Warp Speed & Writer's Block

Boldly going where no draft has gone before. Expect space, stories, and an unhealthy attachment to Leonard McCoy. ✨🚀

[smo1-beanz]

Beyond the Far Horizon

GIF by caribbean1989

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn/ Angst/ Adventure

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

-Chapter 14: Home-

Later that night, long after the medical bay had quieted into the late-night watch and M’Benga had officially cleared Leonard to return to their private quarters, Y/N ran him a bath.

The steam gathered softly in the small, modern bathroom of their shared cabin, gently fogging up the chrome mirror and warming the cool air. Leonard sat quietly on the edge of the mattress in the main room, his eyes sleepy and heavy as he watched her move around the small space. She gathered clean towels and a change of soft clothes with an intense, determined care.

He watched her through the open doorway, a lazy, lopsided smile on his lips. “You do know I’m perfectly capable of running my own bath, darlin’. I am a fully qualified surgeon.”

“I know,” she replied, checking the water level. She glanced over her shoulder with a teasing smirk. “I also know you would’ve sat there complaining that the water was too hot, too cold, or simply too much trouble to deal with before you even got in.”

He made a faux-offended face, leaning back slightly. “Now that is outright slander.”

“It’s completely accurate, Leonard.”

She tested the temperature with her palm one last time, adjusting the valve until it was perfect. When she turned back to the bedroom, she noticed him leaning back on his elbows, a slight wince twisting his features as the movement strained his ribcage. The sight pulled a small frown from her.

“You’re still incredibly sore,” she noted softly, walking over to him.

“Darlin', I’ve been shot by phasers, stabbed by Orion pirates, poisoned by rare swamp moss, and thrown around a stone arena by a four-armed dictator,” he said, his southern drawl smooth and unbothered. “A little muscular soreness is entirely survivable.”

She stood before him, one eyebrow lifting in disbelief. “You make it sound like a regular day at the office.”

“For a starship doctor?” He looked up at her, his eyes warm. “Darlin’… it is a regular day at the office.”

That earned him a soft, genuine laugh. She reached down, offering her hands to help him stand up from the mattress. He protested exactly once, muttering about his independence, and she ignored him exactly once, pulling him gently to his feet.

By the time he safely stepped into the warm water of the deep tub, he looked significantly less offended by the universe. He leaned his head back against the smooth porcelain rim, closing his eyes as a long, heavy breath escaped him.

“Lord, that’s better,” he murmured, the tension visible draining from his neck.

“Told you so,” she whispered, kneeling on the tiled floor beside the tub. She reached out, gently brushing a stray, damp strand of brown hair from his forehead.

Before she could pull her hand back, Leonard’s fingers reached up, catching her wrist with a gentle, firm hold. He didn't let go. He opened his eyes, looking up at her through the rising steam with a tired, intensely earnest expression.

“Join me,” he said, the words so soft they nearly vanished into the sound of the water.

Y/N blinked, her heart skipping a beat. “Leonard… you're the patient. You need the room to soak your ribs.”

He shifted slightly, making space in the wide tub, his fingers tracing a slow line up to her palm. “You need this just as much as I do after the day you’ve had, darlin’. You were the one trapped in that throne room.”

She opened her mouth to offer another logical argument, but he moved just a fraction closer. Raising his free hand, he gently tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear, his thumb lingering against her cheek for a second. It wasn't a demand. It was a quiet, vulnerable ask.

At the sight of that look in his eyes, her remaining resistance completely crumbled. The tub was large enough for two; Starfleet quarters were designed for comfort on long-range voyages.

Y/N let out a soft sigh, her fingers moving to the collar clasp. “Only because you look entirely miserable without me.”

Leonard’s mouth tilted into a classic, roguish grin. “That’s the nicest thing anybody’s said to me all day, darlin’.”

She gave him a mock-warning look as she stepped in. “Don’t get used to it, McCoy.”

He laughed quietly, the sound low in his chest.

By the time she settled into the warm water behind him, the bath had transformed into a complete haven from the rest of the galaxy. Leonard rested his back comfortably against her chest, the water lapping gently around them both, while her arms draped loosely over his shoulders. His hands found her forearms under the water, his fingers tracing absent, soothing little shapes across her skin, circles, lines, repetitive patterns that barely disturbed the surface.

Y/N closed her eyes, letting her chin rest near his shoulder. “You scared me today, Leonard. Truly.”

His hand stilled against her skin. “I know, darlin’.”

“No, I really mean it,” she insisted, opening her eyes to look down at the side of his face. “When those lower arms hit you… you scared me so much, I thought my own heart was going to stop beating.”

Leonard turned his head just enough to meet her gaze, the teasing light completely vanishing from his eyes, replaced by a deep, sincere guilt. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I never wanted you to see that.”

“I know you didn't.” Her voice softened, her lips brushing his shoulder. “But you were incredibly reckless out there.”

“Yeah.”

“And stubborn.”

“Mhm.”

“You were completely insane to fight him.”

He huffed a faint, rumbling chuckle. “Probably.”

She frowned down at him, though there was no real heat left behind it. “And I’m still entirely shocked you can actually move like that when you aren't complaining about your joints.”

That drew a weak, genuinely surprised chuckle from him. He turned around in the water until he was fully facing her, his movements careful so as not to jar his healing ribs. Now, her chest rested against his, and the warm bath wrapped around them both in a perfect, silent embrace.

His arms settled around her waist, pulling her flush against him as if ensuring she was truly there. He dropped his forehead gently against hers, his breath warm against her lips.

“I was so worried about you,” he admitted, his southern drawl heavy with emotion. “All I could think about when I was standing at that arena gate was you sitting up there in that throne room. Chained. Alone. Listening to that barbarian talk about you like he had any right to even look at you.”

Her fingers brushed through the damp hair at the nape of his neck, comforting him. “But you came for me.”

His eyes shut tight for a long second, his grip tightening just a fraction. “Yeah.”

She smiled faintly, her heart swelling. “You always do.”

He opened his eyes again, blue, steady, and filled with an absolute certainty amidst the rising steam. “And I always will, Y/N. Always.” He leaned in, his lips brushing the tip of her nose with incredible sweetness. “I’d do it all over again. Every single stupid, reckless, painful second of it. Just to get you back to me.”

Y/N laughed softly, her forehead resting back against his as she held him close. “You are entirely impossible, Leonard.”

“Mm.”

“And stubborn.”

He smiled, his lips resting against her cheek. “You’ve mentioned that once or twice.”

“And completely insane.”

“Also noted.”

She studied his face for a long, beautiful beat, her hand rising from the water to cup his jaw, her thumb brushing over the bruise. “I love you, Leonard.”

His gaze softened in a way that made the rest of the starship, the mission, and the entire galaxy completely disappear. “Love you too, darlin’. More than the stars.”

The kiss that followed was slow, warm, and utterly certain. There was no urgency left in it, no lingering terror of the arena or the court. It was just the quiet, beautiful promise of two people who had investigated the dark, fought through it, and found their way back to each other’s arms.

When they finally parted, Y/N lingered close, her forehead still resting against his as the Enterprise's steady, eternal hum echoed through the bulkhead. They were safe. They were home.

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　　　　　　

THE END

[smo1-beanz]

Beyond the Far Horizon

GIF by caribbean1989

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn/ Angst/ Adventure

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

-Chapter 13: Safe Harbour-

The golden shimmer of the transporter beams dissolved, the familiar, high-pitched whine fading into the ship’s quiet atmosphere. For one suspended heartbeat, nobody moved. The sheer weight of the adrenaline that had carried them through the arena suddenly evaporated, leaving behind a profound exhaustion.

Then, the familiar, rhythmic hum of the USS Enterprise settled around them like a quiet blessing.

Metal flooring beneath their boots. Clean, filtered air cools their skin. The warm, standard-issue lighting of Transporter Room Three.

They were home.

Leonard’s boots touched the centre of the pad, his posture holding rigid for a mere fraction of a second before his legs simply gave out. The strength vanished from his limbs all at once, and his knees buckled hard against the deck plates.

Y/N gave a startled cry as his grip suddenly loosened around her waist. Before she could steady her own footing, his dead weight pulled her down with him, his breath escaping in a sharp, ragged gasp of agony.

“Bones!” Jim Kirk lunged forward instantly, dropping to his knees and catching the doctor under the shoulders just before his torso could strike the hard metal floor.

“Medical team to Transporter Room Three!” Uhura was already at the wall communications panel, her fingers slapping the sub-space channel, her voice sharp with absolute urgency. “Emergency triage required. The Chief Medical Officer has collapsed. Now!”

Scotty hurried forward from the main control console, his hands hovering over the levers as his eyes went wide. He took in the sheer chaos of the landing party, the layer of arena dirt clinging to their skin, the torn and blood-stained uniforms, and the half-shredded, heavy ceremonial fabric Y/N was still trapped in.

“Captain!” Scotty blurted, blinking rapidly at the sight of them. “Good grief, you lot look like you ran straight through a planetary war.”

Jim gave a breathless, rattling laugh that sounded far more like a painful cough, his arms straining to keep Leonard upright. “Close enough, Scotty. Close enough.”

Scotty’s gaze drifted from the captain to Y/N, and his jaw nearly dropped through the deck plating. “Lassie, what in the blasted galaxy are ye wearin’?”

Y/N opened her mouth to answer, to explain the nightmare of the royal court, but Leonard gave a low, guttering groan that cut through the room like a knife. His body curled inward instinctively, his left hand clamping tightly over his wrapped ribs as a fresh wave of pain hit him. The remaining colour completely drained from his face, leaving his skin a ghostly, translucent grey.

“Leonard?” Y/N dropped instantly to her knees beside him, her hands trembling as they hovered over his chest. “Leonard, look at me. Stay with me.”

He tried. God, he tried. His dark lashes fluttered open, his blue eyes unfocused and glassy at first, wandering across the ceiling before finally anchoring onto her face with an immense effort. He looked at her, his lips parting to reveal a faint, bloody grin that was entirely, stubbornly him.

“See?” he rasped, his voice barely a whisper against the room's hum. “Told you… darlin’… I’d always get you out.”

Y/N's face crumpled, the terror she had suppressed during the entire escape finally breaking through her defences. “You absolute idiot,” she whispered, her voice cracking. A single tear escaped, cutting a clean path through the arena dust on her cheek before she could stop it.

Jim’s expression shifted immediately from reckless humour to genuine alarm. “Spock!”

“I am already contacting Sickbay to prepare a cortical baseline,” Spock replied from the auxiliary console, his fingers moving across the interface at an impossible speed. “He is displaying classic signs of acute internal trauma and secondary shock. Transporting directly to the primary medical bay is highly recommended.”

“Do it,” Jim snapped, tightening his grip on his friend.

Scotty looked ready to leap over the console entirely. “I’ll clear the corridor—”

He stopped mid-sentence as the heavy pneumatic doors hissed open. Two medical techs and an emergency stretcher team came rushing into the room, alerted by the automated bio-sensors before Uhura's call had even finished routing through the bridge.

The next few minutes blurred together into a chaotic sequence of bright lights and sharp commands. Leonard was lifted carefully onto an anti-gravity gurney, his hand reaching blindly into the air until Y/N caught his fingers. She refused to let go, walking briskly alongside the hovering bed, until the medics gently insisted they needed room to attach the stabilisation monitors. Even then, her fingers brushed against his until the gurney was rolling rapidly down the corridor toward Sickbay.

Jim walked beside her at a fast pace, matching her stride as the security doors parted ahead of them. “He’s going to be okay, Y/N,” he said quietly, his voice lacking its usual captain's bravado and carrying only the quiet sincerity of a friend.

Y/N kept her gaze locked dead ahead on the double doors of the medical section. “You don’t know that, Jim. You saw what those lower arms did to him.”

Jim’s voice softened, a faint smirk returning to his lips. “No, I don’t know the medical physics of it. But I know him. And the universe hasn't figured out a way to kill Leonard McCoy when he's got something to complain about.”

That nearly made her smile through the rising panic. Nearly.

Sickbay was a controlled storm by the time they arrived. The quiet sanctuary of the ship’s hospital had been transformed into a hive of synchronised activity. Nurse Chapel was already issuing orders to the staff, snapping sterile drapes into place and preparing internal regenerators.

Dr M’Benga took one single look at Leonard’s pale face, then at the erratic spikes on the overhead diagnostic readout and immediately moved into command with the kind of calm precision that only years of deep-space crises could forge.

“Place him on bio-bed two. Now,” M’Benga ordered, guiding the gurney into the bay.

The medical techs obeyed, transferring the doctor with practised care. Chapel was already running a handheld medical tricorder over his torso, the rhythmic bleeping growing sharper and faster as it detailed the damage.

“Pulse is erratic and thready,” Chapel reported, her brow furrowing as she read the scrolling data. “Blood pressure is dropping rapidly. We have extensive internal bleeding in the lower abdominal cavity, four severely cracked ribs, a dislocated right shoulder, and a possible grade-two concussion.”

“Severe enough to explain the systemic collapse,” M’Benga said, leaning directly over Leonard’s shoulder to check his pupillary response with a small penlight. “I want a full internal trauma scan initiated immediately. Get the cortical stimulator ready on standby, and someone get me a clean, unobstructed read on the thoracic chest cavity before we activate the cellular regenerators.”

Y/N stood just outside the active perimeter of the bay, her hands clenched so tightly against her sides that her knuckles ached. She looked completely out of place amidst the sterile, white-and-silver efficiency of the room.

The royal garments were gone by then. During a moment while M'Benga was performing the initial internal seals, Christine Chapel had gently but firmly guided Y/N to a side changing room, insisting she strip away the heavy, suffocating layers of alien gold and ceremonial chains. Now, dressed in a soft, simple set of Starfleet casual clothes, she felt the weight no longer drag at her shoulders. She no longer felt like a prize stolen and dressed for display on a foreign world. Now she simply felt like herself again. Or as close to it as she could manage while watching the monitors.

Leonard lay incredibly pale beneath the harsh, unyielding glare of the sickbay lights. One of his arms was still partly raised, his hand slightly curled, as if even in the depths of unconsciousness his body was still searching for her.

Y/N stepped closer to the edge of the bio-bed, her heart aching.

Jim put a hand lightly on her shoulder, a grounding weight. “You can stay,” he whispered. “M'Benga won't kick you out. Just let them work their magic.”

“I’m not leaving him,” she said, her voice fiercely protective.

“I didn’t ask you to.”

She nodded slowly, her eyes tracking the laser scalpel as M'Benga began closing the internal ruptures. “Please,” she whispered under her breath, her gaze fixed on Leonard’s closed eyes. “Please don’t do this to me, Leonard. Wake up.”

It took nearly two agonising hours to fully stabilise him. Two hours of low-pitched alarms warning of pressure drops. Two hours of rapid medical scans, shifting coloured graphs, and clipped instructions traded between Chapel and M'Benga. Two hours of watching the man she loved be repaired piece by piece under the steady, white glow of the bio-beds.

At long last, Dr M’Benga stepped back from the console, wiping a layer of sweat from his forehead with the back of his forearm. He exhaled a long, heavy breath and looked over at Y/N.

