#The medkit thing is from a few weeks ago by the way! I just forgot to post it until now

[mossy-paws]

Art dump (PHIGHTING)

Starting strong with this. Thing that a friend requested I saw, do I have regrets? No. Will it forever haunt me because apparently she has a shrine that she will not tell me about? Yes (ROSA I SWEAR TO GOD PLEAAAAaaaaSE WHAT IS THE SHRINE)

ANNND these things! These were style experience at and I honestly had a lot of fun with them LMAO, I was wanting to play with a more anime/manga-esc art style and it was pretty much so win :3

There’s also sword, this may or may not be a draft for mermaid au sword idk just maybe

(It was for a Twitter thing by the way! Just a small simple doodle I did for fun)

[dweetwise]

i can’t stop writing them, send help. this was based on an idea from @gooobert, hope i could do it justice! ship: ace x felix word count: 1330

More than a thousand words

Meg was sitting by the campfire and busying herself with changing the shoelaces of her sneakers. The new ones were a different color and only marginally cleaner, and the whole thing was mostly a pointless attempt at any sort of change. It was kind of pathetic that the eyesore of the once-blue laces clashing with Meg’s red running shoes was the most interesting thing she'd seen in weeks.

The Entity's world was a lot of things. It was Meg's worst nightmare, a living hell, a home of unspeakable horrors that drained every last bit of hope from her piece by piece—

But in between those moments, it was indescribably boring.

Had anyone told Meg five years ago that she'd get used to being brutally murdered on a regular basis, she wouldn't have hesitated to give them a piece of her mind and maybe even her fist. But disturbing as it may be, after all this time it had become the new normal. The trials weren’t pleasant but at least they were something to keep her mind occupied and her reflexes sharp.

Between trials she was stuck at the campfire, which offered nothing in the way of entertainment save for Kate's guitar, Ace's playing cards and Bill's perpetually half-empty pack of cigarettes. Meg’s companions were both a blessing and a curse; some of them she was happy to call her friends and others she'd rather avoid. She had never been much of a people person and while it was nice to have the option to talk to someone if she wanted to, more often than not she just wanted to shove a sock in people's mouths when they just wouldn't shut up.

Hearing a familiar laugh, Meg's nose scrunched on instinct as she looked up to see one of those very people walk up to the fire. Ace sauntered up to a small group tending to the flames, earning a few words from Jeff and a smile from Kate, all the while running his mouth at a way louder volume than necessary.

Then, Ace proceeded to walk up to Felix.

Meg hadn't even noticed Felix return from his latest trial. She didn't know the man very well but he was one of the few who rarely got on her nerves, pulling his weight in trials and staying blissfully quiet at camp. She'd even go as far as to say she kind of liked the guy.

Of course, that respect flew out the window every time Felix spent time with Ace.

"Hiya, Pumpkin!" Ace chirped obnoxiously to the architect, effectively proving Meg's point. "Whatcha doing?"

Ace sat down next to Felix and Meg glared daggers at the gambler's smug face. So much for the blissful silence of the campfire.

"Ah, neat," Ace suddenly continued. "That looks like fun!"

Meg frowned; she hadn't even heard Felix say anything. Why was Ace talking to himself?

"How are you holding up after what happened back there?" Ace asked.

Felix still didn't reply, but this time Meg saw him give a pointed stare to Ace.

"I was going to heal myself so I could go for the rescue!” Ace protested. “That’s why I was in the basement, looking for a medkit—”

Felix huffed out a pointed breath.

"Or a map!" Ace continued. "I know you like to bring one into trials, and I thought it'd make a nice gift!"

Felix only raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, alright!" Ace relented, holding his hands up in surrender. "I was looking for a key so we could bail through the hatch once Yui and David died."

"Hmm," Felix replied.

It was a quiet sound that—combined with Felix's resting bitch face—gave absolutely nothing away.

"You're not mad, right babe?" Ace asked, casting a sickly-sweet pleading look at the German.

Again, Felix neither did or said anything, but soon Ace was breaking into a relieved laugh anyway.

"I knew you had a soft spot for me," Ace grinned.

“M-hm,” Felix commented.

“I know, I know—don’t make a habit of it,” Ace said.

The more Meg listened to the one-sided conversation, the more confused she got. There was no way Ace was able to decipher any of Felix’s weird sounds or barely-there facial expressions. It had to be some kind of joke.

She glanced around the campsite, but nobody else seemed to be paying the duo any attention. Jane was sitting on the log next to Meg’s, so she scooted over to the woman and leaned closer.

