Fandom: Star Trek (AOS/TOS).
Pairing: Reader x Chekov.
Prompt: This is for @youre-on-a-starship ‘s #YOASS1000followerhypetrain. My prompts were intensify, double, and calculation.
Word Count: 1191.
Warnings: None, pure fluff.
Rating: Teen+.
Author’s Note: Congrats again on 1k, Alex! I hope I’ve done these prompts justice! The title comes from a George Cukor quote: “looking for love is tricky business, like whipping a carousel horse.”
Tricky Business
You laugh as the adorable, curly-haired man next to you tries yet another tired, old pickup line on you, pushing another glass of your preferred cocktail across the bar towards you as he drinks his vodka neat. He’d already won your heart with his good looks, cute accent, and general easy demeanor, but you were egging him on anyway, wondering just what kinds of ridiculous things he’d come up with to try to win your favor.
“According to the calculation I have just performed,” he intoned loudly over the thumping bassline emanating from the overhead sound system in the club. “If you double your alcohol intake, the intensity of your feelings for me should increase exponentially.”
You shake your head, leaning in closer to him, feeling a stray curl tickle at your cheek as you put your lips close to his hear so you can be heard over the din.
“I’d rather be sober enough to remember you, Pavel,” you murmur.
“Oh,” he deadpans, and then his expression brightens to one of understanding. “Oh! Yes! I would very much like that, too, Y/N.”
You pick up the glass he’s slid in your direction and take a long draught of the fruity drink, feeling your head swim a little from the alcohol. Giggling, you finish it off in a couple more sips and then jerk your head at the door.
“Let’s get out of here,” you suggest. “I could use some fresh air.”
You reach out to take his hand, feeling your heart skip at the brightening of his expression. He practically throws a few credits at the bartender in his haste to get out of there with you and the two of you are both grinning like maniacs as you rush out into the cool, crisp night air.
You follow Pavel along the sidewalk as he leads you away from the city’s club district and into a quieter neighborhood. With anyone else you’d be nervous, but he’s the kind of sweet, innocent, salt-of-the-earth person that you know would never hurt you and so you allow yourself to be led in a silence only punctuated by your breathing.
“Where are we going?” You ask him after a moment.
“You will see, krasavitsa,” he replies. “Do you not trust me?”
“I’ve only just met you!” You answer with a laugh.
“You have all night to get to know me, then,” he assures you. “Come, we are almost there!”
You glance around at the trees lining the sidewalk as he leads you into a small park. You’re a little nervous at first, but the anxiety is quickly forgotten as you begin to pick up faint notes of music being carried in the evening air around you. You strain to listen, your eyes widening as it grows louder and you realize that it’s organ music like that which you’ve heard played in old movies. You’re about to ask Pavel whether he knows where the music is coming from when you round a bend in the path and it opens onto a field across which sits a brightly lit carousel. It’s slowly turning and you can see a few people on its carved horses. Your eyes widen in surprise and you glance at Pavel, who is smiling sweetly.
“Come on,” he says excitedly.
You jog across the field with him, stopping at the ride’s gate. The operator greets you with a smile and an incline of his head and slows the carousel to a stop. Pavel opens the gate for you, letting you step through it first and clamber up onto the platform. You glance around, admiring the intricately carved, beautifully painted horses and the golden trim, and wait for Pavel to join you before picking two horses next to one another.
“Allow me,” he offers, holding a hand out to you as you step closer.
You take it and let him steady you as you place a foot in the nearest stirrup, pulling yourself up onto the horse without much difficulty. You watch him as he climbs onto the one next to you and bite your lip playfully as the music begins again and the carousel starts to move. Your head is still spinning a little from the alcohol but the night air is helping clear the cobwebs as it blows softly by you while the ride circles around and around.
As the ride goes on, you rest your head against the pole the horse is mounted on and look over at Pavel, holding his gaze and watching the reflections of the carousel’s twinkling lights dance in his eyes. You’ve only just met him, but you can’t help feeling inexplicably drawn to him. You want to spend the night with him, sit on the couch, learn all you can about him and maybe, just maybe, share a kiss or two. You’re not the kind of woman who makes a habit out of sleeping with strangers, but you wouldn’t say no to falling asleep in his arms as you fight the clock, trying to make it ‘til morning so you can watch the sun rise.
Before long, the carousel grinds to a halt and Pavel hops down off of his horse, holding a hand out to you again. You stumble as you step down, flailing a moment and finding yourself pressed up against his chest. Your hands find themselves on his waist and you look up at him, blushing as you pull away and straighten up to your full height.
“Are you alright, Y/N?” Pavel asks, concerned.
You nod quickly.
“Fine!” You reply. “Just fine… but maybe you should stay close by on the walk home? Just to make sure I don’t trip and fall…”
Pavel hooks an arm around your waist, pulling you in close.
“Is that an invitation?” He asks.
You nod.
“Yes,” you affirm with a nod. “I believe it is.”
Pavel’s grin is so bright it threatens to blind you as he leads you off of the ride and into the night, heading for your apartment. You feel giddy and it’s all you can do to keep from pulling on Pavel’s arm and pulling him close to press a deep and passionate kiss to his lips.
Oh, to hell with it.
Pavel’s noise of alarm is silenced as your lips come into contact with his in the wake of you yanking on his arm and you feel him respond immediately. It’s awkward – it’s been a while since you’ve kissed anyone and you’re excited and nervous – but it feels right. There’s a chemistry between the two of you and you can’t wait to explore it.
Intro: So this is my entry into the @youre-on-a-starship 1000 follower challenge! Thanks for holding it and letting me participate!
My words were BURN, FAIR, AND EPICALYX (I actually found a place for that word quite easily, even though it was the weirdest)
An epicalyx is the base of a flower bud. I think. I instantly thought Sulu.
Pairing: Bones x reader
Word Count: 1,478
Summary: No real summary. Gala fun. Slight description of a burn. Fluff.
-Enjoy!-
"I'm fine, Len, I promise." You hissed through your teeth as you held the com to your mouth.
"Darlin', you get your ass down here, or so help me..." Leonard growled, and you could hear the threat in his voice.
"Fine. FINE. I'll be right there, and not because you are threatening me like a child, but because it damn hurts." You snapped the com shut and pressed it to your forehead in frustration.
