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lonesomedreamer · 4 months

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SNW Liveblog: “Charades”

In which Ethan Peck gets to have some fun, the writers also prove they know nothing about Vulcans, and the last fifteen minutes redeems the whole episode.

What exactly is “sub-impulse speed”?

God dammit.

The fellowship only lasts for two months? What’s even the point?

I hate to complain about a female character working out on-screen—life in space would definitely necessitate some kind of exercise regime! For everyone!—but at what point in her TOS appearances did Christine Chapel strike these writers as the type of girl who spent a lot of time beating on the Enterprise’s punching bag? Maybe if we hadn’t just seen La’an in this exact same scene two episodes ago…

This…this outfit is almost mod! Earrings and all! I’m shocked. Give it some color and you’d be onto something.

In fact, all three girls (La’an, Christine, and Ortegas) are wearing black here. Why do SNW the costume designers HATE fun?

“Oh, things are kind of weird between them.” I don’t use this word lightly, but between her being mean to Spock for no reason last week and now casually betraying her friend’s confidence like this with a little smirk (while Christine is visibly uncomfortable): Ortegas is just a bitch.

Do Vulcans consider their emotions to be “suppressed”? And would M’Benga, Vulcan expert or not, really be able to teach the native Vulcan how to better control his emotions (when he’s been learning that his whole life)??? Do they ever think before writing, or…?

Or: canon only matters when the SNW writers want it to.

“My mother felt this would be best.” A lot of Vulcans on this show throw that verb around awfully lightly. It’s almost like the writers don’t understand Vulcans.

If T’Pring’s mother doesn’t approve, why were they ever engaged in the first place? (I know that this show’s never going to acknowledge that they were betrothed as kids for an arranged marriage. But that’s the canon.)

Bitch, please.

A sweet reversal of her sneaking a glance at him in the Turbolift earlier.

Them.

Spock, please don’t look at your girlfriend when you’re supposed to be steering the shuttle away from the “rupture in space-time”.

Oh, his hair is so much better this way.

Why is everyone calling Uhura “Nyota” all of a sudden? I get that she’s just an ensign, but it’s weird.

This sounds like a casual phone call rather than the first contact between the Federation and an unknown species. Up the professionalism a few notches, Pike.

He does not.

“Mixed instructions? You don’t mean Spock.” I’m no scientist, but it’s obvious they’re talking about his DNA—keep up, Mr. Starship Captain!

“Uhura, get ‘em back.” Maybe if Pike hadn’t stumbled over his words and had gotten straight to the damn point, this wouldn’t be a problem! Kirk and Picard would both have said, “Excuse me, but the way you ‘fixed’ my science officer was not correct” rather than mumbling and stuttering until the call cut off.

He is adorable. You can pry human!Ethan!Spock out of my cold, dead hands.

“My fiancee’s mother? She hates me.” My fiancee? She hates me. Fixed that for you!

“I’ve already spoken to T’Pring and to your family.” That is really crossing a line! Kirk—Spock’s undisputed best friend of all time/brother/soulmate/true love (however you see them)—didn’t know about T’Pring or even that the Vulcan ambassador and his wife who were coming aboard were Spock’s parents until he met them on the Enterprise. But Pike is just casually contacting Sarek, Amanda, and T’Pring without consulting Spock first?! It’s not like he’s in a coma! He could easily have waited and let Spock tell his family himself. Accidents happen in Starfleet all the time. It’s a dangerous job.

Spock always seems to be played by men with the best smiles. ♥

Not Spock drinking alcohol and eating meat! He’s going to feel awful about that when his genetic code is “fixed”! (His dietary habits are cultural, not biological—why would he want to change them with or without his Vulcan DNA?)

If this was a TOS episode, Bridge crew would still be working on getting back in touch with the aliens who did this to Spock…but we have to show Spock enjoying some crispy bacon instead.

Again, I think control is a better choice of words.

“You just need to work on impulse control.” I don’t think taking his Vulcan DNA away would invalidate/negate his years of intensive mental training. He had to work extra hard as a mixed-race child to be a “real” Vulcan, so in theory he should still have access to about emotional control. If not, he should have been stripped of his memories of childhood and whatnot, too.

Spock’s sass is coming out so strongly in this script, which is great, but he should always be sassy! (“Gentlemen, I am in command of this vessel, and we shall continue on our present course…unless it is your intention to declare a mutiny.”)

I’m sure Christine enjoys seeing a more demonstrative version of the man she loves, BUT I hope they also show that she’s mourning the loss of the true Spock. She’s one of the few who really sees him for what he is—half Vulcan, half human, wholly himself.

To culminate his total lack of respect for Spock’s privacy/boundaries, Pike announces that his mom is on board in the middle of a busy hallway.

This Amanda is a babe (though there’s no way she’s old enough to be Ethan Peck’s mom).

I love this nod to the classic “Spock wearing a funny hat to hide his ears” trope.

Could they not get a costume to fit this actress? Not shaming her at all—I’m intimately familiar with the struggle of finding clothes that look flattering with a larger chest! But this ain’t it.

Why is Pike even still here? At this point, Amanda’s business is with her son. Pike can butt out.

“The engagement dinner has been moved several times due to your Starfleet schedule, a fact which they are not understanding about—” A few issues here: a) It seems, well, illogical that a family of Vulcans refuses to understand why Spock’s professional schedule would postpone personal obligations; b) this is the first time we’ve ever heard about this engagement dinner, 15 episodes into the season. That wouldn’t be an issue if (as in TOS) T’Pring had just been introduced—but she’s now been in numerous episodes including the pilot. Yet somehow this has never come up before?

Also, bold of this show to expect me to care that their engagement might get broken when they’ve already faked the audience out about that once and when I know T’Pring’s ultimately going to dump Spock anyway…

Incompetence.

So T’Pring’s family disapproves of Spock’s career (and we know from previous episodes that T’Pring isn’t thrilled about it, either), but they agree to hold this traditional and (apparently) super-important engagement dinner on the starship where Spock works?

I don’t think “Spock, you’re human” would be a human mother’s natural first reaction here. Idk. I know Amanda’s been on Vulcan a long time, but we know she’s still very warm, very human, and seeing her son so changed would have to be shocking/upsetting/concerning, right?

“I couldn’t even fool you.” That’s kind of funny.

First of all: Spock can lie with the best of them. Secondly, I don’t think you can learn to be a genuinely good liar in a few hours. Finally (and again): his years of Vulcan discipline/training shouldn’t have been erased (he obviously still has all his memories and knowledge), so he shouldn’t have to lie at all.

Seriously, Spock doesn’t have amnesia! He was raised by Vulcans—he knows how they speak!!!

Okay, but…Spock can’t perform the mind meld, and Amanda would know that. I feel like she should be saying, “My son was in a serious accident and is in no state to socialize” but then someone else—maybe even Sarek—overrules her. That would still leaves plenty of room for drama.

Just contact the aliens for help! I’m begging you! This is Star Trek!!!

“We can’t do it, but we already know who can” Thank God someone on this show can keep up.

I kind of hate her. :) At least she didn’t make a snarky comment, too.

I am weak (even if this is the least-flattering Vulcan look I have ever seen on any version of Spock).

T’Pring has some funny lines re: her difficult relationship with her mother, and I guess it’s a nice parallel to Spock’s difficult relationship with Sarek. I can sympathize with her, but I refuse to like her.

There’s no way a conservative Vulcan couple would be satisfied with a human preparing the traditional food for their daughter’s engagement dinner.

The majority of Vulcans in this show continue to look like a parody.

T’Pring’s dad being a foodie is funny. Him being obviously subservient to his scary bully of a wife is unoriginal and not so funny.

They stole a shuttlecraft and no one even alerts the captain?

Christine being willing to do anything for Spock: canon in every universe. ♥

I get that they’re in “interdimensional space” and in a state of semi-shock as a result (understandably!), but why can no one communicate effectively in this episode, including Uhura of all people???

Christine’s straight-talk with the aliens is just making me angry that Pike didn’t speak up about their mistake when he was communicating with them earlier.

She’s stunning.

Spock being protective of/afraid for Christine is precious.

“During the accident, the other being diverted the shields away from himself to protect you.” Even though I’m unsure how that would work (isn’t the shield around the entire shuttlecraft?)—that is SO Spock and so adorable.

“Are you so obtuse that you don’t even see that [you have feelings for Spock]?” It’s always one step forward, three steps back with Ortegas…

The writers were kind enough to grant my wish: Christine acknowledges that a wholly human Spock isn’t really Spock at all. The writing is less than phenomenal, but Jess Bush really sells it anyway, and it alludes nicely to Christine’s heartfelt confession of love in “The Naked Time” about seeing Spock as being greater than the sum of his genetic parts.

I’m tearing up.

The scene where Spock tells T’Pring’s mother off and praises his own isn’t super believable/in-character, but it’s satisfying!

Once again: the Vulcans on this show use that word way too much…

They really have wanted T’Pring to always be the victim/wronged party in this relationship ever since the first episode. But why?! She’s going to leave him! In canon, she makes him fight his own best friend to the death to have her when she doesn’t even want him! No matter how they resolve the relationship in this show, it’s all drama I don’t care about!!!

T’Pring’s mother was overtly racist towards Amanda and Spock during the entire dinner; she doesn’t approve of him; and she told him that he deserved to be disowned by Sarek/didn’t deserve to marry T’Pring. She would probably continue behaving that way towards him for the rest of her life. But after he endured all of that for her sake and after she repeatedly warned him not to mess the dinner up, T’Pring expresses neither concern for Spock’s ordeal nor relief that he’s been healed/that the dinner was a success nor gratitude for what he put himself through. She expresses only disappointment that he didn’t confide in her.

Crying in the club.

There’s a lovely reciprocity to Spock and Christine’s dynamic so far—he kissed her in Season One; this time, she kisses him. He risked his life to save her earlier; then she goes back and risks hers to make him whole again. I know these writers are going to screw it up eventually, so I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

Overall, this episode was way too long (a full hour!) and was bogged down with a bunch of nonsense in the middle in the name of comedy. Its dialogue in particular was just as poorly-written as most SNW scripts have been (i.e., “you look constipated,” “you messed him up,” numerous crew members mumbling and stuttering in the heat of the moment…these aren’t Starfleet professionals, they’re high schoolers!) BUT there was an extra helping of heart in this episode. Between Amanda Grayson’s tenderness towards her son, Spock’s protectiveness towards Christine, and Christine’s fierce loyalty towards Spock, I almost cried more than once. And since Spock/Christine is THE reason I started watching this show in the first place, it’s nice to finally see some payoff fifteen episodes in!

The Good: Ethan’s face without Vulcan make-up + his gorgeous smile!—a surprise Amanda cameo—Spock and Christine mutually being protective of each other/risking their lives for each other—some funny moments—Jess and Ethan both acting their socks off—really cool visuals during the “interdimensional space” scene—a few excellent costume designs—finally, the big kiss!

The Bad: Childish/unprofessional dialogue throughout—Ortegas being a bitch even to her friends—writing human!Spock like a teenager who forgot everything he knows about being Vulcan (even though his memories are in tact)—Pike’s total incompetence—name-dropping Roger Korby (ugh)

I can’t wait to see how this show is going to disappointment me in the Spockstine department going forward.

#luth liveblogs snw

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kcscribbler · 5 months

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3, 5 and 29 for the writer asks, please!

Ooh, fun! Thank you, anon!

Full Ask List Here

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

However Improbable, my Star Trek TOS/ACD Sherlock Holmes crossover written for NaNoWriMo a loooooong time ago.

It was my very first TOS fic (why I chose to do a novel-length crossover as my initiation is anyone's guess), and to this day is still probably the most fun I've had writing anything. I'd like to think I balanced the characterization of both universes fairly well, but the reader is the judge.

Crossovers can be tricky, and they're not for everyone, but I had far too much fun with this one. I will always remember it fondly.

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write?

At one point, I had a Star Trek TOS Alternate Universe series plotted out based on the OG Mission Impossible television show (from the same general time period as TOS, and as fabulous in its own way). The show actually featured Leonard Nimoy for two of the seasons, and it's generally delightful. Much more so than the big-budget films of the same franchise, in my humble opinion. 8/10, would recommend.

(Plot under the cut)

If I remember correctly, the AU started on the premise of Operation-Annihilate going badly wrong (an idea which later morphed into An Equitable Trade, FWIW), whereupon Jim Kirk was quietly discharged from Starfleet service in the ensuing scandal, and Spock basically said live long and fuck off with that and followed him. In this AU, the rest of the crew weren't originally aboard the Enterprise, and were picked up along the way through the ensuing ridiculous adventures across the galaxy, per typical MI format.

I actually had one 'episode' partially written a long time ago, before I got smart enough to back things up online, and lost it in a laptop crash. RIP my most ridiculous idea.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

This was cut last month from one of my Whumptober fics, as I decided to go a couple different directions with the TOS movie era instead.

“What on earth are you doing.”

Seated on the couch with at least a dozen takeout containers of various shapes and sizes stacked in perfectly neat, consistently spaced rows on the coffee table, Spock raises an eyebrow at him. “It was indeed, on Earth. During our recent sojourn in the Terran past, you informed Dr. Taylor that I found Italian food to be pleasing.”

“…Yes? Is that why you ordered what looks like the entire vegetarian menu from Angelo’s?”

“I must have a full data set in order to confirm a valid hypothesis.”

“Of course.” He doesn’t even bother to hide a smile. “But your face tells me it hasn’t been confirmed.”

“Correct.” Spock looks mildly uneasy about this discrepancy, though he indicates the barely-touched cartons with what looks like resignation. “I admit to feeling a slight sense of disillusionment, in the matter. It would seem that either you were in error, or that my taste for such things has changed during the process of my refusion.”

Jim’s too tired to do this standing up, right now, so he clambers over a hilariously untidy stack of of cartons on the rug (clearly overflow from the table) in order to collapse on the couch as well, exhaling in a long breath of relief at being able to get off his feet for a few minutes.

“I mean, it’s certainly possible your tastes have changed, Spock. But I think it’s more likely that you just haven’t got the right dishes.”

“How precisely is one to know which are ‘right’.”

Jim turns his head, still resting on the back of the couch, and gestures at the pile of cartons. “You like Italian, typically pasta; but you dislike strong garlic flavor. Since garlic is pretty ubiquitous in Italian food, when we order in or go out, we typically ask them to make yours without much of it.”

“Ah.”

“Angelo’s has a pumpkin ravioli this time of year that you refuse to admit is your favorite, because favorites are illogical.”

“I did not see this option on the menu.”

“That’s because since it’s seasonal, it’s not on the carryout menu,” he replies. “You’ve complained more than once about having to call and actually talk to someone to order it, instead of using the automated system.”

“I did not recall that detail with any clarity,” Spock admits, looking more downcast than before.

He reaches over to put a steadying hand on Spock’s arm. “You’ve recalled nearly every detail that is important; we can deal with the rest. That’s what I’m here for,” he says quietly.

“I have taken enough advantage of your patience in the matter.”

“Incorrect. You’ve never taken advantage of me or anyone else, that I can recall. I’m not sure it’s even in your nature.”

“That appears to be a highly subjective assessment fueled by an emotional viewpoint.”

“Well, I am an emotional human. So that viewpoint is logical for me.” Seeing Spock’s clearly baffled expression, he hastens to add, “But from the Vulcan viewpoint: I do have all my memories, so I think my opinion should be trusted more than yours in the matter.”

Spock considers this for a moment, and then nods. “That is eminently logical.”

#star trek the original series #star trek tos #sherlock holmes #acd holmes #fanfic writing #ask box

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hekate1308 · 2 years

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Fictober 2022, #28

Prompt: “We all have our reasons“

Fandom: Star Trek TOS

Rating: G

Pairings: Spirk

My very first Star Trek TOS fanfic... Enjoy!

Leonard had had a bad feeling about this planet in the first place. While they didn’t have much information, everything indicated that the flora and fauna were rather hostile to human life, but of course, better reason had never kept Jim from doing what he considered his duty, and during their mission, this meant exploring strange new worlds such as this very planet, so here they were.

Spock had immediately begun to scan the area with Sulu’s help, while he and M'Benga had gone to investigate some of the plants – you never knew, there might be something new to learn that could help them in the long run – while Jim was checking the perimeter with a few other members of the away team.

Of course today of all days something had to go wrong. Granted, he usually thought so, because when things went awry, they tended to do it in a spectacular fashion, but still.

It had been inevitable, because of course Jim Kirk would jump in front of a crewman when a non-identifiable animal attacked them. Of course he would. His ship, his crew, his duty.

And so, they were busy when they hard the screams and hurried over.

It didn’t surprise him to see Spock already kneeling over the captain. There were some things one couldn’t overlook, neither as a doctor nor as a friend.

“What happened” he asked, dropping down next to the prone body and adjusting his scanner.

The shaken crewman was just about able to tell him.

“Anything on the creature?”

“It appears that it fled into the jungle.”

“So we’ll have to go with descriptions” he said, alarmed at the readings he was getting. They definitely should not be spiking like this, not with a human. “We need to get him back to the Enterprise, now!”

Spock, as always efficient and reliable when he needed to be (you wouldn’t hear him tell the pointy-ear menace that any time soon, though) nodded and they did what needed to be done.

The trouble was, once they had Jim at the sick station, Leonard had no idea how to proceed. The animal or alien was still missing, even though Sulu and the rest of the away time where desperately trying to find it, and Jim… well, he seemed to be stabilizing.

But for all of that, he didn’t wake up. It made no sense. There had been that first spike in the readings, but after that, nothing. Why wouldn’t he wake up? He’d already tried everything.

“Thank you, Nurse”.

“Oh, Doctor… excuse me, but…”

“Yes?” he asked. Nurse Chapel had a lot of experience, and he knew that that was almost always more worth than any fancy education or title.

“What if this is not a physiological problem, but a mental one? We know there are substances out there that can put people in a trance of sorts.”

