#leonard mccoy headcanon

[phantomcurses]

Yess tng and tos?! I have one for my grumpy mccoy from tos! Both reader and mccoy are in love with eachother but they are oblivious. On the enterprise christmas Party, jim decides to put them under a mistletoe to end their misery 😅 Also i have more stuff for q, one for jim kirk and also one for pike. You will get some stuff from me 😊 Thank you

ahhh this is so cute!! i love bones, my beloved grumpy doctor lol. definitely kick started my love for grumpy characters! i did also get your other star trek requests, and i'll work on them soon! if there's any other requests that you have, feel free to send them in! :) i also hope that headcanons are okay, it's what i was inspired more for this request!

you and leonard are always tiptoeing around the feelings you have for each other. it wasn't inherently obvious to either one of you that the other had feelings, but by god, did everyone else on the ship see it. it annoyed them a bit, but no one was going to say anything.

unless it was jim, who had a plan to set in action. there was a christmas party coming up, and jim had a few plans up his sleeve to get you two to finally understand your feelings for one another.

he employed some other people in the area as well, primarily uhura and scotty; spock didn't really get the idea of putting people together if they didn't see the feelings.

while jim was laying his plan out, you and leonard were setting up your own plans for showing up to the party. or the manner of dancing around the question of if you would show up together, if leonard would escort you there.

"you know, we could show up together. if that's what you'd like of course, i don't know when you plan on being ready." bones asked, fiddling with the medical equipment in his hands as you were cleaning up your station from the lengthy surgery you had. your face feels hot, as leonard's face also warms at the boldness of his question to you.

"you know, never mind, i'm sure i'll see you there, i don't want to hold you up getting ready." he says, taking back his words, feeling awkward in semi asking you to the party.

"sounds good, lee. it'll be a fun night." sending a wistful smile his way, wishing you said yes faster than he took back his words. (this type of interaction of backtracking on one another is so common, it's exactly why jim feels the need to intervene.)

soon, your shifts end, and he walks you to your room. he nods your way as he heads back to his room to get ready for the party. any conversation you have with him is easy, and it wasn't so hard to break into his gruff exterior. he gave you many butterflies whenever you two talked.

you rush to get ready and arrive to the party where it's in full swing by the time you arrive with music in the background, trying to seek out leonard. so you're shocked when he comes behind you and touches your shoulder, and you swing around. he apologizes, handing you one of the hot chocolates he has in his hand he grabbed before coming to see you. thankful, you grab it.

you also can't help but to laugh at his shirt, not used to seeing him in a christmas themed sweater, something sillier than what you're used to seeing him in.

you both wander towards the exit, where it's quieter, to engage with conversation better, and to talk with some other coworkers you don't get to see often because they work in other areas. eventually the two of you are separated into different groups when talking, but you don't mind since you'll see him again before the night is over. suddenly, uhura, who in the middle of conversation with you, makes eye contact with someone and suddenly grips your arm, turns you around, and pushes you a few feet forward.

you're face to face with leonard now, who is being pushed by jim and scotty, turning towards uhura, wondering what on earth was going on. they're all sending each other villainous smiles, which you know means nothing good. leonard looks confused as well, suspicion high in how he raised his eyebrow.

"finally, no one is in the way of the doorway." scotty says, his accent stronger from the alcohol he was drinking. "yeah, we've been waiting all night for this moment." uhura chimes in. "you know the earth tradition of mistletoe?" jim asks, and you groan, since you know what he's talking about.

all of a sudden they ditch, leaving you and leonard there, and he's looking at you, apprehensive to the next step, waiting for you to take the lead, not wanting to make you uncomfortable. you gaze up at the plant hanging in the doorway, wondering where they could have possibly gotten that, but you look back at leonard and without a second thought, brought him in for a kiss.

there was a moment where leonard didn't know what to do with his hands, and you almost step back in fear of going to far, but you don't get that chance as he wraps them around your waist and pulls you in closer. it's enough to ignore the cheers of others, and you lean into his kiss further, inhaling his cologne. you pull back to take a breath, and relish in the knowledge that in the future, you'll both be walking to parties together.

[blanc-ci]

Puts them all in a box together and shakes them around

[fruitsboots]

I'm a nail technician and here's a big list of headcanons about the kinds of clients the TOS Enterprise crew would be!

Kirk:

-shows up on time for appointment but sometimes has to cancel super last minute.

-doesn't bite his nails but picks at them and his cuticles. not enough to bleed or anything but enough that most of his appointment is cuticle work.

