#leonard bones McCoy x reader

[marvelouslytrekking]

Unbelievable

Pairing: Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Reader Summary: Written from the prompt: "I would believe that you're fine, but you have a goddamn knife sticking out of your leg, so." Word Count: 1417 Warnings: Mention of death, yelling, knife, injury, brief mention of disaster A/N: I haven't written much in forever and today I opened Google Docs to maybe try and write and I found this untitled and just sitting there. I really don't remember writing this but I guess I did so here it is! Enjoy :)

You were on a planet that had just had a major natural disaster hit their capital city. There were many casualties and you had come in to offer assistance and to bring them much needed supplies.  You were at a medical facility helping to triage people coming in with various injuries.

You had been tasked with assessments before directing the injuries to the treatment they needed. You were also helping with some of the more minor injuries if there was a lull in people coming in. While you knew your work was less exhausting than that of some of the other doctors and nurses who were doing back to back surgeries or other more intense work, you were still exhausted. You were also sure you had skipped a few breaks and honestly weren’t sure how long you had been at this posting. 

As if he had read your mind, suddenly Dr. McCoy appeared beside you. “I swear I haven’t seen you take a break all day. When was your last break?” He questioned.

“I honestly don’t remember,” You told him truthfully. 

“Well then what are you doing standing here, shoo, go take a break and come back a little refreshed.” 

You went to argue but he gave you a look that told you not to even try. You sighed and dramatically handed off the padd to another nurse before you stepped out of the school that had been turned into a makeshift hospital.  You immediately took a deep breath and realized just how long you had been cooped up in that building. You would never admit it to Bones, but you had desperately needed the break.

You had started to go for a walk. You should have probably been more exhausted than you were but you found yourself being restless. You didn’t want to get yourself lost so you were just walking around the block because you would be able to keep the school in your vision and you knew this area was one of the least affected so you wouldn’t find yourself in rubble and impassable areas. 

You had rounded the corner of the back of the building happy to be away from the chaos and be able to enjoy some quiet when you notice a man approaching. “They killed my wife! How could they let her die!” You heard him yelling. You felt bad for him, he had just gone through a tragedy and it wasn’t something that could be helped. It had seemed that he was just yelling at the world and not anyone in particular, but suddenly he was directly in your face. “How could you let them kill her!!” 

“I’m so sorry for your loss sir, but I am sure they did everything that you could.” You tried to diffuse the situation. You were trying to remember if you had seen this man when you were triaging people, but you had seen hundreds of people and at a certain point, the faces began to blend together. 

“No! You said she’d be okay, that it was just a simple injury and then we waited hours and now she’s dead. You killed her!!” 

You were trying to process what he was saying but before you could say or do anything, he was lunging at you. You hadn’t been prepared for the attack so he managed to knock you down on the stairs behind you. You were trying to push him off you when you heard the back doors opening and someone yelling. You let out a breath of relief when the commotion scared the man off and he ran off within second of the person starting to yell at him. 

“Oh my god! y/n, are you okay?!” You suddenly released the voice was that of Dr. McCoy. 

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” You responded. You were still a little stunned from the encounter and you began to slowly pull yourself up to a better seated position.

You watched as the doctor looked you over. You rolled your eyes, “You know, I am a nurse, when I say I am fine, I mean it,”

“ Well, I would believe that you're fine, but you have a goddamn knife sticking out of your leg, so." He responded with an annoyed look.

“What are you,” You started to respond before looking down to where his eyes were and realizing that he was right, there was a knife sticking out of your thigh. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” He sighed, “So how ‘bout we get you back inside and get you taken care of.”

“I am pretty sure this is a yellow case at best, I can take care of this myself. I am sure you have much more important things to be dealing with.” You told him. However, you did allow him to help you get up from the stairs. You made sure not to put any weight onto your left leg. 

“Well I think having my favorite nurse out of commission puts you higher on the priority list” He told you.

“Oh, and here I thought you didn’t have favorites.” You chuckled.

“Don’t tell Christine, she’ll be very upset and no one wants that.” He joked.

“Your secret is safe with me.” You smiled. 

You still wanted to protest that you could take care of yourself, but you also had to admit, you didn’t mind being taken care of by the doctor so you allowed him to lead you to a table and to patch you up. 

“What happened?” He asked gently as he began to cut the fabric of your uniform pants away from the knife blade. 

“I really don’t know. It happened so fast. He was yelling about how his wife died and then next thing I knew he was in my face saying I killed his wife and then before I could even try to respond, he had jumped me.” You explained. “I was trying to remember who his wife was. He said I told him it was a minor injury. I don’t know if I diagnosed her wrong. I mean maybe I am to blame.”

“Hey,” Bones stopped what he was doing, putting his hands on your shoulders and forcing you to look at him, “You did not kill her. You have been doing your job to the upmost degree, there is a lot that can go wrong when we are trying to take care of this many people. We can’t control everything, he was just misplacing his anger. You are not to blame.” 

“I mean, what if I am though?” You were trying to listen to what he was saying but all you could think about was how you couldn’t even remember who the women who died was. “I mean I can’t even remember looking the women over, what if I over extended myself and was too tired and missed something.”

“Listen, I know what you're going through right now, but honestly if you don’t remember her you might not have even been the one to look her over. And I promise, as your direct superior, I would not have let you stay here if I thought you were a danger to yourself or others. Nor would you let yourself get to that point.”

You knew he was right but it was so hard to believe it when you stopped to think about the life that was lost. 

“Thanks Len,” 

“Anytime. You know where to find me if you need to talk about this type of stuff.” He told you. From there he worked in mostly silence. He made sure to warn you of incoming pain and apologized when you winced anyway. 

“Alright you’re all good. Now get yourself back to the ship and rest for a while.” He instructed once you were patched up. 

“Wait, I thought this was about making sure I could get back to work?!” You protested. 

“You have already been here well over the maximum allowed for hours, and you were just stabbed. You need to get some rest. Once you have had a good 10 hours off, you can come back and work if you’re feeling up for it.” 

“But-” You tried to interject. 

“No buts. Get some sleep. That’s an order.” He said, authority behind the statement. 

“Fine, but I am not going to be happy about it.” You gumbled. 

[440mxs-wife]

The Country Doctor: Masterlist

Pairing: Leonard McCoy x Reader

Warnings: As warranted with each chapter

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

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

Chapter 1: A Fresh Start Chapter 2: Getting Moved In Chapter 3: The "Ex" Factor Chapter 4: Change of Address

[paxny]

Currently on the hunt for some more Bones-centric fics, if anybody has some to recommend I’d owe you a bazillion marsh-melons <3 please and thank you :D

(For this round, I would prefer aos, but would still happily take tos. McSpirk or /OC or /reader would be best, but I’ll explore any pairing rn.)

[crazyk-imagine]

Leadership and Mended Relationships

Pairing: Leonard “Bones” McCoy x Ex-Captain! reader Characters:  Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Ex-Captain! reader, James T. Kirk, Spock Warnings: Fake aliens, bad alien biology (author created), mentions of crew mates dying or being dead, Kirk and reader interactions, Kirk and Bones interactions, classic Spock behavior, fighting, mentions of stabbing Word Count: 3,357

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You sigh, staring up at the sky as you think about everything that’s happened to lead to this moment; you in a tree, so your friends don’t harm you. 

Can you even call them friends if they’re constantly trying to kill you? 

You shrug off the idea and return your focus onto nothing and stare at the sky with an empty head, no thoughts running around. 

It’s almost… peaceful, even if there are times where you wish you still had someone to talk to. 

-

The annoying whispers of people below you, draw your attention onto them. 

They clearly don’t know who resides on this planet now and certainly won’t know how to protect themselves. 

You sigh and climb down from the tree branch. You stand behind the two. “Would you two shut up?” 

The blond male raises his phaser, aiming it at you. 

He looks familiar but you can’t focus on that. “What are you two doing here?” 

The two men glance at one another, each with a raised brow. “Where’s your ship? I need to get you two out of here.” 

The darker haired one furrows his brows, unable to tell if you’re being honest or not. “How do we know we can trust you?” 

‘That voice is familiar?’ You roll your eyes, shaking your head. ‘Absolute idiots.’ “Those things you’re hiding from, are infected with an unknown disease. They were once people I knew but now, they will severely harm anyone that gets in their way. Now, I’ll ask you again, do you want to live?” 

“Which way.” The captain interrupts before the darker haired man could interject. 

“Good.” You jerk your head to the side, “follow me.” As you slowly move away, you listen to their complaints and sketchy attitude towards you. 

-

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” 

James glances back towards you, rushing ahead of Leonard. “Yeah, well, we don’t have a lot of other options, huh.” 

“How do we know we can trust her?” 

He stops, barely having enough time to keep distance between you and him. The lighter haired man turns around to face his friend and loyal shipmate with a questioning look. “Do you see anyone else willing to help us?” 

You shush the two, not wanting either of them to draw anyone closer. 

The man in blue continues to make unhelpful comments. 

You can’t take it anymore and decide to do the only thing you can and cover his mouth with your hand, needing him to shut up. “You need to shut up, okay?” 

Your gaze travels up from his hand, leaving you to stare into his eyes. “If you don’t, you two will not make it out alive. Do you understand?” ‘These eyes…’ 

A vulcan runs through the bush blocking you three from the rogues. “There seems to be a tribe of- oh. Hello.” 

“Both of you keep,” you stare at the two who seem to be the most compliable. “’complains too much’ quiet and stay here. Do. Not. Move.” 

-

You push the push aside, needing to see where they are and come up with a plan. You turn back, glancing over your shoulder, “when I say run. You run.” 

“Wait,” the captain begins to argue. 

You shush him, “don’t speak another word. Do as I say when I tell you to, okay?” 

The captain sees the fire in your eyes and nods. 

You run forward heading towards a tree, knowing it’s your only means of safety. 

-

James glances over at his buddy. “Are you happy, Bones? Our one chance of survival just ran away.” 

“Shut up, Kirk.” 

-

You jump down onto the first one that moves closer, tackling it to the ground. 

You two battle with one another, struggling to dodge the punches coming your way, only to succeed when you punch it in the nose and it proceeds to fall to the ground, no longer moving. 

Your head snaps up as two others stomp, rushing towards you. 

You pull out your handmade dagger, swiping at the closest one. 

It lets out a shriek, holding its arm as if it’s in pain. 

“Run!” 

-

None of them could move. 

Spock tries to get you to move but neither of them listen as he tries to persuade them away from here. 

The other rogue comes up behind you, wrapping their arms around your waist, pulling you into their grasp. 

The two of you struggle before you manage to get the upper hand, thrusting your elbow up, hitting its nose. 

There’s one thing you’ve come to realize and won’t hesitate to teach the others, wanting to save lives. Maybe make up for the lives you saw lost today. 

The rogue that got away from you shrieks, most likely upset that its two companions are now dead. It isn’t much of a fight between the two of you once you get the upper hand. 

-

You take a deep breath, holding your side at the sharp pain that comes with every breath you take. ‘Slowly inhale. Exhale.’ 

You push the bushes aside, showing the three your tired expression. “Now,” you huff. “I ask again, where’s your ship?” 

“Why do you want to know so badly?” James asks you. 

Leonard chimes in before you can answer. “What did you do to those-” 

“Rogues. Can I get a captain, a doctor, and a Vulcan back to their ship because that’d be great.” 

“And what of you?” Spock asks. 

You shrug, “whatever you see fit.” 

“I don’t believe I understand the term “you see fit”. There is no reason to see why things are fit. Are you referring to your camouflage attire?” 

The three males have been unable to see your face this entire time, but you simply answer his question with a stare. 

“Call your crew. They’ve waited long enough. I want to get you out of here. The longer you stay here, the more at risk you all are at becoming a rogue.” 

“Is that what happened to you and your crew?” The captain asks. 

You sigh through your nose, “yes.” 

Leonard grits his teeth. “We can’t contact our crew.” 

You pinch the bridge of your nose, “what’s the last thing you remember seeing before being chased over here?” 

“It was really colorful.” 

“Well, isn’t that helpful. Can any of you tell me something else? Something distinct?” 

“We were near a camp or what looked like an abandoned campsite,” the dark-haired man chimes in. 

“Oh.” Your voice doesn’t come out as comforting as they could have hoped. 

“You know where it is?” The captain asks, surprised by your answer. 

“Yes,” you say, with a sigh. “Get up, it’s time to start walking.” 

“How do you know there aren’t going to be anymore coming after us?” 

You take a deep breath. “Those three were the last of my crew.” 

“Who are you?” The Vulcan asks. 

“Someone trying to help you. Now you can either sit here with a high risk of being infected or you can follow and be quiet while I get you out of here safely.” 

“Why’re you talking like you’re never getting out of here?” James asks. 

“I never thought it was going to happen... still don’t. I also don’t expect you to invite me aboard. You have a crew to protect and look out for. I understand.” 

“You went through the same thing.” 

“… look at where that got me.” 

“I’m sure you did everything you could.” 

“It wasn’t enough.” 

“You seem like the kind of person who would do everything they could to protect those they care about and, in some cases, even complete strangers.” 

“Is this how you get girls into your bed?” 

“Well- not mine- but- that doesn’t matter. How- how would you know?” 

“You have a quality.” 

“A quality?” 

“I bet you use those blue eyes to reel them in.” You push plants aside, giving the three more space to walk through. 

“Am I wrong?” 

“I don’t find this to be necessary regarding our escape, captain.” 

The corner of your lips tugs upwards. “That’s correct, Spock.” 

“Wait- wait. You two know each other?” Leonard asks, shocked at the interaction between the two of you. 

“We were all in the academy together.” 

“If I’m not mistaken, at one point, we were in the same class.” 

You stop, looking up at the sky as you take a deep breath. “We’re here.” 

“Cap- Capt- Captain.” The captain pulls out his comm. 

“Scotty.” 

You smile when you hear the classic sigh of relief from a crewmate. “How’re we lookin?” 

“Good. Better now. Ready to beam up, Sir?” 

“Yes. Beam up the four of us.” 

Your head snaps in his direction. 

“Four?” Leonard leans closer to his captain, “Jim, are you sure about this?” 

-

Before you know it, you’re on the ship and find a few others giving you strange looks. “Are you sure you want me here? I don’t even know your names.” 

“You never told her our names?” Spock asks, although he's sure you know their names. He knows you were always one to try and remember people’s names, reason unknown to him. 

You cross your arms, “does it matter?” 

“It will when we have you checked out?” James says, unsure of what he’s suggesting. 

“I’ll pass,” you assure him. 

“Pass? You’ll pass...” Leonard chimes in. “On a visit to the doctor which you haven’t been to in how long?” 

You avoid his gaze. “A while.” 

“Exactly.” 

“Nope. I’m not doing this” you spin around to walk away. “Bye.” 

“Hey! Wait up!” The captain shouts, running after you. 

-

“I’m Jim.” 

“As in Kirk?” 

He tilts his head. “How’d you know?” 

“I went to school with you.” 

His expression doesn’t change. 

“You definitely did not pay attention the first time this was mentioned.” 

He scoffs, “that’s rude of you to assume.” 

“It’s not assuming if I’m right. Now, go get me a new uniform and we’ll talk.” You raise a brow when he doesn’t move. 

“O- okay. Follow me.” He shows you where the spare uniforms are (after asking one of his crew members where to go) and grabs one for you. 

You take it, examining it. “Is there anything else besides a dress?” 

“Not at the moment.” 

“Could I get a red one? Gold just- it’s not my color anymore.” 

“Yeah, no problem.” He switches the uniforms for you. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” You unwrap the scarf from your head and remove your goggles, followed by the rest of your attire. 

His eyes widen at the sight of you stripping down. “Wow, your just-” 

“It’s skin, not a new undiscovered planet. If you can’t handle this, turn around.” 

“I think I’m good.” 

He squints when he sees your tattoo. “Have I met you somewhere?” 

You pull the dress up, slipping your arms through the sleeves. “I did mention we went to school together.” 

“Yeah, I know. I meant besides that.” 

“I’ve been everywhere so it could have been a number of places.” 

“Okay. It’s just- I’ve seen that tattoo somewhere before.” 

“I’ve had to change on the way to class before. Could have been then.” 

He nods. “Follow-” He’s cut off when the ship shakes, you fall against the wall. 

-

“Captain on the bridge.” 

“What’s going-” 

“You need to get power and you need power now,” you tell the two men who sit in front of the captain’s chair. 

“There’s too little power. We can’t leave.” 

“I’m getting us out of here. Jim, I need your permission to-” 

“Captain, they’re trying to make contact,” a woman in a red outfit says, holding her headset in one hand. 

“Let them.” 

“Isn’t this a surprise?” 

You turn to see the man who did this. “Krealigah. (kr-ee-leh-gah) Taking my crew wasn’t enough. You’ve decided to steal this ship’s power. Still trying to continue with your torture plan?” 

“I wouldn’t say that. You know what happens to those who bad mouth me.” 

“And you know what I can do. Seems to me like we know hardly enough about each other so how about you and I beam down so we can have a proper talk?” 

“As nice as that sounds, I’m going to pass.” 

“Why do you need their ships power? You have enough to leave.” 

He chuckles, “who says I want to leave. Maybe I want to see how long you think you can survive with this crew.” 

“The only thing you want to do is see innocent ships become tainted and ruined by whatever poison you have on you.” 

“We’ll see about that.” 

“He’s scanning us,” the dark-haired man sitting in front of the captain’s seat says. 

“His shields are down, right?” You ask. 

“Yes.” 

“Put yours up now. Jim, you need your shields up now and someone to go down to engineering. One of his men came aboard and messed with your systems. I know who. If you give me your permission, I can stop him and make sure the same thing that happened to me doesn’t happen to your crew.” 

He nods, “Mr. Sulu, shields up. You and I are going down to engineering and stop this guy.” 

“You should be-” 

“Let’s go.” 

“You don’t like to listen, do you? Always one to throw yourself straight into danger, huh.” 

“It’s called protecting my crew.” 

“Protecting your crew and being stupid are two different things.” 

“Now that you two have been acquainted, can we go down to engineering now?” 

“Spock, good timing as always.” 

-

You rush towards the doors and step inside. 

“She’s still here? Why is she- and you gave her clothes?” Seems like he does remember you. 

You spin around and poke his chest, “you need to shut up and know when to respect someone who’s saving lives, not in the same way as you but keeping people alive know the less. Keep talking like that and you’ll wind up with a foot up your-” 

“Okay,” James pulls you away from Leonard, making sure to keep a distance between the two of you. “You know, this would be a lot easier if you two could be friends.” 

“I don’t see that happening.” You cross your arms. 

“She isn’t making this easy.” 

You shake your head. “I swear,” you mumble. 

“What do we need to prepare ourselves for?” 

“A whirlwind of torture. When these doors open… grab anyone, you can and get them out of here.” 

“But we could-” 

“Spock.” 

“Yes.” 

“You don’t like to admit when anyone is right but if either of these two are the last ones here, you get them out of here.” 

He nods, “understood.” Leonard furrows his brows at how you managed to get the Vulcan to cooperate with you so easily. ‘She’s certainly changed…’ 

The ding makes your heart race. 

-

You know what’s coming but don’t want to experience it… again. You run out the doors, knowing exactly where he is. Placing the makeshift weapon into your belt. 

“Where are you going?” Leonard asks, from the bottom of the ladder. 

“Don’t follow me.” 

He grumbles and runs over to his captain when James calls for him. 

-

It wasn’t hard to find him, he threw the first punch. 

You continue fighting him even as you hear your name being called. 

Before he could try to escape you, you managed to grab the weapon you made for this occasion and jam it in between his ribs. 

“This is where our paths never cross again.” 

He stumbles backwards, his arms thrown out in front of him as he attempts to catch his balance. In the blink of an eye, he’s gone. 

You let out a deep breath until you cry out in pain. 

Krealigah managed to grab your ankle, pulling you with him. He uses the little amount of upper arm strength he has left and pulls himself up. 

Before you know it, all three use their phasers, giving you the opportunity to kick him off the wired path. 

James and Leonard haul you up, off the ground. “Is that it?” 

You nod, “yeah. He’s gone. It's over.” 

The captain gives you the biggest smile he could have. 

“I don’t like that look you’ve got there.” 

“Why? I’m not doing anything wrong?” 

You glance back at the other two to find Leonard shaking his head and Spock as emotionless as ever. “Start walking, I need to see a doctor or something.” 

“Then it’s a good thing we have a doctor right here.” 

You glance at him up and down. “I only see “complains a lot” standing there.” 

James snickers into his hand, “Bones… you’ve got a new name.” 

The man rolls his eyes. “I’m not going to stay here and listen to this.” 

You roll your eyes, “neither am I.” You step around James, attempting to leave until your body doesn’t want to cooperate. You slowly limp away from the three males. 

“Are you limping?” 

“No.” 

“Your ankle is hurting from when he grabbed it, is it not?” 

“Shut up, Spock.” You make it to the ladder. “I’m fine.” 

“You are not going down that ladder with your ankle being the way it is.” 

“I’m doing it. None of you can stop me.” 

“Fine. Hurt yourself more.” 

You give Leonard a sarcastic smile. “Just means you’ll have to take care of me longer.”

He shakes his head, “there’s an elevator over there. Come on.” He grabs your arms and pulls you up, keeping a tight grip on you so he doesn’t lose you. 

-

You four stand in the elevator with James and Spock in front of you as Leonard lets you lean against him. 

As soon as you get close to the med bay, people are asking questions and pulling him away. You manage to catch yourself before you can fall. 

You look around, everyone’s busy saving lives and fixing everyone’s wounds. 

You turn around to leave and sit in one of the break rooms, wondering where you should go from here. 

-

“Here you are.” He pulls out a chair and sits across from you. “I thought you managed to get off the ship.” 

“No,” you glance at the ground. “I just needed to let you all do your jobs and-” 

“I didn’t see your chart anywhere.” 

“That’s for a good reason.” 

“No one pulled you onto a bed?” 

“I left before anyone “could” besides I don’t need it. I’m fine.” 

“You could have fractured your ankle. Come here.” He moves the chair closer and lifts your ankle, examining it. “It doesn’t seem like anything’s broken but I need to be sure.” 

“No,” you shake your head. “I’ll be fine. I-” 

“You’re going to the med bay and getting examined. You’ve been gone for three years and no one’s…” 

“Three years is a long time.” 