“Are you seeing this shit?” Meg whispered, getting Jane’s attention.

“What?”

“Those two!” Meg said, pointing to the offending pair.

“You think the Entity will throw another party for us before Halloween?” Ace asked Felix, still running his mouth and oblivious to Meg’s staring.

Felix hummed again; in agreement or in thought was anybody’s guess.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Ace concluded despite this. “She’s gotten lazy. Wouldn’t surprise me if she even forgot Christmas this year.”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Jane said.

“Really?” Meg asked. “You don’t see anything wrong with…”

Felix huffed, and Ace gasped in mock offense.

“Excuse you, my Christmas sweater is fabulous,” Ace said.

Felix’s mouth quirked up in a smirk.

“That was one time, and I only borrowed yours because it looked comfy!” Ace protested.

“...That?” Meg asked Jane, gesturing in the couple’s general direction.

“Not really,” Jane said, infuriatingly unbothered by the display. “I know Felix’s family situation isn’t ideal, but as long as they’re happy, I don’t think it’s our place to judge.”

Wait… what?

“Huh?” Meg asked.

“I can’t really fault someone for finding joy in a place like this,” Jane said. “I know Ace sometimes gets on all our nerves, but Felix seems happy with him.”

What the hell was she—oh. Oh.

“Oh god no,” Meg said with a grimace. “I don’t care that they’re together or—whatever.”

Jane looked at her, frowning in confusion.

“I’m just weirded out that Ace is always just, like, talking to himself,” Meg explained. “Felix barely gets a word in.”

“Ah, I see! My bad,” Jane apologized. “Still, I don’t really see anything weird in it; Felix is a quiet person and Ace is good at reading people. I think it’s natural they communicate in their own ways.”

“You’re shitting me,” Meg deadpanned. “You really think Ace understands all those weird ‘aah’s and ‘hmm’s?”

“Body language is easier to read than you’d think,” Jane said. “Take Jake for example; he doesn’t talk a lot, but you always know what he means, right?”

“Yeah, because Jake only has two moods; ‘I’m listening’ and ‘fuck off’!” Meg protested. “It’s not like he’s telling his goddamn life story in that death glare.”

“Maybe you’re not listening,” Jane said, giving her a cryptic smile. “Either way, I think it’s sweet when people know each other well enough to not need words.”

“—I’m serious! You should have seen the look on his face!” Ace exclaimed to his companion way louder than necessary.

“...Though maybe I’d like it more if the roles were reversed,” Jane sighed, rubbing her ear.

“I hear you,” Meg snorted.

She looked back at Ace and Felix, who were still engrossed in their weird conversation. Felix had leaned closer to his boyfriend, listening raptly and offering acknowledging sounds every now and then as Ace recounted one of his trials. For some reason, the German seemed to enjoy Ace’s incessant babbling, and who was Meg to stop him?

She watched as Felix reached over and grabbed Ace’s hand, making the gambler pause mid-sentence. Slowly, Ace’s shit-eating grin changed into a soft smile.

He clasped Felix’s hand and lifted it to his mouth, giving the knuckles a quick kiss and in response, Felix lowered his head and returned the smile.

"I love you too," Ace murmured.

Meg rolled her eyes and grabbed another pair of sneakers to continue her project. She’d never understand those two, but maybe that was for the better.

And maybe she should give Jake’s death glare another shot.

[rebelsarestrongashell]

A Complicated Profession - Part 3

A/N: Hey, hey everyone! So the next update will be the last chapter of this mini-series. No worries though cause I'm outlining the sequel that will tie in directly with the show! I hope you really like this chapter. Let me know what you think! 

In other news: I'm writing a novel!! My protagonist is a female secret service agent and I’m really excited! I've set up a Patreon for those interested in supporting, getting updates, and even reading a few chapters. Your support would mean the world to me as I spend a much large amount of my time writing my novel and updating my fanfics. Here is the link: Patreon.com/tonyaespy

“You know the locations to all the imperial hideouts in the Unknown Regions?” The Mandalorian asked with an edge.

You raised your chin with a sense of pride; you sacrificed a lot to obtain that information, “Yes.” You replied, never breaking your eye contact with the helmet in front of you.

“I’m confused, why didn’t you hand this information over to the Republic?”

“Because the war was over, the Empire was defeated, and the Emperor was dead,” You paused to look down, you felt a sudden wave of insecurity fall over you, “and I was tired, tired of everything. I no longer wanted to be a piece in either side’s game.”