- "Cut them short" my guy there's no free edge.

- holds still, uses arm rest appropriately, doesn't stiffen his hands. no polish, just buffed smooth. jokes every time that next time maybe he'll go with a hot pink.

-asks a lot of questions and chats at the beginning of the appointment but ends up getting a little bored by the end.

-always tips very well but doesn't rebook, he'll call you.

Spock:

-doesn't make appointments, just shows up sometimes on slow days and asks to use certain supplies.

-does his own nails and keeps them very nice and neat. nail beds to die for. Nails grow very fast.

-On occasion has been talked into a dark polish and will let someone else do that for him (he's not very good at the application).

-sits a little too stiffly like he's concentrating. speaks when spoken to. doesn't linger long, the smell gives him a headache.

-doesn't tip but you’re not sure if he knows he’s supposed to.

McCoy:

-calls and asks if there’s time for a walk in then shows up later than he tells you but usually has a good excuse.

-Hands are dry as hell from washing them a lot. Worst, driest cuticles. Always gets a split on the edge of his pointer finger.

-Sits too far away from the table, at an angle, hunched, wrists on the armrest and elbows locked. Has to be asked to scoot arms forward a million times.

-Is annoying to work on technically, but fun to chat with. Always turns into a complaint session but in the best way. Wants to know the drama in your life and gives opinions.

- Closes eyes and tries not to doze off during the hand massage. Wipes off all the lotion that he desperately needs.

-Tips alright and always says he’ll come back soon but you know it’ll be another 4 months.

Uhura:

-has a standing appointment every 3 weeks and is never late, sometimes she’ll bring you a drink and apologizes when she doesn’t.

-Did her own nails for a long time and keeps them well manicured between appointments.

-Will (properly!) remove her own gel polish before appointments to save you the trouble.

- Tends to go for lighter, pearlescent shades. Always asks what you have that’s new but then picks one of her go-tos.

- Loves to look at nail art but doesn’t usually get it.

-Super bubbly during appointments, very patient, sits perfectly. Always enthusiastic about the result and gives lots of praise.

-Tips well and takes business cards to give to people.

Chapel:

-Not really supposed to get her nails done but does anyways. Doesn’t have super regular appointments but usually books with Uhura when she does.

-Usually shows up with chipped polish from last time that desperately needed removed 3 weeks ago.

-Gets light/sheer colors.

-Sometimes will book for a gel manicure and then tell you she doesn’t actually want polish this time even tho she needs it. Nice nails beds but they are thin and peel a bit without anything on them.

-Apologizes for no reason multiple times. Thanks you as if it were an inconvenience to do her nails? 

-After a few appointments, she loosens up a bit. Tips decent.

Sulu:

-has gotten his nails done like five times just for fun.

-Keeps them short, not much cuticle work. Why are you here??

- Will get a couple “masculine” designs and isn’t picky about them. “You just do whatever you think will look best :) “

-genuinely fun to have as a client but needs some direction on how to sit etc. can talk about anything.

-Didn’t tip the first time bc he didn’t know and felt bad so he always does, but it’s not much.

Scotty:

-how can one man have so much grease under his nails?

-Has a standing appointment once a month for just a nail trim but should be more like every two weeks.

-Asks questions about nail equipment (UV lamp, e-file, etc).

-Talks a bit during the appointment and then stands around after chatting. Always tips like 2$ but sometimes brings baked goods, etc.

Chekov:

-wanders in with a bruised nail and is like “what can you do for this” nothing dude.

-Leaves and comes back later to buy a gift certificate to give to a girl.

[dustykneed]

the rough childhood trio with their childhood pets. (each of these gets a couple sentences of variably cryptic context-- all up for interpretation, of course. in my head these are all bittersweet ^^)

i-chaya wasn't supposed to be at school, technically, but amanda had a talk with the teachers, and they concluded that it was logical to allow i-chaya to continue to accompany spock to school, when his performance showed such marked improvement when she was around.

sometimes, during intervals between lessons, which were always timed precisely for optimal development of social skills, spock would sit cross-legged in a corner of the schoolyard, and i-chaya would sink down onto the red sand beside him and nudge at his cheek with her damp nose, and spock would reach up into her coarse, thick coat and press his forehead into the safety of her fur until the stinging remarks of the other children would melt and fall away in the harsh vulcan sun.

