#jame t kirk x reader

[perseephoneee]

𐦍｡ 🎀 𝐹𝐼𝒞𝑀𝒜𝒮 2024 🎀 ｡𐦍

↳ masterlist ↳ ship exchange ↳ taglist ↳ ficmas 2023

yeyeyeye i'm so excited to be doing this a second year in a row <3 especially since there are now 300+ more of you than last year (absolute insanity btw). lets get this nondenominational celebration started!!

bonus: i'm going to try and include a short playlist with every story :) lets get these vibes rolling

DAY 1 Frostbite | Steve Rogers (eta. dec 1)

DAY 2 Caroling | Elijah Mikaelson (eta. dec 3)

DAY 3 Cabin Fever | Dean Winchester (eta. dec 5)

DAY 4 Mistletoe | Loki Laufeyson (eta. dec 7)

DAY 5 Decorating the Tree | JJ Maybank (eta. dec 9)

DAY 6 Christmas Tree Farm | James T. Kirk (eta. dec 11)

DAY 7 Ice Skating | Isaac Lahey (eta. dec 13)

DAY 8 Sleigh Ride | Castiel (eta. dec 15)

DAY 9 Hot Cocoa | Dean Winchester (eta. dec 17)

DAY 10 Snow Chase | Klaus Mikaelson (eta. dec 19)

DAY 11 Starlight | Peter Parker (eta. dec 20)

DAY 12 Secret Santa | Stiles Stilinski (eta. dec 21)

DAY 13 Sugar and Spice | Bucky Barnes (eta. dec 22)

DAY 14 Winter Ball | Kol Mikaelson (eta. dec 23)

DAY 15 Scarf | Isaac Lahey (eta. dec 24)

｡ TAGGING MUTUALS @mayfieldss @wholoveseggs @allthegoodbobdylanlyricsaretaken @muffinbeliever @bonesnplywood @foxherder @artyandink @fitzs-trained-monkey @wickedlyemma

[gallavichsreddie1128]

The Other Side (Mirror! Spock)

Description: Y/N ends up in the mirror verse with Kirk, Bones and Uhura but she’s in for a surprise.

Warning: Smut

Word Count: 1,656

Y/N looks around as they beam aboard the ship. Something wasn’t right and that something was Spock. He had a gotye and was wearing a different uniform. She looked down and saw a different uniform on her but that couldn’t be possible. She never changed. This uniform was more revealing. She looked at Bones, Kirk and Nyota to see that they also had on different uniforms. Strange. Spock had walked up to them well her, and stopped.

She stared at him waiting for his words, “Welcome back, Wife.” Wife? She and Spock weren’t married. Sure she had a huge crush on him but she wasn’t sure if the feeling was reciprocated. Before she could say anything he kissed her. Her eyes widened but she slowly kissed him back. The others stared at the two in shock. Spock would never show PDA. They broke from the kiss and she stared at him with wide eyes. The kiss wasn’t bad.

He backed away and greeted the captain leaving her in her head. She touched her lips where the kiss was placed just moments ago from shock. The others left the room so she followed until she was stopped by Spock. “Are you well? Should we go to our quarters?” She didn’t know what to say. “I-I’m well, Husband. Just tired is all.” She said, hoping that he didn’t sense her lie. He nodded, “Very well then. You head to our quarters and I will be there after I discuss something with the Captain.” She nods and heads out the door to find the others. “Y/L/N.” She hears and turns to see Bones. Oh thank god, she thinks.

She runs to him and sees Kirk and Nyota as well. “What is going on?” She questions. “It appears that we are in a different universe. One where you and Spock are married.” “One where we are evil as well.” Y/N looks at her feet. So her and Spock were meant to be? “You have one role and that is to play the part but don’t get too attached. We still have to find our way back to our universe.” Kirk warns her.

Spock’s hands were placed on her hips as they made out in his chair. Her brain was screaming in confusion but it all felt so nice. Spock was never one for PDA or at least it seemed and yet this Spock had taken her on the table and the bridge and now in the cafeteria area. She felt fucked out but it was everything she’s ever wanted. Nobody dared to walk in on them. Not after Spock threatened every single person that had

. She sighed into the kiss as she felt one of his hands move under her skirt. “My my you are gorgeous, my wife.” She moaned softly as his fingers brushed against her clit. “Fuck.” She whispered as he began rubbing it. His hands felt amazing on her, almost as good as his dick. She placed her head in his neck to hide her moans but he pulled her head out of his neck. “None of that. I want everyone to hear how good I’m making you feel.” If she wasn’t on cloud nine right now, she would question his intentions.

She threw her head back and moaned his name which caused him to pin her to the table, “You’re not my wife.” He growled and her eyes widened. He performed a mind meld on her to see who she was and was quite pleased with what he came across. “You are not married to Spock in your universe but you have some pretty naughty thoughts about him.” Her face was red as he exposed her. His hand traveled down her body and cupped her breasts, “I guess I can give you what he hasn’t.” He said and yanked down her panties.

Even though he’s already fucked her 5 different times there was something about her that he enjoyed. Maybe it was the innocence that his wife lacked. She seemed shocked by all the things they do there and what he has done to her. “Have you enjoyed fucking the man of your dreams?” He asked as his fingers toyed with her clit. She nodded and moaned.

He swirled a finger around her hole that was dripping with slick. She was still so wet even though she’s been fucked 5 times today. “You have amazing stamina for a human.” He says as he slides a finger inside of her. “I’ve just always wanted you, Spock.” She whines and oh she was so needy. Needy for him. “I shall give to you what he hasn’t.” That was a promise. His finger pumped in and out of her at a fast pace. He watched her face that showed she felt like she was in heaven. Her jaw was dropped and her eyes closed.

Sweet and pretty moans fell from her lips as he finger fucked her. He added another finger and she nearly screamed. It all felt so good and worth it. “Spock, I need your cock please.” She begged and he almost smirked. “Patience, wife.” He told her and curled his fingers to hit her sweet spot. She screamed and whined so much that he had to place his other hand over her mouth. “You my dear are incredible, so beautiful.” He tells her as he kisses her neck. Her pussy began clinching on his fingers and he could tell she was close.

Her hands gripped the table with all her might and she screamed into his hand as she came all over his fingers. He let her ride out her orgasm before removing his fingers. He looked at his fingers that were covered in her slick. “You cum a lot harder than she does.” Y/N was too dazed to focus on that comment. He placed his fingers on her lips and she opened her mouth. She sucked the slick off his fingers and he moaned at the feeling.

His dick was hard against his pants. He removed his fingers from her mouth and undid his pants. She looked at him with parted lips and pupils blown. His dick sprung up against his stomach tummy. She looked down at his dick and sighed. It was beautiful and nothing like she had ever seen. He grabbed her thighs and pulled her to the end of the table. “I wanna ride you.” She told him. Her voice is small and needy. He smirked and sat back down in the chair.

She got up off the table and climbed in his lap. His hands instantly grabbed her hips to stable her as she took him inside of her. She let out a big breath at the feeling of him stretching her. He looked up at her as she took him in slowly. “5 times and you have yet to adjust to my size.” He comments. “You're really big.” She tells him and sighs. He wanted to slam her onto him but decided against it. There was something about her that made him want to be good.

Once she was fully sat on him, she placed her hands on his shoulders and began moving. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the feeling of him. His eyes never leaving her fucked out face. “Fuck, Spock.” She whined. “Your Spock is illogical for not having you like this. Like you deserve.” He said and his hands moved to cup her ass and drag her on his dick. She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her hand in his neck. Her moans were all he could hear.

He didn’t mind either. Her moans were hot and sexy. “If I could have you all the time. I would.” He said in her ear and she gasped. The words he was saying pushed her closer to the edge. “Fuck I’m close.” She whined and he moved to kiss her already bruised neck. “I need you to cum for me, baby.” He groans as her pussy squeezes him. “Please.” She begged but didn’t know what for.

The chair was squeaking with her thrusts and even though he was afraid it would break, this moment was too good to end. “Spock, I’m so close, baby.” She whined in his ear. He placed his fingers to her head in a mind meld and she nearly screamed at the pleasure.

She was feeling his too and the band snapped and she came all over him with a scream of his name. He followed shortly after with a whimper. She stared at him as she helped him ride out his orgasm. “You’re so beautiful.” He tells her which made her smile. She wished that she could stay with him but the captain would never allow it. 

Y/N kissed him one last time before getting on the transporter. Kirk was trying to get him to be good and no longer evil and he made eye contact with Y/N and said he would consider it. Y/N gave him a small smile before being transported to her universe.

Spock was there but it wasn’t the Spock that just fucked her 6 times. It was her Spock as the other called it. She stepped off the transporter and went to the bridge. She was happy to be back but sad that she didn’t have Spock. Spock came up to her and she looked at him. He stared ahead at the screen.

“It appears that we are married in the mirrorverse.” The Mirrorverse that’s what it was called. She nodded, “Yeah I guess so. I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable.” She said and he looked at her. “It does not.” He tells her and she gives him a small smile. It happened so fast but he leaned in and kissed her. She was too surprised to kiss him back but once they pulled away she smiled. Maybe she did have Spock after all.

[captainsophiestark]

Irregular Heartbeat

Bones McCoy x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober, and for my personal fic writing challenge for 2024, Sophie's Year of Fic! Featuring a new fic being posted every Friday, all year long :)

Fandom: Star Trek

Day Eighteen Prompt: "You always have a plan."

Summary: Bones's SO has a Valentine's Day surprise planned for him that's fit for the CMO of the Enterprise.

Word Count: 1,295

Category: Fluff, Humor

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Jim!"

My best friend, Jim Kirk, whirled around at the sound of my voice, one eyebrow raised. He was incredibly used to me and my shenanigans, so he didn't even look phased as I charged towards him while he waited for the machine to fill his cup with caf.

"I need you to distract Bones for, like, half an hour. Preferably today. And within the next hour," I said, only slightly breathless as I reached him.

"So... you want me to go distract Bones as soon as I get my caf?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Jim grinned at me. "You know I'm in. But care to tell me why?"

"I've got a Valentine's Day suprirse I want to put together for him. It's the first time we've been a couple for the holiday, and I want to do something special."

"And I take it you already have a plan?" I gave Jim a withering look and he just laughed. "Of course. You always have a plan."

"Damn right I do. Now come on, take that caf to go and get out of here. I've got things to do today."

"Alright, alright, I'm going. But next time you pull me away from a rare break to help you with something, it better be for a prank. Not a date."

I grinned. "I think I can commit to that deal."

Jim smirked back at me, then raised his cup of caf in mock salute as he strode out of the cafeteria, off to distract Bones. I paused, letting him get a little bit ahead of me so there was no chance of running into him or my boyfriend on their way out of medical, then quickly made my way through the familiar hallways of the Enterprise.

Luckily for me, when I made it to sickbay (after one brief stop in my quarters), it was almost completely empty. Jim must've been doing as I'd asked in getting Bones out of here, and now, I had exactly the window I needed to pull off my Valentine's Day surprise.

I made my way to one of the heart rate monitors and popped open the back panel, then got to work breaking it the way I wanted to break it. Althought Starfleet Engineering hadn't covered exactly this kind of change to equipment on a starship, it had been a thorough enough course that I had the skills regardless.

Once I finished, I tested my handiwork, then grinned and made everything look like it had before I'd showed up. Finally, I snuck the bouquet of fresh roses I'd managed to secure on our last shore leave out of my bag, tucking them behind the pillows of the bed. I paused to take one last look at my setup, then took off out of sickbay with a grin. Not a moment later, I heard Jim's voice echoing loudly down the corridor, clearly trying to give me a heads up about his return with Bones.

I hid around the corner while Bones and Jim said their goodbyes, then waited for Jim's footsteps to fade in the opposite direction before turning the corner and reentering sickbay.

"Hey," I said, a small smile on my face as I found Bones just outside his office. "Happy Valentine's Day."

He'd had a slight frown on his face when he'd first turned around, but it dissolved the moment he saw me.

"Hey yourself. Happy Valentine's Day." He took a few steps closer to me, a faint smile growing on his face as he approached. "What brings you in? I wasn't expecting to get to see you until tonight."

"Actually... I'm feeling a little rough. I was hoping you could check me out."

Bones narrowed his eyes. "...Is this a bad pickup line?"

"What? No!"

He held up his hands in surrender, then gently stepped forward and took my elbow.

"Alright. Valentine's Day and all, I had to check. Let's get you on a bed."

"And you're talking to me about bad pickup lines?"

Bones snorted, and I grinned. I didn't wait for him to direct me to a bed, and instead I headed straight for the one I'd just finished modifying. Bones didn't even bat an eye at my decision, instead following me over and carefully getting me hooked up to the various monitoring machines.

"Do you want to tell me about your symptoms?" he asked as he worked. I sighed.

"I don't know, I just haven't been feeling well. A little lighthearted, a little fluttering in my chest."

I expected Bones to make another bad pickup line comment, but clearly, he'd switched into doctor mode. He just hummed as he continued to work.

"And what's been your food and water to caffeine ratio so far today?"

I grunted. "Food, water, and no caffeine so far, thank you very much."

Bones just gave me a look, which I couldn't really argue. Too much caffeine and not enough other, better fuel had been the cause of me not feeling good before, and we both knew it.

"Well, let's see what we can see here, hm?"

I barely managed to fight back a giddy smile as Bones turned to look at the monitor read out, including the heart rate monitor. What he found, instead of the normally reading beeping line, was the green line tracing the shape of a (non-anatomical) heart. I snuck my hand behind my pillow to retrieve the roses while Bones blinked at the display in shock.

"My god... what is..." He glanced from the monitor to me, then got halfway through turning back to the monitor before stopping to stay on me and my roses. His wide eyes and slightly-open mouth were instantly replaced with a squint and a frown. "What did you do to this monitor?"

"I made it cute for Valentine's Day!" I replied. I held out the roses to him, but before I could get through another word, he'd crossed his arms and fixed me with a glare.

"I thought something was seriously wrong, either with you or with my highly-sophisticated medical equipment, which is essential to the health and safety of this crew. What if we'd had an emergency situaiton before you could fix this, or even tell me about it?"

I sighed.

"I hear you, baby, but come on. I made sure the odds of that were crazy low, it's one monitor, and I made the whole thing easy to fix."

"Easy enough that a non-engineer who didn't know the machine had been tampered with could fix it?"

"Yes."

Bones raised an eyebrow, so I sighed, and used my free hand to give the machine a nice hard whack. Theoretically, the same one a stressed and confused medical professional would give it in the heat of the moment.

It beeped, then the readout changed back to the normal, boring heart monitor readout. I turned back to Bones with a look.

He sighed. "Fine. But you still scared me when I saw that coming up as a readout of your heart beat."

"Just take the roses and get M'benga to cover the end of your shift. This is just the first Valentine's surprise of the day."

Despite himself, a smile clawed its way onto my boyfriend's face. I grinned back at him. I knew he couldn't hold out here much longer.

"Alright, fine," he said, taking the roses out of my hand and leaning in to give me a kiss. I leaned up and into it, bringing one hand up to rest at the nape of his neck. After a long, sweet moment, he pulled back. "I'm all yours until dinner tonight."

"What happens at dinner tonight?"

"Then it's my turn to take over with the Valentine's planning. I put together a nice dinner for the both of us, and as a bonus, it won't give either of us a heart attack."

I laughed and leaned up to kiss him again.

"Sounds perfect to me."

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen @misshale21

[yona049]

𝚂𝚙𝚘𝚌𝚔 𝚡 𝚐𝚗! 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

Part 1? (maybe)

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Warning :

> lil blood

>cosmophobia

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His pace was strong and exact as he walked through the ships shining white hallway. Hair cut to a precise straight line with pointed ears, a shining example of his Valcan linage.

His uniform was nothing short of excellent, no wrinkle or crease would dare disturb it's perfection. The tablet in his hand had many names of crew members across the screen.

Behind him, hundreds of cadets, Ensign's and officers ran through the hallway. Some carrying baggage or equipment for the long journey that lay ahead.

The blue, red, and yellow uniforms looked like smudged lines to Spock. No one daring to crash into him or hinder his way, as his intense focus on the tablet demanded his presence to be known.

Behind him came a red uniform, short skirted Lieutenant Commander Uhura runs closer. Her pace quickened to a jog to catch up to him. She dodged one of the Cadets carrying heavy boxes until she finally caught up to Spock.

"Spock!" she called to him but his attention never faltered from the tablet screen.

One name of the many pops up and he selects it. The profile of Ensign Y/n L/n appeared.

"What is it, Uhura?"

"I just needed to enquire on the specific time of launch."

Spock scrolls down to the information on the profile.

"There's no question, we leave O' eight hundred hours, current planet time. We've given everyone sufficient time to prepare for a life long expedition of exploration."

Uhura growls and dodges another Cadet carrying some equipment and engineering tools.

"Yes I understand! But some Cadets have questioned the captains choice to bring inexperienced Ensign's on board for this mission."

Spock finally stops once they've reached the back of the hallway with a large door at the end. His hands are placed behind his back delicately and without hesitation he answers.

"Uhura, I can see the unease that this may have caused. However our Captain has never put us in harms way before and he certainly won't now. I trust Kirk's decisions whole heartedly."

Uhura sighs and nods slowly. Her arms fold into a somewhat comforting hug.

"I guess I should too. It's just a really big decision for everyone to make. There's a chance we may never come home."

She slowly glances through the large window beside them at the spinning blue and green planet below.

Spock looks at earth and then back at her.