You let your hands drop from the wound on his arm and began cleaning up the medkit, refusing to look up even though you could still feel his gaze on you.

Without another word, you got up and headed back to the cockpit. Mando reentered a minute later and sat back down in the pilot seat before turning the chair towards you.

You could sense another question on the tip of his tongue and intervened before it could escape, “So what’s the plan, Mandalorian?”

“The ship needs fuel and some repairs. We’ll head to the outer rim.”

“And load up on food?” You asked, hopefully. You didn’t realize how hungry you were until that moment.

“And load up on food.” He confirmed with a sigh

You’ve learned enough about the Mandalorian in your short time with him to know he vastly enjoys silence. You remained silent throughout the flight until his screen clued you into where you were headed, “Dantooine?” You questioned, “If you’re taking me to the Republic, I will kill you right here, right now.”

He didn’t bother to look back at you, “Don’t make me bind your hands again.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

That made him turn his head back towards you. “Dantooine as enough Rebel presence to keep any Empire sympathizers away, but the Republic doesn’t bother much with Dantooine. We’ll be safe here for now, but shouldn’t stay too long.”

With that, he pulled out of light speed, Dantooine looming in front of you. He landed the ship in a small port, an older man and woman started to approach with a few droids following behind them, “You trust these people to fix up your ship?”

“They’ve done a good job before. Let’s go.” He headed out of the cockpit without giving you a glance. You quickly followed behind him, making sure to grab your staff.

The man and woman were at the bottom of the ramp waiting as the two of you walked down. It was clear they knew what to expect from the mysterious Mandalore, “No, droids?” The man asked.

“No droids,” The Mandalorian confirmed, tossing the man a couple credits and walking past him, “We’ll be at the cantina.”

The woman was looking you up and down suspiciously like she was trying to remember you from somewhere. It made you feel uneasy, so you quickly nodded at the both of them and jogged up to the Mandalorian, so you were walking side by side, “You sure we are safe here?”

“Yes, but if you keep that anxious expression on your face, someone is going to think we are up to something.”

It was a quick walk to the open-air cantina. The cantina wasn’t packed but busy enough for you to enter without being noticed. You dropped yourself down at the nearest table and let your head fall onto the wooden surface, mentally and physically exhausted from the past week. You could feel the Mandalorian sit down beside you. The warm breeze washing over you felt unbelievably lovely compared to the cold of space travel. There were a few minutes of silence, and you felt yourself falling asleep before a cheerful, motherly voice brought you out of it, “Looks like you’ve had a rough go, hun.”

You kept your head on the table but could see the figure of the woman in front of you. Not in the mood to talk, you lifted a hand, “Corellian rum, please.”

The Mandalorian’s sigh made the woman’s attention turn to him, “And for you?” She asked.

“Nothing, but also bring her some food, please. It doesn’t matter what.”

The woman nodded and walked away. You finally raised your head and turned towards your companion, or was he your captor? You weren’t precisely which anymore, “Don’t get annoyed, but how do you eat? You got some sort of straw in that thing?” You flashed him your best smile.

Surprisingly, his voice didn’t sound frustrated or annoyed, “I take my helmet off,” Your face lit up with excitement, “Just not in front of people.”

You instantly shrunk in disappointment, and the Mandalorian laughed a genuine laugh. Even through the helmet, it was warm and inviting. It made you inevitably smile. The woman came back sooner than expected. Now able to get a good look at her, she looked to be middle-aged and rather pretty. She placed your rum in front of you as well as some soup and bread. She gave you a quick look over smiled, “Well isn’t that a gorgeous face, happy to see your spirit has lifted,” She turned to the Mandalorian as you started to devour your soup, “Aren’t you a lucky one.”

You nearly choked on your soup as she walked away and then snickered to yourself, “Yeah, aren’t you a lucky one?” You teasingly asked him with raised eyebrows.

“Hurry up and eat.” This time his voice was filled with annoyance.

Nearly an hour later, your belly was full and warm from the soup and bread. The Mandalorian had done nothing for the past fifteen minutes but stare at you, aggravated that you disregarded his ‘hurry up’ command. He placed some credits down on the table and got up without a word, as usual, you followed.

The two of you walked through the market, looking at food to bring on the ship. “You got a kitchen on that hunk of junk?” You asked.

“An extremely tiny one, why?”

You help out your hand, silently asking for credits. The Mandalorian tilted his head in confusion, making you roll your eyes, “I’m a pretty good cook, I know what to get.”