“She divorced me a year before you got promoted and assigned that mission.” 

“So, your babygirl’s about seven now?” 

“She’ll be eight in a few months.” 

“That’s good to hear.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

You avoid Leonard’s gaze. “I thought you were dead this entire time. How could you not tell me?” 

“I was given orders.” 

“That’s ever stopped you before.” 

“I needed to know you’d be safe.” 

Hearing those words warm his heart, you’ve been protecting him this entire time… something he wanted to do in return for the longest time. “I missed you.” 

“I know,” you smile at him. “You used your relieved angry voice on me this entire time.” 

He shakes his head, hiding the smile that slowly stretches across his lips. “I’m happy you’re safe.” 

“I know.” 

“Aww.” 

“Dammit, Jim.” 

“What’d I do?” 

You roll your eyes. “I’m glad to see someone else adopted you.” 

“Yeah, we’re really a match made in heaven, aren’t Bones?” 

“Kirk, if you don’t shut up. I’m going to inject you again.” 

James narrows his eyes at his friend as he hauls you up out of your chair, knowing Leonard wants to have you get checked out at med bay. “Don’t forget I’m your captain, Bones.” 

“You’d die without me.” 

“Okay, can you two keep it in your pants and take me to that damn med bay before I start limping there myself.” 

Leonard shoves Jim away and helps you get there, needing to make sure that you’re okay.

[heliads]

Hey Lisa! I was just wondering if you could write a Leonard Mccoy (Bones) x reader. (Star Trek) But royalty / Bodyguard AU! Been a while since I requested something au haha.

The reader is royalty and Bones is the bodyguard and its the "we're not supposed to fall in love but we did anyways" type of thing.

He would save the reader from multiple things, attempted assassination, threats from other royals, whenever the reader is uncomfortable or needs help. Literally he would always be there to help the reader and that's what makes them fall in love with Bones. The reader would try and help Bones to be calmer in certain situations (you know he's a stubborn bean lol) and even hang out with him during training or whenever possible. And then some tragic attack happens and Bones gets injured protecting the reader or vice versa. And then they end up confessing to each other. You can decide the ending, I would love to see what you write about that!! <3

omg bless you for letting me write about star trek i had been HOPING someone would request

masterlist

Having a bodyguard is not supposed to feel like an insult, but somehow, it still does. You know that the bodyguard situation was to be expected; you are, after all, royalty, and that puts a target on your back unlike any other, but you had hopes that you’d be able to avoid all this. Yes, there are assassins out there who’d like nothing more than to end your life and reign in one pull of a trigger. Yes, the life expectancy for any monarch tends to linger around the youthful range due to the frequency of political murders. Yes, there is a reason for all this, and one you cannot avoid.

However, all you hear whenever you hear your advisors bring up the need for additional protection is that you are not capable of defending yourself. This is something that rankles more than it should, and has also been the reason you haven’t had a single soldier designated to follow you around in all your previous life. No bodyguard means that you can finally breathe without someone always watching you wherever you go, even when you try to rest. That’s what you’ve been fighting against all this time.

Once you ascended the throne, though, you knew that your claims to privacy were gone in a flash. Sure enough, the crown had hardly lingered on your head long enough to weigh you down before the nobles were eyeing each other nervously and starting to mention that it really was time for some additional security, now, wasn’t it? It’s not like they would dare say anything to your face, but someone should, and–

You endured their hemming and hawing for a couple of weeks before sighing and giving in. Of all the arguments to concede, this was the least obtrusive on your political plans. You told the head of your guard to find someone suitable for the task, and within the hour, almost as if they’d been waiting for this moment all their lives, they gave you a name.

Leonard McCoy. Top of his class. He originally planned on pursuing a career in medicine, but was convinced otherwise by a good friend of his, some rebellious fighter named James Kirk. You’d normally be doubtful of such a big switch in careers, but if General Pike says the guy is good, so be it. It’s his funeral. Or yours, if he messes this up.

Either way, it’s set in stone. You give a wary nod and Leonard is installed in your life as your bodyguard. That was years ago, and although you may have despised the change in routine back then, you have to admit that you’ve grown quite fond of the man. He may be hired only to save your life on a daily basis, but the two of you have become reluctant friends, and then there was nothing reluctant about it at all. Perhaps there would be more, if either of you were daring enough to look for it.

You aren’t, though. Not yet. Perhaps not ever. You know exactly what is expected of you in this marionette’s life of yours:  a political union with some other royal, a successfully continued lineage that will be plotted out by your advisors. Still, when you feel like dreaming, you look up at the stars and pretend there is a chance you could ever be with the man you want most of all.

He’s not Leonard to you, not anymore. You tried calling him that the first day, alternating awkward first name usage with the occasional ‘Officer McCoy,’ but it didn’t work for either of you. You remember him frowning at the title, then gruffly muttering something about how he went by the nickname of Bones. His friend James gave it to him, apparently, and it stuck. You still haven’t bothered to ask if it came about from his medical history or because of his knack for killing as a soldier. Both work.

At first, most of your exchanges were like that, altered and stilted, full of glaring signs that this was never meant to be. You used every opportunity you could to remind yourself that this is why you hadn’t wanted a bodyguard in the first place. He could only ever serve as a wrench in your plans.

But then he started allowing himself to laugh at the jokes you murmured under your breath when you forgot he was listening, and the two of you began talking during journeys over to neighboring royals, and all of a sudden nothing was awkward anymore, but right, just right.

Now, you can hardly imagine that there had ever been a time in which the world had not orbited around the two of you. Bones is your shadow, your second skin; he walks as an extension of you, fights the battles with the fists you wish you had and does it all while managing to appear as unruffled as possible. You may have known him for years now, but that doesn’t stop him from wearing an icy demeanor as comfortably as someone else would a smile.

It works out for the two of you, though. You force the laughter at terrible jokes posed by foreign diplomats when he physically cannot do anything but roll his eyes, Bones glares at the overly reaching royals when you have to play by the rules of common parlor etiquette. It all makes sense. He’s your other half, the flip side to your pragmatic coin. You couldn’t imagine life without him.

The problem is that you’re never sure if he can return the sentiment. It is easy for you to forget just why Bones is there; after all, you’re not the one getting paid to be there, he is. No matter how many times you see him give in and chuckle at your terrible one-liners, or notice how long he lingers even after a given event is over just to make sure that you’re going to be alright both physically and mentally, it’s not real. Of course it’s not. This is a job and nothing else.

Yet you find yourself wondering sometimes if it could be real. You are a stormcloud of too much stress with a crown balanced on top, he is a hired sword just as solid as a castle wall, but somehow, somehow he has a way of making it seem like it’s just the two of you against the world. You would take on the toughest armies if you had him by your side. 

Every now and then, you catch Bones looking at you when he thinks you don’t notice. In those moments, his gaze isn’t harsh or blunt as usual, but soft and quiet. He tilts his head to the side, thinking thoughts you could never understand. You try, though. You always do.

You’re at one of a thousand different royal functions right now, mind stuck on the same track of will-they-won’t-they as always despite the fact that you really need to be paying attention. Another royal has hosted you and a few other kings and queens to discuss a possible peace treaty to cement what had previously been unspoken agreements. It’ll be nice to get that done on paper, but it certainly makes for a tedious week.

Seeing as this is technically a peaceful mission, Bones hadn’t accompanied you on the way over. He had been busy with another military concern, and you told him that it wasn’t strictly necessary that he attend at all. That doesn’t stop you from missing him anyway, though. The assembly departs for a break in the afternoon and you walk out into the gardens, wondering why it suddenly seems so lonely to be by yourself when just years ago, you’d have traded anything to keep it that way.

An unfamiliar plant catches your attention and you pause by its rank in the endless rows of cultivated flora, furrowing your brow in an unsuccessful attempt to identify it. You’re decent with your plants, but this one escapes your knowledge.

A voice sounds from behind you, answering your unspoken question. It would have startled you if it was anyone else, but you recognize the speaker instantly.

“That’s echinacea,” Bones says, emerging from a nearby archway, “used in medicine fairly often. Decently potent.”

You watch him approach, unable to stop yourself from grinning.

“You came,” you breathe. 

“It’s my job,” he says back, voice as gruff as always. 

“That’s not the only reason, was it?” You dare to ask. 

He pauses a moment, as if turning the words over and over in his head like yet another blade. “No,” he decides at last, “no, it wasn’t.”

It could be a confession. He says it with the force of an oath. Regardless, it is enough to stop the two of you in your tracks, and maybe that is why neither of you notice the attack until it is too late. This was supposed to be a peaceful excursion into a foreign kingdom. How foolish of you to believe that anyone would see something kind and be able to stop themselves from ruining it.

All you know is that the tranquility of the garden is suddenly destroyed by plumes of smoke rising out of nowhere, shouting voices, the clash of metal against stone and flesh. Bones is instantly alert, reaching for you to pull you out of the way of any attackers. They haven’t found you yet, mostly focused on the majority of the royals, which are still in the central part of the courtyard. You had been pensive and headed for a quieter part of the palace, which is what saved you from the initial violence.

It does not save you forever, though. A few enemy soldiers shout when they see you and start to run over. Bones starts to fight them off, shouting for you to run. There is nowhere for you to go, however, and it’s not like you could ever leave him in a time of terror such as this.

You’re still scanning the grounds for a safe place to go, and that’s when you see him, the archer on the roof. At first, you think he’s trying to shoot Bones’ attackers, one of the host royal’s guards, but you realize with a chill that you do not recognize the colors on his insignia. He’s not aiming to take down the enemy soldiers. He’s trying to kill Bones himself.

Bones, too busy getting rid of his opponents, does not notice. In fact, he won’t notice a thing until it’s too late. The enemy archer’s finger tightens on his bow, and all you know is that you must not let him die. You would not be able to live with yourself if you did nothing and watched Bones get killed, so you do something worse and make him live with it instead.

Bones is just straightening up, having dispatched the last of the soldiers, when you slam into him. He’s good on his feet, always has been, so he doesn’t move much except to stumble a little to the side. That’s all you need to get him out of harm, though, but it is also all it takes to put you directly in the path of danger.

For a moment, you feel nothing, just a sharp impact by your ribs. Then the pain hits, and you can’t stop yourself from crying out. That is when Bones realizes that something is wrong, and you don’t think you’ll ever be able to forget the look of horror that dawns upon his face when he learns what you’ve done. His head arches towards the sky and he throws a knife at the enemy archer. You hear the blade thunk into skin and bone up above you, the soldier slumping over in death.

You try to move, but your legs give out beneath you. The pain is unlike anything you expected from a mere arrow. Bones catches you before you fall, and you can hear him begging you to hear him, to keep your eyes open, to stay alive, please, and it occurs to you that this is a display of emotion unlike anything you’ve ever seen from him before. 

You would love to think about it more, but it is getting awfully hard to focus. The darkness swimming at the edges of your vision is just too alluring, and even though Bones is asking you to stay with him, you just can’t do it right now. Maybe later, you try to whisper, but the words never make it past your lips.

It is dark for a while. You should be scared of it, you think, but thoughts are hard to come by. They appear and disappear in the depths of your consciousness like a child blowing soap bubbles, each one rising to the forefront of your eyes just to pop in a shower of light. The light grows by the second, though, and then you’re awake in a room full of brightness.

You’re not dead. Not yet, at least. When you open your eyes, it takes you a minute or so to realize that you’re in the hospital wing of your own kingdom. You don’t remember the return trip, or anything past losing consciousness in Bones’ arms, but he must have brought you back here in time to save your life.

Across the room, a nurse notices you’re awake and bustles over to your side. She greets you with a wide, beaming smile, and tells you how glad she is that you’re awake.

“I was starting to worry, Your Highness. Not for your health, I promise that was a quick and easy fix, but for that of your friend. Bones swore he wouldn’t leave until you woke up, but that was a couple of days ago and he’s still here.”

You follow her line of sight down the room, where you notice your bodyguard asleep in a chair. You laugh quietly. “He is rather stubborn when he puts his mind to it, isn’t he?”

The nurse smiles as well. “Yes, he is. I remember him being just as stubborn back here.”

When you frown at her in confusion, the nurse explains herself. “He used to be dead set on medicine. His friend James convinced him to try his hand at defense, and he changed his career. I used to wonder why, but it makes sense now. He’s still saving people, just doing it in a different way.”

You nod, wondering how many memories she must have of him that you never will. You cannot hold any claim to a past that is not yours, but wouldn’t it have been wonderful to see what Bones had been like before all of this, before his first kill, when he lived in a place like this and was not yours to know?

“I still feel bad for dragging him away from this life,” you whisper, “I know he chose to be a bodyguard, but I always wonder if he’d rather be here instead.”

The nurse shakes her head firmly. “Not a chance. Bones is happy now, I can see it. That’s due in part to you, you know. Almost every week he comes down and tells me how much he respects you for what you do. He hates all those politicking nobles and royals with every bone in his body, but you wrangle them into shape every time. He loves that.”

Her voice goes quiet at the end, as if full of the acknowledgement that she has shared something that was supposed to stay private. Still, you think you’re quite happy to hear it.

“Well,” the nurse says briskly, “he’ll be glad to see you’re awake. You gave him quite a scare, saving him like that. The wound will heal soon, but are you sure that you’re going to be alright apart from that?”

You pause a moment, weighing all that she’s said. Across the room, Bones stirs at the sound of voices and opens his eyes. He scans the room and his gaze lands on you. All at once, you can see a burden of stress and fear leave his shoulders. His face brightens immediately, and he starts to stand up and make his way over to you.

“Yes,” you answer, “I think I’ll be just fine.”

requested by @w1shes43, i hope you enjoy!

star trek tag list: empty for now!

[leighsartworks216]

Logical

Bones x GN!Reader (Can be read as platonic or the beginnings of a romance)

This was going to be part of a 5+1 series where MC hides the fact they are Vulcan from everyone during their transfer to the Enterprise. But I just didn’t have enough inspiration for 6 scenarios so instead here’s my fav scenario

This is also my first time writing for Bones so it may be a bit OOC (I also pictures AOS Bones for this but you can imagine TOS Bones if you want I just don’t know how well it would fit)

Warnings: swearing, mentions of injuries, but I don’t describe them in depth, angst + hurt/comfort with a happy ending

Word Count: 2276

Masterlist

Tag List Form (Updated)

Logical. You needed to stay logical. Panicking and becoming emotional would not help your situation. Logical.

The word kept echoing around your mind like a mantra. Despite your best efforts, however, your heart still skipped a beat, and fear flooded your veins when you looked at your arm. Trapped under top-grade metal shrapnel and torn wires. Crushed against the wall, pinning you like an ancient Earth insect in a display case.

Focus.

You turned away from your arm, though your eyes lingered until the last second. Instead, you looked at the entire reason you crawled into this claustrophobic nightmare in the first place.

The ship was under attack. It still shook and creaked with the blows to the outer hull. A grid array fell apart, rendering the transporter unstable and unusable. Which was an issue when your Captain was on the enemy ship, fighting for his life and trying desperately to beam back on board back to safety.

You volunteered before Scotty even finished explaining the situation. You crawled into the Jeffries tube. You got yourself stuck in this death trap when the ship shuttered and shook and the entrance to the tunnel collapsed. Most likely, you would never be able to use your arm again. The nerves were crushed. A horrible sensation of burning pain and intermittent numbness was all you felt.

You took deep, solid breaths. Logical. What did you need to do next to ensure your survival?

Your communicator. It was attached to the back waistband of your pants. You would have to sit up to reach it.

This is going to hurt.

With a deep breath, you leaned forward. A scream ripped its way from your lungs, echoing down the tube in a distorted cry. As soon as your hand grabbed your comm, you fell back against the wall.

Your chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. Tears pricked your eyes. Even as you shuttered with a painful sob, you flicked the communicator open against your leg. It beeped. A familiar sound to pull you from your mind for even a brief second.

“Come in, Scotty.” You took another breath. It was quiet. “Does anybody read me?”

Silence. Unsurprising, really. You were trapped in a tube. Everyone else was most likely fighting for their lives against alien aggressors. How selfish of you.

“Scotty here!”

Nobody was around to hear your sound of relief. “Scotty, I’m trapped in the Jeffries tube and-” The engineer heard the grunt of pain through his communicator. “I’m injured. I can’t get out. The entrance I went through is shut off but- but you can send someone in on the other side.”

“How bad is it?”

You risked another glance at your arm. “I’m pinned down. The outer hull collapsed inward and,” you sighed shakily, “I can’t reach the panel. We can’t beam Kirk back if I don’t-”

The ship shook violently. There was a scream. It took a minute to register that it was your voice. Your throat burned raw from the emotion. The ship was tilting. You kicked a foot against the opposite wall, dropping your comm to press your hand against the roof of the tunnel and keep yourself even. The sound of the device scraping against the floor barely registered as more than an afterthought.

The ship evened out. The shaking stopped. Your emotions were becoming difficult to contain.

Your name came from slightly down the hall where your comm had stopped sliding. “I’m sending Bones in! You alright in there?”

It was too far out of reach to grab. You took a deep breath. Being emotional would not help the situation. Already, you were aware of the warm, wet tears sticking to your cheeks. The distant sound of metal clanging mixed with Scotty calling your name.

Around the bend came the good doctor, struggling with a bag of medical supplies. You’d never seen his face fall so fast. You pointed toward your communicator, still sounding with Scotty’s terrified voice. He crawled to it.

“I have sight on them, Scotty.”

“Are they alright?!”

Bones looked you over, becoming pale as he spotted the metal trapping your arm. His eyes searched yours for an answer. A brief nod, and then your head fell back against the wall.

“They’re conscious.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” Scotty bit back.

With a click, the line with the head engineer was disconnected.

Leonard dropped his bag to the floor and leaned over you, holding a handle on the ceiling of the tube to keep upright. “My god. What the hell were you thinking, crawling in here when the ship is being shot at?!”

Right. The transporter. It slipped your mind, overwhelmed by emotion.

You weakly pushed him away with your arm and pointed across from you at the other wall. “You need to open that panel.”

“Are you outta your mind?! Your arm is a flapjack and you wanna play mechanic?!”

“Bones!” you gasped, glaring at him. “If you don’t open that panel and do as I say, Kirk won’t be able to beam back over from that ship. Now, are you going to help or not?!”

His eyes searched your face, searching for a bluff or lie that did not exist. His jaw tensed. With a frustrated groan, he turned to the panel. “What do I need to do?”

“Pull the handle. It should open.”

He tugged on the handle, but the panel didn’t budge. “It’s not opening,” he grunted.

You sighed. Spots were blurring your vision. You were lightheaded. “Kick it.”

Maneuvering to sit next to you, he held the handles above him and swung his body into his movements. With a few kicks, the cover broke off, clattering to the floor. He lunged back to the panel. It was a mess of wires and circuits - above his pay grade.

“What now?”

Deep breaths. A wave of nausea overtook your senses. It hurt so fucking bad.

“Hey, stay with me!” He rummaged through his bag, pulling out his tricorder and a hypo. With one hand, he administered the shot into your neck. You barely felt it. With the other, he scanned your injuries. Internal bleeding, crushed nerves, broken bones - the list went on.

Bones tossed his tricorder aside with the hypo, grabbing your shoulder. “Dammit, stay with me.” Your eyes fluttered open. Half of his face was blocked by the spots in your vision. “What do I need to do next?”

You looked back at the panel. An array of blinking lights.

For the Captain.

The ship shook again, but you bit back the cry waiting to escape. “There’s 26 wires,” you muttered. “Three red. Where they connect to the board, is- is it glowing?”

He turned back to the wires. What you didn’t mention was they all overlaid each other. He groaned as he dug through and searched for the red wires. Then, he followed them down to the electronic board they connected to. “No.” He looked over his shoulder. You weren’t about to pass out, but you were slow to respond. “What does that mean?”

You wracked your brain. “Not glowing… There’s a short. You have to bypass it.” Forgetting about the pain, you tried sitting up only to be met with resistance. You winced and sat back. “Is everything else glowing?”

He dug through the wires to see the board again. “Yeah. All but the red.”

“Okay. Top wire - pull it out.”

His head whipped around to stare at you bewildered. “Are you nuts?!” It didn’t click with you why he was so surprised. “It’s bad enough you’re bleedin’ out and down an arm, but now you wanna barbeque me, too!”

“Bones, the power to the wires is shut off automatically as they’re removed. Once it’s pulled out, it’s powerless until Scotty clears the system.” You nodded back at the wires. “Top wire, 12th wire from the top, and 6th from the bottom.”

He grumbled something about not being an electrician as he turned back around and pulled out wires. As he did so, you continued to instruct him. “Pull out the red wires and replace them with the ones you just pulled out.”

“Any order?”

“Top to bottom.”

The ship jerked to the side, dragging you and Bones with the inertia. Your arm pulled at your socket. Bones’ face morphed into horror as you screamed bloody murder. He scrambled up as fast as possible. Desperate, he shoved the wires into the red sockets and lunged for your comm.

“Scotty, clear the system!”

“Aye, sir!”

Leonard, pulling himself by the ceiling handles, dragged himself over to cover you. One foot planted itself next to you against the wall, keeping you from sliding any further. He held you close, chest covering yours and head ducked next to your shoulder. The ship shook and rocked and shuddered and creaked.

And then it stilled.

He waited a second. And then he pulled away. Your eyes were closed. Instinctively, he pressed his fingers to your neck, feeling for a pulse… You were okay.

Thrown back into the situation, he scrambled to grab his comm and flip it open. “Scotty, is Kirk on board?”

There was a brief silence. “I’m on board, Bones,” Kirk panted from the other end. “Where’re you?”

The CMO sighed, falling against the wall next to you with a clang. Wires and motherboards blinked back at him. “In a tube.”

“... What?”

—

“... You never… Vulc…”

A familiar voice faded in and out. Trying to place who was speaking was akin to wading through a sea of tribbles. Everything was fuzzy and slow.

Your fingertips, calloused from working in engineering so long, brushed against soft fabric. You tried to reach out with your mind; try to figure out why you couldn’t feel anything with your other hand.

And then everything sunk in.

Bright light burned your retinas. You squinted through the radiant glow, trying to find landmarks to focus on. Adjusting, your eyes landed on Bones, standing right by your bed with a PADD in hand. His face, you had to remind yourself, was always a frown.