He glanced at Jim. “You may be right, but how are we supposed to get him out of that if it’s the case?”

They looked at one another and had the same thought, saying almost at the same time, “Spock.”

He called unto the bridge, expecting Spock to tell him to wait for the end of his shift or that he had to find someone to take over, but without mentioning any of the kind, he told him he would be right down and arrived barely two minutes later.

Now, he knew that Vulcans were hesitant when it came to mind melts, as they had every right to be, and –

The second he was done explaining, Spock asked for privacy to perform the necessary procedure, as he called it.

He knew better than to argue when he used this tome of voice (at least in emergencies) so he complied.

Five minutes later, Spock called him back in and to his utter relief, he found the Captain sitting up in bed, a little tired but nothing the worse for wear.

Jim soon fell asleep with one last thankful smile aimed at them both.

As the Vulcan was leaving, he just had to ask. “Spock, why did you agree to the mind-melt so quickly? I can imagine that many other Vulcans would have wanted to discuss it further…”

Uncharacteristically, Spock hesitated, his uncertainty plain to read for everyone on his face. It was so unexpected that Leonard almost felt taken aback by the sight.

Then, just as he had given up on actually getting a reply, he said, "That may be. We all have our reasons, Doctor."

And with one last look back at Jim, he left.

As he resumed his own duties, he couldn’t help but reflect on those reasons. On the one side – on the one side Vulcan traditions, an upbringing that had taught their Science Officer (and his friend, although he wasn’t too eager to admit that, even to himself) to control his emotions to the point were it was easy to make the mistake – he himself had done it – to think that he didn’t have any.

On the other, a human side that yearned for human connection, that was reaching for –

He glanced at their captain’s sleeping form and concentrated back on the tasks at hand.

#fictober22 #my writings #star trek #star trek tos #spirk #jim kirk #spock #leonard mccoy

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worfs-fabulous-hair · 2 years

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I've been busy , and will be busy for this month and like half of next month but might be able to post more after that because there will be little to nothing to do for the good majority of June - August.

Series I'm currently on : TOS

Episodes watched: 01x23- 01x24

Episode names:

A Taste of Armageddon

This Side of Paradise

Thoughts:

A Taste of Armageddon

How the heck does an admiral not know the star fleet codes and regulations but then has the gull to go " I command you , you have to do as I say "

The writers of star trek :

" they are to be treated kindly , you can't kill them "

Kirk's about to be slutty again

Wow I'm surprised their calling bull shit so quickly

I'm sorry these guys are playing battle ship d&d and then disintegrate anyone that lives where the other planet hits . That's so fucked up yet so funny.

Oof they hit the ship in their d&d campaign and are now going to kill everyone in the ship

How do they even know that the people on the other planet are even killing people like they are. Like they could just be saying that they are but they aren't how do they know.

"You've got something on your shoulder" proceeds to Vulcan nerve pinch soldier into unconsciousness

The admiral is a dick , wow who would have guessed

He's also very gullible

He's stuck with the most stubborn people aboard the ship and keeps stomping his foot and telling them to do as he says or else. They just keep looking at each other like " hey get a load of this guy huh "

" I could kill all of you right now if I really wanted to" immediately gets beat within an inch of his life

Lmao the admiral beamed down only for them to go " hey bud time to die "

He's finally listening to someone

Another quarter in the people not understanding that star fleet officers sign up knowing that they will most likely die and are completely fine with being killed

Casually starts a war between two planets

" we're human beings " stares at Spock

So like what did the yeoman do while they were gone , did she have to fight the lady to keep her from trying disintegrate herself.

" you almost make me believe in miracles , mr. Spock "

Why does Kirk always make that face after he says something that could be considered as extremely gay to Spock, like he only makes that face when he's talking to Spock . You guys know the face

This Side of paradise

" wow this is so sad all of those people spending so long in space to make the trip here only to die"

The guys that live there standing behind them quietly wait to make a dramatic entrance " not quite , good sir ".

" are we sure that they're actually alive " what an ominous thing to say , your probably correct

All the boys about to fall in love with a woman they'll never see again , again

A mysterious woman from Spock's past

As predicted these people are ominous

Shoves hands in the dirt and scoops some out to shove in front of your face and talk to you about the dirt like a door to door sales man

Nah fr I bet these guys are zombies with the medical anomalies that bones is bringing up

Why do women that they find on other planets always talk like their from a Shakespeare play

Spock just had a flower explode in his face and now he's in pain

Brain washing , exploding " flowers"

It's strange how star trek is the start point to alot of tropes found it media and fan fictions becuase I've seen a post around somewhere that explained that this episode is the first use of sex pollen or brain washing plants in media. That's how I know that the flower is a spray painted artichoke .

Bones constantly tells Spock he needs to not be so uptight but then will freak out the second that Spock is laid back

What even is the Captain's reaction to finding Spock , like that's vaguely jealous vaguely concerned

Spock is the only person to ever be arrested for smiling

Oof , everyone's been brainwashed

That's also the most southern bones has ever sounded

" you realize that's mutiny if you all leave the ship right ?" " Yup 😁"

Everyone just looks high as a fucking kite

Jimboy

The spores from the flowers are hive mind parasites

Aw Jim's all sad and lonely by himself

They don't have enough food on the planet to sustain everyone there , they said so earlier

Jim's now under mind control as well

He breaks mind control with anger

He's about to insult Spock out of mind control

The woman has had a crush on Spock for years and got brought out of the mind control from being rejected by Spock again

"You never told me if you have a second name Mr. Spock" " you couldn't pronounce it" lmao same bro same

Everyone is fighting and McCoy is about to throw hands with the leader of the colony becuase he said he can't be a doctor anymore

Bones :

Has McCoy been wearing eye shadow this whole time ?

#I'll try to watch more than 2 episodes next time #star trek #star trek tos #star trek the original series #spock #jim kirk #montgomery scott #nyota uhura #hikaru sulu #lenard mccoy

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spockfan · 3 years

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Alright, here is the next part of my scene breakdown for the TOS episode, "This Side of Paradise."

In the previous post, we have one awkward introductory meeting scene where at one point almost no one is looking at the same person and Captain Kirk whose facial expression directed at Leila Kalomi goes from :) to >:( in under 30 seconds. During this, it should be noted that Leila had done nothing except stare at Spock prettily. It should also be pointed out that Spock does not react as he typically would when addressed, with him remaining silent and staring right back at Leila rather intently that Kirk had to be the one to break the moment.

We're not gonna focus on whatever meaning Spock and Leila's interactions have in these posts primarily because, to me, Spock's character arc here is more focused on identity and realizations borne from his experience rather than anything romantic even if it was framed that way (maybe for another post).

Kirk, on the other hand, whether he himself is aware or not, acts and reacts in ways that highlight how different he behaves in situations involving Spock from anyone else. This is evident in the next few scenes.

The landing team proceeds with their inspection of the settlement. Spock gets exposed to the spores and abandons his duties to run off with Leila. Kirk contacts Spock when he realizes that he hasn't heard from him in a while.

During the call, Spock ignores Kirk and makes it clear to him that he's kinda being a bother. While Spock is not exactly the very model of following orders and procedure, he is never seen dismissive of Kirk. It should have been quite obvious, not just to the audience, that he isn't acting like himself. Bones even points this out right after. So one would expect Kirk to ask him if he was ok or something but no. He instead gets mad and snaps at Spock.

It was so uncharacteristic that even Bones looked more shocked at him than at Spock. To be clear, it's not him getting mad that's odd. It's him getting mad without acknowledging that anything was strange at all. That it's Bones who has to bring it up because he doesn't.

This is even stranger because of what he says next in response to Spock's strange behavior being pointed out, "I thought you said you might like him if he mellowed a little." Which implies the following: he and Bones have conversations about Spock being a hardass, and he considers the weird behavior as Spock "mellowing a little" -- uncharacteristic but not necessarily unnatural.

But why would he think that when it's clear that Spock was not acting normally? Does he suspect there's a natural reason why Spock would "mellow a little"?

That it would take Bones suggesting that Spock might be in trouble before he gets contemplative and maybe suspicious about it? Is it because he suspects they were involved romantically and he knows that romantic involvement could drive a person to do things that they don't normally do? Does he feel that whatever suspicions he has about Leila and Spock now had weight? Why does this matter? Does it matter?

He accepts the suggestion that there might be trouble. He then passes on the responsibility for the landing party detail to Bones and goes off to find Spock.

Then we have this scene.... I can't emphasize enough how much I'm obsessed about this. You'll need to hear the audio to truly appreciate it. Since I can't get enough of it anyway, let's do a break down.

Kirk finds Spock's communicator on the ground, abandoned. Before he can make assumptions or look around, Sulu points towards the distance and we hear Spock's laughter. This should be the first time any of them is hearing Spock laugh out loud at least not in any strange circumstance they are aware of.

We see from afar, as the jovial music plays, what appears to be Spock hanging from a tree along with Leila who is standing nearby.

We cut back to the search party. Sulu and the blue shirt look sort of amazed. Kirk's face is harder to describe. He takes a couple of steps forward as they all try to make sense of what they're seeing.

We cut back to Spock and Leila, zoomed in, laughing, being sweet, holding hands, all smiles and playfulness.

Kirk looks at a lost--that's the closest description I have without assuming anything. His hold on the communicator weakens that the lid closes off. He croaks out Spock's name. Clears his throat. Mentions Spock's name again but formally and with more force.

He is too far though so he couldn't have done that to grab Spock's attention. It was either to regain his composure in front his subordinates or to fortify himself or maybe both.

The way this scene was pieced together... I don't know what the expected take away was. If not Kirk's heart breaking...

This bit is purely supposition on my part but it does seem a bit harder to come up with other reasons without being more contrived. It would seem as though Kirk does believe that Spock is frolicking by choice and he gets angry jealous that unlike the other instances in previous episodes where Spock acts questionably, he gets immediately upset rather than question things.

Still have several scenes to go. Maybe won't be as long as this one if people are still interested and I didn't end up boring you guys. :)

#spock #star trek #spirk #jim kirk #star trek tos #leonard mccoy #s'chn t'gai spock #james t kirk #k/s #kirk/spock #meta #this side of paradise #This Side of Paradise Meta #my-posts

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magnetic-rose · 3 years

Text

Why Spones is a top-tier ship

AKA “the inherent homoeroticism of annoying the shit out of your co-worker.”

Spock and McCoy have a complicated relationship. A lot of their bickering and ideological differences lead fans to believe that they hate each other, but that’s an over-simplification of the truth. The reality is that Spock and McCoy are extremely close friends who care about each other deeply. Though sometimes their bickering turns serious during stressful situations, for the most time they seem to enjoy the banter. A common mischaracterization of their relationship seems to put McCoy as the bully and Spock as the victim. In truth, there are many times where Spock will say something specifically to get a rise out of McCoy. They fight. That’s how they show affection, not disdain. In fact, one could argue that some of their bantering have a flirtatious tone to it.

Kirk: Mister Spock, regaining eyesight would be an emotional experience for most. You, I assume, felt nothing.

Spock: On the contrary Captain. I had a very strong reaction. My first sight was the face of Doctor McCoy bending over me.

McCoy: ‘Tis a pity brief blindness didn’t increase your appreciation for beauty, Spock. (Operation -- Annihilate!)

Spock is a half-Vulcan, half-Human who has mostly chosen to follow his Vulcan heritage. As such, he is a being of almost pure logic. The truth about Vulcans are that they are secretly beings who feel things very deeply and intensely, and they feel the need to keep a tight lid on their emotions as to not succumb to them. McCoy, on the other hand, is a regular human. He’s a deeply emotional man who cares about others. One could argue that McCoy is almost too empathetic, as he lets his emotions rule him. Spock and McCoy are polar opposites; the brain and the heart, the logic and the emotion, the super-ego and the id.

Despite these differences, the two men are similar in a lot of ways. They’re both men of science, men of peace, and they both care very deeply for their Captain. They’re both self-sacrificing morons, to the chagrin of the other. Spock will prioritize McCoy’s life even when both of them know it’s not the logical choice to do so. Likewise, McCoy will take a hit for Spock even when they both know the Vulcan is stronger and better equipped to deal with pain than the doctor.

Spock: (In the middle of a blizzard) In this severe cold, we cannot survive much longer.

McCoy: Leave me here, Spock.

Spock: We go together or not at all.

McCoy: Don’t be a fool. My hands and face are frostbitten. I can’t feel my feet. Alone, you have a chance. Now do what I say. Go try to find Jim.

Spock: We go together! (All of Yesterdays)

In the episode, “The Empath,” Kirk, Spock and McCoy have to choose someone to be offered as sacrifice to be tortured by a group of aliens. Kirk obviously volunteers, but gets put to sleep by McCoy with a tranquilizer. Spock then states that he’ll offer himself up, as he has the higher chance of surviving the torture. McCoy then proceeds to sedate Spock as well, and sacrifices himself to be tortured by the aliens.

Spock: While the captain is asleep, I am in command. When the Vians return, I shall go with them.

McCoy: You mean, if I hadn't given him that shot

Spock: Precisely. The choice would have been the captain's. Now it is mine.

(McCoy turns away. Spock sits to carry on working. Gem puts her hand on Spock's shoulder, and smiles. McCoy comes up behind him and gives him an injection.)

Spock: Your action is highly unethical. My decision stands. (Spock falls asleep next to Kirk.)

McCoy: Not this time, Spock.

Underneath all the fighting and disagreements, there is a deep caring between Spock and McCoy that manifests itself into protectiveness towards each other. In “All of Yesterdays,” Spock is constantly showing concern for McCoy after he almost died of hypothermia. In aftermath of McCoy’s torture in “The Empath,” Spock is seen hovering over his body and caressing his face, worry written into his features. On the other hand, while McCoy constantly makes fun of Spock for his lack of emotions, he’s also highly aware of the Vulcan’s mental state and protective of it when others threaten to shatter his resilience.

McCoy: He's a Vulcan. You can't force emotion out of him.

Philana: You must be joking, Doctor.

McCoy: You'll destroy him.

Parmen: We can't let him die laughing, can we?

McCoy: (Watching as Spock starts to cry) I beg you! (Plato’s Stepchildren)

The episode “Amok Time” also demonstrates McCoy’s perceptiveness of Spock and Spock’s true feelings of friendship towards McCoy. McCoy is in fact the first person to notice that something is wrong with Spock:

McCoy: Oh, captain. Got a minute? It's Spock. Have you noticed anything strange about him?

Kirk: No, nothing in particular. Why ?

McCoy: Well, it's nothing I can pinpoint without an examination, but he's become increasingly restive. If he were not a Vulcan, I'd almost say nervous. And for another thing, he's avoiding food. I checked and he hasn't eaten at all in three days.

Kirk: That just sounds like Mister Spock in one of his contemplative phases.

Kirk doesn’t notice anything wrong with Spock, and initially dismisses McCoy’s concern, but McCoy immediately picked up on Spock’s mental turmoil. Despite his cantankerousness, McCoy not only cares about Spock but goes out of his way to look out for his mental state. Part of it might be because he’s his doctor, but how many doctors go so far as to monitor someone’s eating habits because they notice that person’s suddenly being fidgety? On Spock’s end, when it comes time for him to beam down to Vulcan to complete his marriage ceremony, he specifically asks for McCoy to be there:

Spock: By tradition, the male is accompanied by his closest friends.

Kirk: Thank you, Mister Spock.

Spock: I also request McCoy accompany me.

McCoy: I shall be honoured, sir.

One episode I find extremely fascinating in terms of McCoy/Spock moments is “Mirror, Mirror.” In this famous episode, half of the Enterprise crew get transported into an alternate universe dubbed The Mirror Verse, in which evil versions of the characters exist and terrorize space as a fearsome military force. McCoy is part of the team that gets transported in the Mirror Verse, while Spock stays in their regular universe. Mirror Spock immediately realizes that half of the crew, including Kirk and McCoy, are acting strangely. When he corners Kirk to question him, he does so by threatening McCoy: “I shall not waste time with you. You’re too inflexible, too disciplined, once you’ve made up your mind. But Doctor McCoy has a plenitude of human weaknesses, sentimental, soft. You may not tell me what I want to know, but he will.” This Spock seems to have a intimate knowledge of McCoy’s mind. When the party decides to attack Mirror Spock, he fights all of them except for Uhura and McCoy, who he simply pushes out of harm’s way.

When Mirror Spock gets hurt as the crew is trying to escape back to their own universe, McCoy is suddenly unable to leave his side. Kirk allows him to stay to nurse Spock back to health, and McCoy risks almost staying in the Mirror Verse forever for him. When Mirror Spock awakes, he backs McCoy into a wall and initiates a forced mind meld onto the doctor. The next scene has Mirror Spock holding a disoriented McCoy up and bringing him back to his crew; he now understands what is happening and he wants his regular crew back, and thus he allows Kirk and company to make the switch back to their own universe.

Other Star Trek properties have gone more in depth on how a forced mind meld can be extremely traumatizing on the person receiving it. Star Trek: Enterprise has an entire story arc dedicated to the Vulcan T’Pol trying to heal from a forced mind meld. Unfortunately, because the nature of TOS episodes were episodic, we never got the chance to explore the emotional fallout of McCoy’s forced mind meld and how that might have affected his relationship with Spock. The franchise also never went in depth on Mirror McCoy outside of what Mirror Spock speaks of him, since Mirror McCoy died of xenopolycythemia in 2269.

Closing the list of evidence of Spock and McCoy’s affections towards each other are the Star Trek movies “The Wrath of Khan” and “The Search for Spock.” Towards the end of Wrath of Khan, Spock sacrifices himself to save The Enterprise in one of the franchises most heart-wrenching scenes. Moments before his sacrifice, he knocks McCoy unconscious, touches his face and whispers “remember.” What happened in this scene was that Spock, knowing he was about to die, transferred his Katra to McCoy. The katra being the Vulcan equivalent of a soul. This speaks to the amount of trust that Spock has in McCoy. For someone who keeps most of his emotions under a tight lid, it’s a huge gesture to entrust another with the essence of their entire being. The next movie, The Search for Spock, is a journey as the Enterprise crew fight to return to Vulcan so they can reunite Spock with his body. When they finally arrive, the Vulcans warn McCoy that the process is extremely dangerous and could even result in his death. McCoy calmly replies that he “chooses the danger.” He cannot fathom living his life without Spock.

