Title: A Romantic Venture (#19, The Drabble Bin)
Author: klmeri
Fandom: Star Trek AOS
Pairing: pre-K/S/M
Summary: Kirk is intent on sharing his favorite pastime.
Previous Drabbles: The Old Four | Those Neighborhood Hoodlums | Trapped | A Cage of His Own | Of Perky Starfleet Bottoms | An Hour Past | War of the Bots | The Best Substitute | Surprise Meeting | Little Help | Dreaming | The Tower | Brother | It’s Complicated | With Close Friends | Not As It Seems | Vulcans Can Be Grumpy Too | Upsetting the CMO

Leonard McCoy, newly arrived on the Bridge, feels a tickle of amusement at the idea of taking advantage of his captain’s current distraction. Yet as he steps down to the lower platform, he finds himself calling instead, “Jim, what’re you doing?”

Jim’s head lifts a little, comes around, the man’s face brightening. “Bones!”

This reaction is definitely better than surprise in Leonard’s book. It warms him from the inside out. He drapes an arm across the back of Kirk’s chair and asks, “What’s got you so distracted?”

Jim fumbles slightly with the data padd sitting active in his lap.

Too intrigued to ignore his own curiosity, Leonard plucks it up before Kirk can deactivate it. He takes in the first few lines of the exposition on the screen and rocks back on his heels. “‘Come on, lovers,’ Cody said. ‘I need you. I need you both.’“

Leonard chokes. “Jim!”

“It’s good,” Jim argues.

Now everyone else on the Bridge is paying attention to their conversation. Astonishing McCoy further, Sulu twists around in his chair to ask, “Love Under Two Private Dicks?”

Jim shakes his head. “Further along in the series. Love Under Two Adventurers.”

Chekov wants to know, curious as ever, “Vhat happens next?” He’s staring expectantly at Leonard to continue the story.

What in god’s name, thinks McCoy, do these people do to entertain themselves on the Bridge most of the time? Finding no recourse, he cries, “Mr. Spock!”

Spock obligingly turns around in his chair. “Yes, Dr. McCoy?”

He shakes the PADD in the air, demanding, “Don’t you have anything to say about your captain’s choice of literature while on duty?”

Spock only blinks. “I have not read Love Under Two Adventurers yet, Doctor.”

Now Jim cranes his head back a little further to see Spock on the upper platform. “You can borrow it when I’m done, Spock.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

Spock faces his station’s console again, leaving Leonard gaping with his arm frozen in the air.

Kirk gives him an amused but also somewhat annoyed look. “Are you going to return that to me, Lieutenant-Commander?”

McCoy slowly lowers his arm and hands it back. He waits a few seconds, watching Jim adjust the font size of the story to his liking, before backing up to the steps between the platforms where he nearly falls backward when he hits the first one. Leonard ascends with care.

Uhura is looking at him with a kind of pity.

“I don’t get it,” he says honestly. “Of all the options out there, why’s that kind of romance so special?”

“Why shouldn’t it be?” she counters. Then, with a flare of mischief, “Maybe you should ask Spock for an explanation.”

“Spock?”

No doubt taking the sound of his name as permission to join in the conversation, Spock turns to look at McCoy. “I should like to educate you on the subject, Doctor.”

With some secret objective of hers accomplished, Uhura returns to manning Communications. Noting the curl of the woman’s shoulders, Leonard believes she is laughing at him.

“I don’t know if I have time,” the doctor hedges to the Vulcan, wondering how he’s going to get out of this.

But it is far too late.

“Excellent idea,” seconds Jim, bounding up the steps to join them like he had been waiting for his cue. “How about scheduling a storytime?”

“Storytime!” cries Pavel.

Leonard pictures a whole group of them listening to the raunchier parts of a romance novel—in Spock’s monotone, no less—and covers his face with his hand.

Jim pats his shoulder, leaning in to whisper just for his ears (and Spock’s) only, “I’ve been waiting for a while to introduce you to the menage genre, Bones.”

“But why?”

The small upturn to Jim’s mouth promises Leonard will find out in short order.

Leonard opts to take the safer route. “I think I’ll have that discussion with Spock.”

“Well,” Jim says, pulling back but not at all looking disappointed, “that shall do, Bones.” Then he winks at Spock. “I trained our Vulcan in the finer points, after all.”

“I will perform to the best of my ability,” Spock promises his captain with the utmost sincerity.

Leonard tries to flee but they catch his arms, one on either side, and pin him where he is.

Jim is beaming from ear-to-ear. “I’m so pleased you came to the Bridge today, Bones.”

Leonard is of a different opinion. But he caves in the face of that happiness. “It had better be worth it.”

Jim releases McCoy, ghosting his shoulder with a hand as he returns to his chair below. “We’ll always take good care of you.”

Leonard, already knowing that statement to be true, melts.

Spock ushers him to the turbolift. “It would be prudent for us to begin immediately.”

“If you say so.” Leonard eyes him in a critical manner as they enter the lift together. “I don’t suppose I could have a cup of coffee before we start these lessons?”

“For you, Doctor,” Spock replies as the door slides shut, “I am willing to make an allowance.”

And so begins their next adventure.

-Fini

When Your Blues Have a Gold

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• Beyond the Call of Duty (#27, The Drabble Bin) – from September 24, 2020
• Have You Heard…? (#26, The Drabble Bin) – from September 20, 2019
• Who Wants to be a Doctor? (#25, The Drabble Bin) – from May 13, 2019