“What…?”

He set the PADD aside and settled down on the edge of your bed. He crossed his arms. “I said, you never told me you’re Vulcan.”

Oh. Right. Your hand instinctively reached up to rub the curl of your ear. It was hard to see now, but careful observation made it obvious. Your ears were cut at the tips. You frowned at the memory.

Slurring, you tried to explain. “Some assholes… On the Paragon. They-”

“I know.” He sighed. “Contacted the captain. He told me about the attack. And how you blackmailed him.”

The corner of your lips twitched upward into some loose form of a smile. Bones found it strange to see any kind of Vulcan showing emotion like that. Though, before he knew you were a ‘green-blooded hobgoblin’, you expressed more feeling than Mr. Spock.

“I didn’t really blackmail him.” He raised a questioning eyebrow. “All I did was ask to be transferred with forged documents that said I was human. In return, I wouldn’t report what happened to Starfleet.”

He scoffed. “Sounds like blackmail to me.”

You weakly huffed a laugh. Vaguely, you were aware that you were most definitely being drip-fed some pain killers. Your eyes traveled down. A bandaged shoulder was all you had left. Your face fell into a frown.

“There was too much damage to save it,” he said. “I’m sure someone ‘round here would be happy enough to whip you up a prosthetic, but…”

You nodded.

The hum and beeping of machines filled the silence. A full fledged hospital… It was only logical that the Enterprise would go into ‘dry dock’, so to speak. You couldn’t imagine how damaged she must be…

You looked back up at Bones. His eyes were glazed over, distant, and stuck to your bandaged shoulder. “How’s the rest of the crew?”

Snapped out of it, he sat up a bit straighter. “Heavy casualties, but Kirk is fine.”

“And Scotty?”

He nodded. “Bastard’s probably weeping over the Enterprise in some bar right now.”

A bittersweet smile slipped onto your features at the thought. You were more than happy he was alive, but you knew the ship meant a lot to him. She must have been pretty banged up if he was that upset over it… Then again, he was upset by any technical issues.

Exhaustion washed over you. Your eyes fluttered sleepily as you shifted in your bed to be more comfortable. Bones, noticing this, stood back up. He grabbed his PADD and, hesitantly, patted your good shoulder.

“Get some sleep. I’ll be ‘round to check on ya later.”

He lingered a little longer there. His mind brought him back to that Jeffries tube. To the desperate situation he found you in. To the shaking and jerking of the ship as he did what you said to fix the transporter. It took a few engineers with blow torches to cut you out of there. Jim had watched with awe and appreciation as your limp body was pulled out and carried to the MedBay. He couldn’t forget that sight.

With one last deep breath in of the antiseptic stench surrounding him, he began to leave. As he opened the door, however, your voice called out to him.

It wasn’t a cry for help, or a groan of pain. It was simply his name. He turned to see you smiling once more.

“Thank you.”

A weight he didn’t know he was carrying lifted off his chest. He could breathe again.

With a nod and a cocked grin, he left. And he carried with him the knowledge that you would be okay.

[beejsdevilishsoulmate]

Bringing Ashe Vernon's Profane back because it needs to have a fic based on it!!!

DON'T MAKE ME DO IT MYSELF!!!

[spinsterlocity]

This is too good, I can feel the damn tension and it’s exquisite!

Five Minute Ficlet

There was something so…hot…about the moment the doctor looked at you and smiled. And then something hotter when his eyes twinkled. He poured you a shot of whiskey.

“How long have we been working together?” He asked. You pursed up your nose in thought before taking a sip.

“At least five years?” It was a guess. It was probably longer but that would mean admitting you were both getting older. He sipped his drink and nodded.

“And in that entire time, you’ve only ever called me doctor,” he mused.

“Well, yes,” you agreed. The whiskey was rich and peaty.

“I always call you by your name,” he commented. You shrugged.

“Nurses are more approachable,” you started. 

“Hey!” He interrupted, with a half-laugh, half-scowl.

“No, seriously,” you continued. “The whole reason nurses give out our first names is because we are relationship building, and part of that is leveling the power dynamic. A patient is already in a position of decreased power, so anything we can do to make them feel equal is beneficial to the relationship.”

“And why wouldn’t a doctor do the same thing?” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. You were pleased you had his attention at least.

“Because the doctor is supposed to fix you, and we want the relationship with our expert to be formal,” you explained. “This is first year nursing professional practice shit, doc.”

“Back to the important part of this. I call you by your name all the time, and you always call me doctor. Why is that?” He leaned back again, and took another sip of his whiskey.

“Because part of the professional practice is respecting your place as the clinician and diagnostician. Ergo, doctor,” you explained. “Also, you’ve never invited me to call you by your first name.”

“Darlin’, after this long, I didn’t realize I needed to invite you. It would be my absolute delight to hear my name from your mouth,” he laughed.

“It seems to me that after all these years, maybe I want to know why now I’m being graced with the invite,” you asked. He tipped his head and smiled.

“Because it’s been a lot of years. And we work together well. And I find I enjoy having you at my side. And it just seems wrong to not level that power dynamic, as it were. You’re every bit my equal,” he said. 

“I see,” you nodded.

“And honestly, if Jim asks me one more time if you moan ‘oh doctor’ when we’re in bed together, I’m going to scream,” he laughed.

You let out a startled laugh. “What? Why would Jim-” 

He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck and looked up through his lashes at you. “You’re a damn fine nurse. Haven’t you ever wondered why you haven’t been transferred elsewhere?”

“Because I’m on the goddamn flagship?”

“Because your boss is soft on you?” he countered, cringing.

Your eyes widened in realization as he looked at the floor and your breath caught. Surely he wasn’t -

“Oh,” you breathed. “Oh, Leonard.”

[ml080504]

JUST GIVE ME A CHANCE PLEASE

[440mxs-wife]

The Country Doctor, Chapter 3: The "Ex" Factor

Pairing: Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy x F!Reader (eventual). Other Characters are the usual suspects: Jim Kirk, Nyota Uhura (mentioned). OMC's Travis Myers and Miles Cooper.

Word Count: 4812

Warnings: Divorce, break-up, ruthless businessmen, mention of destruction of property, an encounter with an ex that doesn't end well, Leonard being supportive and comforting, Jim being his usual, charming, mischievous self

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

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

A/N 2: If you’ve been tagged here, it’s because you’ve interacted one or more times on a McCoy story of mine, or we’re moots. Whether you like or reblog, I am eternally grateful for your support. If anyone else would like to be tagged on any future Karl Urban character postings, or would rather leave the Crazy Train, please let me know. Thank you, and enjoy the show!

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Previously: "And just what in the hell are you doing here?"

"Wow, it's good to see you too," Travis grinned smugly.

"I wish I could say the feeling was mutual, but we both know that'd be a lie," you retorted. "So, I ask you again--what. are. you. doing. here?"

"Since you asked soooo nicely, I'm here to speak to Dr. McCoy, is he in?" Travis sneered.

"Not unless you're here to see him as a patient, and I already know you're not. Therefore, you need to leave," you snapped. "Door's behind you. I suggest you use it."

"Such hostility!" Travis gasped, feigning shock. "If this is the way Dr. McCoy runs his clinic, I can't imagine you have too many--" he smirked but was interrupted.

"'Too many' what?" Leonard interrupted. "Is there some sort of problem here?" he inquired, eyes narrowed, with his arms folded across his chest.

"Oh! Good afternoon, Dr. McCoy. Uh, no, no problem at all. My name is Travis Myers, and I believe we've spoken on the phone a few times, if you remember?" With no response, he continued. "Ah. Right. Well, unfortunately, on my last visit to your lovely estate, I wasn't given an adequate opportunity to discuss a pending business matter. I am here on behalf of NorthStar Corp--" he started to explain but was once again cut off.

"I know who you're working for, and I'll bet they told you to do anything and everything to get me to sell," Leonard replied, arms still crossed. Despite the gravity of the situation, you nearly drooled at the way his shirt stretched over his torso and how nicely his biceps were contained within the fabric.

"As a matter of fact, they did. Anyway, I'm sure you'll find that the terms of our latest offer are more than generous. I've been given quite a bit of leeway to negotiate on their behalf and close this deal, but--" Travis started.

"Look, Trevor, I'll save you and NorthStar Corp a whole heap o' trouble. I ain't interested in money. If I was, I wouldn't be accepting fresh peach cobbler and homemade ice cream as payment for services rendered. So, you can just go on back to Mr. Big Shot and tell him I ain't movin' out of my Uncle Walter's home. The people here are warm and friendly, and I like bein' their doctor," he declared with an air of finality. Then he threw you a small wink, causing a flash of heat in your cheeks.

The intentional name slip-up and your reaction to McCoy's last gesture to you did not go unnoticed by Travis. Interesting, he thought. He knew of Leonard's divorce, and that it's at least partially what brought him to town. But how did you fit into the picture? Were the two of you more than work colleagues?

Leonard was fairly new in town, and Travis learned that you had moved here shortly after the break-up. For some reason, seeing you interacting with the good doctor, standing by him, stirred some feelings of jealousy. You used to do that for him, accompany him to business dinners, hang on his arm and make him look good. Now that attention was saved for someone else and he didn't like it.

Travis pushed these thoughts to the side for the moment to focus on the matter at hand. "Very well, Doctor. I'll be sure to relay your message to Mr. Cooper. However, I must warn you that he is highly motivated to close this deal. As my most persistent client, he is accustomed to getting what he wants. Every time, and without exception. Think about our offer, won't you? Good evening to you both," he remarked confidently before he exited the clinic.

***

He returned to his car and drove back to his motel room to reflect on his encounter with you and Dr. McCoy. He realized this was going to be more difficult than he originally thought. He was going to have to pull out all the stops if he wanted to close this deal. He was ready to do whatever was necessary to get McCoy to sign to protect his interests and those of his client.

Mr. Cooper didn't tolerate failure in any form, and after the way the conversation in the clinic went, he needed to fix this and fast. If he didn't, the firm he worked for was likely to fire him because they couldn't afford to lose such a big client. No way was he going to allow you to interfere with his success because of the animosity in your shared past. He was willing to protect his social and economic status at all costs.

In the cupholder beside him, his phone rang. The caller ID showed it was Bradley, so he gave the approval to patch through a call from Mr. Cooper. "Good evening, sir, I was just about to call you and--" Travis started but his client interrupted.

"Never mind that, Myers, what do you have for me?" Cooper demanded.

He mentioned his earlier discussion with Dr. McCoy and his run-in with you at the clinic. "I explained that our offer was more than generous and that you were committed to the deal. However, he won't budge, said he's happy being a 'country doctor'," he sneered. "I made it clear that you were highly motivated and would prevail in this situation, but I don't think it had any effect."

Cooper was silent on the other line, which was uncomfortable for Travis. He was used to hearing this client's blustering on the other end with his commands and domineering attitude. The longer the silence stretched on, the more nervous Travis became.

Finally Cooper heaved a deep sigh. "I'm quite disappointed, Myers. I thought you would've closed the deal by now, but I see my faith in you has been misplaced. I'm a busy man, and can't afford to wait any longer. You're fired."

"'Fired', sir??" Travis exclaimed. "Mr. Cooper, with all due respect, I think I've got something to convince McCoy to sign, if I can just talk to him again. If I could get a little more t–"

"No. You had your chance to close a no-brainer deal with a simple country doctor, and you blew it. I'm sure I can find someone else to manage my account and get this deal done." With that, Mr. Cooper hung up, leaving Travis to stare at his now-blank phone screen.

Not long after, he received a call from his boss, also firing him from the firm for failing to meet his objective. Devastated and at a loss for what to do next, he phoned his fiancée for some comforting words. However, she had already heard about him being fired and that he was likely blacklisted from ever working as a financial advisor again. For those reasons, she was moving out of their shared apartment and broke off their engagement.

I've lost everything, he thought. My client, my job, and my fiancée, gone. All because a backwoods doctor wouldn't sign a stupid piece of paper. I would've been financially set for life and married to the woman of my dreams.

And it was all your fault, because of your grudge against him that convinced Dr. McCoy not to sign the agreement. Something in Travis' mind snapped, and he refused to let you take it all away from him. You were going to pay for what you did to him. Starting tonight.

***

As soon as Travis walked out of the clinic, you let out a shaky breath you didn't realize you were holding. You braced your trembling hands on the edge of your desk, as you bowed your head and focused on the files still arranged in a neat pile on the surface. With deep, even breaths, you tried to get your heart rate back under control and keep your knees from giving out from under you.

Noticing your distress, Leonard took a couple of steps towards you, his arm outstretched to gently lay a hand on your shoulder. "You all right, darlin'?" he asked.

Slowly you raised your head and when your eyes met his, you noticed they were full of concern and kindness. "Yeah, I'm all right. Thank you, Len," you replied wearily with a small smile. "Just wasn't expecting to see him here of all places. Word to the wise, he will not be going away anytime soon."

"It doesn't matter how many times he shows up, or what kind of offers NorthStar Corp decides to make. I'll tell him the same thing the next time he shows up, too," he affirmed. "Or anybody else for that matter."

"You sure are stubborn, Leonard," you chuckled.

"I prefer the term 'resolute'. No, really, I meant what I said. I like this town, and no amount of money is going to make me leave it." Or you, he silently added. He tilted your head up to meet his gaze. "Now, I think it's about time we close up shop and call it a day, hmm?"

The warmth reflected in his hazel eyes nearly made your heart skip a beat. "Umm....yeah, I-I think that sounds like a good idea, yes," you stammered. You stopped shuffling papers for a moment to look up at your boss as your thoughts returned to an earlier subject. "Actually, if you're not busy, I was wondering if maybe you'd want to come over to my place tonight, and I'd cook dinner for you."

Leonard stood with one hand in his pockets, the other resting on his chin in thought, his eyes tilted upward as he considered your invitation. It had been a while since he'd spent time at a woman's house, let alone received an offer from her to cook a meal for him. Jocelyn was not well-versed in the culinary arts, leading to a lot of take-out meals or dining out. Just as he was about to accept your offer, you interrupted his thoughts.

"You know something? I just realized it's kind of silly for you to drive all the way into town. Because then you'd have to drive all the way back home after dinner. I-It's okay if you'd rather not tonight, Dr. McCoy," you added.

"Whoa there, darlin', never said I didn't want to," he replied. "But you're givin' me a case of whiplash by first invitin' me to dinner, then you change your mind," he grinned. "Why d'you wanna cook for me anyway?"

"Well, I like to cook for others, and it sorta relaxes me. We had a busy day with patients today, and I'm sure you must be exhausted. Especially after that meeting with Travis," you grimaced. "And on a Friday night, I'll bet the last thing on your mind is making a meal for yourself. So, why not let someone cook for you?" you shrugged as you continued to clear your desk. You knew you were rambling, but you didn't know how to stop it. That is, unless a large sinkhole opened directly underneath you and put you out of your misery. 

Leonard grabbed your hands to still your movements and waited to speak until your eyes were on his. "You worked hard today, too, you know. Exactly like you always do," he remarked. "And then with Travis showing up, that was just the icing on the cake, am I right?"

You nodded at his assessment of your annoyance with your ex, so he continued. "How about this? If it means that much to you, then you're welcome to pick through my pantry, refrigerator, whatever I've got. You can use my pots and pans, and anything you put on a plate, I promise I will eat it." As soon as the offer was made, he frantically hoped Jim had recently done at least some grocery shopping. The last thing he needed was for you to open the fridge door, only to find a lonely jar of pickles and a few cans of beer.

The playful grin on his face was too much to resist, and you felt the corners of your mouth twitching upwards to match it. "Deal," you replied with a grin. "Can't wait to see what I've got to work with." You grabbed your jacket from the back of your chair and draped it over your arm, along with your purse. Leonard ushered you out in front of him, then he closed up the clinic for the day by turning off the lights and locking the doors.

***

Fortunately, luck was with Leonard. Around an hour later, you and Leonard were putting the finishing touches on a dinner of Chicken Alfredo with a tossed salad and garlic bread. While you prepared the main dish, you put Leonard in charge of chopping the vegetables for the salad. The garlic bread was a "team effort", with the two of you working together on it as you traded stories.

Leonard dug into his portion of the main dish, and when a groan of approval escaped his lips, a smile stretched across your face. You were pleased that your favorite dish was met with such appreciation, which was lacking in your previous relationship.

In the beginning, Travis let you handle the meal preparation and grocery shopping for the two of you. He didn't really care what you made, and generally ate it without complaint or comment. However, towards the end of your relationship, he became much more critical of your efforts. His criticism diminished the joy you once found in cooking, and he was always getting take-out food, which replaced your home-cooked meals.

"Wow, it smells absolutely fantastic in here!" exclaimed Jim as he wandered into the kitchen. He passed by the table where you and Leonard had paused your meal to focus your attention on him. "Whatcha got cookin'?" he asked, then added, "good lookin'," with a smirk and a waggle of his eyebrows.

His lame attempt at flirtation caused you to roll your eyes and stab a forkful of your salad. Meanwhile, Jim quickly helped himself to a plate of the food you prepared and took the chair next to Leonard at the table. He twirled the pasta around his fork and stuffed it into his mouth. The noises and words of praise dripping from him after one bite were music to your ears.

When you had finished, you gathered up your plate, salad bowl, and utensils to take them to the sink. "I'm sorry there is no dessert for this evening, but I promise to make it up to you next time," you called over your shoulder.

"Oh, that's all right, darlin'," Leonard answered as he finished his own portion and pushed himself away a bit from the table.

"Yeah, and I can't wait until the next time," Jim interjected, while fending off the death glare from Leonard. Jim tried to play the innocent card, his hand to his chest and mouthing the word, "what?" to his friend. He'd heard Leonard speak fondly of you on many an occasion. And if what he saw before joining you was anything to go by, you returned the sentiment.

Leonard rose from the table and picked up some of the dirty dishes to take to the kitchen. He gently placed them next to the sink. Before going back to the table for more, he paused, leaned one hip against the counter, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Now, just what do you think you're doing?" he wondered.

"I'm cleaning up after myself, what does it look like I'm doing?" you answered while the sink filled with hot, soapy water. "My mama would be disappointed in me if I made a mess in the kitchen and didn't clean it up."

"Really? Because my mama'd tan my hide if she found out a guest was doing dishes in my house," Leonard chuckled.

"I'm not going to leave you with a sink full of dirty dishes, Leonard," you affirmed. "C'mon, I'll wash and you can dry. The sooner we get done, the quicker we can move on to the next activity, like maybe a movie?" you suggested, hopefully. "Besides, I'm not a guest anymore, since I've been here more than twice," you declared with an air of finality.

A wry smile crept across Leonard's face, then he shook his head, knowing he wouldn't be able to dissuade you in your logic. "All right, all right, fine. And a movie sounds like a great idea," he acknowledged, then went back out to grab more dishes.

When he arrived at the table, Jim caught his arm. "Hey, what's this I hear about a movie?" he inquired eagerly. At Leonard's near-murderous glare, he held up his hands in surrender and chuckled. "I'm kidding, Bones. I promise, I'll leave you two alone." He waggled his eyebrows again, then took off at a run as his laughter echoed off the walls all the way to his room.

Leonard shook his head in resignation then entered the kitchen with the final batch of dishes to be washed. "So, what kind of movie did you want to watch?" he asked. As you worked, the two of you discussed your favorite films and why you loved them.

Slasher films were a solid "no" from both of you, mystery/thrillers were okay, but you were split on rom-coms and musicals. Action/adventure movies were acceptable, though Leonard was not fond of the ones set in space. "Too much can go wrong up there," he warned. "And something always goes wrong. When it does, the heroes inevitably choose the most completely unrealistic solution, which ends up somehow saving the day."

His sardonic observation about space films made you throw your head back and laugh. "Oh, Leonard, you're too funny," you remarked. "I think space is a wondrous place, full of adventure and so much of it waiting to be discovered."

"Yeah, well, you'll never get me up there. I'm perfectly fine with my feet firmly planted on good ol' Planet Earth," he snorted.

***

After a bit of back-and-forth, the two of you finally settled on a movie. Leonard sat at one end of the couch, his long legs stretched out in front of him. For you, it was a toss-up on where to sit. If you took up the other end of the couch, you appeared distant. If you chose the middle cushion, well, wasn't that a little too close for two....what were you, anyway? Friends? Co-workers? More?

Leonard noticed your hesitation on the seating arrangement. "You gonna sit down, darlin'? Can't start the movie till ya get settled," he pointed out.

"I know, but where should I sit? Wouldn't want to mess up anyone's favorite seat," you explained nervously.

He really didn't want you as far away as the other end, but he also didn't want you to feel forced to sit next to him. "You can sit wherever you'd like," he replied, then laid his palm on the middle cushion. "Although no one really sits here, so you can break it in and we'll call it your seat if you want," he grinned.

That was smooth, you thought, your eyes widening a little in surprise. Okay, we can play it like that, if you want. You sauntered over to where his hand was still resting on the cushion and waited until he caught your gaze. Without breaking eye contact, he withdrew his hand and watched as you settled into your seat. "Hmm, comfy," you hummed.

"Yeah....comfy," he murmured as he handed you a blanket. He reached for the remote and glanced over at you. "Ready?"

"Fire away," you replied as you draped the blanket across your lap.

The chosen movie was called Red, an action-spy-type movie. It was about a small group of retired, former assassins that the government seemed to want retired. Permanently. There was one character, a hotshot CIA agent named William Cooper, who was in charge of the operation. When he first appeared on screen, you leaned forward in your seat to get a better look. For some reason, he looked very familiar to you.

Leonard glanced over at you, wondering why you kept looking back and forth between him and the screen. "Uh, sweetheart, is everything okay?"

"That character, Agent Cooper?" you asked, pointing at the screen. "Does he look at all....familiar to you? Like....anyone you know?"

He looked again, watching as Cooper was running through the building, chasing one of the former assassins named Frank Moses. His eyes narrowed as he tried to find anything recognizable about the character. "I don't think so, nothing sticks out, why?"

You twisted your fingers nervously in your lap. "Well....I think he looks like you. I mean, at least a little bit anyway," you commented.

The two of you went back to watching the movie, and when Cooper appeared again, Leonard paused the screen. After a few moments, he restarted the film. "I don't see any resemblance," he muttered. You did your best to suppress the grin threatening to break free and decided to let it go for the moment so you could enjoy the rest of the story.