McCoy: (Speaking to Spock) I'm going to tell you something that I... I never thought I'd hear myself say...But it seems I've missed you. I don't know if I could stand to lose you again.

So in conclusion, Spock and McCoy have a rich and complex relationship that is much more than simply just “they dislike each other because they bicker a lot.” Their bickering is more akin to that of an old married couple. There are plenty of examples not even included in this post of how deeply they care for each other. Despite their ideological differences, they balance each other out quite nicely. McCoy is finely attuned to Spock’s emotions, arguably better than anyone else on the ship. Spock in turn is protective and gentle with McCoy. Once you stop looking at their interactions solely on the surface level, you’ll be able to see the tenderness and years of love and friendship between them. This is why I think Spock/McCoy is one of the most underrated and misunderstood relationships of TOS. Don’t let the constant arguing fool you into believing these two dummies don’t adore each other.

Shout-out to Tempest for their extremely lengthy ship manifesto on Spones called “Spiced Peaches,” which goes even more in depth on why Spones is a great couple. Using their manifesto as a reference was key to remembering Spock/McCoy moments. Also shout-out to the site chakoteya for having full transcripts of TOS episodes, so I could easily find quotes for this. If you’ve come this far, thanks for reading!

#star trek #tos #leonard mccoy #spock #spones #this was... a lot

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to-boldly-nope · 3 years

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Flower- TOS! Spock x Reader

Requested by @groovyfluxie Hi!!! May I please request a Soulmate AU where TOS!Spock and Reader are reincarnated soulmates who have a matching soulmark (maybe like a red chrysanthemum with a red fate string tied on the stem)?

Words: 740

A/N: I'm sorry this took a while. I had a band concert and I had to practice for a choir concert and yesterday I had a little COVID safe party with my friends. Also I know the reference for the soulmark isn't exactly the right flower of color but when I head flower with a string my first though was BTS' Love Yourself: Her album cover.

You didn't know why the universe decided to make soulmates a thing, but it was and the universe had a weird way of showing it too. On your shoulder blade was a mark that looked like a chrysanthemum but to be honest you couldn't tell what it was and there were red lines attached to it.

You groaned as you rolled out of bed. You didn't want to go to your shift in sickbay, but Bones would be disappointed if you didn't show up. You quickly got changed, taking a few seconds to look at the mark on your shoulder blade, and then you headed to sickbay.

"Thank God you're here," Bones called out. "I have to leave for an away mission and I need you to watch over sickbay for me."

"Yes, Doctor," you replied before he ran off.

One thing for sure, you didn't know if you could handle Bones if he was your soulmate. Sure, he was a gentleman, always putting others before himself and he had his looks and charm, but he was so busy.

Your shift went by really fast since nobody decided to get hurt then. You were ready to call Nurse Chapel down before the trio walked in, beaten up and bruised. You let out a quiet sigh and began getting your supplies out.

"What happened to you?" You asked Bones.

"Aliens," he grumbled as he tried to help you, but you glared at him and he backed off for once.

You walked over to Kirk. "Please remove your shirt. I need to check for wounds," you told him, making him take his shirt off. You secretly scanned for his soulmark and was disappointed when he didn't have yours. You quickly patched him up and went to Spock. He did the same thing without you asking.

You always had a crush on Spock, but you never knew the real reason why. Why fall head over heels for the logical one when you can have someone as charming as Bones or Kirk? You didn't know.

You let out a small gasp as you saw his soulmark was the exact same as yours. You froze for a second, making Bones look in your direction.

"What's the matter?" He asked, looking at Spock's back with you. Bones knew what your soulmark looked like. You two had a discussion about it and showed each other. His soulmark was on his finger.

"Mr. Spock," Bones beamed as he looked at you. "I don't know to apologize or to congratulate you."

"I am afraid that I do not understand," Spock said as he continued to look forward.

"You just met your soulmate, Spock."

You paced outside his quarters, debating with yourself as if you should try to enter. You were very excited but yet very nervous that Spock was your soulmate. Complete opposites becoming soulmates. They always did say opposites attract.

Spock's door came open and you jumped as you watched the Vulcan emerge. You shot him a nervous smile as he softly tilted his head.

"(Y/N), would you like to come inside?"

You let out a heavy sigh as you nodded. Spock let you through and you went into his quarters.

His quarters was very nice. It had nice purple lighting and artifacts from different cultures. Everything in his room said logic and nothing said emotional.

"I'm assuming you know why I'm here," you told him as he offered you a seat at his desk.

"A person finds their soulmate, was I expecting you just to ignore it?"

"Hopefully," you laughed to yourself. "Oh, come on, Spock, look at us. You value logic and I cry over everything. I don't understand."

He shifted in his seat before making direct eye contact with you. Usually his look would be stern and powerful, but this time you've noticed that his look was soft and compassionate.

"My mother," he started, "taught me that love sometimes isn't supposed to make sense. After all, she did marry a Vulcan."

"I know but I just don't know where to start or what to do. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable since I'm so human compared to you."

You saw as a little appeared on his lips and your heart skipped a beat. You never saw him smile before and you thought it was the cutest thing.

"You may start by telling me what you enjoy and we can work from there."

#star trek #star trek imagines #star trek tos #star trek imagine #tos spock #spock tos #spock x reader #spock imagine

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high-functioning-lokipath · 3 years

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Star Trek - Leonard "Bones" McCoy x reader - Southern Charm - Words: 3,556

A/N: While I did write this with TOS in mind, I do believe it is fairly AOS compliant as well. Enjoy!

"Lieutenant Commander Y/N L/N, Chief Medical Officer of the Starship Serenity."

"Welcome aboard the Enterprise, Doctor L/N. I'm Captain James T. Kirk. This is my first officer, Commander Spock and our CMO, Doctor McCoy. We're looking forward to having you as the first trainee in the Starship Exchange Training program."

"Pleasure to meet you all. And I'm looking forward to it as well," You replied, stepping off the transporter pad. You gave the Captain a handshake, the First Officer a Vulcan salute and then turned to the grumpy looking CMO.

"How old are you?" He demanded to know.

"Old enough," You assured him, crossing your arms. "Why do you ask?"

"Just don't see many youngsters like you with that rank," He trailed off, leaving the statement open ended.

"Well, I happen to be an outlier. Or haven't you heard of that, Doctor? Besides, I'm not that young," You replied, curtly. You didn't often become confrontational this quickly but questions on your age and suspicions on how you got your rank were a sore spot for you.

"Just because I have to train you doesn't mean I have to like it," McCoy grumbled.

"I never asked you to." You quickly grabbed your bag that was transported with you and walked to the doors. Just before you stepped out to the hallway, you turned back around. "Captain, Commander, have a good evening. I am looking forward to working with you two over the next few weeks. Don't worry, I know where my quarters are. Doctor, I will see you at 6."

As you unpacked your bag, you thought over what happened in the transporter room. You had really been looking forward to this training and you had heard many great things about the Doctor. Of course, you had also heard he was a bit of a grump, but you hadn't thought it was this bad! You decided to stay in your room for the rest of that evening, as it was already late when you arrived, and try for a fresh start in the morning.

"Are you out of your mind? I'm a doctor, not an assassin!"

"I was simply saying, Doctor McCoy, that Starfleet medical personnel are completely untrained in self defense techniques! We are trained to save lives, not take them. That I completely agree with. But we must also be trained how to defend and disable. Defend ourselves, disable our opponents. Otherwise we may become a hindrance to any away missions we get assigned on!"

"Look, even if you're right, and you're not, when would we have the time to train?" He yelled. "Have you ever been to medical school? Do you know how stressful that is?"

"Of course I went to med school! I happened to graduate top of my class! And I remember very clearly how stressful it is! But they need to make it work! Even another month would be enough for most!"

"Another month?" He screeched. He raked his fingers through his hair and rubbed his forehead. "Look, I have plenty of training to defend myself in the field. Let's just agree to disagree and get this over with."

"Alright, Doctor," You sighed. The first 2 weeks of training slowly passed with the only change in attitude being on your side. You'd gotten to disliking the Doctor as much as he disliked you. Every day you trained was near constant arguing and insulting.

Unbeknownst to you, Kirk had started taking bets from the senior crew members on when in the final week you two would get together. Whoever won would get 3 days vacation. The current bets on Kirk's paper were:

Uhura: As she steps on the transporter to leave Thursday

Scotty: Monday

Chekov: End of shift Tuesday

Sulu: Beginning of shift Wednesday

Spock: At precisely 07:35 in the evening Friday

Kirk looked oddly at Spock when he submitted his estimate. "Spock, you do realize she is scheduled to leave Thursday afternoon."

"Yes, Jim."

"So why-"

"I have my reasons."

"Logical, I'm sure."

"Quite. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm needed in engineering."

"Ok, Spock. But don't get your hopes high about any vacation!"

Monday: Scotty's Day

You got up early and headed down to the rec room to get breakfast. Usually you had breakfast in your room but this morning, oddly enough, Scotty had invited you to join him for breakfast. Once you entered the rec room you mentally groaned. Of course McCoy would be there!

"Good morning, Scotty," You greeted, walking up to his table which was unfortunately right next to Kirk, Spock, and McCoy's table.

"Aye! And an even lovelier morning with you here, lassie!" You blushed slightly, surprised at the engineer's comment.

"Oh please!" You scoffed. You were about to walk away to the replicators to get your food when Spock cleared his throat.

"I believe Mister Scott is correct, Doctor. Your hair and makeup accentuate your natural beauty quite well."

"Spock!" You, Kirk and McCoy gasped at the same time.

"Look here," You finally said, gathering your composure. "I appreciate a compliment here and there but really! I'm going to go get my breakfast and I don't want to hear one more peep out of any of you when I return! Understand?" They all nodded and stuck to their word, not another compliment for the rest of the day.

Tuesday - Chekov's Day

Your shift had gone fairly well. Training with Doctor McCoy was finally becoming almost bearable and there hadn't been any major disasters. "Doctor, was there anything else you needed me for today?" You asked, stepping into the open doorway of his office.

"No, you can go if you'd like," He sighed, not lifting his eyes from his PADD.

"Is something troubling you, Doctor?"

"Just a lot of paperwork, darlin'," He said absently. You blushed brightly and he quickly tried to correct himself. "I mean, Doctor. Sorry." He finally looked at you, face as red as yours. You nodded and attempted to make a hasty exit but you ran into a gold blur.

"Oh! Ezcuze me!" Chekov quickly said, helping you up. "I'm wery sorry! Are you hurt?"

"Only my pride, Pavel," You replied, dusting yourself off.

"What in blazes happened out here?" McCoy yelled, stomping out.

"Oh nothing, Doctor," You assured him.

"Well watch where you're going next time!" He ordered. With that he marched back to his office and closed the doors. You sighed and wished Chekov goodnight before leaving.

"No vacation," Chekov mumbled softly before leaving Medbay too.

Wednesday - Sulu's Day

You walked into Medbay to start your shift only to find Sulu already there. "What are you doing here so early?" You asked. "Your check-up isn't for another 45 minutes."

"I wanted to make sure I got here on time. You know how it is on the bridge sometimes," He chuckled. You nodded and chuckled lightly. You checked the schedule on the PADD and noticed the Ensign before him had cancelled.

"Well, Sulu, you just managed to get an early appointment. Step on up!" You had him sit on the nearest biobed and grabbed your Tricorder. As you started running over the usual check-up points, Dr. McCoy walked in.

"You're here early," He commented. Sulu nodded and you explained what happened. "Alright. Y/N, I'm going to leave you to it. I have a headache this morning and I think I'll just sit in my office for a bit with the lights down." You looked at him a little better, noticing how exhausted he looked. His hair was a mess and there were dark bags under his eyes. He may be a pain but he was still human and you felt for him.

"Did you need me to get you anything, Doctor?" You asked. He shook his head but groaned at the movement. "Just comm me if you need anything." He made a noise of agreement and you went on with Sulu's checkup.

Thursday - Uhura's Day

"Good morning, Y/N," Uhura greeted you in the turbolift on your way to Medbay.

"Good morning, Uhura," You replied abit sadly.

"You alright, sweetheart?"

"I'm going to miss you all. I love my ship and my crew, don't get me wrong, but," You trailed off, unsure of how to explain yourself.

"You don't feel like family there?" She filled in. You nodded slightly. "Oh honey, I understand. Don't feel bad, alright? Who knows! Maybe you'll get a transfer one day even!"

"That would be nice I guess," You admitted. The doors swooshed open and as you stepped out, Dr. McCoy walked by.

"Doctor L/N," He said, sounding somewhat frustrated. "I need you to gather all the anti-toxin hypos we have."

"Of course. Is everything alright?"

"Spock just told me we're going on a mission tomorrow. He should have told me at least 2 days ago. The new colony on Oliza 6 sent out a distress call about 1 week ago saying that something was wrong. They said some of the younger people were having strange reactions to some of the foods."

"That's odd. Isn't the food on a planet usually tested first?"

"Yes but apparently they forgot to test on the younger adults. Blasted regulations. Test one adult you've tested them all." At this point you had nodded a silent goodbye to Uhura and started walking with Doctor McCoy down the hall. "Let's see if we can't find out what's on that planet and run some tests of our own. Might save some time."

"Doctor?" You said, somewhat hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"I do have to go back to my ship this afternoon. I," you paused. McCoy had finally started to be nice with you and now you had to go. You didn't want to upset him again on your last day. "I'll help as much as I can on the tests of course, Doctor, but I-"

"No, no," He said with a sigh. "I didn't realize it was Thursday." He smiled slightly and put his hand on your shoulder. "If you tell anyone what I'm about to say, I'll have to kill you," He joked. "Your work has been excellent. Your skill set is beyond your years and please don't take that wrong. You've impressed me." You blushed at his praise. "Of course, I still don't agree with the extra combat training," He added. You rolled your eyes and he chuckled. "But I guess you're not so bad."

"Well thank you, Doctor. I, uh, I guess I'll get the hypos for you now."

"Oh, um, yes, thank you," he replied somewhat awkwardly. The rest of your shift went about the same. You and the Doctor awkwardly dancing around each other. Eventually, though, the time came for you to finish packing, and leave the Enterprise.

As you headed to the transporter room, Uhura came running up to you with a small package in her hands. "What's this?" You asked.

"Oh, just a little going away present that a few of us put together for you."

"That's really sweet of you. Thanks so-"

"Bridge to Lt. Uhura," The Captain's voice rang through her comm.

"Duty calls!" She exclaimed. "Keep in touch!"

"Will do!" You replied, heading off to the transporters. Once you got there though, you saw Scotty talking to the Captain through the comm. He seemed upset about something.

"But Captain! I-"

"Scotty, we need to help that colony. There's no time."

"Aye, Captain. Scott out," He sighed. "I cannae believe 'at."

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, lassie. I'm so sorry! The Captain just got an emergency message from Oliza 6. We're heading there straight away."

"So I'll be staying another night?"

"At least." Your brows furrowed in thought. While you did want to get back to your ship to start your transfer application, a few more days here was not all that bad.

"Ok," You replied. Scotty seemed surprised. "I'll just take this back to my room and then head to Medbay. They'll probably need me handy."

"Aye. I'll let the Captain and Doctor know." You nodded in reply and headed off. When you returned to Medbay, you could have sworn you saw a look of relief on McCoy's face.

"Doctor L/N," McCoy said. "I'm putting you in charge of Medbay for the time being." Your eyebrows raised in surprise. "Jim's put me on the landing party and you technically are the next ranking medical officer on this ship."

"Well, thank you, I guess," You said. "Have you made any progress on the tests?"

"I believe so," He pulled up some test results on his PADD and showed them to you. "The hobgoblin ended up helping me but he was actually of some use." He looked around furtively. "Don't tell him I said so though."

"I promise," you said seriously. You stared at each other for a moment before you both broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Really though, the fruits on Oliza 6 seem to be causing a buildup of adrenaline in their systems causing aggression, anxiety and heart problems."

"Hm, interesting."

"That's what the hobgoblin said," McCoy grunted. You chuckled and he finished explaining their plan to administer hypos to everyone. The comm suddenly whistled.

"Bridge to Dr. McCoy," Uhura said.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" He replied.

"The Captain is preparing to beam down now and would like you to meet him in the transporter room."

"Alright, I'm on my way." You followed the Doctor as he gathered a few last minute items from his office. When he grabbed his phaser from his desk you couldn't help yourself.

"Doctor, that phaser is last year's model. Didn't you get your new one?"

"Oh, must not've. I'll ask Scotty for one." He grabbed his communicator and flipped it open. "McCoy to Scott."

"Scott here. Whaddya need, Doctor?"

"L/N said my phaser is old. Got a new one for me?"

"Sure do, Doc. I'll have her all polished up for ya when ya get to the transporters. Just remember, this one's a wee bit more powerful than the last. She's got a bit of a kick!"

"Don't worry, Scotty, I'm sure I can handle it. McCoy out." You looked worriedly at him because, knowing his views on defense training and based on what he said, this new phaser would throw him for a loop.

"Doctor, perhaps you should just stay with your old pha-"

"Doctor L/N," He said stiffly. "I do not want to hear anything more about training. I am perfectly capable of defending myself. Please do not worry yourself. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a mission to attend to. Do you think you'll be able to handle Medbay while I'm gone?"

"Of course, Doctor McCoy," You snapped. You heard the Medbay doors swoosh closed and sighed, leaning on he's desk in his office. You closed the office doors and locked them, needing a moment to gather yourself. "Gah! That man is so annoying!" You yelled to yourself. "If he doesn't get himself killed on this mission-" you left your threat unfinished. "Oh! I could just kiss him," You seethed. "I mean, kick." You paused, mid-pace, and shook your head vigorously. Your brain had apparently taken a left turn without telling you. "Did I seriously just-and now I'm talking to myself. Ok, Y/N, get yourself together. You'll figure it out later." You finished your little pep talk and headed back out.