Striding down the hall to the medbay you could swear steam was coming out of your ears. You got a few wayward, curious glances as you marched down the hall in a full length gown, your hair half done and your face set with anger as you cradled your arm to your chest.
If you could have flung the door open, you would have, but you settled for angrily stomping through the automated doors into the medbay and straight up to Leonard who was talking to a nurse.
His eyebrow raised when you sauntered up, the nurse taking one look at you in your fancy gown, hand on hip, fury in your eyes and ducked away.
Leonard's eyes raked up and down your body and you tapped your heeled foot impatiently.
"You look gorgeous." He smirked and you scowled deeper at him.
"And you look like an asshole. Why the hell are you still in your uniform? We have to be down in the gala in 20 minutes." You snapped, crossing your arms unconsciously, accidentally putting pressure on the wound on your arm, which made you hiss and pull your arms away.
Leonard's gaze turned instantly from one of lust to one of concern as he took your wrist in his. He pulled you over to a biobed and whisked out the dermal regenerator, quickly beginning it's work on your skin, and you cursed yourself as you watched his legendary hands. The way he moved the device with such smooth and precise movements that could only have been due to his immense amount of practice and some damn steady hands, made you feel things.
Your mouth must have fallen open as you watched, because you felt Leonard's amused gaze on yours.
"See somethin' you like?" He voice was low and his accent was thick, stirring the butterflies in your stomach.
Though you tried to press your mouth into a tight line and glare at him as hard as you could, you couldn't help stop the grin that reached your lips at the cute little look on his face.
"So what happened again?" He asked.
You rolled your eyes, "I burned my arm with the hair straightener."
He chuckled, "You ought to be more careful, darlin'."
"It's not like I stuck it in my eye or something, Len, it was an accident."
"Well, still, that was a pretty bad burn." He finished up with the dermal regenerator, setting it down on the side table before turning back to you, his arms crossing over his chest.
"Beauty is pain." You grinned and smacked his cheek gently with your hand, "Well thanks for that, sweetheart," You pecked a kiss to his lips, "I'm back in one piece again, now let's run along and get you all prettied up before the gala."
Tugging his arm, you led him out of the medbay with surprisingly minimal protests, and you led him back to the room.
Half an hour later, you were both ready, Leonard looking sexy in his tux, and you looking classy and elegant in your full-length gown.
Leonard offered you his arm as you headed down to the hall, and excitement fluttered in your chest as you saw other crew members all dressed up for the occasion. Leonard smiled down at you, giving you a warm, fuzzy feeling that filled your heart and you leaned up and kissed his cheek.
Walking into the hall, you were amazed at the transformation, string lights strung up around the room, light music playing, chairs and tables set up around a dance floor, dozens of tables with heaping mounds of food lining the walls.
Leonard's arm slung down around your waist and his fingers brushed your ribs, making you giggle.
"They did a might-fine job in here, didn't they?" Leonard asked.
You hummed in response as you spotted Uhura across the hall, quickly pulling away from Leonard and crossing the room to embrace her with a few squeals of excitement at both of your gorgeous gowns.
The formal part of the gala was fun, a whole bunch of different crews from a whole bunch of different Starfleet ships all beamed aboard for the awards ceremony and you sat happily between Leonard and Sulu, chatting away to the rest of the table whilst dinner was consumed. Awards were given and speeches were made, and the atmosphere was light and happy as the band started up and people started moving to the dance floor.
"I can't believe Jim didn't win the Captain's award." Sulu shook his head as he took a bite off his breadstick.
"Yeah well that's what he gets for destroying the Enterprise on more than one occasion." You noted, and you heard Leonard snort and almost choke on his sip of whiskey.
"Yeah well it's still not fair." Sulu mumbled into his breadsticks.
"Did I hear my name over here?" A loud voice sounded from behind you seconds before a hand landed on your shoulder and a face appeared in between you and Leonard.
"Ah, Jim, Y/N here was just talking about the many times you blew up the Enterprise." Leonard stated, and you scowled at him, knowing all to well that if Jim wasn't between you, someone's arm would have been punched.
"Y/N! That's not very nice!" Jim gasped in mock horror and squeezed your shoulder, "I think you owe me a dance."
You met his smirk with a deadpan glare, "I don't owe you anything, Captain Destructo."
"That's it! You're dancing with me." Jim ordered, and you found yourself being pulled out of your chair, quickly setting your drink down as to not spill it.
"Hey! Jim! It's not fair if you get to dance with my girl first!" Leonard called, and you gave him a backwards glance and a shrug as Jim ignored his comment and continued to pull you towards the dance floor.
Sweeping you into his arms, Jim twirled you around the dance floor with ease and amazing agility, making you laugh when he sang along to the music and pulled you close.
"I’m just gonna warn you, Jim, that Leonard might actually strangle you if your hand gets any lower, mister handsy." You teased, and felt Jim's hand slide back up to your waist.
"Yeah, well, If looks could kill I would be dead already." Jim strained, and when he spun you around you saw Leonard sitting at the table, the deadliest glare on his face, Sulu happily chatting to him on his left.
You laughed and gave Leonard a little finger wave before getting lost in the dancing crowd again with Jim.
After a few more songs with Jim, you pulled away and sauntered back to the table, making your way up to Leonard who was engaged in conversation with Sulu. When he saw you his face lit up and he excused himself from the table, leaving Sulu looking kind of disappointed at the sudden loss of a listening ear.
"Hell, I'm glad I got myself out of there." Leonard grumbled as he approached you and pressed a kiss to your cheek.
"Why?" You asked, reaching up and fixing his hair with your fingertips.
"Sulu was going on and on about some Epic Alex thing and I had no idea what was going on."
"Oh you mean an epicalyx, the base of some flowers that..." You explained.
"Don't you dare start!" He teased sternly and grabbed you by the waist, knocking you off balance but he kept you upright, "Dance with me."
"Are you sure you don't want to talk about epicalyxs.." You began but were cut off abruptly with Leonard's lips crashing into yours, spinning you into a heated kiss for a moment before pulling away, leaving you dizzy and tingly.
"Darlin', if I hear that word one more time you'll be sorry." His voice was low and rugged as he pressed his forehead to yours, his hazel eyes sparkling.
You smiled at him as the song changed, this time to a slow one, and you lead him to the dance floor, pulling him close, lavishing in the heat of his hands on your waist and hips.