After contemplating it for a moment, he placed a small number of credits in your hand, and you went off to various booths beaming. While on your small farm, it was your favorite thing to do; to go visit the market in the small village and picking out the best produce. Your life in the war rarely allowed fresh or well-made food.

By the time you and the Mandalorian made it back to the ship, you were nearly skipping. It had been so long since you felt a real sense of happiness, even if it was just a crumb. For a second, you forgot a bounty was placed on your head until the older woman came scurrying up to the two of you.

“Everything okay with the ship?” Asked Mando, fearing the worst.

She waved him off, though, “Oh everything is fine with the ship, just minor repairs, and refueling,” She quickly turned to you, “But you, I thought I recognized you. I use to work on the same Rebel base as you. The Republic sent out a transmission to all former rebels a few days ago, they are looking for you.”

“A bounty?” The Mandalorian quickly cut in with tension in his voice. You started to feel the panic rise in you as well.

“No, but they sounded urgent.”

You abruptly grabbed her by the arm, “Please don’t let them know I’m here. I can’t get sucked back in. Please.”

She studied your face for a beat, understanding seeming to sink in, “I get it, why do you think I’m here” gesturing to the port surrounding them, “You two need rest. Stay here tonight, on your ship. The city is full of former Rebel fighters, if you venture out anymore, someone might recognize you if they haven’t already. Leave first thing in the morning. I promise I won’t say a word.”

You looked at the Mandalorian, and he was looking right back at you. Even though you couldn’t see his face, you were getting better at reading his body language. You turned back to the woman, “We will. Thank you.”

The two of you retreated on to the ship for the evening. He showed you down the ladder to where the tiny kitchenette was. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. You unloaded the food and made your way back up to the cockpit where the Mandalorian had returned.

You found him looking through different holograms of various planets, “Where are we headed to next?”

“Where do you want to go?”

The question made you halt in your steps, “Where do I want to go?”

He turned his chair around to face you. “What is it that you want? Where do you want to go? A secluded planet, I would imagine. You can set up your new life.”

You absent-mindedly sat down. You had figured that the rest of your life would be running planet to planet now, possibly with the Mandalorian. Still, you had assumed he would dump you on some random planet at some point. Instead, he was helping you with another chance at a peaceful life. You realized you probably looked like an idiot, sitting there with your mouth open. You looked down and shook your head, “I mean, I would love to have a little farm again.”

He silently nodded for a moment before turning back around, “Let’s see what our options are.”

He silently scrolled through planets as you looked at him, wondering who the man under the helmet was. What he looked like, does he have a family, what his name was? Before you could stop yourself, you blurted out, “What’s your name?” He dropped his hand, and you squeezed your eyes, hoping you didn’t piss him off, “Sorry, I’ve never actually met a Mandalore, I can’t help but be curious.”

The felt rigid for a minute before he sat back, “I’m not from Mandalore. I was a foundling,” He looked back at you, “My name is Din Djarin.”

You tilted your head with a small smile, “Din Djarin, I like it.”

He turned back around, “I think I’ve found a planet that might work. Takodana.” A beautiful blue with speckled green planet appeared on the screen. “Seems to be void of most galactic politics, near trade routes, and plenty of green land for farming. Plus, it’s not in the outer rim, which will be the first place people will go to look for you.”

Takodana. You heard the name in passing before, from the looks of it, it’s a dream come true. You weren’t ready to let your guard down yet, but you couldn’t help but let your mind drift towards thoughts of a lakeside farm, “Okay. We head there tomorrow,” You looked at the window to see the sun just beginning to set, “I’ll go make us some food. I will eat below so you can be alone up here.”

Din simply gave you a nod. You stood up and went to make your exit, but before you made it to the door, you turned back around, “What would happen? If you took the helmet off in front of someone?”

“I wouldn’t be allowed to put it back on.”

“Sounds pretty peaceful to me.” You said softly.

He turned to look back at you, but you were already out the door, leaving him with his thoughts.

