find his green eyes much too close for the second time today.

He smiles boyishly, “you’re a little accident prone, aren’t you?”

You nod and brush yourself off, glancing over his shoulder at the stool beside Spock, now empty.

“Come on, angel, stop flirting and let’s play,” Jim calls, now in possession of the pool cue Sulu had been holding.

Keenser hands you the other cue when you reach the table, before turning back to Scotty and launching right back into their argument.

“Hey,” Clarke says, still beside you, “I’ve been meaning to ask, why does everyone keep calling you angel?”

Sulu stops in his pursuit to the bar, with a wide grin stretched across his lips “because have you ever seen anyone who looks more like they fell from heaven? She’s gorgeous.” He stops to kiss your cheek and take the empty bottle from your hand. “Another?”

You nod, “thanks, Sulu.”

“Well, that is true,” Clarke’s cheeks turn a pale shade of pink, “you are gorgeous.”

Unsure of what to say you simply smile and step up to the table, watching Jim arrange the balls inside the plastic triangle. “Are you sure you know how to play, angel?” he smirks.

“Are you sure you know how to play, Captain?”

He lines the white ball up with the chalk marker and gestures to you, “ladies first.”

You poke your tongue out at him before taking your stance and leaning over the table. As you place your hand on the felt to line up the cue, pain ripples through your fingers and you can’t help but cringe.

“Are you okay?” Clarke asks again, and you begin to wonder if those were his first words.

“I’m fine.” You regain your focus and bite your cheek to ignore the pain in your fingers, and when you draw the cue back to take the shot, you notice blood seeping through the plasters. Oops.

Despite your injury, you break the triangle perfectly and the balls scatter across the table. One finds its way into the corner pocket, eliciting a cheer from your audience of crewmates and a little squeal from yourself.

“Suck it, Kirk,” you move around the table, “smalls are mine.”

You position yourself for the next shot, stretching onto your toes and leaning halfway across the table in order to properly reach the white ball. You draw the cue back just as a figure steps into view on the other side of the table, your heart leaps once again and your aim falters. The cue hits the ball way off centre and sends it wobbling across the green felt. “Damn it.”

Jim chuckles, “what happened, angel? Your first shot was so good!” His eyes dart from you, to the doctor, and back.

“You suck,” you say, stepping back and holding the cue upright.

With everyone watching Jim’s move intently, you take the chance to glance at your fingers. Pain is pulsing steadily through your hand, nothing excruciating but certainly uncomfortable, and blood blots the white plasters.

Clarke moves to your side once again, “do you need to go to MedBay, or we can ask Dr-”

“Seriously, Clarke, I’m fine,” you say, “I don’t want to bug Dr. McCoy on his night off.” You look over at the man in question, his expression grumpier than usual as his eyes bore into you, but the moment you meet his gaze he looks away. In fact, he turns his entire body and moves toward Spock, who is standing quietly beside Nyota.

“You’re up,” Jim says, drawing your attention back to the game.

You struggle to focus on your shot, your mind replaying the doctor’s face over and over, and wondering why he could possibly be angry with you. It was strange that he hadn’t come to see you yet, to talk to you, it has been a while since you’ve all hung out together like this and you miss him.

You take your shot and somehow sink a ball, and on your second shot you manage to position the white ball in the most inconvenient place for Jim. “I think I may have underestimated you,” he says as he steps forward, wearing a smirk.

After offering Jim a brief but cheeky grin, you decide to make the first move with Leonard. Not in that way, though you did wish you could, but you decide to approach him first and find out if he really is angry with you and if so, what the hell did you do.

You first retrieve two drinks from the bar before sliding up beside him, once again seated in the bar stool beside Spock. “Hey McCoy, thirsty?”

Relief washes over you in a big hot wave when he looks up and his expression breaks into a grin. You’re positive your cheeks have turned beet red, but you don’t care, Leonard McCoy is grinning at you as if you’re the sole reason for his happiness and that’s enough to make you dizzy. Could you imagine if you actually did kiss this man, or sleep with him? You’d probably going into cardiac arrest. Good thing he’s a doctor.

“Hey, angel,” the nickname from his lips is so different than from anyone else’s, and it makes your heart thump even louder in your ears. He takes the drink from your hand and his fingers brush yours, making you wince. His face falls, immediately wondering if he had done something more than take an offered drink or if you were just uncomfortable with his touch – which hurts to think –, but then he notices your plaster-wrapped fingers.

“Y/N,” his voice is a warning, and the fact that he’s using your real name is enough to make you cower... and turn you on a little bit, but that’s something to unpack later.

You hide your injured hand behind your back, “Doctor.”

He stands from the stool and easily towers over you as you begin retreating toward the pool table. “What did you do to your hand?”

At that moment you hear your name called from behind and thank the universe for its timing. “Nothing, Doctor,” you reply, “now if you’ll excuse me.”

You turn quickly and begin hurriedly assessing the arrangement on the table before electing to stay on the side of the table with your back to the grumpy doctor. You bend over and try not to cringe when you position your injured hand on the felt, but the pain is only brief before you realise that you’re fully bent over right in front of Leonard. You’ve dreamt about this more times than you care to admit.

Deciding that you’ve already dug your grave, you might as well lie in it too, you arch your back and stretch a little further, feeling your shorts ride up your thighs. You draw the cue back and take the shot, sending one of your balls and one of Jim’s sailing into opposite corner pockets.

Jim chuckles, “thanks for that, angel.”

“Shut up,” you mutter, as you step around the table.

You can see Leonard now, and his face is a mask of practiced calm, but you know him too well to believe it. That man is undoubtedly flustered. You try not to giggle audibly as you lean down to take your second shot, but the distracting doctor clouds your mind and your aim is completely ruined. The white ball sails across the table without hitting a single other ball.

“Fuck!” you exclaim, at which everyone laughs.

Jim smirks, “what’s wrong, Y/N? Distracted?”

It takes all of your self-control not to throw the pool cue javelin-style across the table. “Get on with it, Kirk.”

You want to talk to Leonard again, but you can feel the plasters on your fingers growing damp with blood.  He was always weird when you got injured, almost panicky despite being a doctor who deals with literal catastrophes on almost a daily basis. You didn’t doubt he would shred you for hurting yourself and not going straight to MedBay, though in your defence you definitely didn’t think the burns were bad enough to blister and bleed.

“Did you want a few pointers?” Clarke asks, almost startling you with how suddenly he’d appeared beside you.

You frown, “with what?”

“The game,” he gestures toward the pool table.

“Oh, uh,” the lieutenant looks like a puppy dog, with wide eyes and a small pout, practically begging you to find him attractive. There are two women across the room wearing matching piercing glares, and you can’t help feeling obliged to accept his help. “Sure.”

He beams with self-confidence and follows you around the table as Jim announces that it’s once again your turn. Thankfully, most of the group has begun to lose interest in the game, settling back into the sofas or going to retrieve more drinks. You can even see Chekov and Sulu playing an intense game of Jenga at the bar.

“Okay, so you want to get a little lower, get your eyes in line with the shot,” Clarke says in your ear, and you start to wonder if this man has any sense of personal space. “Relax a little, you shouldn’t have to arch your back so much.”

You can’t stop yourself from giggling as it bubbles up, but Clarke pays no mind as he practically smothers you with his body to ‘help’ your game.

“Come on, angel,” Jim chuckles, “stop flirting and get on with it.”

Your head snaps toward him and if looks could kill, Jim would be a pile of ash on the ground. At the same time you look toward your captain, Clarke moves your arm to take the shot, since he’s practically controlling your body right now. The aim is way off with you once again distracted, and the white ball haphazardly knocks into a few other balls before sinking into a pocket itself.

You stand abruptly and take several steps away from Clarke. “Damn you, Jim, that’s completely your fault,” you say, pointing at the table.

“Hey,” he puts one hand up in surrender while the other holds his drink, “there were two people controlling that shot and neither of them were me.”

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” Clarke says, “I didn’t realise you weren’t ready, that’s totally my fault.”

You wave a hand, “don’t worry about it.”

Eager to shake the lieutenant you rush to the bar to get another drink, where you coincidentally find your favourite doctor. “Bones,” you greet him again, holding your injured hand behind your back.

He nods, handing you a bottle before taking an unnecessarily large step back, “so- uh, you and that lieutenant, huh? Jim didn’t tell me you were seeing someone.”

You begin shaking your head before he’s even finished his sentence, “no, no, I- um, I’m not dating that guy, at all. Actually, I barely know him, he just started kind of following me around today, and it’s really weird but I’m too polite to tell him to leave me alone, that’s it.”