"he's up there in the stars, jamie. whenever you feel like you're on your own, just look up at the night sky and count the stars. he would've been so proud of you."

james tiberius kirk read, once, that pigs were unable to look up at the sky. from then on, he made sure to prop all of the pigs on the farm up every so often, so that they could look at the stars with him. for his birthday, his mother knit him two matching sweaters with stars on the chest-- one for him, and the other for wilbur (the grandpiglet of the sow she tripped over a decade ago).

bones was raised, essentially, by the large, calico barncat who lived on the mccoys' farm. she had not been named, and she wouldn't let anyone else touch her-- only bones.

when he was a baby, she curled up beside him in his crib with her tail around his ankle to stop him from crawling out and hurting himself.

when he got older, on difficult days, she would grab him by the sock and drag him to the old rocking chair in the attic and curl up on his lap and bite at his fingers until he could bring himself to pet her, and then she would purr and purr as he stroked through her warm, soft fur and rocked himself better in the big rocking chair. if anyone tried to drag bones away, she would hiss and yowl and bat vehemently at the intruding hands until he could be left alone.

[darkness-and-books]

How the TOS crew reacts to being stuck in the turbo lift with you

requested by anon: “how would the tos crew react to getting stuck in the turbolift with reader?”

Spock

He only briefly looks up when he realises that the turbo lift has stopped.

Has no reaction whatsoever and goes back to doing whatever work on his PADD because he figures somebody has to notice it’s out of order fairly quickly

He just goes about his business until he hears you hyperventilating

He already knows why you’re panicking.

Spock does his best to comfort you by telling you that there’s only one turbo lift and therefore someone will have to fix it soon.

He’ll 100% tell you all about the history of elevators and how the turbo lift is so much safer 🤓

If you’re still worried after that he’ll let you hold his hand until someone finally fixes the turbo lift.

Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy

Internally, he also freaks out a little bit

Bones somehow keeps his composure despite being trapped very close to you

He’s entirely in his own head about it until he realises that he can hear you freaking out even more than him

His inner country boy breaks out a little and pulls you close to him

Absolutely kisses your hands and maybe even your cheek to make you giggle a bit

He’ll remind you that you guys have been through way worse than a stopped turbo lift.

Jim Kirk

“Huh” his exact words after realising you’ve stopped.

Honestly, he really really trusts his crew so he won’t be worried at all

But the moment he hears your breathing pick up he’ll start cracking jokes

“Actually this works out perfectly, I was on my way to a meeting”

Pulls you into a big bear hug and tells you how he’d much rather be here with you

if you’re still panicking he’ll say something like “do I have to order you to calm down”

Keeps telling jokes until you laugh

and when you do laugh, he’s pretty sure his heart jumps out of his chest.

Nyota Uhura

Absolute girl boss about it

Would 100% wait it out if it weren’t for the fact that she could see you panicking

But you’re panicking and she can’t bare to see you with anything but a smile on your face

She pulls out her comm and calls down to engineering (why did no one else think to do this? 🧐)

Once she’s done that all she can really do is wait

She won’t even wait or hesitate, she’ll pull you to the floor and sit with you

10/10 would recommend getting stuck in the turbo lift with Nyota, she will cuddle until someone fixes the lift

Sulu

“Oh my”

His mind seriously blanks

But he kicks into gear when he remembers you’re here too

He pulls out a deck of cards and asks if you like magic 🪄

(I dunno why I just think Sulu can do card tricks and stuff 🤷‍♀️)

Card tricks quickly devolves into an intense game of war

Its unexpected for sure, but it works

Scotty

It takes him a moment to notice

But when he hears your breathing he looks up and realises that you’ve stopped

You’re lucky to be stuck in the turbo lift with the head of engineering

He gives you a quick wink 😉 and smirks when you blush

He’d turn around, open up a panel that you didn’t even know existed, and fix it

Bam, problem solved

If you’re really shaken up by it though he’ll probably take you for a drink after or make you tea if you don’t drink

I hope you like it, anon. I’m super sorry if this isn’t what you had in mind, feel free to re-request it with more specific parameters if this isn’t what you meant.

[weirdlynotspecific]

⭐Holiday Headcanons⭐

Kirk was raised in a traditionally Jewish home and McCoy was raised in a traditionally Christian home so the holidays get a bit hectic. Spock knows about both Christmas and Hanukkah from his mother, but didn't get to celebrate either until he was aboard the enterprise.

McCoy makes sure to put a small tree up in his room with little handmade ornaments from Joanna. He makes it a priority to call her Christmas day and watch her open all her presents.

Kirk LOVES gift giving. He showers Spock and McCoy with gifts for every day of Hanukkah and loves watching them open their presents.