"I’m gonna kill Jim for stealing you away from me." Leonard griped.
"Why so jealous, Dr. McCoy?" You purred into his ear, stroking your fingers down his neck, making the tips of his ears turn red, "Don't worry, sweetheart, I am going to be dancing with you all night."
The corner of Leonard's lips turned upwards and you smothered his smile with a sultry kiss, and now it was your ears turning red, along with your cheeks, at the heat of the kiss.
Leonard pulled away, smiling, keeping your body pressed flush to his, "That's my girl."
-Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!-
Permanent Tag List (let me know if you’d like to be added): @feelmyroarrrr @jefferson-in-the-tardis @anyakinamidala @digitalmoonhowell @trekken81 @yourtropegirl @fandomheadrush
Fandom: Star Trek AoS
Concept: 3 word prompt for @youre-on-a-starship ‘s 1,000 follower challenge. Words were Spring, Consumer, and Get.
Warning: 1 swear word
Word Count: 1387
Author’s Note: Love @youre-on-a-starship ‘s writing, check it out! Requests are open!
"McCoy, anything important I should know about the planet in the toxicity area?" The captain asked the group sat around his table.
"No sir, not as far as we're aware. Just a few things like stinging nettles and berries. You medic, Johnny has been briefed on it already," The doctor summarized.
"Cool," the captain said, flipping through the pages of the report lazily. "Uhura?"
"Our universal translators are equipped to translate the Trelitte's language sir, but I would warn you immediately about the palms of your hands, they consider it offensive for them to be presented to them, hold your hand out face down," The linguistics officer spoke quickly.
"Weird handshakes, got it. No need to talk about economics, theology anyone?" the captain continued leafing through the lengthy report on Trelitte.
"Sir," you squeaked.
"Yes, Lieutenant…" The captain sat up in his seat and swiveled his chair towards you at the left end of the table.
"Y/L/N sir. I work in the economics department," You said, trying to stop your heart racing, willing yourself to gather confidence.
"I thought we just went over the economics portion of the report." He pointed out, gesturing to the pages he had turned on his report.
"Yes sir, but I really think you should know about the role of the consumer in this culture, it's quite abnormal sir, you see-"
"Lieutenant Y/L/N, I'm sure it's fascinating, but we won’t be on the planet long enough to have to buy anything, besides, we're there diplomatically, I'm certain we won’t even see a market," He dismissed. Against your wishes, you felt your head nodding up and down, your cheeks growing warm.
"S-sorry sir," you hung your head, sitting back in your seat.
"Not a problem Lieutenant, you're just doing your job. So am I. Now, where were we? Theology?"
As we walked out of the briefing you couldn’t help the burning in your chest. This happened every time; you spent hours researching and writing a report and it was completely ignored. Every. Single. Time. You'd think you'd get used to it, but it always hurt a little anyways.
As you were beginning to emerge from your sulking and consequently wondering what to do with the rest of your free hour, your best friend Paula saved you by rounding the corner 10 meters ahead of you and shouting unabashedly,
"Y/N HOW WAS YOUR MEETING WITH THE SEXIEST CAPTAIN IN STAR FLEET?"
Closing the distance between you, you speed-walked towards her and clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Paula, why would you shout like that? What if someone heard you?" She grinned against your hand.
"Oh yes, god forbid Kirk know you had a crush on him, you'd probably spontaneously combust from the flames on your cheeks," She laughed loudly, removing your hand from her face. That was your best friend: loud, sarcastic, sometimes borderline rude. She was just like her boss, the king of quips and redshirts, Montgomery Scotty himself.
"It wouldn't matter to him, he's got so many girls trailing behind him. He's never looked at me before, I don't even think he realizes it's always me he ignores in briefings. You know, the same person?" you trailed, more to yourself than to dissuade your cheeky friend who bore a grin that could compete easily with that of the Grinch himself.
"You didn't have to sound so jealous you know?" she elbowed your ribs suggestively. You took a deep breath and registered the large rumbling in your stomach. You released your breath through your nose.
"Ok whatever," you said, raising your hands in mock surrender, "Now I'm pissed and hungry, can we go get some food?" You huffed, leading the way towards the mess hall.
Time skip because I'M GIVIN' 'ER ALL SHE'S GOT CAPTAIN
"Ok, but you totally cheated in that last round of cards," Paula laughed, turning to face you as she flitted carelessly down the corridor.
"I did not-oh!" your breath left you as you turned the corner to see a swarm of medics pulling people in a large range of conditions through the bolt doors of the med bay.
"What the hell?" Paula breathed, coming up behind you. As you stood there, the CMO, Dr. McCoy saw the two of you and called,
"Can you give us a hand carrying people in please?" Paula turned to an outgoing blue shirt and followed her. You ran to help him with the man the chief was dragging along, one limp shoulder slung across his, bunching his blue uniform at his neck.
"What happened here?" you asked, heaving the heavy red shirt along with McCoy.
"The away team, they had an incident," He grunted as you crossed the threshold of the bay, "Something about a Spring-time ritual…" he trailed off as you reached the bio bed he had directed you to.
"Wait, you mean the Spring ritual where the consumer is supplied by the producer, the rough translation being the 'Professional Gift-Giving'?" You asked rhetorically, "I'm gonna kill that goddamn man," you raged under your breath. McCoy chuckled,
"I really can't recommend that, in the interest of keeping everyone on board safe? Though out of interest, at who are your murderous intentions aimed?"
"The Captain. Kirk McStupid-Face. If he'd read my goddamn report for once in his life then he would have known what to do and no one would have been hurt. But nooooo, 'Oooh Lieutenant Y/L/N, I'm sure it's fascinating… Oooh Lieutenant Y/L/N, we won’t be on the planet long enough to have to buy anything,'. If he'd get the stick out of his ass and take me seriously for once, no one would have been hurt," You mocked the Captain's deep voice as the frustration flowed out of you. You noticed McCoy smirking and glancing over your shoulder but thought nothing of it, you were on a roll dammit. "I know economics is boring to most people, but it's one of the most goddamn important things to know about new planets and species. Not all races have religion, but he always hears the Theology department. Every species has an economic system of some sort. Every. Single. One of them, but does he care? Nooo he won’t need it. I swear to god I'm going to-" as you turned, your heart stopped.
There, standing and holding a cloth to his eye was the Captain himself. Shit.
