here's a headcanon to delight your heart: Q fluffs Picard's pillows the minute that he has his back to it. Picard doesn't know because Q did this immediately after farpoint and started it when Picard gets new pillows that aren't fluffed, they are fluffed by the time that his head is on it. Afterwards, Picard is a android and wonders why his pillow isn't fluffed.
Ohh yes, Hells yeah.
Honestly this leaves it for some angsty material, thank you friend
Q and Picard go to a Q adopt a pet shelter and adopt a small but old pit bull dog.
... Wellllll, we’re only about two weeks from STP, so when in 24th century Rome...
(Now, I’m not sure if you actually meant a Q-based shelter specifically, but we’re rolling with such things because I love it <3)
Fancy a Qcard flashfic of your choosing, pals? Hit your girl up: https://celestialwarzone.tumblr.com/post/190139763081/guys-i-need-to-flashfic
Flashfic Three: Number Three
Q would say he wasn’t sure quite how they’d arrived on the Caroflact asteroid, holographic catalogue of Earth-based dogs being idly flipped through by the human love of his immortal life, but then he was both gifted with flawless memory and hugely aware of how desperately bored said love was by his partial retirement.
“I love our life, my dear,” he’d murmured not twenty minutes earlier, “and lecturing at the Academy is its own joy, but I do miss a certain... continuity. I was thinking, perhaps a pet -”
“Say no more, darling,” Q had interjected, beaming despite his utter bewilderment with the concept. “We’ll combine it with dinner.”
And thus, there sits Jean-Luc Picard at a dinner table, mussel being prised idly open upon a gigantic rock that crashes unperturbed through space at warp twelve as he instructs the page to flick, eyes intrigued at the madcap collection of shelter dogs across his homeworld’s entire breadth, as though the whole situation barely warrants a stray thought.
Yeah, Q thinks fondly, amused. These past two decades have definitely mellowed you, mon capitaine.
He bites again into a half-eaten mille-feuille, tongue darting out to collect a whisper of crème pâtissière as he glances at his permanent enigma; even when the man is paying him no heed, he can’t help but succumb to the subconscious need to be flirtatious.
“Do you even know what you’re looking for?”
Picard gives a half-shrug of his shoulders, clad in a cosy burgundy cardigan. “I’ll likely know it when I see it.”
“... Do you want a hand?” He keeps it deliberately light, but it’s difficult not to be mildly offended.
Picard does shift his gaze at that, looking briefly stricken. “I... I’m sorry, Q. Should have considered - it’s your dog too, of course it is. I’d be very pleased to have your input. I just... well, I didn’t think you’d particularly care.”
He knows his partner more than well enough to not immediately wince at the insensitivity; it’s merely a logical assumption rather than a character assassination, but it stings a little nevertheless. “You ought to know better, Jean-Luc. If it matters to you, it matters to me.”
Though I couldn’t care less what one it is, he thinks to himself fairly, and thus, can he really be irritated?
“Indeed,” Picard murmurs, eyes suddenly acquiring a vague shimmer, and he flips the catalogue to the centre of the table, turning the page once more. “Well, I was contemplating something like -”
He stops dead, and Q looks at him curiously, following the line of sight down to the canine almanac; he alights upon the relevant one, and considers the pitbull briefly. Older, slightly rough around the edges, yet still silken of coat, still with a relentless optimism in chocolate eyes for a universe she’d seen too much of, yet nowhere close to enough of.
Well, I can certainly do something about that.
Their gazes twinkle as they meet, and he feigns an overly elaborate relent with rolled eyes.
“Oh, fine,” he mutters, grinning. “If you insist, dearest.”
Picard positively beams. “She looks wonderful, Q - I’m sure she’ll fit right into this curious little family.”
His lover continues to sing virtues for several minutes, excitedly chattering away about human dog training etiquette, and the correct bowls, though his intended audience can’t honestly say he hears a word of it past “curious little family.”
“Is that what this is, Jean-Luc?” He breathes spontaneously, realising without care that he’s probably interrupted, mind blown cosmos-wide. “Is this our version of a child?”
The former captain blinks, jaw falling open, gaze burning with amusement. “No, Q. Stars above, no! We’ll have to look after her, of course, and take her to places, but it’s quite different! You know my feelings on that sort of thing, good lord...”