A few scenes later, the events of the day caught up to you, and you felt your eyes start to droop closed. When they did, you snapped them back open, but it took a little longer to do so with each passing moment. Your body was also losing the fight with gravity, as it kept leaning over until it connected with Leonard's arm. You nuzzled your head onto his shoulder, then sighed deeply in contentment. He chuckled softly and curled his arm around you while he continued to watch the movie.

As the credits rolled, Leonard noticed it was nearly midnight. He didn't want you to try to drive home when you were half-asleep, so there was only one other choice. He carefully moved off of the couch, then shifted your body until you were fully stretched out on the sofa. He cradled your head, slid a pillow under it, and covered you with the blanket you were using earlier.

Just before he left the room, you briefly opened your eyes. "Leonard? Is the movie over?" you mumbled, not yet fully awake, but you knew it had to be late. "I should get home," you murmured as you started to rise.

Leonard returned and knelt beside the couch, nudging you to lay down again. "Shh, it's okay, darlin'. Movie's over, you can go on back to sleep," he replied softly. He pulled the blanket up under your chin then smiled when you closed your eyes again.

After a few moments, he reached up and brushed the hair from your face, tucking it behind your ear. "Goodnight, sweetheart," he whispered. On impulse he pressed a kiss to the side of your head, then stood up and walked to his room. As he turned away, he missed how your lips curved upwards at his sweet gesture.

***

The next morning, you were awakened by the smell of blueberry pancakes with sausages and freshly brewed coffee. You sat up and stretched, feeling more rested than you have for months. One last yawn and you were off to the bathroom to take care of the morning necessities.

When you arrived at the kitchen, Leonard was busy ladling some pancake batter onto a cast iron griddle. You stood in the entrance, observing his movements, which were fluid and precise. He didn't appear hurried, as if everything was perfectly on schedule. He reached out to his right for the tongs to rotate the sausage links. He finished just in time to turn over the pancakes and sprinkle some cheese on the scrambled eggs.

Leonard was suddenly aware of another presence in the kitchen. He grinned when he saw you leaning against the doorway. "Good morning! How'd you sleep?"

"Good morning to you! I slept well, probably better than I have for a while. Thank you for letting me stay," you answered softly. You pushed off the doorframe and sauntered over to the cabinet, in search of coffee mugs. "Breakfast smells wonderful. Good to know your cooking skills extend beyond chopping vegetables for salad," you teased.

"I've been known to flip a flapjack or two in my time, I'll have you know," he sassed in return. "Used to cook a lot of breakfasts for myself, my mom, and my sister before I got married. Even had it for dinner sometimes."

"I remember dinners like this in my family," you remarked. "Growing up, money was usually tight, so we'd have pancakes, or French toast. Sometimes, we'd even have fried egg sandwiches for the evening meal."

Just as the two of you sat down at the table with your plates, Jim wandered in, his eyes nearly popping out of his head at all the food. "Wow, this all looks great! You cookin' for us again, sweetheart?" he asked you.

Since your mouth was full with a bite of blueberry pancake, you shook your head and pointed your empty fork at Leonard. Jim's eyes went wide again at the revelation. "Bones?? You cooked??"

Leonard glared at Jim, who had started to fill a plate with pancakes, sausages, and scrambled eggs with cheese. "Of course I cooked, genius. Jocelyn was the one who didn't cook, remember? Besides, if you insist on insulting me, you don't get any of my fluffy blueberry pancakes," he retorted. "You can have cereal for breakfast."

Jim immediately raised his hands in surrender and apologized for his lack of faith in his friend's cooking ability. There was no way he wanted to miss out on anything from the mouthwatering spread his friend created. With his plate piled high, the topic of conversation turned to plans for the remainder of the day.

"Well, I'll help clean up, but after that, I need to head home and feed my cat, Mimzy. She's a gray tiger-striped tabby cat that I've had for about three years now," you mentioned. "So, I have to do that, plus I have some laundry that I've been putting off for far too long."

"Sounds like you're in for a fun day," Jim snorted.

On your way back to the table, you reached into your pocket to grab your ringing phone. You smiled when you saw that it was Nyota calling and cheerfully greeted her. However, your smile quickly dropped and a look of horror crossed your face. "WHAT?!? Oh my god, I'll be right there. No, I stayed the night at Leonard's, I'll explain later. Meet me at my place, or what's left of it, I guess." The call disconnected and you stumbled to a chair, your phone clattering on the table.

"Darlin'? Is everything okay? What was that about 'what's left of' your place?" Leonard gently prodded.

For a few moments, you were too stunned to speak, tears rolling down your face. "My....there was a fire last night at my apartment building," you murmured. "I won't know how much of my place is damaged until I get there."

"Is everyone okay? What about your cat?" Leonard asked, as he and Jim looked at each other in shock.

"Um....Mimzy's fine, one of the neighbors I gave a key to was able to get her out. Everyone else also got out safely. What am I going to do?" you whispered.

Leonard walked over to where you were sitting and knelt in front of you and rested his hand on your knee. Jim stood on your other side, his hand on your shoulder. Leonard caught your attention and gave you a look that he hoped was a comforting one. "Hey there, darlin'," he gently crooned, his thumb stroking your kneecap. "How about we gather your stuff and I'll take you into town, hmm? I'll drive your car and Jim can follow in my truck. That sound all right?"

The shock was slowly beginning to wear off, which allowed Leonard's words to sink in. "Yeah, that sounds okay. I'm not in the right headspace to be behind the wheel right now," you responded wearily, then you moved your hand to cover his. "Thank you, Len. Both for last night and right now." You rose from your chair and slid your cell phone into your pocket. "I'll get my stuff and be right back."

"Poor kid," Jim lamented as he shook his head.

"Yeah, you said it," Leonard agreed. The silver lining in this situation, if any could be found, was that your cat, Mimzy, was safe. He also thanked his lucky stars that you weren't home at the time of the fire. Since he didn't know how much damage was done, he was determined to be by your side to offer whatever support you needed.

"You know, she could just move in here. Temporarily, of course," Jim hastily added.

Leonard gave him a puzzled look and arched one eyebrow. "You'd be okay with that?" he wondered.

"Bones, it's your house, but think about it. We have a guest room available, she'd be close to work, and she's an amazing cook. How could this not be the perfect solution?" he asked.

Jim had made some excellent points, and it did seem like the ideal answer to the current situation. Except for the fact that Leonard was starting to find he had feelings for you. Ones that grew beyond a working relationship, past friendship and into something more. Having you under the same roof was going to present some unique challenges, but what else could he do?

"Okay, let's ask her."

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[toboldlygohome]

"I'm not giving up on you!"

Leonard McCoy X Reader

Summary: Following a terrible attack on the Enterprise, Dr. McCoy does everything he can to save the heavily-injured reader.

Character(s): Leonard "Bones" McCoy

Warning(s): Wounds, Death, Implied violence, Ends in fluff

Dr. McCoy carefully navigated the sea of bodies, careful not to step on any one of them. The Enterprise had been boarded little more than thirty minutes ago. Bones followed the path of destruction, hoping to find some survivors. No such luck.

McCoy scanned every body for signs of life, but yielded no results. He grimaced and trudged onward. He hated this feeling of powerlessness. So many good people were dead and there was nothing he could do about it. If only he had gotten down here sooner, maybe there wouldn't be so many casualties.

Leonard rounded a corner and was disappointed to find even more bodies strewn all over the floor. But amidst the flashing red lights, he saw you. You were leaned against the wall, blood staining your blue uniform. His tricorder picked up your heartbeat and he immediately hurried to your side.

"Hey, can you hear me?" He asked, snapping his fingers near your ear. Much to his surprise, you slowly opened your eyes.

He couldn't believe you were alive, let alone conscious. Your arm was a mangled mess of burns, you had a massive laceration in your lower abdomen, you were sitting in a pool of your own blood, and you had a terrible concussion. Your groan came out as more of a choked gurgle.

Leonard wasted no time in prepping a hypo to ease your pain. "Can you speak?"

"Yeah," You managed weakly.

"That's good. That's really good. Can you tell me where it hurts?" He asked.

"It hurts everywhere," you murmured.

"Perfect."

"Perfect?" You asked.

"It means you still have feeling in your limbs. That's a really good sign," Bones jabbed the hypo into your arm and started digging into his bag. He had to get you stable if you were going to have any hope of surviving this. "I'm Dr. Leonard McCoy. Can you tell me your name darlin'?" He asked, trying to ease you into a sense of calm.

"Ensign Y/N Y/L/N. Biology department."

"On, I know about you, you're the one who wrote that dissertation on the possible medical uses of Aldebaran Serpent venom. You graduated top of your class in the starfleet academy. I heard you've got a promotion coming up." Leonard said, hoping to keep your mind alert. He didn't want you passing out with that concussion, not until he was sure there wasn't some internal bleeding going on that his scanners weren't picking up.

"Yeah, if I make it that far..."

"You're gonna make it, trust me." He swallowed. You could see it in his face. The chances of you living weren't very high.

"You're a terrible liar doctor McCoy...I'm gonna die here, aren't I?" You whispered.

"I brought the captain back from the dead using the blood of a homicidal maniac. I've performed greater miracles than this. You ain't gonna die, not if I have anything to say about it." He said, already working to disinfect the gaping wound in your stomach. "Just keep talking to me, can you do that?"

"I'll try..." You struggled to keep your eyes open. "I-I... I smell something burning..."

"Don't worry about that." Leonard said firmly. "Just...tell me about..." He grasped for a topic that wasn't your maimed body or the smell of burning hair. "Tell me about home. What's your family like?" Leonard started to autosuture the laceration.

You ignored his question and tilted your head down to look down at the damage. Bones grabbed your face and forced your eyes up to his. "Don't look at it. Just look at me, okay?"

"Mkay...nice face at least." You smiled weakly.

"Oh?" he got back to his work, but kept talking. "I've always been told I got a face only a mother could love. What's so nice about it?" He asked.

"You have pretty eyes... and..." You lost your train of thought.

"And what darlin'?"

"Huh?"

"I got pretty eyes and what?" he asked, fighting against the knot appearing in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know you, but he'd like to. You were a tough cookie and he respected the hell out of it. He could see it in your eyes. You still had so much to offer the world... the universe. He couldn't let you die like this. He wouldn't let you die like this.

"Oh...I like your...your forehead wrinkles...makes you look distinguished," you attempted another smile.

"Gotta say sweetheart, that might just be the nicest compliment I've ever received." Leonard met your gaze for just a moment before returning to his task.

"Well, I've got more where that came from..." You leaned your head against the wall and looked at the ceiling. "...Might throw up..."

"If you feel like you are, just tell me. Okay darlin'?"

"Mkay..."

You both fell into silence and Leonard labored to think of some way to get you talking again. The autosuture wasn't working fast enough for his liking. He still had about two and a half inches to go. If he didn't work fast enough, you were gonna die.

"...Everything's all fuzzy. Cold." You murmured. A low rumble echoed through the halls as if punctuating your dark statement.

"I bet. You lost a lot of blood, but you'll be okay." Leonard clenched his jaw.

"There are others...gotta help the others McCoy. I'm a lost cause."

"You are no such thing. I'm saving you dammit." He didn't have the heart to tell you the other people in the hallway were already dead. A sudden, sharp jolt shook the ship. Leonard grunted as he tried not to fall into you.

"I'm gonna die... I never even got to ask out that doctor. Never had the guts..." You mumbled, eyes struggling to focus on anything.

"What doctor?" Leonard asked as he continued closing you up.

"Y'know. The grumpy one." You said.

Leonard's expression darkened. He was trying dammit, but not nearly hard enough. You were growing delirious. You didn't even realize what you were admitting to him. Your eyes fluttered closed, but you kept talking.

"I don't really know him, but he saved a friend of mine once... He's uh..." You gathered your thoughts. "He's real smart. So dedicated to his patients. I really admire that... Also got this dry sense of humor, and a really handsome voice. I wouldn't have minded taking him out sometime. Buying him flowers." You hummed.

"He's the kind of guy you bring home to mama, I think...Well...My mama at least." You looked at Leonard, eyes swimming with grief. "I'm not scared. You have to tell her for me. That I wasn't scared...I have people back at home. Can you tell them I love them?" You whispered, just as Leonard finished closing your abdominal wound.

Leonard breathed a sigh of relief as he started wrapping you with a bandage. "You're gonna tell them yourself darlin'. You're gonna make it, you know why? Because you're strong. Resilient as a rubber band." He tied off the bandage and started going to work on your arm. "I'm gonna get you stable and we'll get down to the medbay, then you'll make a swift and miraculous recovery, just in time for you to earn the rank of Lieutenant. How does that sound?"

"..." You didn't respond.

"Y/N?" He asked. Your eyes were closed. Your heartbeat was growing fainter by the second. "No No. Dammit, come on! I'm not giving up on you!" He emptied hypos into your arms and legs. A cocktail of medicines were brewing inside of you, fighting to keep your heart beating. He waited with baited breath for your readings to change on his tricorder.

Eventually, your heartbeat grew stronger and your breathing deeper. Then, to his astonishment, you opened your eyes again.

"Welcome back, you gave me a start there." Leonard flashed a relieved smile.

"Sorry...didn't mean to fall asleep," You smiled back.

Suddenly, the red lights turned off and the hallway lit up in its usual bright white light.

"I know darlin'. You're awake now, that's what matters." He pulled out his communicator. "Nurse Chapel, do they have the bastards detained?... Good. I need a stretcher on deck 15, as well as a recovery team. Prep the protoplaser and the burn chamber for the arrival of ensign Y/L/N." After her confirmation, he hung up and pointed his scanner down the hallway to see if there were any more heartbeats. Nothing.

Bones sighed and hung his head. The bastards were thorough, he had to give them that. He found only one survivor out of how many hallways? He was curious about how the security team managed to take them down, but that would be a conversation for a different time.

"Goddamned bloodthirsty space beasts..." He hissed.

"Tell me about it," you chuckled. "Certainly did a number on me, huh?"

"How are you feeling?" Leonard leaned against the wall beside you.

"Numb all over... I suspect you had something to do with that?" You turned your head to look at him.

"I injected you with a hypo for pain relief right when I found you." He met your eyes.

"Funny. I don't think I remember that."

"You're definitely on the loopy side. Can't tell if it's from the blood loss or an adverse reaction to the medicine, but we'll figure all that out soon."

"You can go now. Someone's coming to get me right?"

"You ain't getting rid of me that easily. I'm staying with you until your stretcher arrives." He crossed his arms.

"But there's got to be others that need help too, right?" You closed your eyes. "I'm fine, you should help them."

"It's against protocol to leave a critical patient alone. I'm not leaving until your ride arrives." Just then, he heard the sound of the hover-stretcher. "Speak of the devil, it's about goddamned time." He stood and addressed the two nurses. He spoke to them in hushed medical lingo. You had no idea what he was talking about, but it didn't sound good.

Leonard helped load you onto the stretcher. "I'm passing you off to Nurse Bell and Nurse Valinsky. They're going to take great care of you."

"As opposed to you taking bad care of me?" You smiled tiredly.

"Very funny," He smirked. "I'll catch up with you soon. Don't miss my face too much, you hear?"

"You're asking for the impossible, Dr. McCoy," You joked. The nurses guided you down the hall and around the corner. Leonard stared out at the crowded hallway, hoping his recovery team would arrive soon. Until then, he would just have to look for living patients on his own.