"The U.S.S Enterprise is our home now. And like earth. We must protect it."

She laughs a little through her nose at Spock.

"Yeah, you're right."

With a small hand, she pats on his shoulder and then makes her way back down the hallway.

"Oh! And Good luck with the new Ensign!" she calls back to him before disappearing into the corridor.

Finally, the hallway seemed a little quieter. Spock looks back down at his tablet and scrolls through the profile. The first thing he noticed is no picture of the Ensign. Odd.

The second thing he notices is the lack of specified species. The Enterprise was a decorated vessel with many mixed species staff. A proud ship of the The United Federation of Planets.

The doors at the end of the hallway finally slide open.

"Ensign L/n! You're-"

He looks up at the new Ensign but stops when he sees a short bodied, light blue skinned species. Not a harsh blue, but a pale skin tone similar to the planet Andoria.

The blue uniform perfectly hugging their figure and snow-white hair covering their ears.

"...-Late."

He finishes looking at their profile then back at them.

"Sir, I'm sorry. They had some trouble confirming my authentication due to my incomplete file."

They look down shyly. Holding a suitcase and a box of glass tubes and bottles.

"Then let's make an effort to complete it."

Spock walks a circle around them them with a raised eyebrow as he studied their species.

"Tell me, Ensign, what's your species? Your skin and hair would suggest Andorian. However, I see no antennae."

Y/n slowly scratches the bottom of their ear and clears their throat.

"I am Andorian, sir. I lost my antennas in a chemical accident."

Again, Spock looks down at his tablet. His face showing no visible confusion, but he was, in fact, a little confused. Yet also mesmerized.

"It says here you're a Medical Ensign."

They quickly nod watching Spock.

"Yes! Chemistry is my main practice. I can't have the Medical Officer mixing the wrong, atorvastatin with fluticasone and causing someone to come down with some disease!"

They finish their explication but quickly step back after.

"Apologies! I didn't mean to sound so accusatory."

Spock nods before turning on his heel and starting his walk.

"Not at all, I am Vulcan. We try to keep our emotions-"

"-Controlled." Y/n says, catching up to him.

"Yes, I'm aware." they confess, looking down.

Spock squints for a second before looking back at the tablet for some information.

"Now, your room is on deck 37. This deck is reserved for medical and research personnel. Med Bay is also on deck 37."

He explains as they walk to the turbolift, taking them both up to Deck 37. The lift is filled with a few seconds of awkward silence. Spock takes this time to study his blue skinned Ensign.

Their existence is shrouded in mystery. The story of their antennas being chemically detached is questionable, Andorian's antenna grow back after time. Their short stature compared to many of the tall built andorians. An incomplete file made Spock's curiosity spark.

Finally arriving at their room. Spock hands them a key card. He turns his back to them without a goodbye.

"Spock!" Y/n calls.

Spock turns back to them. A darkened blue color covered their cheeks like blush would a human's face.

"Yes, Ensign?"

Y/n takes a breath of confidence and looks at Spock.

"Thank you for accompanying me. You have other duties to see to. But I appreciate your time."

Spock only bows his head.

"It's my duty, Ensign. Now hurry to your medical checkups. We launch in 5 hours."

Y/n gives a happy nod, then entering their room with a little excited skip.

Spock couldn't tell why, but his heart gave a pleased thump when he saw the excitement from Y/n. A young new Ensign is unaware of the vastness of space that lays ahead.

The crew started settling into their bunks and rooms with quick paced ease. A fast five hour jump to the launch and Spock was confident in his preparation.

He was sat at his launch pad watching all systems make necessary calculations. As Head Commanding Science Officer and First Officer. He had to be sure the Enterprise was ready for Captain Kirk's arrival.

A sudden hand placed on Spock's shoulder pulls him from his thought process. Jim Kirk stood behind him. His close friend and captain. Even though he was human, Kirk knew what to say to let Spock know everything was ok.

"Well, Spock! How's she lookin?"

Kirk questions.

Spock straightens himself out and with a proud, non emotional face, then says.

"She is, in human terms, Spick and span!"

Kirk smiles giving Spock a good smack on the shoulder.

"Good! Because I'm about ready to head on a life long adventure. To explore strange new worlds!"

Kirk monologs while he strides over to the Captains chair. His palm slides over the arm rest and guides him to his seat.

"Yes, Captain. We're about ready for launch!"

Kirk smirks and turns to a button on his seat. Once he presses it the button starts broadcasting his voice though the entire ship.

"This is your Captain speaking."

Y/n was in a room with a scanner in their hand when they quickly look up at the speaker.

"We are preparing for Launch now. So to start off our journey. Here's a little quote from the very first Starship Captain. Captain Johnathan Archer."

Y/n smiled hearing the name of a big Historical hero. looking back at the Cadet they were doing a Medical check on. Y/n delicately pushes the Cadets head to the side and presses the scanner against their neck.

"He started the voyage by saying and I quote: 'We're going to stumble, make mistakes - I'm sure more than a few, before we find our footing. But we're going to learn From those mistakes. That's what being explorers is all about.'"

Captain Kirk smiles to himself hearing a few Crew members cheer down the hallway.

"This Voyage will be long. But it's purpose is to bring species together united. To Explore and to forge alliances. With that being said! Everyone hold tight!"

Cadets suddenly run off and hold steady to a rail or to anything nailed down. A brand new ship, Y/n stumbles past everyone while packing up the equipment. They look down at the list of Cadets to check but sees one name still open.

Spock had yet to be checked. With seconds before lift off, Y/n decides that the Bridge Control room isn't too far, and they might be able to make it there on time for launch.

With a little stumble, they make their way past the cadets and run for the lift to the Bridge.

Captain Kirk on the bridge looked at his pilot and smirked.

"Hit it!"

The ship yanks a little at the sudden force blasting them into hyperspace at warpspeed.

Y/n still in the turbo lift gets yanked forward suddenly and their hand slips from the rail with a heavy thud.

Spock holds carefully and waits till they get to an even pace. He watches everyone applaud as the ship steadied and they comfortably sat at hyperspeed.

The Captain pats the pilots on the back and Uhura gives Spock a smiling nod.

The lively energy circled though the bridge, even when Y/n fell through the door holding their head people surrounded them with cheers.

They smiled, clapping along and laughing a little before silence once again fell and everyone returned to their posts.

Uhura walks up to Y/n and shakes their hand. Brief conversation that Spock couldn't hear but he could tell Y/n was anxious.

Their hands clutching onto the medical case and their shoulders tightened into a straight, tense, posture.

"Y/n!" he called.

Y/n runs over to him with a thankful smile.

"Ensign, may I enquire as to your purpose on the bridge?"

Y/n sets their equipment down and stands straight at ease.

"Sir, I was on my way to take your vitals and complete medical check up's. But I was interrupted by launch! And I took the lift-"

During Y/n's anxious ramble, Spock studied her movements and noticed a light trickle of dark blue blood coming from beneath the white hair.

"Ensign."

"Yes sir! I know it was foolish! But I wanted to finish soon to get to other duties-"

"Y/n!" Spock's sudden voice brings Y/n's attention back to look up at him.

The chatter of crewmen in the background started fading out as Y/n's heartbeat took its place.

Spock delicately moves his fingertips to the side of their head and wipes the blood away bringing Y/n's attention to it.

"I.. Fell in the lift." they confess with their hand looking for the point of injury.

Spock looks down at the medical box and lifts it back off the ground.

"Ensign. I will report to Med bay for my medical check up in two hours. For the moment, see to your own medical care. Please."

A soft plea from Spock brought Y/n's heart back to a calm beating. They inhale and exhale slowly, focusing back on the problem at hand.

"Yes sir! I will be ready once you arrive!" Y/n says with a determined smile.

They take the bag with new found bravery but once again shyly smile at Spock before walking to the lift.

Uhura watches Y/n walk off and the doors slide shut as Uhura arrives at Spock's side.

"You saw it too?" Uhura questions still watching the lift doors.

"Yes. No Antenna scaring or any signs of growth. Andorian's antenna usually grow back in a matter of weeks."

Spock turns to Uhura and they start their deduction.

Spock continues :

"I considered the fact that it was a Chemical accident into my theory. However even a chemical wound wouldn't stop antennae from growth."

Uhura taps her finger on her folded arms while nodding in agreement.

"Y/n's accent has no clear signs of being raised in an andorian environment. No matter how faint the accent is. As the Communications officer I can hear it."

Spock takes a tablet off his desk and opens Y/n's profile once more.

"Y/n is not Andorian."

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I had fun writing but I'm not sure If it'll become an ongoing series. 👀🖖If you enjoyed this and want a part two please let me know in the comments!

[ensignsimp]

Sleepy Snuggles TOS Kirk, Spock, McCoy HCs:

A/N: It was almost time for bed when I sat down to write this.

A/N+: I was so happy to find that this one had survived!

Prompt: It's been a long day, you and the rest of the away team have just returned from a mission.

James T. Kirk

GIF by spacewizardtrek

Taking You to Bed

After returning Kirk gives everyone strict orders to return to their quarters.

He notices you wobble a little bit before having to lean in a doorway before nearly collapsing.

He quickly and quietly sneaks up behind you and scoops you up in his arms.

"No falling behind (rank)(L/N)." He winks

He doesn't realize that he's taking you back to his quarters.

He puts you down on the bed and starts removing his uniform. He kindly tosses you a pair of spare pajamas to wear.

He's too tired to think of the consequences when crawls into bed next to you.

He wraps an arm around you spooning you gently.

He's so big it's hard to wiggle away from him but the weight feels nice.

He even nuzzles your hair and murmurs softly, it's just too cute.

Taking Him to Bed

When Kirk orders everyone to bed you notice he's having a hard time staying up himself.

He stumbles a little bit when stepping off the transporter and you have to catch him by the hand.

You carefully wrap an arm around your shoulders and help him to his quarters.

"Thank you (rank)(L/N), you're too good to me." He says giving you a sleepy smile.

You take him back to his quarters stumbling slightly due to his size.

When you get him back you try to gently lower him into the bed but he just falls in pulling you with him.

Eventually, you wiggle out of his grasp and help him change his clothes. He whines, begging you to stay.

You can't help but feel a little sorry for him and decide to change into a borrowed pair of pajamas.

You barely have your clothes on when he pulls you back into bed with him.

He rests his head on your chest and wraps his arms around your waist.

Spock

GIF by groovyqueer

Taking You to Bed

It is so obvious that you are exhausted that even Spock notices.

You protest trying to prove that you're not tired when you trip over your own feet.

Spock catches you in his arms, and in one fell swoop he picks you up in his arms. You quickly wrap your arms around his neck.

"It is all too apparent that you are exhausted (rank)(L/N). I shall escort you to your quarters myself." You could have sworn you saw a smirk.

When your hold slips, he takes it as a sign of further exhaustion. So instead he takes you to his quarters.

It is only logical with his quarters being closer.

His room is far more decorated than you expected. When he sets you on the bed he even removes your shoes and tucks you in.

He sits across from you to make sure you fall asleep.

He may even pull out his harp or read poetry as to ensure you fall asleep faster.

Taking Him to Bed

He let out one of the largest most discrete yawns you had ever seen.

You were almost tempted to ask if he was alright when you noticed the bags under his eyes.

You wrap his arm around your shoulder and insist that he get some sleep before you get Dr. McCoy involved.

"It is illogical for me to continue while I am tired. Can you assist me to my quarters (rank)(L/N)?" You can see a light tint of green brush his cheeks.

You try to take him back to his quarters, but he stumbles a bit and due to his strength you struggle to keep up.

You eventually get him to his quarters by now he's mumbling things that you can't quite make out. (Partly because it's mostly Vulcan.)

When you get him into bed and help him out of his uniform and into his pajamas. He suddenly gets quiet and stares at you.

His eyes are soft and his gaze is sad, almost longing.

He holds his hand out to you as you lower him into bed and pull the covers over him.

His fingers graze your cheek and he whispers something unintelligible in Vulcan. You smile as you take his hand and place it on his chest.

Dr. Leonard McCoy

GIF by garnetshell

Taking You to Bed

Dr. McCoy wastes no time and gives everyone strict orders for bed rest.

He notices you are struggling to pick yourself up after stumbling.

He even lets out an annoyed groan before wrapping an arm around your shoulders to pick you up.

"Come on Doctor's orders, don't make me drag you there." He says

He takes a while to drag you to sick bay. He convinces himself it was just a precaution to make sure you don't have anything else wrong.

He puts you into bed and orders the others to leave the two of you alone.

He's too tired to try and return to his quarters so he takes a bed next to yours.

You're fast asleep by the time he sits down in his own bed. He watches you for a moment wondering what it would be like to snuggle with you.

He shakes the thought from his mind until he feels you grab the back of his shirt. (You're worse than Kirk.)

He tucks you back into place before gently patting your head. He's a doctor, not a teddy bear. (Though he would love to be your teddy bear.)

Taking Him to Bed

He may be a doctor but he is also a hypocrite, even though he orders everyone to bed he insists he's fine.

When he almost falls off the transporter you have to catch him and wrap an arm under him to keep him steady.

He protests slightly but eventually gives up when realizes you're stronger than him.

"Fine, this is ridiculous I'm a doctor, not a baby!" He grumbles

It's almost kind of sweet how he tries to drunkenly tell you how he can take care of himself as you drag him to the sickbay.

It is safer to take him to the sickbay that way other doctors and nurses can keep an eye on him. He tries to protest yet again but he gives up.

You finally get him into a bed and help him out of his uniform and into a pair of spare pajamas.

He gets really quiet when he sees you helping him and not teasing him like Spock or Kirk would.

He knows he'll hear it tomorrow though.

Once you have him tucked in he reaches out to try and touch you but he holds himself back. You notice and decide to give him a peck on the forehead.

[sprite-writes]

failed romantics

Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Reader (original female character)

Summary: Secrets can’t be kept forever, and what better time to reveal them than the Enterprise night shift.

Word Count: 5,902

A/N: yay another chapter!! I have been so excited to write this one since I started this series, I hope you all like it. As always very special thanks to @lightning-writes without them these chapters would literally never get finished LOL immediately after finishing this plz go check out their bucky series; good heart (faulty machine of a man) it kills me in the best way. anyways, thank you for reading plz like + comment if you enjoyed :)

Leonard can only barely make out Kirk’s face under the dim bulb, but he is pissed enough that Jim’s mug is the last thing he wants to see. The music is loud, so goddamn loud , loud enough that the whiskey did nothing for his headache. 

“This is not what I had in mind when you said you knew a place,” he yells over the music, staring down the side of Kirk's face. 

“What?” the captain calls back, still oblivious to Leonard's scowl. Kirk is absent, completely distracted by the crowd, more specifically the women . His gaze filters from person to person as they pass by the table, a dumb smile on his face the entire time. If steam could come out of Leonard’s ears, it would. 

“I said this isn't what I had in mind for tonight.” He reaches across the table and firmly flicks his friend’s temple. 

“Hey! What's your problem?” Kirk whines. Leonard is satisfied to have gotten his attention—finally. 

“You said you knew a nice place– you said it was a bar!” 

“Yeah and? This is both of those things!” 

“This is a goddamned petri dish!” 

It is. Leonard has refused to even allow his bare skin to touch the tabletop, weary of the unknown sticky substances covering it. There are so many bodies— human and otherwise— packed into the space, it's suffocating, and certainly a fire hazard. It's gross, downright unsanitary, and fucking loud.  

“You’re dramatic, Bones, it's nice enough. Loosen up! Maybe try to meet somebody. We’re only in Yorktown for a day, y’know?” 

Tipsy Kirk is a fucking idiot. 

Leonard recoils at the idea. The captain has gained this…habit lately. This advice-giving habit where he tells Leonard to relax, to get out there, to get laid, and every time it passes through Kirk's lips, Leonard becomes nauseous. He abhors this subject, he really does. The only thing he hates talking about more than his dating life is why he doesn’t have one. Sure, he hasn't had much of one since the divorce anyway, but whatever he did have quickly reduced to nothing after meeting Sunshine. He feels so childish even mulling his thoughts over, and how it feels pointless to consider any other woman interesting since he has already met Sunshine, who is the most interesting. Interesting and pretty. Interesting and pretty and kind. He shakes his head before he starts down his mental list (again). Somedays, it feels like his feelings will swallow him whole. It has been so long since he felt it, the wanting . Wanting to talk to her all the time, or hold her hand, or just be around her. It all makes him feel so juvenile, like he’s a lovesick teenager. She makes him feel like a lovesick teenager. It is the single most frustrating thing he’d ever experienced.

“I don't wanna associate with anyone who willingly steps foot inside this shithole,” he snaps, “C’mon man, let's go.” Kirk protests, of course, even more so as Leonard grabs him by the ear and pulls him up from the chair. He tells himself he’s doing Kirk a favor, that the last thing he needs is a hookup— that he’s certainly not taking out his frustrations on his friend. 

The pair weave through the bodies, with Kirk stumbling after his friend and out the door. The cool breeze hits them like a breath of fresh air, and Leonard takes it in. Kirk, on the other hand, furiously rubs his reddened ear. 

“What the hell was that for? Are you out to get me tonight?” 

Leonard feels a quick pang of sympathy, regretting lashing out. 

“Look, I’m sorry, but that place had me sweating like a damn sinner in church, there’s other bars, and it's getting late anyways–”

Kirk would usually push it, and Leonard could tell he wants to, which makes him all the more thankful he doesn’t.  

“Fine, fine, whatever but we are drinking when we get back to the ship,” he settles, leading the way home. 