A bright relief simmers through him, and he cheerfully raises a wine glass, offering up a celebratory toast. “Thank the universe for that. One idiot child is more than sufficient, thank you, and I don’t have to live with that one.”
They clink in agreement, Picard chuckling warmly. “Shall we meet her after dinner then, dad?”
He chokes on the robust Chardonnay, narrowing his eyes even as he swallows laughter. “Do not push your luck, darling...”
Summary: Bones keeps seeing Jim’s lifeless body when he tries to sleep, and apparently Jim doesn’t have better luck in that department either, so Spock forces them to go on a shore leave, but that doesn’t mean that they will have a quiet trip.
A/N: This is based on this prompt by @speedygal. So sorry it took me so long, but for some reason it took forever to finish. I hope you like it though!
[Read it on AO3]
Words: 5 108
Bones had seen too many people die in his profession. It was part of the job, as much as he despised it, and while he would never fully get used to seeing a life leave a body, it wasn’t uncommon, and in theory he’d learned how to handle it when he was still a mere student. It had been part of their teachings.
But no one had prepared him for the possibility of watching his best friend lie there, with no pulse anywhere to be found. Dead. Gone. Too late to save him, dead and gone.
No one had prepared him for Jim to suddenly be alive again either, and Bones still didn’t entirely know how to act about it all, neither in relation to Jim nor to himself and his own trauma. This didn’t usually happen to people.
His room was dark enough for it to barely make a difference if his eyes were closed or not, and yet he kept focusing on the little bit of light streaming in from beneath his door. He wasn’t sure if it bothered him, but it enthralled him enough to not want to look away. That and the knowledge that all he ever saw when he closed his eyes or was engulfed in darkness was Jim’s lifeless body. It had been months and Bones still couldn’t shake the image. He knew that it was practically past the point of talking about it with anyone, for they all just wanted to forget it now, especially Jim.
But Bones couldn’t forget it.
His sigh sliced through the silence, making his presence known to whatever ghosts lingering around him. He felt too restless to properly settle down, and when he turned to the side to look at the clock he realized he’d been lying there for hours and sleep was still nowhere near him, as if it was avoiding him. He didn’t blame it. Sleep only meant bad dreams that he barely had the energy to deal with afterwards.
Moving almost automatically, Bones sat up, got out of bed, and got dressed, leaving his quarters only a minute later. He knew he couldn’t stay there.
The ship was silent apart from the occasional words he managed to overhear the guards exchange, but he knew this crew well enough to know he wasn’t the only one awake right now. After so many years in space things got to you, and he could personally count a handful of people whom he knew were struggling with sleep and whatnot. As hopeless as the prospect seemed he allowed himself to feel a selfish relief that at least he wasn’t entirely alone in this.
His feet led him to Jim’s part of the ship, like he knew they would. He paused outside the door, unsure of whether he should knock or just leave again. He knew a part of him just wanted to make sure that Jim was there and alive, and the rational part of his brain knew he was in there, and therefore him just standing outside should’ve been enough. But another part of him wanted to actually see the kid. To talk to him. To assure every single part of himself that Jim Kirk was there. That was yet another selfish part of him. He realized that.
Jim opened the door just seconds after he’d knocked, so at least he didn’t need to feel guilty for waking him. “Bones?”
“Can I come in?” Proper greetings were overrated.
Jim stepped aside to let him pass instantly, and by the look on his face Bones knew he had questions. He refrained from letting them spill until Bones had seated himself on the couch. “Do you want anything?”
“I shouldn’t.”
“But you do.”
Jim started walking toward the liquor cabinet, but Bones held up a hand. “No, I… we shouldn’t. That’s not why I’m here.”
Then why are you here, Jim asked with his eyes as he walked back to the couch and plopped down beside him. Bones was happy he hadn’t asked aloud, because he wasn’t entirely sure what he would reply.
“How come you’re not asleep?” Bones asked instead.
Jim didn’t question how he knew. “Sleep wouldn’t come.”
“It’s being very elusive tonight.”
“That it is. Do you think there’s a point in hoping it will come around in the end?”
“Hope dies last,” was Bones’ reply, and Jim seemed satisfied enough.