A doctor's work is never done.

~~~

When you awoke, you felt heavy. It was dim in the medbay and all was quiet, save for the occasional beeping of the biobed. You attempted to sit up, but winced the moment you put pressure on your arm. From the shoulder down, your limb was covered in bandages. You felt a deep ache all the way through your body and decided it was best to lay back down.

You tried to remember how you ended up here, but everything after the initial attack was a blur. You remembered the grumpy doctor, you remembered him mentioning your dissertation, he said something about pretty eyes, and you remember being so tired, but trying so hard to focus on him.

You looked around the room, hoping there might be a nurse nearby. Instead you found a room full of people sleeping in biobeds. There was a light on in the office at the end of the room, but you had no way of knowing if there was actually someone inside.

You scanned the controls to your left until you found a call button. Once you pressed it, you heard shuffling in the office. Much to your surprise, Dr. McCoy came shambling out.

"It's about time you woke up," Leonard took a look on your screen to check all your vitals. As you watched him, the events of your last encounter came flooding back. Distinguished forehead wrinkles? Seriously?

"Your heart-rate is kicking up," Bones smirked "Is that because of me?" He joked.

You rolled your eyes, "how long was I out?"

"About forty-eight hours."

"Two days?!"

"Better keep it down darlin'. Don't want to wake the neighbors." He slowly raised the bed into a sitting position and handed you some water.

"Thanks," you said hoarsely, "I didn't even realize I was thirsty."

"That's what I'm here for." He grunted as he copied some data from your biobed to his PADD.

"Bringing me water?"

"Keeping you from dying of dehydration," Bones corrected.

"Aw, and here I thought I had my own personal butler," you smiled and sipped your water. 'He really does have pretty eyes,' you thought while watching him work. Who were you kidding? It wasn't just his eyes that were pretty, it was all of him. You cleared your throat and took another sip. "Anyway, what are you doing here so late? I didn't think you worked gamma shift."

"I normally don't, but there are a lot of reports to file and not a lot of time to do it."

"That bad huh?...How many dead?" You asked softly.

"Fifty-six," Leonard sniffed pulled out his kit.

"Damn... and what about the pirates?"

"In custody back at Yorktown." Leonard administered a hypo into your arm. The soreness melted away almost immediately, but the ache in your chest didn't.

"I would have been one of them if it weren't for you..." You whispered. "You didn't give up... even when you should have."

"Any doctor worth his salt wouldn't give up on the likes of you, not when you were so keen on living. Ain't seen nothing like it in a long time. Your body just kept going long after it should have shut down." Bones explained, "And you kept telling me it was hopeless, but I could tell you were hoping for a miracle."

"So you gave me one," You smiled up at him.

"I told you I would. They don't say I have legendary hands for nothin'," McCoy smirked.

"Still, thank you for not giving up on me," you laughed. "I definitely owe you one."

"Ask out that doctor of yours and we'll call it even," Leonard spoke so casually, you nearly didn't register what it was he just said.

"I-I- my what?" You asked, dumbfounded. Your heart-rate picked up again and Leonard couldn't mask his amusement.

"You should get some rest, Nurse Chapel will be by in a few hours with some food for you. We're putting you on a soft food diet until your internal wounds heal some more. If you need anything before then, you know where the call button is." Bones started back to his office, but stopped just short.

"Oh, and Y/N?"

"Y-Yeah?"

Leonard sent you a smug look. "I like daisies," He said before disappearing behind the door.

You laughed and rested your head on your pillow. 'Daisies huh?' You thought to yourself. You weren't sure how you were gonna pull that off this far from Earth, but if Dr. McCoy could perform miracles, why couldn't you? Of course, the flowers would have to wait until you were released from medical care. You didn't mind too much though, Dr. McCoy was going to be there to take care of you.

And he wasn't giving up on you anytime soon.

....................

Taglist: @shadowbriar

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[gatefleet]

Love it! 😂😂

Imagine being stuck with Leonard McCoy on a foreign planet, and having to take care of one another.

“Goddamnit, I’m a Doctor, not a survival expert.” Leonard said, his mouth making it’s usual frown when he sees how bruised your ankle is. “If we were on the ship, I’d have you fixed up in a minute but out here - aww man, there’s nothing for a splint.” He complained.

“You help people survive, that’s better than what I’ve got.” You shot right back, getting fed up with his negative attitude. “Let me lean on you and I’ll be just fine, alright? Kirk will come looking for us eventually.”

“Lean on me? And drag me down with you?” Leonard said. He looked around, realized that he really was defeated since a bed on wheels wasn’t just going to appear on the landscape because he needed it, then turned to you. “Carry you it is.”

“Wha-” Before you could even finish the syllable, Leonard had you over his shoulder in a fireman carry, so your waist was over his shoulder and your head, fortunately, hanging near his bottom. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“If we want to make it to the meet-up site before they leave us for dead, this is necessary.” He grumbled, and started walking as briskly as he could. At the very least, he was nice and warm against the cool air of the planet.

“Your butt in my face isn’t necessary.” You scowled, slapping his behind since it was there.

“You’ll be kissing it when you get to the ship without a broken foot.” He said, like the smartass that he is.

Requested by: Anonymous

[stanfordsopossumhusband]

<3

[g0thc0re420]

Soulmates AU! Growing Pains: Leonard McCoy x Reader

Word Count: 17, 923

CW: age gap! slow burn, cursing, smut (choking), mentions death of parent. Dr. kink.

Synopsis: Maybe this was what you needed. A change of scenery, hopefully a reassignment to some other foreign planet where you could collect more samples. You rubbed the inside of your wrist. Another heartbreak, so far, the worst one of your Starfleet days. Taking a peek just to reassure yourself the mark was still there, still not yet able to make out the half image fully, you dropped your head and sighed. Maybe you were late. You had been in Starfleet practically from birth. Your mom was one of the best captains in recent Starfleet history, or depending on who you asked, she had already found her place amongst the greats, and in some instances even giving Admiral Pike a run for his money. You only hoped you could live up to what she had always imagined for you. You quickly pulled down your sleeve and stood, soulmate be damned, the stars waited for no one.

You traveled through the ranks of Starfleet quickly, as to be expected, and currently stood in front of Admiral Pike's office. You had no idea what this meeting could be about. You were on shore leave from your current assignment and you were hoping to be able to sleep in sometime this next week. You quickly shook those thoughts from your head as you raised your hand to gingerly knock on the door. Stifling your nerves, still feeling like you had been sent to the principal's office. 

“Come in,” called from the other side of the door and you took a breath to steady yourself. Entering the office you were taken aback to see a head of jet black hair already sitting in front of the Admiral. Waiting for his gesture before sitting, the two of you are too close for the formalities of Starfleet at this moment.

“I understand you’re on shore leave at the moment so we’ll make this quick. The USS Enterprise is getting ready to leave on a 7 year voyage, and Commander Spock has apparently waited until this very moment to choose his right hand,” You must have looked extremely confused considering the subtle taken aback look on Spock’s face. 

“I’ve kept quite an eye on you since you joined the Academy.” Spock finally spoke, and you allowed yourself to turn and look at him. “You hold a doctorate in botanical sciences and you wrote your dissertation on how we could take Hippomane mancinella and from removing one gene make a non-poisonous twin that could be used to restore coastal plains.” Spock paused for a second, glancing at Admiral Pike before continuing. “You are also my best friend, and I care very deeply for you. I hope you know that I have chosen you because you are the most logical choice for the job.”

You could feel a flush of heat spread rapidly across your face, slightly bowing your head towards him, “Thank you Commander Spock.” The slight twitch in the corner of his mouth was all you needed. 

“You also made Lt. Commander this year, you’re 24, certainly one of the youngest we’ve had in the current history of Starfleet,” Admiral Pike spoke again.

You looked back at him and cleared your throat, sitting up straighter in your chain, “Youngest to make Lt. Commander in the last 25 years,” a weight sat heavy on your chest as the sentence left your mouth. The real reason for your hesitation. 

“(Y/N) do you even realize how proud she would be of you even if you never joined Starfleet? You have her brains and her heart, and based on what I’ve heard from Spock here you’ve gotten one over on him more than once during sparring exercises.” 

“How long do I have to pack?” 

Three days later, you were before Spock once again. This time in an office of your own and quickly falling into a comfortable silence with the vulcan by your side. Both of your heads buried in your PADDS as you both had to finalize a few remaining documents and double check all incoming reports. You were tasked with helping Spock give out the assignments to everyone who stepped foot on the Enterprise. You painted a smile on your face and made sure everyone was where they were supposed to go. Noticing that your line was dwindling down you looked around for Spock, wanting to double check nothing else remained on your part before the USS Enterprise took off on her adventure. 

“(Y/N)?” A voice behind you half screamed your name and as you spun around your sights quickly fell on Nyota Uhura. You double checked that no one needed your assistance before sprinting over to her and enveloping her in a hug. “I thought you were away!”

“Admiral Pike called me back. I’ve been reassigned.” 

Her eyes widened as she stepped away from you in shock, “No way!” You frantically nodded as she let out an overjoyed squeal while dancing in place, “Thank god I'll at least have you for the next 7 years.”

After making a lap around the ship to make sure there were no stragglers you met Spock again, this time quickly falling in stride beside him and heading to the bridge. Quickly you were introduced to several faces you had never seen, before your eyes fell onto the man sitting in the Captain’s chair. 

A soft smirk fell on his face as he stepped toward you and pulled you into a hug, “Welcome aboard (Y/N). It’s good to have you home.” 

You pulled away from him, suddenly conscious of how many people were watching the interaction. “Thank you Captain. It’s good to be here.” Moving back to stand behind Spock you stifled the feeling of embarrassment that crept up within you. What would everyone think of you after that interaction? He was your boss. 

Pulling out your PADD you read through a couple new reports that had started filing in while waiting for James to finish his speech and by the end of his rambling when Spock looked at his PADD all he needed to do was skim the documents and provide a signature. As he went to comment on the way you gave clear and concise instructions in response to any remaining questions in the correspondence he noticed you were already gone and there was no trace of you on the bridge.

Moments later Spock found you, already diving head deep into the research you couldn’t wait to explore and prepping the built in greenhouse for any future plants that could cause significant problems.

“I see we are quick to begin our work,” Spock mused, hands behind his back as he stepped into what was now a barren tin can. 

“Yes!” You quickly stood from the container you were mixing starter soil in, “If we get to our next destination alive I want to be prepared,” You took a small step closer to Spock, lowering your voice hoping that no one else would hear. “I apologize for leaving the bridge so abruptly earlier. When Captain Kirk hugged me it made me extremely uncomfortable.”

“I understand the sentiment as I also do not fare well to public displays of affection.” Spock gave you that vulcan half smile again before walking over to where you previously were and picking up a pair of gloves.

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

6 months in and Leonard was pissed. You had been a thorn in his side for 34 days now. For the last month he had tried hunting you down, but he didn’t even know where to start looking. Why did the enterprise even need a botanist? It was just one more patient that tested the remaining patience he had left. “Dammit Jim you promised me I would have (Y/N)’s physical exam done by the end of the week!” 

“I was just calling about that, if you want that done you’re going to have to make a house call.”

“Now why would I do that?”

“Because I might have not told them anything about being late for any sort of physical just to mess with you.”

Leonard sighed before bringing both hands up to his temples. 6 months in and he could already confirm he was going to die of a stroke. Jim was going to speed up that process tenfold if he continued with antics like this. There was some sort of virus going around the ship right now, he didn’t need to be making calls to random personal quarters. 

“When I get my hands on you.”

“Thank me later , Bones.” Leonard could hear the devious smile Jim held on his face through the comm and couldn’t help but instinctually roll his eyes as he was then told the two locations he could find you. Checking the time he was certain he would be able to find you at your quarters. He entered the turbolift and in his anger almost ran into Spock.

“Doctor.” Spock gave a subtle nod of acknowledgement.

“Commander.” The air was stiff around them. McCoy, not too sure why he didn’t like the Vulcan, maybe it was the coldness. He was so still in everything down to his breathing. Almost the complete opposite of the way a human reacts.

A lightbulb went off when he suddenly remembered that Spock was a science officer, the blue shirt had been in front of him multiple times this week and Leonard hadn’t made the connection until this very awkward moment.

“Commander Spock, one of the science officers, is late for their physical exam. I tried recruiting the Captain for his help in informing them, but apparently he’s just been playing games with me the entire time. Would you happen to know where I could find Lt. Commander (Y/L/N)?”

He didn’t miss the way the Vulcan’s eyebrows raised as he lifted his head from whatever he was reading on his PADD. Looking maybe a little too close, Leonard could see an almost quizzical look appear on Spock's face. “That is very unlike (Y/N). Some days I fear they may run a tighter schedule than me.” Spock only half spoke the latter sentence aloud, mostly musing to himself. Spock looked at the floor level the confused doctor chose and almost felt pity. Has Leonard McCoy really not met you yet? The thought was somewhat incredulous to Spock. You had to be the clumsiest human he had ever met. Sober you was almost as bad as an inebriated Jim. 

“You’re not going to find them in their personal quarters. I would start at the research library, if you don’t find (Y/N) there, go to the greenhouse.” The turbolift opened and Spock gracefully stepped out, “I wish you the best of luck Dr. McCoy.”

After getting somewhat lost from the library, Leonard finally found the greenhouse. He stopped at the door, not knowing what sort of protocol to follow, so he rapped on the door with the back of his knuckles. There was a moment of silence before he heard you call out.

“Come in,” The first thing Leonard saw when he stepped in was a giant computer system running a constant stream of intel from the plants you had collected on surface missions already. From soil hydrations, pH of the soil, humidity in different areas of the greenhouse. He looked around before seeing a pair of blue pants to his left and there you were, almost completely bent over. He didn’t even notice the trough like planter you were currently digging to the bottom of, all he could focus on was the way those blue pants clung to your body. From the roundness of your ass, his eyes trailed down to your thighs, further down to where your pants just ever so slightly flared at your calves.

“Need some help there Darlin’?

Your head quickly popped out of the planter, the blush you were currently experiencing, exacerbated the redness of regaining blood flow to your head again. Leonard felt his heart skip, his eyes grazed over you before he cleared his throat, “Are you Lt. Commander (Y/L/N)?”

“Yes I am, may I ask-”

“Leonard McCoy, CMO.” he stated gruffly before you could even finish your question, trying to push down the reaction he felt when he made eye contact with you. He didn’t need to feel anything for anyone right now. He had a job to do dammit and that job didn’t involve any sort of personal relationships.

“Oh.” You briefly looked down at your feet, the solid exterior slightly putting you off after the semi-sweet first impression he had going for him. “Well, if the CMO had to come all the way down to the greenhouse for me then it must be important. How can I be of service?” You moved closer to him, away from all the plants, and suddenly he could smell the florals on you. 

Oh god. Leonard definitely didn’t want to answer that last question. The imagine of you bent over that ungodly sized planter was almost enough to do him in. He didn’t know what was going on with him. “You’re late for your 6 month physical, and typically I wouldn’t hunt down a patient over something like this but you’re over a month late and you’re the last one.”

“A month?” You had to keep yourself from screeching, “I am so sorry. I can be up there first thing tomorrow morning? What time would you like me to be at med bay?”

Leonard scoffed, “Are you serious?”

“Very much so. Why would you think that I wasn’t being serious?” You looked up at him, before sitting at your desk and pulling up your schedule. “I’m assuming that 0600 is probably too early,” and Leonard couldn’t agree more, he would need to be wide awake when dealing with you. “I’ll be having my lunch around 1300 tomorrow, does that time work with you Doctor?”

Leonard felt a hitch in his breathing at the use of his title. Breathing has never been this hard for him, even when he thought he was head over heels for Jocelyn, “T-that works just fine with me, and I promise not to take up your entire lunch.”

“I’ll hold you to that Doc.” you winked at him and he watched as you added the appointment into your daily schedule. Leonard cleared his throat once again and quickly turned, leaving you back in the serene peace of the greenhouse. Realizing the time you started packing up your things, making your rounds through the nursery and checking all the levels one more time just to be safe.

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

Leonard had a hard time sleeping. You had a 3 minute conversation and yet you were now consuming his dreams. He kept getting pieces of what he saw last night flooding his mind as he had down time in med bay.

Checking your pulse he couldn’t ignore the feeling of your heartbeat increasing ever so slightly. “You sure you’re feeling okay Darlin.?” He couldn’t help but notice the blush that spread across your skin, covering your cheeks and nose. 

His fingers still resting on your carotid, you looked up at him from the examination bed you were currently sitting on, your eyes wide and playful, “I’m not too sure Dr. McCoy, that’s why I came to see you.”

“Is that right?” Leonard mused as he held eye contact with you, his hand slowly moving to grasp your neck, his thumb gently brushing against your lower lip-

“Bones!” Leonard was snapped out of relishing his dreams by Jim, yelling his name and flapping around his arms like he was on fire. Truth be told he didn’t even see his best friend walk in.

“Jim, what is so important that you had to come and bother me during the middle of the day?”

Jim softly slumped in the chair in front of his friend, feigning hurt at the abrupt shutdown of his antics. “So, did you make that house call?” Jim couldn’t help the smile that crept on his face. Being close to the both of you only made it easier for Jim to plan the beginning of his plan. 

Leonard hummed to himself, mulling over the question his friend had asked, “I did, in fact the Lt. Commander agreed to come in for their physical exam later today.” Leonard released almost a half smile as he thought of seeing you again.

“That's all?” Jim had stared at the man before him bewildered. “Bones! I was trying to set you up together! You’d be perfect for each other, and you never know, (Y/N) could be your-”

Leonard could already see where Jim was going with this and he didn’t need another lecture on his love life from Jim, “You know I’ve given up on that, besides…”

“Besides?” Jim waved his hand in the air, trying to coax the last of the sentence out of him.

“She’s only 24, Jim,” he lowered his voice, “What would everyone think of me? They’d never let me speak at the Academy again!”

“Bones, she’s a grown woman who can make her own decisions. Even if nothing happens between the two of you, you could still use another friend. I mean when I’m all you got,” Jim grimaced and shook his head. “It must be rough for you.”

“Thank you for that Jim. Now please, leave my office.” Leonard started on the paperwork he had waiting for him, not even really minding if Jim stayed, as long as he dropped the subject of you.

“Yeah, it probably is time for me to be somewhere else. I’m serious Bones, Maybe just try and get to know (Y/N) outside of the med bay. I think you’d be in for a pleasant surprise.”

Leonard couldn’t help but roll his eyes, ignoring the pit in his stomach as the scenes of you unburied themselves in his mind.

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

As much as you tried to focus on the report in front of you, you couldn’t help but think of the gruff doctor who visited you last night. The goosebumps that covered your body whenever he maintained eye contact with you made you want to jump him. A shiver rolled down your back as you were reminded of the southern drawl that hung in the air after he called you that damned nickname. Darlin’. Sighing you ran a hand down your face, trying anything to pull your thoughts away from the doctor who made a special late night trip just for you. 

“(Y/N) is everything okay?” Spock was now in front of your desk.

You let a tired smile hang on your lips and you rolled your eyes as the vulcan was still trying to decipher what human emotion you were feeling, “Just feeling a little worn down with the pace I’ve been holding the past couple months. I should probably try to slow down sooner than later.”

“Did Dr. McCoy find you last night?” Spock was now staring intently as you almost choked on the sip of coffee you were trying to enjoy. 

“I didn’t even know I missed the physical exam, how did you?” You stared back with the same intensity as your vulcan friend, before he finally caved.

“He almost ran over me getting on the turbolift looking for you. Apparently Captain Kirk was supposed to inform you it was due and Dr. McCoy suggested the captain had been avoiding telling you just get one over on our Chief Medical Officer.”

“Sounds like something James would do,” you ended the conversation and Spock was almost at the door before you spoke up again, “Commander Spock, I was hoping to take a few personal days at the end of this week. I can make sure everything is set and running on its own, but it’s…” you hesitated, not wanting to say the words out loud. It was crazy to you, still being affected by a day like this. To everyone else but you, two days from now would just be a regular work day. You cleared your throat, wanting to try to make it through the sentence without unleashing too many human emotions on the vulcan you held near and dear. Forgetting that if anyone understood what you were feeling, it would be Spock. “It’s her birthday.”

“I understand Lt. Commander. I also have times where the pain seems all too fresh. Your personal days are granted,  just send them to me in a formal request so we have the documentation.” You nodded your head in agreement, double checking the time, you were surprised just how fast it passed, and if you hurried, you could bring a coffee for the doctor.

Walking into med bay you held the hot coffee in your hand and smiled at the nurse who greeted you, you recognized her as Nurse Chapel, she did the exams for your transfer to the USS Enterprise. “I have an appointment with Dr. McCoy.” 

She smiled at you from the sign in desk and handed you a PADD to start filling out some general information on. “I am sure glad to see you Lt. Commander, Dr. McCoy has been going a little bit overboard trying to make sure everyone’s physicals are up to date. You’re the last one left.”

“Well hopefully once this is over Dr. McCoy can finally find something to help him relax.” You smiled at her as you handed the PADD back, she led you to a quiet exam room and assured you that the doctor would be in to see you in just a few minutes. You could feel the slight downward pull at the corners of your mouth as you glanced at the cup in your hand. “Please let Dr. McCoy know not to keep me waiting too long, unless he enjoys cold coffee.” Nurse Chapel laughed before patting your hand and walking out of the room.

You didn’t like med bay, hospitals, or anything that had to do with patching people up and hoping you’re fixing them. The white sterile room bringing up feelings of uneasiness. You looked around, setting the coffee down next to the PADD that was already in the room and taking a seat on the exam room bed. Sitting on the edge with your legs dangling you watched the clock on the wall tick. 

After two minutes of staring at the clock on the wall your comm went off. “Lt. Commander (Y/L/N)?”

You knew what it was, you had been eating lunch with Spock every day for the last 6 months. “I’m still in med bay, my appointment was until 1300 so I’m here just a little bit early. I promise as soon as i’m done here-”

Your voice faded out as Leonard walked into the room. “I’ll let you know when I am done in med bay Commander Spock.” Your eyes locked with Leonard as he stood in the doorway to the exam room, politely waiting for you to finish your conversation. Once he had your full attention you looked back at him giving a sheepish smile as he walked into the room. “I made you a coffee. It’s a flat white.” You gave a soft sigh as you revel in your thoughts for a moment. 

Leonard took in a breath when he saw the perfect white dot sitting in the caramel colored foam. “Flat whites are my favorite,” he turned to you as he took the first sip of his coffee. You were sure you were still in a dream when you saw the corners of Leonard's eyes scrunch, followed by a deep hum in his chest. Your eyes flicked down to his torso, admiring how the blue shirt clung to his broad shoulders. Following the lines of his body down you watched how his chest flexed as he turned to reach for the PADD behind him. 

“So, it says here you’re a month due for a physical exam. You’ve been on several away missions in the last 6 months, if you keep going at this pace you’re probably going to have to get a physical every 3 months.”

You couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle, quickly apologizing once you saw the frown reappear on his face, “My apologies Doctor, it was just funny to me how I mentioned to Commander Spock that I needed to slow down. I’m not as spry as I was in my academy days.” 

Leonard couldn’t help but let out a deep laugh at your comment, “(Y/N) you’re 24, you’re still young and spry.”

“Dr. McCoy I was officially accepted into Starfleet Academy at 12, I have a PhD in botanical sciences and I’m the youngest person to achieve the rank of Lt. Commander in the last 25 years. I haven’t slowed down. I cut my month long shore leave down to 3 days to be transferred from the USS Scovil to the Enterprise. How many away missions have I been on?”

“43,”

“That’s 7 a month for the last 6 months. Honestly, Spock is surprised I didn’t end up down here sooner.”

“So am I, some of those away missions ended up hostile, how did you just dip under the radar?” Leonard was now taking the time to read through most of the reports on file for you. He didn’t even realize you had been on any of these, without any checkups in between.

“My mom was Captain (Y/M/N) (Y/L/N).” The prestige of her name floated through the room and you watched as Leonard took what brief information he had about you and put the pieces together, “I’ve been training in hand to hand combat since I could walk. I am perfectly capable of defending myself with every weapon on this ship. I’ve taken on Spock and won.”