Both he and the doctor were silent as you stood frozen between them, wishing you could turn back around. Or drop dead.
The seconds felt like minutes, like hours. Finally, Kirk moved.
He smiled.
At first it was just a twitch on his lips, then a grin. Then the lips parted slightly more and laughs began to spill from his mouth until his head was thrown backwards with laughter so hard he wobbled on his feet, the strong movements throwing his balance.
"You should have seen your face when you turned around," he gasped through his laughter, moving the cloth to underneath his eye, wiping at the tears that rolled from his cheeks. You relaxed slightly but didn't move, "You've gone so pale," he howled, "What was it you called me? Kirk McStupid-Face? Amazing," the recollection of the name brought a fresh round of tears.
"I-I… I apologize Captain," you spoke slowly, as though treading on eggshells. Your tone stopped his laughter suddenly.
"Why are you sorry? You were right, I should have listened to you," his eyebrows creased in worry. You blinked, bewildered. "No Lieutenant, I apologize to you. I should listen to my officers when they voice a concern, especially in a department that so directly affects our relations with the planet. I promise from now on if there's something you feel I should know, I will listen, ok?" You stood aghast, your jaw hanging open. "Just don't stop speaking your mind in briefings ok? I depend on your expertise," he smiled, taking your hand and shaking it.
Just as you dropped his hand and gave him a polite smile, you heard a voice shout from across the room,
"GET IT Y/N!"
You turned, your cheeks burning to behold one Scotty, leaning heavily on one Paula.
"I swear to god," you muttered, beginning an intimidating march towards them as someone's hand caught your arm.
What happened next is your story to tell.
Thank you all so much for participating in my 1000 Follower Challenge. I still can’t believe that there’s that many of you (and in the time since, so many more) following me. I am speechless and humbled.
Please find all the entries below along with their authors. I hope you enjoy all this amazing work!
I’m listing these in order of sign up, as that’s how I have them in my spreadsheet.
Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover by @trekken81
Tricky Business by @outside-the-government
Supplementary, Arm, and Ruin by @star-trekkin-across-theuniverse
Dance with Me by @kaitymccoy123
Lost Shoes by @trek-wars-and-sushi
A Miner Issue by @pokeharvest
Who the Hell Hosts a Boxing Card on Vulcan? by @iwillbeyourtrashfriend
A Crack in the Looking Glass by @jmkfan
Thank you all once again for your love and support; you’ve made this whole endeavor so rewarding <3
Hey, @youre-on-a-starship! Here’s my submission for your 1000 follower party!
Word Count: 759
Author’s Note: My words were: SUPPLEMENTARY, ARM and RUIN.
“We’re losing altitude, Captain,” you reported across the communication frequency. The shuttle had hit some sort of interference field entering the atmosphere of the uncharted planet, and the power was failing. Life support systems were just barely functional, and the fuel cells were reading as depleted. The communications system crackled in response. “And apparently we’re not getting through to you anymore either.” You sighed. With careful maneuvering, you managed to navigate the shuttle into a grassy expanse surrounded by trees. You looked back at the rest of the away team and sighed again.
“Now what?” One of the security team asked. “The whole point of this mission is moot without power.”
“I’ll have supplementary systems online within the hour,” you countered. “The mission parameters remain the same. Find and collect samples of the flora of this planet. Hendorff, stay with me. The rest of you will support the science team.”
Hendorff nodded and assisted the rest of the team in exiting the shuttle for their mission before returning to watch you work. “Let me know if you need me to do anything,” he offered.
“You bet, cupcake,” you smiled from under the console. You felt him give you a gentle punch in the arm. He wasn’t wild about the nickname, but Captain Kirk had used it, and it just stuck. What Hendorff tried to cover up was what a softy he really was. The nickname suited him, and you weren’t the only one who realized it.
After checking all the circuits under the flight and steering console, you moved to the fuel cells, and checked the connections. All the contacts and couplings were reporting clean without interference. You moved outside the ship and opened up the engine bay to look. You let out a strangled noise of frustration and then sighed, thumping your head against the side of the shuttle.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” you mumbled, hitting your head with each curse. Hendorff’s head popped out from the shuttle.
“What’s going on?” He asked.
“Look at the engine,” you pointed. “Something leaked in there. Most of the wires are fried, and I don’t just mean overloaded, I mean some of them have melted. The engine is ruined.”
“Let me take a look,” he offered. You raised an eyebrow.
“You’re going to fix it?” You asked.
“I worked in the Iowa shipyard until I joined Starfleet, Y/N,” he explained. “I know a thing or two about these shuttles.” You stepped away in response and sat down on the step into the shuttle to watch. He poked around, grunting and mumbling to himself a little. He stood up and stepped past you into the shuttle, bringing out the toolkit, and returning to work. He continued working the entire time the science team was away, stopping only once to peel off his red tunic in the heat of the sun. His black undershirt shone with sweat.
One by one, the science team returned, laden with samples. One of them had so many, the security officer was also carrying them. You checked the time, and looked over at Hendorff, filthy, sweaty and looking smug.
“Do your engine check now,” he suggested, wiping his hands on a rag. You climbed into the shuttle and checked the relays and connections before initiating the power sequence. The shuttle hummed to life, and you sighed in relief.
“Everyone on and strap in. Let’s get back to the ship,” you called. You flipped the comm link open. “Lieutenant Y/L/N to Enterprise.”
“Enterprise to Y/L/N, report,” Uhura’s voice came back to you. You smiled in relief.
“We are readying for take-off and returning to the ship. All parties onboard. Please relay to Mr. Spock that there is abundant life on this planet, and many samples for assessment,” you replied as the shuttle lifted off the ground.
“Message relayed. Shuttle bay is readying for your return. Our estimate is fourteen minutes. Enterprise out.” Uhura responded. You looked over at Hendorff and smiled.
“I’ll be sure to notify the Captain how helpful you were, Hendorff,” you commented. He smirked.
“Thanks. You handled yourself well, Y/N,” he offered. “You never lost your cool.”
“I had faith we’d get out of here,” you shrugged, and then furrowed your brow in confusion. “Were you worried?”
“No, I usually sweat like a pig in cool afternoon weather. It’s my usual metabolic situation,” he retorted, the sarcasm oozing from his tone.
“And here I thought you were just working hard,” you laughed. “You kept your hand close too, cupcake. Thanks.”