“The worst of it is over,” he said, his face relaxing into a weary smile.

Y/N's knees nearly gave out with the sudden rush of relief, the air returning to her lungs. Jim was still standing in the corner of the room, his arms folded tightly across his chest, his eyes scanning the stabilised diagnostics.

“Define worst, Doctor,” Jim requested.

“The internal bleeding has been entirely stopped, and the liver laceration is sealed,” M’Benga explained, tapping a button to reset the warning parameters. “The ribs are currently setting under the osteo-regenerator. He’s going to ache like absolute hell and complain about the ship’s nutrition slots for at least a week, but he will make a full recovery.”

Y/N let out a shaky, trembling breath she felt like she’d been holding since they first stepped into that alien arena. “Thank you, Dr M'Benga. Truly.”

M’Benga gave her a brief, respectful nod. “He’s under a mild sedative now. Asleep. It’s the best place for him.”

Jim tilted his head toward the bed, where, even in his sedated state, Leonard’s brow was slightly knit, looking faintly irritated at the very idea of resting. “That is probably the most dangerous thing you could say in this room, Doctor. If he hears you calling a sedative 'good for him,' he'll rewrite the medical manual.”

M’Benga snorted, gathering his instruments. “Then I’ll be certain to tell him exactly that when he wakes up.”

The alpha shift had officially ended across the ship. The Enterprise cruised steadily at warp three, leaving the hostile planet and its four-armed ruler far behind in the dark, velvety expanse of deep space.

The primary sickbay lights had been dimmed to a softer, calming blue by the time Leonard finally began to stir. The room was profoundly quiet now, save for the low, comforting hum of the ship's warp core vibrating through the bulkhead.

Y/N sat in a comfortable chair drawn close to the side of his bio-bed. Her hair was loose now, falling softly over her shoulders, her skin clean of the arena dust.

Leonard shifted with a rough, gravelly groan, his hand instantly moving toward his midsection before he stopped himself.

“If anyone…” his voice came out cracked, low, and incredibly dry, “…tries to beam me down to another primitive planet for a cultural exchange again… I’m going to personally sabotage the primary transporter coils.”

Y/N's mouth curved into a beautiful smile despite herself, the lingering tightness in her chest dissolving. “Well, that’s comforting. I was worried your sense of humour might’ve died down there along with your pride.”

One eyelid lifted slowly, peering at her through the dim blue light. Then the other followed. He blinked against the soft illumination of the bay until his gaze fully settled on her face. The change in his expression was instantaneous, the grumpy lines of his forehead smoothing out into something incredibly soft, relieved, and almost disbelieving.

“You’re okay,” he breathed, his voice losing its rough edge.

Y/N leaned forward at once, reaching out to wrap her fingers around his. “I’m perfect, Leonard.” She squeezed his hand gently, feeling the reassuring warmth of his skin. “Thanks to a very stubborn, very reckless doctor.”

His thumb shifted weakly against her palm, tracing a slow circle against her skin. “Wasn’t being stubborn, darlin’.”

“Oh? What would you call it then?”

“No.” He swallowed hard, frowning up at the padded ceiling for a moment as if carefully reviewing his own memory of the fight. “Just… incredibly angry.”

A soft, melodic laugh escaped her, the sound bright in the quiet room. “Yeah. That tracks.”

He shifted slightly, wincing as the movement pulled at the newly regenerated muscle across his ribs. He looked at her for a long beat, then carefully patted the small, empty space beside him on the edge of the bio-bed. “Come here.”

The words were incredibly quiet. Barely more than a breath.

She didn't argue. Moving with careful, deliberate movements, Y/N climbed up onto the edge of the bed beside him, mindful of the heavy bandages wrapped around his torso. She settled against his side, resting her head gently against his uninjured right shoulder. His arm came around her slowly, his hand resting on her arm, holding her close as though he were still terrified she might disappear into shimmering light if he relaxed his grip.

The pneumatic door hissed open with a soft rush of air.

Jim Kirk walked into the room, carrying two small, elegant glasses and a distinctive, curvilinear bottle of amber liquid tucked under one arm. He paused at the threshold when he saw them, taking in the sight of Leonard holding Y/N close, his look equal parts completely exhausted and deeply grateful.

“Am I interrupting something therapeutic?” Jim asked, a classic, teasing spark in his eye.

Leonard answered without even opening his eyes, his head resting back against the pillow. “Probably, Jim. Which means you’re right on schedule.”

Jim grinned, completely unbothered, and crossed the room anyway. “Good. Because a captain's duty never rests.” He set the bottle down on the metal side table with a soft clink. “Saurian brandy. Real vintage stuff, too. I thought the undisputed hero of the hour deserved something better than synthetic medical alcohol.”

Leonard cracked one eye open, fixed on his captain. “And you decided to bring the good stuff after seeing me half-dead in the dirt?”

“Especially after seeing you half-dead,” Jim countered, pouring a cautious, measured amount into the first glass and handing it down to Y/N. He then poured a much smaller, strictly regulated measure into a plastic medical cup for Leonard. “Spock just finished filing the official report for Starfleet Command.”

Leonard gave a dry, mocking little snort, taking a tiny sip. “Filing a report with Spock? That sounds like an extrajudicial punishment.”

“It was,” Jim admitted, taking a seat on the high stool beside the bed and leaning back comfortably. “Still, you’d be surprised. He was annoyingly diplomatic about the whole thing in the log.”

Y/N glanced up from Leonard’s shoulder, her curiosity piqued. “Annoyingly?”

Jim nodded, swirling the brandy in his glass. “His exact words, or at least the Vulcan equivalent. He noted that your specific application of non-lethal, anatomical force was ‘highly effective under extreme environmental conditions.’ Translation: he thinks you fought like a demon, Bones.”

Leonard stared at him, completely flabbergasted. “…He said that? In an official log?”

“He did,” Jim said, his smile widening. “And it gets better. The ruling council on that planet signed a formal peace accord with the Federation embassy within the hour. Apparently, your little demonstration of leaving the king alive gave the reformist factions exactly the political leverage they needed to overthrow the old combat laws.”

Y/N looked over at Leonard. He wasn’t smiling, not entirely, but there was a subtle softening in his jawline, a heavy weight that had finally lifted from his expression.

Jim noticed the quiet shift. His tone turned uncharacteristically gentle. “Don’t look so surprised, Bones. You didn’t just win a fistfight down there. You refused to become the kind of brutal killer that the king expected you to be. You changed their entire system by just being a doctor.”

Leonard looked down at the amber liquid in his medical cup, his voice dropping into a quiet, solemn register. “I didn’t do it for their politics, Jim. I didn't care about their laws.”

Y/N's fingers threaded tightly with his, her warmth grounding him. “I know.”

His blue eyes drifted sideways, finding her gaze in the soft blue light. “I did it because I wanted my wife home. Safe on this ship.”

The room went completely quiet. Even Jim stopped fidgeting with his glass, the gravity of the statement settling over them. Y/N's expression softened until it looked as though it might break him all over again with pure affection.

“You did,” she whispered.

Then, after a quiet beat, she leaned up just enough to press a gentle, lingering kiss to the edge of the dark purple bruise blooming along his jawline.

Jim made a thoughtful, slightly loud sound in his throat, pointedly turning his head to look at the far wall panelling. “Well,” he said, standing up and setting his empty glass aside on the tray. “I think that’s my cue to leave the two of you to recover and be absolutely nauseating in peace.”

Leonard’s mouth twitched into a faint, lazy smile. “Is that your official way of saying goodnight, Captain?”

“That,” Jim said, already walking toward the exit, the doors sliding open automatically, “and a reminder that if either of you needs anything else tonight, call Chapel before you try to do something heroic and stupid again.”

The doors slid shut behind him, leaving them in the warm, quiet sanctuary of the room. Outside the wide viewports, the distant stars stretched into endless, beautiful silver lines as the ship cruised smoothly through the void. The danger was gone. The world was still.

[smo1-beanz]

Beyond the Far Horizon

GIF by caribbean1989

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn/ Angst/ Adventure

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

-Chapter 12: Leonard vs The King-

Fifteen minutes later, the palace arena shook with thunderous, rhythmic applause.

Thousands of spectators filled the steep stone seats carved directly into the sheer mountain face. They roared the king's name in a deafening cadence, their voices echoing across the valley. Bright blue banners waved overhead in the mountain breeze, and the heavy thud of war drums reverberated through the stone beneath Leonard's boots.

Leonard stood near the heavy iron arena gate, his breath coming in shallow, painful gasps while Uhura carefully finished wrapping his torso with tight layers of medical field gauze.

"There," she said softly, securing the final bandage with a firm pat. She looked up at him; her eyes filled with quiet worry. "It'll hold your ribs in place."

"For about five minutes," Leonard muttered, wincing as he tried to rotate his shoulder. "Assuming he doesn't hit me in the exact same spot."

Jim walked up, adjusting the collar of the doctor's torn blue uniform, trying to inject some semblance of optimism into the air. "You know... I've seen you survive worse than this, Bones. We've been in some tight spots."

Leonard looked at him sideways, his good eye narrowed. "When Jim? Name one time I fought an alien monarch with my bare hands."

Jim opened his mouth to answer, thought about it for a second, and then slowly closed it. "...Actually... Fair point. You usually stay by the shuttlecraft."

Sulu quietly leaned close to Kirk's opposite side, his eyes scanning the crowds high above them. "Captain," he murmured, his voice barely audible over the roar of the stadium.

Jim subtly glanced his way, keeping his posture casual. "Talk to me, Sulu."

Everything had already been arranged in the brief minutes they had been given. While the duel held the attention of the entire court and the thousands of spectators, Sulu would use the distraction to circle behind the royal viewing platform. He would incapacitate the guards, rescue Y/N, and then wait in the shadows for Jim's signal to run.

Jim gave the smallest, nearly imperceptible nod. "Go. Be careful."

Sulu stepped backward into the shadows of the corridor, disappearing into the milling crowd of palace servants without a sound.

High above the dusty floor, Y/N sat confined to a stone chair directly beside the vacant royal throne. One heavily armed guard stood at her flanks, their eyes occasionally drifting to the spectacle below. Her own eyes never left Leonard. She sat perfectly still, her mind racing, praying that Jim had a plan.

The crowd suddenly erupted into deafening cheers as the king emerged from the central tunnel. He walked with a slow, powerful stride, his heavy steps commanding the arena. With a fluid, theatrical motion, he unclasped his ceremonial robe and tossed it aside into the dust.

Leonard's expression immediately flattened into a look of sheer disbelief. He stared across the arena, his jaw dropping slightly.

"...Jim."

"Hm?" Kirk asked, focused on the guards across the way.

"He's got four arms," Leonard said, his voice entirely deadpan.

Jim looked over, his eyes widening slightly as he noticed the second set of muscular limbs flexing at the king's sides. "...Yeah. I see that."

Leonard blinked, slowly turning his head to look at his captain. "I'm doomed. I'm a country doctor, Jim. I don't have a strategy for dealing with twenty fingers."

Jim clapped him hard on the uninjured shoulder, nearly knocking the wind out of him. "You'll be fine, Bones. Just use your head."

"Based on what?" Leonard snapped, his southern drawl thickening with stress. "What biological advantage do I have here?"

"I believe in you," Jim said simply, offering a confident grin.

"That ain't evidence!" Leonard yelled as Kirk began to back away toward the sidelines where Spock and Uhura waited.

Across the arena, the crowd erupted into a fresh frenzy. The king stepped into the centre of the ring, flexing all four of his muscular, corded arms before throwing his head back with a deafening, predatory roar that echoed off the mountains. Thousands of voices answered him in kind.

Leonard stood alone in the dirt, looking utterly unimpressed by the theatrical display. He adjusted his stance, his joints popping. "...Show-off."

The duel began without warning.

The king attacked first, moving with a frightening velocity. He was far faster than someone of his massive size had any right to be. Leonard barely managed to duck beneath the first sweeping punch, the wind of it whistling over his ears. But before he could even register the miss, a second arm came swinging immediately after from a lower angle. Then a third. Then a fourth.

Leonard was forced backward almost instantly, his boots kicking up clouds of dust as he frantically parried, slipped, and blocked a relentless barrage of fists.

Above, Y/N gripped the stone railing in front of her so tightly that her knuckles turned white, her breath catching in her throat with every near miss. "Come on, Leonard... watch his left..." she whispered frantically.

The king smiled, driving Leonard further into the defensive, turning him toward the centre of the ring. "You cannot win, human! Your species is fragile. You possess half the strength and half the reach!"

Leonard wiped a fresh smear of blood from his lip, his eyes locked onto his opponent's chest, watching the shift of his weight. "Ah, don't have to win," he panted, his ribs aching with every movement. "I simply have to keep getting back up."

The king lunged again, bringing his upper fists down in a crushing hammer-blow. Anticipating the move, Leonard ducked inside the strike, reaching up to catch two of the king's massive wrists in his hands. He braced his feet against the dirt, locking the limbs overhead.

For one glorious second, Leonard had perfect leverage. He smiled, preparing to drive a knee into the king's midsection.

Then, reality caught up. The king's hidden lower arms sprang upward with terrifying speed.

THUD!

One heavy fist slammed directly into Leonard's wrapped ribs, shattering the temporary support. Another fist buried itself into his stomach.

Again. Again. Again.

Each brutal strike drove the air completely from his lungs, the sheer force of the blows echoing through the lower tiers of the stadium. Leonard's vision swam with grey spots, his knees buckling beneath him. He collapsed onto one knee in the dirt, clutching his midsection as he gasped for oxygen that wouldn't come.

The crowd erupted into a triumphant roar, sensing the end.

"LEONARD!" Y/N screamed, leaning over the stone railing, her voice cracking with pure terror as she watched him fall.

High above the arena, amidst the roaring, distracted spectators, no one noticed Sulu. Moving like a shadow, the helmsman silently slipped up behind the remaining guard guarding the royal box. With a swift, practised martial-arts strike to the base of the skull, the guard crumpled without a sound.

Sulu caught the heavy body before it could hit the stone floor, dragging it discreetly into a recessed alcove. He turned back to Y/N with a calm, reassuring smile. "Mrs McCoy."

Y/N looked around in shock, her eyes wide. "Sulu?"

He produced a small, silver Starfleet standard knife from his boot, flipping it expertly in his hand. "I thought you might need some help with those."

Within seconds, the blade sliced through the heavy fibre restraints binding her wrists, and they fell away into the dust.

Meanwhile, down on the arena floor, Leonard forced himself upright again. Every single fibre of his being hurt. Every breath felt like inhaling broken glass. Every movement was an exercise in pure agony.

But as he stared at the king walking toward him to deliver the final blow, his panic faded, and his analytical medical training took over completely.

Broken nose. Dislocated shoulder. Floating ribs, his mind categorised automatically, looking at his own state before shifting his gaze to the giant alien before him. Every species has weaknesses. Variations in skeletal structure, nerve clusters, joint limitations. You just must find them.

The king swung his upper right arm in a final, decisive hook.

This time, Leonard didn't try to block. He sidestepped the blow by a fraction of an inch, letting the first pass over his shoulder. He lunged forward, grabbing the king's extended upper arm with both hands, twisting the limb against its natural rotation with all his remaining body weight.