McCoy and Uhura spend all of Christmas eve making cookies for everyone. And I mean everyone. All 400+ crew members receive cookies.

The holiday party is insane. Scotty spikes the punch, Sulu and Chekov debate the origin of Christmas (Chekov claims it started in Russia), and Spock gets drunk off his ass on chocolate. He denies it afterwards of course.

Kirk hangs up mistletoe everywhere because he's a menace. He absolutely abuses it too, much to the amusement and disappointment of Spock and McCoy.

Spock finds all his vulcan incense is replaced with peppermint smelling incense (courtesy of Jim). He can't find it in himself to be annoyed. His normal incense is returned by January 1st.

Kirk adores Christmas songs. You best believe this dramatic bitch is singing along with Mariah Carey all of December and it drives Bones CRAZY.

Scotty built a giant train to go around one of the observation desks (he said a small train going around a tree was unoriginal and anyone could do that).

Bones affectionately calls Spock some variation of a Grinch or a Scrooge the entirety of December.

[mariusslonelysoul]

do you think that leonard mccoy, born and raised in the american south, who before starfleet was a -damn good- country doctor, who is a man of medicine, of science, but who still keeps certain age old traditions and convictions, who despite being in space and around all sorts of new technologies and unknown aliens never forgets his humanity, and indeed keeps his captain and crew grounded, sometimes perhaps exceedingly so, who would never use god or human religion as an excuse or a reason but still he was raised in it, and either because of respect, fondness, wariness or tradition he holds some beliefs still

do you think that leonard, when he realises he could maybe, just maybe save jim, feels the slightest bit of struggle from within him, because how dare he, a simple man, try to bring somebody from the death, who gave him the right to even consider it. but he ignores that voice in his head, barely even hears the words in the first place, his hands -the steadiest hands in the galaxy- never shake as he does it, because this was jim, jim who is just as messed up as him but covers it with charm that isn't even fake, jim who smiles too wide and too sharp to cover his incredible heart, jim who has carved his place with bloody fingernails deep into leonard's very soul. jim, who leonard manages to save, to bring back, miraculously perhaps, but the words feels wrong, tainted

do you think that leonard, once jim is breathing again if unconscious, finally takes a moment to breathe too, looking at jim, and is suddenly invaded by nausea, because how dare he cheat death, who is he, who gave him the right to play with nature like that, and a voice, almost familiar, garbled as if it were many voices he once knew put together, screams at him from deep inside his mind, threatening to twist his body and mind like he twisted life and death, damning him. and yet as quick as it came, leonard shuts it, because he doesn't care, he may have traded his life, his sould, made a deal with the devil when he used science to cheat death, but jim is back, jim is alive, alive, alive

[xxxball-fondlerxxx]

you guys just dont even. understand Him. hes NOT super overly sweet and affectionate with his partner(s), although he does love them very much. he reluctantly accepts a kiss on the cheek from jim, melodramatically rolling his eyes and kicking him out of the sickbay. but he looks back at jim as he walks away, a soft smile on his face and an added pep in his step for the rest of his shift.

he grumbles about "ridiculous vulcan voodoo" and makes a face as spock offers him an ozh'esta. but when their fingers touch, spock can feel the overwhelming affection underneath his icy exterior; his armor protecting him from getting hurt again.

the armor isn't going to fall off the moment he falls in love. it may not ever fall off; not all the way, at least. spock and jim aren't there to "fix" him, they're there to love him as he is. he doesn't have to outwardly express his love to show that he loves. he loves and cares deeply, all he ever wants is for everyone around him to be safe and to feel better.

in this essay about leonard mccoy, i will be-

[fely-v]

I just love headcannon for the fact that McCoy's friends are worried about his thinness and irregular schedule. While he is trying to make up an adequate number of shifts for the entire crew, he apparently considers himself immune to these rules

It's been a while since I've been here. I'm coming back with a sketch that has been gathering dust in my sketchbook for some time

[acastleintheclouds]

I find it funny that Bones, who hadn't even learned the Vulcan salute in TOS, then turned out to know all about the Kolinahr in Star Trek The Motion Picture. Now I have this headcanon that, after they returned from their 5-year mission, he kept reading all he could find about Vulcan, because this was a safe way for him to remain connected with Spock without having to admit, even to himself, how much he actually missed Spock.

[bibones]

Here, have some unedited, stream-of-consciousness ideas about transmasc Triumvirate for Pride Month 🏳️‍⚧️

McCoy came out the youngest - when he was around 7 or 8, and started HRT young enough that top surgery wasn't necessary for him, any chest growth was negligible. Apart from keeping up with his hormonal implants, being trans hasn't much affected him; his family are modern, 23rd Century people goddamnit, they ain't gonna throw a fuss at their tween naming himself Leonard if that's what makes him happy.