‘Who the hell host a boxing card in Vulcan, Alberta, in the middle of January?’ Bones thought to himself as he walked swiftly towards the enters way of the Enterprise Entertainment Center. The cold wind feeling like a consent slap in the face, making Bones mode even worst. Why he agreed to be the resident doctor for these event he will never know. It probably has something to do with his best friend Jim Kirk, who has a habit of dragging him into things he does not want to do. The Enterprise was beginning to feel like a second home, seeing as he spent every weekend here looking over fighter, snitching up cuts, and tending to wounds. Bones was not a fan of boxing, all the blood and sweat. He could never understand why people did this for fun, but he had many friends other than Jim who partake in the sport. Finally he was greeted by the welcoming warmth of the industrial size heating as he walked through the front doors of the Enterprise. Upon his entrance he was immediately greeted by an overtly cheery Chekov, a Russian announcer who enjoyed his job way too much. On the surface Chekov look like someone who could pass for a high school kid, and he may look out of place among all the older athletes, but Bones know him better than that. He know the kid was wickedly smart, and had an engineering degree,he also knew the kid’s full time job was working on space crafts.
“Morning Doctor!” Chekov boomed, with way too much enthusiasm for this time in the morning. “Morning Chekov” Bones grunted back at him and continued to the back room where the medicadicals are being held. Chekov followed him into the room “have you checked the bouts for tonight?” Bones sighed ‘really more talking to people’ “yes, of course I did. I’m a doctor dammit not some magical unicorn dog, I need to know my patients.” Bones less than cheery mood did not deter Chekov, who kept smiling as he spoke “Okay, we can get started then!” Bones went to his medical bag to pull out all his necessary doctor things “alright let everyone in”. Chekov nodded and opened the door to the back room; a wave of noise filled the small room as fighters start to pour in. It was a true mix of people from all types of race gather here on the Enterprise. The first in line was Hikaru Sulu, a Japanese American man, and another old friend of Bones. Bones was excited to see him fight; looking slightly smaller than most of his challengers he didn’t pose as an immediate threat, but Bones knew better he had seen Sulu fight before. The guy was a badass, he stayed calm under pressure, acted quickly, and attacked with precision. “Morning Mr.Sulu how are the husband and kid?” Bones said in greeting extending his hand to Sulu. Sulu took his and gave it a firm shake, and responded to Bone’s question “morning doctor, they are very good thank you for asking.” Bones drop his hand and gestured for Sulu to sit so they could begin the medical. The medical proceeded as normal, Bones checked his breathing, blood pressure and grip strength. Small friendly conversation passed between the two of them until the medical was over and Bones had to move on to the next person. The medicals passed by quickly fighter by fighter passing through until the small room with empty once again, and Bones was royally pissed off medicals ended in 20 minutes and one fighter had yet to show up. Bones stepped out of the room and looked for Chekov, he spotted him standing next to a taller man with jet black hair and noticeably pointed ears. “Spock, Chekov where the hell is Jim?” Spock was another old friend of Bones and a regular judge in the local boxing scene. Spock was a favor for judging because he seemed to posses the ability to see only the logic is any giving scenario, including a fight. Spock and Chekov turned their attention to Bones, who was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, and a scowl on his face trying to convey how pissed off he was. Spock looked at him calmly, the guy seemed void of all emotions, like they were some boring task not worth his attention. After what felt like forever Spock finally spoke “he is in the dressing room, skipping last I saw.” Bones was slowly getting more pissed; his voice was tight when he spoke “he is here! How long has he been here?” It was Chekov who spoke next, Spock just look at Bones like he could not understand why Bones was so upset. “He has been here all morning Sir.” Now Bones was full out ragging, he didn’t even try to keep the anger out of his voice “You’re tell me he has been here this whole time and hasn’t come for the medical yet!” Chekov just gave a nervous nodded of approval “unbelievably!” Bones shouted throwing his hands in the air in defeat “everyone else has done their medical over an hour ago, I have been waiting for him for half an hour!” Chekov looked like he was at a loss of what to say next. Spock spoke up, breaking Bones out of his huff of annoyances “Prohibits you should go talk to him; inform him that he has almost missed the allotted time for medicals if he still wishes to compete in tonight's event?” Bones could not help but responded to that with sarcasm he knew would go right over Spock’s head. “Wow! Thank you Spock, the idea of dragging that son of bitch out here and making him take his medical so I can finally go home and rest before tonight actives never occurred to me.” Bones stopped off before either of the two could say anything. With quick feet Bones made his way down the hall. He could hear the sound of a skipping rope stringing the closer he got to the changing room, and it just added to his annoyance ten-fold.
Once he rounded the corner and enter the dressing room, the sight that greeted confirmed Spock’s theory. There was James T. Kirk skipping at a furious pass; beads of sweat dripped from his face contributing to the idea that he had been at it for some time now. Bones master all the energy he had left and yelled “Jim! You son of a bitch!” The rope finally stilled its movements and Jim turned to look at him, a big smell broke across his face as he saw the source of the angry insulte. “Bones!” Jim yelled back in a much happier tone as he dropped the rope by his side and went to embrace his old friend. Bones sidestepped the oncoming huge and turned so he could grab Jim by the scruff of his yellow workout shirt, and proceed to drag him out of the dressing room. “ Do you have any idea how long I have been waiting for you?” Bones hesed in his ear, not unlike a parent scolding their child for coming home late from school. Jim just chuckled and tried to keep up with Bones determined pass. “I had to warm up” Jim said trying to defend himself against Bones grumpy mood. It did not work, once they entered the back room Bones all but through Jim into the chair and turned his back to retrieve his medical tools. Spock enter the room to see Jim sitting in the chair looking like a scolded puppy, and Spock forever feeling the need to state the obvious looked at Bones and said “you found him.” Bones turned to look at Spock, right now feeling too tired to be annoyed , respond “yes Spock I did find him.” and made his way towards Jim. Spock stayed where he was and asked “was he where I said he would be?” Bones sighed, this morning was starting to feel like a whole day in itself; he looked at Spock and spoke in an exhausted voice “yes Spock he was” Spock just nodded and said “I was about 99.9% sure my guess was accurate.” Bones looked back at Spock totally at a loss of what to say when Jim finally spoke up “If you two are done now I would like to get this start, I mean I have been here all morning.” Bones scowled at Jim, gripped his arm roughly and tightened the blood pressure cuff around his arm. Jotting down the blood pressure, Bones decided the slices was getting on nerves even more than the talking was “so did you hear who you are fighting?” Jim looked up at him and smiled, he knew Bones could not stay mad at him for too long, and answered “no, I have no idea doesn’t really matter in the end, I’m going to win.” Jim always radiated confidence when it came to his boxing. It was in his blood after all, his dad had been a very talented amatrue boxer in his time. Spock choice that moment to speak up “I know who you are fighting, and may I say your odds of victory given, the skill level and strength of you and your opponent, are around 42%.” throwing out that piece of less than pleasant knowledge like he was commenting on the weather. Jim recoiled like he had just been slapped in the face. Bones could not help but chuckle at his reaction before responding “So who is this great competitor that has such amazing odds against are good friend Jim?” Spock paused for a seconded before producing the name “Hendorff”. Jim smirked, “really Hendorff? That’s who? I can take that guy no problem.” Bones smirked as well, and turned his attention to Jim “Is that so? Care to make a bet?” Jim’s smirk turned into a full on smile, and he replied “absolutely! How about if I win you owe me a drink tonight after the fight, and if you win I will buy you a drink after the fights?” Bones paused for a second to ponder the wager. Jim felt the need to egg him on “come on Bones, you're scared you’re going to lose, and be in my debt? It’s just a drink nothing illegal or too exciting.” Bones could not resisted the challenge anymore “Fine, it’s a deal” and extended a hand for Jim to shake. Jim took his hand with a shit eating grin on his face “good I love grumpy company when I drink.”