Bones frowns, “oh, well- I mean, it’s not really any of my business, so you don’t have to explain yourself to me.”

“Oh,” you nod once, “noted, sorry.”

His words weren’t cruel but you couldn’t help from hearing a bitter undertone. Something about the way he spoke made you feel stupid, and almost irrelevant, like he asked you a question just to be polite and there you were ranting and raving like an oversharing child.

“Wait, Y/N, I didn’t-” his words are cut short, but by what you don’t know as you were already halfway back to the pool table and halfway through the drink you’d only just received.

Jim quickly notices your frown and stops you before you can get to where the white ball is. “Are you okay? What did he say to you?” he asks.

“Nothing, I was just rambling,” you reply, “and I could tell he was getting annoyed so I left him alone.” You wave your hand dismissively, which somehow actually gets Jim to shut up, because he freezes mid-thought and doesn’t move to stop you from walking past.

You drain the rest of the bottle in your hand and discard it on a nearby table before getting ready for your shot. You lean over the table and rest the cue on your hand, the slight amount of alcohol you’ve consumed is only making your aim a little wonky, but you confidently draw the cue and strike the white ball. Shockingly, two of your own balls manage to find the same pocket and sink with a satisfying clunk.

“Did you see that?” you exclaim, turning to Jim only to find him staring blankly at the tabletop. “Are you absolutely stunned at my incredibly skills?”

“Damnit, Y/N,” Leonard says, startling you as he appears beside you and grabs your hand.

You wince as the sting from the pressure and movement ripples up your arm, and only then do you notice that the plasters are completely soaked with blood. “Oh,” you frown and inspect your hand, “that’s weird.”

“What the hell have you done?” he pulls your hand closer to his face and gently prods your middle finger.

You gasp, “ouch!”

The doctor’s frown deepens, and he turns to his best friend, “game’s over, she’s coming with me.”

Despite the situation, Jim still smirks, “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” He winks as Bones rolls his eyes and tows you out of the room.

You’re a little too scared to speak as he rushes you down the hall and into the turbolift, but as the doors slide closed you realise that he’s basically been holding your hand this whole time. You try desperately to rationalise with yourself and remind yourself that he’s a doctor and your friend, and he’s just doing his job, but the stupid butterflies in your stomach continue to flutter restlessly.

“How did you do it?” he asks, his frown finally softening.

He’s standing right beside you, touching you in several places and your brain struggles to function. “When I fell from heaven?” you ask, and you’re not sure if it’s the alcohol or nerves, but you start giggling.

He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, but you can still see a tiny smirk underneath his hand. “No, angel, I’m not hitting on you right now, I need to know how you hurt your hand.”

“You’re not hitting on me right now, but you will later?”

Bones freezes, his expression torn between frustration and amusement as he considers whether or not the alcohol is influencing your words or not. “If you tell me how you hurt yourself,” he says, “I’ll flirt with you later.”

You grin, and it almost knocks all the air out of his lungs, “promise?”

“I promise.”

The lift’s doors ease open and you recognise the familiar MedBay as Doctor McCoy leads you toward it. It’s quieter than usual and you realise then that it’s actually been a while since anything had gone wrong or blown up. Jim really is getting good and being captain.

Leonard sits you on an empty bed, a hand on each shoulder, as he drags one of the medical carts over with his foot. “Do you want anaesthetic?” he asks.

You scoff, “it’s just a burn, Doctor, I’m not going into labour.”

He chuckles as he begins to unwrap the blood soaked plasters, “so it’s a burn?”

“Yep, soldering iron.”

“Why weren’t you wearing gloves?” his frown returns, “I’m going to kill Scotty, if he-”

In your lightheaded stupor, you press your free hand to his cheek and whisper, “I was wearing gloves.”

“What? Then how did you-”

“Don’t know,” you shrug, “this stupid part has been breaking every a week for almost three months, and every time I have to fix it, it just gets more and more stubborn. It doesn’t want to fuse together.”

“What part?” he asks as he sets the bloody wraps aside.

You glance down at your hand and see nothing but swollen pink flesh and blood; if you were sober, you’d probably have passed out by now. “One of the little filtering chambers from the main deuterium pipeline.”

“Deuterium?” he repeats, angrier than before, “Damnit, Y/N.”

The next thing you know, he’s pressing you back until you’re lying on the bed. A nurse hurries over at his call and then there’s a hypo in your neck. The room starts to blur, but the doctor remains in perfect focus as you fight your heavy eyelids, willing yourself to stay awake.

“It’s okay, angel, you’ll only be out for a minute,” he brushes your hair off your face as you finally lose the fight with the anaesthesia.

Your hand still hurts when you wake up, and you have to blink a few times to get your eyes to focus. The spinning in your head hasn’t stopped and when you sit up to see the grumpy doctor, you still want to giggle. “Hey Bones,” you emphasise his nickname, and you can swear you saw his scowl falter.

“You practically poisoned yourself,” he shakes his head as he carefully packs his equipment away, “deuterium is deadly in the best of cases, but in the bloodstream? You’d have been dead in a day if you didn’t bleed out first. Did it not concern you that the blisters were bleeding? I mean, sure blisters bleed occasionally but not that much, angel.”

Your desire to giggle is dampened and you swing your legs over the side of the bed so you can shuffle closer to the doctor. “I’m sorry,” you say, “I honestly didn’t think about the deuterium contamination, which makes a lot of sense because the filtering chambers are usually one solid piece, not two halves, so whoever installed that is going to get their asshole rip-”

Bones’ laughter stops your rant, and you’re forced to marvel at just how gorgeous this man really is.

“If I knew it was serious, I would have come straight to you,” you say as he helps you off the bed. Your feet are only a little unsteady and your head still dizzy, but that you blame on the ridiculously handsome man in front of you.

“I told you it was serious,” a voice calls from the corridor, and you turn to find Clarke entering the MedBay.

“Great,” Bones mutters, dropping something metal onto the metal tray and making a loud clang before wheeling the cart away.

Clarke walks right up to you and grabs your hand, “how are you feeling?”

“Fine,” you pull your hand back, “like I’ve been telling you all night.”

He chuckles, but it’s awkward, “you’re lucky Dr. McCoy is so good at his job.”

You don’t see it, but you hear Bones scoff, and that’s when your foggy brain finally manages to put two and two together. You almost gasp, but quickly mask it with a deep breath. He’s… jealous.

“He is the single best person aboard this ship,” you say, trying to ignore the warmth pooling in your cheeks. If it wasn’t for the alcohol still coursing through your blood and probably a little of the anaesthetic, you know you’d never have the guts to be so forward.

“The single best?” Clarke asks. You almost feel sorry for the guy, attempting to remain light-hearted as if he could convince himself that the way he saw you looking at the doctor was something platonic.

“Single best,” you repeat, at which Bones can’t help but smirk.

Clarke chuckles awkwardly again before gesturing toward the turbolift, “did you want to go back? The others are still playing and I’m sure they’ll be excited to see you’ve survived.”

“I guess,” you look back at Bones, “are you coming?”

He nods, “yeah, I’ll just finish packing up here. You two go ahead.”

Clarke tugs on your hand and you reluctantly follow him into the corridor and toward the lift. The doors open and you step inside, subtly pulling your hand out of his and trying to create more of a distance between the two of you.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks again.

You sigh, “yes, I am. I just-” he looks like a puppy dog, and you almost feel ungrateful for what you’re about to say. “Clarke, you’re really cool, and I’m sorry if I have completely misread the situation and if what I’m about to say is totally wrong, but I’m just not into you the way you want me to be.”

His face falls, and guilt washes over you, but then the doors of the lift begin to beep angrily as you stand between them preventing them from closing.

“Y/N, I-”

“I’m sorry,” you interrupt him and step back into the corridor, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The doors close and the lift begins its ascent. You take half a second to swallow your guilt before turning around and practically running back to the MedBay. Bones is almost exactly where you left him, though instead of cleaning up the mess he’d made while helping you, he was leaning against the bench with his face in his hands and letting out a long sigh.

“Am I that exhausting?” you ask.

He startles, but a smile quickly breaks across his face when he sees you, “you scared me, angel.”

“Sorry,” you cross the room as you speak, “I just couldn’t leave you to clean up after me, it didn’t seem fair.”

He chuckles, but its short, “what about your boyfriend? I don’t want to ruin-”

“Gross, no.”

“No?” he frowns.

You shake your head, “seriously, no, he’s not my type.”

“You have a type?” his lips quirk into a smirk.

“Yep,” you’re standing beside him now, facing him and leaning your hip on the bench, “I prefer brunettes.”