The first few hours were fine. One or two clumsy engineers with a few cuts and bruises. A sniffle here and a headache there. It was actually somewhat relaxing. You decided to be a little helpful and got some paperwork done for Dr. McCoy. As you sat in his office tapping away on your PADD, you found yourself lost in thought. You hoped he wouldn't be upset that you did some extra work for him. "That's not what I asked you to do, Doctor!" You mocked under your breath. Chuckling slightly you continued your quiet monologue, "Oh wouldn't he be upset if I ran a report on him. He definitely is overworked. He'd come in here, yelling and screaming in that adorable southern accent of his, and he would proba-" You interrupted yourself again. Staring off for a second, realizing what you just said. "Adorable? Good grief. I'm either unconscious or demented."

The rest of the shift went fairly well and you heard that the landing party was making good progress too. Finally you turned everything over to the night shift doctor and went to your quarters to get some rest before your shift began again in the morning. Your sleep that night was restless, though, and when your alarm went off you didn't think you had slept a wink.

Friday - Spock's Day

"Good morning, Doctor L/N," one of the nurses greeted you as you walked into Medbay.

"Good morning," You replied tiredly. "Anything on the schedule?" You asked as you got a cup of coffee from the replicator.

"No. Just a couple of vaccines that the nurses can take care of."

"Good. I'll be in the office if you need me then."

"Are you alright, Doctor?"

"Fine. Just couldn't sleep last night."

"Oh, I understand. I'm worried about Dr. McCoy too. As I understand, the reaction the youths are having is fairly viol-"

"I am not worried about the good doctor!" You yelled, angrily. "Just in case you didn't notice, he's not exactly my type. And even if he was, that is no concern of yours, nurse!"

"Permission to speak freely, Doctor?" She asked with a slight smirk.

"Of course," You replied, rubbing your forehead. "I'm not the dang Captain." She giggled lightly before replying.

"That's exactly what McCoy would say. No go get some rest. We'll hold down the fort, Doctor." With that she walked off to get a few things prepped for the day. As you walked into the office and sat down, you thought about her observation.

"Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit."

A few hours later, after a short nap and another cup of coffee, you were reorganizing the supply room when Scotty called through on the comm. "Doctor L/N! We're gonna need a team down here immediately! The captain and Dr. McCoy were injured and we're beaming them aboard right now!"

"Ok, Scotty, we'll be right there, how serious is it?" You replied. Chills had run up your spine when he said Dr. McCoy had been injured but you kept yourself focused.

"The Captain's not too bad. I think he said a broken arm. Doctor McCoy though. He's in pretty rough shape."

"Alright. L/N out," You signed off. You started to grab emergency supplies and sent the emergency team down to the transporter room. Just like Scotty said, McCoy was in critical condition by the time you saw him. He was completely unconscious, had multiple broken ribs, a broken right arm, a fractured left leg, and a concussion. After about 3 hours in surgery, he was finally patched up. You looked at the chronometer and saw it was about 3 in the afternoon. Deciding that you needed to talk to him as soon as he woke, you opted to sit guard on a chair next to his bed.

"Doctor L/N?" A nurse called out. You opened your eyes with a start. Looking at the chronometer again you realized another 4 hours had passed.

"Has he woken up?" The nurse nodded. "Well why didn't you wake me?" You whisper yelled, not wanting to wake him now.

"For the same reason you're whispering now. He didn't want to wake you." You shook your head and looked back at him sleeping on the biobed. "His vitals are good and he will likely make a full recovery in about a week."

"Oh no! This doctor is getting a prescription for some real R&R for at least a month. He's been far too overworked." You immediately grabbed the PADD with his chart information and put him on medical leave for a month. The nurse smiled at you and shook her head.

"You know, you're technically off duty now. You can head back to your quarters."

"I think I'll stay here a bit longer," You said slowly, a blush rising to your cheeks.

"I thought so," She nodded. You settled back down in the chair and got a bit more paperwork done on your PADD. Looking at the chronometer again you saw it just turned to 7:33pm. You heard a groan from the bed and saw the Doctor waking up.

"Well hello there, darlin'," He smirked.

"Hello, Dr. McCoy," You smiled.

"Oh for Pete's sake, would you please just call me Leonard!"

"I'll consider it," You grinned. You stared at him for a moment, realizing again just how scared you had been.

"You alright, Y/N?"

"I was just so scared, Leonard," You admitted. "I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to tell you-" you stopped mid-sentence, nervous to continue.

"Tell me what?" You decided to chance it so you bent over and gave him a quick kiss. Standing up quickly, you looked away embarrassed. "Well, I'm not sure I understood. Can I hear that again?" He smirked. You smiled and leaned forward again for another kiss. You vaguely heard the doors open but neither you nor Leonard paid attention.

"So, any plans for your 3 days vacation, Spock?"

#star trek #bones x reader #leonard mccoy #leonard mccoy x reader #star trek tos #star trek aos

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writingsfromstarfleet · 4 years

Text

Mischief - Spock (TOS) X Reader

A/N: is there too much Jim? Indeed. Is Spock OOC? Absolutely. Is this a head canon I live for? Completely. This is for @groovyfluxie (and it’s very extremely late, a thousand apologies!) who’s super adorable and very lovely, I hope you enjoy! You lot as always, too, thanks for reading! :) x

look at his stupid face oh my god I want to hug him so bad

Often, during childhood, you had wondered what your future held; what you might be doing, who you might be friends with, who you'd end up marrying. All things kids naturally would think about, particularly those who read books like there was no tomorrow. You were always told by the adults in your life that you could do anything. Be a doctor, be a lawyer, the list was endless. Despite it all, you wove your own path and brought yourself to Starfleet.

It wasn't your first choice, but after giving the course a scan through, you studied your arse off and managed to be accepted onto the medical course at the Academy. Years of hard work payed off and you found yourself stationed aboard the Enterprise under quite possibly Starfleet's most irritating export; Jim Kirk.

You had risen up through the academy years with him, and had been there through thick and thin for him. From arguments over the pettiest thing, to consoling him when he had yet another heartbreak, to patching him up after many a fight with Finnegan. Every single time he needed someone, you were there. Why, neither of you knew; Jim had that effect on people, that, regardless of how annoying he may have been, you never could leave.

"So, Y/N, excited?" your new Captain asked you, nudging your arm playfully. You pretended to glare at him.

"Excited to spend another five years with you? Ecstatic." The sarcasm dripped from your voice as you raised an eyebrow at him in mock annoyance.

"Hardly any way to talk to your Captain, now, is it?"

"Are you going to be this annoying the entire time? If so, there's going to be Starfleet history when I murder my superior officer in cold blood."

Struggling to maintain the facade, the both of you erupted into laughter, play fighting yet again between you. The laughter was cut short after you bumped into a new face.

"My apologies," Jim started, placing a hand on the tall mans shoulder. "We should have been watching where we were going."

As Jim and the stranger conversed, you took the time to quietly stand behind your friend and study the man before you. He was a Vulcan, and he was handsome, very handsome. He seemed almost ethereal to you. There were Vulcans at the academy, though none of them struck you quite like him. They tended to be quiet, reserved, whereas there was something about the one here that said he was different.

"..Spock, Captain." You had re-tuned in to their conversation to catch his name.

"Well, I'm glad to have you with us. This is Y/N, by the way," he stepped aside to reveal you fully and you saw Spock raise his eyebrows. "Y/N is a bit quiet, but once you get comfortable.." he laughed as he trailed off, and Spock sent a nod your way.

"A pleasure, Lieutenant. I must be off."

As he walked away, you found yourself thinking about how handsome he was, which continued rather often. You also couldn't help but think of how he acted. Stoic, calm, enigmatic Though, you thought that was just the way Vulcans were, that there would be no breaking through his wall, however you had never been more wrong.

Over your time on the Enterprise, you became (surprisingly) close to Spock, and the two of you became a couple, much to the teasing of your captain and medical officer. You didn't care, though, you were happy and you knew Spock was too.

One thing you quickly learned about Spock was that he was hardly the man you saw on the bridge behind closed doors. He was much kinder, talkative and more playful than you had originally thought. All of this was for you, and you were thankful you got to see it; nobody else would believe you had you said anything, anyway. Spock had a flair for the mischievous, and it tended to always be aimed your way.

Through your relationship, you both discovered things and learned much about the other, and Spock's favourite thing about you was how ticklish you were. He often didn't have to try; a simple brush past your waist was enough to have you wriggle out of the way, leaving Spock to chuckle to himself, very uncharacteristically. He found it both humorous and adorable that you were as ticklish as you were, and loved to tease you about it.

"Spock," you began, smiling as he wrapped his arms around you. "Hello to you too." You giggled as he said nothing but buried his face into your neck. Displays of affection were more common than in the beginning, and still it made your heart soar whenever he was like this.

"Y/N.." you heard him speak, humming in response to let him continue. "How was your day?"

As you began to talk about your day and just what you'd been doing down in the medical bay, he listened intently to every word you said, occasionally nodding to let you know he was paying attention. Once you had finished your venting about Bones, Spock turned you round and placed a kiss on your forehead. You grabbed his hand to respond with a Vulcan kiss; an action he never would admit truly made his heart flutter. You stood like that for a moment before you began to chuckle under his stare. He had that glint in his eye of mischief, and you picked up on it all too late.

"Spock.." you trailed off, seeing him smirk, arms still around your waist. No reply came from him, though you quickly realised what was wrong. Attempting to back away was futile, and before long he began to tickle you, and the laughter coming from you was music to his ears.

"Spock! Hey.. Spock!" you managed to breathe out through laughs, more attempts to escape going down like a lead balloon. He smiled, genuinely, and chuckled every now and then, too. Finally letting you go, he spun you once again in his arms. You marvelled at this side of him, the side of the Vulcan that nobody got to see.

"You do test my patience at times, Spock" you told him, despite not actually meaning it. You were left smiling stupidly at his next words, your heart content and happy.

"I love you too, ashayam."

#star trek #star trek imagine #star trek x reader #star trek the original series #star trek tos #the original series #tos #spock #tos spock #spock x reader #spock imagine #x reader #imagine

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kairoscelrosis · 3 years

Text

Ocean Eyes - A Leonard “Bones” McCoy x Reader Fic

Series: Star Trek TOS

Pairings: Leonard “Bones” McCoy x Reader, Implied Spirk

Characters: Reader, Leonard “Bones” McCoy, James T Kirk, Spock, Montgomery Scotty, Nyota Uhura

Trigger Warnings: No triggers apply.

Word Count: 5,202 words

Author’s Note:

This is my first fic! It has a small amount of fluff, but its mainly full of a plot revolving around the two mentioned relationships.

You can also find this fic on Wattpad.

Summary:

Y/N is confused about her feelings for Dr. McCoy. When Spock and Kirk come to know, they devise a fantabulous plan to bring both of them together.

I was lying down on my bed in a darkened room. Thoughts wandered, but always stopped on one thing. Rather, on one person. It’s weird. I had always liked him a lot – platonically, of course. This was different. “What the hell?”, I said out loud. But that didn’t help the storm raging in my mind. My alarm beeped. 1530 hours. “Damn.” I huffed, got changed, and left for the Bridge. My eight-hour shift was about to begin.

______________________________________________________________

On the bridge

“Captain.”, I said in a confident, but tired voice. “Lieutenant Y/L/N reporting for Beta Shift.”

“Yes, Lieutenant.” Kirk replied without looking towards me. “Please report to Mr. Spock for this shift’s agenda. You will be taking over from him for the Beta shift.”

I walked over to Mr. Spock’s science station. “Commander Spock. Lieutenant Y/L/N reporting.” His head bobbed in a small greeting.

Spock and I had known each other since my academy days when he was my professor for most subjects. He was my role model and mentor, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. He was also my closest friend on the ship.

After briefing me with the progress he had made on the current star charting assignment and about his inferences on the nearby nebula, Spock walked over to Kirk, and whispered something. Kirk nodded and said, “Please continue with our research assignments. Mr. Sulu, you have the conn. I’ll be in my quarters.”

______________________________________________________________

Spock’s POV

After filling in Y/N, I walked over to the Captain and quietly said, “Captain, I would like to speak with you.” He nodded, gave his usual orders, and both of us left the bridge for his quarters.

Once in the sanctuary of his quarters, the Captain turned to me, and asked, “What is it, Mr. Spock? You seem concerned.”

I replied in the affirmative, and said, “My concern is for Lieutenant Y/L/N, sir. She seems to be ‘out of her elements’, as would be expressed in Terran colloquial.”

The Captain offered a small, though rueful smile at this. “I agree with you Mr. Spock. She is not one of the outspoken ones, but she does seem a bit… subdued. Perhaps we should ask her what the problem is?”

“Perhaps. Though I have another suggestion sir. We are going to take a short shore leave on Star Base 12 in a few hours. Why not relieve Lieutenant Y/L/N early from her Beta shift so that she can recuperate and make the most out of this shore leave?”

“Yes Mr. Spock. An excellent idea. Anyhow, we take shore leaves only once in a blue moon, so why not allow her to rest a bit before going back out into the dark. I believe we will establish orbit around Star Base 12 by 1800 hours. I myself will relieve her at 1830 hours. Thank you for bringing this to my notice Mr. Spock.”

“My pleasure.”

______________________________________________________________

A few hours later…

Y/N’s POV

After several attempts to refuse an early shore leave and in complete denial of any need of this favour, I had finally beamed down onto Star Base 12.

Along with Scotty.

You might wonder why I was accompanied by the Chief Engineer. That was because of my resistance to go down. Kirk had asked Scotty to accompany me so that I did not sneak back onto the ship. I sighed inwardly.

Wanting to make the most of this time, I asked Scotty to come along with me to a street market. I loved the vibe of street markets – the dim lights, the muffled voices, walking around – it was the perfect ambience to relax.

“Hey Scotty! Come on!” I turned and called to Scotty, who was dragging his feet like a bored teenager. “Ach lass! I didn’t know that I’d have to babysit ya today. I wanted to go to the bar.” He moaned.

“Okay, okay, Lieutenant Commander Scott. Lieutenant Y/L/N will not hold you for long. Come, roam around with me for a while, and then we’ll both go to the bar.”

His face lit up like that of a child on Christmas morning. After that, there was a certain bounce in his step, not stalling anymore.

While scanning the stalls, I saw a small, wooden stringed instrument which piqued my interest. Picking it up gingerly, I held it in my hands. It felt right.

“Ah lass! What are ya doing with a ukulele?”

“You know the name of this instrument?” The shopkeeper asked, visibly surprised.

“Yes of course! My gran used to play this really well. She got it as an heirloom from her mother, who got it from her mother.”

I strummed the strings of the ukulele tentatively. A beautiful sound, though not very melodious, emerged.

“Can I buy this? It’s beautiful.”

The shopkeeper smiled, “You have really good taste. I can see you play this beautifully. That will be ten credits. If you want, I can teach this to you as well.” Her offer seemed genuine.

“Thank you so much!”

______________________________________________________________

At the bar

I let an evil grin emerge. Scotty had his head down. I had known his weakness, and now I had the chance to escape.

Well, escape is a strong word, but I had been forced to come down – so it was justified.

I had just drunk a glass of iced tea, not preferring to be hungover the next morning. I had never really liked drinking anyway.

As I was sneaking out of the bar, I saw HIM coming in. My heart immediately jumped into my mouth, beating like crazy. I hid behind the table where an employee was granting entry to the guests. He gave me a weird look but did nothing about me being there.

Once certain that HE was gone, I brushed my clothes, held my head high and started to walk towards the door, when I heard someone call me, and I froze.

“Y/N? Whatcha doin’ here? I thought ya didn’t drink.” The southern drawl rolling smoothly off his tongue.

“H-Hey Doc. Yeah, I don’t drink. I was just giving Scotty some company. I’m going back to my room now.”

“’Kay, great! Have a nice evening.” He sauntered away to where Scotty lay knocked out.

This was getting harder day by day.

______________________________________________________________

The next morning

I was back in my quarters on the Enterprise. Last night had been great, though I won’t admit this to anyone.

After encountering Bones at the bar, I had gone to the shopkeeper who had sold me the ukulele, and I sat there till late at night, learning the basics. I picked up the chords pretty quickly and was onto my first song by midnight. The street shops were open till 2 in the morning, and the shopkeeper seemed keen on teaching me, so I figured why not learn as much as I could.

She told me she had many copies (yes, actual paper copies!) of songs. She called them scores or sheet music. She gave me all the copies of scores she possessed, and I was so grateful!

Rand smuggled me back onto the ship by manning the transporter. She was going down in a while and didn’t mind disobeying Kirk.

The clock flashed 0800 hours as I was snapped out of my thoughts about the previous night. I wanted to utilize the rest of my shore leave efficiently. I got up, showered, and walked to the replicator. When nothing came out even after swiping the card multiple times, I let a sigh out and decided that I’d have to go to the mess.

I swaggered along the deserted decks and corridors of the ship, making no effort to conceal myself. Most people were down on the planet, including the two I wanted to avoid.

Walking into the mess, I ordered popcorn (weird choice, I know) and sat down. Spock, who had entered the mess just after me, slid into the seat opposite me, both of us falling into a comfortable silence. We often had our breakfast together. I was one of the people closest to Spock.

Putting down the Vulcan equivalent of an apple, Spock looked at me and asked, “How are you Y/N? You seemed extremely sombre yesterday. That is unlike you.”

The corner of my mouth lifted slightly at his concern. “I am fine.” I replied. “I guess the work got to me. Yesterday was a nice break.” So much for not telling anyone, I thought, amused. “I don’t think Kirk thought of relieving me early yesterday. Someone else was behind that move.” I gave a teasing grin. Spock’s eyes crinkled in a semblance of a grin.