Fast forward to the evening and the Enterprise was once again buzzing with energy. It was packed with fighters and spectators alike, moving around finding where they should all be. The fighters made their way to the dressing rooms, and the spectators took their sets. Bones could hear the sound of ropes smacking the floor and gloves hitting mitts from his stop next to Spock at the judge's table. The fights were scheduled to start in half an hour; Sulu would be the first fight followed by people Bones didn’t know then Jim was the co-main event ending with the main event of Uhura versues Jaylah. Bones was slowly getting bored the day had dragged on for what felt like the longest time. Soon Bones was startled out of boredom when Chekov’s voice exploded through the speakers “attention everyone! Can I get the first fighters to ringside please.” Bones sat up straight and slid into doctor mode, alert and ready if anything did happen to go wrong.
Sulu was in the red corner he walked up to the bottom of the stairs and waited for the announcer (Chekov) to call him into the ring. Bones watched as the referee walked into the ring. Another familiar face, Scotty an engineer by day and boxing refe at night with a thick Scottish accent. Once Scotty was in the ring Chekov graded the hanging mick and spoke. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to fight night at the Enterprise Entertainment Center! Let's get started with our first fight of the evening! Fighting out of Starfleet boxing gym in the red corner Hikaru Sulu!” the crowd erupted into cheers. When the crowd settled down Chekov’s voice rang through the mick, announcing the his challenger, and the blue corner fighting out of Vengeance Boxing Gym Alexander Marcus. The crowd still cheered, though with less enthusiasm as the aging fight stepped into the ring. Scotty had both fighters walk to where he stood in the middle of the ring and spoke, Bones was close enough to the ring to hear what he said. Scotty, in his strong scottish accent, addressed the fighter “alright lads I want a clean fight, no hitting below the delt, defend yourself at all time, and follow my instructions. Understand?” when both fighter nodded their understanding he carried on “alright touch gloves”, the two fights touched their gloves together and walked back to their corners. The bell rang signalling the start of the fight. Bones watch as Sulu made quick work of Alexander. Slipping his jab and coming up with a quick jab, cross, hook combination. Slamming the hook into the side of Alexander’s temple, shattering his equilibrium, causing him to stumble back. When he was on the backs of his heels Sulu delivered an effective cross to the dead center of Alexander’s face sending him falling straight on his back. The crowed was on their feet cheering for Sulu’s victory. Sulu waiting in the white corner as Scotty did the count; Alexander tried to stand but he stumble again, as Scotty reached ten he waved his hands bring an end to the fight. The crowd made their approval known in loud hoots and hollers. Finally Alexander was able to rise to his feet and make his way to the center of the ring. Scotty, who had taken his spot in between the two fighters, took Sulu’s arm in one hand than did the same to Alexander and spoke with a smile on his face “the winner by way of knockout in the red corner Hikaru Sulu!” and raised Sulu’s arm above his head. Bones clapped for his friend and he was happy to see Alexander get knocked on his ass: he was kinda a dick most of the time.
The fights continued on one after the other. Exciting for the fans, but uneventful for Bones for there had been no blows to horrific that they needed medical attention. Then Chekov’s voice once again came through the speakers and fooled the Enterprise with his Russian accent, “Now I would like to welcome to the ring the co-main event of the night!” In the red conner fighting out of Starfleet Boxing Gym Jim Kirk.” The crowd went wild for Jim he was clearly the home favorit. Once the crowd calmed down Chekov announced the other fighter, “and in the blue corner fighting out of Vengeance Boxing Gym Hendorff.” The crowed was less pumped for Hendorff, but he still got some cheers. Jim and Hendorff walked to the middle of the ring where Scotty gave them the lowdown just like he did with the other fighters. Than they walked back to their corners’. In Jim’s corner was his long time coach Christopher Pike, who gave Jim a few last words of encouragement, which to Bones sounded almost like “don’t mess this up!” The bell sounded loudly starting the fight, Jim came out with a quick strong jab catching Hendorff by surprise and hitting him square in the face. Jim thinking he had the upper hand, dove back in with another jab, but Hendorff saw it coming and slipped under it and throw a bomb of a body to the side of Jim’s rib cage siding him wilding back. Hendorff continued his assault with a straight right, landing it right on Jim’s eye socket. Jim’s head snapped back painfully but he came back trying to throw his own combination, but there was now a cut above his right eye slowing oozing blood over his eye impairing his vision, so his punches did not land with any accrossy. Finally the bell rung and the first round was over. Bones jumped in the ring to take a look at Jim’s eye, he crouched in front of Jim who was sitting on the small stool. He looked over Jim, who was breathing heavy and looking exhausted, but he still smiled at Bones and asked “I am I still pretty doc?” Bones took to wiping the blood away from the cut “said don’t be a drama queen you’re just bleeding pretty bad, I should stop the fight.” that whipped the smile off of Jim’s face “no you can’t do that! I’m fine” “calm down Jim” said Pike who was standing beside Jim, Jim looked up at him and said “no I won't let him stop this fight” Bones crossed his arms over his chest as a show of authority “you don’t get a say I will put something on it to try and stop the bleeding, but if it opens up again I’m ending this fight” Jim looked up at Pike clearly leaving the decision up to him. Pike nodded “that seems far he said, but Jim you got to move your head this is your last warning or I’m stopping this fight you can’t take another blow like that again understand?” Jim stood up getting ready to fight again and said “yes couch” then turned his attention to Bones “I swear to God you are going to owe me that drink” Bones just laugh and got out of the ring “we will see about it” he called back at Jim as the bell for the second round. Jim moved toward Hendorff, not as aggressively as before but he was not backing down. They side stepped around each other before Hendorff got impaction and charged at Jim, who saw this coming and took a big step back and throw a left hook at the same time. Slamming into the side of Hendorff head causing him to fall over on his side with a loud thud onto the canvas. There was a dead silence in the Enterprise will Scotty counted to ten, everyone waiting to see if Hendorff would get to his feet but his body just stayed on the ground like dead weight. Finally Scotty reached ten and Hendorff had still not moved so Scotty grabe Jim’s hand and raised it over his head will Chekov’s voice came over the mike “The winning in the red corner by way of knockout Jim Kirk!” The crowed cheered loudly and Bones clapped for his friend but all he could think was ‘damit I owe him a drink now’.