He rubs a hand down his face, as if trying to wipe away his grin, “well, I’m sure there are plenty of willing brunette lieutenants down in engineering.”

“Not my type either,” you say, unabashedly studying the doctor’s profile as you stand so close.

He chuckles, properly, and it makes your stomach flip, “so lieutenants aren’t your type?”

“Not that part,” you reply, “you said ‘willing’ but my type is more unwilling. You know, the avoidant, sarcastic, grumpy type.”

He sighs again, as if it’s taking all of his strength to remain composed, but he finally turns to you and you can feel his breath on your neck as he speaks. “Is that so?”

You nod, “yep, and you know what else?”

You’re both leaning in, and the air between you is electric. “What else, angel?”

“I’m a sucker for doctors.”

That’s enough for Leonard. He closes the distance before you can take a breath and presses his mouth against yours. It’s rushed, but sweet, and your bodies snap together like two magnets. Your arms wrap around his neck as his circle your waist and squeeze, making your heart race impossibly fast. When you pull apart, reluctantly, your vision blurs and your head spins, and you realise that the only reason your still standing is thanks to Leonard.

“I’m a sucker for accident prone engineers,” he whispers.

You giggle, “is that so?”

He kisses you again, several times, before kissing each of your cheeks and moving your bodies so that he is trapping you against the bench, turning your giggles into almost uncontrollable laughter.

“Did you still want to go back to the others?” he asks, pressing his body against yours in the most delicious way.

“I can think of about ten other things we could do,” you bite your lip.

“Really?” he kisses you again, “because I can think of about a hundred.”

END.

[440mxs-wife]

The Country Doctor, Chapter 4: Change of Address

Pairing: Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy x F!Reader (eventual). Other Characters are the usual suspects: Jim Kirk, Nyota Uhura, Spock, Christine Chapel, Scotty, Keenser, Miles O'Brien.

Word Count: 4909

Warnings: Mention of destruction of property, oblivious and a bit insecure Reader, nosy but well-meaning friends, injured Reader, Leonard being protective and becoming aware of his "feelings", Jim being his usual, charming, mischievous self

Summary: Fresh off of his divorce, Dr. McCoy receives word that he has inherited a 5,000-acre farm and home in Logan, Montana. Finally, he has an opportunity for a clean slate and to start his own clinic out west and leave his ex-wife behind. Along the way, he'll meet a cast of unique characters, each with a place in his new small-town life. But there could be trouble ahead in the form of a powerful CEO hell-bent on acquiring Leonard's property by any means necessary.

A/N: This idea was posted by @hailbop1701, with a specific list of plot points/dialog to be included. I won't put the list here, because it'll give away too much. Not sure how many parts there'll be, but I hope you like where I take the story. Also, I have intermixed AOS with NextGen to include additional characters.

A/N 2: 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, or would rather leave the Crazy Train, please let me know. Thank you, and enjoy the show!

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

The drive to town to check out your apartment situation was a quiet one. Leonard was focused on the road, with occasional glances in your direction. At the same time, you tried to take comfort in the fact that no one, especially Mimzy, was hurt. Neither of you knew what to expect when you got there, because as Nyota had explained, the building was a total loss. Leonard was therefore determined to support you in whatever capacity you needed.

As soon as you arrived on the scene, you scanned the area for the Fire Chief. You wanted to check in with him so he could cross your name off of the list of tenants accounted for. And you wanted some answers as to how this could've happened. It was an older building, so maybe it was outdated wiring? Did a tenant burn popcorn in the microwave? Or, perhaps it was something deeper than that, like someone with an ax to grind? You shuddered at your last thought.

During the time you were speaking with the Fire Chief, Leonard waited for you, leaning against your car. Uhura checked on you first, then wandered over to stand with Jim, who had just pulled up in Leonard's truck. They talked for a while, mostly about you and Leonard. They compared notes and traded comments about how his eyes hadn't wavered from you in the slightest. He seemed on alert, ready to step in if you needed anything from him.

Finally, you heaved a weary sigh and gave the Fire Chief a tired smile as you shook his hand. "We'll keep you updated on the situation," he promised. You nodded, then thanked him and his crew for their efforts. He patted your shoulder, then walked to his truck and drove back to the station.

In the short time Leonard had known you, he had never seen you look so defeated. Usually, you could find the silver lining in most any situation, but this was different. It was not a typical situation, because you had just lost your home and most of your belongings. It was going to be difficult to see the upside right at this moment. Once the chief was gone, you shuffled over to your car and leaned against it, copying Leonard's stance. You took a deep breath. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself," he replied softly. "You okay, darlin'?"

As tears streamed silently down your face, you first nodded and tried to smile, then you shook your head in response. A choked sob escaped, which caused Leonard to reach out to draw you into his arms. One of his large hands splayed across your upper back, while his other one cradled the back of your head. He began to whisper soothing words in your ear to comfort you. "Shh, it's okay sweetheart. I've got you," he crooned.

After a few moments, your tears subsided, and you drew back to look at Leonard. His thumbs gently wiped away any remnants of the salty tracks from your cheeks. "Thank you, Len," you remarked, your hands curling around his wrists and thumbs massaging the area. "Sorry for breaking down like that."

"Are you kidding?" he gently chided. "No apology necessary, and completely understandable. What'd the Chief say?"

"Oh, um, nothing much," you sighed. "He says the preliminary examination shows that the fire started in my unit, possibly an electrical short in the kitchen or something," you muttered. "Should have the official report in about a couple of weeks or so."

By this time, Uhura and Jim had joined you and Leonard by your car. Both of them gave you a hug before releasing you back to Leonard, who put his arm around your shoulders. "So, you got a place to stay, sweetie?" Uhura asked you.

Jim and Leonard exchanged a meaningful glance between them, which did not go unnoticed by you and Uhura. "What?" you inquired, your eyes darting back and forth.

The staring contest between the two men continued, each one wordlessly trying to goad the other into answering you. When you asked a second time, Leonard finally responded. "You could stay at my house," he blurted out. He scowled at Jim, who wore a smug, triumphant look on his face.

It was the last thing you expected to hear, which caused you to stare first at Jim, then at Leonard in shock. Before you could answer, Jim started throwing out reasons why you should consider it. How there's more than enough room at the house and you'd never be late for work. "And you have to admit, the view of the sunset from the front porch is just about the prettiest thing you've ever seen," he declared. "Except for you, of course," he added cheekily, and which earned him a glare from Leonard.

You caught Leonard's eyes, searching his face for any sign of hesitation or that he might change his mind. "You sure you're okay with this? I wouldn't want to be a bother," you answered hesitantly.

"Oh, he's sure, all right," Jim interjected. "In fact, we talked about asking you to move in before we came out here. Isn't that right, Bones?" he added, daring his friend to contradict the statement.

"He's right, we did talk about it. And I would've asked you myself, were it not for this overgrown man-child next to me who's unable to keep his mouth shut," Leonard muttered. "But I didn't say anything because I didn't want to intrude on any plans you may have already made," he assured you.

"Unfortunately, I really hadn't thought that far ahead," you chuckled softly. "I would love to stay with you, but only if you're sure," you replied. "I promise I won't stay any longer than is necessary, and I won't let it affect my work."

Leonard rolled his eyes. "I'm not all that worried about any of that, darlin'. You are welcome to stay as long as you need or want to. There's plenty of room at the McCoy Estate," he quipped. "And you're hardly a bother. If anything, I've got the better end of the deal, with one of the best cooks in town," he grinned. "What do you say? Shall we first see if there's anything you can salvage from your place?" He held out his hand for you to take and waited patiently until you gently gripped it in your own.

"Well, I can hardly argue with any of that," you laughed for the first time since you'd heard about the fire. "Let's see what's left of my stuff, if anything."

Jim and Uhura watched as their friends headed towards your apartment to see if there was anything worth saving. "Well, well, this should be interesting," Jim remarked. "The two of them together, living under the same roof? Gonna be entertaining, that's for sure," he smirked.

"Certainly should be, with those two. Wonder how long it'll take before one or both of them cracks under the pressure. You know you have to keep me updated. So, you got some sort of plan?" Uhura asked.

Jim threw his arm around her shoulder and gave her a mischievous look. "Oh, ye of little faith," he grinned. "Of course I do, I've been working on getting those two together since they met. Let me tell you what I've got," he winked conspiratorially.

***

The transition from living in your apartment to the McCoy Estate wasn't as difficult at you thought it would be. True to his word, you had your own room, complete with a bathroom nearby that included a shower and tub. The closet was the perfect size for the batch of clothes you were able to rescue from your apartment. Mimzy settled in right away, finding the best spot for looking out of the window and which provided the best sunlight for napping.