Bones was glad a light was on, for he wasn’t sure if he could deal with a pitch black room with Jim’s voice in his ear. It would feel too similar to the dreams he kept having. To the images he kept seeing. He felt content with seeing Jim properly rather than watching an outline of a person, despite the fact that it meant Jim could read every single emotion going through him, and there were a lot of them. He was happy for this, for it was better than the alternative.
He hadn’t realized when he’d started seeing the world from only two perspectives.
Jim’s couch was awful, but sleep came at last, and when Bones woke up a few hours later it was to Jim curled up beside him, face relaxed, eyelids twitching, and his breath hitting Bones’ neck in short huffs. Alive.
Bones would probably never stop dreading the opposite.
***
“You really think a shore leave will help?” Jim asked, his brows furrowed.
“I do,” Bones replied slowly, because he did. “I’ve been pondering over the idea for a while, and I don’t think it will hurt. Only for a couple of days.” Jim didn’t reply instantly, which prompted Bones to add, “And Spock told me to bring it up with you.”
“There it is.”
“Apparently our lack of sleep makes us irritable or something. Nyota claims that we both look like death.” Poor choice of words, but it made Jim laugh.
“She’s probably right,” Jim admitted. “But shore leave? Really?”
“It’s only for a little while. I’m sure it will do us good.”
“That’s just the doctor in you speaking. I’m sure you’re just as conflicted over this as I am.”
“I am,” Bones relented. “But I’m also ecstatic about leaving space behind for a bit.”
“You’re aware that we’re technically always in space, right?”
“If I don’t see it then it’s not there. I’m sure you have a similar policy.”
“Nothing’s real unless it punches you on the nose,” Jim agreed.
“Good thing we’re on the same page here.”
“So, where do you wanna go?”
“If they drop us off anywhere but on Earth I will be so pissed.”
“Earth it is then.”
***
Bones hadn’t imagined a wild field with clear blue skies and a little cabin in the woods for their shore leave per se, but he was surprised when they ended up getting a room close to Starfleet’s headquarters. Maybe that was the Federation’s way of making sure they didn’t cause a ruckus of some sort, but Bones was content with their situation either way, though he had to admit he’d missed Earth’s nature more than he’d thought.
“We gotta have a field trip of some sort,” he told Jim as they settled down in their very small apartment. “I want to go somewhere that isn’t metallic.”
Jim shot him a grin. “We can try. We’re only here for a few days, after all.”
“It’s not like we have anything to do. Spock strictly forbade that.”
“Can we see if we can find a beach or something too? I’ve missed the sea.”
“We’re gonna have to study a map and see what places are closest.”
It felt strange making plans like this. Of course they’d made that occasional trip somewhere during their Academy days, but it had always been with the knowledge that they had to get back on time to finish an assignment or study for a test or get up on time for their next class. Bones hadn’t been on an actual vacation in over a decade, and he wasn’t entirely sure of how to feel about this sudden situation.
The lack of warning had resulted in them having to share a bedroom, and Bones would never ever confess how relieved that made him.
Jim threw his bag on their bed. “Should we go get some dinner? Some proper junk food to start this off.”
“For once I will put my concern for health aside. I’m craving a burger.”
“With fries.”
“Lord yes.”
“The person who said the way to a man’s heart is through the stomach was onto something.”
The good thing about Starfleet’s headquarters was that it was close to pretty much everything. Whatever you needed was a five minute walk at most, and so Jim and Bones were happily munching on their food about ten minutes later, sitting side by side on the sidewalk in order to really feel like they were back on their home planet.
It was a warm June evening, much to Bones’ delight. Even though most of the Enterprise was room temperature Bones always felt a chill in his bones which he knew was mostly psychological and due to the fact that he was very much aware of just how close to space he was. To finally be surrounded by the warm air he’d grown up around was a bit like coming home, even though he was far from Georgia. He wondered if he would ever actually go back to his roots.
“Whatcha thinking of?” Jim asked around the fry he’d just put in his mouth.
“How I never would’ve thought sitting on a dirty curb with a burger from a place that probably barely passed its last inspection would be my idea of a good time.”
Jim let out a laugh. “You’re a simple man, Bones. How are you even surprised.”