Once done with our respective meals, I said, “Come to my quarters tonight, Spock. I’ll tell you about my evening and you can tell me about yours. Maybe I’ll even play you something. Bring your lyre as well. I wanna hear you play it.”

Spock bobbed his head, confirming that he’d be there.

______________________________________________________________

That evening

I heard knocking at the door. “Come in.” Spock walked in with his Vulcan lyre in hand. I gave him a smile.

Though my quarters were small, I had made enough space for us to sit comfortably, without invading each other’s space. He sat down on the straight backed, cushioned seat which he preferred, and I pulled my desk chair to sit on.

We talked about the events of last night, me reciting everything other than the event when I ran into the Doc (that incident was kept to myself for the time being). Spock told how he had done some work in the science lab, read a book, and practiced playing the lyre (though he didn’t need any).

“You said that you were going to play for me?” It was more a request than a question. “Yeah.”, I replied. “I bought this old Terran stringed instrument called the ukulele yesterday, and the lady who sold it to me taught me how to read sheet music and also helped me play my first song. It’s “Ocean Eyes” by Billie Eilish from 2016. I’ve heard it before. You wanna hear it?”

Spock lifted his eyebrows in classic Spock fashion, essaying his agreement.

I rarely sang, but when I did, it was only in the privacy of my own quarters. Spock had heard me sing, though not very often.

I started strumming, trying to pick the beat from where I had to start the vocal.

I've been watchin' you for some time Can't stop starin' at those ocean eyes Burning cities and napalm skies Fifteen flares inside those ocean eyes Your ocean eyes.

No fair You really know how to make me cry When you gimme those ocean eyes I'm scared I've never fallen fro…

I faltered. Spock nodded, his eyes intently watching, eyebrow perked. I could see something glint in his eyes but didn’t understand what it was. I resumed the strumming.

I've never fallen from quite this high Fallin' into your ocean eyes Those ocean eyes.

I've been walkin' through a world gone blind Can't stop thinkin' of your diamond mind Careful creature made friends with time He left her lonely with a diamond mind And those ocean eyes.

No fair You really know how to make me cry When you gimme those ocean eyes I'm scared I've never fallen from quite this high Fallin' into your ocean eyes Those ocean eyes.

I had been nervous, not because it was my first time playing this song in front of somebody (because I knew Spock would never disregard the importance of beginning, and subsequently growing as a person), but because this song reminded me of a certain someone. If Spock connected the dots, I don’t know what his reaction would be, and whether he would tell McCoy or Jim.

There was silence for a moment. Spock opened his mouth to say something, but then, his communicator beeped. Flipping it open, he said, “Spock here.”

Kirk’s voice cracked through. “Mr. Spock. I request you to please report to my quarters. I have an urgent matter to discuss with you.”

Spock looked at me, that glint still there. I nodded my assent and picked up his lyre from my bed and handed it to him, as he stood from his chair to leave.

I mouthed, “See you later”, and then the door shut.

Lying down on my bed, I decided that it would be best to go to sleep.

But sleep just wouldn’t come.

______________________________________________________________

Spock’s POV

I had had a nice evening with Y/N, though the lyrics of her song still perplexed me. I was reminded of someone by those lyrics, but I can’t seem to determine whom. My brain was “short-circuiting”, as Jim would say, but I was not able to put a finger on who the song pointed to. I had known Y/N long enough to know that this wasn’t just “nothing”, though that’s what she wanted me to believe.

I didn’t know what to make of Jim’s call either. He had planned to stay ashore for at least 12 more hours, but he now was aboard the ship. Though Jim’s words had been authoritative, his tone was friendly and indicated that this had nothing to do with the ship.

I knocked on the door of Jim’s quarters, and heard a small “Come in”. When I walked in, Jim was seated at his desk, his hands intertwined into a tent. “A ‘deep in thought’ position” I thought.

“Jim. Is something troubling you?” Jim looked up and gestured me to sit down. I complied. “No Spock, nothing is troubling me. It’s just, I think I know now why Y/N has been so quiet.”

I gave him a quizzical look.

“Spock, I believe you were with Y/N when I called you?” I nodded. I couldn’t understand where this was going.

“What were you doing?” One of my eyebrows lifted in confusion. Why was Jim asking that?

“Jim, I don’t think you should ask that. I think, on Earth, this is called snooping. Though you are a good friend of Y/N’s, it is my moral responsibility not to tell you anything about what she told or did in confidence.”

Jim’s eyes expressed the same warmth as his smile when I said that. “True gentleman you are, Mr. Spock. Okay, I’ll tell you why I asked that question.” My eyebrows perched higher, indicating my interest.

“I was going to Y/N’s chamber to admonish her for not following her Captain’s orders.”

My expression moved from interested to inquiring.

“I had ordered Y/N to stay on the planet for the entirety of the shore leave. However, when I went to her room at the lodging, she wasn’t there. She had told McCoy that she would be in her room. I knew where she would be – in her quarters, aboard the Enterprise. I walked to her quarters, mock-fuming, and was about to knock, when I heard her start singing.”

I opened my mouth to rebuke Jim for eavesdropping, when he interrupted, “I know Spock, but I had no intention to eavesdrop. I was just drawn to her voice and that song. I love that song.”

“Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish?”

“Yeah, that one. I was surprised that you didn’t hear me standing outside, what with your enhanced hearing.”

I paused for a moment before I spoke, staring past Jim’s shoulder, my eyes resting on his laurels. “I had been thinking about something.”

______________________________________________________________

Jim’s POV

Spock had apparently zoned out. That was a first.

“I think I can guess what you were thinking about.”

Spock’s eyebrows flew up. “Do you?” he enquired.

“Yes Spock, I think I do. And I think you do too, now. You have arrived at a conclusion, and I would like you to share it with me.”

Spock seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then turned to face me. “I think this has something to do with Dr. McCoy.” My smile turned into a grin. Spock was REALLY smart with this stuff for a person who swore by logic. Spock took this as a confirmation that he was correct.

“I assume I am correct. However, I do not fully understand.”, he remarked.

“My dear Spock, I was surprised that you inferred this much.” If Spock’s brows could go higher, they would have. “It is my hypothesis that Y/N likes Dr. McCoy, but she is in denial.” Spock’s face expressed a mixture of distaste and bewilderment. I chuckled.

“I have known Y/N since our academy days. She is slightly younger than me, but she was always a prodigy. Always top of the class. Not just with marks or grades, but with her work ethic as well. She has never been in a relationship; she never felt the need to be in one. Now, she reminds me a lot of someone I know. Maybe that’s why both of them are such good friends.” I looked at Spock. His face radiated a hint of pride.

I continued. “And now, she is faced by this overwhelming feeling, one I doubt she ever felt before. And she is uncertain, how to act on this feeling, or whether to act at all.”

Realization dawned on Spock’s visage. Then, it was replaced by dubiousness and even a hint of distaste. “But why Dr. McCoy?” he asked. I let out a hearty laugh. Everyone knew of the friendly banter between him and McCoy.

“No Jim, I am serious. I care for Y/N deeply, though not in a romantic sense. If the doctor did anything to hurt her, I would disapprove.”

By “disapprove” I knew Spock would go on a killing spree. And the first would be Bones. I grinned inwardly. This was starting to get interesting, and I now had a chance to tease Spock.

“Isn’t disapproval a human emotion?” I tried (and failed) to keep the smirk off my face.

Spock looked at me dead in the eyes. My stomach suddenly became a bottomless pit. With an intense gaze, he whispered, “Yes.”

______________________________________________________________

Bones’ POV

I was on my way to the Transporter Room when Uhura said that she had a message from Joanna. Her messages really made my day. I asked her to transfer the message to the intercom in the Transporter Room.

I walked into the transporter room, which seemed to be deserted. “Never mind”, I thought. I would have preferred to listen to the message alone, so I didn’t mind. I switched on the intercom and confirmed that I had reached the Transporter Room.

Immediately, Joanna’s message started playing.

“Hey Papa!”, her sweet voice chirped. I smiled. “I was a few light years away from Earth, so decided that why not spend my holiday on our home planet. I went to Georgia and checked on our house and the farm. Everything is in place. I am off to India to spend a week or two. I have a month before I join the Farragut as their nurse trainee. I am really excited! Tell me if the Enterprise’s schedule matches with the Farragut’s, so that we can meet soon. Love you and meet you soon!”

“Wow”, I breathed. “What an exciting young lady.” I thanked Uhura, and then typed up my message on my PADD and sent it to her. I still like sending her emails, though they were considered ancient. “Hmm.” I hummed. “Forever the sensualist.”

______________________________________________________________

Later that evening

I was trying to find the bar where Scotty had asked me to join him, when I caught a glimpse of Y/N coming out of a bar. I had heard that she had been accompanied by Scotty onto the surface, so I started walking towards her. I heard some laughter and turned to look in the direction of the commotion. Seeing nothing of significance, I faced again towards my destination, searching for Y/N, but she had disappeared. “Weird”, I mumbled.

I stepped into the foyer and was about to enter the bar when I turned around, wondering where Y/N had gone. And there she was! I called out her name and made small talk. Then we both went our separate ways.

I spotted Scotty and hurried towards his seat. “Got started without me, huh?”, I teased. Scotty, who had had is head down, lifted it and slurred, “Why are yer cheeks red, eh McCoy? Had a swig on the ship, huh?” I knitted my eyebrows together. I hadn’t been drinking. I dismissed it to be the cold.

______________________________________________________________

A few hours later

A blinding light flashed in my eyes. “Who’s it? What’re you doin’?” I caught a glimpse of a blue shirt. It reminded me of someone.

“Y/N?”

“Bones why do you have to drink so much? You always get hungover and start hallucinating. Then I have to take care of you. Dammit, I’m a Starship captain, not a doctor.”

“Ah Jimmy boy. Take me home now, will ya?”

______________________________________________________________

The next morning

I woke up with a splitting headache. When I opened my eyes and looked around that I realized I was not in my quarters. Hell, I wasn’t even on the Enterprise.

“Shit.” I cursed softly.

“Finally, you are up, huh? I really think you could’ve given Sleeping Beauty a run for the money.”

I huffed. I knew that voice well. Maybe too well. And I knew what that meant. “I’m sorry Jim. Just got flown away with the drinking last night. I don’t even remember you picking me up.”

“I think we should stop booking an extra room for you. You always end up crashing in mine during shore leaves.”, Jim remarked sarcastically, getting up from the reading chair and putting down his PADD.

“Drink this. You’ll feel better.” He handed me a glass of lemonade.

“What, you’re gonna use my own hacks against me?”

“Shut up and drink it.”

I accepted the glass and started taking sips from it.

“You know, you said something last night which made me think a lot.”

“Well, that’s new.” I remarked with a smirk.

Jim feigned annoyance, then continued. “You know, when I came to pick you up last night, I was wearing a blue shirt.”

“Mh-hm”

“And when you saw me, you said, ‘Y/N?’. Were you expecting her or something?”

“Hmm. I don’t remember saying that actually. Maybe that was because I saw her last night before going into the bar. She was hiding from somebody, I guess. And I was surprised to even see her at a bar – she doesn’t drink, you know.”

Jim nodded. “Do you know where she went?”

“She said she was going to her room.” I said, matter-of-factly.

“’Kay.”

______________________________________________________________

That evening

Jim had left for the Enterprise – he had some work onboard. I decided that I’d roam around the markets for a while. I never was a fan of shopping, but Christine always asked me to take small memorabilia from each planet I visited for Joanna. She seemed to like it – so I didn’t mind too much.

Hands tucked behind my back, I strolled through the stalls. I came across a shop selling ancient art prints. There were abstract paintings, movie poster recreations and the like. I picked up a print of warm toned abstract art and a recreation of the Titanic poster for Joanna. Suddenly, a small necklace and bracelet caught my eye. It didn’t seem to have any lustre, but it had an aura that I was drawn to. Entranced, I asked what it was.

“It is Vokaya – a rare Vulcan jewel.” The shopkeeper said. He was Vulcan as well. So much for being in a green-hobgoblin-free zone. But really, I was mesmerised by this ornament, and ended up buying it.

Walking back to my room, I huffed. I had never been an impulsive buyer. Thinking about the peculiar feeling that had filled me, I walked down the corridor and entered my room.

And collided with someone standing straight like a rod.

I groaned. I knew who this was.

______________________________________________________________

Y/N’s POV

The next morning

I finally got out of my bed – I had barely gotten any sleep. I kept tossing and turning, thinking about my encounter with Bones last night and Spock’s reaction to me singing that song. He must have figured it out by now.

“Well – how bad can the situation get?” I murmured.

Before I could go into the washroom to get ready for the day, I heard a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

In stormed Jim Kirk – his expression unreadable.

“Captain? What happened? Is everything alright?”

“Jim, please; I’m off duty.” Sitting down on the chair where Spock had sat last night, he said, “Calm down Y/N. Nothing’s wrong. Can’t a friend come to talk to another friend when everyone else is on shore leave?” He flashed that “I am charming” smile. I rolled my eyes.

“Sit down Jim. Let me get dressed. Then we can have breakfast together in the mess.”

Jim shook his head. “I think we should eat in my quarters.”

That was new. Why did Jim want to have breakfast alone? “Okay…” I said, sounding hesitant.

Jim gave me a smile, a genuine one. “Don’t worry, Y/N. Really. It’s nothing.”

Knowing Jim for so many years had made one thing clear:

When he said, “It’s nothing.”, there really WAS something.

______________________________________________________________

Jim’s POV

When I entered Y/N’s quarters, she looked a mess. She had always been an extremely graceful and likeable person – after all, we both were nerds. But today, there was something off. She had eyebags beneath her eyes, and her tired demeanour indicated that she hadn’t gotten much sleep.

But I could not bail out on Spock’s plan. So, it would have to do.

Spock had come up with something which was very unlike Spock – but the man never failed to surprise me. We had done what we had to do with McCoy. It hadn’t been easy, because he would not sleep at night, and kept protesting when he woke up. But we had managed.

He was in his quarters, unaware what was happening. We had brought him aboard forcefully. He won’t sit there for long. We had to hurry.

“Hey, Jim. Let’s go.”

I snapped my head in the direction of the voice.

“After you”

As the door slid open, a small voice came through.

“I am sorry Y/N.”

And then, Y/N slumped unconscious.

______________________________________________________________

A few hours later

Bones POV

Spock and Jim had been acting weird. Like, they have always been slightly off their hooks, but today, there was an air of urgency about them.

That is extremely discomforting with Spock, because usually he is the patient one preventing Jim from running around like a headless chicken.

I was pacing around my quarters. I had been asked to stay inside until called. “Captain’s orders.”, Jim had said.

I huffed. Did he really think I was going to listen to him? It had been a while since they had left, and I decided to get some work done.

Before I could decide what was the agenda for today, my intercom whistled. “McCoy here.”

“Uhura here.” Her voice was strained. “Doctor, please hurry to the Bridge. There is an emergency. Y/N has fainted.” Cursing under my breath, I picked up my medical kit and rushed out of the door.

The doors of the turbolift slid open and I walked out, worried what had happened. I looked around but there was no one. Perplexed, I scanned the bridge for any signs of hastened evacuation. My eyes landed on a head poking from the Captain’s chair.

I walked to the chair and turned it around. Y/N was slumped unconscious in it. I took her pulse, but it was really faint. I took out a hypo and filled it with cordrazine. This was risky material, but it would wake Y/N up for sure. The hypo hissed as it pressed it into her forearm, and she stirred.

______________________________________________________________

Y/N’s POV

My head was throbbing. My eyes fluttered, but they won’t open. “Too bright”, I mumbled. Someone standing next to me said, “Computer, dim the lights.” The voice mumbled something, then stopped. My eyes opened, and then focussed on the person kneeling beside me. “Doctor?” I said, voice cracking.

“Yeah Y/N. What happened? Why did you faint? Why are you sitting in the Captain’s chair? Do you remember anything?”

I looked around, a bewildered look covering my face. I didn’t remember coming to the bridge. “I don’t know Doc… I don’t even remember coming to the bridge…” McCoy got up quickly and started examining me with his tricorder.

“No signs of mental trauma. Are you sure you don’t remember coming here?” I nodded. Looking around, I now noticed that the lighting was pinkish. “Hey Doc… why is the lighting here pink?” I failed to keep the smile off my face.

He chuckled. “I don’t know. When you woke up, I ordered the computer to dim the lights. It did, but the lights also became pink.”

Suddenly, it hit me. “Oh my God. I just remembered. This has something to do with Jim. And Spock. Jim had come to my quarters to invite me for breakfast. When I was about to walk out, somebody said, ‘I am sorry Y/N.’, and then I fainted.”

McCoy’s eyes had grown wide. He seemed angry. “Come on. Let’s find the two devils.”

I tried getting up but stumbled. McCoy held my forearm and held me up. Then he stopped. “Y/N. There’s a piece of paper stuck to your back.” Confused, I asked him to remove it. “It won’t come off.”

“What does it say?”

“Um… It says, ‘I’ve been watching you for some time; Can’t stop staring at those ocean eyes.’”

I froze. I turned around to face McCoy and opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

I couldn’t decipher the expression on his face, but I could see the gears turning in his mind. Would he be angry? Or upset? I half expected him to just shrug and walk away, when surprisingly he held my hand and kissed it.

I tilted my head like a confused squirrel, giving him a look of *almost* disbelief.

He chuckled, “Yeah I get it now. But before we get all sweet, I really wanna hunt down both the red-blooded and the green-blooded devils. They are not going to get away with this.”

I looked into his eyes, for the first time today.

And I felt myself sinking deep into the ocean of his eyes.

______________________________________________________________

Epilogue

Spock’s POV

We had watched the events on the bridge as they took place trough the security cameras. By we, I mean Jim, I and Uhura.

Uhura was laughing so hard that she was on the verge of choking. Jim was bursting with laughter and happiness, his cheeks red. The sight made me want to smile broadly.