Yorktown is cold and downright industrial. Leonard hates it. He would usually be thankful for a pit stop if it means he can feel non-artificial gravity, but, between the dirty club and Kirk’s antagonizing, he’s ready to be spacebound again. Both the Enterprise and the USS Endeavor are in Yorktown for the night, in the process of a personnel transfer. The streets are crawling with Starfleet members.

They walk in silence for most of the way, observing the larger-than-life city and the star crafts buzzing overhead. Leonard would be lying if he said he doesn’t feel a bit empty.  Perhaps the low-lit, music-blaring monstrosity would have felt more tolerable if a certain lieutenant was with him and not stuck with the enterprise night crew. 

“You know, I wouldn’t have even known that place existed if it wasn’t for Sunny,” Kirk laughs. Leonard scrunches his nose. 

“She recommended that barnyard?” he scoffs. 

“Oh god no, she told me to stay away from it. Said it was the grimiest place on this side of the universe. I just thought it sounded like a good time, y’know?” 

Leonard stares, really stares, and wonders why he keeps expecting better of Kirk. 

“You’re an idiot, and an ass. The woman gives you stellar advice, and you ignore it, and stick her with the skeleton crew.” 

Kirk stops so abruptly, that Leonard stumbles over him. 

“ I didn’t put her on the skeleton crew, she requested to be. You think I would make her work more than she already does? I’m not a tyrant, Bones.” 

What?  

“What?” Leonard says out loud. “Why would she ask to be holed up on the enterprise all leave?” 

“I mean, I would too if the alternative was running into my ex and all his coworkers.” 

Kirk laughs, Leonard’s head spins. 

“Her ex?” 

“Yeah her— she didn’t tell you any of this?” 

“She said she wanted Jameson to oversee the transfer, give him more experience or something, so you put her on his night shift.” 

“No? She wanted Jameson to do it because she used to be engaged to the Endeavors head of security.” 

Leonard blinks. And blinks again. 

“Dude, I don’t even know how to change the schedule,” Kirk adds. 

 Suddenly, despite talking to her everyday for close to a year, she feels unfamiliar. Engaged? He can hardly imagine it, nor does he want to. Pictures of Sunshine flash through his mind, and he clenches his fist. 

“Didn’t know she had been engaged,” he feigns a casual tone.

Kirk furrows his brows. 

“ You didn’t know? You of all people?” Leonard shrugs, as his stomach forms a knot. “She tells you everything, and she’s never mentioned Ryder?”

“Christ, his name is Ryder ?”

“I know! Douchebag name, right?” 

He doesn’t respond for a beat, which turns into several beats. The gears in his head turn and turn. Engaged . He doesn’t understand why the idea eats at him. He himself had been married for years. So what if she was engaged? There is no reason for him to be upset that his friend—a coworker–had an ex. 

He feels nauseous. 

Kirk clears his throat, derailing Leonard's train of thought.

“You’re right, it’s late, we should head back,” he says, offering a reassuring smile. Leonard follows him, hands in his pockets.

“Do y’know what happened?” he asks finally. Kirk casts him a sideways glance.

“What, between them? Not a clue,” Kirk says with sincerity enough for Leonard to believe it. “She wasn’t really keen on discussing it.” He pauses and looks at the ground as they walk. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it though, Bones, I think everyone sees she’s only really got eyes for one person these days.” 

“Don't start, Jim,” Leonard warns hotly, clenching his jaw. 

“Start what? I’m not starting anything. I’m just laying out the facts.” Jim hiccups. “She adores you, man, like adores -”

“Sunshine ‘adores’ everyone she meets. We’re friends—good friends, but that's all.” His patience shrinks as his annoyance grows.

Jim laughs mirthlessly.

“No, Sunshine and I are good friends. Whatever you two are is something else entirely-” 

“Anyone ever tell you you don't know when to shut up?” His tone is as cold as the night air, and Jim shuts up.

Leonard wishes Kirk would drop the subject, trip over a rock, or whatever it took to never have this conversation again. Really—what he truly wants is for everyone to stop dangling this hope in front of his face like a carrot. He’s not an idiot, he knows he spends more time with the lieutenant than his colleagues, hears her laugh more often, and knows her habits better.

 He knows what it looks like. He also knows that he's a bitter emotionally closed-off divorcee— 

He tells Jim that Sunshine is his friend because she is—and he denies wanting anything more because It's stupid to want things out of his reach. 

Frustration heats his cheeks and begins to bloom into a headache. He knows Kirk means well, but that fact does little to comfort him. 

“Alright, I’ll drop it,” Kirk surrenders, his voice soft. “But there is one last thing you should know,” He pauses at the crosswalk and turns to Leonard. Eerily stoic, his mouth pressed into a thin line. Leonard's breath hitched. 

“Ryder’s got nothing on you in terms of looks, okay? Seriously he's like, 5��7, and his face isn't at all symmetrical-”

Leonard revs up and smacks Kirk in the back of the head harder than he ever had and feels no regret. Not even after Kirk's high-pitched “ Ouch!”

“Would you quit it! You gossip like a damn schoolgirl!”

The sign blinks at them to walk, and Leonard drags Kirk across the street, fingers digging into his arm. 

“Ow, ow, I was just saying-“

“Wait a minute,” Leonard lets his friend go and smooths down his sleeve. “How do you know what he looks like anyway?” 

Kirk puts himself at a safe distance from the Doctor, cradling his arm. “Well, the operations manager would usually talk to the department heads during a transfer, but Sunshine passed him off to me. I said no at first, obviously, because I hate managing, but then she finally told me she was almost Mrs. Ryder Denver. So yeah, I spoke with him a few times, just business. Have to say though, I couldn't imagine them together. He comes off as a bit of a douche.” 

Leonard breathes deeply, reigning in the emotions that he doesn’t need Kirk to pick up on. The idea of Sunshine being engaged does enough to unsettle him without knowing that the man in question “ came off as a douche” . He feels something boil under the surface. 

“Yeah?” is all he can strangle out. 

“Yeah—He’s like a classic douchey security buff,” Kirk continues, unaware of his friend's white knuckles. “You know the kind– uptight, condescending, has one earring and thinks it's edgy-”

“Wears their uniform a size too small? Yeah, I know the type.” 

“Exactly, and Sunshine is so…so-”

“Heart-of-gold?” 

“Yeah! Opposites attract I guess, but I don't know, something was off.” 

To Leonard, the entire thing is off. All of it. Everything . He doesn’t understand why Sunshine decided he doesn’t get to know, why it is a secret in the first place, why she almost married a douche, why he cares so damn much . 

The enterprise comes into view like the sun on the horizon, and Leonard is relieved . 

“Your arm’s all right?” Leonard asks, an apology without apologizing. Jim knows this and breathes a laugh. 

“Yup, the ear’s fine too.” 

The Doctor nods, but his eyes remain trained in front of him. Through the glass window panes, he eyes the ship, eager to hide away in the familiar place. He would have opened the door for Kirk, as a gesture, but of course, the Yorktown Federation Port has to have automatic doors. He huffs, and the artificial lights illuminate his red cheeks. They approach their home in silent tandem, their shoes clinking against the hard floors. 

“You should talk to her, Bones,” Kirk breaks the quiet, head down while he taps the access code to the enterprise hull. “Ask her why she didn't mention the ex. I’m sure she has a good reason, probably one you'll wanna hear.” 

Leonard wants to be mean. He wants to shake Kirk's words off with an insult and go to bed. But he swallows his pride, and it goes down like nails.

“Yeah. Maybe.”

Hope. It bubbles up within his chest, and he pushes it down. Finally, the stark white enterprise interior greets him. He breathes a little easier. 

Kirk stumbles over the first step— “ Woah ”-- and Leonard steadies him with a raised eyebrow. “Andorian ale finally catching up with you?” 

“Pfft,” Kirk scoffs. “Couldn’t catch me if it tried.” 

Leonard pauses, then laughs, the first genuine one all night, and it has Kirk grinning back. 

The enterprise is empty, its residents still on the streets they just returned from. So, without restraint, they laugh, and Kirk stumbles, and Leonard forgets for a moment about the unsaid feelings under his skin. 

Kirk is an idiot, and he’s a good friend.  

He’s happy to banter about whatever comes out of Kirk's drunk mouth and to correct him when he takes a wrong turn in his own ship. Leonard claps his hand on his shoulder and drawls, “It’s this way, captain .”

“Uhh, no , Chekov keeps the good whiskey in his locker, this way,” Kirk insists with a point down the hallway, and Leonard is amazed at his eagerness to get blacked out the night before embarking. 

“Are you out of your mind? No way. You can drink like a fish when you don't need to fly a starship in the morning.” 

“What are you, my mom ?” 

Christ.

“No, but I pity the poor woman,” he huffs and gestures down the hallway leading to his quarters. Kirk frowns and scrunches his nose.

“Raincheck, Kirk, c’mon.” 

He begrudgingly obliges, having given his friend a hard enough time tonight anyway. The yawn that crawls out of his mouth a moment later corroborates Leonard's decision. He is tired, and Kirk shouldn't drink anymore, but he’d be lying if he said those were his only motives to end the night early.

“You win this one, Bones, but next time I swear we'll be out till sunrise,” he says between another yawn and a hiccup. 

“Uh-huh. Try not to trip.” Leonard reminds himself of the virtue of patience and keeps walking. 

Kirk manages to type in his room's access code all by himself, with only a moment of squinting, and a break to roll up the black sleeves of his turtleneck. Leonard is impressed, and the bar is low. 

“Drink a bottle of water, and get some sleep, We’ll talk tomorrow.” he crosses his arms over his chest and waits for protest. 

Kirk only hums. “You headed to your room?”

 The doctor's fingers drum against the doorframe. “Was thinking I’d check in on Sunshine,” he says, blinks, and rushes out, “and the rest of the Skeleton crew, of course.  Maybe medbay too, then I’ll hit the hay.” He fleetingly wonders if that sounds believable, or at least casual. 

 Kirk smiles a genuine smile. “Sounds like a good plan, Bones. See ya in the morning, and tell her I said hi .” Before he can react, his friend waves, and the door slides shut. Then, he’s alone in the hallways, and he has to put his money where his mouth is. 

Shit . 

The way to the bridge feels daunting now, like climbing Everest. Like climbing Everest with the shittiest rope ever. Like climbing Everest with the shittiest rope ever, several pounds of emotional baggage, and a Starfleet captain breathing down his neck.  He considers just going to bed, pretending he never even mentioned the whole thing. Maybe even pretend he doesn't care to get answers. He can just leave it be. 

The desire to see her trumps all of it. 

The halls are deserted, which he’s thankful for. He doesn’t need anyone around to watch him squirm in the elevator. A deep breath, a punch of the open elevator button and—

“I told you I don't have any threes! Go fish, again .” 

He sees the back of the captain's chair first, then Starfleet-issued black boots hanging off of it. The whoosh of the door draws the attention of the room to him. Eyes sweep through the vaguely familiar faces of the night crew, all six staring at him like they are waiting for an explanation, which he doesn’t really have. The heeled black boots plant themselves on the ground, the captain's seat swivels around. His heart works double time. 

“ Leonard ? Hi! What are you doing here?” 

Sunshine’s got a hand of cards between her pointer and her thumb, and a sweatshirt pulled over her uniform dress, and it distracts Leonard for longer than it should. He clears his throat, and it shakes loose the feelings stuck there. 

“Just thought I'd check in on our hard working night crew, who is surely on task.” He descends the bridge steps. 

“Well, then, you'll be happy to hear that I am, in fact, glancing at my station every 20 minutes, and I’m the undefeated go-fish champion.” 

She waves the cards at herself like a fan, legs crossed and smile wide. 

“Undefeated, huh? Glad to see your talents going to good use.” Her smile gets a bit brighter, and she does a quick breathy laugh with her nose. For a moment there's quiet, and Leonard begins scrambling for a way to ask her the thing he wants to ask her. The bridge is crowded, for a skeleton crew, he thinks. The redshirt to Sunshine’s left breaks the silence before he can. 

“I’m not sure if I’d call it talent…I’m pretty sure she's cheating,” they grumble, and Sunshine doesn't spare a moment, whipping the chair around. He can almost see the panic fill her eyes, like she’s just been accused of a heinous crime. 

“I’m not! Are you still thinking about that last round? Because that was—”  

Even Leonard winces a bit at her shrill tone, and he’s pretty sure she just woke the navigator who had fallen asleep at his station, so he claps his hands on her shoulders. 

“Sounds to me like this card game has you wound like a spring,” he interrupts her before her voice jostles anyone else awake. 

She pouts, lip jutted out and everything. 

“Let's go for a walk,” he suggests. He doesn’t even let his nerves talk him out of it. She looks at him curiously, her eyebrows drawn. 

“I dunno, I probably shouldn’t leave…” 

“I’m sure someone else can deal cards while you’re gone,” he tells her, already offering his arm. 

The Ensign, Leonard still doesn’t know their name, waves her off. “Go, Lieutenant, It's fine. I’m sure we can handle a few minutes without you.” 

She bites her lip and cautiously loops her arm around his, leaving the captain's chair to her subordinate. 

“Alright, but don’t start a new game without me,” she warns lightly. 

Leonard doesn’t get nervous with her arm looped around his, really he doesn’t. He’s headfirst into this thing now, no room for nerves. 

She drinks her whiskey neat, he learns, and it surprises him. Surprises him even more when she downs it like a shot. 

The walk there had been quiet mostly, except for when Sunshine regaled the stories of her card game wins. 

“Did you have a nice time with Kirk?” she asks politely.

“I dunno if I’d say that, but maybe Jim would disagree.” 

She laughs lightly, and her finger traces the lip of the whiskey glass. He doesn’t know if it’s the best idea, but he refills her cup. 

There is a beat of silence, and the conversation with Kirk pushes to the front of his thoughts. There's a heaviness on the tip of his tongue, the desire to ask why . Without really knowing how to. 

“Wish I could’ve gone with you guys,” she says, her gaze downcast. There's a rare melancholy to her tone, something vulnerable woven into it. 

“You could’ve,” he tells her, and her eyes pull from the table.

“I had--”

“Yeah, I know what you– I just mean–I’m sure Kirk would have given you the night off if you asked… God knows he owes you enough favors.” 

“I guess,” she shrugs, “it wasn’t really the best night for it, though.” 

He could go along with her lame excuse, vaguely agreeing that, yeah, there will be other nights. But the ache to know what exactly goes on in her pretty head has words tumbling out of his mouth. 

“Yeah, Kirk mentioned somethin’ like that,” he mumbles, nerves permeating the sentence. 

“...what?” 

Shit.

“I mean, he may have-”

“What exactly did he mention?” Her tone holds a sharp undercurrent of something rare for Sunshine– anger.

Leonard runs a hand down his face, suddenly thinking of all the much more tactful ways he could have begun this. The gentle buzz of alcohol still in his bloodstream keeps him from panicking. 

“Nothing terrible, just that there was someone in town you wouldn’t wanna see.”

“As if ,” she scoffs. “Kirk’s never been that vague in his life.” 

“…fair enough.” 

She groans miserably, fitfully pulling the sleeves of her sweater over her hands and burying her face in the fabric. 

“You were not supposed to find out like this,” she says, muffled. 

“And how was I supposed to find out?” He asks quietly, like the question will frighten her away. 

A sniffle comes from behind her hands–the sound tugs at his heart. 

“ I don't know. Maybe someone could have told you when I’m dead and then we’d never have to have this conversation.” 

He reaches for her slowly, taking her wrists in a gentle hold and pulling them away from her face, revealing her reddened nose and watery eyes. Her hands are cold, and grow stiff under his touch. 

“Sunshine. It's an ex , not a damn intergalactic scandal. There are worse conversations to have,” he reasons. 

“You don't get it,” she tells him matter-of-factly, pulling her hands from his touch. Embarrassment quickly heats his body, and he wipes his palms on his pants. 

“I’d get it a lot more if you talked about it.” He flexes his jaw, frustration bleeding into his voice. 

She narrows her eyes, punctuating her glare with a sniffle. 

“If I wanted to talk about it, I would’ve.”

“With Kirk? Because he seems to get it.” 

“Why are you acting so—”

“Concerned? Oh, I dunno because you’re my friend?” Exasperation colors his tone.

“I was gonna say entitled,” she grits out. Her anger comes out half-heartedly, sounding more like watery sadness than anything. “I don't tell you everything, and I don't have to. You’re not my-” She sighs. “Why does it matter? I was engaged for like, a year, and now, I’m not.” 

You’re not my–

Her half sentence sticks in his mind and sends blood rushing to his head. He thinks of all the things that he is to her: a colleague, a doctor, a friend. All the things he isn’t feels like a gaping hole. 

He watches her clench her fists and force her tears back. 

“It matters because it upsets you enough to work the night shift,” he sighs, the anger he’s been holding seeps out of his hands like water. “I’m not pressing you for the latest gossip, Sunny. I’m asking because it would be lousy of me not to.” 

She says nothing, taking in his words. 

“I’m no stranger to this stuff, y’know,” he prods her gently. “My ex-wife sent me running all the way to space .” He says lightly, and the corners of her mouth twitch up briefly.

“He didn't send me running, I sent him,” she confesses, shaking her head. 

“ You ?” 

“Me. The thing is,” she shrugs, “it should have worked, y’know? Like on paper, it was perfect. Ryder and I were academy sweethearts, liked all the same shit, were top of our classes, blah, blah, blah.” She rolls her eyes. “Our friends used to tease us, say that it wasn't fair, and we were too in love.”