Bones was a simple man, and he knew Jim was too, in certain ways. Yes, Jim had wanted his own ship desperately, and Bones had made absolutely sure he would finish his education to become a doctor, but they didn’t really need much in order to feel satisfied. As long as Jim still had his ship and Bones still got to save lives - even if it was in freaking space - they were okay.
As long as Jim was alive Bones was okay.
“You know what we should do?” Jim asked, and Bones turned to him to find that he’d devoured every last bit of his dinner.
“I’m sure you will inform me.”
“Get drunk and not feel guilty about it.”
And so they did, and it was the first mistake they made on this godforsaken shore leave Spock had forced them to go on.
***
Jim was practically vibrating with excitement when they entered the bar. Bones’ reaction was a tad bit calmer, but he followed Jim with a slight bounce to his own steps that he would deny if anyone pointed it out. The place was crowded, which Bones reckoned was common for a Friday evening. He could spot several familiar faces - Starfleet employees or employers of some sort, he was sure - but he couldn’t place a name to a single person and therefore didn’t feel bad about not saying hello.
Jim led them directly to the bar, somehow managing to find a spot between two people, though it definitely depended on what you classified as space. From where Bones was standing, which was behind him because he couldn’t fit, Jim looked like he was being squeezed to death.
Lord help everyone if Bones had to witness his friend die again.
“A beer, right?” Jim called back to him, and if he was in discomfort he wasn’t showing it.
Bones nodded, and Jim disappeared again to order. Bones took another look around, trying to see if he could miraculously find an empty table or at least two empty chairs. Everyone seemed to be holding onto their spots for dear life, which Bones didn’t blame him for, but just as Jim handed him his cold glass he spotted a table in the very corner on the bar that was somehow - somehow - empty, and he didn’t waste any time in rushing as quickly as he could toward it.
“Talk about luck,” Jim said. He seemed happier than Bones had seen him lately. His eyes had that spark to them again, and he grinned toothily as they sat down.
“It’s almost too good to be true,” Bones agreed, trying to ignore the nervous lurch in his stomach. It really was too good to be true. “That good?” he asked as he watched Jim take a swig of his beer.
Jim nodded almost eagerly as he swallowed. “Try it.”
Bones did, and while it tasted like regular beer there was something about drinking it in a bar on Earth without anything to weigh them down that made all the difference. “God, that’s something.”
As aforementioned, they were simple men.
They laughed and clinked their glasses together like they’d never had a grander time, and for a moment they drank in silence while observing the people around them. The Enterprise didn’t lack people, but at times it lacked unknown faces to look at. Faces who hadn’t seen you race down the corridors in nothing but your pyjamas (occasionally just underwear) in order to get to the Bridge or the Medbay quickly to help with an emergency. Bones might recognize some people, but they barely recognized him, and he loved that. Loved the anonymity of this place.
Of course it didn’t last for long.
“Jim fuckin’ Kirk.”
That caught the attention of both of them, and they turned to find a rather huge guy hovering next to their table, his eyes stuck on Jim as if he’d never seen anything like him before.
“Can I help you?” Jim asked, shooting Bones a look. A look that told him this probably wasn’t good.
“Can I help you?” the guy asked, taking a step closer and nearly knocking Bones’ glass over with his elbow.
Bones felt positively alarmed now, but Jim’s voice was calm when he said, “What do you mean?”
“Didn’t I tell you to never step foot in this bar again?”
Jim rubbed his temples. “Was that possibly over four years ago? Because if that’s the case then you’re just being petty.”
“You don’t remember me, do you, Kirk?”
“Should I?”
The guy sneered. “Third year. Halloween. Ring any bells?”
Bones could tell exactly when Jim realized just who was standing next to him, and it took him only a second to realize as well. “Oh shit.”
“Russell?” Jim squinted up at him. “You… have barely changed actually. Not sure why I didn’t remember you. Probably haven’t thought of you at all.”
Jim had called Russell petty, but he’d been keeping some of that Academy rivalry inside him as well.
“Didn’t I tell you to never step foot in here again?” Russell repeated. “My father’s bar is no place for scum like you.”
Jim held up his hands. “Hey, it was an honest mistake. Haven’t been on Earth in years, but you probably knew that.”
“I don’t keep up with you, despite what you think.”
“Of course not. Don’t you think it’s a little silly to be angry over something that happened so long ago?”