Tag List: @marvelous-capsicle @amberthefiredemon @sargesbestgirl  @zoogrl05  @poisonivy123  @maryan028  @thefandomzoneisdangerous  @loveharrington @reblogin-manic @llama259 @700teacups @jinthusiastsss @yelenas-lova @imspillingcoffee @songofcosplay @bella-0104-123 @astrospian @freudlovescocaine @jupiterbarnes @hobiiwan @bandofmarvels​ @midnightwritingrussiancoffee @chaotic-taetae @ceattlu @skyguy-peach

[star-trekkin-across-theuniverse]

Floating, Pt16

Word Count: 3612 Author’s Notes: Tagging - @medicatemedrmccoy​, @from-kitten-to-kitsune​ @suzen23smith​ @outside-the-government​ @sistasarah-sallysaidso​ @nymphadora-blurryface​ @bluebird214  This will be the last update for a bit. You’ve been warned ;)

It was the aroma of fresh coffee that woke me, and I snapped into a sitting position quickly, rubbing my eyes and dropping my feet to the floor. Bones was sitting on the edge of the bed across from me, holding a cup out to me.

“When did you wake up?” I asked, taking the cup.

“About an hour ago. And don’t beat yourself up, I snuck out the far side of the bed. You look exhausted,” he commented.

“I am exhausted,” I laughed.

“I know. You forgot to check my lab results last night. I’m fine, by the way.” He picked up the tricorder from beside him and passed it to me. I checked his labs and saw significant improvement. I flicked through his chart and over to Spock’s and then Jim’s. They were all dramatically improved. It looked as though Spock had opted to go to medbay for his check-up the previous night. I’d forgotten about that too. I flicked back to Leonard’s chart and glanced through the new charting.

“This says you’ve been cleared to return to duty. I didn’t clear you.” My brow furrowed.

“But you didn’t sign out of your PADD last night, and since I am fine, I cleared myself,” he smirked. I glared at him. My PADD suddenly locked me out of medbay. “I’ve also put you on leave for two days. You need to get some sleep, and spend some time with your daughter.”

“She goes to school when I’m working, Bones,” I argued.

“Pull her for two days, it’s not like it’s going to hurt the little brainiac.” He was adamant.

“I’ll send her your way when she gets upset, shall I?” I retorted with a laugh. He smirked again.

“Sure. I’ll get her sorted.” He pulled his pajama top over his head and wandered over to his closet to get a uniform. I gritted my teeth and collected my medkit. “See you in a couple days.”

“I’m sure I’ll be seeing you sooner than that,” I complained as I headed out. Katie was never going to go for missing class. Mr. Yim had them working on some holographic projection program that could be used on a larger scale, and she couldn’t stop talking about it.

Jim was on the turbolift when I stepped on. He smiled, and seeing that the coast was clear, pulled me into his arms for a long, lingering kiss, pressing me into the wall. I nearly dropped my tricorder.

“Wow, what was that for?” I asked, breathless. He kept me pinned against the wall, trailing his lips down my neck.

“It’s been weeks since I had you alone,” he murmured against my skin. “Is it strange that I’m plotting romantic assignations around Katie’s school schedule, and wondering about having Bones switch you to Beta just so I can see you?”

“Oh, well, Captain, you’re in luck. Doctor McCoy has put me on leave for two days. And seems to think Katie will be okay with missing classes now that Jung has them building holographic display units,” I laughed, and pushed him away as the turbolift slowed.

“Comm me when you’ve spoken to Katie,” he ordered as he stepped off the lift. I descended one more floor and stepped off onto my level. Katie and Uhura were eating breakfast when I entered our quarters.

“How’s Uncle Bones?” Katie asked. No greeting for me, no worry for me. Just Leonard.

“He’s well enough that he is back on duty and has ordered me to rest for two days. He suggested I pull you from classes as well, to make up for yesterday,” I smiled. Katie crossed her arms over her chest and snorted.

“Not likely. We’re learning the fundamentals of holographic imaging this week. I’m not missing that,” she countered.

“You might want to have a conversation with Doctor McCoy about that,” I challenged. “Because I have orders from him to pull you to spend time with you.”

“Oh, we will see about that!” She exclaimed, and stormed out of our quarters. I bit my lip and looked at Uhura, smothering a laugh.

“I would kill to be a fly on the wall for that confrontation,” she laughed. I nodded.

“She was good last night?” I asked.

“She is lovely, Bryn. Your parents obviously know how to raise smart girls,” she acknowledged. “We watched some terrible film from when you and I were kids, and then she announced she was exhausted and had school in the morning.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Oh, it was my pleasure. She’s a good girl, and it kept me from fussing too much over Spock, which is fruitless and generally unsatisfying for both of us,” she laughed. My comm chirped, and I looked down at the message and laughed.

“Save me from the wrath of little girls.”

“She’s touched down in medbay. I wonder if Bones is bleeding yet?” I laughed, holding the message up for Uhura to see. She shook her head and headed for the door.