“Sounds nice.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” she says, sighing. Her eyes drift nowhere in particular. “It didn’t feel nice after a while though. It felt suffocating. I was half a person with him, we were Ryder and Sunshine–and that was one entity.” Her tears dry on her lashes, as she becomes entrenched in the memory. 

“But the person we were wasn’t me . Because he never thought my jokes were funny, or my hobbies were interesting or my friends were cool, so I was willing to throw them all out. Eventually all that was left was him. His ideas, his wants, his needs. I was backed into a corner. I should’ve left when I realized but I loved him… and I was really scared of being alone.” 

She pushes her hair behind her ears and lets out a shaky breath. 

“I was a coward, and I couldn’t leave. I wanted to try and fix it, figure out who I was, and then maybe Ryder could love that person,” She shakes her head. “I was naive. Ryder always wanted someone I couldn’t be. Someone quieter or someone better at being a person. I’m always so all over the place you know? Too much for him.”

“You’re not–”

“It's okay, Len, you don't have to say anything.” she says, meeting his eyes again, taming the budding fire in his heart. 

The idea of Sunshine being anything but completely herself unnerves him. Her jokes are funny, he can’t recall ever laughing as much before she boarded the enterprise. Her ramblings about xenobotany and classic earth songs never fail to catch his attention, even when he barely knows what she's talking about. Being around Sunshine is as easy as breathing, and he���s starting to need it as much too. 

“Anyways, he proposed our senior year, like we weren’t a sinking ship, and I said yes and pretended like the ring wasn’t a last-ditch attempt to bring us back to life.” 

Her teeth sink into her lip, her eyes dragging to her lap.

“I don't know what it was, but one night I just…broke. I couldn’t keep pretending to be someone I wasn’t, or beg to be loved.”

A few tears slide down her cheeks, she scrubs them away with her sleeve.

Leonard wants to tell her that she should never have to beg for anything in the first place, least of all love; he wants to tell her that she's worthy just the way she is. His fingers twitch with the desire to take her by the shoulders and tell her over and over that she’s perfect, that she couldn’t be too much if she tried. Sunshine has always had a magnetic pull to her, drawing in everyone she meets with her warmth. The idea of anyone taking that away from her pulls his heartstrings tight enough to snap. He holds back his anger, refraining from telling her that Ryder is an asshole who didn’t deserve a second of her time. 

The wiser part of him knows that's not what he needs.

“We had planned to be on the USS Endeavor together, but I rescinded my application. I signed up to do on-planet research instead. I wrote a long letter, left it on our bed, packed up my things, and left.” 

She coughs in a way that he knows is covering up a sob and takes a deep breath. The sound sends a pang of emotion through him.

“It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done. We were engaged, for Christ's sake, and I couldn’t even look him in the eye when I left him. And don’t even get me started on the fallout. We had all the same friends, and our families were so close… it was all so humiliating . Everyone expected us to live happily ever after, and then, there I was, giving him back his ring in a coffee shop.”  

She knocks back the rest of her drink, like a consolation prize for getting all the words out. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Len. I never wanted you to think of me like that, as someone who would do that.” 

“ Sweetheart ,” he says like a plea, calling her attention. “No one in their right mind would think differently of you for leaving something that wasn’t good for you– or at least they shouldn’t.” 

She's shaking her head before he finishes his sentence. 

“But I–”

“I know. You didn’t go about it the way you maybe should’ve– or the way you wanted to. It doesn’t make you a bad person, it doesn’t make you any less… good.”

She hiccups, her chest rising and falling rapidly as another stream of tears drips down her cheeks. He can't help himself – and even if he could, he doesn’t want to – he brings both hands to her cheeks, wiping away the salty tears. 

“It's alright,” he says gently, swiping his thumb under her eye again. “You’re alright.”

She nods, breaths finally evening out, and his hands reluctantly fall back onto his lap. 

He remembers well the storm of feelings his divorce left him with. The gulit, the lonliness, feeling like the world was ending. 

“I get it, y’know. The shitty relationship, becoming somebody you don't wanna be,” the barstool squeaks as he leans on the counter. He hasn't talked about his marriage since he told the story to Kirk years ago. It feels odd to tell it again. 

“My ex and I met in college, fell head over heels, and I proposed a year later. I thought… well, we both thought we were soulmates. There was this connection between us that I’d never felt before, and I thought this must be it.” 

“After a year ?” she gawks. He casts her a sideways glance and chuckles. 

“A perfect year, mind you. Not a single disagreement, not a bad date– every day was straight out of a damn love story or something. Until we got hitched, that is. Then it was all disagreements.”

 He anxiously taps a rhythm on the bar top. The memory still burns him now, of the fiery conflict, of the sleepless nights. 

“We were the same in all the worst ways, stubborn, headstrong, prideful. We couldn't settle an argument to save our lives. It probably didn't help that I was in the middle of residency and pulling 100-hour weeks. It was miserable. I hardly recognized myself… I know I don’t have the best temper, but I never wanted to be an angry person.” 

He lets out a slow breath, “I was mad as hell when she called it quits, said a lot of stuff I regret. But she was right to do it. We brought out the worst in each other, I was just too narrow-minded to see it. All this to say, I’m sure I would have taken the night shift to avoid her too.” 

Sunshine rests a comforting hand on his shoulder, her thumb pressing circles into the muscle. 

“I’m sorry, Len.”

He leans into her touch without thinking about it. “These things happen,” he tells her decidedly. “When something’s not right, there's nothing you can do to change that. You do the best you can with where you’re at, that's all.” He pictures himself, young and full of fire, holding onto something that had already slipped away. “Which you did, Sunshine. I know it’s hard to see now, but I promise it gets easier.”

When he drags his gaze from the mahogany bar top back to Sunshine, she's watching him curiously. 

“What am I supposed to see?”

“That you were young, and scared, and you did what you needed to for yourself. Even if it's not shit you’re proud of, it makes you who you are. You learn, and it makes you better.” 

She says nothing, silently considering his words for several moments. “Well, it better get easier soon, because it sucks .” 

He chuckles, “That it does.” 

 She reaches right past him and grabs the half-empty bottle of whiskey.

“We should toast,” she says, the melancholy in her voice fading away, probably tucked back behind a wall. “To failed marriages.” 

She’s already refilling their glasses and lifting hers to bump with his. 

“Thought you ducked out on the whole wedding thing?” he teases. 

“Fine then, to failed romantics,” she impatiently shakes the ice in her glass, “Just do it.” 

He knocks his glass with hers and agrees, “To failed romantics, and night shifts, and all the other shitty stuff.”

Her face pinches as she finishes her drink. Gingerly, she takes both of their glasses and stacks them behind the bar. 

Like ripping a bandage off and letting the wound breathe, Leonard feels lighter. As Sunshine hops off the bar stool and straightens her uniform skirt, he can see on her face that she does too. 

“Thank you for the drink, and the talk, Len,” she says, and he waves her off. 

“Don't mention it.” 

“ Totally gonna mention it,” she grins, “and when the schedule suddenly gives you two days off in a row, you’ll know why.” 

He laughs, and shakes his head, “I don’t think that's allowed, Lieutenant.” 

“I have my ways,” she says innocently, as she saunters to the door. 

He watches her go, everything she’s told him still buzzing in his head. He can hardly make sense of everything he’s feeling at once, but there's one thought that sticks out among the rest, that sits on his chest, demanding to be heard. 

“Sunshine?” he calls before she’s gone, giving into his relentless mind.

“Yeah?”

When she turns around, he’s flooded with everything he’s ever wanted to tell her. How she has seeped into every part of his life since he met her, despite his once armored heart. How she doesn’t see it, but she's changed the entire atmosphere of the bridge, pouring life into it with her energy. How she's taught him how to be a better friend, a better man, even a better doctor. How she’s not too much, she's everything. 

 “You should know, you’re never too much, that's ridiculous. Anyone on this ship would agree in a heartbeat. Don’t know what I’d– what we’d do without you,” he rushes out. “I hope you never think you need to be anything other than who you are.”

She goes still in the door frame and observes him for a moment. He flounders in her silence, wondering if he should have just kept his mouth shut. She suddenly moves from the doorway, quickly striding towards him, the sound of her boots clacking on the floor. He has no time to react before she gently places her hand on his chest. She wastes no time, leaning down and pressing a warm kiss to his cheek. 

“Thank you,” she says meaningfully, searching his eyes for a brief moment before she turns heel again. She’s out the door without him even mustering up a word to say. 

His skin heats where her lips had touched him, a crackling feeling left in their place. He lifts his fingers to the skin, ghosting over the sticky remnants of her lipgloss. 

He sits, dumbfounded, knowing he’s gone somewhere there's no coming back from.     

[multi-fandomedfreak]

Star Trek TOS // Dating Headcanons

Authors note: I just loveee Jim and Spock in TOS they’re just so baby girl

(also guess who’s back 😏)

Pairings: Spock x reader, Jim x reader

⚠️Warnings⚠️: None

—————————————————————

🖖Spock 🖖

-Love languages are touch and words of affirmation [CHANGE MY MIND]

-He would looove to hear you compliment him any time of the day

-Most definitely melts at your touch and it's obvious

-bro legit sucks at hiding it, tbh it’s kind of adorable lol

-Oh especially when you oh so barely touch his hands or his ears, like your ghosting over them, and he's putty in your hands lol

-He can’t handle anyone else touching him tho

-Will. Not. Leave you alone

-I’m being dead serious

-Like sure he may look like he enjoys his solitude more than the average person

-But he loves to be around the people he loves most

-Even if he’s not directly interacting with them, he just likes being in the same room

-If you’re just reading together on the couch in silence together?? Bros enjoying every bit of it

-AND IF YOU OCCASIONALLY TOUCH HIS HAND EVERY NOW AGAIN??

-His face is probably a bright green shade the whole time

-I will die on the hill that Spock loves being touchy with people he deeply trusts and loves

💖 Jim 💖

-AHWKDNFBA PREPARE FOR AFFECTION

-Will kiss you no matter where you are (that’s a threat)

-Well unless you don’t like excess pda ofc, he respects your boundaries

-Pretty sure he’ll fight whoever doesn’t

-AFFECTIONATE TOUCHES ALL THE TIME

-Walking together? He’s holding your hand

-Sitting next to each other? Either an arm wrapped around your shoulders or a hand on your thigh/knee

-He’s guiding you somewhere? A hand on your lower back

-Hotel? Trivago.

-Shoulder Grip™️ almost every day

-Mostly cuz that’s how’s he likes to pull you in for a kiss

-Loves and I mean LOVES leaving small love bites on you, especially on places only he can see. It makes it feel more intimate to him

-If you ever bandage him up after he’s hurt, he insists that you kiss where it hurts (according to him it instantly heals it)

-Also asks Bones to back him up on that

(Spoiler: he doesn’t)

-This man gives the best hugs, they’re literally so warm and cozy and I will die on that hill

[supercap2319]

"This might be a little bit unconventional, sir, but I've always wanted to see what it would be like to blow you while you sit in your chair." Y/N said, standing at attention for James T. Kirk.

Captain Kirk's green eyes narrowed in surprise. He didn't look mad or anything, but he didn't exactly have any emotion either. It was silent between the two of them and Lieutenant Y/N thought he would be kicked off the USS Enterprise.

The Captain smirked and chuckled at Y/N. "That's an insubordinate attitude, Lieutenant. I think I might have to punish you personally in private. For now, I need you to go down to the engine room."

Y/N nods, filled with glee. So the Captain was open to it after all. And with the thoughts of being personally "punished" by the Captain later on, made him half hard. He nodded and walked towards the door. "Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Captain Kirk?" He turned to him.

"Don't be late. I expect you in my office in less than one hour."

He nodded and left the room as Kirk smiled to himself.

[ensigngareth]

Cuddle Bug

James Kirk x nb reader

It wasn't a secret that Kirk was a cuddle bug, a comfortable one at that with his extra chub on his sides. After long hard shifts (with a few red alerts), all you wanted to do was cuddle up to your captain and sleep.

Finally once the ship had settled down after the third red alert of the day, it's where you snapped, heading straight to his quarters to get some shut eye.

"Well hello lieutenant, how can I help you?" Kirk looks up from where he was sitting, smiling softly yet warmly at the sight of you, he already knew what you wanted.

You walk towards him, exhaustion pulling you down as you flop onto the small bed, making a motion for him to join you.

"Tired?" Kirk smirked as he spoke, one eyebrow raised as he joined you on the god awful bed, holding you close like the love of his life you were.

Quietly you mumbled the words into his neck, the ones of love, the ones of promise, the ones that'll stick.

"I love you."

[janeykath318]

Fainting On Jim: A Kirk x Fem! Reader story.

1.Heat.

The desert planet was relentless in its never ending heat and lack of shade. You were on your first away mission as a science track ensign and very excited to get off the ship and explore. There were lots of fascinating geological formations and unfamiliar flora and fauna. You were talking notes furiously as you followed the rest of the party. Sweat rolled down your face and you had to frequently sip from your water flask, but you were so engrossed, you didn’t pay much attention to how hot you were getting until it was time to beam out.

“How did you like your first mission?” Captain Kirk asked you as you prepared to energize.

“Amazing, Sir!” was all you managed to get out before you felt your legs buckle and you swayed toward a gold shirt.

You woke up to find yourself in Medbay, where Doctor McCoy was angrily scolding someone.

“Dammit, Jim! She could have died from heat stroke! What were you thinking letting them go for so long in this heat?”

“Doctor McCoy.” you managed to get out. The Doctor was instantly at your bedside.

“Hey, Ensign. Glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?” he said in a much gentler tone. You could see the Captain worriedly looking on over his shoulder.

“Like I could drink all of Niagara Falls,” you admitted. “And really tired.”

“Heat exhaustion will do that to you,” he sighed. “I was afraid something like this would happen.” He leveled a glare at the Captain.

“It’s not his fault,” you said tiredly. “I got so absorbed with Science, I didn’t realize how hot I was getting.”

Captain Kirk stepped forward.

“But it was my fault, ensign. I’m responsible for making sure every one of you is safe. I’m sorry I didn’t check on you sooner. You’re off duty for at least seventy-two hours and Bones will check on you again to make sure you’ve recovered properly. Sound good?”

“Yes, Captain. Is Commander Spock upset?” You couldn’t help but ask. You knew he’d handpicked you for that particular mission and didn’t want to disappoint him.

“He is, but not at you,” Kirk assured you with a self-deprecating smile. “He’s chewed me out in full Vulcan style. He was not happy about his favorite prodigy suffering.”

“His favorite?” you asked in disbelief.

“Yep,” Kirk confirmed. “And he was very pleased with the data you brought back. He’ll probably be down to talk to you once you’ve had a chance to rest some more.”

“Oh, wow. One more thing, Captain?”

“What is it, Y/L/N?”

“Please tell me I didn’t faint on you.”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that,” Jim admitted. “I was the closest to you. Didn’t want your head to hit that rock.”

“Oh,” Your face turned warm. “Thank you, sir.”

2.Chemicals

You were deep in an experiment with Spock and several other science officers. Captain Kirk was looking on, as it was a particularly important operation to understand the atmosphere of a certain planet. Everyone was wearing respirators and protective gear. You were closely studying the reaction, when suddenly, you were struggling to breathe. Dropping your PADD, you gestured frantically for help.

“Spock! Her respirator’s failing! I’m gonna get her out of here right now!” You heard the Captain’s urgent words as you toppled into his arms.

“Did we get the data?” you asked Commander Spock as soon as you woke up.

“We did,” he answered. “The atmosphere is not compatible with humanoid life. Your notes were very accurate.”

“Thank goodness,” you sighed. “I would have hated for that to all be for nothing. Thanks, Captain,” you nodded to Kirk. “That could have been bad if you didn’t drag me out of there.”

Kirk looked a little perturbed, but you guessed it wasn’t at you.

“You’re welcome, Ensign. Let me assure you, we will be doing a complete overhaul and equipment check for all the labs. They were supposedly inspected two days ago, but the Commander and I suspect someone half assed the job. That’s unacceptable.”

You gulped a little bit. There was something extra attractive about Kirk when he got protectively riled up. You thought about those piercing blue eyes for quite a while afterwards.

3.Blood Sugar

You finished your first year on The Enterprise with a promotion. You were riding on cloud nine for several weeks afterwards, relishing the new stripes, and taking on the new responsibilities with zest.

Then came a stretch when Denobulan Fever started going through the ship, taking out humans and non humans alike. Your division was hit very hard and you were struggling to keep up with the extra work. Meals became snatching protein bars or snacks and one day, you forgot to eat at all, finishing your shift in a state of exhausted hunger.

Kirk entered the lift with you as you headed to your quarters and looked concerned when your interactions were short single words. This was very unlike you.

“Hey, Lieutenant, are you sure you’re okay? You’re looking a little shaky…..”

“Uh……yeah……I just need to get to my quarters, sir. Long day, you know,” you answered, flashing what you thought was a normal smile.

“Aw, hell. Not again,” was your panicked thought as Kirk ran forward to catch you just before the world went black.

Doctor McCoy lightly scolded you for not eating and gave you an IV and strict commands to EAT. You meekly ate the nutrient bars you were given, though you couldn’t help but make a face at their horrible bland taste.

Kirk showed up as you were finishing up your “meal.”

“This is starting to be a habit of yours,” he commented, putting his hands on his hips. “You’re in here about as often as I am.”

“Not possible, Captain. With all due respect.” You shot back. McCoy snorted in the background. Kirk looked surprised, then it melted into a grin.