Leonard was now standing in front of you, gently pressing his fingers to your neck, staring at the watch he still wore on his wrist, “What’s the deal with you guys anyway? Ya know the people on this ship don’t know how to keep anything to themselves, they like to whisper.”

“You should have heard what they were saying about Jim and I after he hugged me on the bridge in front of everyone,” you wanted to sigh at the feeling of his skin on yours, a tingling sensation seemed to linger wherever he touched you, “With Spock it’s different. We both have the same mark, like matching same sides, not opposite sides. One night I was studying for the Academy and prepping for my dissertation. I had a few and ended up laying on my balcony outside pondering the woes of life. It was the first time Spock told me I was his best friend, and I made a stupid joke about how we were halfmates. That was 5 years ago.” A fond giggle fell from your lips as Leonard removed his fingers. 

He pulled out his tricorder and started scanning you, “I know it’s weird for people to see a vulcan and a human so close, but that night Spock explained to me that finding someone with the same mark as you was almost as rare as finding your soulmate.”

A scoff fell out of the doctor’s mouth as he motioned for you to lay back, pulling out a hologram screen to run a full body scan, “You actually believe in all that bullshit?”

You could feel a blush creeping up your neck, you felt like you were on fire under his hazel gaze, “Yeah. My parents were, and from what I remember they were always so happy, my dad never remarried. He was her #1.  On and off the ship. I see the same thing in the way Spock and Uhura look at each other when the other isn’t looking. I hear the way Sulu talks about his husband. Besides,” you waved your hand in the air, needed to catch your breath as the doctor held your gaze, “They’re a soulmate, if I don’t find them in this lifetime, I’ll find them in the next.”

You wanted to disappear, watching the look on Leonard’s face morph ever so slightly into a different emotion as you explained yourself. You couldn’t help yourself from flickering your eyes down to his slightly parted lips. Never have you ever wanted to kiss someone as badly as you wanted to reach up and kiss Dr. McCoy right now.

“I guess I’ve never thought of it like that,” Leonard spoke his thoughts out loud while he looked at the reports that had generated in front of him. “I was married, she wasn’t my soulmate, but I loved her. Thought she loved me too. I think she did at one point, but from what I’ve heard, nothing’s the same after you meet “the one.”” Leonard placed air quotes and he turned to look at you, “You’re clear to go. Everything looks great.”

You sat up and Leonard offered a hand to help you down, “Thank you for the coffee, I’ve dreamt of having a coffee that good since we’ve been on this floating tin can.”

You couldn’t help but let a smile grace your features, “Thank you, it feels really great to be complimented on something that doesn’t revolve around my work  for the Federation.”

“Anytime Darlin’” Leonard let go of your hand to open the door, leading you back out to the med bay waiting area.

“I guess I’ll see you in 6 months,” you couldn’t help how your smile slightly faltered as you realized your time with Dr. McCoy was coming to an end.

“If you go on that away mission next week, then I expect to see you much sooner than that.” His eyes scanned your features, his hand still resting on the small of your back.

Thankfully the waiting room was empty and even though it was your second time meeting this man all you could think about was how intoxicating he was. His eyes seemed to drink you up, he smelled like whiskey and spice, like cinnamon and anise, and your back, it was still tingling from where his hand last rested. “Then I promise you will see me sooner than six months, Doctor.” Noticing how Leonard seemed like you hit the pause button after you used the title, it almost looked as if he was short-circuiting. 

You glanced at the time, noticing you only had half of your lunch hour left. Spock! You stepped away from Leonard and smoothed out your uniform. “Thank you for taking the time to see me today, and for informing me last night,” You gave him a soft smile, “Maybe I can bring you another coffee sometime.” 

Your nerves grew as you watched Leonard fold his arms over his chest before you saw a twinkle in his eye, “I think I would like that very much.”

“Great! Sounds like a date!” You called over your shoulder, you didn’t see the way Leonard flinched at the word ‘date, or the way he stared after you for a couple seconds longer than he should have.

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

4 months later and you now had a pretty solid routine going, you and Leonard were spending more time together, mostly due to you. Every Friday morning you would meet him in his office, coffee in hand and the two of you would sit and talk about work, while you approved reports from the following night. This was an easy transition for you, and on fridays you couldn’t meet, it almost felt like you were going through withdrawals until you saw him again.

This Friday was different. The previous night you ended up spiking a fever along with a few other symptoms like chills and nausea. Spock knew you didn’t like the med bay but he also trusted you enough to know he wouldn’t need to restrain and carry you up to med bay, unlike the Captain. So he sent you away and let you know to contact him in the morning about how you were feeling.

From the second you opened your eyes it felt like someone had laid a 50lb dumbbell on your skull. All lights and sound hurt, even the dim lights around the floor in your cabin had you digging around, looking for a pair of sunglasses. You reached for your comm, “Commander Spock, are you awake?”

“Lt Commander, you know you can call me Spock when we are off duty.” There was a brief moment of silence before he started speaking again, “(Y/N) why are you whispering?”

“I have a migraine, and while my fever is gone for now, the nausea hasn’t subsided at all. I’m calling out sick today.” You chuckled as you reminisced the last time you fell ill during the course of your friendship with Spock. It was the week before you graduated with your PhD, he didn’t believe it when you didn’t show up to class at the Academy. He came home, expecting you to be out, prematurely celebrating your success. Instead he found you quite literally on death’s door. Meningitis, you had ignored the symptoms for about a week, something that Spock continuously lectured you on during your multiple day stent in the ICU. 

“If it gets any worse, I promise I will have you come drag me to med bay if need be.” It took all you could not to wince while you tried to smile at Spock through your comm, hoping he could hear the smile in your voice and not worry too much.

“I look forward to your recovery (Y/N), I don’t know how long I can handle Jim by myself.” The vulcan let out a very human sigh, and you felt a twinge of guilt roll through you as Spock went silent on the other end. 

“I promise Spock, I’m not going to let a migraine and some small stomach bug take me out. I’m resilient.” You turned off your comm before pulling the sunglasses off and laying back down in your bed, already exhausted just from walking across the room. You slowly sank back into your sheets, pulling both a pillow over your eyes and your comforter past your head, trying to drown out any ray of light that could attempt to sneak in.

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

Leonard was becoming worried, you weren’t ever late for your friday coffee meetings. That’s what Leonard considered them. Meetings, you sat together, always drinking a new drink or new coffee from some of the friendlier planets in the solar system. Leonard was amazed when you told him about the multiple coffee plants you had in the greenhouse, hoping to one day be able to cultivate them. They were meetings, always revolving about what the other did the previous week or what new thing was currently bogging down your workload. Leonard was a gentleman, he wouldn’t consider the friday morning coffee ritual as a date, he had never formally asked you on a date, and at this point it was clear to him you didn’t seem very interested in taking this friendship any further than that. Just friends.

He debated walking back out into the waiting area to see if you were there. You didn’t even sign in on Fridays anymore, after the first couple weeks you would just walk into his office, coffee in hand, PADD tucked to your side. His thoughts were brought back to the conversation you had last week.

“Morning,” You greeted as you walked into his office, Leonard immediately noticed you looked off. Leonard didn’t know if he could tell because he was trained in recognizing the signs of when someone was sick or if he had just been around you enough to notice the subtle differences. You hair was thrown into a low bun, you seemed to be more slouched and you looked as if you were walking through mud. 

“Mornin’ Darlin’” Leonard echoed your sentiment back as you pulled one of the chairs from in front of his desk so you were sitting right beside him. A yawn pulled itself from you as you sat the mugs down on the desk. 

“It’s hot chocolate today,” you looked down at your hands, suddenly bashful at the thought of disappointing him with no coffee in sight, “I just don’t think I can handle the caffeine today, it’s practically the only thing I’ve consumed the past 4 days and I wanted something to make me feel better,” you were almost whispering at the end of your sentence. 

Leonard wrapped his arm around you as laid your head on his shoulder, finding solace in the crook of his neck. You were so still and quiet he could have convinced himself you had fallen asleep if it weren’t for the feeling of your eyelashes brushing the exposed skin of his neck every couple of seconds. He noticed how pale you looked, the dark circles forming under your eyes. 

He wanted to lecture you about taking care of yourself. You should know how much sleep you should be getting, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He knew it wasn’t what you needed. He was okay being your comfort at this moment, Lord knows you’ve done it plenty of times for him. Sneaking into his quarters after hours to listen to him rant after a particularly long day, He fell asleep on your lap once, he awoke to a note from you. It was an emergency, some ensign removed the wrong plant from the nursery and potentially exposed the entire staff in the greenroom to a noxious gas the plant emitted when it wasn’t mature enough to be transferred out of the nursery.

“Len,” You mumbled against his neck. He couldn’t help the way his heart swelled at the nickname. He hummed in response to you, “I grew the cocoa beans used to make that hot chocolate and if you don’t drink it I might actually cry from exhaustion. He couldn’t help the involuntary chuckle that bubbled out of him. He grabbed his mug as you sat up again, taking a sip, it was the best hot chocolate he had ever had the pleasure of drinking. He watched as you pulled out your PADD, checking the cameras in the greenhouse, before standing abruptly. 

“I have to go. I’m so sorry but if that ensign is about do what I think he’s doing then I could lose almost a year's worth of research!” You moved so fast you forgot all about the hot chocolate, leaving your favorite mug on his desk. 

Leonard still had the mug, he hadn’t been able to find an appropriate time to drop by your quarters to return it, but he also didn’t want to intrude on your work. You always made sure to come in before the med bay opened and unless you were getting back from an away mission, you didn’t hang around the med bay waiting for the chance of a quiet moment with Leonard. It was quite pleasant for him actually. Knowing that you could both go off and do your jobs, before reconnecting with each other gave him confidence in your relationship, friendship. He means friendship. 

Leonard wiped the tired from his eyes once again before stepping out of his office. Ready to take on the day, his light just slightly dulled this morning without his ball of sunshine bounding through the door before his work had to begin. Today was going to be a long day. He grimaced, his frown deepening and the lines on his forehead etching themselves a permanent figure of the day. 

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

It was finally lunch time, and Leonard had made up his mind hours before that he was going to use his lunchtime wisely and find you. His first stop was the green house, a couple of science officers were around as well as a handful of ensigns. He had walked the perimeter of the greenhouse, not finding you anywhere, not that he needed to look. Most of the time he just knew if you were somewhere. He was always able to find you. Even at the lavish holiday party the captain held for everyone Leonard was able to find you within minutes. He stayed by your side the whole night. He even danced with you a couple of times.

Lost in his thoughts he didn’t notice he caught the attention of Commander Spock until it was too late. “Dr. McCoy, is there anything I can help you with?” 

McCoy had a sinking feeling in his gut when he lifted his head up and saw Spock sitting at your desk, reading down a thorough check list to be completed by the end of the day. “I’m just looking for (Y/N). We usually do coffee in the morning on Fridays but they didn’t show up today. At all. Usually they’ve already contacted me and we would have rescheduled.” Leonard was still unsure how much he could trust the Vulcan so he wasn’t willing to go into further detail than that.

“(Y/N) has told me about the early morning rendezvous with you. They greatly appreciate them.” Spock straightened himself, separating the emotions from the conversation. “Lt. Commander (Y/L/N) is sick. I sent them to their quarters yesterday after they developed a fever. Today they told me their symptoms were a migraine and nausea. They are extremely prone to migraines, most days the Lt. Commander can just work through them,”

“(Y/N) is sick?” It’s not that Leonard didn’t believe the vulcan but he had even seen Spock sick during this last year on the ship, but you hadn’t even visited med bay once with even a case of the sniffles. Hell, because of Jim, even he had to be quarantined at least once in the last three months, “Any other symptoms I need to know about?”

“Not that I am aware of Dr. McCoy. However it seems the Lt. Commander’s migraines have become slightly more frequent in the last couple of months.”

Leonard took a mental note of what the vulcan was saying and his next mission was to get to your quarters. He had noticed last week you didn’t look like your usual self, now he was kicking himself for not pushing you to get checked out. He let his emotions for you get the better of him and he just focused on finding you. He was the CMO. He shouldn't be letting romantic emotions cloud his judgment when it comes to patient care.

Arriving at your door, Leonard gave a brief knock, waiting in the silence of the corridor to hear you call out, but there was no response, he tried his comm, “Lt. Commander (Y/L/N), Commander Spock informed me you were sick, I’m here to just make sure you’re doing okay.” No response, remembering the last time your comm went silent, a shudder ran through Leonard. 

Another away mission, Jim said he confirmed the planet was abandoned, the only forms of life the Enterprise found were plant and animal life. Of course that turned out to not be the case and soon everything went to shit. Leonard already had his hands full with red shirts needing stitched up when everything stopped. 

Jim and Sulu bust through the med bay doors, your limp body being held up by the two of them, “She was walking just a few seconds ago, but now she’s limp!” He watched Jim’s pleading eyes flickering around for anyone who was available to help. Spock was following behind and when it seemed like Jim and Sulu were about to lose their battle with supporting your dead weight, Spock stepped in and scooped you up. Cradling you in his arms like a child.

Leonard couldn’t do anything for the first 30 seconds, watching the way your body just hung there, no movement from you except the extremely quick and labored breathing you were exhibiting. He fully didn’t know what he was doing until he just left the red shirt sitting in front of him, having one of the nurses continue the stitches he was currently working on. When he finally reached you, it was hard to determine what blood was yours and what wasn’t.

Spock laid you on the closest open bed and Leonard began scanning you, with not only his tricorder but his eyes as well. He placed two fingers on your neck and closed his eyes, ignoring the tingling that started small in his fingertips and worked its way up his arm. Your pulse was strong and the sense of relief Leonard felt was strong enough to clear his head, though he still had to focus to not drop to his knees. 

Looking at the PADD with your scans, he had to have looked visibly confused, because both Spock and Jim had tried to peek over his shoulder to read your medical information on the device in his hand. “She has no external injuries, and I can’t find any internal bleeding. What happened out there?”

Jim spoke first, “It was an ambush, they were waiting to show themselves until we hit the ground. (Y/N) had already made a break for the treeline, she was looking for a specific plant. They came out of nowhere, and Scotty was trying to beam us all out but he couldn’t get a steady signal on (Y/N). They were engaged in battle, 3 on 1. It didn’t stop until she-” Jim suddenly stopped his account of what happened on the foreign planet, almost too afraid to finish his sentence. 

“We were finally able to get a steady signal and beamed them to the transporter, only after Lt, Commander (Y/L/N) had been thrown into a tree,” Spock finished for the Captain.

“I could have taken them if Scotty and Chekov hadn’t been yelling in my ear the entire time.” You slowly opened your eyes, bracing yourself for how bright the room surrounding you would be. “And it was 4 on 1 James.” There it was again, you were the only person who could get away with calling the Captain by his government name. 

The breath Leonard didn’t know he was holding released as he made his way to your side, “From what I heard, you kicked ass down there.” 

A sheepish smile was your response, he didn’t know why, but he needed to be close to you, he would have sat down on the bed and pulled you into his chest if he didn’t have his current audience. “You hit your head pretty hard (Y/N), and while it doesn’t look like a concussion I want to see you back here in 3 days just to make sure nothing else is going on.”

Leonard was pulled back into the present by your door opening, and there you were, gorgeous. Leonard couldn’t help the small smile he felt when he looked down at you. Noticing the way your messy locks fell around your face and the out of regulation pajamas you were wearing. The dark circles under your eyes more prominent now than they were last week.

“Len, what are you doing here?” You shielded your eyes from the brightness of the hallway. Wincing in pain when you tried looking up at him.

“Spock told me you were sick. I came to check on you.” A soft shrug from him and he didn’t miss how you seemed too tired to even roll your eyes at your boss for ratting you out to the CMO. You motioned at him with your hand before turning and walking back into your quarters. 

Leonard had never actually been inside your living space until now, and he couldn’t help but feel immediately at home. Photos hung on your walls, photos of you from medical school, at the academy, there was one that caught his eye immediately. You and Jim, while both younger than you are now, were instantly recognizable. Jim was holding you on his shoulders, you held your PhD in your hand. Your joy in the photo emanating into the real world. Then he saw it, your mark. 

Perfectly placed inside your wrist, he stepped closer, he could hear his blood swishing in his ears as he finally put two and two together. There it was, staring at him. He now had proof that his entire life you had been the one he was waiting for. An uneasy feeling sank over him. He just needed to push everything down. He was a doctor, he had a job to do, and he wouldn't let this discovery change anything.

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

You watched as Leonard looked around your small apartment, he was currently observing the photos on your walls. You were tired, you laid down on your couch and pulled a blanket up past your head. Your migraine now just a dull throb at the back of your skull. You could now hear Leonard shuffling around your kitchenette. When you finally pulled the blanket down you could see him standing in front of you.

There was a mug in one hand, and a tricorder in the other. “Leonard, I promise I’m fine. It’s just a migraine.”

Leonard scoffed before setting the mug down, “According to Commander Spock, your migraines have been more frequent lately, he also mentioned a fever and nausea.”

“Spock can’t keep his damn mouth shut can he?” You replied before moving into a sitting position and allowing the doctor to scan you. You hummed as his hand brushed across your wrist, immediately finding the spot to check your pulse.

“I was worried about you, ya know,” Leonard softly spoke. “When you didn’t show up this morning I knew something was wrong,” his sentence ended in a mumble of words. You couldn’t help but reach up and place a hand on his cheek. 

“I apologize for making you worry, Doctor.” This time, you could feel his jaw slightly clench and you watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. 

“(Y/N),” you noticed he was closer now, hovering mere inches from your face. 

“Yes Leonard?” You could hear the catch in your breath as you spoke. His breath fanned across your face, the mintiness from brushing his teeth still lingering. The proximity of being so close had your heart going crazy and you couldn’t seem to think straight. As quickly as the moment started, he ended it. Pulling away and tucking his tricorder into his hip. 

“Well, everything seems fine, and nothing is broken.” He made his way to your door. “Drink the tea, and take it easy for the next couple of days,” and with that he opened the door and walked away.

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

You hadn’t seen Leonard for two weeks, even on your last away mission he had someone else do you exam. He wouldn’t even come out of his office while you were in med bay. The daily throb in your heart of the rejection didn’t stop your stride but it definitely slowed it. You were second guessing yourself and you couldn’t seem to focus unless you had someone else to hold you accountable. You slept more these days, not being able to stay late in the greenhouse for the fear that your mind would start to wander and then you had your heart breaking all over again.

Sitting in the mess hall with Spock at lunch you were approached by an ensign. A yellow shirt, and when you looked behind him, you could see Sulu intently watching the interaction unfolding in front of him. “Lt Commander (Y/L/N), I was hoping I could invite you to the party we’re having tonight.”

You smiled up at him, intending to find a way to gently let him down, when the unsuspecting doctor walked into the mess hall, and you couldn’t help but smirk, motioning him closer to you, you decided to just be honest, “Listen kid, I’m sure you’re great, but someone already has my heart.” You watched their face slightly falter, “However, they’re too stubborn to admit it, help me make him jealous and I think I can talk to the Captain about your incredible performance.” 

You weren’t expecting the quick nod of their head or the salute they sent your way from the table, keeping the smile on your face, you couldn’t help but laugh as Spock finally made eye contact with you. “I don’t see how you attending a party with a member from the flight crew could in any way make Dr. McCoy jealous.” 

You could hear the ensign talking to Sulu as Dr. McCoy passed their table, “She said yes!” The ensign looked back over at you and waved, you made sure an enthusiastic smile was planted on face as you waved back, pretending not to feel Leonard’s glare boring into you as you turned back to Spock, “Just like that Commander Spock.” The vulcan couldn’t help the sigh of disappointment. Why must the two of you make things so complicated?

       “Lt. Commander, wouldn’t it just be easier to tell Dr. McCoy, how you feel about him?” 

     You sighed, eyes bouncing around the room before landing down at the plate of replicated food in front of you, “I wish. He’s been avoiding me for 2 weeks now. Hell, the other day I helped another science officer to med bay and he wouldn’t even look at me,” you shrugged your shoulders before collecting your belongings, “I think maybe I should turn my affections elsewhere as Dr. McCoy has made it clear to me that he would no longer like a friendship with me, let alone a romantic relationship.” You turned on your heel, already done with the conversation and quite frankly done with the way your thoughts were constantly brought back to the man who wanted nothing to do with you.

     You didn’t even see Leonard approach your table at the end of your conversation with Spock, determined to outrun the wave of emotions you could feel rising up in your chest. 

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

    The party was great, it really was, but you felt so out of place. Parties weren’t usually your thing and the ensign who asked you to the party quickly forgot about you as soon as you defended Spock in the middle of a heated conversation. Sulu ended up having to coax you away from the group as the insults toward your best friend kept coming, and you quickly rolled up your sleeves. 

“Hey, you’re okay, anyone who really knows Spock knows that he’s actually a really great guy.” Sulu rubbed your arm as he led you to the bar. “Plus, it would be a little uncomfortable to end up in med bay right now.”

You scoffed and could help the incredulous look you gave him, “I wouldn’t have ended up anywhere but my cabin. The best part is none of them would have even known who I was until Captain Kirk inevitably got involved, and I also know that James would throw himself on top of a live grenade for me.”

Sulu couldn’t help but roll his eyes at you before handing you one of the drinks he ordered, “You and the captain are close too?” 

“Yeah, he’s like an older brother. My mom and his dad were close, so he was over all the time when we were younger, he’s the one who pushed me to apply for my doctorate degree and even filled out a couple of applications behind my back, and he protected me more than once from creeps when he would sneak me into the bar with him.” You downed another drink the drink and looked at the crowd opposite of where you currently were, “I could still take him,” 

“How many of those have you had tonight?” Sulu nodded at the empty glass in your hand.

You shrugged, setting the glass back down on the bar, “I lost count about 30 minutes ago.”

The comment earned you another laugh from the man beside you and suddenly your comm went off, “Lt. Commander! It’s great to see you here!” Your head suddenly turned into a swivel as you scanned the party, looking for the biggest pain in your ass you had ever met. Someone grabbed your shoulder from behind you and reflexively threw them over you to the ground, before placing a foot on their chest to keep them on the ground.

The laugh that followed had smoke coming out of your ears and suddenly you were a teenager again, “Chekov! Don’t do that!” You couldn’t help but stomp your foot on the ground, “I could have hurt you!”

“Did you just stomp your foot? Are you throwing a tantrum right now?” You helped Chekov off the ground and you noticed how he had been grinning the entire time.

“How am I supposed to get any peace on this ship when I have a gaggle of men I have to constantly keep from killing themselves?” You feigned anger and dramatically threw your hand back to your forehead. 

“Well, who else would keep us in check if we didn’t have you?” The puppy dog eyes from both Sulu and Chekov broke past your resolve and you pulled both of them into a hug. Kissing both of them on the top of the head before pulling away.

“Who’s gonna take care of you when I’m gone? I’m 25 now, in my prime, someone could wife me up right now and I’d be whisked away in a flurry of love and babies.” You watched the horror spread over their faces and you couldn’t help but feel proud of yourself.

Chekov quickly dropped to one knee and you couldn’t help the feeling of embarrassment that filled you, a pit in your stomach forming and even with the threatening look on your face, the ensign didn’t move off the ground, “Well, if you’re going to get married, I think we both,” he paused and nodded at Sulu who couldn’t help the comical smile on his face as he stared at the scene unfolding in front of him. “Would prefer if you did get married that you wouldn’t be whisked away from us.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, the first real laugh you had experienced in weeks, and soon you were laughing so hard you had tears pricking at the back of your eyes, “You’re really taking marrying up to a whole new level,” you dropped into a squat, resting your body weight on your balls of your feet as you got within eye level of your friend, “You’re drunk Chekov, you wouldn’t remember this in the morning if you wanted too.” You gently pushed on him back by his forehead, as you expected Chekov, who was extremely drunk for this early in the night, fell backwards. What you didn’t expect was him flailing, grabbing you, and throwing you down the stairs from the bar after him. 