“Enjoy your day off,” she said. “I hope you can find something to do while Katie’s at school.”

“Bed looks pretty comfy,” I raised an eyebrow. She laughed again and waved as she left. Katie messaged a few minutes later informing me that I’d been correct in assuming she was going to school. I flopped down on the bed and commed Jim, and heard it chirp outside my door.

“Enter,” I called, pre-empting the door chime. Jim stepped inside as the door opened. His mouth spread in a lazy grin when he saw me sprawled across the bed.

“I’m not sure how I feel about being summoned into your lair like this,” he teased.

“Oh please,” I snorted. “I’m so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I was just following captain’s orders in letting you know I was free.”

Jim climbed on the bed beside me and laid on his side, holding his head up with his hand. He traced his fingers along my abdomen. “I’ve missed this,” he murmured. I rolled toward him, mimicking his position on the bed.

“This?”

“You. Me. Alone.”

“It’s going to be more and more rare,” I reminded him. “Particularly if we are going to try to keep things quiet.” He rolled onto his back and tucked his hands behind his head.

“I don’t think -”

“Jim, Chapel already has figured us out,” I interrupted. “It won’t take long for everyone else to as well, if we’re always sneaking off at the same time.” He sighed, and kept looking at the ceiling.

“What we’re doing isn’t fair to you,” he said. “That’s what I was trying to say.”

“To me?” I sat up to look at him. He shifted his eyes toward me.

“To you.” He nodded. “Bryn, I can’t offer you any life but the one we have. Even if we were to fall in love. It’s unfair to lead you to believe there will ever be anything more.”

“You’ve never suggested there would be anything more though, Jim,” I laughed. “I never thought past the moment. Don’t go wrecking the team by looking to the future.”

“You bring more than yourself to the table, Bryn. You have an intelligent, remarkable daughter. She deserves to see her mother in a real relationship,” he countered.

“So are you breaking this off because I have a child?” I asked, more than a little surprised.

“Good god, no!” He exclaimed. “Katie’s amazing, and we have the same sense of humour. I’m not sure if that says I’m immature or she’s beyond her years, and I worry it’s not that she’s that advanced.” He laughed a little.

“But you are breaking this off,” I pressed.

“You don’t love me, and I don’t think I’m actually your type,” he started. “And I will always choose the Enterprise over a woman. As enjoyable as whatever we’ve been doing has been, it isn’t going anywhere. And we are going to be crewmates for five years at least. It seems to me that it would be wiser that we end this before we wind up enemies.”

“I see.”

“Bryn, there’s no subtext to what I’m saying. There’s no hidden secret,” he urged. “But I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said. We don’t talk. We don’t socialize. We just sneak off. When I think about the next five years, I think about how the entire crew will need to work together. And we will cross paths far too frequently to keep this light and simple.”

“And you’re sure you don’t have a hidden agenda?” I asked. He seemed to be talking around his point and it was frustrating me.

“How do you mean?”

“I just feel like you aren’t telling me the truth of it,” I pushed. He sighed and sat up at the edge of the bed. I sat up beside him. He placed a hand on my thigh and squeezed.

“The truth of it, Bryn, is that I don’t think I can compete with Bones.”

My jaw dropped, and I pulled away from him. “What?”

“I have enjoyed every moment of your company, but when I see you with Leonard, I know you will never love me. Because you already love him.” His tone was so gentle, like he was dealing with a skittish animal. I guess he kind of was because I really felt the urge to bolt.

“As a friend,” I protested.

“It’s a good match,” he continued. “Rather, it will be a good match. When the two of you get around to it.” He patted my leg and pushed himself to his feet. I sat at the edge of the bed, my ears ringing and my head spinning. He stopped at my door and turned back. “He loves you, you know. I realized that when he risked his own career to get Katie aboard this ship.”

“What?” I stood up and moved toward him. “What do you mean?”

“If it is ever discovered by headquarters that he falsified your records, he could be court-martialed.”

“He said he just backdated -” I trailed off. “Oh my god.”

Jim nodded and walked out of my quarters. And I realized he was right. It was the right time for things to end. And as for everything else he said, well. My ears were ringing and my head was spinning. So I laid down and took a nap.

XXX

Katie was explaining the finer points of holographic imaging to me over breakfast. She’d lost me early in the conversation, but I allowed her to believe I was following with appropriately placed responses between bites.

“Did you really save Uncle Bones’ life?” She suddenly asked.

“No,” I replied, clearing our plates away.