CRACK!

The ball-and-socket joint of the upper shoulder dislocated violently. The king roared in sudden, unexpected agony, his balance faltering.

Leonard didn't stop. He couldn't afford to give him a second to recover. Channelling everything he had left, he delivered a precise, heavy kick to the side of the king's advanced knee.

Another sharp crack echoed across the dirt. The knee bent sideways, and the enormous warrior stumbled, dropping significantly in height.

Leonard leaned into the opening. He brought his elbow around in a vicious strike to the king's jaw, rattling his vision. He followed it instantly with a targeted strike beneath the lowest set of ribs, hitting a primary nerve cluster, and finished with a sharp twist to the lower left wrist, dislocating it cleanly.

None of the strikes was fatal. Never fatal. He was a doctor, after all. It was just enough to dismantle the machinery of the king's body piece by piece.

The enormous warrior slowed, his movements becoming sluggish and uncoordinated as his limbs failed to respond to his commands. Until, with one final, solid punch delivered straight to the centre of the king's jaw, the monarch lost his footing entirely.

The king crashed face-first into the arena floor, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

Absolute silence fell over the stadium. The roaring thousands went completely mute, staring down at the impossible sight of their undefeated ruler prone in the dirt.

Leonard stood over him, his chest heaving, blood dripping from his knuckles into the sand. He was breathing hard, his body trembling from exhaustion, but he remained standing.

The king rolled onto his side with a painful groan, looking up at the human through an eye that was quickly swelling shut. "Kill..." he coughed, a spray of blue-tinted blood hitting the dirt. "...me. Finish it. Your victory is absolute."

Leonard stared down at him for a long moment. Then, he slowly shook his head, lowering his fists. "No."

"The law demands it," the king panted, his remaining two functional arms trembling as he tried to push himself up. "The victor must take the life of the challenged to secure the prize."

"Then your law's wrong," Leonard said, his voice carrying clearly through the silent stadium. He took a step back, looking up at the thousands of silent spectators watching him. "You showed me exactly what kind of ruler you are by forcing this fight. I'm gonna show your people what kind of man I am. We don't murder beaten men where I come from."

He turned his back on the fallen monarch, leaving him alive in the centre of his own arena.

The stadium had never been quieter.

Then, a voice broke the stillness from high above.

"Captain!" Sulu called out, leaning over the royal railing.

Jim Kirk looked up instantly, seeing Y/N standing free beside the helmsman. A massive grin broke across the captain's face. "That's our cue! Everyone, move!"

Jim slapped his communicator insignia with two fingers. "Kirk to Enterprise!"

For a second, there was only harsh static. Then, a thick Scottish accent broke through the interference. "Captain! Thank the stars, I've finally got a signal through that mountain interference!"

"Scotty! Lock onto our coordinates immediately! Are the transporters online?"

"Aye, sir! They're humming and ready, but the power levels are fluctuating!"

"We need an emergency beam-out right now!"

"I need your coordinates, Captain! The atmospheric distortion is blinding my sensors!"

Jim glanced around the rapidly shifting arena, seeing the guards at the gates beginning to realise what was happening. "The front gates of the stadium! Just look for the energy flare! Everyone moves!"

The crew sprinted across the dusty floor toward the grand archway. Palace guards poured into the arena from the side tunnels behind them, weapons drawn and wild cries echoing from their throats.

"STOP THEM! DO NOT LET THEM REACH THE CORRIDOR!"

The chase exploded through the grand palace corridors, a chaotic rush of boots against stone. Y/N ran beside Leonard or tried to. The heavy, formal ceremonial garments she had been forced to wear tangled around her legs with every stride. She stumbled, losing her balance as a guard closed the distance behind them.

Leonard didn't hesitate. Despite his cracked ribs, his dislocated shoulder, and the sheer exhaustion threatening to claim him, he reached down and scooped her into his arms in one fluid motion.

Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck automatically, holding on tight as he kept up his frantic pace alongside Kirk and Spock. Despite the sheer terror of the moment and the guards shouting behind them, she looked up at his bruised face and laughed breathlessly.

"...Déjà vu?"

Leonard grinned down at her, a fierce, protective light in his eyes that didn’t quite manage to hide the sudden, roguish twitch at the corner of his mouth. As he rounded a sharp corner, he adjusted his grip on her, deliberately slowing his pace for just a heartbeat to pull her flush against his chest.

"Thought Ah told you once before, darlin'..." He leaned down slightly, his voice dropping into a low, rumbling drawl that brushed warm against her ear despite the chaos around them. "...I'm always gonna come get you. No matter how many arms they have."

He flashed her a quick, lazy wink, his chest shifting against hers as he chuckled.

"Besides, any excuse to carry you like this is an opportunity I’m not about to waste."

Behind them, the guards were gaining ground, their long claws reaching out, nearly catching the fabric of Jim's gold uniform shirt.

"Scotty!" Jim shouted into his communicator as they burst into the open air of the front gates. "NOW!"

"I've got ye, Captain!"

Golden transporter light engulfed the landing party, warm and shimmering. A guard's clawed hand sliced through the empty air where Jim's shoulder had been a fraction of a second prior, a fraction of a second too late.

The palace, the angry guards, the king, and the arena all vanished in a brilliant hum of dematerialising energy.

And a moment later, the crew appeared safely aboard the USS Enterprise's transporter pad, together.

[smo1-beanz]

Beyond the Far Horizon

GIF by caribbean1989

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn/ Angst/ Adventure

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　

-Chapter 11: The Arena-

The throne room fell deathly quiet, the oppressive silence heavy with the scent of ozone and ancient stone.

Y/N slipped beneath Leonard's arm, carefully supporting his weight as he steadied himself against her. She could feel the uneven rise and fall of his chest, the tremor in his muscles that he was trying so desperately to hide. Blood still trickled from the corner of his mouth, a stark crimson line against his pale skin, and one eye had already begun to swell into a dark, mottled bruise.

"You should be sitting down," she whispered, her voice tight with an anxiety she couldn't entirely mask. "Better yet, you should be back on the Enterprise in a bio-bed."

Despite the agony radiating through his ribs, Leonard huffed, a faint, familiar spark of defiance in his eyes. He looked down at her, his expression softening just a fraction. "And leave you to deal with this oversized royal pain alone? Not a chance, darlin'."

Y/N managed the smallest smile, her fingers tightening reassuringly against his waist. "We're both stubborn."

"Can't argue with that," Leonard muttered, wiping the back of his hand against his bloodied lip.

Still supporting him, Y/N turned her focus back toward the dais. She squared her shoulders, refusing to let the surrounding ranks of armoured guards intimidate her. When she spoke, her voice echoed clearly through the vast, vaulted chamber.

"We're leaving."

The king, seated casually upon his carved obsidian throne, regarded her with quiet amusement. He rested his chin on one massive hand, his amber eyes gleaming with a dangerous curiosity. "My people do not want a war with your Federation, child. But you speak as though you dictate the terms of your departure."

Y/N gestured sharply toward the landing party standing at the ready behind them. "You've seen what six Starfleet officers can do when backed into a corner. You've tasted their defence." Her eyes never left his, locking onto his gaze with absolute certainty. "Imagine what happens if an entire starship comes looking for us. Imagine the sky filled with phaser fire because you refused to let us go."

Jim Kirk stepped forward, folding his arms across his chest. A confident, slightly reckless smirk played at the edge of his lips. "She's got a point, Your Majesty. The Enterprise doesn't leave people behind. We're fiercely loyal to our crew—and even more protective of our Chief Medical Officer's wife."

Spock stepped into alignment beside his captain, his posture perfectly rigid, hands clasped behind his back. "Furthermore, sire, it would be... strategically inadvisable... to provoke an interstellar incident over a matter of provincial tradition. The diplomatic repercussions would severely disrupt your planet's trade routes."

The king listened patiently, his gaze drifting from Kirk’s smirk to Spock’s impassive face, and finally back to Y/N. For a long, agonising moment, the throne room remained completely still. It almost seemed as though the weight of logic was pressing upon him, forcing him to consider the alternative.

He slowly inclined his head. "A reasonable argument."

A profound wave of relief washed across Y/N's face, the tension leaving her shoulders. "Then you'll let us leave?"

"Certainly." The king smiled, a flashing display of sharp teeth that didn't quite reach his eyes. He gestured magnanimously toward the grand archway at the far end of the hall. "You may walk out those doors."

The crew cautiously turned, not entirely letting their guard down. Leonard leaned heavily against Y/N, his breathing ragged but his posture upright. Jim motioned toward the exit with a tilt of his head, keeping his hand close to his utility belt. "Easy does it, everyone. Let's move out."

CLANG!

The metallic ring was deafening. Two enormous, heavy-bladed spears crossed violently before the heavy wooden doors, blocking their path with terrifying finality.

Nobody moved. Phasers were drawn in a fraction of a second, the high-pitched hum of energy cells warming up cutting through the air.

Behind them, a sound broke the stillness. It began as a low chuckle, rattling in the king's massive chest. Then it grew louder, echoing off the high stone walls. Deeper, more resonant, until it became almost manic, bouncing back from the murals of ancient conquests. The king laughed as though the universe itself had delivered him a magnificent joke, his shoulders shaking with genuine mirth.

"You believed..." Another booming laugh escaped him, cutting off Jim's sharp protest. "...that it would truly end so simply? That a few words of caution from a star-spanning alliance would erase the foundation of my court?"

Leonard sighed, a heavy, exhausted sound. He shook his head, looking up at the vaulted ceiling. "Should've known. Nothing is ever easy on a class-M planet."

The king descended the stone steps once more, his heavy boots clicking against the polished floor. The amusement faded from his face, replaced by a rigid, unyielding solemnity. "I accept your declaration, Captain Kirk. And I believe your devotion to your husband is genuine, Lady Y/N."

Y/N frowned, her hand moving instinctively to shield Leonard's chest. "Then let us go. If you recognise our bond, there is no purpose in keeping us here."

"I cannot," the king replied simply.

"Why?" Kirk demanded, stepping between the king and his crew.

The monarch spread his upper arms toward the sprawling, blood-soaked murals lining the walls, depicting centuries of combat and conquest. "My people are older than your Federation, Captain. Our laws are older than your travelled worlds. When a ruler is publicly challenged... and publicly rejected by a woman chosen for the crown... his honour must be reclaimed in the eyes of the populace. To let you walk away would be to invite rebellion."

Spock spoke carefully, his voice a calm anchor in the rising tension. "Surely exceptions exist within your legal framework for diplomatic envoys. The Federation would be willing to negotiate a cultural compromise."

"There are none," the king cut him off.

"There are diplomatic alternatives—"

"No."

"There are mutually beneficial trade agreements—"

"No."

The king looked at Spock almost sympathetically, recognising the alien’s rigid adherence to structure. "You seek compromise, Vulcan. I seek tradition. The pillars of my society cannot be bought with starship technology."

He turned his full attention toward Leonard. The doctor stood his ground, chin lifted despite the blood covering his uniform. The king's amber eyes gleamed with genuine appreciation. "The husband. You have spirit, human. You have courage. You stood before my blades to shield her, knowing your frail shell could be crushed. You have already earned my respect."

Leonard remained silent, his gaze fixed on the ruler.

The king's smile widened, sharp and predatory. "So... claim your wife."

A low, rolling murmur swept through the assembled ranks of guards, a rhythmic chanting of an ancient word.

"A duel," Kirk whispered, his jaw tightening.

"To the death," the king finished, the words echoing through the chamber like a tolling bell.

Everyone froze. The reality of the situation settled over the landing party like a suffocating weight.

Leonard spoke first, his voice surprisingly steady, cutting through the panic before anyone else could react. "...Fine."

"No!" Y/N spun toward him, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs. "Leonard, absolutely not! Are you out of your mind?"

He wouldn't meet her eyes, looking instead at the crossed spears by the door. "Darlin'—"

"No!" She grabbed both sides of his face, forcing him to look at her, her eyes bright with unshed tears and fierce terror. "Look at you! You're already hurt! You've got cracked ribs, you can barely stand straight, and you want to fight a warlord twice your size? I won't let you do this!"

Jim stepped beside them, his expression frantic as he looked at his friend. "Damn it, Bones. Think for a second. What is it you always tell us whenever we try to jump into a fistfight without a plan?"

Leonard groaned, the corner of his mouth twitching despite the gravity of the moment. "'I'm a doctor—'"

"'—not a fighter,'" Jim finished emphatically, pointing a dramatic finger at him. "Exactly! You're a man of science, not a gladiator." Jim turned sharply toward the throne, gesturing toward his helmsman. "Your Majesty, if it's a matter of honour, let Starfleet answer. We've got an actual swordsman in the ranks. Sulu!"

Sulu stepped forward without a second thought, his hand resting calmly on his hip, his expression resolute. "I volunteer, sire. Let me fight in the doctor's stead."

The king's expression darkened instantly, a terrifying shadow falling over his features.

"NO!"

His voice thundered through the hall, a sonic wave that rattled the ceremonial banners and silenced every whisper in the room. The guards instantly came to attention, weapons raised.

"It is the doctor," the king declared, his voice dropping to a low, lethal purr. "Or nothing. You challenged my claim, healer. You reclaim your wife by the ancient laws, or she remains here to bear heirs to the throne while your body rots in the wilderness. No substitute. No champion. No exception."

Before Kirk could order a defence, two massive guards moved in, their heavy hands seizing Y/N by the arms.

"No!" she screamed, fighting instantly.

One guard grabbed her wrists, but Y/N didn't freeze. Drawing on every ounce of adrenaline, she twisted violently against his grip, dropping her weight. Her elbow slammed upward with targeted precision.

CRACK!

The guard stumbled backward with a guttural cry, clutching his shattered jaw as dark blood dripped from between his teeth. But before she could break away entirely, the second guard threw his massive arms around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides and dragging her back toward the dais.

"LEONARD!" she cried out, her eyes fixed on him as she was lifted off her feet.

Leonard took a frantic step toward her, his face pale with fury. "Get your hands off her!"

Spears immediately lowered toward his chest, the sharp alloy tips stopping a mere inch from his throat, forcing him back.

The king raised one hand, calling his guards to a standstill. He looked down at Leonard with cold anticipation. "You have fifteen minutes. Patch your wounds. Say your farewells, human. When the sun reaches its peak..." He turned his back on them, his heavy cape sweeping the floor. "...we meet in the arena."

[smo1-beanz]

Beyond the Far Horizon

GIF by caribbean1989

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn/ Angst/ Adventure

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　

-Chapter 10: The True Measure of Sovereignty-

The king recovered his footing, his amber eyes burning with a dark, dangerous hum as he wiped a trace of grey fluid from his split lip. His expression was no longer amused; it was entirely black. "You fight surprisingly well for a healer, human."

Leonard spat another splash of blood onto the floor between them, his chest heaving as he maintained his fighting stance. "I wasn't aiming to impress you, pal. I was aiming to break your jaw."

"You possess a remarkable amount of determination," the king noted, his voice dropping into a low, imperial register. "But determination cannot alter destiny."

"I don't give a damn about destiny." Leonard stepped closer, his boots clicking against the obsidian. " I possess a wife. And you're standing in between us."