Sure, there were challenges, though you found they were outweighed by the companionship you gained after living alone for so long. Mimzy brought you comfort, but she wasn't usually up for those late-night chats. No, it was Leonard's company you sought, his presence you craved. As the weeks went by, the more time you spent together, the more time you wanted to spend alone with him.

>>>

One night before closing the clinic, you noticed that there were no appointments for the following day. It had been steady, nearly non-stop with patients since the clinic opened, so this was a golden opportunity for a day of relaxation. You couldn't wait to tell Leonard and see the relief on his face. 

When he walked into the kitchen after his shower, Leonard was greeted with the most heavenly aromas. A large pot of chili was simmering on the stove, while a pan of freshly baked cornbread stood cooling on the counter, along with a Dutch apple pie. He was definitely looking forward to dinner tonight, though he wondered what the occasion was.

With your attention on preparing the meal, you didn't yet notice as Leonard slowly crept up to your side. Your back was turned towards the doorway, as you hummed to yourself and gently swayed from side to side, oblivious to the eyes on you. "Something smells fantastic in here," you heard from behind you.

You nearly dropped the spoon you were stirring the pot with as you whirled around in surprise. Leonard casually leaned against the counter with his arms crossed lazily over his chest. He was barefoot and wearing a pair of navy-blue lounge pants, slung low on his hips, with a gray T-shirt. His eyes danced with mischief, while a tender smile graced his lips. "Well, what do we have here?"

"It's my mama's special recipe chili, with cheddar cornbread, and a Dutch apple pie for dessert," you remarked.

"Sounds amazing. Although I don't know what I did to deserve such an elaborate meal, but whatever it was, I'll do it again," he chuckled.

"Nothing in particular, Len, I promise. It's not that elaborate, either. Weather's getting cooler, so I thought it was time to make some chili. Naturally, cornbread has to go with it," you shrugged.

"Naturally," he agreed, then chuckled as he began to set the table for two. When you told him that Jim was joining you, he rolled his eyes and grudgingly grabbed another bowl and spoon. Most evenings, it was the two of you for dinner, and truth be told, he preferred it that way. "But what about the apple pie? Something's going on. What's the occasion?"

"If you could please bring the chili to the table, I'll be happy to explain," you added mysteriously.

With a raised eyebrow, he did as you asked, while Jim rushed in and found his seat at the table. Leonard waited until you were finished serving to begin your explanation. You mentioned how you had checked the schedule for the next day, and that it was clear of appointments.

"Are you sure? I don't think that's happened since we started," he noted. "I swear, we've seen everyone in town at least once already," he joked.

"Believe me, I checked it twice, for exactly that reason," you assured him with a smile. "No appointments, no physicals, no immunizations scheduled, nada. Soooo, I'm thinking you are due for a day off, Dr. McCoy."

Leonard paused with his spoon in mid-air to consider your offer. He'd once commented to Jim that he wanted a sign that would advertise McCoy Clinic on one side and have Gone Fishin' on the other. The weather report showed the perfect conditions for a relaxing day of drowning worms, so why was he hesitating? "We can't just close, the town depends on us to be available," he countered, shaking his head as he returned his spoon to the bowl.

"Bones, when are you going to get another chance like this?" Jim groaned. "There's no rain in tomorrow's forecast, mild temperatures, and a light breeze. You haven't had any time to enjoy this 'inheritance' of yours since we moved here, and it won't be long before winter sets in." He slapped his palm on the table, pointed to his friend, and declared, "That's it. I've decided. You are going to play hooky tomorrow."

"And what if a patient needs our services?" Leonard asked.

"I've already thought of that," you responded. "I'll go in like normal. I can answer the phones, and I'm sure there's some filing or something I can do. Maybe I'll catch up on my reading list. If someone shows up, I'll give you a call. By the time you get back, they will be all checked in and waiting for you."

Can I really do this, take a day off? he silently wondered. The idea of having a day free from seeing patients made him both excited and nervous. However, you and Jim had a point, that this was a rare opportunity, and he was damned if he was going to waste it. "All right, I'll close up shop for tomorrow," he relented, grinning at the cheers and applause from you and Jim. "On one condition, though," he hastily added.

You tilted your head to the side and tapped your chin with your index finger. "Which is?"

A smug smile crept across his lips. "You have to take the day off, too. No answerin' phones, no filin' papers, nothin'. Matter of fact, I don't even want you to go into the office. You deserve a day off as much as I do, darlin'," he affirmed.

A day off? For me? you thought. It was almost a foreign concept, even though in previous jobs, you'd taken vacation days from work. Unfortunately, considering the pile of work that typically greeted you upon your return, it was almost not worth it to take the day off to begin with. Leonard ran a tight ship, was dedicated to his patients, but even he knew when to knock off for the day. "Okay, I'm in. You and Jim can go fishin' and I'll find something to do on my own."

"Wait a minute, I never agreed to--" Leonard sputtered.

"Hey, thanks Bones! I'd love to go fishin' with you, get some of that 'manly bonding' in," Jim replied with a wide grin. "We can leave early, I've already scouted out a great place along the river where we'll be sure to fill our buckets. See ya in the morning!" He dashed off down the hall, towards his room, a beaming smile still on his face.

Leonard's shoulders drooped as he hung his head in defeat. After a few seconds, he looked up at you with mournful eyes. "Why do you hate me?" he whined. You had to fight hard to keep from smiling at his pitiful question. "You told me I was due for a day off, which would imply that I was supposed to do something to relax! Now I have to spend it talking to Jim all day," he grumbled. "That's not my idea of relaxing."

A giggle escaped your lips before you could stop it. "I'm sorry, Len. Have fun with your 'manly bonding', though," you grinned, your hand on his forearm.

"Yeah, you're having way too much fun with this, and you are definitely not one little bit sorry," he shot back, trying to sound annoyed. However, you could see the corners of his mouth twitch upwards in amusement.

***

The next morning, you rose early to put together a picnic basket for Jim and Leonard, with coffee as the first order of business. While it was brewing, you packed some sandwiches, fruit, chips, and a jug of sweet tea. The finishing touch was some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies you baked last night as a peace offering to Leonard for hijacking his day off.

Jim was the first to arrive in the kitchen, placing his backpack enthusiastically on the table. "This is gonna be so great! Two friends, out in nature, fishin' and shootin' the breeze," he grinned.

"As long as you keep the breeze-shootin' to a minimum, Jim. Leonard really needs this downtime to....I don't know, decompress or something. I swear, sometimes he's wound up tighter than an 8-day clock," you muttered. "Please?"

Jim put his hands on your shoulders. "You can count on me, sister. Bones will come back so relaxed, you won't even recognize him," he promised.

"I just hope....I mean, he clearly deserves more than a few hours to not have to think about work, because he's had enough other stuff to worry about. First, there's the thing with NorthStar Corp hanging over his head, not to mention the general pressure that comes from being a doctor. Then we add my troubles to the list, with the apartment fire and moving in with you guys. I'm starting to wonder if it's--if I'm too much and maybe it would be better if I wasn't here all the time," you murmured.

Leonard was about to enter the kitchen when he heard your last comments about his list of worries. He was disheartened to hear how you felt you were adding to them, and that you thought the best solution was for you to leave. No, he thought to himself. Please don't leave, sugar.

Ever since you'd moved in, this house he inherited has felt more like a home. It's been transformed by your warmth and kindness, and most importantly, your bright smile. Around nearly every corner, he could find where you'd left your imprint. He could see you in the kitchen cooking dinner or curled up on the couch watching a movie. Even with the little knick-knacks you brought over from your apartment, it was you he saw. It wasn't something he was going to let go of without a fight.

"Listen, you leaving here is not the answer," Jim started. "Bones would still be worried about those things you mentioned whether you were living here or not. 'S just how he is, and it's because he cares so much. Besides, he wouldn't have asked you to stay here if he didn't want you here. Think about that," he winked.

Leonard silently thanked Jim as he strode into the kitchen like he'd not been eavesdropping outside the door. "Coffee ready yet?" he asked. You held up a travel cup, already prepared the way he liked it. He took a sip and gave you an appreciative smile. "Hold down the fort for us, will ya, darlin'? And enjoy your day off," he remarked. Before he could talk himself out of it, he dove in to give you a quick kiss on the forehead, followed by a wink.

Jim slung his backpack over his shoulders and picked up the picnic basket full of supplies. As he passed you, he shot you a smirk that said, See? I told you so, then ran to catch up with Leonard. You shook your head and rolled your eyes as you picked up your book and began to read.