“He said you did,” she countered. I shrugged.

“He was badly hurt. I repaired the damage. It’s what doctors do, Katie-cat,” I replied.

“Would he have died if you hadn’t done what you did?” She asked.

“No, another doctor would have helped him.” It was a simple reply, but it was true.

“Okay, Mama, if you had been alone, with no other doctors on the ship, and Uncle Bones showed up, in the shape he was in, would he have died if you hadn’t treated him?” She arched an eyebrow.

“In that scenario, yes.” I nodded.

“So you saved his life,” she smiled. “Why is that so hard to admit?”

“It’s not hard to admit, Katie. It’s just not really accurate.”

“Well, he said you saved his life,” she offered. “And he’s the CMO, so he’s probably more right than you are.”

“Anytime I am dazzled by your brilliance, Katie, I will remember this moment,” I teased. “And it will remind me that despite your incredible brain, you are still sometimes confounded by kid-logic.”

“So what are you going to do today while I’m at school?” She asked, changing the subject with a laugh.

“I honestly don’t know, kiddo,” I admitted with a shrug.

“Just tell him you aren’t taking another day off,” she suggested. I laughed. “I’m serious, Mama. Come with me.”

I followed her to my bedroom closet, where she thrust my uniform dress at me. “Oh, sweetie, I can’t wear this in medbay,” I protested. She held it against my chest and glared at me, then turned and pulled my boots out of the closet and pressed them into my arms too.

“Trust me, Mama,” she said, shoving me into the bathroom. I dressed quickly, and when I stepped out of the bathroom, she shoved me into a chair and started combing my hair out of the braid I kept it in.

“What are you doing?”

“Pleading your case for you before you even speak,” she explained. “If you go into medbay, ready to work, in your comfortable shoes, and your hair tucked away, he’s just going to say no and send you away. If you go in, obviously dressed with no intention of actually working, he’ll wonder what you’re up to, and let you stay.”

“But then I’m stuck in medbay in this impractical uniform,” I pointed out as she curled my hair.

“I’m sure you can find something to work on in that uniform. Minor treatments? Research?” She asked.

“You might be onto something,” I agreed. Being in medbay with access to my PADD would allow me to monitor Leonard’s condition under the guise of research. I cringed as I realized Jim’s assessment of my feelings might not be that far off base.

Katie marched me down to medbay and into Leonard’s office, just before Alpha started. He looked up and saw Katie first. “What are you doing down here, Katie? Shouldn’t you be in class?” His brow furrowed.

“I walked Mama down.” Katie pointed at me. “She seemed to think you didn’t want her here.” Bones looked over at me and raised an eyebrow.

“You’re hardly dressed for work, darlin’, but I suppose you’re going to stay regardless of whether I say you can?” He asked. I stifled a grin and nodded. He flicked through some pages on his PADD. “You’re signed back on duty.”

“Thanks,” I smiled. Katie squealed in delight and ran across the office, planting a kiss on Leonard’s cheek. She stopped to hug me and smiled.

“Now, Mama, I’m staying late today to work on my hologram project, so maybe you could go spend some time with your friends tonight?” She suggested. I laughed out loud as she kissed my cheek.

“You had an ulterior motive all along!” It was sneaky of her, and I was proud of the way she’d thought through her problem. She kissed my cheek and headed off to class.

“What exactly do you plan to get up to today in that dress?” Leonard asked, once Katie was gone. I flicked through my patient charts on my PADD and nodded.

“Well, first things first, I see you’ve done no follow up since signing yourself out of my care.” I pressed the button for his office door and it slid shut. “So we’ll start with that. Shirt off, please.”

“This is ridiculous,” he complained, pulling his shirt over his head. I palpated the ribs and spleen for residual pain or inflammation, and he flinched when I touched him. My breath caught. “Your hands are like ice, kid.”

“You’re still having pain,” I accused. He dropped his shirt on the desk and turned so his affected side was facing me. There was a large bruise wrapping up the side of his ribs from his back. I sighed. “Why didn’t you deal with this yesterday?” I held the tricorder up to him. There was no bleeding, so the bruise had to be from residual pooled blood from the initial injury. I glared at him and stepped out into medbay to grab a bruise salve off the med cart. Chapel raised an eyebrow at me.

“What are you doing in there with the door closed?” She winked. I rolled my eyes.

“Treating an idiot,” I retorted, opting to also take a hypo for pain back with me. I stepped back into Leonard’s office. He was leaning against his desk, hands braced on the desktop. And he was glaring at me.