“Jim, let’s go.”
“Bones, come on.”
Russell was practically breathing down Jim’s neck now. “Leave, or I’ll make you leave.”
“Technically you’re making me leave no matter what.”
“Kirk, I swear-”
Jim suddenly stood. “We’ll leave. Relax a little, would you?” He gave Russell’s cheek a pat, and Bones was now certain that his best friend was a goddamn idiot.
How they made it out without a scratch was a miracle, but as they rushed across the street and nearly got hit by a car in the process they were both more shaken and pissed off than hurt, but Bones was planning on checking on Jim once they were in safety anyway.
“What the hell was that?” he roared when they were far away from the bar.
“Some people can’t let go of old grudges,” Jim replied, an amused smile that Bones was going to kill him over finding his lips.
“Because you were oh so mature,” Bones snapped. “When people tell you to leave you should just go with it.”
“Not if the person in question is Russell fuckin’-”
“It doesn’t matter. Why provoke someone in vain?”
Jim shook his head. “You don’t get it.”
“Apparently not.” Bones’ heart was still hammering hard against his chest, but he felt his adrenaline evaporate, and along with it his anger. “Let’s just go home.”
“Home? Hell no. I’m not gonna let a douchebag like Russell ruin our night. It’s still early. Let’s go somewhere else. I know the perfect place.”
Bones had a feeling he was going to regret it, but he followed Jim anyway, just like he always did. Even when every fibre of him told him not to.
***
He had no idea how they ended up at a house party, but they did, and he knew this wouldn’t end well. If they couldn’t even drink in peace at a bar, why would everything be fine when they had no supervision? Oh, he felt like he was back in school again, where everyone was young and foolish.
Maybe you were always young and foolish at heart.
Bones turned toward Jim to tell him that he thought this was a bad idea for the hundredth time, but Jim was off, making his way through the crowd of college kids as if he belonged, and Bones swore to himself before following. If there was one thing worse than Jim being here it was Jim being here alone, and he wasn’t about to let it happen, even if he would have to glue himself to the idiot’s side when he needed the restroom.
Okay, maybe he would be content in just keeping watch outside.
“What are we even doing here?” he asked when he finally reached Jim’s side. They were in the kitchen, which was surprisingly empty.
“Looking for booze, obviously.”
“You gonna steal some kid’s booze?”
“Just a beer. We can share it. I never got to finish the one I got before and it makes me sad.” Jim opened the fridge, and Bones could tell from his expression that he didn’t like what he was seeing. “Huh.”
“No luck?”
“No. Luck doesn’t seem to be on our side tonight.”
“So let’s leave. Have an early night and do something tomorrow instead.”
“Bones. Come on, we didn’t walk all the way here to leave immediately. Give it an hour at least.”
“And I’m tellin’ you. It’s not a good idea.”
At this rate Bones started suspecting that the grand disaster would end up being the ending of their friendship, but Jim just waved him off rather than fight him. “Let’s at least take a look around.”
Bones supposed he could deal with that, so he followed Jim out of the kitchen and into the living room again. People gave them looks, but otherwise didn’t question why two older guys were here, and for that Bones was glad. He wasn’t sure how he was going to explain it if anyone asked.
Jim looked happy whenever he turned back to catch Bones’ eye or look at something behind them, so Bones couldn’t find it in him to rush him and settled on following silently as Jim kept looking around. Jim had always been a bit of an observer, which Bones had always thought clashed with the rest of his personality, but now he understood it better.
“Wait a second,” an unknown voice said, and they turned to find a young girl with blue lipstick staring at them, her dark skin looking almost as blue as her lips in the dim light of the room. “You’re Captain Jim Kirk.”
Jim was visibly taken by surprise. “I am, yes.”
Her smile was wide and excited. “I thought you were in, well, space. What are you doing here?”
People were looking at them with more curiosity now, but Jim was giving the girl his undivided attention. “We’re on shore leave. Sort of like a vacation.”
“You must be exhausted.”
Jim shrugged. “It’s manageable, but everyone needs rest.”
“How long are you gonna be here?”
“Earth? About a week. Here, in this city? A couple of days.”
“We miss the country,” Bones added, and she turned her smile to him.
“I know you,” she told him. “You’re Doctor McCoy.”