Everything that happened next was in fast forward as a group of people were on both of you, you could feel your face flush with embarrassment. As swiftly as the embarrassment settled, the overstimulation was sudden and you were going to freak out. There were too many people, people were trying to touch you, some trying to help you up, and everyone was speaking at once. You closed your eyes, you could feel an ache in your head, and something warm in your hair. You could hear James shuffling through the crowd, using his captain's voice to part the sea of swarming people. 

“(Y/N) are you okay?” You were lifted to your feet, wincing as he put pressure on your shoulder. James instantly repositioned the way he was supporting you. You quickly looked around and saw Chekov, he came bounding over to you as soon as you were up.

“Chekov, are you okay?” You reached up and started inspecting him, which earned you a laugh.

“I just tucked and rolled!” He spun in front of you as if to prove his point. 

“Yeah,” you suddenly noticed the pain in your shoulder was growing, “Wish I got a heads up,” you couldn’t help but laugh with the ensign and you rested most of your weight against your longest known friend. 

“(Y/N) you’re bleeding. From your head. We gotta go.” 

You looked up at him, trying to pull your best puppy dog eyes through the growing pain, “But James, it just got fun!”

“Remember when you said that after your commissioning?”

You groaned, you had been trying to forget about that night since it happened, you got drunk. Totally wasted with James at a surprise party he threw for you , cheering you on and even challenging you to go shot for shot. You fell off the second story balcony, thankfully into bushes, but nevertheless walked away with a concussion and a pretty nasty bruise that consumed most of your lower back. “Fine, let’s go.”

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

Jim regretfully walked you to med bay, he wondered if this is what he put Bones through everytime he got sick or injured, “What is going on with you tonight?”

“I really don’t want to go to med bay and I really really don’t want to see Leonard McCoy.” You automatically imitated the grumpy doctor, even furrowing your brows like he would.

“I thought you two were friends?” What had he missed, the last time Bones had talked about you, he thought the two of you had something, it was the most he had seen his friend smile in, well, the entire time he had known him.

You bellowed a dry, sarcastic laugh, “Yeah, me too.” You looked away from him, suddenly more interested in the floor than the conversation you were having, “I thought we could have been more,” you whispered under your breath. 

Jim stopped walking, turning your head so he could look you in the eyes, “(Y/N), Bon- Leonard is a complicated man. He doesn’t always know what’s best for him right away. Even when the best thing to happen to him is right in front of him.”

You shook your head, trying to break the look Jim was giving you, “No, it’s my fault. I thought he was going to kiss me. I read the signs all wrong, and now he hasn’t talked to me in 16 days, and now I’ve ruined a perfectly good friendship.” 

Jim wiped away a tear that started sliding down your cheek, pulling you into his chest and kissing the top of your head. You gently sobbed into his chest, trying to be quiet in the corridor with a few people still bustling around you. His heart breaking at seeing you this heartbroken. He had been there for other break ups, most of the time you rationalized it, even to him. 

‘It wasn’t meant to be’ was after Chandler, a snotty rich kid who tried desperately to buy his way into your pants. He tried using his dad’s rank to intimidate you, trying to use the power of someone else to make you do what he wanted. Even after you had broken things off, there were some nights you would still sleep on Jim’s couch, afraid to go back to your dorm. He wasn’t a problem for you much longer.

“She just wasn’t the one,” was after Savannah. Someone who you remained in contact with to this day. You were there when Savannah got her dream job, she thanked you in her speech when she graduated top of her class, and most importantly you were her daughter’s godmother. Every shore leave, every break from school, you made her and her family one of your top priorities. Jim had even seen you leave study groups or parties just to go spend time with her.

“My soulmate is still out there,” Was after Ashton. It had been a few years, Jim thought you guys were happy, but then came the inevitable. You stormed into his apartment, not even bothering to knock as there was nothing Jim was going to be doing that you hadn’t seen at least once already. He was married. You were humiliated, you didn’t go out unless you were going to school for weeks. Beating yourself up for not knowing. Jim had to remind you countless times that it wasn’t your fault, you had no idea of knowing that this man was married, hell Jim even did digging of his own after things got serious and he couldn’t find anything. 

He couldn’t help the look of pity he gave you as you pulled yourself out of his chest, wincing at the pain as he released you. “Whatever happened to the girl who could rationalize these things? Your other half is still out there,” he said softly.

More tears welled up in your eyes. You shook your head again, more violently this time, as if trying to shake the tears away. He couldn’t help but empathize with your sorrow. He would have put the pieces together himself if you had given him time, but you spoke again. “James, he is the one. And now he won’t even look at me.”

Jim’s eyes widened in disbelief. Never in the entire time of knowing you did he think you would ever say those words. It was supposed to be the two of you, lone wolves for the rest of your lives. “You really love him, don’t you?” he asked, pulling you into his side. You nodded, and he kept his arm around your ribcage for support, careful to avoid putting pressure on your shoulder. “And you should probably try to stop crying before we walk through that door.”

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

Walking into med bay, you couldn’t help but feel mortified at how you must look. You could feel the blood in your hair even more now, and you couldn’t even bear to lift the arm with the damaged shoulder. Not to mention how the makeup you wore for the night probably looked after you cried into James’s chest. You quickly glanced at him, stifling a laugh as you pointed at the mascara stain on the dress shirt he was currently wearing. 

“You think that’s funny?” You watched as he dramatically tried to wipe the makeup off his shirt. “Ya know, this better win me some brownie points.” 

You laughed harder at the comment, “Speaking of brownie points, I promised the ensign who asked me to the party that if he helped me make Leonard jealous I would put in a good for him with you.” You couldn’t help the dreamy smile that fell on your face just mentioning him, “Then he said Spock was an asshole and now I think we should just shoot him out into the void of space.”

“I forgot how mean you get when you drink.”

“Who else do we have tonight?” You didn’t want to turn around, the southern drawl in his voice was something you didn’t even notice how much you had missed until this very moment. You wanted to cower behind James, you wanted to run and hide. You wanted to beg James to turn around and patch you up in your quarters. Before you could speak, James did. 

“Well, I decided to throw a party and things got a little out of hand. The Lt. Commander was practically thrown down a flight of stairs. I think they have dislocated a shoulder and they’re bleeding. From the head.” 

You couldn’t stop yourself when you jabbed an elbow into his ribcage, pushing through the pain to let him know how you felt, “I’m fine, I just hurt a little bit.”

James poked you in the shoulder, using the littlest bit of pressure, causing you to rear back and stifle down a groan of pain, “You asshole!”

You didn’t miss the sigh or the eye roll from the handsome doctor in front of you, and now you were pissed. You were trying to have a good time tonight, and yet absolutely no one was able to take him off your mind, and now here you were, standing in front of him, looking like a complete mess, “Listen, you obviously don’t want me here, and quite frankly I don’t want to be here, so if you could just put my shoulder back in place so I can go away, that would be great.”  You sighed before turning away from them and finding the closest open bed, “Stop looking at me like that James, I can feel your eyes in the back of my head.” 

You couldn’t hop onto the bed without jostling everything that hurt, so you chose to plant yourself in one of the visitor chairs beside the bed. Your head resting back against the wall, closing your eyes and trying to prevent the tears trying to escape, the pain now moving toward the range of extreme and you finally touched your head. Pulling it away to inspect your fingers, there was the blood now sticky. You sighed, annoyed with the fact that showering after tonight was going to be hard.

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

Leonard pushed through the privacy curtain and for a couple of moments he just looked you over with his eyes. Jim had told him what happened. The thought of Chekov proposing, no matter how fake, seemed to enrage him. The thought of you with any man did that to him, not to mention the blatant flirting in the mess hall the other day. He wanted to track down the ensign who asked you to the party down, give him a piece of his mind. He wanted to let the ensign know that he shouldn’t be hitting on his woman.

But you weren’t his, were you? Jim let him know about the conversation in the hallway, how you cried after telling him how long it had been since he had been icing you out. Has it really been 16 days?  Jim told him he needed to fix it. Leonard wasn’t sure he could. How would he even go about letting you know that the only reason he was acting this way was so he didn’t break your heart. He was damaged, and had too much baggage for someone as sweet as you. He didn’t want to ruin you.

Looking at you now though, past the injuries of the night, Leonard realized that his way of trying not to cause you any harm was actually doing the most harm. Your eyes were closed, but still slightly puffy and tear streaks had etched their way onto your cheeks. The blood in your hair now drying and matting your hair together. From just looking at your current posture he wasn’t too concerned with any broken bones, but he suspected Jim was probably right about the dislocated shoulder. 

He cleared his throat to get your attention, watching closely as your eyes slightly opened. He didn’t miss the glimmer in your eye as you finally looked at him, and when you held his gaze Leonard let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. The need to be close to you reared its head again and it took all of his self control to not sprint the short distance to you. He sat on the med bay bed so he was closer to eye level. He didn’t really know what to say. 

“Hi,”

Your eyes widened and your mouth fell open at his opening line choice. “Hi? Are you fucking kidding me? Hi?” You threw your good hand in the air, wincing from the sudden change in posture, as you whisper screamed at him. The both of you knew there was an extremely high chance Jim was trying to eavesdrop on the two of you.

“What else am I supposed to say?” Leonard almost couldn’t believe himself, who says hi?

“Maybe, I’m an ass for not talking to you for 2 weeks but let me stitch up your head.”

“I am sn sss.” 

You huffed, sitting up straighter, “Or maybe, it looks like your shoulder is dislocated, let's get it back into place and get you out of here.”

“If that’s what you want me to do.” 

“Of course I want you to fix me! Why else would I drag myself down here?”

So you wanted to fight, Leonard could do that, “Oh, so you have to drag yourself down here?”

“Right now, yeah? I literally have no other choice!”

Leonard wanted to smirk, “So you only wanted me because you had no other choice?”

You gasped and looked at the ground, “You know that’s not what I meant.” 

Leonard stood, grabbing the PADD he had with him, “I’m not the one who said it.” 

“Yeah, and I’m not the one who made me fall in love with you.” Leonard froze, just barely able to hear you, you had dropped into a barely audible whisper. Leonard didn’t know if it was from fear of saying it outloud or hoping he wouldn’t hear it.

“Yeah, well what are you going to do about that?”

He watched as your head snapped up, and if looks could kill Leonard was sure his head would have exploded right then and there, “You’ve obviously already made your choice, so maybe just get me the hell out of here and transfer my care to someone else. That way you'll never have to see me again.”

He sighed, not really wanting to do this now, but it looks like he was going to have no other choice, “(Y/N)-”

“Save it. I don’t want to hear it, now please, just fix me enough so that I can go back to my quarters and shower, I need to get this blood out of my hair.”

“(Y/N)-”

“I’m serious-”

“If you would shut up you would know that I’m in love with you too!”

Leonard had never raised his voice at you before, and the look on your face made him regret it instantly. He crouched in front of you and cradled your face in his hands, “I am so head over heels for you Darlin’” He looked into your eyes, searching for anything other than the rage they currently held, “It scared me. That night in your room, when I saw the way you were looking at me, I knew. I never wanted anyone to look at me the way you did. I panicked. I ran and hid, hoping that if I just pushed everything down for long enough then-” He sighed again, his breath feeling like a cotton ball in his throat.

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

You were pissed. Angry at Leonard for ignoring you, angry that you were in med bay, angry that Leonard wouldn’t shut the fuck up. You were trying so hard to move past the feelings you had for him, but you always seemed to end up right back in front of him. 

“Why?” You couldn’t stop your mouth from moving, even though in this moment you desperately wanted him to shut up. You could hear how tired he was, making the southern accent more prominent, making your heart swell. 

“Well, I’m broken. Told Jim that Jocelyn took everything in the divorce. All I got is my bones.”

“So that’s where the nickname comes from? James tries so hard to call you Leonard to my face, like the nickname is a secret or something.” You could feel the way he looked at you, choosing to focus on the nickname instead of anything else he just told you. “Leonard, we can continue this conversation later, but my shoulder really hurts. Please help me.”

Leonard helped you onto the bed, and slightly straightened you up. “Um, I need to take your shirt off, I need to see-”

You couldn’t help but blush. You had thought this before, not in this context. Your fantasies usually revolved around his office, in the shower, maybe you thought about you and him in the greenhouse once or twice, but never like this, “I’m gonna need some help with that.”

Leonard slowly pulled your arm out of the sleeve, and you almost thought you could see him shaking, “Len, I’m not made of porcelain.” You could hear him release the breath he was holding, his thumb dancing over your wrist. Soon enough you were topless, you could see a bruise forming. Your shoulder felt so wrong. You almost couldn’t describe it. It felt taut like it was being pulled, but you felt like you had no control, you couldn’t shrug if you tried. 

“This is gonna hurt, according to these scans not only is your shoulder dislocated but you have a torn AC ligament.” He laid you down, placing your arm down over the edge of the bed, and quickly pulling your arm into a 90 degree angle, while rotating your arm. You felt the relief as you heard your shoulder pop back into place. Then the hypo, and if your shoulder still didn’t throb a little you would have hit Leonard.

“That’s gonna help with the pain and swelling, and this one,” He stabbed you again, “Is gonna help with that ligament, but you cannot lift anything heavier than 15 pounds until I clear you, and because this can still affect your range of motion, we’ll still have to keep a close eye on it. Usually for a dislocated shoulder we would recommend a sling, but we’re going to need movement if you want to be able to maintain your current quality of life.”

“Okay, and the treatment plan?” You sat up and gingerly pulled your shirt over your head.

“Well the fact you were able to do that is a good sign.” He took a step back from you, “Stand up and hold your arms directly out in front of you,” You did, your left arm not reaching quite as high as your right hand, “Now out to the side,” again, the left shoulder not quite as high. “Drop them to your sides and shrug,” You almost couldn’t. Trying with all of your might to move your left side up to your chin. The smallest inch of movement had you content. 

“4-6 weeks,” Leonard smashed the contentedness. “I know, it seems like a long time, but (Y/N) losing range of motion for your line of work would hinder you in more ways than one. Even with the medicine we have, we can only speed up the human body's healing time by so much. If it was any worse I would have said 8.” He took a step closer to you and took your hand in his. “Now stop pouting and let me check your head.”

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

It had been 3 days since the last time you had seen Leonard, the longest amount of time the two of you had gone since that night in med bay. You had even spent the night once or twice. However, this time you weren’t anxious about it. He didn’t consume your thoughts like before and for the first time in weeks, you finally felt like you were back in your groove. You were on the last 2 week stretch of desk duty, and not surprisingly you were spending most of the time following Spock around, or wandering around the greenhouse, trying to politely remind people that your way was the right way and you were actively writing the protocol for this.

However, right now you were moping. Looking like someone ate your candy and you couldn’t help it. Everyone who you could bother during the day was gone. A new planet, going where no man has gone before, or whatever the excuse was. You just knew you were bored and there was no one around to entertain you. You soon found yourself wandering to med bay, hoping that you could catch a moment alone with Leonard. You waved at the nurse sitting at the desk, before making your way to Leonard's office. You knocked on the door and when you didn’t hear a response you slowly opened the door.

Stepping into the office you glanced around, it was empty. You frowned even more, wanting to fold your arms over your chest and huff. You made your way back to the desk and faced the nurse. “Where’s Dr. McCoy?”

“The captain asked him to join the team going down the surface today.”

“Oh, okay. Can you let him know I stopped by? He wanted me to come down for a follow up.”

The young boy sitting behind the desk smiled at you and straightened his posture a little, “Yeah, can I get a name? Lt. Commander (Y/N). Thank you.” You smiled back before heading back out into the hallway. 

Back in the greenhouse you couldn’t stay focused, wanting to wander and more than enough times trying to sneak in and help with the rearranging currently going on. Every time someone caught you and every time they threatened to tell Spock. Eventually you conceded, holing yourself away in your office. You couldn’t help the way you stared off into literal space. Not being able to keep your mind busy with anything work related, you decided to give up. You pulled out your PADD and started drawing. Focus every bit of [ent up energy into the smallest details on the pages… 

Just wanting something to keep you busy. And you were now in a field, it looked like home. Yellow dandelions and honeysuckle sprouting up everywhere, you could feel the cool grass beneath your toes. The wind was warm and steady. The sky was cornflower blue and white wispy clouds were scattered throughout. You finally felt calm. You closed your eyes, trying to breathe in the moment. A hand grasped yours, you looked over and there he was. The man who completely consumed your dreams. You could see it. This is where you spent most of your time, the space you went to in duress. 

The image shifted, now you were in a house. Your mom’s home. It smelled exactly as you remembered. You heard the kettle on the stove and made your way to the kitchen, laughter floated through the air. The kitchen now in view, your mom was now at the counter, filling a group of mugs that sat on the counter. Behind you at the kitchen island, stood Leonard, chopping vegetables and bantering with your dad.

The image rippled behind you, changing the scenery and you were still on earth, but this was your home. The place you started and the place you would end. When you decided to move to Washington, James helped you. Packed only what you needed and took the road trip with you, only along for the memories. Your homestead spread before you. Your eyes automatically drifted to the chicken coop. Leonard was there, several of your hens grouped around his feet as he spread bird seed for them.

“I don’t think chickens would be that big of a fan of me,” You jumped as Leonard made himself known behind you. You slowly made your way to him, suddenly anxious about the interaction, “I heard you were looking for me?”

You almost forgot, you laughed to yourself before explaining, “Yeah, it wasn’t anything important. I was bored, and both James and Spock were gone! I can’t do anything with this damn arm and I needed stimulation. I didn’t know James stole you too!” You lightly hit him in the chest and scowled, “I thought we had a rule.”

The doctor suddenly looked bashful as he stared at your feet, “There was an exception to the rule,” From behind his back, he revealed a plant. It looked like a venus fly trap, but it was maroon. “ “It looks like dionaea muscipula, but I’ve never seen one this color. Or as large.” You gently cradled the propagate in your hands, breathing gently as you inspected it. “Usually 10cm is the largest they get. This one could be significantly bigger.” You finally looked up at him, tears slightly welling up in your eyes, “Thank you,” 

Suddenly you were surrounded by him. His hand on your face, his smell swirling around, and most importantly his lips on yours. They were soft, a complete contrast to the finger grazing over your cheek. You couldn’t help but smile into the kiss as you leaned into him. He wrapped his free hand around your waist and pulled you against him. You were hyper aware of the feeling of his chest against yours, you swore your breathing was in sync. 

Leonard pulled away first, deciding that air was actually a vital part of his plan to have a future with you. He rested his forehead against yours, placing a chaste kiss to your nose, “Maybe I can get used to the chickens.”

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

Leonard practically dragged you out to the turbolift. Only giving you a split second to stop by the greenhouse to drop off your new favorite thing. Surprised you were able to make the short ride to his quarters without your hands all over each other. He held your hand the entire time and you couldn’t help but notice how opposite the two of you looked. Leonard with a determined look taking over his features, he was desperate to be alone with you and he couldn’t stop bouncing as you waited to arrive at the correct floor. You, on the other hand, looked completely love drunk. Still reeling from the kiss, just happy to be near him and along for the ride.

He pulled you down the hallway and you did everything you could to stay on your feet as you tripped after him. He turned back to look before picking you up, tossing you over his shoulder and he resumed his pace. You let a giggle fall out of you, hanging over his back, staring at the floor. He hummed in response, and you couldn’t help but shake your head, knowing he couldn’t see you, deciding to keep this to yourself. He stopped, arriving at his door, and soon you were in the darkness and privacy of his personal space. The room is familiar in the dim lighting from the late night visits that happened occasionally. He continued, moving to a space you had never seen before, his bedroom.

You couldn’t help the flurry you were feeling in your stomach, suddenly aware of everything around you. Taking in what the room looked like, you could definitely see Leonard in the space, it was nicely decorated. The sheets looked soft, a rich phthalo green with matching comforter. The night stands were simply decorated, with a single light on each, one of them holding a photo of he and James at the Academy. The rest of the room had small trinkets, and a couple of dirty clothes were sitting on a chair in the corner. What really caught your eye was the small purple succulent sitting on his dresser.

“You put him on your dresser?” You couldn’t help but ask, knowing he would know exactly what you were talking about. The succulent was your first surviving propagation of its kind. You had affectionately named him ‘Jim’.

“Yeah, I brought him home that very day. I’ve been following all your rules. Even had Scotty set me up special lights so the little could get the effects on sunlight.” He set you down on the bed and looked at you, before stepping forward and weaving his way between your legs, currently towering over you. You wanted to drool, you were sure this was heaven. He was kissing you again, this time deeper than before, his tongue already begging as you moved your lips against his. Ever so slightly you moved back onto the bed, slowly lying down as Leonard climbed on top of you. His hands slowly moved up your shirt and you couldn’t help but try and press your body against his hands. Trying to desperately communicate the need for his touch.

“Len,” you whispered and he looked at you. His eyes softened as he took in the sight of you, a hand coming up to cup your cheek, you couldn’t help but pull him into a hug, pulling him down until his entire body weight was on top of you. You couldn’t help the contented sigh that fell from your lips as you embraced this feeling. He felt like a weighted blanket on top of you, bringing a sense of peace with him as your breathing synced together,  “I missed you.”

“I missed you too Darlin’” Your hands grabbed the back hem of his shirt, gently tugging and trying to pull it up his body, Leonard picking up the hints. Moving off you, he finished the job you were working on, before you sat up, allowing him to pull your shirt off you. “You’re gorgeous,” again you wrapped up in a kiss, and it was everything you had been dreaming about since you met him. 

Soon enough, you were naked, your lower half dangling off the edge of the bed, Leonard stroking himself as he stared at you. You swore you could feel his eyes burning into your skin as he raked you over, looking as if he was trying to memorize every inch of your body, the adoration radiating off him made you want to cry. You couldn’t remember a time anyone had made you feel this way just from a look. You didn’t know why you were suddenly so emotional, but now you were worried you were ruining the moment. You saw Leonard’s face change as he moved toward you. 

“(Y/N)?” He scooped you up, sitting you on his lap, his thumb brushing away the one rogue tear that escaped, “What’s wrong?”

You shook your head and smiled, “Nothing, it was just the way you looked at me.” You turned around in his lap, straddling him. You slowly kissed your way around his jaw line, up to his ear before gently nibbling on his ear lobe. You kept your lips pressed to his skin as you whispered in his ear, “Now, where were we Doctor?”

You shivered as he gripped your thighs, you slowly hiked yourself up placing one hand on Leonard’s shoulder to keep yourself steady using the other to line yourselves up. You didn’t miss the way he bit down on his lip as soon as your hand wrapped around his cock. Slowly easing yourself down onto him, you slowly stretched down until your thighs were touching his, placing both arms on his shoulders as you gave a few small bounces just to adjust yourself. Adjusting your knees, you started rotating your hips while setting a steady pace as you started to spring up and down. Having to quickly adjust when Leonard dropped to his elbows, and you came with him. 

He now had the upper hand, using one arm to wrap around your waist, keeping you in place, using the other to hold your chin, maintaining eye contact as he set a brutal pace, his hips almost smashing into yours. The new angle had changed and suddenly you couldn’t stop the moan that fell from your lips, seeing a smirk appear on Leonard’s face. “You sound so pretty,” He swiped his thumb over your lips and instinctively you slightly parted your mouth, “Say my name darlin.’”

You couldn’t help the heat that burned your cheeks, deciding to try and get back at him for the compromising position he put you in, “Leona-” You didn’t get to finish his name before his hips stopped moving. His arm is still locking you in place. You wanted to pout at the sudden loss of movement but didn’t have enough time as you were on your back now. Legs resting around his hips, his free hand now gripping one of your hips, as he slowly leaned in closer.