“I like you, lieutenant,” he said. “And I think since you’ve now fainted on me three times, it’s only right you call me Jim.”

4.Blood loss

Jim started making it a habit to check up on you and programmed your PADD to notify you when it was time to take a break. The goofy messages he left made you smile and you found yourself gravitating toward him when you were off duty. You found Jim to be a fun, goofy, nerdy, guy when not in Captain mode and he’d clearly outgrown the flirtatious reputation from his early career.

Most of your away missions had gone much more smoothly since the infamous first one, but eventually, your luck ran out and five months after your promotion, you found yourself running for your life with multiple injuries from a hostile faction that opposed their planet’s entry into the Federation. Jim was hurt, too, but not as badly, and he insisted on tearing up his shirt to try and staunch the bleeding before you hobbled to the beam up point.

“Jim,” you whispered. “I’m gonna pass out on you again,” you admitted. “I apologize in advance.”

“No need to be sorry, Y/N. I’ve got you,” Jim said, trying to fight back the fear as he yet again caught your falling body.

5.Exhaustion

You and Jim weren’t officially a couple, but it was practically a done deal in everything but name. You spent time in his quarters, he spent time in your quarters, you flirted with each other incessantly, and you two were known for your non verbal conversations.

“Dammit, Jim! Eye fucking on the Bridge is just not right!” Bones ranted, one day. You stifled a giggle from your station and shared a sly look with Uhura. She and Spock were pretty good at that, too.

“I don’t know what you mean, Bones,” Jim replied innocently. “Can’t I smile at my awesome crew?”

“If that was just a smile, I’ll eat my tricorder,” the doctor grumbled. “You don’t look at me like that.”

Jim didn’t say anything, but you could practically feel the smugness radiating from him.

Unfortunately, the murkyness of the relationship status eventually caused problems between you and Jim, leading to a misunderstanding that caused a spat, hurt feelings and burying yourself in work. By day you were strictly professional, but at night there were frequent tears.

When you refused to leave the labs one evening, even Spock was concerned.

“I must implore you to rest, Lieutenant. The project is not time urgent.”

“I’m almost done, Commander,” you said, ignoring how the numbers were starting to swim in your vision. You had to blink quickly to clear it. “You know I can’t leave something undone if I can help it.”

“I am aware,” he replied. “But I must inform you I am obligated to inform the Captain.”

“I understand, Commander. I’ll wrap it up soon. I promise.”

Spock left and you continued on, rubbing your eyes as you doggedly finished your task.

Just as you’d completed saving the data to the computer and slumped in your chair, you heard footsteps behind you.

“Hey,” Jim said quietly.

You slowly swiveled to face him and you saw his face fall at how haggard and miserable you looked.

“Y/N, We’ve got to talk. I’m sorry I’ve been so absent lately. The negotiations with the Thesians took way longer than I thought. It’s been killing me inside the way we left things.”

“Yeah,” you admitted, dropping your eyes. “I’m sorry I overreacted the way I did. I know I didn’t have any right to get so jealous over that.”

“But I should have pulled my head out of my ass a long time ago and told you how I feel about you and what I’m hoping for,” Jim said quietly.

Your head shot back up at him to look intently (if still blearily) at him.

“I’m crazy about you, Y/N,” Jim said earnestly, kneeling in front of your chair. “You’re smart, beautiful, and so damn resilient, despite the crap space throws at you. Will you forgive me and let me be your boyfriend, officially?”

Your heart melted and you smiled at him.

“Yes, I will, Jim.” You replied, and pulled him in closer for a kiss, which he readily provided.

Somehow, you ended up sitting in his lap, while he told you about his day between kisses.

After about twenty minutes, he felt you go slack in his arms and looked down to see you’d fallen asleep, a tiny content smile on your face.

Jim smiled, kissed your forehead, and hoisted you up for the trip to your quarters.

“You’re nothing if not a creature of habit, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Man, I love you.”

+1 Wedding

The Enterprise had returned to earth after the five year mission and many of its crew stuck around for the big wedding, held at a picturesque winery. You were determined to not faint today of all days, so you’d carefully made sure to go to bed early, hydrate, and eat a good solid breakfast. The fainting events had become a long-standing joke between you and Jim, though he’d actually managed to get himself on the scoreboard a couple times, thanks to an unfortunate away mission and a party where the drinks had been more than even his system could handle.

“No trust fall exercises needed for us,” Jim liked to joke.

You practically floated toward him, beaming at seeing how many of your space family had shown up to support you. Jim looked incredibly gorgeous in his dress greys and his blue eyes looked into yours with all the love in the galaxy as you said your vows.

“They’re so cute, it’s disgusting,” Bones muttered as you and Jim shared a very enthusiastic first kiss. Spock had actually cracked a smile and it unnerved the good doctor.

“They are an excellent pairing and I am quite satisfied,” Spock said. “Y/N is very good for Jim and he for her.”

“Here’s to another fifty plus years of falling into each other’s arms,” you whispered to Jim when you’d come up for air.

“Amen, Mrs. Kirk,” he murmured. “Amen.”

That night, as he scooped you up to carry you over the threshold of your hotel suite door, you remarked “You know, honey, this is the first time I’ve actually been conscious while being carried by you.”

Jim snorted with mirth, but set you down gently on the bed.

“Well, how would you rate my transportation services, now that you’re awake to appreciate them?” he asked, snuggling up against you.

“Five out of five stars for satisfaction, Jimmy,” you told him.

He smirked and kissed you very passionately.

[perseephoneee]

christmas tree farm [ficmas day 6] [james t. kirk x f!reader]

↳ masterlist ↳ ship exchange ↳ taglist ↳ ficmas 2024

author's note: dedicated to my irl former roommate/current bestie @muffinbeliever who has a kirk shrine. also i wrote this sleep deprived and jetlagged, i wont apologize for its shittiness

playlist:

christmas tree farm -- taylor swift

intergalactic -- beastie boys

last christmas -- lucy dacus

“I didn’t know Iowa had Christmas tree farms,” you said, spooning more food into your mouth. The holidays were around the corner, and people’s conversations about their plans punctuated lunch on the Enterprise. Your Captain was currently regaling stories of Christmas in the Midwest.

“We have amazing Christmas trees,” Jim replied.

Bones coughed.

“Something wrong, Bones?” Jim sighed, turning to look at his friend. 

“I think you’re full of shit,” Bones nodded, earning a frown from Jim. You finished the rest of your food, standing up with your tray.

“I’m going to go before you two start attacking each other,” you grimaced. 

“That only happened once!” Jim called out as you walked away, shaking your head.

Business on the Enterprise had slowed down in preparation for the number of away trips. Work in the medbay was almost entirely administrative, which was boring but at least left you stress-free. Your work was interrupted by your friend, Leah.

“Heard you had lunch with the Captain and McCoy,” she cooed. “Do tell me how you swung that?”

“My feminine wiles,” you deadpanned, not looking away from your screen. She spun your chair around to face her.

“Give me the details! Is Jim bringing home anyone this holiday?”

“He never brings anyone, you know that,” you drawled, crossing your legs. Leah glowered.

“He brings people.”

“Not home. Not to Iowa,” you responded. Every woman (and man) alive on the Enterprise had a crush on Captain Kirk, so you weren’t surprised by this line of questioning. More mildly perturbed. You were one of the few to be able to say that you have actually talked to Kirk. Saying you were friends felt weird, but you weren’t just another face on his starship. You doubt he’d remember your face if you weren’t McCoy’s second. 

Leah continued asking you questions about Kirk until it became evident you had no answers. 

You were used to it. Many of the crew asked questions. 

There was a time when you were enamored with James T. Kirk, but it only lasted a minute. You were fresh on the crew with your college roommate, starry-eyed and excited to be assigned to the Enterprise. Kirk was greeting everyone and spending ample time with the ladies until his eyes passed right over to flirt with your college roommate. You got a handshake that was equivalent to a brush-off. 

You don’t even think Jim remembers that day because weeks later, you’re patching him up and striking up a conversation. The first impression is already there, though, along with the misplaced attraction. Now, you’re in a tumultuous friendship with a man everyone else wants to sleep with. You didn’t expect so much drama when joining the Enterprise. 

Work shouldn’t have taken as long as it did, but having backlogs upon backlogs of medical reports meant you were the last one in Medbay. You had turned on some music while you worked and were debating to see if Scotty was up and wanted to share a drink with you. He always had the best alcohol and got fed up with drama as much as you did. Most of the lights were off; you didn’t see the need for them at this point. You could hear the doors open as someone entered. 

“So, this is how you’re spending your evenings,” Jim remarks, pulling up a chair next to you. 

You turn to look at him. 

“I’m doing work.”

“Bones should do it.”

“Doctor McCoy is terrible with paperwork. He’d screw it up almost immediately,” you replied, giving a quick smile and returning to your document. Jim fiddled his thumbs. You looked up again.

“Captain, can I help you with something?”

“Whatcha doing this Christmas, lieutenant?” he inquired, spinning around. His restless energy was making you anxious. 

“Probably just going to find a hotel and drink; why?”

“Come with me to Iowa.”

Your brain shortcircuited at his request. Jim Kirk, notorious for inviting women to various away trips for quick hookups, never asked anyone to his home. The only people that have been were Spock and Leonard, but they were his best friends. You didn’t think you were his best friend. 

“Why?” you questioned, voice small. 

“Because I want to. I can’t invite my friends to spend Christmas together?” Kirk chuckled at that but then caught on to the seriousness of your expression. “We are friends, right?”

“Yes,” you responded, but not very confidently. He narrowed his eyes. 

“I don’t play strip poker with just anyone.”

“You and Leonard played strip poker. I played normal poker and watched you two drunk bafoons make a fool of yourself.” Your lips quirked up at that memory. Spock came in at some point to request Jim’s assistance, only to find him half-naked and stuck in his uniform on the ground. You neglected to help him in favor of watching him struggle. Spock left immediately, muttering to himself. 

“C’mon, it’ll be fun. I’ll show you an authentic Iowa Christmas tree farm,” Jim grabbed the arm of your chair, swiveling you towards him. Your knees touched, and you wanted to pull away. 

“Fine, I’ll go with you to your fake ass Christmas farm,” you smiled, watching as a grin lit up Jim’s face.

It was hard to finish the rest of your work, as he kept annoying you throughout the night, but eventually, you pulled through. Jim walked you back to your room, and you bid him adieu before closing the door. You let yourself fall back against the door surface, sinking to the ground, wondering what you had gotten yourself into. 

Iowa came sooner than you thought. 

Leonard would join you both for Christmas dinner, as Kirk’s mom had been asking about him, and Leonard had nothing else to do. You had never been to Iowa, really any of rural America, and wandered off the starship to the sight of miles of fields. Jim was waiting by a motorcycle. 

“I’m not taking that death trap with you,” you said earnestly. He handed you a helmet anyway. 

“It’ll be fun.”

“Say that at my funeral, I dare you,” you grimaced. There was a small box for you to put your bags in, so you said goodbye to your belongings and boarded the bike. Your cheeks heated up as you realized that you’d have to be hugging Kirk the whole ride. All embarrassment left your body the second that he started driving, though, as instead, you opted to hide your face in his jacket and try not to cry. He laughed at your expense. You debated the merits of killing him but then realized you’d be stuck with Spock as your Captain. 

You pull up to Kirk’s home, your stiff arms reluctantly leaving his side so you can disembark. You blinked in surprise. 

“You didn’t mention that you live on a Christmas tree farm.”

“It was something my Mom picked up with her boyfriend,” Jim shrugged, taking his helmet off and ruffling his hair. “Pays the bills.”

“Did you work here?”

“I’m an excellent tree salesman, I’ll have you know,” Jim grins, and you decide not to test him on that. 

You don’t know what you expected Jim Kirk’s childhood home to look like, but when you do see it, it fits. It’s chic with enough unique knick-knacks to add personality. The amount of childhood Kirk photos makes you giggle.

Winona Kirk is a force to be reckoned with, you soon discover. Her eyes are the same as Jim’s, and her embrace is strong. You needed to come up for oxygen after the fact. She treats you both to rosemary chicken with scalloped potatoes. You drink a heavy amount of wine while Jim searches for a beer. The night is fairly peaceful.

You grew up in a city where the skies were covered in pollution. Stars were not a commodity. Out in the middle of Iowa, you could catch all the stars. After dinner, you make it a point to sit out on the Kirk’s porch. You have a blanket wrapped around you to stave off the cold, the Christmas trees merely a backdrop to the night sky. Your breath comes out in puffs. Jim joins you a bit later.

“My Mom seems to like you,” he notes, offering you a beer that you take gladly.

“Your Mom is epic,” you smile, taking a sip. A question has been sitting on your tongue since you arrived. “Why did you bring me here?”

“I told you already.”

“No,” you say softly. “You didn’t.”

Jim laughs, but it’s empty. It’s the laugh you give when you’ve been caught red-handed. The sky makes his eyes look like one of the constellations.

“I’m not good with women,” he remarks, and your brows shoot up. You want to call bullshit. “Not in the way it matters.”

“How does it matter?” You whisper. You don’t want to imagine what he means. He looks out toward the tree farm. 

“When people come to get a tree, they walk by a bunch of perfectly good ones.” Jim avoids eye contact with you. “Families will walk away from so many quality trees because it isn’t the right one. But when they see it, they know— it’s the tree for them. The only one they want in their home.” The silence stretches between you two. 

“You think I don’t see you, but I do; I always have,” Jim finally looks at you, and you can’t help but melt. “That’s why I invited you.” 

“I thought you were going to tell me I was the right tree for you,” you gulp, and Jim lets out a laugh. You smile because you see him, too, you always have.

“You’re a nice tree,” Jim chuckles.

“Thanks, I’ve been working hard on it.”

He moves closer to you, and you open up your blanket to let him in. You wrap around each other in a safe cocoon, the smell of pine and fresh air invading your senses. You fall asleep with your head on his shoulder and his arms wrapped around you, and you think you could stay like that forever. 

[gallavichsreddie1128]

Star Trek Masterlist

DATA

The Measure of a Man

OverProtective

Clumsy

Glasses (Smut)

Cute

Caught (Smut)

Dating Data (Headcons)

SPOCK

Overprotective (TOS)

You Make Me Nervous (TOS)

What is with you? (Smut) (SNW)

The Other Side (Smut) (MIRROR SPOCK) (TOS)

Chained Up! (Smut) (TOS)

Q

The Protective and The Oblivious

The Most Obvious Crush

The Only One That Cares

LORE

Jealous

Not Him (Smut)

Listening (Smut) ft. Data

Change

QUARK

The Price Of Love

Spock/Kirk

Save Her!

Leonard “Bones” McCoy

Bones is nice? (TOS)

[lavender-romancer]

He's So Pretty 

Jim Kirk x Reader  CW: distress, angst, romance 

Kirk had no idea you felt the same way for him as he did for you, as you plan to leave Starfleet. Is it all too little too late for the two of you? 

”*°•.˜”*°•. ˜”*°•. ˜”*°••°*”˜.•°*”˜.•°*”˜.•°*”˜

He felt dead inside, Kirk wouldn't show it but he couldn't stand the fact you were leaving and it hurt even more that he'd never gained the courage to be honest with you. His plan was to have a meeting with you as a farewell in his Captain's quarters before you left the enterprise when they docked in Yorktown to refuel in a few weeks. But he didn't know if he could wait that long, he'd been holding this in for so long it felt like it was begging to be let out. You were too good for him and he knew that his feelings were real because he hardly ever bit his tongue but he was terrified you wouldn't feel the same as him. The only person to ever get his tongue tied, the only person who he would always be looking for in a crowd, it was unexplainable how much he cared about you. But now... now you were leaving and fuck, he wished you knew everything going on in his head. 

"You're gonna kill yourself with guilt if you don't say something," Bones said in a matter of a fact way.

"I am aware, Bones." Jim grinned because he knew how dumb and high school it all was.

"Just tell the damn girl!" Bones exclaimed.

"Oooo. What girl is this!" Both the men jumped at the sound of your voice walking into the bar, they both went silent "Awh come on, is this a boys club conversation?" You put your hands on your hips and Kirk laughed. 

"Something like that, dumbass," Kirk looked up at you and you rolled your eyes before punching his arm.

"You love me really, no matter how many times you insult me. You're gonna miss me!" You reached over the bar and grabbed some vodka making yourself a quick mixed drink. 

"More than you know," Bones muttered so only Jim heard and gave him a look. 

"Right, drink up Cap!" You cheers' with Jim and then both downed what was in your glasses. 

"No cheers for the doctor I see," Bones rolled his eyes and you shook your head 

"Absolutely not letting you run free! I'm just pouring another drink my dear doctor." You poured a vodka shot and looked at Bones who was regretting speaking up. 

"Cheers to that I s'pose!" You and Bones clinked glasses before knocking your heads back. Kirk just looked at you in awe, his eyes looking up in adoration. Bones noticed it first and smiled to himself. 

"What's with the puppy eyes, Kirk?" You teased and Jim very slightly blushed. He thought he hid it well but you couldn't help but think about how pretty he looked. 

The following week, Kirk was mentally planning when to have that meeting with you, he had two weeks left till they docked. That wasn't that much pressure but he'd been holding in these feelings for nearly 6 years and didn't really know what to do if you didn't see him the same way. Kirk had absolutely no idea how you thought of him, he knew you were friends and maybe a bit flirty from time to time but nothing that couldn't be explained by being close friends. I mean Jim flirted with everyone, he was an Aries through and through so it didn't surprise him that regardless of gender he was going to be a bit playful. But with you, he had actual physical reactions and it was like being a teenager with a pathetic crush. You gave him butterflies, you made him nervous blush and hide his face and pretend he hadn't noticed your hand on his arm. 

