Title: Win or Lose (1/?)
Author: klmeri
Fandom: Star Trek AOS
Characters: Kirk, Spock, McCoy
Summary: To salvage a friendship, Jim decides on a course of action that he fears may backfire in an unfortunate way.
A/N: I think this is going to be done as a series of drabbles. What say you?
Or read at AO3

The silence wasn’t just chilly; it was frigid. Jim imagined he could see frost patterns forming on the cab windows. Being in the middle of this cold war wasn’t, he decided as he glanced to either side of him, the best place he had ever found himself. He really should have taken that pretty girl’s offer for a romp at the hotel instead of doing a city tour with two senior command officers that had the potential to become a disaster.

And a disaster this was, a rather spectacular one. Stupid, Kirk, he chastised himself.

Bones’s face was turned towards the window, but Jim felt he could accurately picture how the man must look: nostrils flared, eyes narrowed, a look of irritation twisting his mouth into a severe frown. Spock, on the other hand, managed to appear both uncaring and angry without expression. It was a feat accomplished mostly by his eyebrows. Jim wanted to award a commendation to those eyebrows for such a unique talent.

He loosed a whoosh of breath, crossed his arms, and sunk further into the poorly padded cab seat. This silence was going to utterly ruin the rest of his day if it continued. Somebody had to say something. He coughed a little, just as a warning, and opened his mouth to speak.

“Not a word, Jim” came the low growl on his right.

Jim closed his mouth and gave his friend a wounded look. Leonard didn’t bother to stop glaring out of the window to acknowledge it so Jim turned to broadcast I’m hurt by your rejection to Spock. The Vulcan refused to twitch, eyes stubbornly fixed on the back of their driver’s head. Or maybe he was actually utilizing this quiet time to study the Andorian’s antennas. One could never tell with Spock.

Lifting a hand to rub at his forehead, Jim complained, “I have a headache. You’re giving me a headache. Can’t we talk about it?”

“Not until I’m dead ‘n gone.”

Unfortunately, that was an opening Jim realized belatedly Spock would never pass up, especially in his calm-but-really-pissed-beyond-compare mindset.

“Illogical. Death would preclude discussion, Doctor.”

Too close to Jim’s ear, Leonard’s temper exploded. “It means I refuse to talk about what happened, you pointy-eared bastard!”

“Bones…”

Leonard had abandoned all pretense of being interested in the world beyond the cab window in order to fix his frighteningly angry gaze on the Vulcan, who met that look with a dark scrutiny of his own. “But that would please you, wouldn’t it, Spock—if I was dead?”

This time Jim snapped out his friend’s name. “You will not say that again,” he warned the man. “Ever.”

Leonard transferred his fierce gaze to Jim, tone suddenly milder, apologetic. “Sorry, Jim.”

It wasn’t just anger ablaze in those eyes but a stark unhappiness too. The sight of it made Jim’s stomach turn. “Listen,” he said, desperately grasping at random ideas to fix this awful situation, “I could demand an apology and a reconciliation from both of you—”

Spock’s flat look spoke volumes on how he felt about that suggestion.

“—but we all know neither of those things will count if you don’t mean them. So,” damn but he hoped this worked, “I want you to stay away from each other for the time being, until I say otherwise.”

Leonard’s face took on a slightly comical expression. “What?”

Jim drew in a deep breath. “You have my order,” he said firmly. “Unless it’s ship’s business, do not socialize with one another. Need I define the concept of socializing?” He hoped his easy tone gave nothing away.

“Negative, Captain,” the Vulcan, dutiful as ever, replied.

Leonard was slower to agree but only because he seemed confused. “Jim, I’m not exactly sure where the punishment part comes in here, but I’d be a fool to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

“You’d also be insubordinate,” Jim pointed out.

Leonard snorted and sat back, dropping his hands to his knees and looking more relaxed than he had in a long time.

Jim said nothing else. He kept his hands still but his mind worried. Bones seemed content. Spock really was making a study of the Andorian driver now.

Would this gamble turn out to be a poor bet?

Next Part

Related Posts:

• Win or Lose (5/5) – from February 12, 2013
• Win or Lose (4/5) – from February 11, 2013
• Win or Lose (2/?) – from February 5, 2013