The king’s slow smile vanished completely. "You misunderstand the reality of this universe, Doctor."

"No," Leonard said, his voice dropping into a terrifyingly steady, quiet tone. "You do."

The king folded his gloved hands behind his back, attempting to reclaim his regal majesty despite the blood on his face. "She is destined by evolutionary necessity to stand beside me on this throne. She will bear the lineage that preserves my civilisation."

Leonard let out a short, completely humourless laugh. It was a dry, cynical sound that echoed coldly through the high rafters. "You really don't understand the first damn thing about love, do you?"

"I understand legacy," the king replied coldly. "I understand power. I understand the necessary sacrifices required to build an empire that lasts a thousand generations."

"You understand control!" Leonard snapped, his voice rising, thick with a deep, personal fury. "You understand chains, and walls, and forcing people to bow because you've got bigger weapons! You don't know the first thing about actually loving somebody."

The king’s amber eyes narrowed into dangerous, slitted apertures. "I can give her an entire kingdom. I can give her worlds."

Leonard answered without a single millisecond of hesitation. "She already has a home."

"I can give her immortality through the pages of history!" the king thundered.

"She already has a future," Leonard countered, taking another aggressive step forward, completely unfazed by the king's stature.

"I can build an empire beneath her feet!"

Leonard took one final step, stopping a mere arm's length from the towering monarch, looking up into his face with absolute, unyielding certainty. "And she would trade every single stone of it... She'd burn your entire empire to the ground..." his voice suddenly softened, turning thick with emotion, "...just to come home and sleep on a dirt floor with me."

For the very first time since the landing party had breached the palace, the king looked genuinely uncertain. The supreme, unshakeable confidence in his features fractured, if only for a brief, fleeting moment.

Then, his fist came like lightning.

A crushing, brutal left hook caught Leonard square across the face. The sheer kinetic force of the blow lifted the doctor off his feet, sending him crashing sideways across the marble floor.

"Agh!" Leonard groaned, his head bouncing against the stone as his vision swam with grey spots.

"LEONARD!"

Without a single thought for her own safety, without considering the weapon Jim held or the guards recovering on the floor, Y/N ran. She sprinted across the dais, throwing herself straight between the two men.

She planted her feet firmly, positioning herself directly in front of Leonard’s fallen form. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her heart pounding like a drum against her ribs. One of her arms stretched instinctively behind her, her fingers reaching downward protectively toward her husband, while her other hand faced the king, palm out, a universal command to halt.

"Enough!" she screamed.

The entire throne room fell into an absolute, breathless silence.

The king immediately lowered his raised fist. It wasn't an act of mercy, nor was it born out of a sudden onset of chivalry; it was pure, cold calculation. He had absolutely no intention of striking or damaging the biological prize he had spent months tracking.

Y/N looked directly into his amber eyes, her gaze entirely devoid of the fear he commanded from his subjects. "I am not your queen," she said, each word dropping like a stone into the quiet room. "I never will be."

"Y/N..." the king began, his voice tight.

"You can threaten Leonard all you want," she cut him off, her voice never shaking, never wavering for a single syllable. "You can threaten me. You can bolt me to your throne until the stars burn out. But you cannot force me to love you. You cannot conquer a heart with an army."

The king regarded her quietly, his heavy brow furrowing. "Love..." He spoke the word with a deep, structural disappointment, as though evaluating a flawed architectural design. "...is a temporary chemical illusion. Legacy is eternal."

Y/N slowly shook her head, a soft, sorrowful smile touching her lips. "No. It isn't."

She reached backward without looking, her searching fingers instantly finding Leonard’s rough, trembling hand where he lay on the floor behind her. The moment their skin met, Leonard squeezed her hand back with every ounce of strength remaining in his body.

Y/N smiled through the tears streaming down her face, her chin lifting decisively. "This is," she said, lifting their joined hands into the blue firelight for the monarch to see. "This right here... this is stronger than your armies. Stronger than your obsidian throne. Stronger than every grand, multi-generational plan you've spent your entire life making."

The king’s jaw tightened, the muscles along his ridged forehead pulsing with a dark, crimson heat. "You mistake primitive human affection for actual structural strength, woman."

"No," Y/N answered softly, her voice filled with a profound, unshakeable pity. "You mistake fear for loyalty."

A heavy, absolute silence settled over the grand hall.

The king looked between them. He looked down at Leonard, bruised, bleeding from the mouth, barely able to sit upright on the cold floor, yet still refusing to release his grip on her fingers. Then he looked back up at Alyssa, standing tall in a dress that wasn't hers, completely unprotected, yet choosing to shield the doctor with her own body. Not because a law demanded it. Not because a crown forced it. But simply because she wanted to.

For the first time in his long, conquering life... the king encountered something that no strategy could outmanoeuvre, no empire could outproduce, and no weapon could destroy.

A choice.

And no amount of absolute power in the quadrant could force the one choice he wanted most.

[smo1-beanz]

Beyond the Far Horizon

GIF by caribbean1989

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn/ Angst/ Adventure

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　

-Chapter 9: The Anatomy of a Fight-

Meanwhile, Jim and Leonard reached the base of the throne together, skidding to a halt in front of Y/N.

"You came..." she breathed, her voice trembling as big, silent tears finally spilled over her eyelashes, tracking lines through the dust on her cheeks.

Leonard dropped to his knees before her, completely ignoring the hard stone bruising his shins. Without a single thought for protocol, for the king, or for the battle raging around them, he cupped her face in both of his hands. His fingers were shaking violently, a physical manifestation of the terror that had consumed him for hours.

He searched every single inch of her face, his medical training taking over as his eyes scanned for injuries, for swelling, for bruises, for anything that meant they had touched her. "Of course, I came." His voice cracked, thick with emotion. "Don't you ever think I wouldn't, Darlin’. Don't you dare think that."

Y/N's eyes overflowed, her hands lifting as far as the heavy chains allowed to press against his wrists. "I knew you would. I told him you would."

For one brief, fragile moment, the vast throne room, the burning blue fire, and the entire hostile planet simply ceased to exist. There was only the warmth of his hands against her skin.

Jim Kirk cleared his throat loudly, breaking the spell as he tugged uselessly at the thick iron chains bolted into the dais. "As deeply touching as this reunion is—" He yanked again, his brow furrowing as the metal refused to budge. "These things are really on there. Heavy-gauge interstellar alloy."

Leonard immediately grabbed one of the shackles, trying to use his own weight to wrench it from the stone. "So, shoot 'em, Jim! Use your phaser!"

"I was trying to avoid destroying ancient royal property and causing a diplomatic incident before breakfast, Bones," Jim muttered, pulling his weapon from his belt.

Leonard glared up at him, his eyes burning with absolute, feral intensity. "Jim. Now."

"...Right. Standing back," Jim said, adjusting the beam intensity.

Before Jim could press the trigger, a massive, shadow-engulfing presence loomed over them. A powerful, gloved hand shot forward, grabbing Leonard viciously by the collar of his Starfleet uniform.

The doctor was lifted completely off his feet as though he weighed absolutely nothing. He was pulled into the air, dangling for a fraction of a second, before the king threw him with terrifying, casual force.

Leonard flew entirely across the raised dais, his body crashing hard against the polished obsidian floor several yards away. The violent impact knocked every single drop of breath from his lungs, a sharp gasp tearing from his throat.

"LEONARD!" Y/N screamed, her body throwing itself forward as she struggled violently against the iron chains, the metal cutting into her wrists.

The king descended the remaining steps of his throne, his obsidian crown gleaming in the blue firelight. His amber eyes locked onto the groaning doctor.

"So..." his deep, smooth voice echoed through the high rafters of the chamber, dripping with absolute disdain. "You are the one called Leonard McCoy."

Leonard slowly, agonisingly climbed back to his feet. Every single muscle in his torso protested, a sharp ache radiating from his ribs where he had hit the stone. He stood his ground, lifting a trembling hand to wipe a smear of bright red blood from the corner of his mouth. He spat into the shadows, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"And you're a hell of a lot uglier than I expected from Y/N's description," Leonard growled, his southern drawl low and lethal.

The king smiled, a slow, dangerous expression. "So spirited. Just like your female. It is a pity your biology is so fragile."

Leonard rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck as he stepped away from the wall. "I've been called worse by better men than you, Your Majesty."

Then, without waiting for Jim or the guards, he charged.

The king expected a display of wild, undisciplined rage. He expected the frantic, easily parried flailing of a desperate civilian. Instead, Leonard fought like a man who had spent his entire life being trained by desperation, survival, and the cold reality of the frontier.

He ducked low beneath the king's first massive, sweeping swing, feeling the wind of the fist brush his hair. Using his lower centre of gravity, Leonard drove a brutal, heavy elbow directly into the king's exposed ribs, feeling the solid impact rattle up his arm. He followed the movement instantly with a sharp, shattering right hook straight across the warlord's jaw.

The king staggered backward a step, his eyes widening in pure, unadulterated surprise. He had never been struck by a subject, let alone a human.

But Leonard didn't stop to celebrate. He didn't give him a chance to recover. Another punch exploded against the king's cheek, followed by another. Years of hauling unconscious, heavy patients across unstable terrain, wrestling delirious security officers in the isolation wards of the Enterprise, and surviving countless hostile away missions had taught the doctor one fundamental rule of survival:

When you're outmatched, you fight dirty.

Leonard kicked hard against the king's left knee, forcing the joint to buckle slightly, before driving his entire shoulder like a battering ram into the centre of the monarch's chest. The king stumbled backward, his heavy black robes tangling around his boots as he struggled to maintain his balance.

Across the room, Jim Kirk watched the display with a mixture of awe and mild alarm. He finally let out a low sigh, shaking his head. "Sorry, Your Majesty. House rules."

Jim aimed his phaser at the dais. One clean, high-intensity compressed shot barked through the room. The iron shackles exploded apart in a shower of brilliant silver sparks.

Y/N stumbled forward, free from the stone, immediately rubbing her raw, chafed wrists. Jim walked over, his eyes drifting down to take in the elaborate, shimmering ceremonial outfit she had been forced into. He blinked, his captain's focus fracturing for a fraction of a second.

"...I have to ask," Jim said, gesturing vaguely at the metallic fabric.

She stared at him, completely incredulous. "What?"

"What are you wearing?"

She looked down at the jewels and the silver plates, her face flushing with anger. "Oh, don't you dare start, Jim Kirk."

Jim wiggled his eyebrows, a roguish grin breaking through his dirt-streaked face. "It's very erotic. Even for your taste, Y/N."

Y/N groaned loudly, throwing her hands up. "Jim!"

He grinned wider. "What?"

"Not. The. Time!" she shouted, pointing toward the ongoing brawl.

"Fair," Jim said, his grin instantly disappearing as his professional composure returned. The humour vanished from his eyes. "You okay?"

She nodded once, her breathing stabilising. "I'm okay. Get him."

[smo1-beanz]

Beyond the Far Horizon

GIF by caribbean1989

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn/ Angst/ Adventure

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　

-Chapter 8: The Breach-

The servant corridors were narrow, oppressive, and dimly lit by ancient, sputtering chemical torches. The thick, volcanic stone walls did an exceptional job of muffling the heavy, rhythmic thuds of soldiers marching on the grand levels directly overhead, but the atmosphere remained thick with dust and the smell of sulphur.

Every few intersections, Spock would raise a hand, and the team would instantly flatten themselves against the rough, cold stone walls, holding their breath as a patrol of silver-marked guards swept past the intersecting shafts.

Leonard barely noticed the danger. His heart hammered relentlessly against his ribs, a frantic, agonising rhythm that drowned out the sound of the palace. Every second that ticked away on his internal clock, every dark hallway they crawled through, every blind turn they executed, only served to feed the suffocating, icy knot twisting in his stomach.

He kept picturing Y/N. He pictured her scared, trapped in some dark cell, alone, wondering if the storm had kept them away. Wondering if he was even alive.

He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, his fingernails biting into his palms. I'm coming, Darlin', he thought, a silent promise echoing through his mind. Just hold on. Please, just hold on.

Suddenly, Uhura slowed her pace, her fingers adjusting the dials on her handheld tricorder. She stopped entirely, her eyes widening as the device emitted a sharp, steady hum. "It's stronger," she whispered.

The entire landing party froze in unison.

"The communicator signal," Uhura confirmed, looking up from the screen toward a pair of massive, reinforced double doors at the very end of the corridor. "She's right behind those doors. The signature is stationary."

Leonard didn't wait for a tactical brief. He didn't wait for Spock to scan for security tripwires. He didn't wait for Jim to give the order.

"Doctor—" Jim began, reaching out a warning hand.

It was too late. With a guttural roar fuelled by a raw, primal terror far more powerful than any sense of self-preservation, Leonard slammed both of his hands against the centre seam of the enormous doors.

The heavy locking mechanisms, unaccustomed to being struck with the full weight of a desperate human, sheared away with a loud, metallic snap. The doors burst inward, slamming against the interior walls with a deafening crash that echoed through the vast expanse of the throne room.

The entire hall fell into a stunned, frozen silence.

The king sat upon his high obsidian throne, his gold-trimmed robes draped elegantly over the dark stone. The two towering vanguard guards immediately reacted, their amber eyes flashing with sudden fury as they reached for their massive black metal spears.

But Leonard saw absolutely none of them. His vision narrowed until there was only one single point of light in the entire monstrous room.

Y/N.

She was still chained to the base of the dais, the heavy iron shackles binding her wrists. She was still wearing the elaborate, shimmering ceremonial garments they had forced her into, her brown hair catching the blue-white firelight of the braziers.

For one horrifying, breathless second... Leonard simply stared.

She looked so incredibly small sitting there against the massive, brutalist architecture of the throne. So utterly out of place in that monstrous, blood-soaked hall of conquest. A wave of pure, unadulterated fury crashed over him, hot and blinding.

Then—

"Leonard!"

Her voice shattered the paralysis of his thoughts. Her eyes locked onto his, and in that fleeting instant, a wave of profound relief washed over both their faces, wiping away the terror of the night.

"Darlin'!"

He started running, his bare feet tearing across the polished stone floor toward the dais.

The room instantly exploded into pure, unbridled chaos. The two eight-foot guards charged down the steps of the throne, their spears levelled to impale the intruders.

Sulu moved first, a blur of yellow uniform. He met the first giant head-on, dodging beneath a vicious, downward thrust of the black spear. Metal clashed against metal as Sulu used the reinforced barrel of his phaser rifle to parry a second strike. With three impossibly fast, practised martial arts strikes, he disarmed the giant, sending the heavy spear clattering across the floor, before executing a flawless sweep of the warrior's legs. The massive, grey-skinned soldier crashed to the stone floor with a resounding, bone-jarring thud.

Across the room, the second vanguard guard lunged toward Spock, his amber eyes burning with intent to kill. The Vulcan sidestepped the charging warrior effortlessly, his movements precise and economical. Before the guard could recover his momentum, Spock’s hand shot forward, his fingers clamping down onto the base of the giant's neck with terrifying force.

One precise Vulcan nerve pinch.