***

After a little more than an hour of blissfully uninterrupted reading, you finished the last chapter and closed your book. According to your email, the next book in the series had been released last week, so you decided to pop into town. Since the boys borrowed your car, you grabbed your wallet, sunglasses, and the keys to Leonard's truck from the hook near the door. A quick flip of the dial to some classic rock music, and you were on your way.

While you were in town, you decided to pick up the supply order from Mountain Vista Pharmacy for the clinic. You had spoken to Mr. Spock earlier in the week to let him know what was needed, and he agreed to have it ready for you. Some items had to be obtained from an outside vendor, but Mr. Spock didn't mind if you had it shipped to his pharmacy for later pickup.

The bell above the door jingled when you walked into the pharmacy and received a smile and nod from Mr. Spock. "Good afternoon, Mr. Spock! I'm here for the supply order for the clinic," you called.

"Of course, I'll be with you in a moment," he promised.

While he attended to the short line of customers at the counter, you browsed the magazines aisle, flipping through a couple of them. You paid particular attention to the ones about cooking, always on the lookout for new meal ideas. After choosing the one with the simpler recipes and everyday ingredients, you added it to your shopping basket.

It didn't take long for Mr. Spock to clear the line of customers, after which he waved you over to the counter. In addition to the cooking magazine, you added some Lemon Drop candies and Butterscotch Disks to the order. Mr. Spock regarded your choices with a raised eyebrow, then gave you a wry grin when you playfully warned him not to judge you for your sweet tooth.

"I heard about the fire at your apartment building. I am pleased to know that no one was hurt in the incident," he remarked.

"Yes, so am I. All of my neighbors were able to get out in time, with one grabbing my cat. She's definitely enjoying life at Dr. McCoy's house, though," you replied.

"So, you're living with Dr. McCoy, hmm?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "A logical decision, I believe, considering you are his assistant in the clinic."

"Oh, come on, Spock, it's more than just a 'logical decision'," chimed in his assistant, Christine Chapel. "They're well-suited for each other!"

"Whoa, wait a minute," you interjected. "It's not like that, Dr. McCoy was being a good friend by offering me someplace to stay. He doesn't think of me that way," you argued.

A look passed between Spock and Christine that showed your argument was a less than convincing one. Fortunately by this time, your clinic order was brought to the front counter. You quickly exited the pharmacy, following the young man out to the truck as he carried the box.

Along with the pharmacy order, you also had a small list of things to get at Scotty's hardware store, The Tool Box. Light bulbs, batteries, a roll of duct tape, and a package of small nails for hanging pictures were added to your basket. While you were there, you found some antique-looking drawer handles that you thought would look nice in the kitchen, so you added them to your purchases.

A similar conversation concerning your living arrangements with Leonard played out between you, Scotty, and his assistants, Miles O'Brien and Keenser. As with Spock and Ms. Chapel, you assured them that there wasn't anything romantic between you and Leonard. Before their speculation could escalate, you quickly paid for your items and added them to the rest of your purchases.

With everything nestled safely in the bed of Leonard's truck, you wandered over to Mr. Chekov's Java Station Café and Book Nook. In desperate need of new reading material, you treated yourself to one of the best varieties of coffee available at the café. In the bookstore, you made sure to grab the next book in the series you were reading, plus a second book by another of your favorite authors.

On your way back to the truck, you checked your watch and noticed it was late into the afternoon. The guys should be getting back from fishing, and when you saw Uhura from across the parking lot you waved at each other. She had just left work for the day, so the two of you stopped at the fire station to talk to the Chief. He regretfully informed you that there was no new information on your case. After making lunch plans for the weekend, you and Uhura parted ways.

Before you climbed into the truck, you noticed a wire dangling from the rear bumper. At first, you thought it was a loose connection from the license plate light. You were going to tuck it back in place, then you saw a timer, with its numbers counting in reverse. It was attached to what looked like a small homemade explosive device and was nearing zero. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as you jumped to your feet and began to scream, "OMIGOD, RUN!! RUN!! EVERYBODY RUN!!!"

Seconds later, you felt a searing blast of heat as you flew through the air and landed on your left side, with shards of glass raining down. A sharp burst of pain shot up your arm to your shoulder, followed by a cracking noise, and you knew something was broken. With a shaking hand, you reached up to where you felt something warm trickle down the side of your face. As you pulled your hand back, your fingertips were a bit sticky and covered in crimson.

Nyota rushed over to your side and you could see her lips moving, but her words sounded to you like she was speaking underwater. She tried to get you to focus on her as she shouted for medical attention from the paramedics at the fire station. Tiny black spots appeared at the edge of your vision, and you fought to keep them at bay as they began to grow. You grabbed her arm and she swung her panicked gaze back to you. "Find Leonard. Fishing with Jim," you whispered before you finally lost consciousness.

***

"Isn't this great, Bones? Two friends, communing with nature, spending a quiet afternoon together, no work in sight," Jim mused as he cast his line into the water.

"The afternoon would be quiet, if not for your running commentary. You're scarin' the fish away," Leonard grumbled. He was about to cast his own line back into the water when Jim's phone rang. He gave the man an exasperated look, which quickly morphed into concern as he listened to the conversation.

"Hello?....Wait, wait, slow down, Nyota. She WHAT? Okay, okay, don't worry, I'll tell Leonard. We'll pack up right now and meet you at the hospital in Belgrade," Jim assured her, then disconnected the call. He turned and winced when he saw the puzzled look on Leonard's face at the mention of "hospital".

"Tell me what? What happened? Who's in the hospital?" McCoy demanded.

"No time for questions, Bones, just grab everything and throw it in the trunk, we can sort it out later. I'll explain on the way," Jim promised.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, I'll drive. Just tell me what's going on," McCoy pleaded.

Jim grabbed Leonard's arms to steady his friend, and in part, himself. "Listen. There's been an accident. And once I tell you what happened and who's involved, you'll be thankful that I'm the one driving," Jim muttered.

At his friend's tone, he knew it had something serious to do with you. He nodded solemnly and hurried to pack their fishing gear plus anything else they brought with them. Once everything was stowed in the trunk, both men climbed into the car, buckled their seatbelts, and sped off towards Belgrade. "Okay, we're on the road. Now will you tell me what's going on?"

***

Twenty minutes later, Jim pulled the car into the lane just outside the Emergency Room entrance. Leonard barely waited for the car to come to a complete stop before bolting out of his seat and stepping through the sliding doors to the ER. He marched up to the Nurse's Desk and demanded to be updated on your condition.

At first the nurse refused to confirm to Leonard that you were even a patient of her hospital, let alone release any status information to him. As he was still arguing with the nurse, Jim appeared at his side after parking the car.

He tried to turn on the charm, since his friend's direct approach didn't seem to be working, but the nurse was steadfast in her refusal. Fortunately, both your doctor and Uhura heard the commotion. They came out and were able to smooth things over then explain about your condition and the extent of your injuries.

Nyota looped her arm around Dr. McCoy's elbow and led him and Jim down the hall to your room. As they walked, she explained to him what had occurred, filling in the gaps in Jim's account of the situation. She asked about the fishing trip, and if they'd caught much of anything, or if it was all "manly bonding" time. Her questions drew a huff of laughter from him and, for a moment, he forgot he was at a hospital waiting to see you.

When they arrived at your room, a nurse was just leaving, after he collected your vital signs. Leonard asked to see them, and was handed the clipboard with your information. The nurse said you were still unconscious, but that it was okay to go in and sit with you. "Your girl's a fighter," he said. "Injuries like hers and all she kept asking about was if anyone else got hurt and if they were okay," he explained, shaking his head.

"Yeah, that's my girl," Leonard remarked softly. He took a deep breath then slowly turned the handle to open your door. The sight of you that greeted him made his heart sink to the floor. 

There was a tube in your arm to deliver IV meds and fluids, while your other arm was in a sling. You had multiple lacerations on your face, neck, and arms from the flying glass in the explosion, and it was likely you had a concussion. Near your bedside, a machine beeped as it monitored your blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels. Bandages covered what was likely second-degree burns to your forearms and upper chest.

"Oh, sweetheart," he whispered. "Who did this to you?" He reached up with a shaky hand to gingerly touch the bandage on your temple. His other hand gripped yours as a few tears rolled down his face. He silently vowed that whoever was responsible, he would hold them accountable, no matter what. "If it's a war they want, I'll give them a war."