“Oh my God Spock, you really are a genius. This was the cleverest shipping of two people ever!”

I tilted my head, asking him what “shipping” meant.

“Never mind. Let’s go now. Otherwise, Bones will hypo the lives out of us. And Y/N adding to the party is not going to be beneficial.”

He gripped my hand and lead the way, running through the corridors of our beloved ship.

And I didn’t mind being by his side one bit.

#leonard mccoy #bones mccoy #spock #jim kirk #james t kirk #tos #star trek #st:tos #nyota uhura #uhura #bones x reader #implied spirk #jim x spock

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a-noone · 3 years

Text

Episode 2: Nos Et Cedamus Amori -- As Told by Leonard McCoy

In a time-stream that diverges from Prime roughly four months before that start of TOS: Season 2...

After marrying James Kirk, Spock begins behaving strangely toward Leo. Is he still recovering from the Plak Tow? Or is there something infinitely more awkward and uncomfortable going on?

Post-Discovery. Chris Pine as Kirk, Karl Urban as Bones, and Ethan Peck as Spock. Chapter 2 of 20. CW: discussion of alcohol abuse and dependency. Mental illness, anxiety, and depression. Oblique references to BDSM.

---

We were on our way, not long after that, to rendezvous with some Andorian diplomats for more of the same bullshit. What you really have to know about Andorians is that they hate Vulcans with an almighty icy passion. Doesn’t matter what they say they’re getting together with you for, or what their nominal purpose is supposed to be. It always boils down to the notion that Vulcans are bastards, and if they ceased to exist, Andoria could ascend to some kind of Vulcan-free Nirvana, end planetary hunger, attain Galactic peace, yadda yadda.

Look, I know I give Spock hell about being a green-blooded hobgoblin and a pointy-eared smartass, and he is all of that. But if anyone had the audacity to say as much to him in front of me, I’d deck them. There’s a big difference between me insulting my Vulcan, and someone else doing it.

But on our way, we picked up, on long-range sensors, a disabled Federation craft floating dead in the water. The USS Shenzhou. Swear to all that is holy, we go through a ship named Shenzhou every five years or so. The name’s cursed, if you ask me.

I’m not 100% clear on why I was on the bridge, but I was.

“Lay in a course, Mr. Sulu.” Kirk said.

“Now wait a damn minute, Captain,” I interjected. “I’m just a country doctor, not a diplomat, but even I know that you’re taking us close to Klingon territory, and that those borders have shifted six times in the last month.”

“That’s exactly why we’re going, Bones,” he said. “We have to go and get the black box and disable the ship’s systems. Otherwise we’re handing the Klingons our military secrets, and they’ll be more than happy to take them.”

I couldn’t exactly argue with his reasoning. Maybe it was in my head, but he’d seemed more Vulcan of late. Doing unexpected things for reasons that seemed obvious to him, logical once explained, but in utter defiance of emotions like caution or fear. If it even registered with him how much danger we’d be in, it didn’t show in his manner or on his face. If sharing a brain with a Vulcan would make anyone more reckless, I suppose it’d be James Kirk.

He looked at me and smiled fondly. “We got this, Bones. A quick in-and-out mission. Then we’re back on track to go meet up with the Andorians.”

Spock turned to me. “You need not accompany us on the away mission, Doctor McCoy, if you are concerned about the potential for conflict.”

“Like hell,” I said. “I’m not letting you two go by yourselves. If you get sliced open with a bat’leth, the time it takes to beam you back to the ship and rush you to Sick Bay could be the difference between life and death.”

“As you wish, Doctor,” said Spock, and he turned back to looking at his microscope widget. Never quite knew what the hell he was doing with that thing. We were on the bridge, not in a botany lab. I half expected that he had it installed to reduce interactions with the bridge crew by looking busy.

I think it was less than ten minutes before we pulled up to that vessel. Jim made a big ‘come on’ gesture, and Spock and I got into the lift with him.

We met up in the transporter room, and I got on the platform.

You know, I can actually feel the accursed thing scattering my atoms. There’s this horrific sensation of being momentarily disembodied. Things kinda scratched at the back of my head, and I didn't want to look, because I was afraid of what I might see. You get what I’m saying? I hated it. I still hate it.

We materialized, and, confirming my suspicions, there were three Klingons digging through the bridge. One of them was older and stouter, with long salt and pepper hair. The other two were younger, one of them broad across the shoulders with his hair in a tight braid, the other rather narrower in build, a shaved head, showing ridges that went all the way around his skull, and some kind of red paint on his face. Doubtlessly, their ship wasn’t far from here, but hidden from us with a cloaking device.

The Shenzhou was badly damaged. A force field was all that was holding in the atmosphere, standing between us and the vacuum of space. Never a great feeling, looking through a big hole in the hull with space peeking through a gauzy blue shimmer.

“reH SoHvaD chol! NaDevvo' qechvam ghu'vam!” The older Klingon shouted at us. And then they drew their weapons. Not their side-arms, you understand, but their nasty, two-handed curved Klingon blades with an infinitude of razor-sharp hooks and blood letting grooves, their bat’leths. The bald one with the red on his face came charging straight at me.

I jumped into stance, ready to dodge, but then everything was chaos for a second, and I saw a bat’leth go flying. A second later, I realized that Spock had punched it out of the Klingon’s hand, and another second later, had him by the throat. Icy Vulcan fingers clamped down on the guy’s wind pipe, and there was a distressing gurgle, right before Spock straight up threw him, halfway across the bridge and into a bulkhead. That would have killed just about anyone else, but the Klingon hit the wall, and just started rubbing his head with a look of confusion.

“I apologize, Vulcan Warrior!” said the older Klingon, directly to Spock. “We did not realize that this man was your mate.”

I… excuse me, what?

The Klingon on the floor, just as confused as I am, said, “But he is a man! They are both men!”

“Do not be a coward, D’Ghor! These men are clearly competent in battle. Who are you to judge their relationship?”

“You are right.” Said D’Ghor. “My comment was not an honorable one.”

Part of me wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but Kirk was quick to use the opportunity to create dialogue. “Sorry, Captain, but our translators didn’t do a very good job on what you said when we first arrived. Why are we fighting?”

“This vessel is a Federation vessel, but it is in contested space,” the Kingon Captain explained. “If we had found it in Federation space, we would not have entered. If we had found it in Klingon space, our rights would be clear, and your intrusion here would be an act of war against the Empire. Our rights are equal, in this case. Thus, the most honorable solution is to do battle until there is a clear victor.”

“Maybe we can come to a different arrangement,” Kirk said. “You can keep the salvage, we just want the black box.”

“That is agreeable, considering the grievous offense we have given your Captain.” Said the old Klingon. He meant Spock. But Kirk wasn’t going to argue.

“Yes,” said Spock. “I agree. We will take the black box and depart. My mate is undamaged. No restitution to my honor is required.”

And we did that. The Klingons sort of propped themselves on their bat’leths and waited. We took the black box, and by removing it, fried the info grid of the ship. Or, I should say, Jim did that. Me? I stood there feeling rattled and giddy from the adrenaline rush, and trying to come to grips with exactly how close I’d come to being sliced in half.

But something else was concerning, quite apart from my brush with death. Spock had tossed that Klingon warrior aside, near three hundred pounds, if you include the armor, with one arm, like a rag doll. He was strong, but he wasn’t that strong. That slip of emotional control concerned me, and if his brain had temporarily lifted the cap on his muscular strength, he likely had sprains in every muscle in the involved kinetic chains.

Finally, we beam back to the ship, and Spock said, “I apologize for my earlier outburst, gentlemen. I must go and meditate.”

“Of course, Commander Spock,” the Captain replied. Bit cold for speaking to your husband, I thought to myself, but what did I know?

“I should tend to things in Sick Bay,” I told Jim. “Have Spock report to sickbay as soon as he’s feeling up to it.”

“Acknowledged. I’ll be on the bridge, Doctor.” He replied.

—

“Hey Jeff,” I called out, once I got into Sick Bay.

“Please don’t tell me it’s a plague again,” he replied with an exhausted sigh, then rounded the corner to come stand in front of me, folding his arms over his chest.

I chuckled. “No, not a plague. A question about Vulcans.”

He relaxed visibly. “Sure.”

“Sudden burst of strength coupled with a momentary loss of emotional control. What would cause something like that?”

He frowned. “Depends. I’ve seen that happen. Routine diplomatic mission went sour while our Captain was meeting up with his wife. He ripped an Orion’s arm clean out of the socket because they tried to take her.”

“Apart from that?” I asked.

“I guess it can happen when they’re protecting their children as well,” he told me.

“Anything else?” I asked.

He considered. “Vulcans sick with Bendai syndrome have every kind of emotional outburst, and sometimes that can cause it. Why?”

I pursed my lips and scowled. “Because Commander Spock just pitched a three hundred pound Klingon warrior with one arm straight into a bulkhead.”

He nodded. “Was the Captain in danger?”

I shook my head. “No, it was me.”

M’Benga looked pensive for a long moment. “Maybe delicately ask if he’s had any other recent slips of control. I’d do it, but he might take it better from you. The thing to appreciate is that Bendai Syndrome generally afflicts very old Vulcans. Early onset Bendai is anything earlier than 200, and Spock only just had his first Pon Farr. He’s like the Vulcan equivalent of a teenager.”

“Well, I gotta go patch him up anyway,” I said, grabbing a regenerator and a scanner. “I’ll see what I can find out.”

---

Well, I rang the door to Jim’s quarters—Jim and Spock’s, now, I suppose— Spock told me to come in. He was sitting at the desk, leaning on one arm of the chair he was in. The left one, obviously. His right arm doubtlessly hurt like a bitch.

You could tell by the looks of the place that the housekeeper had stopped coming around. Dirty socks and skivvies next to the hamper, rather than in it. Crumbs, probably from a donut Jim shouldn’t have been eating, on their dining table.

I chuckled. “How’s married life with Jim, Mr. Spock?”

“He is an excellent husband,” Spock replied, “But he leaves much to be desired as a roommate. We are working on his domestic habits. I refuse to have a member of the crew pick up after him. I dislike the intrusion.”

I smiled. “You mean you don’t like him making eyes at a pretty young thing in a skant.”

He lifted an eyebrow at me. “I suppose that might trouble you, Doctor, but I am a Vulcan. I lack emotional impediments such as jealousy. Moreover, Jim and I share a bond. I am not concerned that he will cease to love me. I am certain that it would be quite impossible for him. When I say I dislike the intrusion, I mean that I prefer for the place I live to be private. I do not want anyone in my quarters, other than Jim.”

“Well, you let me in,” I said.

“I presume that you are here in a medical capacity,” he replied.

“Yeah, I am,” I confirmed. “I’m betting you need a little help with the muscles you doubtlessly over-exerted throwing that Klingon.”

“Not at all, Doctor.” Spock said. “I am undamaged.”

“Yeah, well, humor me.” I said, and went over to him, turning on the scanner. “Much as I expected. I brought a regenerator, just in case.”

“A few sore muscles are hardly worthy of your time and attention, Doctor,” he said. “I am not distressed, and they will heal on their own.”

“You know, I’d almost believe that you enjoyed giving M’Benga and me a headache,” I said, pulling the regenerator out of my medical kit. “Lean forward and put your right hand on the desk, please, Mr. Spock.”

He did so. “This is a most illogical use of your time,” he told me as I worked on him, starting with the muscles on the right side of his back.

“Stop grousing and let me patch you up, you stubborn, green-blooded imp.” I added, as I moved the regenerator up to his right shoulder. “It’s the least I can do after you saved my life.”

He let out a little puff of air through his nose. Frustration? Hard to tell. “You owe me no thanks or reciprocation.”

“I’m less interested in niceties and more interested in the medical aspects of the situation,” I said, and started working on the hot disaster that was his upper arm. “Speaking of, your behavior aboard the Shenzhou is something I’d like to discuss.”

“Of course, Doctor.”

“Those Klingons thought I was your mate.” I told him, “And looking into it, I can see where they’d make the mistake. But I’m certainly not. So what happened? Either you got Bendai syndrome... and Mr. Spock, if you are having symptoms for Bendai syndrome, that’s a talk we need to have right away--”

“I am not experiencing symptoms of Bendai syndrome, Doctor,” Spock said archly. “I perceived that you were in danger, and I experienced a moment of… emotional investment… in your continued wellbeing.” The way he said ‘emotional investment’ you’d think he’d been made to read the name of some particularly lewd sex act aloud. A human sentiment he stepped in, and wished he could scrape off of his boot, no doubt.

I finished fixing his arm, and then he leaned back in his chair. “Given the results, I think you can see why Vulcans attempt to avoid such sentiments.” His voice was impassive, his face expressionless.

I wrinkled up my face at him. “I still need your forearm and hand.”

He held his hand up, and I fixed his forearm and wrist, where he had a badly distressed tendon. Lastly, I patched up his hand, both sides.

Finally he looked me in the eye. “I believe I have given you all of the relevant information as I understand it. And I deeply apologize if my outburst distressed you. If you would like to perform a neural scan to rule out Bendai syndrome, I am available. I believe it is possible that you have a similar interest in my well being.”

“Well,” I admitted, “It couldn’t hurt, just to be sure.”

He stood. “Very well, Doctor.”

We walked to Sick Bay, admittedly not a long walk, in silence. We went in, walking past my desk, and I gestured for him to get up onto one of the medical beds.

“Please lie down, Mr. Spock.” I instructed. And he did so.

The medical tests turned up nothing. He was fine. Nothing wacky in his neurochemistry, nothing out of the ordinary for him in terms of his neural activity. Of course, I’d make a full report to M’Benga and get his take.

I smiled at him. “Well, it looks usual enough for you, Mr. Spock. You’re free to go.”

And he left without a word. I was left grappling with a big complicated tangle of feelings about how Spock had acted, coupled with a real clear sense of dissatisfaction about his answers.

I walked over to M’Benga’s desk. He looked up at me. I could tell he was tired already.

“I ran these tests on your patient,” I said, and handed him a PADD.

M’Benga looked over the readings, then took in a long slow breath and nodded. “Well, it’s not Bendai syndrome.” He handed the PADD back to me. “I wouldn’t worry too much, Leo. No Vulcan’s emotional control is perfect. He only recently went through a particularly harrowing Pon Farr. It might take him up to a year to regain emotional equilibrium.”

“I guess.” I said.

“We’ll keep an eye on it.”

The next day at the staff meeting, we were going over personnel reports, and I was extra grouchy because my joints hurt like all hell. Combination of being almost 40, standing all day every day, and too much alcohol. And that’s why you don't drink your feelings, Leo.

Particularly, as the Captain was going over promotions for certain redshirts, I was doing my best to stretch the tendons leading up to my right wrist, and squirming around in my chair, trying to get my left hip to pop. I figured out, by way of squirming, that it was either pain in my sacroiliac joint, or real bad tension in my T-band -- I’d figure it out later using more professional means.

“You ok, Bones?” The Captain asked, looking at me with open affection and concern.

What I didn’t say was, ‘Hell yeah, I nearly got iced by a Klingon, and I couldn’t wind down after that, so I drank more than was strictly speaking legal for an officer who might be called to duty at a moment’s notice on account of a Klingon attack.’ I just said, “Aw, I’m fine. Just getting old is all. Everything hurts.”

Spock, who up until that moment, was paying attention to what was going on with his usual bland sort of interest, suddenly went stony. Every last hint of reaction dropped out of his face. Kirk looked at him with confusion and offered his index and middle finger. Without a word, or even a twitch of his facial muscles, the Vulcan returned the gesture, and they touched fingers.

They call that ozh'esta, a Vulcan ‘kiss,’ but by that point I’d figured out that ‘kiss’ was a really bad translation. It meant something more like ‘my commitment to you is unwavering’ or in their specific case, ‘I support you,’ or ‘I’m here if you need me.’ What it is not is a display of passion, attraction, or even affection. They have other stuff for that, and it’s private, as you might have guessed, but Jim’s my friend, and he’s not so tight-lipped as Spock is about that kind of thing.

In context, Spock had just done the Vulcan equivalent of preemptively shouting I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW. And Jim had done the Vulcan equivalent of responding with, ‘it’s ok, my love, I’m here whenever you do want to talk about it.’

I didn’t know what Spock’s deal was, but this was the second instance of ‘emotional investment’ in my well being. What I did know was that I didn’t like it. It was unnatural for a Vulcan, honestly. I didn’t like what M’Benga had said, about him still being off-balance after Pon Farr. I liked how scrawny he still was even less. He wasn’t my patient, of course, but I was still this ship's CMO. And he was still my best friend’s husband.

“WELP” I announced, “I am going to get my sorry ass to Sick Bay, take a painkiller, and start on scheduling. Never ending goddamn task that it is. See you later.”

And at least for the time being, I resolved to put the matter out of my head.

On Friday, after my shift, I was just sitting down in my big old recliner to read a book, and my door chimed.

“Come in,” I said without thinking. It was Jim. I only glanced up at him briefly, then went to grab a bookmark. I hate to dog-ear the pages.

I looked up at him, and he’d brought a bottle of bourbon. “Have a drink with me?”

“You look tense, Jim. What’s wrong?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I am. I’ll explain. Drinks first, though.”

I went and got some glasses for us, and he went into my bedroom. I followed him. The thing to understand about my quarters is that, while I’m not the sort of slob Jim is, my couch isn’t a place anyone sits. I have stacks of things I’m still sorting. PADDs still in use, medical files I’m still in the process of filing, old pictures and other mementos in boxes that, even after a year and change, I still haven’t found any good place for. My bedroom, however, is neat as a pin. I never use it, because I sleep in my recliner.

Jim laid on his side across the end of the bed with pillows on it and set the bottle down in front of him. Then he reached in my general direction with the arm he wasn’t leaning on until I sat down criss-cross in front of him and handed him a glass. The other glass I set down on its side next to me, taking a moment to open the bottle, then I picked up my glass, and poured out a little comfort for each of us before setting the bottle on the nightstand.