He never bothered with bottom surgery, and he donated his eggs when he and Jocelyn went through IVF. Jocelyn carried Joanna, but McCoy wouldn't have been fully opposed to being a seahorse dad if it was more convenient for them at the time - needless to say, he's still relieved when it's not something he needed to go through to be a father.

All the same, he is very reticent of sharing the fact that he's transgender. It don't matter one bit to nobody but those who share his bed, thank you very much.

Kirk came out as a teenager, sometime around the age of 16. Overcoming the trauma of Kodos and Tarsus IV was something he had to make some sort of peace with first before he realised the discomfort he felt in his body and the perception of himself by other people wasn't any sort of lingering dysmorphia related to childhood food insecurity. He has what some would consider the stereotypical tomboy-to-butch-to-FtM pipeline. He's always been charming with the ladies, and gaining confidence in his identity as a trans man just made him all the more magnetic.

He had top surgery prior to joining Starfleet, and bottom surgery prior to his first posting on a starship.

He's more open and causal about his transition than McCoy is; if other people happen to bring it up, he'll proudly talk your ear off about his gender journey, but he wouldn't disclose at the drop of a hat, either.

Spock came out the latest of the trio. He was an adult, he was already in Starfleet Academy, and it took him a few years after realising his gender identity to start any sort of medical transition. He's on HRT, but hasn't had top surgery or bottom surgery.

Being transgender isn't stigmatised on Vulcan, however Spock was more reluctant to explore his experience with gender incongruity than he would otherwise have been due to being half-Vulcan - either because of internalised shame at deviating from the norm and having these feelings, or as a result of prior medical trauma from being closely studied and monitored as the first human-Vulcan hybrid.

McCoy gives him the what-for the first time he realised Spock binds unsafely during away missions ("And no, sir, it is not 'logical' to purposefully put yourself at risk because you happen to have more durable bones than a human! You still have lungs that gotta breathe, man!")

He is, however unexpected, the most candid of his status as a transgender man.

[bonesfucker3000]

Bones would most definitely listen and be a big fan of Dolly Parton and no one can convince me otherwise-

[archersartcorner]

Spones sketches plus transfemme bones hc… don’t mind me

[pop-squeak]

star trek modern au featuring maps nerd chekov

[dustykneed]

one of my favourite mcspirk getting together tropes is jim and spock noticing something off about bones and being forced to beat it out of him with a stick (metaphorically) before bones opens up and they finally get together. like go you emotionally constipated space nerds i believe in you !!! you can do it!!

semi-accidental prompt fill for @mcspirkevents' mcspirk bingo prompt "getting together for the first time" (⁠ ⁠/⁠^⁠ω⁠^⁠)⁠/⁠♪⁠♪

[darkness-and-books]

TOS headcanon reacting to finding your nest in their quarters

Ostaran!reader (I mean the implication of nesting is kinda fem, but no pronouns or real description used for reader, so take it as you will)

Jim

Losing his mind

Like OMG, You put your nest in his room?!?!

Loves it so much

can’t believe you feel comfortable enough to put one so near his bed

tries so friggin hard not to even breathe in its direction

if you invite him to snuggle in it he will die

if you let him, he’ll start collecting you more blankets and pillows and things

like you’ll come to your new nest and find a new pile of materials near by

Spock

Honoured, but a little put off by the fact that you made it right in the doorway

Still won’t move and avoids stepping in it like the plague

will ask very kindly if you might move it to a more convenient location

would even help you to move your nest if you allow it, otherwise he’ll just read his book and let you do your thing.

the internal mushy feelings are real though

like won’t let anything happen to your nest at all

if you invite him to snuggle in your nest he will await your explicit instructions so as not to mess it up

Might start brining you little pieces for your nest that you express any interest in

Bones

Okie dokie

Doesn’t mess with it, but won’t bring it up unless you do first

it if you wait too long to bring it up he’ll look at you over the edge of the bed with a raised eyebrow as you snuggle into your nest

“Did you wanna join me?” He just shakes his head, “not what I meant,”

his words do not however match the action that is instantly plopping into the nest with you

he won’t go super out of his way to bring you more material, but he does think your nest looks a little sparse so if he sees something he thinks you’ll like he’ll get it for you.

he also definitely leaves little snacks next to your nest for you.

seriously, you accumulate a whole stash