Title: New Light to the Darkness (1/4)
Author: klmeri
Fandom: Star Trek AOS
Pairing: pre-Kirk/Spock/McCoy
Summary: McCoy’s feelings don’t go unnoticed.
A/N: Well, I started this early in the morning thinking I would write a little drabble to put on tumblr. I wrote too much and, not surprisingly, have an inclination to write more later on. Therefore we’ll see where this goes. It won’t be overly long.
PS – Back from my world travels once again. Time to stretch the writing muscle a bit!

In general, Leonard could write a book about the typical away mission for the Enterprise for the simple fact that nothing typical ever occurs. Their missions are always the most dangerous (his words), most illogical (usually Spock’s), and most unorthodox-but-not-so-terrible-Bones-really (Jim’s opinion, which is pure horseshit) adventures of the entire fleet. But lately common denominators have begun to crop up, trends that Leonard is starting to recognize. For instance, when they venture onto a Class M planet with inhabitants in the formative years of a pre-warp civilization, that is almost a guarantee the landing party will violate the Prime Directive by unwittingly attracting the attention of the locals and then getting themselves captured. Once in captivity, it also is guaranteed that Jim will find a way to impress or confuse their captors into believing his alien status is synonymous with ‘superpowered’.

Leonard sighs and sips at his morning coffee while he records notes from the latest mission, another perfect example of his theory. Something about Jim’s fair hair and bright blue eyes combined with an exceptionally charming personality had prompted the natives to believe James T. Kirk was the incarnation of their sky god. They covered Jim from head to toe in mineral dust that made him shine like gold, gave him a ridiculous tribal headdress to wear, and then sent a horde of virgins to attend the god’s every need. Jim had laughed good-naturedly at it all and seemed right at home in the center of a grandiose festival to celebrate his (that is, the sky god’s) awakening.

Still inside a cramped cage but with a clear view of the activities, Leonard had turned his back in disgust and demanded to know of his companion, “When he’s going to remember that we’re still locked up in here?”

Spock, pausing in his inspection of the rudimentary but effective locking mechanism of their cage, had replied, “I highly doubt the Captain has forgotten us, Doctor.”

“You give Jim too much credit. How’s he supposed to remember us with a bunch of exotic humanoids rubbing his chest?”

Spock had simply arched an eyebrow.

Hunching his shoulders, Leonard denied, sourer than before, “I’m not jealous.”

But that had been a lie. Upon a safe return to the Enterprise, Leonard can finally admit the truth, that longing brings a new light to the darkness. He had hardly been envious of Jim, convinced that it would be much too awkward and embarrassing if a race of beings were to decide to worship him instead. No, what Leonard felt was jealousy over Jim doling out his attention so freely to those enraptured attendants, as if their pleasure was all that was needed to please Jim.

Nonetheless, Spock had been right after all. Jim had not forgotten the fate of his officers. In trademark Kirkian fashion, the captain had convinced the captors to bring Leonard, Spock, and the remaining landing party to the center of the festivities, albeit trussed up like somebody’s dinner much to the doctor’s dismay. The culminating event was Jim standing atop his throne, flipping open his communicator (having somehow re-acquired and fixed the damn thing), and relaying a message to the Enterprise to transport their team aboard the ship pronto like he was commanding the very heavens to part and bring salvation. McCoy is certain that had been an impressive spectacle for the planet-bound, watching a god and his minion-like compatriots shimmer and disappear into thin air. Spock is probably as of this moment trying to write a debriefing report that doesn’t make their actions seem like half of the regulation book was tossed out of an airlock on a whim.

Leonard sighs and goes back to his own notes. His stylus is poised above the data padd when the door to his office slides open to admit the one person he is not in the mood to see.

“Morning, Bones,” Jim says, taking a seat in front of the doctor’s desk. He crosses one leg over the other and locks his fingers around a knee, gaze flicking from the cup of coffee to Leonard. “Is that your breakfast?”

“I didn’t make it to the cafeteria because I have too much work to catch up on. But you could have called to find that out. So why are you here, Captain?”

Kirk’s gaze sharpens. “Trying to determine if one of my senior officers feels he has reason to avoid me.”

Leonard’s hand slips across the padd screen, causing him to scratch through several words of his report. The word program automatically erases what was scratched through. Leonard curses.

Jim doesn’t blink, saying almost as a demand, “Bones.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Leonard hedges. “I have work to do—like the rest of this crew.”

“Spock made time for the morning meal.”

Oh, that hobgoblin. Yet another problem all of its own for McCoy. “Well good for Spock.”

Jim adopts a thoughtful expression. “He said something of interest while we were eating. During yesterday’s mission you displayed symptoms of a peculiar behavior…”

Leonard’s eyebrows lift with interest—

“Jealousy,” Jim concludes.

—and he promptly chokes on his own spit. “Why, that…!” Tattle-tell!

“Spock also said,” Kirk continues on, oblivious to Leonard’s sputtering, “I need to address this issue with you immediately so he isn’t stuck listening to you complain on future missions.” Jim looks at Leonard, his expression a touch concerned, his tone of voice without judgment. “Bones, what’s going on?”

“That green-blooded hobgoblin is what! Sticking his pointed ears where they don’t belong!”

“Is there something you need to tell me?”

“Yeah,” Leonard snarls, pushing away from his desk and standing up as he grows more and more outraged at Spock’s audacity, “that this ship is about to be less a Vulcan officer!”

Jim continues to look at him.

Leonard grips the edge of his desk, knowing he can’t dismiss Kirk’s concern out of hand. “Jim… it’s nothing.”

“Bones,” Jim starts, then stops briefly before picking up his sentence again, “being jealous—has it happened before?”

“Don’t try to psychoanalyze me, kid.”

“I’m not. I only want to understand the connection between how you feel and… me,” Kirk finishes awkwardly.

Leonard can’t answer him without lying outright, and Jim will recognize a lie right away. He straightens up and drops his hands to his sides. “I think there has been a misunderstanding. I’ll talk to Spock.”

Jim’s response is slow in coming, a shade disappointed. “All right.” Planting both feet on the floor, the man rises from his chair. “Doctor, my apologies for the interruption.”

Odd, Leonard thinks even as he is filled with relief. Jim rarely backs down when he’s so curious. Something Kirk and the Vulcan have in common.

Spock.

Leonard presses his mouth flat as the door to his office closes in Kirk’s wake. He reaches across his desk and presses the comm button programmed to locate Spock anywhere on the ship. Spock answers right away.

“Commander,” McCoy says without preamble, “the Captain was just in my office. You owe me an explanation.”

A pause. Then, “My calendar is clear for the next hour and ten minutes. Shall that suffice?”

Hardly, and you know it. “I’ll be in Science in five.”

“Acknowledged.”

Leonard ends the call. Since their offices aren’t that far apart, it won’t take more than three minutes to storm over there. For the remaining two minutes, well, there’s only one thing Leonard can do: he drops into his chair and threads his fingers through his hair.

“Damn it,” he mutters. Just what has Spock started… and why?

Next Part

Related Posts:

• New Light to the Darkness (5/5) – from November 9, 2016
• New Light to the Darkness (4/5) – from October 26, 2016
• New Light to the Darkness (3/4) – from October 6, 2016