Kirk couldn't help but believe you knew what you were doing but it seemed so unlikely because you were so confident, you were afraid to tell someone how you felt. Why would you keep your feelings towards him hidden if they were there? 

"Y/n, you've been asked to the Captain's quarters," Nyota told you with a friendly smile. 

"Oh lordy, what kind of going away malarkey has been prepared, I wonder." You grinned at your friend and she raised her eyebrow.

"Oi you, get that mind out of the gutter," you rolled your eyes. "I'm sure it's sweet , he's always been very thoughtful when someone leaves the ship." 

"Oh I'm sure it's very personal…" she winked and you covered your mouth so you didn't laugh. 

"What merriment have you two clowns got into then?" Bones asked as he walked past with some new equipment he'd been testing. 

"You have to be nice to me, Bones. Leaving orders say so," you narrowed your eyes at him, he stopped 

"Oh is that so, Sunshine?" He raised an eyebrow "And on whose authority is that?" 

"The Captains of course, I've been summoned to his quarters for what I can only hope is an attempt to celebrate my leaving without sounding too excited," you laughed and Bones said nothing. 

"Cat got your tongue?" Nyota asked Bones, folding her arms with a smile. 

"Oh not at all, I'm just holding it so I don't gossip like some old woman." Bones raised an eyebrow and you looked at him, puzzled. 

"Well what does that mean then?" You paused and he said nothing "Bones? What are you talking about?" 

"I mean if I can get in on some gossip where Bones is involved then I'm all ears." Nyota let one side of her mouth turn up. 

"You two are out for trouble, look it's not my secret to tell so you'll just have to find out eventually yourselves." Bones gave Nyota a knowing look and you looked between the two of them till Bones looked away. 

"Well what the hell was that?" You exclaimed looking at Nyota. 

"Well now I know you have to go and see Kirk right this second," Nyota leant against the corridor wall and had to put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing. 

"You," you pointed at Nyota, "you are a troublemaker." You laughed and headed off in the direction of Kirk's quarters. 

You had no idea what Bones was on about but deep down you hoped. You'd been pining after Jim for so long it felt like an age, you had known each other for so long that you really didn't think there was any way Jim could've gone this long without revealing his feelings. You got drunk together so often and had never even kissed, he'd never revealed any secrets about his feelings whilst inebriated. Being realistic if Kirk hadn't revealed his feelings whilst being drunk it was unlikely he had those thoughts in his head, he was so easy to get secrets out of when drunk. But you couldn't help thinking about the weird interaction between the three of you a minute ago, what did they know that you didn't? 

You knocked three times of Jims door and held the sides of your skirt with your thumbs pressing against your fingers through the fabric. It was so damn frustrating how nervous you were when you could just be walking into a normal and civil meeting. Getting your hopes up was a dangerous activity especially when it came to heartbreakers like Jim Kirk. 

"Y/n!" Jim exclaimed, opening the door with a big smile, he stood back and let you step in. 

 "To what do I owe the pleasure." You looked around the room you'd been in often and considered that you might never see it again. 

"Come sit," he gestured to the sofa with a bottle of wine on the table and two glasses. "Your departure has made me think about a lot of things." As you sat down Jim began pouring. 

"What kind of things Kirk?" You narrowed your eyes. 

"It's hard to determine, I mean definitely thinking of the past" Kirk carried on for a while, talking in what you would call filler but you weren't listening. He looked so fucking pretty, his eyebrows moving every now and then, his hair a bit ruffled after he had got changed. Jim was so so pretty and you didn't know how to focus on anything else, watching his lips move you just wanted to shut him up and kiss him. 

"Y/n?" You snapped out of it "Do you know what I mean?" Kirk asked and you had to think for a moment about what would be a neutral reply so a question you hadn't heard any of. 

"....yes?" You said in a curious tone and Jim laughed. 

"You weren't listening were you," he smiled and you giggled. 

"Not my fault you look so pretty," you mumbled into your glass as you took a drink, you thought it was quiet enough but Jim had heard and he almost choked on the wine in his own mouth. 

"Was that a compliment I just heard?" Jim tried to play it cool but his voice cracked on the last word and you burst out laughing. 

"Okay well now you deserve no explanation if you can't even get through puberty properly." You smiled at him and he raised an eyebrow.

"Well I'm not the one who thinks I'm pretty, am I. Hmm?" Jim teased. 

"Well, I'M not the one who can't speak without sounding like a pre-teen." You shot back, jokingly narrowing your eyes at him. 

"You're a little shit, you know that?" Jim asked, placing his glass down. 

"Well you won't have to put up with it for too much longer will you," you joked and a silence fell between the both of you, joking like this had made Kirk forget about that fact "Are you okay, Kirk?" 

You looked deep into his eyes and it took all his willpower not to take your face in his hands and kiss you. Instead he stood up and walked around the room, hands on his hips he sighed. 

"Well now I know you're not alright," you paused and stood up, there was a distance between you both and you were slowly closing it down "What's wrong?" You asked at almost a whisper.

Kirk turned around and you were only a few steps away from him, his eyes were unreadable but looked deep into yours. He closed off the gap between the two of you and took you into a deep hug, you were caught off guard but didn't stop him. Instead you wrapped your arms around him just as tightly and leant your head on his shoulder. Closing your eyes the moment felt like forever and you didn't want to let go because it would mean you leaving him was something real. Kirk's hand went up to the back of your neck and slowly stroked your hair. The affectionate action could have made you cry if you weren't so determined to not reveal to him how you felt. 

"There's something I need to tell you, Y/n." Kirk said near your ear and you drew apart, still holding onto his arms

"What is it?" You looked into his eyes and tried to read them, glancing down at his lips you bit the inside of his cheek. 

"I've loved you ever since I've known you, Y/n. I can't help it and- and I've tried to show it but fuck, you won't let me. I can't think straight when you're around me and I've been pining after you for so long it doesn't even feel real that you're leaving now," Kirk's eyes held so much emotion you feared you might fall into them. How…how was this real? 

The silence had been considerable now and you didn't know what to do, your mouth slightly open and staring into his eyes. You couldn't find the words so you just hugged him again, closer than before. Jim held the back of your head, scared you'd slip away forever. You mumbled something against his shoulder and he perked up. 

"What was that?" He whispered and you turned your head to lay your cheek on his shoulder. 

"I can't believe this has happened, I- fuck. I wasn't expecting it," You whispered and it made Kirk so anxious that he just held you until you'd eventually slip away. 

"You can leave whenever you want," Kirk told you and you really did feel like you could but you didn't want to. Kirk may have been holding you but only because you allowed it to be so. 

"What if I don't want to?" You asked, slightly pulling away from his shoulder and looking into his eyes with a smile. 

"What?" Jim whispered, not believing what you were saying.

"What if I don't think what you're saying is crazy," you let your hands run down his arms till you were holding his hands "I don't know what you know about how I feel o-or how I…" you trailed off trying to find your words "But my feelings aren't so far from yours."

"You're making me fucking hope for something now," Kirk grinned. 

"Oh shut up, talk like the normal Jim, please. I'm not used to you being all soppy." You teased, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek. 

"You mean say something like how fucking highschool this all is?" Jim gripped your hands before looking down at your lips and back to your eyes. 

"I mean I'm not surprised you come neatly packaged up with some drama." You raised an eyebrow and he just rolled his eyes. 

"Oh do shut up," he let go of your hands and put them on either side of your face before leaning forward and kissing you. 

You rested your hands on his forearms, leaning into the kiss as a warmth spread into your stomach. It was almost unbelievable that this morning neither of you knew how the other really felt and honestly you found it extremely endearing how honest Jim was. 

"All the planets, places and people to see but all I wanted was you," Jim whispered when you drew apart and leant your foreheads together. You smiled and looked at him, he looked so lovely, all happy and pink cheeked. 

"You're so pretty," you paused and he laughed "No I mean it, just so pretty." You trailed off and looked into his eyes, you could only imagine what they would look like in between your thighs…

"Someone's getting distracted by a thought, you've got that glazed over look." Jim narrowed his eyes. 

"Ohhhh, nothing…" you turned around and pulled his hand with you "Just how much prettier you'd look going down on me. You know, nothing that exciting." You sat down on the sofa and held your wine in your hand as you crossed your legs. Bringing the glass to your mouth you raised an eyebrow and Kirk ran his tongue along his top set of teeth, thinking. 

"I mean I can't say what it would look like from your point of view, but seeing you like that would be angelic," he walked towards you and knelt down Infront of you.

"Guess you'll just have to prove it won't you," You were teasing him now but Jim didn't seem to mind. 

Jim was running his hands up your thighs until he met the hem of your dress, moving his hands inwards till they met the crossover of your legs. 

"We could test your theory, you know, for research." He gave you a shit eating grin and you uncrossed your legs, leaning down to be face to face with him. 

"Come on then pretty boy, prove your worth to me." You whispered and he looked so damn excited he could burst, you always suspected Kirk had a submissive streak. 

[silversword7000]

☀️Pavel Chekov Pool and Beach Headcannons☀️

Headcannons under the cut! Some are x reader but most are general.

He really enjoys swimming! It makes him feel free. Plus it is so different from the activities available on the ship that it is very refreshing to him. However, he didn’t discover his love of swimming until he was in the academy and one of his friends introduced it to him.

He would LOVE to carry you around in the pool. It is literally his favorite thing ever cause he can carry you for hours on end.

He would absolutely race Sulu and Kirk in the pool, he would lose most of the time

He doesn’t like sitting in the sun for long periods of time cause getting too hot makes him uncomfortable so if he is outside somewhere where he can get in the water, he would prefer to be in there.

Kirk and him have frequent splash fights, sometimes the rest of the crew get in on it too.

If someone (Spock) outside of the pool gets splashed then they will all receive a lecture about disturbing others.

He would also love to carry you out of the pool and back to wherever you are sitting (he can be surprisingly strong sometimes and loves showing off for you!) because he wants you to be treated like the royalty you are <3

If someone is not paying attention, he will dive under the water and then pop up behind them to startle them! He thinks it’s so hilarious.

If you don’t remind him to reapply sunscreen, this boy gets BURNT! He will not reapply unless you remind him so make sure to have some aloe on hand if you know he is going to swim without you.

He likes swimming under water with his eyes open. Sometimes he will go to the bottom of the pool and look up for as long as he can, he finds it very calming.

He would absolutely start chicken fights with other people if there’s enough people swimming, much to the dismay of Spock.

He looks really cute when his hair is wet. <3

He has about 5 different pairs of brightly colored swim trunks, his favorite is the blue ones with the hibiscus flowers on them. It makes him get into the vacation spirit even if he is just there for the day.

Sometimes he enjoys to just float on his back around the pool when there is nobody else swimming. He has accidentally hit his head on the side of the pool many times because he easily zones out while doing this.

He LOVES pool parties! Especially ones that have lots of glow in the dark things.

He cannot dive for the LIFE of him. He is the master of belly flops though.

You will always catch him doing flips in the pool anytime he is bored. He is currently trying to beat his record of 9 flips in one breath.

He definitely enjoys the hot tub but only on some days. Usually he prefers the regular pool because there is more space to move around.

Sometimes if he has lots of energy he will swim laps as fast as he can to tire himself out. It also helps him when his mind is racing.

After spending all day at the pool he crashes IMMEDIATELY! He really tuckers himself out so if you don’t make him go shower and he lays down on the bed he will go out like a light!

He prefers going to the pool over going to the beach because it is much simpler and quicker but he does enjoy a good beach day every once in awhile.

If he is at the beach he will take some time to collect a few interesting seashells that he likes or thinks that you would like.

In the past he gave Sulu a seashell that turned out to be a hermit crab. Sulu thought it was hilarious and named it Pavel Jr. His daughter takes care of Junior for him. She has definitely blinged out Junior’s shell at some point. Sulu thinks this is the funniest thing ever and he has definitely told all his friends about it. After every shore leave Pavel gets an update on Pavel Jr. Sulu secretly thinks this is one of the best gifts Pavel has given him, even though it was an accident.

He has absolutely gotten stung by a jellyfish at the beach before because he is an idiot and wanted to touch the pretty jellyfish since he thought it looked squishy.

Needless to say he would not stop complaining about his sting until it went away.

He’s lost his towel at the beach before. It was not fun sitting on the hot sand that day.

He loves playing in big sandbars if they are around, it’s like a mini pool!

He is comically bad at making sand castles. The last one he made just looked like a mound with a stick coming out of the top. He thinks his sand castles are amazing though.

Sulu is a god at making sandcastles. He only makes them sometimes however. If Pavel is around as well he will invite him to help on the castle. This does not go well at all. Sulu doesn’t want to discourage his friend though so some sections of the sand castle end up looking like wonky piles of sand while the others look like a professional sand castle. They have fun though. Sulu’s favorite part is adding in some shells for extra decor! After the last time he doesn’t let Pavel do this step because he ended up destroying most of the sandcastle.

Pavel HATES getting sand in his shorts. One of the main reasons why he prefers the pool. He feels like he can never get the sand fully out and it bothers him immensely.

Also every time he goes to the beach he gets sand all in his hair. This annoys him less but he still dislikes it.

He loves getting ice cream if he goes to the beach! In a way it’s cold reminds him of home. He usually gets a chocolate vanilla swirl if they have it. Otherwise, he is fine with regular vanilla. He can be picky about the cones though. Cones with no flavor are the worst thing ever to him, it is like eating cardboard. He also gets frustrated at cones that fall apart easily, if he loses his ice cream his day is ruined! (Imagine him frowning like this 🥺 at an ice cream cone that fell, that’s what he is like.)

[ensignsimp]

Love Languages TOS HCs: Kirk, Spock, McCoy

Prompts: How do the TOS Kirk, Spock, and McCoy show their love and what are some things they love to do with their partner.

James T. Kirk

Words of Affirmation

He loves to give pep talks, and enjoys receiving them when he needs them.

When you call him "Captain or Sir" in the gentlest tones he practically melts.

If you run your fingers through his hair and call him a "Good Boy or Good Captain.", he feels completely renewed and invigorated.

He'll call you all sorts of cute pet names; "Sunshine, Honey-Bun, Sweetie."

But he needs you when he calls you; "My Sunshine, My Star, My Ensign."

He'll lay in your lap while you stroke his hair and remind him of how great of a leader he is, and how much you love him.

"Ensign, I need you. I need my sunshine."

Physical Touch

He feels so lonely when he can't hold your hand.

While on the bridge he gives you firm pats on the back, ruffles your hair, kisses your hand, or even sneaky hugs from behind.

If you initiate the physical touch that is even better, he can practically feel the love flowing from your fingers.

During your off-hours, he will constantly be looking for cuddles and snuggles.

He even whines and groans if he has to get up or if you have to get up. He's so cute when he's pouty.

He loves to lay in your lap and have you run your fingers through his hair while you read to him.

Jim: "I feel so lost without you, take me in your arms, and promise to never let go."

Ensign (L/N): "Jim, we're working and you're standing five feet away from me."

Jim: "That's too far!"

Quality Time

He wants to spend as much time with you as possible, but he wants to make it meaningful.

The two of you read to each other, as well as play games, dance, and do a variety of other things.

He likes to have "in-quarters" dates because he feels like he can be more of himself around you.

He loves to have movie dates where you take turns picking movies and making snacks.

He will totally do your nails and braid your hair.

You two will most definitely hold the best slumber parties in Star Fleet history.

"I think this shade suits you better don't you think? After this, we can watch that new rom-com that just came out on Vulcan."

S'Chn T'Gai Spock

Acts of Service

In Vulcan Culture what you do for each other is more than what you say.

While he loves to help you and ensure you're well taken care of, when you do the same for him he knows that you care.

If you notice that he may be overwhelmed and step in to assist him you can practically hear his heart pounding.

He always appreciates it if you help him with the task and work on it together.

If you forgot to finish a report don't worry he'll help you finish.

If he is struggling on the bridge, you're there to take orders and provide additional aid!

Spock: "Thank you for your help, Ensign. I appreciate the assistance."

McCoy: "Get a room!"

Quality Time

He loves it when you spend time together, even if it's some mindless task or chore.

He does try to find more interesting ways of spending time together.

He may teach you things about his culture; how to read, write, and speak Vulcan, how to play the Vulcan Harp, and how to cook Vulcan meals.

He may ask you to show him things you enjoy; your favorite books, your favorite meals, your favorite activities, etc.

He may even propose trying new things together; such as taking a class or workshop.

Anything and everything he can do with you is always greatly appreciated by him.

"If you are interested in further study might I recommend this. I think you may enjoy it."

Physical Touch

He is so touch-starved, and all he wants to do is hold hands.

When you first hold hands it was a bit of a shock to feel your minds link.

Soon the two of you could barely keep your hands off of each other.

He's always reaching out for an ozh'esta (* finger embrace). (Just like his father. *cough**cough*)

When the two of you are alone in your quarters he enjoys sitting across from you, pressing his forehead against yours and holding your hands.

He feels so comforted by your touch. You ease his mind bringing him so much warmth and comfort.

" When I am with you, it is as if I have found another part of myself I did not know I was missing."

Leonard McCoy

Quality Time

McCoy values time with you above all else.

He prefers to spend his off hours wrapped up in a large fluffy blanket cuddled with you.