The eight-foot giant went entirely limp, his eyes rolling back as he collapsed to the stone before he even fully comprehended what had happened. Uhura, moving with seamless coordination, caught the guard's falling spear before it could hit the ground and make a sound.

She lowered the weapon, glancing over at the first officer. "...Show-off," she muttered under her breath.

Spock tilted his head, his expression completely blank as he adjusted his blue tunic. "I fail to understand the nature of your comment, Lieutenant. It was the most efficient method of neutralising the threat."

[smo1-beanz]

Beyond the Far Horizon

GIF by caribbean1989

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn/ Angst/ Adventure

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　

-Chapter 7: The Logic of Tablecloths-

Morning sunlight spilled across the towering palace walls, turning the black volcanic stone into a shimmering, blinding silver.

Hidden beneath the deep shadow of a row of monumental columns, five Starfleet officers pressed themselves against the masonry, watching the heavily armed patrols march through the grand courtyard below. The air was crisp, still carrying the lingering scent of ozone from the storm, but the tension in the landing party was thick enough to cut with a combat blade.

No one spoke for a long, agonising minute. The palace was far larger, more heavily fortified, and more structurally imposing than any of them had anticipated from orbit.

"What now, Captain?" Sulu whispered, his hands steady on his phaser rifle as he tracked a group of three grey-skinned guards crossing the plaza.

Jim Kirk narrowed his eyes, studying the rhythmic, sweeping movements of the patrols. "We split up."

Five pairs of eyes slowly, deliberately turned toward him.

Jim, entirely undeterred by the collective scepticism of his crew, pointed enthusiastically toward the fortress's left wing. "Spock, Uhura, and Sulu—you take the left flank. Find an access point and secure a secondary exit route."

He then pointed his finger toward a separate, heavily guarded courtyard to the right. "Bones and I go right. We'll draw attention if we need to, but the goal is reconnaissance."

Finally, with a flourish, he pointed directly upward toward the soaring, vaulted apex of the central structure. "We all meet on the roof."

Leonard McCoy blinked, his bruised brow furrowing as he stared at his captain. "...The roof?"

"Yeah," Jim said, a proud, entirely too confident smile breaking across his face. "We'll rappel right through the central skylight. Dynamic entry."

An absolute, crushing silence settled over the group.

"We don't have ropes, Captain," Uhura deadpanned, her voice dripping with flat, unamused exhaustion.

"We improvise, Uhura."

"With what, exactly?" Sulu asked, genuinely curious how the logistics of this leap of faith were supposed to manifest.

Jim looked around the barren, ancient stone balcony they were standing on, his eyes darting from pillar to pillar. "...Curtains?"

Another profound silence stretched.

Spock raised a single, elegant eyebrow, his expression perfectly deadpan. "There are no curtains, Captain. The architecture of this culture relies entirely on heavy obsidian sliding panels to regulate light and airflow."

Jim frowned, crossing his arms. "...Tablecloths?"

Leonard slowly, heavily rubbed a hand down his face, dragging his fingers over his tired eyes. "Jim..."

"What, Bones?"

"That is..." Leonard leaned closer, his deep southern drawl becoming noticeably thicker and more lacerating as he grew more irritated. "...without a doubt, the single dumbest plan I have ever heard in my entire life. And I've been on a ship with you for years."

Jim looked genuinely, deeply offended. "Oh, come on, Bones. It's a classic tactical insertion."

"It ain't even a plan!" Leonard hissed under his breath.

"It absolutely is a plan."

"It is a collection of words loosely arranged into absolute nonsense, Jim! Tablecloths? We are trying to rescue my wife from an army of eight-foot-tall volcanic giants, not staging a theatrical production of Peter Pan!"

Jim pointed an accusing finger right back at his chief medical officer. "Well, I'm running on empty here, Doctor! My ship is barely back in comm range, the atmosphere is still charged, and I'm trying to think on my feet!" He folded his arms defensively. "You got any other bright ideas, since you're the resident genius today?"

Before Leonard could snap back with a sarcastic retort—

"I do," a calm, authoritative voice intervened.

Everyone looked toward Spock. Naturally.

The Vulcan had already completed a thorough, multi-band subterranean scan of the palace structure using his tricorder, completely ignoring the bickering between his commanding officer and the doctor.

"There is an unused servant corridor directly beneath this specific wing," Spock explained, turning the device to display a glowing, blue wireframe schematic on the small screen. "According to the structural load distributions, it connects directly to the lower access shafts of the main throne room."

Jim stared at the screen, then up at his science officer. "...You've had that schematic this whole time?"

"Yes, Captain."

"And you just sat there and let me finish my entire speech about tablecloths?"

"I found your proposal... highly educational, sir," Spock replied, his voice smoother than silk.

Leonard let out a sharp, genuine smirk, the first sign of life in his eyes all morning. "I like him. I really do. Can we keep him, Jim?"

Jim sighed dramatically, staring up at the silver-tinted sky. "I am never living this down, am I?"

"No," Spock answered simply.

"You are absolutely not," Uhura agreed, already moving toward the access hatch Spock had indicated.

[smo1-beanz]

Beyond the Far Horizon

GIF by caribbean1989

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn/ Angst/ Adventure

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　

-Chapter 6: A Queen's Spirit-

The king stood perfectly still, studying her.

In his long reign, he had dealt with hundreds of captives. Most broken prisoners begged for their lives within minutes. Most bargained with whatever state secrets they possessed. Some screamed obscenities until their throats bled, while others simply wept in the dark.

She did none of those things. She sat in heavy iron chains, dressed in foreign garb, and she glared. She defied. She flatly refused.

It was... entirely unexpected.

Slowly, one corner of the king’s grey mouth began to curve upward. "Interesting."

Y/N's brow furrowed, her eyes narrowing at his shift in demeanour. "What?"

"You possess an extraordinary amount of spirit," he observed.

"I possess standards," she shot back instantly. "There's a difference."

A quiet, genuine chuckle escaped the warlord’s chest. He shook his head slightly. "You dare to insult me while chained to the base of my own throne?"

"Oh, don't worry," Y/N said, leaning forward against the slack of the irons. "I'm just getting started. I haven't even mentioned what a cliché your decor is."

The two eight-foot guards exchanged a brief, highly uncertain glance. They had executed subjects for far lesser infractions. The king, however, did something completely unprecedented.

He laughed. It was a loud, booming, genuine laugh that echoed off the high stone pillars of the chamber.

"I had fully expected fear from a fragile human," he said, wiping a gloved hand across his brow as his laughter subsided.

"I've got plenty of that, trust me," Y/N said, her voice dropping slightly as she swallowed hard, the reality of her racing pulse catching up to her. "But fear isn't the same thing as surrender. You should learn the difference if you're planning on building an empire."

For the first time since he had entered the room, the king looked genuinely, deeply impressed. He looked at her not as a biological prize, but as a person.

"You know..." he said softly, stepping back toward the steps of his throne. "Most rulers in this sector would permanently silence a prisoner who dared to speak to them in such a manner."

Y/N didn't look away from his amber gaze for a second. "Good thing for you, I'm an educator. I'm used to dealing with stubborn children who don't like to listen."

The king’s eyes gleamed with a dangerous, newfound amusement. "No. I am far more patient than a child." He turned abruptly on his heel, his heavy robes swirling around his ankles as he faced his vanguard. "Treat her with the utmost respect."

The towering guards blinked, their glowing eyes widening in surprise.

"No harm of any kind is to come to her," the king commanded, his voice dropping into a firm, unyielding imperial tone. He began to walk toward the massive obsidian doors, pausing to glance back over his broad shoulder. "A true queen cannot be won through simple cruelty. I will win your mind, Y/N McCoy."

Y/N rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath just loud enough for the room's acoustics to carry it. "You'd be amazed what can be accomplished with a simple Federation divorce lawyer."

The king paused at the threshold, his brow wrinkling. "What was that? What is a 'lawyer'?"

She smiled sweetly, her eyes flashing with a dangerous promise. "I said... my husband is going to deeply enjoy punching you in the face."

The king smiled right back, a flash of sharp teeth showing. "I certainly hope he survives long enough to try. My guards are notoriously thorough with trespassers."

With that, he swept grandly from the throne room, his heavy boots clicking against the stone. The two massive guards followed him closely, their heavy spears clattering against the floor.

The enormous obsidian doors thundered shut with a deafening boom, the locking mechanisms grinding into place from the outside.

Silence settled once more over the vast, blue-lit hall.

Y/N finally let her shoulders drop, allowing herself to exhale a long, shuddering breath she had been holding. The artificial bravado evaporated, leaving her trembling from head to toe. Her hands shook violently within the iron shackles, and her heart raced like a trapped bird against her ribs.

She was absolutely, utterly terrified.

But beneath the paralysing fear, deep in the marrow of her bones, there was an unshakeable, mathematical certainty.

Leonard was coming.

She knew him. He would cross every uncharted jungle on this miserable rock. He would fight through an entire army of eight-foot soldiers. He would personally challenge every self-proclaimed king in the galaxy if it meant bringing her home.

Y/N closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the cold black stone of the throne dais. She curled her fingers inward, clutching the smooth white-gold wedding ring that still rested securely on her finger.

"Come on, Bones..." she whispered into the empty, echoing hall, her voice a quiet prayer against the dark. "I know you're coming."

[smo1-beanz]

Beyond the Far Horizon

GIF by caribbean1989

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn/ Angst/ Adventure

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　

-Chapter 5: The Evolutionary Solution-

Y/N stared back at the monarch with open, unfiltered disgust. "I'm already spoken for."

The king’s smile remained perfectly intact, though it grew colder. "So, I have gathered from your vessel's data logs and your primitive communication devices." His eyes drifted downward, landing on the simple, elegant white-gold wedding ring still resting securely on her finger.

For the first time since he had entered, the warmth left his expression entirely. His features hardened into stone. "Your husband."

Y/N instinctively curled her fingers into a tight fist, drawing her hand protectively against her chest, the chains clinking sharply. "My husband has a name."

"And what is his name?" the king asked smoothly, tilting his head.

She lifted her chin, staring directly into his amber eyes. "Doctor Leonard McCoy."

The king repeated it quietly, tasting the syllables. "Leonard..." He paused, as though committing the name to a mental ledger. "He will die."

The words were spoken entirely without anger. There was no theatrical malice in his tone, no hesitation. He said it casually, like a man discussing tomorrow's weather forecast.

Y/N felt a shard of pure ice settle deep in her veins. "You don't know him."

"I do not need to."

"You honestly think he'll just let you keep me? You think Starfleet is just going to fly away?"

"I think," the king replied evenly, rising slowly to his full, imposing height, "that every obstacle placed before me eventually ceases to exist. It is the law of my house."

He folded his hands behind his back and began to slowly pace a wide circle around her. "I have united fourteen warring kingdoms on this world. I have broken ancient empires. I have forced rival, sacred bloodlines to kneel beneath one single banner."

He stopped, sweeping his arm broadly toward the massive, war-torn banners hanging overhead. "My people grow fewer with every passing generation, Doctor's wife. We were once the greatest, most feared warriors this sector had ever known."

His smooth voice darkened, taking on a heavy, sombre weight. "But centuries of strict planetary isolation have weakened us from within. Our blood has become too pure. Too narrow. We conquer worlds... yet we inherit fewer and fewer children."

He stopped directly behind her, his shadow completely engulfing her. "I refuse to sit upon this throne and watch my entire civilisation slowly disappear into the dust."

Y/N remained silent, her mind racing, as she listened to the footsteps behind her.

"So," the king continued, walking back into her field of vision, "I searched the stars. I monitored the subspace frequencies. The Federation fascinated me. Thousands of distinct species living as one. Thousands of unique genetic possibilities."

He stopped in front of her again, his eyes locking onto hers with a terrifying intensity. "You... represent everything my people lack. Your biology possesses a resilience to the localised radiation of this sector that our scientists have deemed extraordinary."

Y/N's expression twisted into pure disbelief and horror. "So, you kidnapped me because you think I'm some kind of political solution to your birth rates?"

"Not merely political," he smiled, a dark, ambitious gleam in his eyes. "Evolutionary."

She visibly recoiled, the chains rattling against the throne base.

"Our descendants would unite two extraordinary lineages," the king declared, his voice rising with a grand, historical fervour. "Their strength would eclipse every rival civilisation in this quadrant. They would inherit our power, combined with your species' intelligence, resilience, and adaptability." His smile widened into a predatory grin. "And most importantly... unquestionable legitimacy."

He stepped closer, looming over her. "You would not simply become my wife, Y/N. You would become the mother of a dynasty that could rule this entire quadrant for a thousand years."

The grand proclamation ended, and a heavy, suffocating silence fell over the throne room. The guards stood at rigid attention, waiting for the prisoner to break.

Then, Y/N laughed.

It wasn't a hysterical laugh, nor was it born out of amusement. It was a sharp, clear laugh of absolute, mocking derision. The sheer, monumental absurdity of his galactic eugenics speech was simply too much to bear.

The king’s grand smile vanished, replaced by a deep, offended frown. "You find the survival of my empire amusing?"

"I find you ridiculous," Y/N breathed, shaking her head. "You actually believe I'd ever help you with this?"

"You will. In time, all subjects learn their place."

"I would rather spend the rest of my natural life rotting in these chains," she snapped, her voice ringing with absolute finality.

The king’s expression returned to an unreadable, stony mask. "You say that today, when the fire of your old life still burns."

"I'll say it tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. And every single day until my friends blow the roof off this palace," she met his eyes without a single hint of flinching. "I love my husband. I chose him. I will keep choosing him repeatedly. No crown changes that. No kingdom changes that. And most certainly... a jumped-up warlord like you doesn't change that."

[smo1-beanz]

Beyond the Far Horizon

GIF by caribbean1989

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn/ Angst/ Adventure

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　

-Chapter 4: The Iron and the Obsidian-

Pain.

It settled heavily behind Y/N's eyes long before she even attempted to open them. A dull, relentless ache pounded rhythmically against her skull, and with every heavy heartbeat, another sharp wave of pressure surged through her temples. She let out a quiet, ragged groan, reflexively reaching for a hand to nurse her aching forehead.

Clink.

The harsh, heavy bite of cold metal stopped her mid-motion.

Her eyes snapped open. The blurred world took several seconds to sharpen, revealing a vast, unfamiliar expanse. Heavy iron shackles, thick and ancient, encircled both of her wrists. The short, sturdy chains were bolted directly into the polished black stone of a raised dais, right beside an enormous, intimidating throne.

For a long, agonising moment, she simply stared at the irons binding her.

Then, the events of the previous night rushed back in jagged, broken fragments. The quiet safety of the survival tent... the rhythmic drumming of the rain... the sudden, crushing hand over her mouth... the desperate, futile fight in the dark.

And then, her own voice screaming out for him.

Leonard.

Her breathing instantly quickened, the air catching in her throat as panic threatened to claw its way up. "Leonard..." she whispered, her voice cracking in the vast space.

Only a hollow, heavy silence answered her.

Y/N swallowed down the rising dread and forced herself upright. The chains rattled loudly, the metallic clatter echoing through the cavernous chamber like a death knell. She took a ragged breath and surveyed her surroundings.