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

Tags: @marvelouslytrekking @spacedancer1701 @anna-phora @hailbop1701  @writercole  @lassie-bird  @never--doubt  @phoenixisred  @wayward-dreamer  @erindiggory  @strangesgirls  @dumpsterhippie  @genevablog26  @lokis-deares  @medicatemedrmccoy  @rooweighton  @mamamercurymist  @d-doki-doki  @malmeansbad  @imamotherfuckingstar-lord @ghosttrekkie @noforkingclue @bellestalesoffiction @silversword7000 @maximumtacoshark @xspacedemonx @ilachoasgrem @madame-slayer

[adiduck]

WIP GAME

Rules: Make a 24-hour poll with the names of your wips, let it run, then write one sentence for every vote the winner received.

Tagged by @frostbitebakery! As with last time, I'm adding optional hard mode: every WIP on this list will be worked on. Your votes are for number of sentences. Unless otherwise specified, I will show you my work to prove I did it ;)

I'm going to TRY to tag people I didn't tag last time and who I know aren't currently doing this, but as I regularly state, my memory is Bad and I am too lazy to go look this up. SO! If I tag you a second time by accident and you have already been tagged and don't want to do it again, please ignore

No pressure tags: @goddammitjim, @lttrsfrmlnrrgby, @jaggedstartalk, @lambourngb, @howdyrat, @doodledrawreblogs, uhhhhhhhh @whetstonefires, @byebyeskylark... @keensers OKAY that's probably enough for now ;)

[hummingbird-of-light]

Personal Star Trek character opinion incoming! Can't handle/don't like, don't read!

Characters I like better in AOS:

- James T. Kirk

- Hikaru Sulu

- Pavel Chekov

- Christopher Pike

Characters I like in both versions:

- Montgomery "Scotty" Scott

- Leonard "Bones" McCoy

- Spock

- Khan

Characters I like better in TOS:

- Nyota Uhura

Awesome characters that only exist in AOS:

- Keenser

- Jaylah

Awesome characters that only exist in TOS:

- Christine Chapel (I know her name is mentioned in AOS, but that doesn't count)

- Dr. M' Benga

[frogayyyy]

STAR TREK BEYOND: POST CREDIT SCENE

scotty: speaking of soulmates... have the four of you figured out what you're going to do yet?

jim: the four of us? what do you mean?

scotty: jim, it's us - keenser and i... we know the truth

jim: ???

scotty: but if you want, we're happy to keep up the ruse - that you're only dating spock and not the others

jim: the others...?

scotty: come on, don't tell me you've suddenly forgotten that you, spock, nyota, and bones have been in a quad this entire last year

[thesconesyard]

Where the West Begins

16. Sun-Bleached Bones

It was nearly lunch when McCoy returned to the ranch. His consultation in town with Dr. M’Benga had confirmed his suspicions about Jim’s health. Something— or someone— was poisoning him.

McCoy had a heavy feeling in his chest. He was going to have to discover how Jim was being poisoned, and if it was someone doing it, he’d have to find out who.

He already had an idea of who was responsible in mind and it bothered him. Kati had come to them broken and alone, and worked hard to help. She had been so sad about having lost her family. Was it true or a lie to lure them in?

McCoy had also gone to speak with the sheriff after he’d seen Dr. M’Benga. Captain Pike was sending out wires to find out what he could about the young woman.

He rode into the barn with his thoughts running nearly as fast as Honey had run. He got her unsaddled and taken care of and turned her out to the pasture.

“Sorry to be late,” McCoy said amiably as he entered the dining room where everyone was already eating. He would pretend he knew nothing and watch Kati.

“Where’ve you been Bones?” Jim asked. He cleared his throat as if something was stuck, then reached for his water.

“Oh,” McCoy said slowly as he dished up his plate. He had thought about what he would say as he rode home. “Just wanted to be alone for a bit.” He gave a slight shrug and a small smile and knew no one would ask him more.

Christine frowned at him, but her eyes were alert. She would catch him later and demand to know what was going on. Scotty was giving him nearly the same look.

Two people. He would have two people besides himself to figure this out. Scotty could help watch Jim and Chris could watch Kati. Too many of them watching might put her on her guard.

Jim reached up and rubbed hard at the back of his neck. Was he getting another headache already? McCoy swallowed down his concern and pretended everything was normal.

McCoy was on the far side of the big tree by the creek when he heard the footsteps. He looked up to see Scotty and Christine descending on him.

“Alright Leo, spill it,” said Christine.

“Did the other doctor agree?” Scotty asked.

“Other doctor? Geoff?” Christine asked, glancing at Scotty. “Agree about what?”

McCoy stepped closer to the pair and lowered his voice.

“Jim’s being poisoned.”

Christine’s hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened. McCoy listed out everything he had noticed and watched as it all clicked for her.

“But how?” she asked.

McCoy sighed and shrugged. “I have a thought.”

“The lad hasn’t eaten anything different from any of us,” Scotty reported. “Nor drank. And he’s had his work gloves on except while eating.”

“So how?” Christine asked again.

McCoy stared back at her, not wanting to say Kati’s name.

“No! You don’t think…! Why, she couldn’t!” Christine’s expression changed as she spoke. “Why would she?”

“Who is she?” McCoy asked. “I talked with Captain Pike today too. He’s looking into her.”

Christine turned around, walked a few paces and walked back.

“This is terrible,” she said. Scotty said something in Gaelic.

“We’ve got to be careful,” McCoy said. “If she is doing it we can’t let on that we know.”

“She could poison all of us,” Scotty said softly.

McCoy nodded. “We’ve got to figure out how she’s getting it to Jim. Chris can you—”

“Yes!” Christine answered quickly with anger. She took a breath. “I’ll watch her. I won’t let her know.”

“Good. We’re going to stop this,” McCoy said firmly.

It was harder than McCoy thought. Every time Jim coughed, or reached for his glass at a meal, every time McCoy saw the sweat begin on his forehead, the times Jim’s head began to pound and he retired early in the evening, McCoy’s stomach twisted. He had to stop this, to figure this out before anything worse happened to the kid.

He and Scotty and Christine had been on alert all week. There was no way that Jim’s body could take much more.

“We’ve got to do more!” he exclaimed. He was sitting on the pasture fence outside the barn. Scotty stood next to him.

“We’ve been watching the lad— he’s not doing anything differently and he doesn’t eat or drink anything that the rest of us aren’t eating as well!” Scotty sighed.

“We need to search through her things then,” McCoy said, hopping off the fence. “How can we guarantee getting her out of the house?”

“Can help.”

McCoy startled back at the sudden voice. Keenser appeared around the corner of the barn.

“What do ye mean lad?” Scotty asked cautiously.

“Jim’s sick. Can get Kati outside.”

McCoy blinked in surprise. “You know?”

Keenser nodded. “Something’s not right.”

McCoy stepped lightly through the house as he made his way to Kati’s room. Keenser had asked her for help plucking a pair of chickens for dinner. McCoy felt an immense amount of gratitude towards the older man.

He eased open the door, slipped inside and closed it again. Christine knew what he was up to and would alert him if Kati came back in. He knew his search wouldn’t take long; the woman had only had a small handbag with her when she had arrived.

McCoy sat in frustration in a dark corner of the barn. He had found nothing in his search. A growl of anger burned in his throat. Whatever Kati was using she kept on her person.

“Len?”

Scotty’s voice came to McCoy through the wall.

“In here,” he called.

A few minutes later Scotty joined him.

“How is she doing it Monty?” McCoy dropped his head into his hands. “It can’t be the food, we all eat it!” He hit his hand against the wall next to him.

“Hey! Hey, love,” Scotty said soothingly. “We’re going to figure this out.” He cupped McCoy’s face with his hands. “Let me try something, alright?”

McCoy stared at his love. His best friend was being slowly poisoned and he couldn't do anything about it. But Scotty’s eyes said to trust. And he did.

“Ok.”

Scotty knew.

McCoy could see the knowledge twinkling in his eyes as they ate dinner. He barely tasted the food as his emotions went up and down. Jim’s coughing spells, and constant reaching for his water had him on edge, but knowing Scotty had figured it out had him jubilant.

It was hard to be casual, retiring to their cabin after the meal. McCoy wanted to run, wanted to know desperately what Scotty had learned. He whipped around to hear what Scotty had to say as soon as he had secured their door. A pitiful meow was heard from outside, but McCoy ignored it.

“She’s got a little vial!” Scotty said, voice hushed but bursting with excitement. “She pulled it from a little pocket.” Scotty pointed to his waist. “She’s been setting the table! She adds a drop to Jim’s glass!”

McCoy’s hands clapped triumphantly and he moved to kiss Scotty.

“How do we catch her?”

“I’ve got a plan for that too,” Scotty smiled.

They were up before the sun. Quietly, McCoy led Honey from the ranch. They didn’t want anyone to know what they were up to. Scotty would have an excuse for McCoy if anyone noticed, but he would hopefully be back before anyone else woke up. In town he’d talk with the sheriff. Scotty’s plan would hopefully catch Kati in the act.