“An idiot?” He barked. “Really?”

“Oh shut it,” I snapped. “You had a major internal injury, you signed yourself back on duty when you knew better, and then you did no follow up care for over twenty-four hours. In my books, that makes you an idiot.” I put the hypo to his deltoid and injected the pain medication.

“Insubordination is a pretty serious charge, you know.” He nearly growled it. I snorted.

“Can you turn so I can apply this salve to your bruise?” I asked. He complied, and I started slathering the goo across his skin.

“I’m not kidding, kid. Talking to me like that is insubordinate and -”

“And is it worse or better than tampering with someone’s personnel file?” I interrupted. He stepped away from me and narrowed his eyes.

“About the same in terms of punishments.” He glared at me.

“I don’t know why you’re so mad at me, Leonard,” I sighed. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry. But you aren’t going to glare at me and bark at me until I give up and run away. Someone needs to take care of you, if you won’t.”

The scowl dropped from his face and his shoulders slumped. “Can’t a man lick his wounds in private?”

“Not if licking his wounds means ignoring pain and appropriate medical follow up, no,” I retorted. I held his shirt up to him. “If you’re having problems reaching because you’re stiff, just ask. I’ll come help you out.”

“I was figuring on turning in early tonight.” He pulled his shirt back on and shrugged.

“So?”

“Your daughter told you to go out tonight,” he reminded.

“With my friends, I know. How is that going to impede me helping you with your salve?” I was genuinely confused.

“Well, won’t you be out with Chapel and the other ladies? Or spending time with Jim?” He asked.

“Not if you need me, no,” I replied. I would let Jim fill him in about us. “And if you’re really thinking about turning in early, I can always meet up with Chris after I’ve tucked you in.”

“Tucked me -” he protested. “I’m a grown man!”

“And a terrible patient,” I pointed out. He laughed, and the bad mood was broken.

“The question remains, kid, what kind of doctoring do you think you can manage in that dress?” He asked. I shrugged.

“I’ve been reading up on alien anatomies to see where that gallbladder and kidney stone treatment might go. If the patient load is light, I can continue working on that. But really, I am capable of treating patients in this. I just find it awkward,” I admitted.

“There’s a lot of assessments and discharges that could happen today,” he said. “And as you’ve pointed out, I haven’t exactly managed my pain well.”

“Then how about you manage medbay from your desk, and I will get to assessing crew and sending them back to work?” I suggested.

“I’ll be out in a half hour,” he agreed.

I consulted with Christine about the patients and was astonished by how many were still lingering in medbay. “Well, McCoy wasn’t really himself yesterday. Half of these could have been discharged but he couldn’t see through his pain.”

“Why didn’t you come get me?” I chastised her. She gave me a look that shut me up.

“Really? Do you think he would have listened to you yesterday?” She asked. I laughed.

“You’re probably right.” I started seeing patients, writing discharge orders, and shipping their charts to nursing so they could be sent on their way. It didn’t take long before I’d discharged most of the crew in medbay, but there were a few with lingering concerns that I kept until Leonard emerged from his office, significantly more than a half hour later.

“Hey.” I looked him over. “You okay?”

“Would you believe I fell asleep?” He gave me a cockeyed smile and shook his head.

“I want to run more labs on you,” I insisted.

“I’m fine,” he assured me. I took a deep breath and steered him back toward his office.

“What if I missed something? What if you’re bleeding out?” I asked. “Let me check, please.”

“Bryn.” He placed a hand on either shoulder and squared me, facing him. “You didn’t miss anything. But remember your anatomy, kid. The spleen’s kind of a big deal in the hematology arena. I’ll probably be peaky for a while yet.”

“If it’s not a big deal, let me run the labs to reassure myself,” I argued. He paused for a moment and let out a huff of breath. Not enough to be a sigh, but enough to know I’d won.

“Alright,” he agreed. I darted back to the equipment cart and got the lab kit. He had his sleeve rolled up enough to expose his forearm for my lab draw, and I made quick work of it, lest he change his mind again. I waited as the values were uploaded to my PADD. He was right, and was fine. I mean, his complete blood count was a little low, but he didn’t need any further intervention. He looked smug when he read the numbers.

“I want another panel in a week, Bones,” I demanded. He nodded.

“That’s prudent follow-up,” he agreed. “I won’t argue it.”

“Good,” I said, suddenly feeling awkwardly aware of everyone in medbay staring at us. “I will talk to you at shift end about the arrangements we need to make for your bruise salve.”