The room was magnificent in a way that felt deeply, intrinsically unsettling. Towering pillars carved from solid volcanic stone rose high into the gloom, supporting a massive, domed ceiling painted with complex constellations unlike any she had ever studied at Starfleet Academy. Massive, ornate iron braziers burned with roaring blue-white flames, casting an unnatural, ghostly luminescence across the throne room. Giant crimson banners embroidered with intricate silver symbols hung from the walls, each one depicting towering, faceless warriors standing triumphantly over kneeling, conquered civilisations.

This wasn't merely a palace. It was a monument to absolute conquest.

Y/N glanced down at herself, and a sudden, cold shock jolted through her system. The practical, dirt-streaked Starfleet uniform she had fallen asleep in was gone. In its place, she had been dressed in an elaborate ceremonial outfit woven from shimmering, midnight-blue metallic fabrics. It was heavily decorated with engraved silver plates and encrusted with dark, jewelled clasps. It resembled the formal, structured attire of a high-born royal more than the garments of a prisoner.

Her stomach turned violently. Someone had stripped her and changed her clothes while she lay completely unconscious.

The realisation made her skin crawl with a deep, shuddering revulsion. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around herself as much as the short shackles would allow, trying to steady the physical tremble rising in her chest.

Stay calm, she ordered herself, forcing her educator’s mind to override her terror. Think. Analyse. Leonard is out there. He’s looking for you right now. Jim won't stop until he tears this place apart. Neither will Spock. They will come for you. You just must hold the line.

Suddenly, the heavy, rhythmic thud of approaching footsteps echoed from the far side of the hall. The massive, reinforced obsidian doors slowly ground open.

Two enormous guards entered first. Briefly, their physical build strongly resembled that of Klingons: broad, heavily armoured shoulders, deep-set brows, and pronounced, ridged foreheads. But as they stepped closer into the blue firelight, the similarities ended.

These warriors stood nearly eight feet tall, their skin a dark, slate-grey that was streaked with natural, luminescent crimson markings resembling molten lava pulsing beneath cooled stone. Long, polished ivory horns swept backward from their temples, and their eyes glowed with a faint, predatory amber brilliance.

Y/N watched them closely, her training kicking in. Spock would have classified them as an evolutionary offshoot, she realised. An ancient branch that likely diverged from a common Klingon ancestor thousands of years ago.

Each guard carried a massive spear forged from a dull, light-absorbing black metal. Neither spoke. They simply took their positions like statues.

Between them walked the king.

Unlike his vanguard, he wore no Armor. Instead, he wore flowing, heavy black robes trimmed with woven gold thread, and a jagged, heavy crown forged from highly polished obsidian rested atop his brow. His movements were calm, measured, and terrifyingly confident, the distinct kind of confidence possessed only by someone who had spent their entire life without ever being told "no."

He descended the dais steps slowly, the hem of his dark robes sweeping over the stone, before stopping directly in front of her.

For several agonising moments, he simply studied her. His amber eyes raked over her features as though he were examining an exceptionally rare, well-preserved historical artifact.

Then, deliberately, he knelt.

Before Y/N could pull away, one gloved hand shot forward, its fingers gripping her chin firmly and forcing her to meet its intense gaze. When he spoke, his voice was unexpectedly smooth, devoid of the harsh guttural tones typical of the Klingon tongue.

"I have spent decades studying the languages of our neighbouring civilisations," he said. His pronunciation of Federation Standard was flawless, lacking even the slightest hint of an accent. "I find negotiations far more efficient when misunderstandings are completely removed."

Y/N grimaced, jerking her head back against his grip, but his fingers held fast as an iron vice.

"Beautiful," the king murmured, his eyes tracking the defiance in her face. "You will make a truly remarkable queen."

Her stomach dropped into a cold abyss. With a sudden, violent surge of adrenaline, she yanked her face entirely free from his hand before he could tighten his hold.

"No," she said.

The single word echoed sharply through the quiet, vast chamber.

The king was not angry. Instead, a slow, small smile spread across his grey lips. "I was not asking, human."

[smo1-beanz]

Beyond the Far Horizon

GIF by caribbean1989

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn/ Angst/ Adventure

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　

-Chapter 3: The Golden Dawn-

Inside the tent, Leonard shifted uneasily. A distant, muffled sound echoed through his subconscious, dragging him away from sleep.

He frowned, his brow furrowing in the dark. "...Jim..." he mumbled sleepily, swatting at the air. "Cut it out... too early for your drills..."

But the shifting noises continued outside. A branch snapped.

His eyes snapped open. The orange glow of the heater was fading. "...Jim?"

Silence.

He rolled over to pull Y/N back into his arms, but his hand struck empty, cold fabric. The space beside him was completely vacant.

His heart stopped. The drowsiness evaporated in an instant, replaced by a cold, stabbing spike of adrenaline. "Y/N?"

No answer.

He sat upright instantly, his voice rising. "Y/N?!"

Then, from somewhere deep in the treelined area, a desperate, terrifyingly familiar voice broke through the quiet of the night, echoing off the stone ruins.

"LEONARD!"

His blood froze in his veins.

He didn't grab his boots. He didn't grab his phaser. He burst from the tent flap into the mud, his chest heaving. "No!"

The pale moonlight revealed them clearly for a split second through a break in the canopy. Three tall, shadowed figures were dragging Y/N into the thick of the jungle. She was struggling violently, her hands reaching back toward the camp, her face pale with terror.

"LEONARD!"

"I'm coming! Darlin’!"

He sprinted, his bare feet tearing through the mud and over sharp rocks. He didn't feel the pain. Every primal instinct in his body screamed a single command: reach her.

He reached the tree line, his hands outstretched, when another shadow exploded from the brush directly to his left. Before Leonard could even turn his head, something heavy and solid, the butt of a primitive weapon, slammed viciously into the side of his skull.

A blinding flash of white light erupted behind his eyes. Pain tore through his head, and the world spun violently on its axis. He hit the ground hard, the taste of copper filling his mouth as the darkness rushed back in to swallow him whole.

"Bones!"

The voice sounded faint, like it was underwater.

"...Bones! Wake up, look at me!"

A rough hand shook his shoulder. Leonard groaned, an agonising ache throbbing behind his temples. He forced his eyes open, his vision blurring and doubling before finally snapping into focus.

Jim was kneeling over him, his face tight with intense worry. Spock stood just behind him, his phaser drawn, scanning the perimeter. Uhura was covering her mouth, her eyes wide with shock, while Sulu watched the dark tree line with his phaser rifle raised.

The morning sun was just beginning to break, painting the sky in streaks of sharp gold.

"What happened?" Jim asked urgently, helping Leonard sit up. "Sulu heard a cry, but by the time we got out here—"

Leonard blinked, confusion lingering for a fraction of a second. Then, the memory crashed back into him like a physical blow. His eyes widened, completely bloodshot.

"Y/N!"

He lurched upright too quickly, trying to stand. The sudden movement sent a wave of nausea through his stomach, and pain exploded through his skull. He staggered, his knees buckling.

Sulu lunged forward, catching him by the arm before he could collapse back into the mud. "Easy, Doctor. You've got a nasty concussion."

"Where is she?!" Leonard demanded, his voice cracking, thick with a rising, frantic panic. He ripped himself away from Sulu's grip, looking around the empty clearing wildly. "Where's Y/N?! Darlin’!"

Jim's grim, silent expression answered him before anyone could speak.

Leonard's breathing became shallow and rapid. His hands began to tremble violently. "They took her... Oh god, they took her."

Uhura’s eyes widened, a hand pressing to her chest. "Kidnapped? By whom? The planet was supposed to be uninhabited by advanced sentients."

Spock stepped forward, his expression characteristically neutral, though his voice held a precise urgency. "Our initial surveys were incomplete due to the interference. There are, in fact, several indigenous civilisations inhabiting this planetary sector. Based on the footprints and residue left at the scene, this specific group belongs to a society that resides within a fortified stone structure approximately twelve kilometres east of our present location."

Leonard stared at him, his jaw clenched so tightly it shook.

"They possess deeply ritualistic customs centred around celestial phenomena and seasonal offerings," Spock continued, textbook-perfectly. "The timing of the abduction, precisely coinciding with the passing of the ionic storm and the alignment of the red moon, may indicate a ceremonial significance to her capture."

"...Spock," Leonard growled, his voice dangerously low.

" Doctor McCoy's wife may fulfil a specific criterion required for their—"

"You are just full of comfort, you green-blooded hobgoblin!" Leonard roared, taking an aggressive step toward the Vulcan before Jim caught him by the chest.

Jim pinched the bridge of his nose, shooting his first officer a look. "Not helping, Spock."

"I was merely presenting the available facts to assist the Doctor's understanding of the situation," Spock replied, entirely unfazed.

Jim turned quickly toward Uhura, cutting off the impending argument. "Can we track her communicator? Did she have it on her?"

Uhura immediately pulled out her tricorder, her fingers flying over the interface. "The atmospheric interference is weaker now that the sun is up... I'm trying to filter out the background radiation."

Jim tapped his own communicator. "Kirk to Enterprise. Scotty, do you have us?"

This time, the signal was clear. "Enterprise here, Captain! The storm's clearing up beautifully. We can have a lock on ye in two minutes."

"Belay that, Scotty. We're staying down. We need Chekov in the sensor lab right now."

A second later, Chekov's familiar, youthful voice broke through. "Captain? I am here."

"Chekov, we need a lock on Y/N's communicator signal. The indigenous population just abducted her. Can you bypass the residual ion interference and find her?"

"I'm trying, sir... give me a moment... the storm has eased, but there is still residual noise in the eastern valley..."

Leonard paced restlessly in a small circle, his hands gripping his hair. Every passing second felt like a year. His chest ached with a terrifying, suffocating guilt. He looked at Jim, his eyes bright with unshed tears.

"I should've gone after her sooner, Jim," Leonard whispered, his voice cracking completely. "I heard something, and I just... I went back to sleep."

"You didn't know, Bones," Jim said firmly, placing a steadying hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I wasn't fast enough! I let them drag her into the dark!"

"You were blindsided from behind with a club, Leonard. Look at your head."

"I should've protected her!" McCoy snapped, his voice dropping into a desperate, raw plea. "She's my wife, Jim. I'm supposed to protect her."

Jim looked directly into his friend's eyes, his grip tightening on his shoulder. "And you will. We will."

Leonard swallowed hard, the terror in his chest hardening into something sharp, furious, and deeply dangerous. "I swear to God, Jim... if they hurt her..."

"They won't."

"You don't know that!"

"No, I don't," Jim admitted, his gaze unflinching. "But I know this." He looked around at Spock, Uhura, and Sulu, who all stood ready, their phasers checked. "We're bringing her home."

The communicator crackled sharply. "Captain!"

Everyone looked up. Chekov sounded ecstatic. "We've got her!"

Leonard lunged toward Jim's hand, nearly shouting into the comm. "Where is she, Chekov? Give me coordinates!"

"Her communicator signal has stabilised, Doctor. She's inside the primary megalithic structure of the eastern settlement... what appears to be a massive stone palace."

"I could've told you that," Sulu murmured.

Everyone slowly turned their heads to look at the helmsman.

Sulu blinked, looking between Kirk's intense glare and McCoy’s. "What?"

Silence stretched over the damp clearing.

"I mean... it seems pretty obvious," Sulu stammered, pointing a finger toward the horizon. "They're a ritualistic society; they live in a fortified structure... obviously they'd take a high-profile captive to the palace. It's just... standard xenology."

No one responded.

"...Right," Sulu awkwardly cleared his throat, lowering his finger and adjusting his rifle strap. "Not the time. Sorry."

"Damn it!" Leonard snapped, his patience entirely depleted. "Let's get moving!"

Without waiting for a formal command, without checking his boots, and completely ignoring the concussion throbbing in his skull, Dr McCoy stormed past the ancient ruins, marching directly toward the rising sun and the distant stone city visible through the thinning morning mist.

The storm had finally broken. Golden, brilliant light spilled across the vibrant green jungle, burning away the terrors of the night.

Behind him, Jim watched the doctor's furious pace, a small, grim smile touching his lips before he jogged to catch up.

"You know, Bones..." Jim called out, matching his stride.

Leonard didn't answer that his eyes locked on the eastern horizon.

"For your next anniversary..." Jim offered light-heartedly, trying to ease the suffocating tension.

Still nothing from McCoy.

"...maybe get her a tracking device instead of jewellery."

Leonard stopped dead in his tracks. He turned slowly, sending his captain a glare so thoroughly murderous it could have turned off a Klingon bird-of-prey.

Jim wisely raised both hands in mock surrender, stepping back a hair. "...Too soon."

"Way too soon, Captain," Uhura muttered, passing Jim with a sharp roll of her eyes as she followed the doctor.

Jim coughed into his hand, adjusting his tunic. "Right."

The captain's expression instantly hardened, the humour vanishing as he drew his phaser and checked the power cell. He looked out at the towering stone spires of the alien palace in the distance.

"Let's go get her."

And together, the landing party marched into the valley.

[smo1-beanz]

Beyond the Far Horizon

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn/ Angst/ Adventure

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　

-Chapter 2: An Alien Sky-

The specialised survival tents were erected just before pitch darkness settled completely over the valley. Inside the small, pressurised pod shared by the McCoys, a small portable thermal heater hummed softly, casting a warm, orange glow across the interior fabric. Outside, the rain continued its relentless drumming, a chaotic rhythm that felt entirely separate from the fragile pocket of safety they had constructed.

Through the tent’s translucent viewing slit, Jim and Spock could be seen standing under a stone overhang, quietly discussing morning tactical plans with Uhura and Sulu.

Inside the tent, however, the war was over.

Leonard collapsed onto his sleeping roll with the theatrical, bone-deep exhaustion of a man who firmly believed the universe had singled him out for personal punishment.

"I should've stayed on the Enterprise," he muttered into the synthetic fabric of his pack. "I could be in a warm bio-bed right now, calibrating diagnostic scanners. But no. I'm on a mud ball."

Y/N knelt beside him, unlacing her damp boots and placing them neatly near the heater. "You'd miss all the excitement, Doctor."

"I don't recall signing up for excitement," Leonard grumbled, rolling onto his back to look at her. "Excitement is a nice dinner at a Starbase. Excitement is a glass of aged Saurian brandy. This is just a slow march toward pneumonia."

She smiled knowingly, shaking out her brown hair. "You signed up for Starfleet."

"I signed up to practice medicine."

"You signed up because Jim talked you into it after a bottle of whiskey," she corrected gently, her eyes dancing with amusement.

Leonard muttered something entirely unintelligible beneath his breath, turning his face away, but the tips of his ears turned slightly pink.

Y/N laughed.

God... he loved that laugh.

No matter how miserable he felt, no matter how much the galaxy squeezed his nerves dry, somehow Y/N could chip away at every bad mood he possessed without even trying. She was his anchor in a universe that spent half its time trying to pull him apart.

She crawled closer, resting her knees on the edge of his mat, and reached over to brush a stray strand of rain-damp hair away from his forehead. Her touch was warm against his chilled skin.

"You know..." she whispered, her voice dropping to a soft, intimate register that shut out the sound of the rain.

"What?" he asked, his voice softening automatically.