On the ride back to the ranch the rising sun gleamed on the skeletal remains of some animal next to the road. McCoy frowned as he had not noticed it before. The thought went through his mind; if he hadn’t noticed in time, Jim could have ended up a pile of bones as well. McCoy shuddered.

“Chris? What are you doing here?” Jim asked, looking up from the table in surprise as the sheriff followed McCoy and Scotty into the room.

Pike smiled sadly at the ranch owner. “I’m here to take that woman into custody.” He gestured at Kati.

Cries of ‘what?’ and ‘why?’ went up around the table from the others.

“Chris?” Jim asked in surprise, before a fit of coughing overtook him.

“She’s been poisoning you kid,” McCoy answered, staring hard at Kati. “Scotty watched her yesterday.”

“She tell you about a brother?” Pike asked. “One she lost?”

“Yes,” Uhura answered in a worried voice.

Kati glared at Pike.

“She tell you his name?” Pike continued. “I suppose she didn’t.”

Kati pushed back and stood up, her chair clattering backwards.

“She didn’t lose him. We put him in jail. For five years,” Pike said the words with a significant look around the table.

“Khan,” Jim whispered.

“He’s a better man than any of you!” Kati snarled.

“This way ma’am,” Pike said.

“Ye’ll want to secure this,” Scotty said, plucking the small vial from the woman’s pocket as she pushed past him. He handed the glass to the sheriff. Pike put it in his coat pocket and laid a hand on Jim’s shoulder.

“You listen to the doctor for once and start getting better.”

“Yes,” Jim nodded absently, fear in his expression.

Relief flooded over McCoy as Pike escorted his prisoner out of the house to meet his deputies who were waiting. He had done it. No. Not just him. Scotty and Christine and Keenser had all done their parts to help too.

“Let’s get you a new glass kid,” McCoy said as he plucked Jim’s away from him. “You’re gonna start feeling better soon, I promise.”

[anxiously-going]

I know I've mentioned before about Pike and Scotty being latch key kids and having dealt with food insecurity in the past and whatnot and in the bit I'm editing Jim mentions that Scotty knows about Tarsus which did get me thinking about how that would have come up.

I think there is some strong evidence of Scotty having food related trauma in the films, in Beyond the first place he takes Jim when he asks for a tour of the Franklin is the mess hall. Even when we first meet Scotty there's a lot of implications going on.

Immediately he's going off about having to "live off protein nibs", when Spock Prime calls him by name he responds "Unless there's another hardworking, equally starved Starfleet officer around", and his reaction to finding out Spock is from the future is "That's brilliant! Are there still sandwiches in the future?".

Now this can be interpreted as the first time Scotty's done without, but I don't think it is. In part because of his reaction to Keenser saying that he's the equally starved Starfleet officer. "You can eat, like, a bean and you're done! I'm talking about food, real food."

To me, this is an indication that the protein nibs probably were enough for Keenser or at least more filling to him than to Scotty. Which brings me to Jim's conversation with Scotty.

The thing with Jim is he always going to try and level, he is always going to try to avoid isolating and cornering people. That's especially true when it comes to things that are similar to his own traumas. Even moreso because there is a stigma around food insecurity trauma.

I tend to think that Jim got together with Scotty and sat down to file a formal complaint about the time between food shipments to the outpost and the quantity and quality of said food along with the protein nibs situation. And it's in conversation about this that Jim let's him know why he's wanting to do all of this. He let's Scotty know about what he's been through to ease those feelings of isolation and to let him know he wasn't alone in these types of experiences, to validate that it was a thing to be upset about, it was a thing that was traumatizing to him. And that Jim understands and that he's never going to judge Scotty for having trauma responses about the subject. He tells Scotty that he and Len always have protein bars and the like on hand and helps him set up a few places around Engineering to stash snacks. And he goes out of his way to make Scotty as comfortable as he can be, because he knows what it's like when there isn't that support and he never wants anyone to face what he did in the aftermath of it all.

[stra-tek]

Okay so we all know Bashir from DS9 is into feet, but what other kinks do Star Trek characters have?

I once saw a fanart of Scotty being caught with a technical manual by Keenser

I'm going to bed and I want to wake up with trauma

[anonymousewrites]

Logos and Pathos (AOS Edition) Chapter Twenty-Three

AOS! Spock x Empath! Reader

Chapter Twenty-Three: (Y/N) on Altamid

Summary: (Y/N) takes charge while they are imprisoned on Altamid by Krall.

            (Y/N) and Uhura emerged from the ship they’d be taken to. Around them stretched an underground cave system. From where they stood, they could see Enterprise officers being marched downwards to a large, cage-like building.

            Behind them, Krall and his men spoke in an alien language, but (Y/N) could sense their frustration. They hadn’t gotten what they wanted, and that’s what mattered.

            Then, Krall turned and faced (Y/N) and Uhura. “What is your name?” His voice rumbled lowly, an attempt to intimidate them, but (Y/N) refused to cower.

            “How do you know our language?” they said, keeping Uhura close beside them.

            “I know your kind,” sneered Krall.

            (Y/N) narrowed their eyes. “I am Lieutenant Commander (Y/N) (L/N) of the U.S.S. Enterprise.” No sense in lying or hiding it. He clearly knew who they were.

            “I am Lieutenant Nyota Uhura,” said Uhura, raising her chin to show the same brave stare as (Y/N). “And you have committed an act of war against the—”

            “Federation!” yelled Krall, his emotions growing to a fiery anger. “Federation is act of war,” he sneered.

            “You attacked us,” said (Y/N) evenly.

            Krall narrowed his eyes but did not yell again. He changed tactics, instead. “Your captain…Why did you sacrifice yourself for him?”

            “He would have done the same for us,” said (Y/N).

            Uhura nodded with complete certainty. “And if he made it off the ship, he will come for us.”

            Krall stepped closer, and (Y/N) protectively pushed Uhura behind them.

            “I am counting on it,” sneered Krall.

l

            “Uhura, (L/N)!” said Sulu in relief as the pair were pushed into the cage with the rest of the Enterprise officers.

            “Sulu, you’re alright,” said (Y/N), smiling at the small bit of comfort knowing their friends were alive gave them. They looked around. “Where are Scotty, Spock, Bones, Chekov and the Captain?”

            Sulu shook his head. “We don’t know. We haven’t seen them.”

            “They got into escape pods,” said another officer. “But they didn’t get captured, not that we can tell.”

            “You don’t think they’re—”

            Uhura cut off another officer’s scared whispers. “No. They’re alive. And they’ll be coming for us.”

            Fear still trembled in the air, but (Y/N) felt a ripple of relief and happiness. They knew their Captain was willing to protect them and would always come for them. That was the strength and loyalty of the Enterprise crew.

            “But we can’t let him get here,” said (Y/N), stepping forward.

            Sulu looked at them. “What?”

            “Krall—the leader here—wants Kirk to come here,” explained (Y/N). “He either thinks Kirk has the artifact—” which (Y/N) also didn’t know the answer to “—or needs more of us here for some reason.” They took a deep breath. “Either way, we need to escape.”

            “How?” said Uhura, looking at (Y/N).

            Everyone was looking at (Y/N). The officers of the Enterprise were looking to them to direct them, to lead them. (Y/N) felt the pressure on their shoulders, but they stood straight. Their situation was very, very bad, but (Y/N) would fight until the end to try to save their friends.

            “We need to understand why we’re here, get information, and send a distress signal to someone,” said (Y/N), listing off what they knew could help. And even if we don’t make it out, someone else might not be put into danger if they know what’s happening here…

            “I’ve been tracking the guards coming by,” said Sulu. “There’s one coming in fifteen minutes.”

            “There’s a side vent over here,” said one officer, gesturing to the side. “But there’s a lock.”

            Keenser stepped forward, and everyone looked at him in confusion.

            Achoo!

            Keenser sneezed, and the spray hit the lock. It dissolved in his acid, and everyone stared.

            “That’s one hell of a sneeze,” said Sulu.

            “No wonder Scotty was worried about him being near the warp core,” said (Y/N), blinking.

            “Are you ready to go?” asked Uhura, looking at (Y/N).

            They nodded. “Yes.”

            Two security officers held up the door, and Uhura, Sulu, and (Y/N) ducked into the compartment. All three crept forward and darted to the side of the door to the mine and cave system. (Y/N) signaled to be quiet as they felt the emotions of the enemies pass by.

            The three crept in the opposite direction and circled up around the cage their friends were in until they found a computer bank and a small control room. A hologram lit up the room, and Sulu frowned as he looked at several pieces of equipment.