He does like to do fun things like take you dancing or going for moonlit shore walks.

But because he spends most of his time in sickbay he prefers to sit and not move as much as possible.

He feels bad that he can't do what a younger partner might.

But you always reassure him by greeting him in your pajamas and a fuzzy robe.

Ensign L/N: *wearing an old fuzzy bathrobe and slippers* "You want to stay in tonight? I found an old western movie and picked up some ice cream from the commissary."

McCoy: *trying not to cry* "That's the best idea I've heard all day. I love you so much damn it."

Acts of Service

He hates to see you get hurt but always loves it when you visit him.

When you get sick or hurt he stops everything he's doing to help you.

When he gets sick or hurt and you stop everything you're doing to help him, he's a mess.

He kind of likes it when you're bossy with him, making sure he's drinking water and eating.

You always make sure he's well looked after and you always visit him regularly.

A doctor's favorite patient may be one he doesn't see but he'd prefer if you stop by now and again.

"Stop your belly-achin' and relax. I'll check on you again soon. You're lucky I love you so much."

Words of Affirmation

He doesn't show it often but he can get insecure about your relationship.

He doesn't feel like he's up to the task like he used to be when it comes to romance.

You'll sometimes see him looking in the mirror longer or running his hands over his stomach.

But when you compliment him or tell him how much you love him all of his worries disappear.

He gets all grumpy at first until you coax out the truth.

He will let you know what is bothering him and you'll make sure to help him through it one step at a time.

"Some days I don't even know why you'd want to spend time with an old man like me. But I always appreciate that you do."

[sprite-writes]

all I want for christmas (is you)

Leonard “Bones” McCoy/Reader (Original Female Character)

Summary: McCoy finds himself wrapped up in the Enterprise annual gift exchange, and for some reason, this Christmas gift feels a hell of a lot more important than just a Christmas gift. 

Maybe it’s got something to do with who it’s for. 

Word Count: 6,463

A/N: guys I swear this was suppose to be a 2000 word drabble for the holidays but its a whole chapter now idk, I hope you enjoy! as always special thanks to @lightning-writes

“Lieutenant, is there a reason you haven’t drawn a name yet?” 

“I need to feel all the papers! That’s how you pick the best one– duh.” She swirls her hand around the bowl once more, rubbing the notes between her fingers. Spock stares patiently. 

“Is there a best one to be picked? My understanding of the secret Santa tradition was to be given a random partner.” 

“There sure is, and it’s... this one!” she says as she finally plucks the blue sticky note. “It was calling to me.” She unfolds the paper like it's about to self-destruct, and it reveals its neat loopy handwriting.  

 CMO McCoy 

She blinks. 

Oh. Leonard. 

She blinks again. 

It’s Leonard! 

She laughs to herself, and Spock raises an eyebrow. 

“I assume you’re happy with your choice?” 

Her heart beats a little quicker. “Oh, definitely.  I told you I had to feel all the papers.” She smiles and rocks on her heels. 

I’m Leonards's secret Santa!

Spock nods politely and returns the bowl back to himself.  “Thank you for your participation, Lieutenant. I hope your exchange goes well.” 

“You too, Spock! Merry Christmas.” 

She pats his shoulder and returns her gaze to the piece of paper. Spock makes his way back to his station when something settles in the pit of her stomach. 

Oh god, I’m Leonards's secret Santa.

-

“I’m not doing a gift exchange.” 

“Bones, hear me out.” 

“No.”

“All the other senior officers are doing it, Even Spock!” 

“And? Good for them.”  

Leonard doesn’t look up from his PADD, and Kirk fitfully shakes the bowl of papers. 

“What will it take for you to do this?” he pleads.  Leonard halts, his eyes narrowing, and his hands folding on his desk. 

“What are you offering?” 

When Kirk sighs, “I mean, whatever if it’s reasonable,” he knows he’s got Kirk right where he wants him. 

“You show up for your next two physicals, get up to date on your vaccines, stop flirting with Nurse Walker – then I’ll buy someone a candle or something.”

 Kirk glare,s but it does nothing to deter his friend. 

“ I think Walker really likes me—“ 

“Jim.” 

“Fine! Fine, you win, just pick a name.” 

The doctor rolls his eyes and plucks the first paper off the top of the pile. It’s yellow, and he hopes to god it doesn’t say Spock.

 It doesn’t; its pristine sharpie work stains the paper. 

Operations Manager A. Sunshine 

He stares and squints, all while Kirk watches him intently. A tight, nervous feeling begins to bloom in his chest. 

Sunshine. Christ. 

“Well?” Kirk prompts. Leonard folds the paper again and shoves it in his uniform pocket. 

“Yeah, I got it,” he waves Kirk off. “You can leave my office now. Not like I got patients to attend to or anything.” 

Kirk laughs, and it’s blindingly bright. 

“I’ll leave you to it, Bones. Remember - two weeks until the exchange!” 

Two weeks until the exchange. God help me. 

-

“Okay, what about a jacket? Or a sweater?” 

“Nyota, we wear a uniform every day. When is he gonna wear a sweater?” 

Sunshine paces back and forth on the sidewalk, chewing on her nails. They’re an hour into their recreational shore leave, with four stores under her belt, and she’s no closer to a gift. 

“You want my help or not?” Nyota crosses her arms and stops Sunshine in her path. 

“Sorry, I’m being mean, aren’t I?” She receives a pointed look. “I don’t mean to, I just really want this to be…”

“Perfect?” Nyota finishes.

 “Perfect?” Sunshine repeats the word, rolling it over in her mouth. “No, not exactly. I just want it to be…  right? I guess? I feel like there's an answer, and I’m just not seeing it.”

She sighs. The entire endeavor begins to feel a bit hopeless, and she wonders if she's doomed to just be the shittiest secret Santa the enterprise's annual gift exchange has ever seen. She imagines Leonard's face opening a sweater he’ll never wear, feigning appreciation, and her stomach flips. 

Nyota locks her arm with Sunshine’s and gives her all the seriousness she would a Starfleet mission. “If there's an answer on this starbase, we’re gonna find it.” 

“You think so?” 

She smiles, “Not a doubt in my mind.” 

-

“Bones, you can’t just get a woman makeup, you have to know her shade,” he plucks the tube of lipstick from Leonard's hands, whose eye twitches. 

“She wears this color every day, Kirk.” 

“She does?” He examines the tube. “Oh, yeah, I guess she does. Still shouldn't get it for her though, what if it’s not her brand?”

“Her brand?” 

Kirk looks at Leonard like he’s a child asking perpetually asking why. 

“Yes, Bones, her brand. This stuff is very elaborate.”

“Well, I don’t see you coming up with any bright ideas,” he hisses, shoving the lipstick back into its holder like it offended him. Kirk shrugs. 

Leonard wants to scream. From the moment he unwrapped that damn yellow paper he knew this would be a disaster. Why couldn't he have gotten Chapel? Or Sulu? Or Chekov? Or even Kirk? Instead, he gets Sunshine, who he can't bear to disappoint with the candle that's been sitting in his bedside drawer since two Christmases ago. She deserves more, a lot more… he just has no idea what more looks like. 

“This is impossible.” he concedes, his hope having run dry after four stores and three makeup departments. 

“It is not, we just need to get creative. I think you’re looking at this wrong, Bones,” Kirk begins to weave his way through the retail-maze. “You’ve got to think more… Sunshine. Not just some generic Christmas gift.” 

Kirk's words make their way around his head, and unfortunately, he has a great point. Perhaps, maybe, there is a tiny chance that he was carried away by the daunting expectation of what a holiday gift should be. The answer is staring him in the face now - he isn’t getting a Christmas gift, he is getting a Sunshine gift. This, he could work with. 

“You might be onto something, Jim.” He snaps his fingers. “With me–I’ve got an idea.” 

-

 Sunshine has always been partial to mint chocolate chip, and it's not like there's much of it in space. So, the cone in her hand is indeed a necessity and not a distraction. 

“No more pit stops after this,” Nyota says,  sweet yet stern, as she holds the door open for Sunshine. 

“I completely agree, so quit trying to get us sidetracked,” she quips and takes a long lick of her mint chip. 

Ever the patient one, Nyota rolls her eyes with a smile. “So sorry, Lieutenant. I'll try to stay on task.”

Sunshine laughs,  links their arms, and they walk down the strip. The impending sugar rush raises her spirits, and she is more than ready for the next bout of stores. 

“Okay, so I'm thinking we stop up here and try--”

“Oh, look, It's Jim and Leonard,” Nyota says casually, and nervousness shoots through Sunshine.

“It's what!?”  Sunshine hisses, her head shooting left and right for a store to dive into. It’s too late, Jim is already waving, and nudging Leonard, who does his polite little half-wave—awww.

“Shit, it’s too late, we were seen,” she sucks in a breath. “Okay, okay, act natural, Nyota. Don’t give anything away!” 

She lobs the rest of her ice cream in the nearest trash, straightens her clothes, and skirts backward until her back is against the nearest wall. She has just enough time to pull Nyota next to her and prop her foot against the wall before the pair approach—and just like that, she’s as natural as ever. 

“Hello boys,” she hums. She doesn’t even spare them a glance at first, choosing to stare at her nails, and be incredibly casual. She’s met with silence and the prickling feeling of someone  staring at her. 

They all are. 

“Er—hi, Sunshine,” Kirk says slowly, like it's a question. She inches her gaze away from her hand. Kirk has that crease between his brows that he gets when he’s thinking, and Leonards's arms are crossed over his chest, and suddenly this interaction is anything but natural. She plants her foot back on the ground. 

“Everythin’ alright?” Leonard asks, in his concerned doctor voice that she knows all too well. She prays the interaction is salvageable.

“Of course it is, everything is normal, as it usually is – right, Nyota?” She juts her elbow into her friend's side, who does not take the gesture kindly. With a hard glare, Nyota nods. 

“Just enjoying the day off,” she says tightly, and Sunshine envies her talent for socializing. 

There's a suffocatingly awkward pause, where Sunshine sweats and looks at anything other than Leonard – who, in turn, stares at her like he’s trying to solve a math problem. 

“Well, uh, we should get back to it, I guess,” Kirk breaks the silence, still confused as ever. 

“Yeah! Yeah, of course, us too,” she blurts, and pushes herself off of the wall, “Have fun! Be safe! See you at work!” And with that, she's locking her arm with Nyota once more and hauling ass away from the two. She walks so fast, they’re out of earshot in seconds. 

“You know that went terribly, right?” Nyota says flatly.

“I do, and I’m willing to take some of the blame.”

“Some?”

“Most of the blame, maybe,” Sunshine cringes. “It really was that bad, wasn’t it?” 

She knows the answer already, but instead of a hearty yes, Nyota bursts into laughter, and keeps laughing until Sunshine joins her. 

“It was terrible, awful,” she says, trying to catch her breath. “You’ve really got it bad, huh?” 

Sunshine giggles, and leans on her friend. “Ha, got what bad?”

Nyota pauses, curiously observing her friend's seriousness.  “Nothing. Here, I’ve heard good things about this store.” 

--

Leonard stares at Sunshine's back as she retreats, thinking about what the hell he just watched unfold.

“Any idea what that was?” Kirk asks, his head tilted so far, he could hurt his neck. 

“Not a damn clue.” 

--

Another hour passes, and Sunshine is close to hysterics, and the shopkeeper is hearing all about it. 

“So, I pick the name out of the bowl,” she brandishes the crumpled blue paper, “and I’m like, ‘oh, perfect’ because, like I said, we’re great friends, like super close, but now, I actually have to get the gift. And it’s impossible! Everything is too ordinary or not thoughtful enough or just useless! We’ve been at this for hours, and I’m at my wits end here.” Sunshine’s legs swing from her place perched on the countertop. 

“So, this friend of yours,” the assistant manager, Tina, begins, “he doesn’t have any hobbies? Or interests?” Customers pass, and Sunshine sighs.

“Hobbies? Not really. I mean, all we do is work, and he works a lot– did I mention he’s CMO? Yeah, I mean, he’s passionate about his work! He loves being a doctor, he acts all jaded about it, but he’s actually a huge softie, loves helping people.” She pauses and sucks in a breath, while Tina nods like she’s keeping up. “He doesn’t love doing it in space, though. That’s what he’s mostly jaded about. I mean, he did his dissertation in med school on deep space diseases, so it makes sense but –” 

“Well, where’s he from?” Tina interrupts. 

“Oh, he’s from Earth; I am too.” Sunshine points to Nyota, who is rifling through the cologne section in her stead, “So is my friend.” 

“You know, there’s a little earth-themed shop just around the corner…” 

This piques Sunshine’s interest, and it fills her with hope. 

“Earth-themed?” she repeats. Tina nods while she restocks the shelf behind the counter. 

“It’s an antique shop; they have trinkets from everywhere but mostly earth. Maybe you’ll find something there?” 

Sunshine grins, and she feels a weight being lifted off her chest. “Tina, you’re a godsend, thank you so much,” she hops off the counter with renewed vigor. “C’mon, Nyota! I think we’ve got our answer!” Nyota is halfway through the stack of samples in her hand when she’s rushed out of the store. She fleetingly wonders why she puts up with this. 

—

Leonard barely looks up from his PADD the entire way back to the ship. It takes Kirk, attached to his side, to weave him through crowds and assure no accidents or injuries. The enterprise is quiet upon arriving, and Kirk is ushered into Leonard's office.

“Alright! Game time, Bones, tell me whatcha got,” Kirk claps his hand on Leonard’s shoulder—it reminds him of a high school football coach. 

“Right, we’re gonna need to abuse your authority. “ 

“…for a Christmas gift?” 

Leonard rifles through his drawers. 

“Well, what else would it be for? Listen, go ask the head nurse–should be Nurse Bennet– tell her you need access to the medical imaging equipment, and grab the camera in Drawer B, got it?” 

“Uh, yeah, I guess?” 

Leonard shoos him out of the room. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he uses the moment of solitude to clear his head. 

He really hopes this isn't a stupid idea. 

—

In the antique store, Sunshine elects to not sit on any of the countertops. 

The entire place seems fragile to her, with shelves lined high with old-world things she didn't recognize and floors littered with boxes. It was eclectic, to say the least. To say the most, it was downright cramped. And tiny. 

Definitely no countertop sitting for her. 

Her eyes trail across the room, and she gets an odd nostalgic feeling, like she isn’t quite in space anymore. It feels like her mom's old house.  The feeling sweeps her up like a hug, and she almost forgets why she’s there as her eyes roam. Nyota recenters her with a nudge and points to the back of the store. 

“Hello!” Sunshine calls and catches the attention of the man behind the register. He’s older, with deep smile lines, and an overly large coat. He looks kind, she thinks. He waves in return for her hello. 

Nyota slips between two shelves, already scouring for ideas, while Sunshine approaches the shopkeep. 

“Somethin’ I can do for you?” he asks, his accent familiar, and strikes her with a sudden longing feeling. 

“If it's not too much trouble, I really need some help finding a gift for my friend,”she says, uncharacteristically beginning to feel shy. “And there's a bit of a story to it too, if you have the time.” 

He stares at her curiously, and she hopes she hasn't overstepped. 

“Sure.” He shrugs. 

He gestures for her to come around the counter, and she can see a wooden chair peeking from behind it. She accepts his invitation and makes herself comfortable in the old-looking wooden rocking chair. Dust flies from it when she sits.  He continues counting the register and waits for her to begin. 

“So,” she fiddles with the blue sticky note that has lost its stickiness, “I joined Starfleet like, a little over a year ago, and there's this Doctor…” 

—

The captain clears his throat and clears it again, running a hand through his hair because he��s just not sure what to say. 

“So, I gathered you both here for a reason, which is very important… but I also cannot provide much information about why it’s important - very… classified stuff,  but I assure you-” 

Leonard is too impatient for his own good, and he’s rolling his eyes and grumbling mere seconds into the captain's fake speech. 

“I’ll take it from here, Jim,” he interjects, “I can’t watch you flounder like a fish out of water anymore.”

The captain's patience wavers, but Leonard takes no mind to this. 

“Henly, Donavan, stand next to each other and smile. We’re doing a Starfleet scrapbook or something,” he says, voice filled to the brim with sarcasm. He brings the camera to his face, and the two girls look at one another with confused, pinched faces.

“We don't have all day, Ensigns,” he mumbles. Henley and Donavan turn their confused frowns into tentative smiles, and he snaps the picture. He throws a thumbs up their way. 

“Great. You’re dismissed.” Leonard turns around, sights set on their next stop already. Kirk, however, scrambles to leave this interaction on a politer note.

Kirk calls, “What he means is thank you so much for participating ladies, and you look great by the way, can’t wait for you to see the scrapbook!” but they were already retreating, whispering and giggling to one another.  He sighs. 

“So, now that I’ve abused my authority for the sake of a Christmas gift, do I get to know what the gift is?” he demands. 

“We’re not done abusing your authority, just so you’re aware,” Leonard says pointedly, “and fine, but we walk and talk.” 

That’s fine with Jim, he’ll walk wherever, talk to whoever,  if he finally gets to know what’s going on. 

“One year, for Pam and I’s anniversary, she got me this holoframe, piled high with a bunch of pictures of us. The thing’d flip through them all day, like a highlight reel while our marriage fell apart.” Leonard stays five steps ahead and doesn’t look back at Kirk. It’s an odd place to be vulnerable, the enterprise hallways, and Kirk has no idea how this fits into anything. 