"We're together," she said.

He frowned slightly, though his eyes remained locked on hers. "I noticed."

"The Enterprise isn't going anywhere. Scotty will have the transporters fixed by dawn."

"No, I suppose she isn't."

"Our friends are right outside," she continued, her thumb tracing the line of his jaw. "Jim and Spock won't let anything happen to this camp."

"Mhm."

"We're safe."

He looked deeply into her eyes, the cynical edge completely vanishing from his face. "And?"

"And tonight... we get to fall asleep beside each other under an alien sky. How many people in the Federation ever get to say that?"

The lingering annoyance on Leonard's face completely melted. She always did this. Always managed to find a sliver of profound beauty in situations he'd only classified as a miserable inconvenience.

He reached up, grasping her hand and intertwining his fingers with hers, pulling her down so she lay beside him.

"I swear," he murmured, his breath brushing her cheek.

"What?"

"You somehow make a survival tent on a hostile world sound romantic."

She leaned closer, pressing her shoulder against his. "Maybe because it is."

He chuckled quietly, a low, rumbling sound in his chest. "I married the only woman in the galaxy who can convince me sleeping on dirt is a honeymoon."

"You married me because I'm charming," she whispered against his neck.

"I married you because you're stubborn."

Y/N gasped dramatically, pulling back just enough to look at him. "I am not!"

"You absolutely are."

"So are you, Leonard McCoy."

He smiled, a genuine, rare expression that reached all the way to his eyes. "Fair point."

Silence settled comfortably between them. Outside, the thunder rumbled, but it sounded farther away now. The violent heart of the storm was beginning to move on, leaving a heavy, humid stillness in its wake.

Leonard gently cupped her face, his thumb smoothing over her cheekbone. The playful banter faded, replaced by something raw and heavy. "I don't tell you enough."

She tilted her head, her gaze soft. "Tell me what?"

"That I love you."

Her expression softened instantly, a gentle warmth filling her eyes. "I know."

"I know you know," he murmured, his voice thick with uncharacteristic vulnerability.

"But?"

"I still like saying it. Especially when the world out there gets too loud."

Y/N rested her forehead against his, closing her eyes. "I love you too, Leonard."

He kissed her gently. It was slow, unhurried, a quiet reassurance that spoke of years of shared history and a quiet understanding that didn't need words. In that small space, illuminated by the orange glow of a portable heater, the rest of the universe simply ceased to exist.

When they finally pulled apart, Leonard wrapped a heavy arm around her waist, pulling her back against his chest, tucking her head under his chin. "Get some sleep, Darlin’."

She smiled into his uniform shirt. "Yes, Doctor."

Hours later, the camp was completely silent. The rain had ceased, reduced to a rhythmic dripping from the thick jungle canopy. Only the occasional rustle of alien leaves in the breeze disturbed the stillness.

Y/N's eyes slowly opened.

Something had woken her.

She held her breath, listening closely. It wasn't the wind. It was a sharp, dragging sound just outside the tent’s rear fabric. A footstep?

She carefully lifted Leonard's heavy arm from around her waist. He groaned softly but barely stirred, utterly exhausted from the day's trek. She smiled softly, kissing his shoulder.

"I'll be right back," she whispered, knowing he was already back in a deep sleep.

Quietly, slipping on her boots without lacing them, she unzipped the tent flap and stepped out into the cool night air. The atmosphere had cleared, and a brilliant, pale moonlight filtered through the towering trees, casting long, skeletal shadows across the camp.

She looked around. The fire Kirk had built had died down to embers. Jim’s tent was zipped shut. Sulu’s watch shift must have been on the perimeter.

"Sulu?" she called out softly.

Nothing. Only shadows.

Maybe she'd imagined it. Maybe it was just a localised creature. She turned to head back inside—

A heavy, calloused hand suddenly slammed over her mouth, cutting off her breath.

Y/N's eyes widened in sheer terror. Before she could process the panic, a powerful, muscular arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her off her feet. She threw her weight forward, trying to scream, but the hand muffled her completely.

Three figures emerged seamlessly from the deep shadows of the jungle brush. They were tall, humanoid, their skin painted with strange, luminescent silver markings that glowed faintly in the dark. They moved with terrifying, predatory silence.

Y/N fought violently, kicking her legs, throwing her elbows back into her captor's ribs. She managed to twist her head, tearing her mouth free for a fraction of a second.

"Mmph— Leonard—!"

Before she could finish, they dragged her backward, vanishing into the suffocating darkness of the ancient trees.

[smo1-beanz]

Beyond the Far Horizon

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　　　　　　

………..

Summary: A Starfleet landing party, including Captain James T. Kirk, Spock, Sulu, Dr Leonard McCoy, and McCoy's wife, Y/N, has arrived at the ancient ruins of Omicron-Theta Prime.

They are immediately caught in a severe, escalating storm featuring heavy rain, deep mud, violet lightning, and intense atmospheric interference that is disrupting their communicators. Spock's tricorder readings confirm that the storm is far worse than standard regional forecasts indicate, prompting McCoy to bluntly conclude that the crew is officially stuck on the planet. Despite the harsh conditions, the crew maintains their characteristic camaraderie, sharing light-hearted banter and playful teasing to break the tension.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn/ Angst/ Adventure

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　　　　　　

-Chapter 1: The Gathering Storm-

The storm had swallowed the sky long before the landing party reached the ancient ruins of Omicron-Theta Prime.

Jagged streaks of violet lightning cracked across the heavy clouds overhead, casting a sickly, luminescent glow over towering stone pillars that vanished into the suffocating jungle canopy. Rain hammered mercilessly against their Starfleet uniforms, turning the ground beneath them into a treacherous mire. Every boot sank deep into the thick mud, and the air hummed with a heavy, metallic charge that made the crew's hair stand on end. Every communicator on their belts chirped with a rhythmic, maddening static.

Captain James T. Kirk wiped a mixture of sweat and rainwater from his eyes, looking toward the rapidly darkening horizon with a grim expression.

"This weather's getting worse by the second," Jim muttered, squinting through the downpour. "Spock, tell me this is just a passing localised front."

"On the contrary, Captain," Spock observed calmly. He held his tricorder close to his face, shielding it from the downpour with his hand, the blue glow reflecting in his dark eyes. "It has already exceeded the standard meteorological forecast for this region by approximately forty-three per cent. The ionic interference in the upper atmosphere has intensified exponentially."

Sulu, wiping water from the console of his phaser rifle, looked over. "Meaning, Commander?"

"It means," Dr Leonard McCoy sighed irritably, wringing a stream of rainwater from the sleeve of his blue medical jacket, "that we're soaked, we're freezing, and we're officially stuck on this godforsaken rock. You don't need a fancy sensor to tell you that, Spock."

Beside him, Y/N McCoy couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips. Despite the howling wind and the mud ruining her boots, watching her husband spar with the universe always brought a sense of familiar warmth.

"You've been counting, Leonard?" she teased softly, bumping her arm against his.

"I started somewhere around the third lightning strike," McCoy grumbled, glaring up at a flash of violet that split the sky. "Right about the time my socks became entirely waterlogged."

Jim turned back, a roguish grin breaking through his exhaustion. "I thought it was the second, Bones."

Leonard shot his captain a blistering glare. "You're lucky I'm a doctor, Jim. If I weren't bound by the Hippocratic Oath, I'd leave you to get trench foot."

"I know," Jim chuckled, his voice laced with affection. "That's why I keep you around. It means you'll patch me up after I deliberately annoy you."

"You keep pushing it, Jim, and I'll reconsider the dosage on your next physical," Leonard warned, though the edge in his voice softened as Y/N took his hand.

Uhura laughed quietly, shaking her head as she adjusted her earpiece. The familiar exchange eased everyone's nerves, if only for a fleeting moment. But the reality of their situation quickly rushed back as a massive crack of thunder rattled the stone pillars around them.

Jim’s smile faded. He flipped open his communicator. "Kirk to Enterprise. Come in."

A wall of harsh, screeching static was his only answer. Jim adjusted the frequency, his brow furrowing. "Kirk to Enterprise. Scotty, do you read me?"

Then, through layers of digital screaming and atmospheric howl, a voice broke through.

"Captain... Enterprise... reading you... barely..." Scotty's voice crackled, sounding a million miles away. "The ionosphere is... tearing us up, sir..."

"Scotty, we've reached the coordinate rendezvous point," Jim shouted over the wind. "The weather is deteriorating rapidly. Energise six. Get us out of here."

Several agonising seconds passed. The landing party held their breath. Then, the familiar, comforting shimmer of the transporter beam materialised around them, casting a golden light over the mud. For a split second, the hum of dematerialisation drowned out the thunder.

And then, with a sharp pop, it vanished almost immediately. They were still standing in the rain.

Nothing happened.

Scotty sighed audibly over the comm, his voice dropping into a tone of deep frustration. "I'm sorry, Captain. The storm's generating too much electromagnetic interference. The transporter canna gets a lock on your signatures. If I try to pull ye through this mess, I risk scattering your molecules across half the quadrant."

Leonard folded his arms, his face turning pale. "Well, that's incredibly comforting, Scotty. Thanks for the vivid imagery."

"Believe me, Doctor, if there were another way, I'd take it," Scotty replied defensively. "But the buffer simply cannot hold a signal through this kind of ionisation."

Jim rubbed the back of his stiff neck, feeling the cold rain drip down his collar. "Estimate, Scotty? When does this front clear?"

"Hard tae say, sir. The planetary scans are erratic. Could be a few hours... could be morning once the eye of the storm passes over your grid."

Jim looked toward his team. Their faces were pale, drawn, and soaked to the bone. He sighed, the captain’s authority settling back over him. "I guess we're camping. Break out the emergency shelters."

Leonard looked personally offended. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope," Jim said, already unbuckling a survival pack from his belt.

"Jim, we're Starfleet," Leonard protested, gesturing grandly to the sky. "We represent a Federation of advanced worlds!"

"Still camping, Bones."

"We have a constitution-class starship orbiting this planet!"

"Which is currently unreachable," Jim noted dryly.

"We have actual, literal beds up there!"

"Also, unreachable."

Leonard groaned dramatically, throwing his hands in the air. "I hate planets. I genuinely, profoundly hate planets. Give me the cold, sterile void of space any day."

Y/N bumped his shoulder affectionately, pulling her own shelter pack from her kit. "You say that every single away mission, Leonard."

"And I mean it every single away mission, Darlin’," he shot back, though he immediately reached out to help her untangle the automated support rods of their shelter.

Jim smirked, watching them. "Think positive, Bones."

"I am thinking positively."

"No, you're not."

"I am positive I hate this," Leonard snapped.

The captain laughed, the sound swallowed by a sudden gust of wind. "Set up camp, everyone. Let's get out of the downpour."

[smo1-beanz]

The Morning After Nothing Happened

………..

Summary: Y/N Pike joined Starfleet Academy to make her own way, not to be known only as her father's daughter. With tough exams, strict professors, and the need to prove herself, Y/N is set on doing everything by herself. But Leonard McCoy has never been the type to watch someone he cares about struggle. One late night in the Academy library brings shared secrets, quiet moments, and a friendship that grows before they realise it. With Jim Kirk always causing trouble, holding onto their feelings and their dignity might be even harder than making it through Starfleet. This is a slow-burning Star Trek romance, full of laughter, comfort, and the start of something neither of them expected.

………..

Pairing: Leonard McCoy (Bones) x Reader (Y/N Pike)

………..

Fluff/ Slow Burn

Word count: 4053

………..

It was late at the Starfleet Academy library, and Y/N stayed behind to study a bit more. She had struggled with the choice not to follow her father's path, but she wanted to be the first botanist on the Starship Enterprise. Her dream was to discover new plants and create exciting medicines during her explorations. But lately, that dream had started to fall apart under the weight of stress, exhaustion, and hunger.

Your professor was making things even harder with her constant negative comments. You wanted to handle things on your own, without relying on your father's reputation. But each day, it got tougher, and she kept failing you for reasons that seemed unfair. She made you wonder if this career was worth it. Overwhelmed by your emotions, you hid your face in your arms as you lay on the table, hoping no one would notice your tears.

Leonard had also come to the library that night to study for his upcoming physiology exam. He liked the quiet, thinking he would have the place to himself. So, he was surprised to find someone else there. When he spotted you sitting alone in the back corner, he did a double-take and quickly ducked behind a bookcase.

He glanced over, trying to catch a glimpse of you. He figured you had dozed off after all that studying. 'You always push yourself too damn hard,' he thought with a heavy sigh. His mind drifted back to the first day he met you on the shuttle to the Starfleet Academy. You were arguing with the same woman guard who claimed she was 'going to make him sit down.'

………..

“Lieutenant Pike, does your father know where you are?”

“No, and I’d like to keep it that way,” you said firmly as you faced the guard.

“Lieutenant, your father would be very displeased and disappointed by your actions! You’re lucky he’s on another shuttle. I should inform him—” You cut her off, standing toe-to-toe with the woman, holding your ground with fire in your eyes.

“Now listen here! If you say a word about this to my father, I’ll make sure you end up picking up trash on Saturn’s ring. Do I make myself clear?” The cabin fell silent. The guard swallowed a large lump in her throat and nodded.

“Good. Let me handle my father when we get to the academy. You should take your seat, we’re about to take off,” you said, sitting across from Leonard and buckling in next to Uhura. The guard was left speechless as Jim let out a not-so-subtle chuckle.

You slumped into your seat and let out a loud groan, clearly irritated by Jim being there.

“Father like daughter, huh? You know, it still scares me how you and your dad sound the same when you yell,” Jim said, trying not to laugh.

“Oh great! I see Dad convinced you to join the academy. His project child can’t wait for all the chaos you’ll bring,” you said, rolling your eyes. Before you could say more, Leonard cut in, curiosity getting the better of him.

“And what makes you so high and mighty that you can bark orders at anyone you want?” Leonard asked, sounding harsher than he meant to. Maybe it was because he felt sick, or maybe your boldness surprised him. You leaned over your seat and held out your hand to Leonard.

“Lieutenant Y/N Pike, soon to be Doctor Pike. Daughter of Captain Chris Pike. Pleasure to meet you,” you said with a cheeky grin. Leonard stared at you for a moment, then shook your hand with a gentle squeeze and cleared his throat.

“Well, remind me not to piss you off,” he said, making you laugh as you settled back into your seat, folding your arms and crossing your legs. “Doctor, huh? What’s your field?”

“Botany and medicine. I also trained in hand-to-hand combat, thanks to my father,” you replied with a smile.

“Wow, two birds with one stone. You check all my boxes,” Leonard blurted out, not meaning to say it out loud. Your cheeks turned pink, and Leonard went bright red, stumbling over his words. “I—sorry, I don’t know why I said that. Not that you aren’t, you are, I mean—dammit, man!” he said, as Jim put a hand on his shoulder.

“Alright, that’s enough whiskey for you,” Jim said, taking the flask from Leonard and taking a swig himself, feeling the burn as it went down. “That’s no way to talk to the captain’s daughter. Do us all a favour and be quiet before you embarrass yourself anymore. We’ve got a long flight ahead.”

