[fill] The Properties of Flesh; NC-17 6/?
anonymous
March 27 2011, 15:25:06 UTC
Jim remained at Bones' bedside until he woke once more, lucid and more like his usual self. M'Benga appeared instantly, letting Bones sit up and test out his healing back.
"How do you feel, sir?" M'Benga asked lightly, PADD in hand.
"Like a six ton semi just ran me over," Bones grumped. Jim smiled at M'Benga's face, who obviously missed the reference. "Can I go now?"
"After I run the standard tests, sir," M'Benga said, a little too cheerfully at having his CO under his thumb. Bones rolled his eyes as M'Benga poked and prodded at the skin at his back, and then finally announced he was fit for light duty. Emphasis on light. Pointed look at Jim.
"I need a shower," Bones grumbled, sliding from the bed to climb into the civvies Jim had fetched for him.
"Sponge baths weren't a 'thing' for you?" Jim teased. Bones scowled at him as he tugged his shirt over his head haltingly. Jim resisted the urge to help him, merely held the doors as they wandered out into the bustle of the main corridor. "My pad or yours?" Jim asked as they walked towards the living quarters.
Anxiety spiked as Bones hesitated for a good, long moment before answering. "Jim, I need some time to myself," Bones finally said, accompanied by a heavy exhale. "I just got out of the hospital, I feel like I have six layers of grime on me and I'm still really tired-"
"Okay," Jim said, a bit too quickly. "Okay, that's fine. I'll swing by with dinner a little later, right?"
"Sounds like a date," Bones said with a small smile. "You better bring the booze too."
"Come on, Bones, who do you think you're talking to?" Jim watched him take the turn that would lead him to his quarters. He watched until Bones' slightly tense gait disappeared, rounding another corner, out of sight. Jim folded his arms over his chest and curled his hands into fists so tightly it hurt. Of course Bones needed time to himself. He was a solitary person, who licked his wounds in private. Loudly, and most times drunkenly, but he kept the worst injuries to himself, and that knowledge was what gathered like ice in the pit of Jim's stomach. Bones would never let on how badly he was shaken by the mission. Not to Jim, who had caused the damage.
Jim made his way back to his own quarters, sitting down to begin writing his mission report. Half of him didn't even want to go back down to that cursed planet, but the Federation had clearly been interested in a certain plant that grew only in this quadrant with special medicinal purpose. Jim felt his heart clench. Even Bones would want the negotiations to go through, after everything. Even if the price was a little skin off his back...
The familiar nausea reared its head with a vengeance, but Jim had nothing in his gut to release. He stumbled into his 'fresher and dry-heaved into the toilet, resting against the wall as he tried to gather himself. One hand gripped the PADD, a message ready to send to Sulu at the touch of a button. Jim had just decided not to send it when his door chime sang.
"Who's there?" Jim asked, surprised at the hoarseness of his own voice.
"It's Sulu, sir."
Surprise flickered through Jim. "Enter," he said, glancing at the PADD. He hadn't accidentally sent the message, it was still there on his display. "Are you psychic?" Jim asked stupidly when his Japanese pilot came into view. Sulu smirked.
"No, sir, I heard from Uhura that you looked like shit and were on your way to your rooms." He flopped onto the pristine tile of Jim's 'fresher, and rested one arm easily on a bent knee. "I sent Chekov to McCoy," Sulu started, flicking his dark eyes towards the sonic. Jim couldn't take his eyes off his pilot. "The first time we tried flogging, I hadn't done quite enough research," Sulu started, taking a deep breath. "I ended up almost rupturing one of Pavel's kidneys, and I caused some pretty bad internal bleeding. Needless to say, it was a while before we could try it again. It was a while before we could try anything again, honestly. I didn't trust myself, and Pavel couldn't trust me." Sulu rolled his head against the vanity cabinet to catch Jim's wide eyes. "I know it's not the same situation. We had preparation and planning, but you two are strong together. You'll be able to pull through."
"How do you feel, sir?" M'Benga asked lightly, PADD in hand.
"Like a six ton semi just ran me over," Bones grumped. Jim smiled at M'Benga's face, who obviously missed the reference. "Can I go now?"
"After I run the standard tests, sir," M'Benga said, a little too cheerfully at having his CO under his thumb. Bones rolled his eyes as M'Benga poked and prodded at the skin at his back, and then finally announced he was fit for light duty. Emphasis on light. Pointed look at Jim.
"I need a shower," Bones grumbled, sliding from the bed to climb into the civvies Jim had fetched for him.
"Sponge baths weren't a 'thing' for you?" Jim teased. Bones scowled at him as he tugged his shirt over his head haltingly. Jim resisted the urge to help him, merely held the doors as they wandered out into the bustle of the main corridor. "My pad or yours?" Jim asked as they walked towards the living quarters.
Anxiety spiked as Bones hesitated for a good, long moment before answering. "Jim, I need some time to myself," Bones finally said, accompanied by a heavy exhale. "I just got out of the hospital, I feel like I have six layers of grime on me and I'm still really tired-"
"Okay," Jim said, a bit too quickly. "Okay, that's fine. I'll swing by with dinner a little later, right?"
"Sounds like a date," Bones said with a small smile. "You better bring the booze too."
"Come on, Bones, who do you think you're talking to?" Jim watched him take the turn that would lead him to his quarters. He watched until Bones' slightly tense gait disappeared, rounding another corner, out of sight. Jim folded his arms over his chest and curled his hands into fists so tightly it hurt. Of course Bones needed time to himself. He was a solitary person, who licked his wounds in private. Loudly, and most times drunkenly, but he kept the worst injuries to himself, and that knowledge was what gathered like ice in the pit of Jim's stomach. Bones would never let on how badly he was shaken by the mission. Not to Jim, who had caused the damage.
Jim made his way back to his own quarters, sitting down to begin writing his mission report. Half of him didn't even want to go back down to that cursed planet, but the Federation had clearly been interested in a certain plant that grew only in this quadrant with special medicinal purpose. Jim felt his heart clench. Even Bones would want the negotiations to go through, after everything. Even if the price was a little skin off his back...
The familiar nausea reared its head with a vengeance, but Jim had nothing in his gut to release. He stumbled into his 'fresher and dry-heaved into the toilet, resting against the wall as he tried to gather himself. One hand gripped the PADD, a message ready to send to Sulu at the touch of a button. Jim had just decided not to send it when his door chime sang.
"Who's there?" Jim asked, surprised at the hoarseness of his own voice.
"It's Sulu, sir."
Surprise flickered through Jim. "Enter," he said, glancing at the PADD. He hadn't accidentally sent the message, it was still there on his display. "Are you psychic?" Jim asked stupidly when his Japanese pilot came into view. Sulu smirked.
"No, sir, I heard from Uhura that you looked like shit and were on your way to your rooms." He flopped onto the pristine tile of Jim's 'fresher, and rested one arm easily on a bent knee. "I sent Chekov to McCoy," Sulu started, flicking his dark eyes towards the sonic. Jim couldn't take his eyes off his pilot. "The first time we tried flogging, I hadn't done quite enough research," Sulu started, taking a deep breath. "I ended up almost rupturing one of Pavel's kidneys, and I caused some pretty bad internal bleeding. Needless to say, it was a while before we could try it again. It was a while before we could try anything again, honestly. I didn't trust myself, and Pavel couldn't trust me." Sulu rolled his head against the vanity cabinet to catch Jim's wide eyes. "I know it's not the same situation. We had preparation and planning, but you two are strong together. You'll be able to pull through."
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