The main event between Uhura and Jaylah was as fight for the ages. Those two fought tooth and nail, both to stubborn and well trained to give in. They exchanged blows for three rounds dogging each other’s punches and taking each other's blows. It was one of the best fights Bones had seen all night it was a battle to the very end, and the crowed loved it. When the fight came to an end and it was time to announce the winner . It was Uhura’s arm Scotty lifted into the air, she had won by split decision. Post fights all the excitement over Bones was once again outside the Enterprise standing in the cold waiting for Jim. He came out to meet Bones face no longer covered in blood just a large bandage over his right eye. Bones looked Jim’s over and said “I can’t believe I have to be seen in public with you and that stupid thing on your face” Jim just laughed and said in a joking tone “is that anyway to talk to someone who could kick your ass? Now you will show me some respect.” Bones scoffed and replied sarcastically “whatever you say captain” Jim wrapped a arm around Bones shoulder and pulled him close “come on Bones you know you love me” Jim said batting his eyelashes in a mock attempted to look cute. Bones removed Jim’s arm from his shoulder and said in a grumpy tone “sure I do now can we please get out of here before I freeze to death?” Jim just looked him dead in they eye and said “Now who is being a drama queen?”
Prompt: Writing challenge by @youre-on-a-starship. My words were: Quest, Terms, and Cabinet.
Word Count: 1,183
A/N: This was an interesting challenge. The story came from a dream. Thanks brain. My twin helped me with the word cabinet so the credit goes to her. It’s funny, I don’t even ship Chulu. (because I ship myself with Chekov but that’s besides the point) I added my own art for this too. Enjoy!
It was a nice, somewhat breezy afternoon at Starfleet Academy. Many students, when not in classes, were outside taking in the glorious weather. Cadets Sulu was on his way to his small fencing club he hosts. His friend, Chekov, decided to follow him there, having news for Sulu.
“You what?!” Sulu exclaimed, turning to his friend, shocked.
“I zaid I joined zhe cross-country team. Iz my English zhat bad?” Chekov replied, concerned about Sulu’s dramatic reaction.
“Wait,” Sulu said, thing over what he just heard, “You just want to beat that Jax guy, don’t you?”
“Uh…yez,” confessed Chekov, “But I’m going to beat him.”
“You know he got first place in the last two marathons right?” Stated Sulu.
“Oh,” said Chekov, looking down and muttering to himself, “I’m still going to beat him.”
“Yeah, good luck whiz kid,” Sulu said, patting his friend’s shoulder, “I’ll see you after fencing, go do something you can win at. Like chess.”
Both friends parted ways, Chekov turning and walking to his dorm.
“I’m going to end his term,” Chekov muttered confidently to himself.
~Month Later~
“Sulu, Sulu!” Chekov called, waving to his friend, sweaty from his recent run, “Check out zhese!”
He pulled up his shirt to reveal his amazing six-pack he worked on.
“Oh my gosh, you were serious,” Sulu muttered, awed.
“You doubted me?” Chekov smirked, sitting down next to sulu.
“No...yes. Anyway, this is why I haven’t been seeing you lately huh?”
“Yez, sowry about zat. Eef I vasn’t studying, eating, or sleeping, I vas training for zhe marathon. Eet’s my quest,” Chekov chatted excitedly.
“That is an odd term to use,” commented Sulu.
Chekov sighed, “English and eets confusing terms.”
Sulu laughed, “Yeah, I guess so.”
They both sat there, mostly watching other students and listening to the surrounding sounds. After a while, Sulu eyed his friends feet.
“Why are you barefoot?”
“Hm? Sowry I vas going ower stuff for zhe quiz I haff tomorrow,” Chekov apologized, running his hand through his disheveled hair.
“You’re barefoot,” Sulu pointed out again.
“Oh,” Chekov answered, looking at his feet and back at Sulu, “Iz zhere a problem vith zat?”
“No, it is just odd. Most people prefer protection on their feet so they don’t get stabbed or something.”
“Pfffft, Vhatever. Zhose veaklings can go vear zhose shoes,” Chekov said, “Oh! Zhere’s zhis redhead in zhe cross-country team.”
“And?” Sulu coaxed.
“I can’t tell eff zhey’re male or female,” Chekov sighed.
Sulu gave Chekov an odd look, “Why don’t you just ask?”
Chekov glared at his friend, “Just ask?! Are you crazy?!”
Sulu shrugged, that’s Chekov’s problem, not his, “Is it a problem?”
“Yes,” Chekov hissed.
“If it bothers you so much, just hug them,” Sulu suggested.
“Er...maybe vhen I know zhem better,” Chekov said, getting up.
“Where are you going?”
“I forgot to eat breakfast zhis morning.”