            “This is the Magellan probe,” he said. “The Federation was using these to find a way through the nebula.

            “What’s he using it for?” murmured Uhura.

            “Nothing good,” said (Y/N), tracking the wiring on the room. It let outside. “We need to follow this.”

            They crept back down and towards the door. Silently, they circled around outside and hit behind several boxes as guards went by. The wiring let to another set of computer banks, these ones actually up and functioning properly.

            (Y/N) quickly opened up the computers and tried to look through the displays.

            “What do you see?” asked Sulu.

            “Krall’s been piggybacking the subspace links between the probes,” said (Y/N), furrowing their brow.

            “Can we use it to send a distress call?” said Uhura.

            “We can try,” said (Y/N), beginning to type. It worked, and the computer beeped. “It sent.” Hopefully someone will receive it…

            Uhura looked at the other computers. “Wait…he’s accessed the Yorktown database.”

            (Y/N) and Sulu turned. “What?”

            “He’s got Starfleet data files, ship logs…including the Enterprise,” said Uhura.

            “He’s been watching us this whole time,” said Sulu in shock.

            “Move,” said (Y/N), sensing guards approaching.

            They pushed their friends back, but it was too late, and the guards circled around them. (Y/N) moved in front of Sulu and Uhura, looking between all the guards and phasers. They had successfully sent out the distress call, but now…now they were in danger of punishment. An escape attempt would anger Krall, and after seeing what he was capable of…(Y/N) didn’t want to know what he’d do.

l

            Sulu, Uhura, and (Y/N) were escorted to face Krall in the mines. Sulu and Uhura kept composed, but their nervousness rested in their aura. No one could hold it against them, no one wanted to face a cruel man who could hurt them or their friends at a moment’s notice. But that didn’t stop any of them from being brave.

            Additionally, there was more fear in the air, like other people were in danger nearby, and (Y/N)’s throat constricted because they couldn’t find the sources of it.

            “You think you know what sacrifice really means?” said Krall, speaking suddenly in the silence.

            He sat in a “throne” and held a device in his hand. (Y/N) realized it would perfectly hold the artifact from the Teenax. They also almost snapped at Krall that they had literally died—sacrifice themself—for others, so, yes, they knew sacrifice, but (Y/N) kept silent. If someone started monologuing, then they could get some sort of information or a read on them. That would be helpful.

            “The Federation has taught you that conflict should not exist,” continued Krall. He sneered and laughed derisively. His contempt at the Federation was deep in his anger and aura. He looked at (Y/N), Uhura, and Sulu. “But without struggle, you would never know who you truly are.”

            “You have no idea who we are,” said Sulu firmly. “But you’ll soon find out.”

            “You mean the distress signal you thought you sent?” said Krall. “The coordinates were altered.”

            (Y/N) gritted their teeth. Of course it had been blocked. They had been so close. Just a few more seconds, and it would’ve gone through properly.

            “Your rescue ships will be stranded in the nebula and your base left vulnerable,” said Krall.

            “You’re going to attack Yorktown,” said Sulu, seeing through Krall. His fear spiked at the thought of his husband and child getting hurt.

            Krall sneered. “Millions of souls from every Federation world holding hands. It’s a perfect target.”

            “You’re wrong,” said (Y/N), finally speaking. “They’re stronger because they’re together. We’re stronger because we’re united.”

            Krall scoffed. “The strength of others, Lieutenant, is what has kept me alive.” Lights switched on in the room to reveal officers strapped into wires like flies in a web, being drained of life and energy which went to Krall.

            “No!” cried Uhura, trying to move forward.

            Sulu and (Y/N) grabbed her before Krall lashed out. There was nothing they could do as the fear and pain they’d sensed earlier was revealed to them.

            Krall grabbed each officer by one hand, and as they became emaciated as life-force was pulled from them, he lit up with power and energy. His body morphed slightly, taking on bits and pieces of the officers he drained.

            Uhura covered her mouth, and (Y/N) gazed at the officers sorrowfully. They couldn’t help them, and as their pain washed over them, (Y/N) was filled with anger and fury directed at Krall.

            He would pay for abusing the lives of others. He would.

l

            “McCoy and Spock to Enterprise crew,” said Bones. The sun had risen again, and he and Spock sat on the rocks outside the cave to try to get a signal out again. “Come in, Enterprise crew. Anyone!” He huffed as no response came. “Come on, Spock.” He support Spock once more. “Come on, you can make it.” They needed to move again.

            “Leaving me behind will significantly increase your chances of survival, Doctor,” said Spock.

            “Well, that’s damn chivalrous, Spock, but completely out of the question,” said Bones.

            “It is imperative that you locate any surviving crew,” said Spock.

            “Damn it, Spock, I’m not leaving you behind after you confessed you wanted to marry (Y/N). I’m not about to deliver that message to them if you die.” Bones grumbled as if it would be a hassle, but, really, he didn’t want to see (Y/N)’s heartbroken face. “So we’re both making it. For their sake.”

            Spock couldn’t argue with that, quite frankly.

            “But, you know, thank you for caring. I’m surprised,” said Bones gruffly.

            And then the hum of ships once again cut through the air. Their communication had been heard, but by the wrong people. Bones’s heart dropped, and Spock stood straight.

            “Of course I care, Leonard,” said Spock suddenly as their possible death approached. “I always assumed my respect for you was clear.”

            Bones was honored, but he was also going to give Spock a talk on what his “respect” looked like (though he had no room to talk since he was all about taking care of people while also yelling at them).

            “The dialogue we have had across the years has always—”

            “It’s okay, Spock,” said Bones. He understood. “You don’t have to say it.”

            They stood back-to-back as the ships circled around them.

            Bones sighed. “Well, at least I won’t die alone.” That was the friendship acknowledgment he gave to Spock (they both had unique ways of expressing their care).

            Light appeared around Spock, and he looked down in confusion as dematerialized energy swirled around him. He disappeared from the canyon floor.

            Hearing the sound, Bones whirled to find himself standing alone. He huffed. “Well, that’s just typical.” He glared at the ships around him. “Come on, you bastards!” he shouted. Bones would not be going with fear on his face. He held up his fists.

            And promptly dematerialized.

Taglist:

@a-ofzest

@grippleback-galaxy

@genderfluid-anime-goth

@groovy-lady

@im-making-an-effort

@unending-screaming

@h-l-vlovesvintage

@neenieweenie

@keylimeconstellation

@wormwig

@technikerin23

@ilyatan

@nthdarkqueen

@kyalov

@starlit-cass

@rookietrek

@gingertimelord

[katierosefun]

i need to do my homework but ANYWAYS not to talk about the star trek reboot movies on main again but i’m starting to realize that maybe the star trek reboot movies give me a lot of hope now that i’m in my twenties, because whether accidentally or not, there’s something really weirdly reassuring about seeing the enterprise crew in their youth, messy and still figuring things out, and yet still winding up exactly where they need to be. like, when we meet jim, he’s impulsive and impatient and flat-out bored with his own life, so he winds up picking fights and telling himself that yeah, fine, being the smartest guy in the midwest is good enough for him, until he’s told that it’s not--and even when he joins starfleet, he winds up getting on academic suspension and breaks a million codes along the way. then we’ve got bones, who we find fresh after his divorce. the guy is fucking day drinking at 0800. and then we’ve got spock, who’s so clearly angry and resentful of something, maybe a little bit of everything, but that’s what you get as being a mixed-race kid-slash-minority kid i guess (phew). then we’ve got chekov, who’s like. a literal 17 year old. (a seventeen year old. my baby brother is currently seventeen years old. i would have a heart attack if he told me he’s heading up to space now.) then we’ve got sulu, who literally reaches the bridge because some guy was conveniently sick, so he had to fill in. he messes up literally in the first two seconds. then we’ve got scotty, who’s out in the buttfuck middle of nowhere, with no live organism except for keenser and the scary creepy-crawlies outside. uhura might be the only one who has her shit together, but also. she is dating her former professor. which, you know, seeing that former professor is spock, whatever, go off girlie and etc.

my point is that star trek: 2009, as flawed and as messy as it is, still accidentally becomes really fucking good when you realize that this movie is about the enterprise crew when they’re in their youth, and also when they’re coming together even after a total shift in their timeline. so what’s rather lovely about the reboot movies is that not only do they accidentally say that no matter the timeline, you’ll wind up with the people who you were meant to be with, but also. no matter the timeline and no matter how many fucking problems you have-slash-had, you will still wind up precisely where you need to be, with the people who you were always meant to love, and maybe that’s a little bit of comfort in this weird time that we’re living in