After that, Leonard kept his head down and avoided looking at you for the rest of the trip, though he sometimes glanced your way while you chatted with Uhura. There was something about you that drew him in—he wanted to know everything about you.

………..

A small whimper slipped out from your mouth, pulling Leonard out of his daydream and making him look at you. You tried to keep your tears quiet, your chest rising and falling as you held them back. Seeing you like this hurt him. Leonard always thought of you as strong and resilient, never one to back down from a fight. Maybe you got that stubbornness from your father. Your cries grew heavier with each sharp breath. Clearly, something was wrong. Leonard stepped out from behind the bookcase and cleared his throat to get your attention.

Leonard’s sudden throat clearing nearly made you fall out of your seat. Startled, you looked up at him. Embarrassment washed over you as your eyes widened. You sat up straighter and wiped your tears away with your sleeve.

“Leonard, h-how long have you been standing there?” you asked, still embarrassed, avoiding his eyes. Leonard sat down in the empty seat next to you, his face full of concern.

“Goodness, Y/N, you look like you’ve been crying your head off,” he said, placing a supportive hand on your arm and giving it a gentle squeeze. You looked up at him, trying once more to hold back your tears.

“It’s nothing, Len… Please don’t worry.” He cut you off and gently wiped away the stray tears on your cheeks. The gesture caught you off guard, your mouth forming a small O. A sad smile appeared on his lips.

“Of course I’m going to worry. Damn it, woman, I’ve never seen you cry like this, not even when you took that blow to the gut in combat training. Now talk to me, what’s got you so sad, darlin’?” That was it—whenever Leonard called you ‘Darlin’ or ‘sweetheart’, you melted on the spot. Maybe it was his southern drawl, but his words always made your knees weak.

In that moment, you let your emotions take over and began to sob, your face twisting as you tried to hold back the tears. Leonard didn’t hesitate. He gently held the back of your neck and pulled you into his shoulder, letting you cry as much as you needed, hidden from everyone—including him. You cried quietly but deeply, needing to let go of the pain inside. You gripped his shirt with your right hand, wrinkling the fabric a little. Leonard gently stroked your hair and comforted you as you pressed your face into him. He swayed you from side to side, trying to help you calm down. After a while, your sobs faded into soft sniffles, and you rested against Leonard’s chest, soaking in his comfort and listening to his heartbeat. It helped you feel grounded again. Leonard gently pulled you away, and you pouted at losing his warmth. He looked into your eyes, his hazel gaze seeming to see right through you.

“Talk to me, darlin’, what’s got you so blue?” You took a deep breath and sank into your seat, looking down and fiddling with your thumbs to avoid Leonard’s intense gaze.

“You know my Botany professor? She’s awful. I swear she has something against me—she must hate me! She keeps failing me for no reason, and the way she talks to me is just—” You felt yourself getting worked up, your breath coming out hot and angry. You wanted to scream and curse and tear the roof off this library, but you forced yourself to stay calm. Leonard rubbed your back in slow circles, trying to help you relax.

“What does she say exactly?” His question made you look up at him. Your eyes were wide and sad, almost like a puppy’s. You took another deep breath before you spoke again.

“She says I’m the worst scientist she’s ever seen, that I should quit while I’m still ahead.” A short sob slipped out as you tried to finish. “She said I only get good grades because I’m Captain Pike’s daughter, and she doesn’t like spoiled brats.” Leonard could see how much it hurt you to repeat her words. His heart dropped. How could anyone, especially a professor, talk to you like that? It was awful. He wanted to march into your classroom and demand an apology. “Len…” you said softly, using the nickname you’d given him. He focused on you right away. You looked down at your hands and spoke quietly. “What if she’s right? What if I’m not cut out for this? Maybe I’m aiming too high. Maybe I should have just followed my father’s path and taken the easier way.” Without thinking, Leonard cupped your cheeks, making you look at him and nothing else.

“That’s a load of horse shit! Don’t ever doubt yourself like this. It hurts me to see how much her words have gotten to you, sweetheart.” He let his hands slide from your cheeks to your shoulders, giving them a firm squeeze. “Listen to me. You’re the smartest, bravest, and honestly, the most beautiful woman I know.” Your cheeks turn bright pink from his pure honesty.

“She’s probably just jealous of your talent and how hard you work. You could lean on your father’s help, but you don’t. You do everything on your own, because that’s who you are. You’re made for this. You’re a dreamer and a fighter. She’s just wrong. Don’t ever listen to her.” His words touched your heart. You managed a weak smile, hoping Leonard could see how much his support meant to you.

“Len… you’re too sweet, thank you. You’ve given me some hope.” You hold onto your weak smile as Leonard pulls you into a short hug. You realise you needed it, soaking in his warmth before he lets you go and starts to speak.

“You need to report her. That woman shouldn’t be a professor! Teachers are supposed to be inspiring, not some wrecked demon straight from the pits of hell.” His comment makes you burst into a small fit of laughter, realising how accurate his description is.

“You should see her without her coffee. Then she’s a real monster.” You both laugh. Leonard notices how much better you seem. He’s glad he could help, even if you don’t realise it. “Leonard, thank you. I was really starting to doubt myself, thinking I should drop out. But here you are, like my knight in shining armour, coming to save the day.” Leonard chuckles at your words, his heart swelling with happiness to see you back to your usual self. Without thinking, Leonard stands up and offers you his hand.

“Well, as your dashing knight, I say we get out of here and go get some late-night ice cream, my treat.” His smile widens, and you can’t help but giggle at his cute, childlike gesture. You look up at him with a loving gaze.

“As much as I like your brilliant idea, it’s past midnight, genius. No ice cream parlour will be open at this hour.” He looks at you, his arm still extended.

“Well, we’ll head back to my dorm room then! I know I have a tub of vanilla left in the freezer. That is, if Jim hasn’t gotten to it first.” You stare at him with a blank expression. It’s normal for you to visit his dorm, especially since he shares it with your childhood friend Jim Kirk. Usually, you spend the day playing video games or just hanging out with Jim. But this is the first time Leonard has invited you over himself. You hesitate, then take his hand, and he lifts you to your feet with ease.

“Sure, why not?” you said with a smile. Leonard was happy to lead you out of the library, carrying all your textbooks. You walked to the dormitory. Leonard quietly opens the door and peeks inside to check if Jim is home. He knew if Jim saw him bringing a girl back this late, he’d never hear the end of it—especially since it was Y/N.

Leonard had always liked the botanist. From the first day you met, you were often on his mind. He doubted you felt the same, since he could be grumpy and strict. Still, he tried to spend time with you whenever he could, whether during short study sessions or when you visited Jim. Leonard sometimes thought you liked Jim, since you spent so much time together, but to you, it was just friendly rivalry. Even though it made him jealous, he never showed it. If being your friend was as close as he could get, he was happy with that. gladly.

“Coast is clear, looks like Jim is out again,” Leonard said as he led you into the dorm. You were always surprised by how tidy it was. It was hard to believe two boys lived here. Leonard closed the door behind you while you sat on the sofa, and he went to the fridge. “Probably out with some poor bimbo, trying to get laid again,” you giggled, covering your mouth. You both knew Jim had a reputation as a campus playboy, a real babe magnet.

While Leonard looked for ice cream in the freezer, you took a moment to look around the dorm. You sank into the soft sofa and glanced at the pictures on the wall. Your eyes landed on the little succulent on the coffee table. You picked it up and smiled at the small plant. You had given it to Jim and Leonard as a housewarming gift, knowing it was probably the only plant Jim couldn’t accidentally kill. Looking at it now, you can see it has grown and looks healthy. You felt happy to see it thriving. You didn’t notice Leonard coming over with a tub of ice cream and two spoons. He watched you for a moment, touched by how gently you looked at the plant. Leonard cleared his throat to get your attention.

“Sorry, sweetheart, all the plates and bowls are in the dishwasher. I hope you don’t mind eating straight from the tub,” he said, sitting down next to you and handing you a spoon. “That plant is only alive because of me, you know? Jim hasn’t touched it since you gave it to him,” he added as you set the plant back on the coffee table.

“That doesn’t surprise me. I’m just happy it’s still here,” you said, grinning. You took the first spoonful of ice cream and relaxed into the sofa, enjoying the sweet taste.

“This is exactly what I needed. Nothing beats a little treat to cheer me up. Best idea ever!” you said, and Leonard laughed as he took a spoonful too. “You know what would make this even better? A movie!”

Leonard paused for a moment, resting the spoon against his lips as he thought. ‘It’s already 1:00 am, and I have an exam coming up,’ he considered. But when he looked at you, clearly happy, he couldn’t help but smile. ‘Oh, what the heck?’

“Sure, what are we thinking?”

After some back-and-forth, you both picked the first Star Wars movie. It was a classic, and since you were both movie buffs, it felt like the right choice. You finished off the tub of ice cream together, and after a while, Leonard noticed you shivering from the cold air in the dorm room. He got up, grabbed a blanket, and wrapped it around both of you. You took the chance to snuggle closer, resting your head on his arm. He tensed up, so you kept your eyes on the TV, not wanting to make things awkward. Then Leonard put his arm around your shoulder and pulled you in, letting you get comfortable against his chest. You could feel his heartbeat, fast at first, then slowing down to match his breathing. Being in Leonard’s arms always made you feel safe.

Halfway through the movie, you drifted off to sleep, completely at ease. Leonard looked down and smiled at how peaceful you looked. He wished the moment could last forever. Feeling grateful, he gently kissed the top of your head, careful not to wake you. He turned back to the movie, hoping this moment wouldn’t end, and stroked your hair as you relaxed even more against him. He wondered if his loud heartbeat might wake you.

When the movie finally ended, and the credits rolled, you and Leonard drifted off to sleep in each other's arms. Leonard lay flat on his back, and you rested on his chest, even drooling a little. Around five in the morning, the door opened, and keys jingled as a slightly drunk student stumbled into the dorm. Jim had just come back from his night out. At first, he didn’t notice you both on the couch. But when he walked over and saw you and Leonard cuddled up and fast asleep, his eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped in shock.

"Oh my god!" Jim shouted, startling both you and Leonard. You jumped and nearly rolled off the couch in surprise, but Leonard caught you before you could fall. Still half asleep, you both looked at Jim, horrified by his reaction. Nothing had really happened, but Jim would brag about this for at least a month.

"I cannot believe what I am seeing!?" Jim blinked twice. "Wait. Wait, no. Hold on." He rubbed his eyes.

"Are you cuddling?" Silence. "YOU’RE CUDDLING!" He spun around dramatically.

"Somebody call the newspapers! Alert the federation! The emotionally constipated idiots have finally made physical contact!"

A pillow hit him square in the face. “Get the hell outta here, Jim!” Leonard yells as you slowly raise yourself off his chest, sitting upright as the blanket falls off your shoulders. Jim staggered backward, laughing.

“Oh, he's awake! The doctor's awake!” Leonard sat bolt upright, hair sticking out in every direction. His lower half was still trapped beneath you, but he could still move his arms freely, which only seemed to make him angrier.

“You barge in here drunk as a skunk at five in the mornin' and start screamin' like a damn malfunctioning alarm system!”

Jim pointed accusingly. “You didn't deny the cuddling.”

“Oh, for the love of—” Another pillow flew across the room. Jim dodged it.

“That's not a denial either!” Jim shouts, still teasing the doctor. You can’t help but giggle, trying to stifle your laughter as you watch the two of them argue. Their banter is so entertaining that it takes your mind off your own embarrassment.

“Boy, if I could reach you right now, they'd be scrapin' your remains off the walls.”

“You sound defensive,” Jim stated, mocking his clearly embarrassed roommate.

“I sound tired, you overgrown golden retriever!” Leonard shouted.

Jim clutched his chest. “That is deeply hurtful.”

“Get. Out.”

“But—”

“OUT!” Jim backed toward the door, grinning from ear to ear.

“I just want you both to know this is the happiest day of my life,” Jim stated, beaming with joy, smiling like an idiot.

“Jim,” Leonard warned him, his eyes fierce, daring him to say another word.

“You two are adorable.”

“JAMES TIBERIUS KIRK!” The door slid shut just before the third pillow hit it. Jim headed to his room. “Well,” Leonard muttered, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to hide his blushing cheeks from you while you laughed uncontrollably, “there goes any chance of getting a decent night's sleep.”

You continued to laugh, wiping the tears from your eyes. "Think Jim's going to let this go?"

Leonard snorted. "Hell no. Man's gonna be unbearable." Another burst of laughter escaped both of you. For a moment, neither of you spoke. The room settled into a comfortable silence, broken only by the distant sound of Jim still cackling somewhere within his dorm room. Leonard shook his head. "I swear, one day I'm gonna throttle that man."

"You've been saying that for years." You say grinning ear-to-ear.

"One day I mean it." You smiled.

"No, you don't." His eyes met yours, and for the first time that morning, neither of you looked away.

"No," he admitted softly. "Guess I don't” The laughter faded, leaving behind something quieter. Something warmer.

Through the dorm room window, the first rays of morning sunlight began to spill across the Academy grounds. Golden light filtered through the blinds, casting long shadows across the floor and catching the dust motes drifting lazily through the air. Neither of you seemed eager to move. The blanket was still tangled around both of your legs from where you'd fallen asleep on the sofa hours ago. Normally, one of you would have made some sarcastic remark and put distance between yourselves by now. Neither of you did. Leonard shifted slightly, rubbing at his tired eyes.

"What time is it?"

You glanced toward the clock. "Almost six." He let out a groan.

"Oh, that's just cruel." You laughed. "Got that physiology exam today."

"Don't remind me," you exhaled, almost forgetting about the test "You studied?"

"I studied."

"You'll be fine." You said with a reassuring smile.

"I know I'll be fine." He pointed at you. "I'm worried about you." You placed a hand over your chest in mock offence.

"Well, that's rude."

"It's honest." You rolled your eyes. The corner of Leonard's mouth twitched upward. For a second, neither of you spoke again. Outside, the Academy was beginning to wake. A shuttle hummed overhead in the distance, and somewhere far below, early-rising cadets were already making their way across campus. Leonard followed the sound toward the window before letting out a long sigh. "We should probably get some sleep."

"Probably." Neither of you moved. Another beat passed. Then another. Leonard looked down, realising the blanket was still draped over both of you. He immediately grabbed the nearest pillow and tossed it in your direction.

"Don't make this weird." You caught it, laughing.

"I'm not the one making it weird." You said enjoying this moment with Leonard.

"Hush." He barks playfully towards you.

"You hush." You said, as a reluctant smile broke across his face.

"You're impossible," Leonard says. He gives his cheek a gentle slap and pulls a silly face, pretending to be in agony, but ends up smirking at you.

"And yet you keep hanging around me." Leonard opened his mouth, ready with a comeback, but nothing came out. Instead, he shook his head and stood up from the sofa.

"Come on," he muttered, trying and failing to hide his smile. "Let's get a couple hours of sleep before Jim starts tellin' the entire Academy we got caught cuddlin'.” You laughed as you stood. Too late for that. Both of you knew Jim had probably started the moment he'd walked out that door.

THE END

[angiekurban7]

Time changed nothing but the details. 🥹🖤

[angiekurban7]

He's so cute 🖤😍