Sulu exhaled, “Of course you did. Hey, why don’t you invite the ginger?”
~Lunch~
“What made you join the cross-country team?” Sulu asked.
“Well, Starfleet doesn’t have a bowling league and I want to get some exercise so I decided cross-country was okay for me,” the ginger answered, taking a sip of their drink, “Why did you join, Chekov?”
Chekov opened his mouth but Sulu interrupted, “He’s on a quest.”
“Oh ?” They said, smiling.
Chekov glared at Sulu and cleared his throat, “I’m going to get first place in zhe marathon.”
“Wow, good luck on that one.”
“Yeah,” Sulu said, wrapping his arm around Chekov’s shoulders, “He just wants to beat Cadet Jax at everything.”
“Oh, I see,” The ginger paused then cautiously asked, “Just out of curiosity, are you two dating?”
Chekov and Sulu froze, blushing intensely. They then proceeded to laugh nervously as Sulu returned his arm to his side and stood up, “I’ll see you later, Chekov. Nice to meet you...wait we didn’t get your name.”
“Oh, it’s Gurewitz.” They replied, “Sorry about that comment too.”
“It’s okay,” Sulu replied, waving and walking out of the store.
“He’s gay,” Chekov said.
“Well that doesn’t make me feel too bad,” Gurewitz replied, looking down shyly, “What about you?”
“Er… I’m bi,” Chekov said.
“So you’re not dating yet,” They teased.
“Yeah, somesing like zat,” the Russian replied awkwardly, running his hand through his hair, the blush still lingering.
“Okay, I have to go, see you at practice, whiz kid,” Gurewitz said, getting up and giving Chekov a little wave.
Chekov folded his hands together and rested his chin on them. Do I haff a chance vith Sulu? He thought, staring out the window next to him.
~Day of the Marathon~
The weather was perfect with its spring-like temperatures and slight breeze. The runners decided to race earlier than the pre-prepared time. Around nine A.M. they started, over time the race took its toll on the racers. Well everyone except Cadet Chekov and his rival, Jax. Two thirds though, Chekov glanced over his shoulder and saw that Jax was the only one close to him. Zhis izn’t too hard Chekov thought before karma came and tripped him, making him lose his shoe. Vell, looks like I’m going to haff to lose zhe other he thought, slipping his remaining shoe and socks off. While he was doing that Jax passed him.
“Nice try, whiz kid!” Jax yelled over his shoulder.
Not allowing him to win over such a petty thing, Chekov sprinted after him. When the finish line was in sight, Jax was still ahead. Mustering all the energy Chekov had left he bolted to the line. Just when Jax was about to cross, Chekov whizzed past him, successively achieving his quest.
After the awards were given, Chekov and Sulu found Gurewitz sprawled out on the grass, trying to calm their breathing.
“Hello,” Chekov said.
“I am,” they took a breathe, “not doing,” another breathe, “That again. Thank-you-very-much,” They said, taking deep breathes.
“At least you didn’t lose your shoes,” Chekov remarked.
Gurewitz snorted, slowly getting up and brushing the loose grass off them. Chekov walked forward and hugged them.
“Good job on zhe race,” He said then exclaimed, “You’re a girl!”
Both Sulu and Chekov shook their heads as she burst out laughing, “You could have asked.”
“Well, it isn’t the type of question you just ask on the spot,” Sulu said.
“True. Well I’m hungry and tired so I will see you two later. Bye!” Gurewitz waved, slowly walking away.
~Evening~
Sulu and Chekov were sitting on the main stairs, watching the sun drip below the horizon when Chekov blurted out, “Zat’s eet! I’m coming out of zhe cabinet!”
“You mean closet,” Sulu corrected.
“Черт побери!” Chekov yelled, “English and eets confusing terms!”
After his little fit, Chekov sat there, arms crossed, and face red, looking straight ahead completely silent. Sulu looked over at his frustrated friend and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. Chekov’s face became a deeper shade of crimson.
“You’ll get it someday,” Sulu reassured, rubbing his friend’s back.
I’m humbled. Gobsmacked. When I started this blog, I didn’t think I’d get 50 followers, 50 people who enjoy my work enough to stick around and read more. But here you all are, 1000 of you.
Being a writer is hard, particularly when you’re trying to make it your career. Having the support, feedback, and reassurance of so many people looking at your work is priceless.
I appreciate every single one of you. You are important to me. I love you so much!
Of course, it wouldn’t be a milestone like this without a celebration. So we’re going to celebrate.
This time around, we’re doing 2 things.
1) I’m doing drabbles. Send me a one liner or an image (it doesn’t have to be from ST, it can be, like, a park bench or something) and a character and I will write a 100-200 word drabble for you. I’ll be taking my time with these; I won’t be marathoning them like I do with headcanons. I will only be accepting 30 of these, so get your requests in ASAP.
2) I’m going to be holding a challenge for you to participate in! Since I’m a sucker for words, we’re going to be doing a word-based challenge. Send me an ask expressing interest and I will randomly generate three words. You must incorporate all three words into your piece. I’ll be making a masterlist of these when they’re all done.
You can choose any character or pairing, and you can use any format you like be it traditional fanfic, reader insert, poetry... anything. I am also opening this to fanart because I love fanart but I suck at drawing. So if you draw but don’t write, feel free to get in on this.
I’ve got a short handful of rules:
- You must tag me @youre-on-a-starship and within the first 5 tags use the hashtag #yoass1000followerhypetrain (Thanks to @stargirlhorse for pointing out that the acronym for my blog is, in fact, yoass.) Sometimes tagging the username doesn’t work and I don’t want to miss any submissions.
- You have until April Fool’s Day - Saturday, April 1, 2017 - to get your submission in. I’m giving you two whole months to get ‘er done! I will be making a library of submissions after this deadline.
- There is no minimum or maximum word count. If you want to write me a drabble, bomb. If you want to write me a novel, cool!
- You absolutely have to send me an ask to express interest. I am tracking participants this way and anyway, you can’t get your prompt otherwise, so.
- I will not be accepting Anon requests for this challenge (although you may request one of the drabbles mentioned above on Anon). You have to sign up with your username so that I can keep better track of people and their progress.
Thank you all so much once again for your love and support. You’ve given me hope that I might one day be able to achieve my dreams. I love each and every one of you and I can’t wait to see your submissions.