“Okay…”

“I hated the damn thing. Not the sentimental type, but what you said, about getting a more, Sunshine gift, somethin’ clicked,” he snaps his fingers. “Can’t think of anything she likes more than the crew, and I’ll go out on a limb and say she’s the sentimental type.” 

Kirk pauses thoughtfully and suddenly feels touched by the gesture that isn't even for him. 

“So, we are making a Starfleet scrapbook? But of all Sunshine's favorite people?” 

“Do not go around saying we’re making a scrapbook like we’re a couple of grade schoolers.” 

Kirk catches up with his friend with a newfound dedication to this endeavor. 

“Sorry, holoframe,” he grins. 

—

Sunshine and Nyota are both perched behind the shop counter now. Sunshine slumped down into the rocking chair, Nyota rested on the arm of it. 

“...after I told Tina all of this, she sent me here and said maybe you could help—oh, well, actually, she never said that, I just sort of roped you into this on my own accord, sorry about that– but, on the way here, I wrote down this list of facts about Leonard to maybe help find him something?” She pulls out a crumpled receipt with sharpie on the back. 

“You brought…a list?” the shopkeep drawls, and it makes her blush. 

“Yeah it’s—I thought it might help,” she says sheepishly.

“She is very prepared,” Nyota supplies with a comforting pat on her shoulder.

“Alright, then let's see it.” He holds out his hand, and she lays the receipt flat on his palm. It feels like she's handing something over much more important than the record of her ice cream purchase, but she doesn't put her finger on why. 

She waits as the man reads, and she rocks in the chair. She thinks about what a whirlwind of a day it's been but still feels at ease. 

“He’s from Georgia?” the shopkeep finally says. She perks up. 

“Yeah! He’s, like, a country boy,” she cringes. “Well, like, he's from the country, he grew up on a farm, I just don't know what the actual word for it is.” 

Thankfully, the man just chuckles and doesn’t correct her. It's a win in her book. 

“He ever miss home?” he asks, eyes still on the paper. 

“Oh, only all the time,” she scoffs, “ he’s really not a fan of space.” She buzzes with excitement— she can tell he’s onto something. When he finally speaks, Sunshine has to restrain herself from leaping up and hugging him right there in the store. 

“Yeah, I think I got a few things he’d be interested in… Georgians ought to help each other out anyways.”

—

Three fake emergencies and six photos later, both men are exhausted. 

Leonard hopes no one enters the rec room for the next hour. He fears the image of him and the captain sprawled on the couch looking through photos of various crew members may be hard to explain. 

“Are we done now? Please tell me we’re done.” Kirk shifts, really he wiggles, to prop his feet on the chair beside him. Leonard fiddles with the camera as he replies. 

“Just waiting for Uhura to be back from shopping, and that should be it.” Kirk sighs and sinks lower into the couch. Since starting this whole thing, Leonard's anxiety has grown steadily, like a snowball rolling down a hill. Aside from the task of wrangling crew members, and then inventing explanations for his actions, the real challenge is convincing himself that this is even a good idea in the first place. He thinks about that tube of lipstick, and if it was her brand, and wishes this whole thing could be simpler. 

“Do you think Spock’s still mad?” Kirk asks, and Leonard barely hears it over his own thoughts. 

“He’s forgiven you for a lot worse, I wouldn't get too wound up about it,” he replies absently, hands still fidgeting. “Y’know, Jim, I appreciate you running all over hell's half acre for me. God knows you didn't have to.” 

“Bones, I have no idea what that means, but you’re welcome.” His friend smiles, and it quells some deep nervousness. “Totally gonna be worth it, anyway,” Kirk adds.

Leonard isn’t all that sure what he means, but still, he agrees.

“Yeah, I think it will.”  

 Leonard doesn't see the smirk on Kirk’s face, nor does he pick up on the mischievous cadence of his voice, or even the way they're on completely different pages. Kirk thinks perhaps that's for the best.

—

The gift sits on her desk for three days before she wraps it. 

She carefully maneuvers her work around it, avoiding touching the object like it was some precious gem. On occasion, her eyes would drift to it while she sits in her quarters, and her cheeks would heat without reason. She makes an effort not to think about it too much or get too excited, and to definitely not touch it. She finds lately that a bit of effort is required to get her mind off of many things related to the CMO, and it takes even more effort not to think about why that was. 

She wraps the gift on the day of the exchange—because it's the easiest way to avoid thinking about it.

—

Leonard gets the damn thing out of his sight as soon as possible. 

The gift had been finished – pictures uploaded, running on a ten-second loop – hidden away in a gift bag, out of sight out of mind. He is protecting his peace—leaving it out in the open will only restart the cycle of doubt in his head. So, he pulls doubles, up until the holiday party, if only just to get his goddamn mind off of this stupid exchange he shouldn’t have ever done in the first place—

He works until Chapel won't let him in the medbay anymore, and when she doesn't, he slots his time with other tasks. Hell, he even wonders if he should’ve gone back for the lipstick, the day after they leave the port. He goes as far as to bother Nyota about it, who waves him off and tells him she's sure Sunshine will love her gift—her reassurance helps more than he anticipated. 

He almost gets himself to forget the whole thing, lost in the medbay chaos, until he feels the scrap paper crushed in his pocket.

The gift stays hidden away until just a few minutes before he has to meet her, and his palms sweat when he picks it up. 

—

Lieutenant Jameson calls out the day of the holiday party— Dakitoan Flu. 

Without much choice, Sunshine takes his rounds. She doesn’t think she’s ever completed a task faster in her life. Complete is even a strong word—it's more like half-ass. She’s all too aware of how she’ll have to repeat most of the work again tomorrow, correcting her own mistakes. But she doesn't care. She’s been stressing out about this party for two entire weeks, she’d be damned if she misses it. 

When she does finally rush to the rec room, the blue-wrapped gift in hand, there are few people left, and her heart sinks a bit. 

There's a Christmas tree in the corner of the room, with only one present left beneath it, and a few red and green ribbons are strewn about. She spots Spock first, already wiping down tables and cleaning up the festivities. He catches her eye, and he must see how her posture is wound tight with nervousness—or her pink cheeks, or her frazzled hair, or the way she obviously ran here. Spock doesn’t quite smile, but his gaze softens in some way she doesn’t see often, and he nods toward a table in the far corner. She follows, and—

Oh! It’s Leonard!

Spock gets a double thumbs up for his help. 

Leonard sits with Jim, both of them with glasses of some dark liquid in hand. She wishes she could have had a drink before this. She smoothes down her hair before she approaches. 

Kirk notices her first and smiles — it reminds her how nice it is to have someone in her corner.

“Sunny! You made it!” He cheers. She grins back and lets it sink in, yeah I did make it, and the thing she’d been fussing over for weeks is finally coming to an end.   

 Leonard is much more reserved, he always is. He sees her, and his posture relaxes—he does that a lot. Almost like he’s holding his breath for some reason. 

“Captain, Doctor,” she greets the two, still catching her breath. “I’m sorry I missed the party, you have no idea how insane my shift has been —I mean, no idea, but it's over now, and I’m so glad I caught you guys.”  

“We had to convince Spock to leave the Christmas tree up until you got here, he’s been cleaning damn near since the party started,” Leonard tuts, and she laughs. 

“Aw, I’m glad he did…” She looks at the pine tree, which is bare of ornaments and lights, and raises her eyebrows. 

“Well, he sort of did,” Leonard amends. “It was a compromise.” 

“A compromise that leaves me with putting the decorations back in storage, so I’d call it more of a trade,” Kirk complains. 

“Master negotiator, huh?” she teases and has every intention of teasing him more, maybe even calling Christmas his new Kobayashi Maru, but she waits a beat too long.

“Anyways, Jim, don’t you think you should be getting to it?” Leonard says, as if the conversation didn’t just start. 

Jim doesn't say anything at first, just stares at Leonard while Leonard stares at him. It’s all very… intense, she thinks. They exchange pointed looks like they’re engaged in a silent conversation– actually, she’s pretty positive they are. Awkwardness begins to prick at her skin. 

“Is there something—”

“Wow, I didn't even notice the time, better get to it, just like you said,” he springs to his feet with alarming speed. 

“Oh, do you have to go?” she asks with disappointment.

“I do, duty calls, or something.” He holds her by the shoulders looking at her with enough intensity to make her squint. “Have fun,” he says meaningfully, and smiles, and then, he's gone, leaving with a friendly pat on her back. 

She hesitates a moment before taking Kirk's seat. 

“Is he…okay?” 

“That's a loaded question,” Leonard deadpans, and despite her confusion, she laughs. 

“So I have something-”

“Anyways, there's this-” 

Their sentences crash into each other,  and they both freeze. 

“You first,” she offers. He doesn’t say anything for a moment, just purses his lips and avoids eye contact. 

“Just—Don’t move, I’ll be right back,” he grits out and leaves her at the table. It's abrupt and leaves her wondering why this interaction is going like this. She wraps her arms around herself and waits. 

Behind her, he picks up the last present left under the tree, which has been waiting there for her all day.  Yellow bag with yellow paper stuffed inside.  He places it on the table, and sits back down, hands wringing together. She wants to ask what's got him so worked up. 

“I’m your secret… Christmas person or whatever the hell it is,” he grumbles and doesn’t meet her gaze. Not until he hears her stifle a giggle, which then bubbles into a laugh.  She doesn��t mean to, but the whole thing just comes together too perfectly for her to contain herself. 

“You’re my Secret Santa?” she asks, alight with excitement, and he nods at her slowly. 

“Yeah, if that’s the name—” He’s cut off with another laugh, and she eagerly puts her gift in front of him—blue paper with a blue bow. 

“Leonard, I’m your Secret Santa!” She beams, “We picked each other! What are the odds?”

He stares at her, then at the gift, and says quietly, bewildered, “What are the odds?” 

She doesn’t catch what he means, but she’s too excited to harp on it. 

“Well?” she prompts and inches the blue box towards him. “Are you gonna open it?” 

Curiously enough, she’s not nearly as nervous anymore. 

He blinks and shakes his head like he’s clearing his thoughts. “Yeah, yeah of course,” he says distractedly. 

He opens the box carefully, it's like he’s doing an operation. When he looks down at the gift, the gift, he pauses and gets this expression that Sunshine doesn’t think she's ever seen on him. 

“Len?” 

“Sunshine, is this…?” 

“It’s a postcard! From Georgia!” She grins, “A real one from Earth, It’s an antique.” She reaches over the table and taps on the glass of the frame in his hand. “See? There's a little stamp of authenticity. Isn’t that neat?”  

Neat. It’s about the neatest thing Leonard’s ever seen. 

She settles back in her seat. “I thought it might make you a little less homesick,” she adds, much quieter, as if the statement itself needed privacy. 

Leonard stares at the postcard. It's got a picture of a peach orchard, on a perfect summer day, he can tell by the blossoms that line the trees. Greetings from Georgia! it reads.  It looks like something he would have seen hanging in his Ma’s house. He thinks of the red door of his childhood home, and how the branches of his family's own peach tree framed it. The smell of his Ma’s cooking and the feeling of coming home— his chest fills with familiarity and longing. He stares for a while and doesn't say anything for even longer. 

He doesn’t realize he’s been silent until Sunshine clears her throat. It feels like he forgot he was on the Enterprise for a moment. 

“Sunshine this is…” Damn near perfect. “Nice. Thank you.” He says it and cringes. There's so many more feelings and thoughts under the surface. He wishes he could make a sentence out of them. But Sunshine, like she knows his inner thoughts, accepts the weak compliment like it's the best thing she's ever heard. 

“Aw, Leonard!” She tucks her hair behind her ear and flushes – or maybe it's the lighting. “I'm so  glad you like it. You have no idea the hell I put Nyota through to find it.” 

He’s not sure what Nyota had to do with it, and he doesn't ask either. “I’ll thank her too then,” he says weakly, but he definitely won’t. With a deep breath to quell his nerves, he pushes her gift toward her. 

“Your turn,” he says with bated breath. 

Being so wrapped up in her own Christmas shopping, she almost forgot she gets a gift too. She tears through the tissue paper with the same unrestrained excitement she had picking her secret Santa just a few weeks ago. 

“I still think it's so crazy we got each other, this makes the gift-giving thing like, ten times better,” she tells him. He nods curtly, and she can tell he’s wound tighter than a spring–or at least that’s how he would say it. 

“Relax, Len, I’ll like whatever’s in the bag– heck, I’d like it even if you gave me a rock.” 

She dives her hand into the bag, the tips of her fingers touching cool metal. At first, she has no idea what she’s looking at. A… little screen? A flat little screen with a cool blue border? She opens her mouth, a question on her tongue, when— 

“The power buttons on the side,” Leonard says. He doesn’t give her a chance to move, leaning over the table and clicking the button for her. 

The screen comes to life with a picture of Sulu and Chekov, both donning awkward thumbs up… and is that in Kirk’s room? She blinks, and it changes again, this time to Scotty and Keenser sitting among a mess of wires in engineering but smiling brightly nonetheless. Another second passes, and she's looking at Spock and Nyota, sitting beside each other in the rec room loveseat looking equally poised yet annoyed. Sunshine laughs before she can stop herself. 

“Len is this—?” The picture flickers again, and the sight of it stops Sunshine's words in their tracks. It's Leonard and Jim, on that same rec room loveseat. Jim’s practically beaming—face lit up and an arm looped tightly around Leonard’s shoulders. Leonard, shit. He’s got that soft and reserved smile on his face—like the one he has when he talks about home or his friends, where his eyes are just filled with this warm something. 

Sunshine’s face turns hot, and her chest becomes unbearably heavy with emotions. 

“Leonard, this is so fucking sweet—” She cuts herself off with a wet laugh, and she realizes she’s got tears in her eyes. 

Leonard, however, looks mortified, as he watches her face become red and tears fall down her cheeks. 

“Shit—Damn it, I’m sorry—You weren't supposed to cry!” he stutters in a panic. Sunshine laughs again and hiccups over it with a sob. 

“They’re happy tears, Len!” she insists, wiping her cheeks. “This… I think this is the nicest gift I've ever gotten.” She can’t bring herself to look away. The pictures are just the slightest bit grainy—like the camera her mom used to take pictures of her. The thought starts the waterworks all over again. 

“It is?” 

She sniffles, scrubbing her tears with her sleeve. As Sunshine traces the edges of the frame, and watches the photos loop again, she knows for certain this is the sweetest, most thoughtful gift she's ever gotten. She thinks about how curious it is that it's from someone she’s known only a year—a coworker, no less. 

Then, she thinks, maybe, it's not all that curious at all. 

“We should do this every year,” she tells him. She’s positive, actually, that, as much of a headache as this exchange has been, she would do it again in a heartbeat. 

“Secret Santa?”

“Yeah, but not so…secret next time, and… just us, maybe.” 

She doesn’t look at him when she says it, for both their sakes. 

“Sure,” he says, and she can hear the tightness in his voice. “I’ll try not to make you cry next time.” 

She laughs, “No, do it! It’s more fun that way. Maybe I’ll make you cry.” 

“Uh-huh.” 

He seems less nervous now, like his smile is coming a bit easier. 

“We should get going before Spock sticks us with the rest of the cleaning,” he says, gathering the discarded paper from the table, “and I know you had a long day, Jameson told me you covered for him.” 

She doesn’t want to leave, but she knows he’s right. She wonders if he feels the same pull to stay.

“Yeah, but it’s fine,” she tries to say casually.  She leaves her chair as he does. “You know me, I don't mind.” 

“Doesn’t make it a good thing, you pull about as many doubles as—”

“As you?” she interrupts cheekily, and he rolls his eyes with a smile. 

“Yeah, as me.” 

The paper goes in the trash, and they’re left with nothing to do but bid each other goodnight. It’s the last thing she wants to do. 

“Thank you again, Len. The pictures—It’s perfect. I love it.” She tries not to cry again, mostly for his sake. 

“No problem, and you too,” he tells her simply. His cheeks are still tinged pink, and seeing him hold the present she labored over in his hands, with all that warmth in his eyes, it's almost more than she can stand. 

Fuck it. She thinks to herself, and before her nerves can stop her, she wraps her arms around Leonard's neck. It's an awkward angle, and she has to pull him down to her height a bit—and she’s still got the frame in her hand and everything. As far as hugs go, it's not great, but in other ways, it's perfect. Leonard doesn’t react for a moment, but finally, his arms encircle her waist, after a fair bit of hesitation. 

It’s really nice, she thinks. 

“No, really, thank you,” she says into his shoulder. The fabric of his uniform is soft, and she can smell his apple shampoo. 

“You too, Sunshine,” he mutters. The sincerity in his voice feels nearly tangible. Leonard pats her back, maybe because he feels awkward or maybe because it's time for the hug to end; either way, she lets him go. 

“Have a good night,” he says, and he can't quite meet her eyes. 

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she answers softly.

They share a long parting glance, as they head in opposite directions to their quarters. 

Unbeknownst to the pair, their senior officers are perched just around the corner. 

“...and he knew her shade, Spock. The exact shade of lipstick she wears. He was so… dedicated to the whole thing. I half-thought he might give her a candle or a necklace or something but this?” 

Spock nods thoughtfully. “She treated the exchange with similar enthusiasm, from what Nyota has told me.” 

“You’re a genius for setting this thing up,” Kirk shakes his head, “even if I did have to copy Sunshine’s signature on 20 different sticky notes.” 

“Well, it was your influence that caused me to—”

Kirk waves him off. 

“You don’t have to justify it, Spock. Hell, everyone can see how bad they’ve got it for each other. Can’t blame you for wanting to move it along.” 

“Indeed they do, Captain.”