“He’s driving me crazy, Bones.”

I took a sip and laughed. “Welcome to married life, Jim. And you signed up for the kind of marriage you can’t escape from without someone’s head getting chopped off with a lirpa.”

“No, I mean…” Jim took a moment to collect his thoughts and reframe. “I don’t mean that being with him is driving me crazy.” His big blue eyes got distant for a second. “He’s amazing, and I am so, so grateful.” Then he looked at me with heat in his eyes, and concentration. “What I mean is that he’s behaving oddly right now, and I can’t make heads or tails of it, and when he answers my questions, he’s totally honest with me, but I still feel like I didn’t get an answer.” He shook his head with a hint of frustration.

I looked down at my bourbon. “Yeah, well, Vulcans are like that. But he loves you. I know he does. And he knows you love him. So if there’s something important, I’m sure he’ll tell you about it when he’s ready.”

He banged back the entirety of his drink and nodded. “You gotta talk to him, Bones.”

“Me?” I asked incredulously. “Why me? If that man were drowning I doubt he’d let me hand him a life preserver.”

Jim looked pensive for a moment. “A thing to know about the bond I share with Spock is that it’s not just a psychic bond. It’s a bonding of his life force to mine. Going forward, we’ll age at the same rate.” He added, “Also, the next time he goes through Pon Farr, he’ll drag me into Plak Tow right along with him.” He took a sip, then set his drink down on the nightstand with a clack, for emphasis.

“Oh, shit.” I said, mostly to myself. That was a whole lot to get himself mixed up in over a single blowjob. Or… two, I guessed. Just based on the medical standard.

“I can feel his emotions, too, when they rise to the surface,” Jim continued. “I can read deeper ones when we’re in physical contact, especially palm to palm.” He held out a hand, and without thinking, I touched mine to his, and he smiled at me.

“Sounds useful,” I said. Then I took my hand back.

He shook his head. “He really thought you were going to die, back there on the Shenzhou.” He looked down. “Me too, honestly. Those emotions were close to the surface, and I felt them clear as day. We were both really scared for you.” He looked up again, at me, with big sad eyes. “He knows how much you mean to me. So, to be honest, I wasn’t surprised or concerned that he raged out and threw that Klingon across the bridge. It was really no different than him reacting to someone trying to rip my arm off, in a sense. It’s what happened after that. He’s been fretting.”

“Vulcans fret?” I asked incredulously.

Jim nodded gravely. “Spock does. I picked it up in a mind meld with him. He’s worried about you. Thinking about your mortality and the fact that you won’t live as long as he or I will. That you’re not drinking enough water. That you’re not sleeping enough. That you’re self-isolating. Taking needless risks on away missions.”

“I’m fine,” I groused. “I certainly don’t need a snarky Vulcan hovering over me to keep me in line.”

“It’s not just that,” Jim said. “You gotta talk to him.”

“What’s there to talk about?” I asked.

He pursed his lips, looking sideways toward the ceiling. Then his face shifted to a sort of half-smile and he looked at me. “I’m not even sure. I just know that I love the man, and that he’s distressed. I already told him that you’re fine, that despite your relentless bitching, you’re in good health, and that there’s nothing to worry about. And so I’m left wondering why he can’t seem to get his mind off of it.”

“I’m hardly an expert in Vulcan psychology,” I told him. “You might be better off talking to M’Benga.”

“I did,” he said with a tight smile.

“And?” I asked.

“I got the run-around,” Jim answered. “M’Benga, also, was totally honest with me without really answering my questions.”

“Odd,” I commented.

“You should really talk to Spock.” Jim said. “Maybe he might tell you something that he wouldn’t tell me.”

“I can do that,” I said. I frowned. “I’m going to be honest with you, though. The way he’s acting around me is really disquieting. And if it’s about feelings, I can’t imagine I’m going to get much out of him.”

“I’m sure it is about feelings,” Jim replied. “But Vulcans are asexual outside of Pon Farr, so it’s not like that.”

“I don’t know what it’s like,” I said, pouring myself another drink. “But me too, minus the Pon Farr part.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“There are more reasons to have sex than because you’re personally horny. But some people can’t get past the fact that… well… that you don’t… hm.” I tried to find the right words, but I just couldn’t.

He waved a hand. “No, I get it. With Spock, it doesn’t matter what I’m wearing, or even how I look… unless I express a need, he just wants to feel my soul and...” his gaze became distant, and he swallowed. “God, but that can be intense.”

“Oh? You like that?” I asked.

He looked at me and smiled with soft affection. “I mean, if I didn’t, I’d be pretty screwed.”

“So, you getting on ok with him not…” I paused to think, “getting turned on by you?”

He shrugged. “He loves me. And no one but no one is dutiful like a Vulcan spouse. First he said that I could have sex with anyone I needed to, as long as I was available during ‘go time.’ Then he made it his one man mission to find out every possible button he could press to get me off.” He held up a hand. “Yeah, I know, you don’t need details.”

I chuckled. “I can relate. To him, I mean. He knows it’s something you need to feel well and be happy, and he’d probably do battle with a dragon to accomplish that, if he had to. That, and I’m sure there’s a certain satisfaction from the reactions he gets out of you.”

“I think he found them all,” Jim said with a dreamy, yet somehow mischievous smile. His eyebrows twitched up for a second. “All the buttons.”

“Hmph.” I grunted. “It can be tough, you know. When you’re like that. Figuring out when it’s crossed the line from being really good friends to something more. And, I suppose, it’s entirely possible to fall in love with someone without realizing it at all.”

“You trying to tell me something, Bones?” He asked, a twinkle in his eyes.

“Just trying to give you insight into what it’s like for him.” I said. “I mean, it’s not exactly the same. He’s got a seven year cycle. Me? Can’t say what causes it, but there have been times I wanted to be with someone in that way for more reasons than their reaction.”

“Hm.” It was the exact same ‘hm’ you get from Spock when he’s acknowledging that you said something, but his mind is elsewhere. There was just a ghost of a Spock-like eyebrow lift, and he slid closer to me, laying a hand on my thigh.

Then he said, “I think it’s best for the two of you to just have a frank discussion about it.” He furrowed his brow. “You just have to remember that emotions are really uncomfortable for him, so when he allows himself to feel them, he can’t really find the words, you know?” Then he looked up at me with some emotion on his face that I couldn’t parse.

What I wouldn’t have given to know what Jim was thinking just then.

A whole ass day later, I’m ringing on Spock and Jim’s door again, when Jim had arranged to be out. Spock called for me to come in, and I did. He was sitting on the couch, reading.

“Doctor?” Spock called out without looking up from his PADD.

“Spock, Jim says we need to talk.” I said.

He put the PADD down beside him and fixed his gaze on me. “Indeed.”

“Not my favorite, serious non-professional conversations,” I said, as I pulled over the desk chair and sat down, “but I'd rip my own leg off and beat myself to death with it for the man, so here I am.”

Spock nodded with agreement. “Did he inform you as to what the topic of our conversation should be?”

“Not sure I know,” I answered honestly. “I do know that you’re driving him up a wall with all of your fretting.”

“Fretting?” He raised an eyebrow at me.

“Now, stop that.” I snapped at him. “We both know he’s not on about nothing.”

He leaned back and steepled his fingers. “I did not suggest that he was.”

“Course not.” I scoffed. “You didn’t suggest anything. We’re all just being highly illogical humans. And you don’t have any emotions about anything.”

“Indeed.” Spock agreed pleasantly.

I stood up again, right in front of him, and folded my arms over my chest. “Enough of your evasive Vulcan bullshit. There is a logic to your behavior, and I mean to find out what it is, right now. You’re giving your husband paroxysms!”

He considered. “I have a question, Doctor.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked.

“If I had died, what would your first concern have been?”

“I wasn’t going to let you die, you damned green blooded hobgoblin,” I said angrily.

“But if I had?” He asked. “What would have been most troubling to you about it?”

I stared at him for a second. His eyes showed nothing I could latch onto. “Apart from having lost a patient, not to mention the ship’s First Officer? That you could be so selfish as to end yourself when you knew right well that Jim would be lost without you.”

“You would find his grief to be the most disagreeable aspect of the situation.” He concluded. As though his death, by itself, would trouble me not at all!

“Oh yeah, of course,” I said bitterly. “I suppose in my shoes, you’d be most concerned about the loss of efficiency in the Captain’s functioning, and the ongoing mission of the flagship.”

“Not at all,” he said calmly. “Rather, like you, I would know that I had failed a man I greatly valued.”

“Greatly valued… of course. No such word as ‘love’ would ever cross your lips.” I glared at him.

“You love Jim,” he said simply.

I took in a sharp breath. “I care about him. Losing you would hurt him.”

Spock nodded. “Indeed. No such word as ‘love’ would cross your lips either.”

I fumed.

He continued, “I believe that you understand my predicament with clarity, in fact. I am of a longer lived species than you. Our average life expectancy is three hundred years. And it can be as long as five hundred. Having bound my katra to Jim’s, I have inflicted that extended life span on him. In about sixty years, we will likely attend your funeral, and my husband will grieve you for the rest of his life.”

I pursed my lips for a moment and looked away from him. “Well, what’s done is done.”

“I find the situation unacceptable,” he told me, and the sudden energy and conviction in his voice snapped my gaze back to his face, but there was nothing there. “And I have a potential solution.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked.

“Mm.” He put his hands in his lap and looked up at me. “But as yet, I am unclear as to whether or not it would be tenable. In order to know, I need clarity on your exact sentiments toward me.”

“My sentiments toward you?” I asked incredulously. “What the hell does that matter?”

He cocked his head to the side, just a little. “Doctor, why do you and I argue?”

“Because you're irritating as hell, that’s why!” I spat out.

“Am I?” He asked.

“You are,” I said with certainty, widening my eyes at him for emphasis.

“So you dislike me.” He said. Just a simple statement.

I shook my head. “I didn’t say that, Spock.”

“So… you... do not dislike me.” Just testing out a second hypothesis.

“No,” I conceded.

“Then why do we argue?” he asked.

“I guess we just disagree about things,” I said.

“Do we?” he asked. “How would you characterize the nature of those disagreements?”

“I guess it’s different at different times,” I said.

He shook his head with his eyebrows raised. “Indeed, the specific disagreements seem to me to be immaterial. My conjecture is that we simply enjoy it.”

I considered it as I sat myself down again. “Yeah, I suppose. There’s something to be said for having someone to sharpen your wits on.”

“The possibility has occurred to me that, viewed from an outside perspective, someone might conclude that we were flirting.” And he straight up batted his eyelashes at me. Not in a coquettish way. More like a sarcastic flourish.

“That’s the most absurd thing I've ever heard!” I snapped.

“Is it?” He asked. “What is the aphorism? Dipping a girl’s braids in an inkwell? Antagonizing a person is not outside of the norm for one human who is sexually interested in another. Nor is it entirely out of the ordinary for Vulcans to evaluate a potential mate through verbal sparring.”

“I’m not sexually interested in you,” I told him. “I’m not sexually interested in anyone.”

“I am aware that you are asexual. Are you also aromantic?”

“No,” I said. “I’m biromantic. But I’m not romantically interested in you, either.” I cocked an eyebrow at him briefly. “I’d know.”

“I am also aware that asexuality is a spectrum in humans,” he pressed, “Would you say that sexual attraction is impossible for you? Or simply rare?”

“Exceedingly rare,” I told him.

“But possible?” He asked.

“Maybe? What about you? You sweet on me, Mr. Spock?” I asked teasingly, unable to suppress a smile. “You want to take long, romantic strolls with me on a beach? Buy me dinner?” I hoped he knew how silly he sounded.

He lifted both eyebrows and tilted his head very slightly. “I cannot know. Unlike Jim, you were careful to respect the Vulcan cultural taboos surrounding skin contact. Vulcan attraction is not based on visual appearance. It is tied to touch telepathy and having an experience of another’s soul.”

“Then why are you bringing all of this up?” I asked.

He looked down at his PADD. “I am considering a katra bond with you. A platonic bond with greater than the usual depth and intensity. It would increase your lifespan to match mine. And Jim’s. But such a bond would be impossible if either of us found the other truly detestable. And if we harbored any romantic or sexual attraction toward one another, it would be unpredictable, and possibly intensely disruptive. Under such circumstances, a katra bond would be quite irresponsible.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”

He looked at my face again. “You concur?”

“I concur,” I said with a nod.

“And you do not find me detestable.” It sounded like a statement. But it was a question.

“No.” I answered.

“Then all that remains is to be certain there is indeed no attraction,” he said.

I rolled my eyes. “There’s not.”

“I do not believe that you are deceiving me,” he said, “but given the gravity of the situation and the potential consequences, I must be empirically certain, rather than taking your word for it. And as yet, I cannot not know what my own reaction will be.”

“Yeah, ok,” I said. “That’s fair, actually.”

He picked up the PADD, setting it on the side table, and gestured for me to sit beside him. I hesitated a moment, and then got up, setting myself in the space he’d cleared. Then he held up a palm to me.

I knew this one. It was him asking to establish an empathic link. And it was a very, very irregular thing to do with someone a Vulcan had no bond with.

I touched my palm to his. His skin was cooler than a human’s. Maybe it was just knowing that we were breaking a taboo, but there was something powerful about it. After a moment, he trailed his fingertips over my fingers, then over the side of my hand, his touch leaving shimmering sparks in its wake. It was beautiful. Distractingly so. Like touching a pool full of dancing moonlight.

“But of course,” he said, taking his hand back. “You are not a Vulcan. That would be unlikely to provoke the same reaction in you that it would in me.”

I dropped my hand. And all at once, it hit me like a ton of bricks that Spock and Jim had been doing something terribly intimate when they were brushing fingers. The actual Vulcan equivalent of kissing. On the bridge! On away missions! In staff meetings!

“Doctor?”

I stared at him, still getting my head around that ghastly realization. “I’m sorry, it just occurred to me how absolutely indecent Jim was being with you. If you had feelings for him, that must have been absolute torture.”

“It was,” he said. “However, it was not exclusively him initiating it.”

“Why did you do that to yourself?” I asked. And then I answered my own question. “Of course. Because in your mind, at the time, you didn’t have a chance in hell, and it was all you did have.” The poor bastard.

“Had we not... I would doubtlessly have killed him in the place of Koon-ut-Kal-if-fee,” he said meditatively.

“Don’t be a drama queen,” I said. “I would have made you think that you’d killed him by dosing him with a paralytic and then beamed him back to the ship to revive him.” I thought for a moment. “That energy… that’s your soul.”

He nodded. “I’m surprised you could feel it.”

“Sure, why not?” I asked. “Plenty of humans can feel energy like that. For you, I guess, it’s a romantic or sexual thing. For us, it’s usually confined to religious and other sacred contexts. And maybe sometimes, some of us feel it when we’re listening to music. A sense of connectedness with the other people around us, I s’pose. Something you can feel on the skin, maybe in the gut.”

“Fascinating,” he said. “What did it evoke in you?”

I shrugged. “I dunno. Same thing I’d feel listening to a virtuoso play the violin, I guess. Certainly not sexual or romantic.”

“That would, in any case, be logical, considering what you’ve just told me about how humans respond to that type of experience.”

“And you could feel my soul?” I asked.

“Your energy is quite reserved. It was difficult to get a sense,” he replied. “A more human approach may be required to gain the insight we require.”

“Meaning?” I asked.

He considered. “May I kiss you?” He asked the question in the exact tone of voice another man might use to ask me to pass the salt.

I nodded. “Yeah, alright, so long as it stays in this room and you’re not weird about it later.”

“It will, and I will not be,” he assured me.

He moved closer to me, then balked for a second, stuck on the awkwardness of it.

“Look, Spock. Between you, me, and the bulkhead, I’ve engaged in much more intimate acts with people I wasn’t attracted to for far less reason. I still think this is absurd, but there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

He blinked with surprise. “Why would you do that?” He almost sounded concerned for me.

“Aesthetic or sensual enjoyment? Artistic expression? Power exchange? Service to the community?” I chuckled a little, enjoying how absolutely scandalized he seemed. I shrugged and grinned at him. “Maybe I’ll tell you about it sometime.”

He nodded. Then, he raised a hand to my face. He leaned in, and I closed my eyes. I felt his lips brush against mine, ever so softly, then he wrapped his powerful, sinewy arms around me, and tangled his fingers in my hair, pressing more deeply with his lips and tongue. Everywhere his skin touched mine was lit up somehow in a way I couldn’t describe. It was passionate. Something I hadn’t imagined possible for him. And more, the man clearly knew what he was doing.

Finally, he pulled away, and I opened my eyes. He held me in his arms, studying me like a specimen in a jar. Then, he nodded, and let me go.

I slid away, and offered my palm to him.

He nodded, and touched his hand to mine, perceiving, considering. “What I perceive from you might be described as sensual enjoyment, but not sexual attraction, is that accurate?”

I considered. “I think that’s accurate, yes.”

“I do not think it will be problematic,” he said, “touch can be pleasurable without being sexual.”

“Certainly.” I agreed. “You certain that was all it was for you? That seemed… more involved than I was expecting”

He nodded. “I do not, myself, have very much experience with the matter. I drew upon that part of my mind that is James Kirk. It is, I suppose, much as he would have done, under similar circumstances.”

I chuckled. I could picture Jim hamming up a kiss to impress a girl. “Yeah, ok.” But now I had a different concern. “There’s another thing. My Esper rating is 089. I had it expunged from my record years back because I was tired of people bugging me to do the training for it, and I didn’t want my soul being weaponized.”

“I did not know that.” Spock said, looking genuinely intrigued.

I nodded. “I guess my concern is that I know untapped psionic potential, acted on by an outside force, can do some creepy stuff. I don’t want to go all Gary Mitchell on you.”

“Yes,” he said, “I’m surprised that you were neither killed nor catalyzed by the energy field we encountered.”

I shrugged. “Well, I’m grateful, at any rate. Both that I’m not dead, and that I didn’t turn into a raging silver-eyed asshole.”