And now Bones was taken by surprise. “I am.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” She stuck her hand out and they both shook it. “But what are you doing here? This is a private party, as far as I’m aware. I’m not kicking you out, by the way. I’m just wondering.”
Jim was looking sheepish when he said, “We sort of just wandered in? We got kicked out of a bar - for stupid reasons, may I add - but we didn’t feel like the night was over yet and somehow ended up here. We weren’t gonna stay long.”
“Oh, but now you have to! I’d love to hear about all the adventures you’ve had up there, and I’m sure the rest are too.”
And that was how they ended up on the couch with a sea of college kids sitting around them, retelling story after story until Jim was suddenly spewing out details Bones wished he would’ve kept to himself. He was sure those beers they kept finding in their hands had something to do with it. He wished he could remember more, but the latter part of the night was too blurry to make sense, and when Bones woke up it was to an empty house with Jim nowhere in sight.
Well, shit.
***
This was not how he’d imagined his first night on Earth, but it wasn’t necessarily a rare night, but his morning however was one of a kind. He woke up more exhausted than he was on the goddamn Enterprise, but at least he’d slept for about five hours undisturbed. The clock in the kitchen told him it was around nine in the morning, and he found a full coffee pot on the counter. The coffee was cold, but it would have to do.
It was only after he’d taken his third sip that he realized he was alone, and he really meant entirely alone.
After checking every room and nook of this unknown house, he downed the rest of his drink and journeyed outside, more than a little panicked.
“Jim?” he called out, almost expecting his voice to reply from a bush or something, but getting nothing. “Jim, where the hell are you?”
Oh, he was proper panicking now.
He ran back inside, his voice echoing in the hallway even though he knew he was alone. This place wasn’t too far from their temporary apartment, but would Jim have left him and gone home? Should he go back there and check? Should he just wait around for him to appear? Too many options to an extremely unclear situation, and he had no idea what to do.
God, he needed a nap. He’d barely been awake ten minutes and this day was already exhausting.
Settling down on the couch in order to calm himself - something that had been drilled into their heads during their Academy days, since a panicked mind was an irrational mind - he tried to breathe, to reevaluate the situation, and that was when Jim fucking Kirk wandered into the house again with the girl from last night, a few people right behind them.
“Oh, good, you’re awake.”
“And you’re a dead man,” Bones replied, his voice eerily steady as he rose. “Where the hell were you?”
Jim lifted a bag sheepishly. “Buying breakfast to ward off these hangovers. Didn’t you see my note?”
“What note?” He caught sight of a piece of paper right as he said it; sitting on the floor next to where he’d been sleeping. He’d completely missed it. “Oh.”
“You panicked, didn’t you?”
“Can you blame me?”
The girl, sans blue lipstick, grabbed the bag from Jim’s hands. “We’ll start on this,” she said cheerfully, and suddenly the two of them were alone.
“Hey,” Jim said, suddenly right in front of him. “It’s okay. You know I would never leave you, right?”
“Not voluntarily.”
Jim licked his lips. “It’s all right, Bones. I’m fine. This time I’m fine.”
Bones liked that he didn’t make fun of his concern, but he felt so emotionally drained now that he simply sighed and let his head fall onto Jim’s shoulder for a brief moment. “God, you’re gonna be the death of me, kid.”
“Hopefully we still have a few years left,” Jim replied, ruffling his hair in a way that he hadn’t done since they both were in school and Bones had a breakdown of some sorts. “Come on. Let’s go help with breakfast. I got you that disgusting - sorry, organic - juice that you like.”
And just like that Bones had forgiven him.
***
“Bones, I’m bored.”
Bones ignored him.
“Bones.”
No reply.
“Bones. Hey, Bones. Bones, Bones, Bones.”
“And what am I supposed to do about your boredom, exactly?”
“Cure it.”
“I’m not that kind of doctor.”
“What type of doctor are you then?”
“One that has to put up with your antics, apparently.”
Jim grinned, all teeth and energy and mischief.
They were in their apartment, Bones on the couch, Jim anywhere his feet would take him. He was currently sitting in front of him on the floor, trying to send puppy eyes his way or something. It was almost working.
“Bones, let’s do something.”
“Or we can rest, like we came here to do?”