He adjusted the way he was holding your chin, he now rested your chin in the dip between his thumb and index finger, with each holding onto your jaw and adjusting your head to look at him, “I don’t think you heard me, what’s my name?”

“Dr. McCoy,” You looked at him through lidded eyes, eyes closing at his grip on your jaw tightened for a split second, before his hand on your hip pulled you closer to him. Settling a tortuous pace as he thrust into you, hiking your hips higher up as you started thrusting up towards him, desperate for more. He slowed down for a split second, a hand coming to rest by your throat. His fingers instinctively fell on your carotid. 

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay? Your heart rate seems pretty elevated,” He softly widened his grip, his hand now resting at the base of your neck.

“I was hoping you could tell me Doctor,” Leonard leaned down close to you, his fingers already slowly inching to either side of your neck, “Are you okay with this.” 

You quickly nodded your head and wiggled your body, closer to his, “Yes Le-” You swallowed, avoiding eye contact with him, “Yes Dr, McCoy.”

He applied pressure to the sides of your throat, you tilted your head back, almost as if you were presenting your neck to him and you could have died hearing the low moans Leonard was placing in your ear. You hummed as your eyes drifted shut, and you could feel the coil that had been tightening was ready to snap. 

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you (Y/N),” He thrust to punctuate every word and there you went. You gasped and drug your nails down his back as your thighs tightened around his waist. Leonard released his grip from around your neck and pulled away from you, spilling all over your stomach. He was gone the next second, before returning with a warm wash rag, practically wiping you down from head to toe. You couldn’t help yourself when you settled down under the sheets, face buried in the pillows that smelt like him.

Leonard soon returned, climbing into the bed beside you and pulling you into his chest. Kissing the top of your head before speaking, “Are you okay? I know that got intense pretty fast,” His fingers were absentmindedly running through your hair.

You yawned, moving yourself closer so your ear was pressed up against his chest, his heartbeat thrumming in your ears. You nodded against his ribcage, “I’m fine. I’m great actually…and the ‘Doctor Thing’ is kinda hot.” You could feel his chest shake with a silent laugh and you yawned again.  Pulling the blanket up to your neck and quickly falling into the best sleep you had received in weeks.

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

Leonard instinctively grabbed for you when he rolled over half awake in bed. He received no reprieve from the empty sheets, they were still slightly warm, and now he was wide awake. Scanning the room with his eyes, he couldn’t see you anywhere. There was something new on the dresser and he slowly made his way over to it. It was a note from you, and he couldn’t help but notice how elegant your handwriting was as it scrawled across the page. ‘I needed coffee, and you have none. Come find me if you would like a cup.” 

Leonard almost seemed like he was on autopilot as he dressed and brushed his teeth, leaving his quarters with only his comm and a mission to see you again. He quickly arrived in front of your door, and knocked within the same breath, realizing how desperate he was to see you. Now you stood in front of him, in a white t-shirt. He swallowed thickly as he could see your nipples pressed against the fabric, noticing how the pajama pants you stole from him hung around your waist.

He noticed the way you were looking at him, eyes still slightly coated with tiredness as they scanned his face, he tried to remain as untroubled as possible, trying not to give any signs of doubt as he stared back at you. He had something important he needed to tell you. You slowly reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him back into your quarters with you. Leonard could smell the freshly ground coffee and finally took a glance around now that he was here again. Taking in more than just the photos on your walls. 

He watched as you made your way across the room from him, back toward the espresso machine that sat on your counter, “Now how did you manage to pull that off?”

You looked over your shoulder as you giggled, “Listen, when it comes to Starfleet, I’m not dumb. I know that I’m a nepo baby and I know that I could have everything the easy way. I could take advantage of everything and everyone would let me. James could too.” Leonard scoffed as you started swirling and lightly tapping your steamed milk, “I know that my last name carries a legacy that I won’t ever feel I have earned.” You started slowly pouring the milk into a steel Starfleet mug, “However, almost everyone else thinks that just carrying her name is enough to give me the world. Spock knew that, he challenged me all throughout my time in Starfleet, and yes the age gap was definitely weird for everyone at first, but he sees something in me, something I never will.” You looked up at him as you started tamping your espresso, “Admiral Pike knew that. It’s because he knows me. I’ve called that man Uncle Chris since I could talk. He knew a pay bump wasn’t going to get me to leave my station. Especially to come to the ship he was the first captain of. So he gave me Spock, and a brand new espresso machine.” 

Your fingers tapped on the edge of the counter as you bit your bottom lip. You grabbed your finished espresso shot, holding it up to the light and inspecting it. “I was a barista once, and I loved it, it gave me something that made me feel like me. The other people in the coffee shop didn’t know who I was, or if they did they didn’t care.” You were practically speaking into the counter as you delicately poured the shot over your milk. “My mom would have loved it. If there’s one thing my dad drilled into my head, it’s that I didn’t have to choose Starfleet.” You now held a bottle filled with a purple syrup. You steadied your hand as you etched a simple crosshatch pattern into the top of the foam.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said in med bay for a couple days now,” You quickly sanitized everything, exchanging steaming pitchers, mugs, and even the shot glass, “My mom, is the reason I do anything in this life.” He watched as you started your process over again. Moving at a slightly quicker pace this time, “She died when I saw 5. It’s been 20 years and yet her birthday still feels like my day of atonement.” Leonard noticed how you adjusted the amount of coffee in the puck and the amount of water, “My last relationship ended because he proposed, and then I found out he had a wife.” You couldn’t help but happily gasp as you finally watched the shots finish pulling. 

“Just because you were married the person you, at one point in time, loved,” You were now steadily pouring the milk into the espresso that laid in the bottom on the mug, the stream of milk coming from your steaming pitcher couldn’t have been thicker than a pencil, “It doesn’t mean that you’re broken, and if you are, then so am I. And so is James. And Spock as well. Every single person on this ship,” You handed him the mug, “Is broken in some way, and it doesn’t make them any less worthy of love.” 

You cradled your mug in your hands before sitting across from him, in a small armchair you managed to tastefully squeeze in the small living room provided to you, “I love Spock, and I love James,” you swiftly pulled your legs underneath you, “And I love you, Leonard. And you are worthy of love.”

You slowly took a sip from your mug, watching his reaction as you tried to keep a somewhat safe distance from him, it wasn’t every day you could pull that conversation out of thin air. You became somewhat concerned as Leonard stared at his coffee, after a couple more seconds he looked at you and you felt like you could breathe again.

“Do you remember the first time you ever came to med bay? The conversation we had?

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

Leonard couldn’t help but stare at the perfect white dot that stood perfectly in the middle of the carmel colored drink from the milk and espresso mixing together. He felt breathless. You remembered, this was the first time he had coffee made by you since he ran away. He swore he could feel his heart swell, looking at the act of love made right in front of his face. “And I love you, Leonard. And you are worthy of love.” He wanted to run. To move out of your eyesight, and if he could, out of your life.

He couldn’t. He wouldn’t dare. You were here, why would he ever leave? He took in everything around him, trying to stifle his nervous system that was telling him to abort the mission. He swore he could see the flashing red lights in his vision. He finally looked at you and the room was alive and it was all because of you, you were the sunshine he so desperately craved. Like his own personal star.  “Do you remember the first time you ever came to med bay? The conversation we had?”

“I remember the big three,” you softly smiled at him, and he watched as you took another sip from your mug.

Leonard just needed a little bit more context, for his own peace, to make sure the both of you were on the same page, “The big three?”

 “We talked about how flat whites are your preferred drink of choice, we talked about ‘the deal’ with me and Spock, and we talked about how you didn’t believe in soulmates.” It almost seemed like you had a checklist to remember. Feeling quite pleased with himself that you seemed to be on the same page already. 

“I never believed in having a soulmate. Not just for me, but for everyone. I’ve always thought it was crazy to love someone based on a mark we’ve had since we were born.” Leonard finally took his first drink, appreciating the warm, velvety milk that soothed his groggy morning throat, “The idea that you can’t love someone just because you weren’t chosen for them was always ridiculous to me. I’ve always wanted to reject the idea that someone should love me just because of a damn sign from the universe I had no say in.”

His gaze seemed more intense now, hoping you would know the gravity of the words he was trying to muster the courage to say. He was in this for the long haul, for the rest of his life. ‘The night I came to check on you I saw it. In the photo of you and Jim.”

You smiled at him and Leonard took a shaky breath, “Your mark is the dendrites of a multipolar neuron,” He watched your face morph as you brought your wrist to your face, gently tracing the lines with your fingers. Leonard pulled his arm out of the black thermal he was wearing, and for the first time, he turned his arm, and just below the crease of his elbow, was the finishing piece of yours, “I got the terminals of the neuron,”

“They look like plant roots,” You mused from your spot on the chair, now leaning over the arm of the chair to get a closer look, “Everything clicked that night,” Leonard stood, moving in front of you and bringing your wrist to the inside of his elbow, watching as your bodies and the image connected, “I ran away that night because I was scared. The thought of you being mine was almost too much to handle, then I saw the way you looked at me. No one had ever looked at me like that.” He was now holding your hand, watching as a slight blush consumed your cheeks. “You still look at me like that. I love you (Y/N), and the only thing I ever want is to be yours.”

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

You wanted to cry,you had been naked in front of Leonard before but now you felt like you had been stripped bare, you needed a break in this conversation. You could feel the heaviness in the air, making it hard to breathe. “People will say things about you Leonard. It’s happened before.” 

“What? They’ll think I’m with you for the status?” Leonard puffed his chest playfully.

“No, that’s not what I’m worried about.” You straightened yourself up, now on your knees as you locked eye contact with Leonard, “You’re the CMO of the USS Enterprise, you don’t need my status. No, what I’m worried about is that you’re one of the youngest men I’ve dated, and that’s still a 9 year age difference.”

“Youngest? I told Jim they’d never let me speak at the Academy again.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, pulling him in by the front of his shirt, “I’ll have you know I am a grown adult Dr. McCoy. With a fully formed prefrontal cortex. I think I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions.” You were hovering in front of his lips when you saw a small smile make an appearance, a knock at the door pulled two two of you out of your reverie and you groaned. Pulling away from him and grumbling under your breath all the way to your door.

James was waiting, bouncing in place as he tried seeing into your room from his angle in the hallway. “Did Leonard give you his gift?” James bounced his eyebrows up and down at you. 

“If you’re talking about the potentially giant venus fly trap then, yes.” You crossed your arms over your chest.

“So, it’s giant huh?” A smirk cracking his face as he watched yours morph.

“I mean…” you paused, not knowing if Leonard wanted to tell people, before shrugging your shoulders as you fully faced James, measuring the air with your pointer fingers.

“Are you serious? Tell me you’re joking?” You slightly jumped as Leonard placed his hand on your shoulder. 

“What are we joking about?” He yawned after he spoke and you knew it couldn’t have been any earlier than 0700. 

“James doesn’t believe you have a big dick.” You laughed as Leonard suddenly stood straighter and seemed to tense up, you turned toward him, pulling him down for a gentle kiss, “James didn’t believe that we actually told each other how we felt.”

“Thank god you did because my next plan was to strand the two of you in a desert at night.” 

“Goodbye James,” you briefly waved before closing the door and pulling Leonard into your bedroom.

[gatefleet]

This is so cute! It makes me want to rewatch AOS trilogy ❤️

Name: Is your intercom on? Pairing: Bones (Dr. McCoy) x reader Summary: the reader is talking to Kirk via intercom when Bones storms into Kirk’s cabin and (accidentally) confesses his feelings for the reader.

“Alright, captain,” you look through Spock’s log once again - ever since Kirk fell sick and resigned to his rooms for a week (well, was resigned by Doctor McCoy, while Kirk was loudly promising to be back and punish everyone who helped his capture and lockup), captain’s been convinced that you have to update him every evening on every single event on the ship, including minor arguments and color of Spock’s shirt. Even though it never changes. “The transporter room has been maintained well, no more breakdowns.”

“Good, good,” Kirk answers, and you fell in the silence again - nothing has been happening, and you know that Kirk cannot just accept that. “What about Scotty?”

“Engineering is all well,” you want to say something else, but Kirk interrupts you.

“Hold on, someone wants to talk to me over here. For once. Give me a minute,” you nod, and Kirk stops talking to you, asking his visitor to come in.

“Jim, how are you feeling?” it is Dr. McCoy, so you just sigh and lean back in your chair, expecting a couple of minutes of usual doctor’s check-up before your torture continues for good half an hour.

“Ready for duty, Bones. You gotta let me out of here,” Kirk almost begs, and you hear McCoy chuckle. The doctor may be rough and often mean, but you have to accept that he has a magnificent choice - something soothing on almost cellular level.

“You know as well as I do that it is for your own good,” there is the noise of the chair being pulled out, and you figure out that Bones sat down next to Kirk. A bit strange for a regular check-up, and you are proven right soon. “I need you to do something for me, Jim. Very important and very personal.”

“What’s wrong, Bones?” Kirk suddenly sounds concerned, and you imagine McCoy’s face now - maybe frowning, serious, his usually annoyed eyes looking especially tired.

“I need you to relieve Y/L/N from med bay duty,” you wanted to take your earpiece out, but now you have a right to listen, even though you are at least scared of losing your job and being re-assigned to another ship.

“Y/N?” Kirk sounds just as surprised as you are.

“Yes.”

“Why? I thought she was doing good job helping you. And with Christine gone to take care of her family, you need some help. If she made a mistake, I am sure she is doing her best, and I can’t offer you anyone else at the moment,” you sigh with relief - at least the captain is on your side.

“Oh no, she is doing a sublime job,” McCoy convinces Jim, but insists on his pointless point. “But I need her out of my sight as soon as possible.”

“Bones, that sounds just stupid. Did you fight over a syringe?” Kirk laughs at his own joke, trying to reduce the pressure. “Seriously, I can’t just relieve a good ensign off a duty without a good reason.”

“Then come up with one.”

“Bones?” Kirk sounds peremptorily, suddenly reminding you that he is a captain for a reason.

“I can’t see her every day, Jim. It’s horrible,” you wonder what you could have done so dreadful that doctor McCoy (the man that is generally very good to you) wants to get rid of you.

“Bones, what the hell is all of that about? I could suspend you for those words!”

“Jim, I am falling for her,” McCoy whispers so quietly, you can hardly make the words out. “I thought that after my ex-wife, I would never do that to myself, but… I am like a teenage boy, I am losing my brain! I am making the same mistake all over again, and I… I am enjoying it,” you would gasp. Or scream. or swear. But then you remember that you are basically eavesdropping, so you better stay quiet.

“You… are having a crush on Y/N?” Kirk repeats slowly, just as shocked as you are. “Then why don’t you just ask the girl out?”

“I can’t do this emotional rollercoaster thing again,” McCoy informs Jim, then sighs and (judging by the sound) slams his head against the table. “It sucks, Jim. Not seeing her hurts. Seeing her hurts. I feel like an idiot.”

“Are you sure she will be the same as your ex-wife though? She sounds like a horrible human being, and I have nothing but good things to say about Y/N.”

“I am unlucky like that,” then McCoy smiles (you can hear that in his voice). “But she is sweet, you know. It’s easy with her, almost like breathing.”

“Sounds like more than a crush, buddy. Why don’t you just ask the girl out and get it over with?” Kirk seems to have forgotten that you are listening to the entire conversation.

“No one would want a divorced guy with literally just bones left,” McCoy chuckles sadly, and you fight the desire to say that you would want a guy like that. Well, have been wanting this one specific guy for quite a while now. It is quiet in the intercom for a few seconds, then McCoy speaks again, this time his voice serious and concerned. “Jim, is… is your intercom on?”

“Oh, yes,” Kirk sounds a bit embarrassed (but not sorry, never sorry).

“Is someone listening?”

“Maybe?” Kirk seems to get what’s happened. And so does McCoy, his voice gets lower a notch, as he sighs and asks the next question.

“Is it Y/N? Jim?” Kirk doesn’t answer, and McCoy talks directly to you with the remainder of hope in his voice - he probable would rather have anyone (including Spock) be on the end of the line rather than you. “Is it you?”

“Sorry,” you whisper, and the next sound is (as far as you can make out) the mixture of threats and breaking of a PADD against someone’s head. Or just a breaking a PADD, you don’t think McCoy would actually attack captain. But who knows, who knows. “Uhm… Doctor McCoy?”

“Yes, Y/N,” his voice at the very least is miserable, but you hear Kirk moan something in the background, so you suppose he will have his revenge.

“I wanted to say… You are wrong. Some people would very much want a guy like you. You underestimate yourself a lot,” the last sentence you have to push through the wave of red blush that locks your throat. McCoy doesn’t say anything, and you are about to pull the earpiece out, when he answers.

“Then… Would that someone have dinner with me tomorrow evening?” you have no idea why he isn’t killing Jim right now. Or why he is even asking you out.

“It would be an absolute pleasure, yes.”

“I will see you tomorrow then. Have a good night sleep.. Er… A good night.”

“Good night, doctor,” you pull out the earpiece, smiling like an idiot, imagining how much Kirk is getting chased around his rooms right now. Or getting hugged - there is no way to know.

Tagged: @memyselfandmaddox

[captainsophiestark]

Not A Doctor

Bones McCoy x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written 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

Summary: Bones' SO hurts themselves on an away mission and has to stitch themselves up as well as they can to buy time for a med evac to the Enterprise

Word Count: 1,533

Category: Fluff, Humor, a little bit of Angst

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

"Shit," I hissed, pressing a hand to my side as I slid down the wall. When I finally got up the courage to pull my hand back and look, it came away with a lot more blood than I'd hoped to find. I'd fallen pretty far and managed to avoid any broken bones based on my pain levels, but the wound in my side was gaping and looked concerningly serious.

I could practically hear the extended bridge crew chorusing "I told you so" from here.

As if on cue, my communicator beeped. I grimaced, but managed to take it out of my bag and open it to respond.

"What's up?" I groaned.

"Y/N, where are you?" came the voice of Jim Kirk, one of my best friends and the captain of the Enterprise. "Scotty's reporting he can only find two targets to beam up."

Dammit. That figured.

"I'm... not totally sure. I was trying to follow the signature on my tricorder to that plant I've been looking for when the ground just gave way under me. I'm not sure how far I fell, but I hit something pretty hard on the way down and I've got... quite the gash in my side."

Silence on the other end for a few moments, then:

"Hang tight. We're coming to find you."

The communicator hung up with a click, and I sighed, ignoring the flare of pain in my side. I had faith in Jim's determination and ability to find me, especially with Spock here helping him, but I still needed to do something if I wanted to be alive when they found me.

Thankfully, I'd watched my boyfriend, Doctor Leonard McCoy, stich people up often enough that I felt fairly confident I could do a passable job on myself. I dug some sewing supplies out of my bag that I hadn't removed from my last away mission misadventure, and pulled the hem of my shirt up to get a better look at the wound.

I grimaced, gritting my teeth and trying to prepare for this. I'd been so excited to join Kirk and Spock on this away mission. This planet was supposed to have one of the rarest plants in the galaxy, and I'd been looking forward to finding it since I'd first heard we'd be coming here. And now, I was at the bottom of this pit or cave or whatever, slowly bleeding out, without even a picture of the plant to show for it.

Ugh.

I tried to focus on my breathing as I threaded a needle and put it to my skin. I knew the wound needed to be disinfected before I totally closed it, but I didn't have anything on me to do that with, and I knew Bones would be able to take care of it for me if I could manage to get back to him.

I took a few deep breaths to steel myself, then stuck the needle through. I swore loudly and kept up a steady stream of expletives as I sewed up the wound. I pulled it closed as tightly as I dared, then held my jacket to my waist to try to staunch the remainder of the bleeding.

I sighed, long and hard, then leaned my head back against the wall of whatever hole I'd fallen into. I had no idea how long those stitches had taken me, but it certainly hadn't been quick. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too much longer before I heard Jim and Spock stumbling down some passage towards me.

I focused on deep breaths as the pain continued to throb in my side, completely zoning out to the time and environment around me. Finally, I heard some shuffling movement from a slightly more gradual incline up ahead of me. The voices of my friends echoed out, curious and searching.

"Y/N!"

"I'm here!" I called back, my voice a little weaker than normal. I cleared my throat, then tried again. "Here!"

A moment later, my friends came into view. Jim grinned at me as Spock started scanning the space, probably trying to decide on the best way to get me out of here.

"How're you holding up?" asked Jim. I forced a smile.

"Living the dream."

He scoffed, then moved to crouch beside me and put one of my arms over his shoulder.

"Spock! Come help me."

"We'll need to get around the corner and most of the way back up the incline we came down to reach a spot where Mr. Scott can register us," said Spock as he joined us. "There seems to be some property of this rock that's prohibiting the transporter signal from reaching us."

"Great," I huffed, grimacing as my friends pulled me to my feet. Even resting most of my weight on them, I was still seeing spots. "This is gonna be great."

Between the three of us, somehow, we managed to get back into transporter range. I almost lost consciousness at one point, but we'd paused, and I'd managed to pull myself back from the brink. When the Enterprise's transporter room finally materialized before me, the relief was palpable, not least of all because Bones was waiting for me.

"Y/N," he said, jumping to attention and rushing onto the pad to replace Jim at my side. With Spock's help, we started moving immediately for the Med Bay. "What happened?"

"I was following the signature of the plant I was looking for on my tricorder. Then all of a sudden, the ground gave way underneath me. It wasn't a straight drop, I don't think, but I fell a pretty long way, bouncing off the rock slide and the walls of the cave I fell into on the way down. I'm bruised, but I don't think it's anything bad besides the cut on my stomach."

Bones nodded. "We'll get you to Med Bay and make sure."

Luckily, my boyfriend was very good at staying calm and focused in a crisis for his patients. He was completely in the zone as he and Spock helped me into a bed once we reached Med Bay, and then Bones started checking my vitals and assessing my injuries. I watched him carefully for any break in his usual bedside manner to tell me if I needed to be worried about something, but none came.

Hopefully that was a good sign, and not just because he was an incredible doctor.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to me, Bones returned from his testing and reappeared by  my bedside. His hands were on his hips, but he seemed calmer, and definitely out of intense doctor mode.

"Alright, the good news is you'll be just fine. But I'm still gonna need to disinfect the wound and stitch you up," he said. I gave him the best smile I could muster.

"Sounds like a plan."

He sighed, then gently lifted my shirt high enough to give him access to the gash in my side. The light touch of his fingertips sent goosebumps along my skin, but I did my best to ignore them, especially as Bones frowned.

"What the hell did you do to yourself?" he asked, not looking away from his work on my side.

"Uh... I slammed into a rock. We covered this already, remember?"

"No, I didn't mean your injury." Bones paused and looked up at me, the smallest smile tugging at his lips. "I meant these stitches. Yikes."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, making Bones chuckle as he got back to work.

"Okay, whatever. I'm a biologist, not a doctor, dammit. I think I did a pretty good job, considering the circumstances."

"Mm, I guess so. Barely."

"Hey!" I laughed, hitting him lightly in the shoulder. "You better knock it off or I'm gonna start practicing my stitches on you."

Bones snorted, but I could see the smile on his face as he continued working. Thanks to the medical facilities of the Enterprise, it barely hurt as he undid my messy job and redid it with a much better one of his own.

"So... what are you doing after this?" I asked after a few long moments of letting him work in peace. He paused to look up at me again, one eyebrow raised.

"Don't tell me you're hitting on your own boyfriend after only the low-level painkillers I gave you?"

"I can and will hit on my own boyfriend whenever I want, no painkillers required. But I was mostly asking if you had other patients to deal with after me, or if you'd be free to come cuddle on the couch and eat junk food with me. I think it'd really help speed up my recovery process."

Bones' mouth quirked into a smile again as he put the finishing touches on my stitches.

"Well if it's for the wellness of a patient... I think Nurse Chapel might be willing to take over from me for the rest of the day."

"Thank goodness for Christine."

Bones and I shared a smile, then he returned to his work and I watched him contentedly. Obviously, life and death situations on away missions were never ideal—but I couldn't really bring myself to be upset about how this one had played out, even if I hadn't managed to get my plant in the end.

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

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