“It is possible that my ‘katra-related nonsense’ would indeed change how your psionic potential manifested,” he conceded, “however, the changes which would occur in your life force would make you more likely to express that potential in a Vulcan way. We do not, as you say, ‘go Gary Mitchell’ but instead evidence other abilities, such as touch telepathy, and the ability to heal one another.”

“Well, that’s probably good,” I said.

“You should also consider,” he said, “That since the Captain is also bound to my katra, any concealed feelings held by one of you will be known by the other. You will live with the possibility of either of us wondering what your feelings are, and us immediately knowing the answer, no matter how far away you may be from us, for the rest of your considerably extended life.”

“Don’t think I have anything to hide on that front,” I said.

“It is possible that you will no longer enjoy antagonizing me nearly as much,” he said. “I will grieve the loss of that banter, but I reason that the benefits will outweigh the costs.”

“Yeah, ok, how do we do this thing?” I asked.

He raised his eyebrows and blinked at me a few times. I think he expected me to go and think about it for a few days, and maybe that would have been what a sane man would have done.

“I have all of the relevant information.” I told him, “I’m not getting any younger, and I can’t leave you knuckleheads alone for three centuries. He’d tear the universe apart, and you’d probably do some fool thing to injure yourself. So, Mr. Spock, how do we proceed?”

“It is much like the Koon-ut bonding you witnessed on Vulcan,” Spock explained, “But the intentions are different. We touch one another’s katra points, as in a meld, with the intention to solidify our relationship through it.”

I pointed at the ground, and raised an eyebrow at him. As in, are we doing this now? He got off the couch and knelt in front of it. I knelt in front of him. He placed my fingers on his katra points, which took some fumbling around. And he reached out and touched mine. He had no trouble with that at all.

There was a shiver that spread across my scalp and it moved down my shoulders. I felt it settle into my heart. The outside world faded to a pinpoint and then disappeared from my awareness.

Then, I felt a rush of powerful feelings -- not mine. It was hard to make sense of. My mind opened, and I could hear his thoughts. It was only then that the meaning of those emotions resolved into something sensible. It was respect, concern, loyalty. Then it shifted ...to awe and appreciation.

Your mind, he was thinking in astonishment, I never knew. I never expected anything so…

Fucked up?

… elegant. Pain, yes. But pain reminiscent of music: beauty, balance, and harmony, expressing melancholy with incomparable eloquence where words would utterly fail. A paradox of mathematical perfection expressing ineffable emotional reality. And behind the words, there was more, a love of words and their meaning, an appreciation for that ‘mathematical perfection’ which went far beyond dry numbers.

You’re a bit of a poet. I thought. More than a bit. The whole natural world is like a symphony to you, isn’t it? And everything in it is suffused with meaning.

You are a deep thinking man with a profound appreciation for the inherent value of all life. And you detest violence. What came into focus now was his inner strength, and disciplined serenity.

I’m a Doctor.

The same cannot be said of all people in your profession. For many, the oath to ‘first do no harm’ is a professional creed. For you, it would seem to be… almost a driving force in your spiritual existence.

Speaking of life. Why in the hell did you go and nearly get yourself killed during Pon Farr?

I attempted to make my intentions known to Jim, and I failed. I did not wish to marry T’Pring. By delaying, I gave her the opportunity and excuse to find a suitable replacement, and I gave Jim a chance to understand the gravity of the situation. I planned on arriving in the eleventh hour. Either Jim would act, or he would not -- If he did, even if T’Pring had not consummated Pon Farr with another, she would be too weak to defeat him.

And if he didn’t?

Then I did not wish to live. And either the Plak Tow would kill me, or T’Pring’s intended would. The chance that she would delay so long under the influence of the Plak Tow seemed minimal.

Didn’t you think I’d care?

That consideration did not enter my mind.

Well, it should have.

You are too frequently in physical pain. He thought suddenly, and very sternly, and there was a feeling like… tugging, somehow. You should avoid alcohol and caffeine. And you should drink more water.

Would you also like me to avoid oxygen?

Inside of his mind, I could hear the amusement, plain as day, and affection.

There was another rush of energy that silenced my thoughts and seemed to fill the entirety of my perception. And then, in his mind, I felt other presences.

There’s someone here that feels like fire and steel. I observed.

My sister, Michael. He explained.

And one that feels like a snowy Winter day.

Chris…

Pike?

Indeed. How else do you imagine I knew exactly what he wanted? Why else would I be willing to sacrifice my career for him?

That one feels like sunshine and liquid gold-- it’s Jim!

It is. Love. His love for Jim. Equal parts devotion, commitment, loyalty, appreciation, desire… and fear. Fear that someone or something would take him away, or hurt him. Then I felt him pack all of that away.

Wow. That’s a lot of emotion. And an incredible amount of internal control.

I am a Vulcan. Consider what my inner state would be if I did not suppress a great deal of what I felt.

His mood shifted to something light and almost joyful. Do you like Indian food?

Indian food? I thought Vulcans were obligated to drink plomeek and eat nutritional styrofoam.

Indeed. A pure blooded Vulcan possesses a much more sensitive palette and sense of smell. Mine are much more like a human’s.

Human hair, soap and shampoo, aftershave and warm skin. Spock was remembering exactly what Jim smelled like. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I was even less sure how I felt about him sensing my reaction to it.

I apologize, Doctor. Stray thoughts are unavoidable during a longer meld. But we need to reach a sufficient depth before solidifying the connection.

I do like Indian food. I thought. And just then, I had a vivid, dreamlike experience of eating a samosa. But it’s not me eating it. It’s Spock. I could feel what it was like, having his teeth. It was surreal.

The boundaries of what was my mind and what was his were getting a little fuzzy, and with that fuzziness, there was a murmur of contentment, though I couldn’t say if it was me or him. Then, we both leaned in further, without really deciding to, and got lost in a moment of absolute blissful serenity.

This is sufficient. Somewhere among our feelings for one another, there is a common chord. When we find it, we should focus on it, and work to make the two sentiments as one.

There was a flash of concern on his part, about having kissed me. Sensual enjoyment, I assured him. Nothing more. Yes, he agreed, definitely nothing more than that. Although with that thought, our collective mind supplied, unbidden, everything that was pleasant about it. We should not dwell here.

Mutual concern. Neither of us wanted anything to happen to the other.

We both loved Jim. And there, we struck a much stronger chord. Just on the love part. We both adored his determination, his friendly demeanor, his loyalty, his ferocity and courage. How much he cared for his crew. How physically affectionate he was. And there we parted ways. Leo was thinking about working late in Sick Bay, being tired beyond description, and a random, friendly, much appreciated shoulder rub. Spock was thinking about running a tongue up a tender, sensitive place along the inside of one of his thighs, and a breathy, deeply gratifying moan that it drew from him, the radiant heat of human flesh, and his scent. This isn’t a good place to dwell either. Definitely, definitely not this.

Arguing. Not the aggression, or satisfaction at getting a rise out of each other, though we both loved it. No, rather, we focused on the affection behind it. We worked to merge those two sentiments into one. There was a feeling of wrestling, as though we were jockeying for position somehow, and then focus, and finally surrender. There was something like a deep sigh. Then harmony. And from Spock in particular, immense satisfaction.

I don’t really remember the contact being broken. I kind of came to lying on my side on the floor feeling like I had been hit by a bus, but in the best possible way. Based on my medical and psych background, it was an oxytocin bus. The main casualties seemed to be my anxiety and depression. It was really something, not having that dark cloud hanging over my head. It’d be back, but right now, everything was tingly, including my mind. Spock was lying on the floor beside me, his large dark eyes staring deeply into mine, looking concerned and thunderstruck.

Then I heard his thoughts, clear as day: that did not feel as I expected it to.

Not what I was expecting, either. I replied in the same direction I heard him from.

He was so startled, so surprised, that his eyes popped open and his jaw dropped ever so slightly. “Astonishing. You are projecting thoughts into my mind without a meld, without us touching.” He shook his head, unable to formulate the vaguest idea of how such a thing could have happened. “Vulcans are touch telepaths.” He explained. “What is sent over a bond ambiently is typically emotion, or sentiment. Not ideas. Not thoughts and words. That would typically require physical contact, or deep meditation.”

“Must be how that Esper rating is manifesting,” I conjectured.

He reached up just to stroke my jaw with the back of an index finger. “You are full of surprises, Leonard McCoy.”

“Call me Leo. Only my ex-wife calls me Leonard.”

The next three days brought greater than the usual number of tiny emergencies. Burns, breaks, torn tendons, fevers, inexplicable leaps in psychic acuity coupled with crippling migraines due to messing around with inter-phasic something-something (goddamn science division is going to be the death of me, I swear), a woman going into labor a whole month early with the usual cascade of interventions.

Each morning I got in, I noted, there was Spock. Just dropping off a bottle of water for me, and leaving without a word. 101 ounces. That’d be enough for a man of my exact weight and age, assuming I had a regular habit of knocking back two shots of bourbon in the evening. Which I did.

At the end of the shift on that third day, M’Benga just looked at me, exhaustion written all over his handsome, chiseled face, made perhaps just a little more handsome with a hint of sweat that made his dark brown complexion seem to glow, a bit of five-o’clock shadow, and the fact his hair wasn’t nearly as close-shaved as usual, showing a bit of its natural texture, and said, “No one died. Three days of emergencies, and no fatalities.”

“Small Goddamn miracle,” I said, and we knocked our shoulders together in lieu of a fist-bump, like you often do in medical, when you don’t want to get your hands germy, or maybe if you’re already covered in blood.

“Let’s turn this over to auxiliary medical, huh?” Jeff suggested. “If we know what’s good for us, we’ll both take a personal day tomorrow.”

“Do we know what’s good for us?” I asked.

He chuckled bitterly. “No. Not in the slightest. I’ll see you in the morning, Leo.”

“Good night, Jeff.”

I got back, took a shower, changed into some sweat pants and a t-shirt, and settled into my armchair with some bourbon. I figured I’d earned it. That, and I was sore all over.

“Kirk to McCoy,” a familiar voice came over the com.

“McCoy here.”

“You busy, Bones?”

“Naw, I just got cleaned up.”

“Join us for dinner in my quarters?” Jim asked.

“I wouldn’t want to intrude.” I said.

“Far from an intrusion. You can help us settle an argument about what to have. I need a swing vote, or I’m going to wind up eating Pok Tar for dinner.”

“Spock hates Pok Tar,” I said. And I shook my head a little. How did I know that?

“I know! And so do I!” Jim exclaimed. “But it’s got a ‘superior nutritional profile’. Somewhere between pancakes for dinner and Pok Tar lies a compromise, I’m sure.”

“Damnit Jim, don’t eat pancakes for dinner,” I said. “You’ll spend all tomorrow moping about it.”

“I told him as much,” I heard Spock’s voice in the background.

“As you can see,” Jim said, “your presence is required --urgently required-- to resolve this tense diplomatic negotiation.”

“I’m on my way, then.”

It was a short walk, and when I rang, Jim asked me to come in. The two of them were standing, facing each other.

“Adding the words ‘for dinner’ to the end of a word does not change the nutritional profile of the corresponding object,” Spock was saying. He sounded stern, but I could tell he was having fun arguing with his husband.

“How about Chinese-American food?” I asked. “Very vegetable heavy, we could get something with seitan or tofu, both of which are high quality proteins and Vulcan-friendly. Spock, I’m given to understand that you like spicy. Jim, you can get your sugar fix in modernation with something like a General Tsao or orange sauce. And I’m going to make a recommendation that we do riced cauliflower as opposed to white or brown rice, since our bodies can’t make efficient use of starches this late in the day.”

“That sounds like an excellent compromise,” Spock said. For a very brief moment, he was thinking about vanilla custard. No. It was more specific. There was the idea of breaking the crust of lightly toasted sugar with a spoon. A shiver of pleasure at the idea. There is no logical purpose for eating dessert.

You like creme brulee?

He felt ashamed. I do.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Jim asked Spock.

“Doctor McCoy and I have developed ambient telepathy with one another. Possibly a result of his psionic potential being catalyzed by my katra. He overheard a particularly embarrassing thought.”

“Oof,” Jim said with a wince. “That’s gotta be rough for both of you.”

“I’m not judging you, Spock,” I said. “I’m more concerned with what a man is doing than what he’s thinking.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Spock returned blandly.

I don’t understand what’s so embarrassing about custard. I projected.

The only purpose for dessert is emotional gratification. It is not the custard, but what it represents. A self-indulgent nature which I still have not successfully conquered. Then he looked me over with satisfaction and a brief moment of… not guilt. Something like it, though. Funny how I could hear some of his thoughts and feel his feelings and still not fully understand the man.

“So,” said Jim, “Shall we sit down? I can argue with the replicator.”

I realized that Spock and I had just been standing there, staring at each other.

I made my way to the dining table. “Yeah,” I said, “Sorry Jim. The telepathy thing is really sort of distracting.”

“I can only imagine,” Jim said, and he went over to the replicator which was next to the table. “Computer. Vegan Chinese-American. Cauliflower rice. One order of General Tsao’s tofu. One order of char siew style seitan. One order of Kung Pao vegetables with extra nuts. Make up the rest. Three people are eating.”

Spock watched him place the order before coming over to sit down. Love. Stark as a full moon in a cloudless night sky. Love and gratitude. And then he was looking at Jim’s ass. Not with lust, not perse. But there was definitely a visceral appreciation. So much for Vulcans not feeling attraction based on physical appearance! But I suppose a man was entitled to be physically attracted to his spouse. One hoped, anyway. He realized I could hear it, and cut it off abruptly, suppressing those feelings and turning his focus to the process of sitting at the table and preparing to eat.

Jim put the food on the table and sat down. It smelled pretty good. Replicating food wholesale wasn’t nearly as good as cooking food, even from replicated ingredients, but the Una Matrix was a decided improvement over the replicators we suffered back in the Academy.

A few bites in, Jim put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a little squeeze. I looked over and he smiled at me. “This was a good idea, Bones. Thank you.”

And like someone dialing a staticky radio, his thoughts suddenly crystalized in my mind.

Pancakes… and… he woulda hated… I suppose Spock and I could have gotten separate dinners. But this is better. And it really is nice having Bones here.

The look on my face probably said volumes.

Jim kept his hand exactly where it was, studying my face with concern. “You ok?”

“Jim, I can hear what you’re thinking.” I told him.

Poor Bones. I hope it’s only words and not images, because I’m 70% sure he doesn’t want to know what Spock’s dick looks like.

Only 70%? I asked telepathically, only to realize he couldn’t hear me. “Seriously, Jim?”

I could tell right away that Spock was only getting my side of the conversation. He was wondering ‘70% of what?’ Honestly, he didn’t need to know.

And Jim just grinned at me. Then he took his hand back.

Well, if anyone can read my thoughts, I’m glad it’s you. I love you, Bones. And I could tell he didn’t mean the kind of love Spock had for him. It had nothing to do with my body. He just loved me as a friend. It was warm and loyal, and my heart melted. And I loved him too, in just the same way. Just… maybe I didn’t want to say it aloud. But he knew. He had to, right? After fifteen years, surely, he had to.

Spock felt smug... maybe not smug. He could feel what both of us were feeling. And maybe, just maybe, he was pleased with himself for having assured that Jim and I would have just a little longer to spend together than we would have otherwise. He’d said that was his objective. He’d achieved it. And maybe he deserved to take a little pleasure in it.

The day after that, I took a stroll up to the bridge. Things were quiet in sickbay, and I wanted to see my friends. Spock didn’t look up from his bullshit microscope thing, but his heart reached out to mine in acknowledgement, and I went to go stand beside Jim Kirk, as I have on many an occasion.

Just like he always did, he looked up at me fondly with one of those warm, uncomplicated smiles, and said, “Doctor McCoy”

“Just checking on things up here, Captain. Everything’s quiet in Sick Bay. Thought I’d take a moment to enjoy the bridge while we’re not in the middle of some crisis.”

“Of course, Bones.”

A blonde yeoman wearing a skant and a complicated hairdo came and brought him a report on a PADD and a cup of coffee, two creams, two sugars, just how he likes it.

She’s really pretty, he was thinking, and she looks great in red. She turned to leave and he appreciated the rear view. It’s not like you’re thinking. He wasn’t sitting there thinking about what he wanted to do to her, or anything. It was the same sort of appreciation a person might have for a pretty flower, or a sunset, and maybe there was just a faint hint of arousal. But then he glanced over at Spock, almost in spite of himself, and it was a whole different story.

His head was flooded, just for a second, with a sense of awe and appreciation for his strength, and how incredibly soft his skin was. Then the remembered feeling of gentle fingertips trailing along flesh and--

I coughed.

He suddenly realized that I could hear what he was thinking, and turned his full attention to the viewscreen, counting the stars.

We looked at eachother. Then we looked away. Then we looked back and both started giggling.

Sulu, our navigator, a very gangly ethnically Japanese man with a particularly wide face and a wider than average mouth, making all of his facial expressions somewhat cartoonish, swivelled around, trying to figure out what we’re laughing at. Then, he gave us both a look that might have come from a grade school teacher looking at two naughty students, shook his head with a smile and turned back to the helm.

“Where we headed, Captain?” I asked.

“New star system.” Jim said. “Long range sensors indicate it might have a Minshara class planet in orbit, as well as a potentially methanogene-bearing ice-moon in orbit around it’s outermost gas giant.”

“I’d like a sample from the ice-moon, provided that it’s not sentient, of course,” I say.

“Why, Bones. I didn’t know you were interested in exobiology.” He said, pleased as punch that there was something I was interested in, rather than just grousing about.

I shrug. “I’m a Doctor. Biology’s in my wheelhouse, right? Seems it might be fun to learn about something new.”

“Sure,” said Jim, “You might even say... fascinating.” There was a slight teasing tone in his voice, but in his heart, there was nothing but affection.

#spirk #spones #star trek #star trek tos #star trek au

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