“We’re supposed to rest when we go to the country. Not here, where there are things to do and people to see in every corner.”
“Nova, you’re going to-”
“-be the death of you. I know.”
Bones let Jim drag him out, but he made sure to look grumpy about it the entire time. They ended up in some sort of shopping mall, and Jim wasted no time before entering the weirdest looking shop of them all.
“Hey, you think we should get the crew souvenirs? At least to some of them? Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, Spock?”
“No. We’re not here to waste money, and I don’t think they would expect anything anyway. Besides, we can’t get all of them something and it would be weird only getting something for certain people, at least if it’s from the Captain.”
“I guess you’re right,” Jim replied, almost sadly, putting down the box that was shaped as a skull that he’d been examining.
“I guess my job for today is to prevent you from buying unnecessary trinkets,” Bones said when his friend reached for another box that was shaped as a ball (where was the logic in that?).
“I’m sure I’ll stop hating you for it when we’re back on the Enterprise.”
“Or you’ll hate me for the rest of your life.”
“Also a possibility.”
In the end Bones let him buy a cup that was decorated with spaceships, but only because he’d decided to buy himself an identical one (as a private joke, but Jim smirked knowingly at him nevertheless).
***
“Bones? You awake?”
Bones, half asleep, cracked an eye open to look at him. “Jim?”
Jim was sitting up in his bed, a dark looming shadow that Bones was scared of for only a second. He was looking straight at him. “This is real life, right? I’m not dreaming or… or death dreaming or something, right?”
Bones was confused, but the more his mind woke up the more sense it made. “This is real life, kid. You’re okay.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am. I made damn sure of that. Now come here.”
Jim did; took the one step he needed to take in order to get to Bones’ bed and settled down under the covers beside him, even though the bed was smaller than the ones on the Enterprise. Even though they would be touching, one way or another, all night.
They were okay with that.
***
They ended their shore leave in a cabin several hours away from their previous apartment. It was surrounded by trees and fields, and only a short distance from a beach that no one ever went to. The woman they’d rented the cabin from had told them this place had a bad reputation, but they couldn’t for the life of them figure out why.
Sure, the water wasn’t the cleanest or bluest, and the beach was mostly rocks than sand, but Jim seemed content anyway, sticking his toes into the beach where he was sitting, letting the water wet his feet and calves.
Bones was happy to remain dry and was sitting on a rock a bit away, watching his friend and the sea and the sunset. He had to admit it was calming. They’d already been here a few days, spending their time taking walks and playing games and swapping stories they’d probably heard before. And they always ended their days here, on the beach, with the sun setting before them.
“I’m gonna miss this,” Jim said, his voice eerily loud in the silence. “Won’t you?”
Bones nodded when Jim looked back at him. “I’ve missed being busy, though.”
“Me too. I’m getting a little restless.”
“I’m sure we’ll curse our past selves in a week’s time.”
“Oh, most definitely.”
They smiled. They fell silent. They closed their eyes and breathed and just existed. For just a moment they were just two people, hidden away from the world.
“I still want to know why this place has a bad reputation,” Jim said as they walked back to their cottage. “I mean, what can be so bad that no one wants to come here?”
Maybe the random herd of cows and sheep that woke them up had something to do with it, but there was a charm in that wake up call, they decided.
***
“Captain. I trust the trip was a success.”
“Yes, Spock. We feel like new people, don’t we, Bones?”
“Give me an hour and I’ll be back to normal.”
“Oh, I have no doubt about that.”
Bones had trouble sleeping as soon as they got back on the Enterprise, but he hadn’t expected anything else. He felt better though. Calmer. This shore leave really had helped, and he could tell it was the same for Jim.
That didn’t mean they didn’t end up in each other’s rooms every other night, of course. It just meant that they were fine during the nights that they didn’t.
speedygal said: YOU’RE A GOOD WRITER NOW WRITE THEM DOING ANY OF THE HEADCANONS. YOU’RE EXCELLENT. TOTALLY, EXCELLENT! MAKE A DRABBLE, WE’LL LOVE YOU TO RISA!
Ohmegosh ~ okay first of all THANK YOU SO MUCH <3 I’M SUPER FLATTERED!!!!
And yeah, okay, I will write some of those headcanons! so many fanfics to write so little time
Thanks again :*
