[FIC] Star Trek: What We Need to See [8/8] (Kirk/Bones, R)
Title: What We Need to See [8/8]
Authors: salvaged_pride and sullacat
Artist: gadgetorious
Fanmixer: dizilla
Beta: shinychimera
Series: Star Trek XI
Characters/Pairings: Kirk/McCoy
Rating: R
Chapter Word Count: 1791 out of 42601
Summary: Jim is everything he needs to be when he's sent on a diplomatic mission to meet a potential new addition to the Federation - charming, calm, convincing - especially with his CMO at his side to back him up. But when Jim, Bones, and their security team wake up in the depths of an alien jungle and are given a mission to succeed or die, they'll need not only to survive, but come to terms with their true feelings for each other. Will it destroy their friendship or save them both?
Is it enough to teach Jim and Bones what they have been blind to - that sometimes there's more than just meets the eye, and the loss of one's world can lead to another?
<< Chapter 7 | Main Chapter Listing
The Art | The Mix
Bones didn't know what time it was when he stirred next at the feel of something touching his face. His eyes fluttered open and in the dim light of the room, he could just make out Jim's face, propped up on an elbow, staring down at him.
Looking at him. Blinking his eyes faster, Bones looked back up to see Jim's eyes tracking his movements. "What do you see?" he asked in a soft voice, as if not wanting to disturb the quiet of the night.
"You." Just a whisper, but it was complete with a smile. "A very blurry you."
Perfect. Reaching up, he mirrored Jim's fingers, touching his cheek softly as he sat up, looking him fully in the eye. More than anything he wanted Jim to see what he needed to see, whatever it was in Bones' face that told Jim that his words were true and honest, and that what happened between them - it wasn't about pity or Jim being blind. It was because they belonged together, and Bones wanted that with all of his heart.
But first he had to be a doctor. "Stay here," he said, standing up slowly and crawling off the bed to grab the tricorder he left on the sofa. Sitting next to Jim, he pressed the buttons, scanning the eyes as best as he could considering his heart was beating a million miles a minute. "There's gonna be some bright light here," he told Jim, to warn him before he shone the brightness onto Jim's face, pleased at the quick reaction of the pupil. Jim cursed up a storm though at the sudden change in light, growling that he was blind all over again. Bones told him to stop being a baby, incredibly pleased.
"You could have given me some real warning, Bones! It's the middle of the night and all I can see is a big yellow sun spot now!"
"Brat," he murmured, turning the light off and grinning back at Jim. That scream of Jim's was the best thing he'd heard in days. "I want to get you into to Sickbay soon to do a full diagnostic."
"Can it wait til morning?" Jim grumbled, shifting on the bed. "Or now that you've re-blinded me do we need to hurry down?" Teasing, but under it was an electric excitement of hope, joy, relief.
A quick glance at the chronometer told Bones that they had a few hours before they really needed to be awake. "Morning," he agreed, settling his head back down next to Jim on the bed, unable to stop looking at his face, his eyes. Jim seemed to be watching him as well, both of them quiet for a moment, lost in their thoughts about what was happening. Then Bones leaned forward and kissed Jim, soft and gentle.
Jim sighed against his lips, touching Bones' cheek. He eased the kiss into something deeper, something sweet, then pulled his head back. Their foreheads touched, the silence between them comfortable and still until he thought he could almost hear Jim's thoughts echoing in his skull. It was easy to lay back down together, drawing each other close. It felt so easy, like they had been doing it for years instead of days.
The next morning Bones had Jim in Sickbay, running tests on his vision. Still blurry and out of focus, it seemed, but there were no holes in the line of sight, no gaps, no black spots on the periphery. All in all, Bones was pleased, and he told this to Jim. "I know I can't tell you to take it easy today," he began slowly, putting down the scanner. "But promise me that if your head starts to hurt you'll turn over whatever you're doing to Spock to finish. I know you're the captain," he began as he saw Jim start to protest. "But this is your eyesight, and its more important to me, and your crew, than this stupid ceremony."
"Not to Starfleet, though," Jim pointed out with a shake of his head, but he was still smiling. They were both dressed in their finest, and Jim looked good in the gold formal outfit that made his eyes and hair brighter than normal. But Bones growled again, and Jim told him that he'd let him know if his head started to bother him.
Not that Bones believed a word of it, but at least he would be there, nearby to keep an eye on Jim himself. It was a duty he found himself enjoying more and more. "C'mon, let's go," he said, following Jim out the door, and toward the transporter bay where they would meet up with Spock and await the first of their many visitors that day.
It was hard for anyone, even Jim's naysayers, to deny that Jim could give a speech. Bones knew, and wondered if anyone else knew, that the speech was entirely off the cuff. Jim thanked the Tuatarans for agreeing to join the Federation, once again made sure they agreed that no one else would have to go through the ritual of Cyli, and they agreed on the terms of their alliance.
Jim's voice rang in the room, filling up the edges of it, rich and in command. Bones hoped Starfleet took note of it.
More than once he saw Admiral Fersen leaning forward, deeply interested, before she looked away to study the snake people.
The Mother was on a view screen in the room, and Bones had not only been proud of, but for, Ruud who stood tall beside a formally dressed female Tuataran he had called a handmaiden of Cyli, the pair now named the Ambassadors to the Federation for the Tuatarans. Maybe it was just him, but Ruud's calm features still seemed to exude a certain level of pride and excitement.
After the ceremony was over, everyone headed to the reception in one of the adjoining lounges. Bones found himself face to face with Ruud for the first time since they had been on the planet, and the feelings welling up inside him were surprising, though upon reflection they shouldn't have been. They'd shared an experience together, one neither of them would forget. Even though the mission was technically a success, there had been unspeakable loss, his fellow crew members, and the Tuataran in front of him had been instrumental in keeping them alive. He'd saved Jim's life, and Bones would never forget that.
He nodded at the lizard creature, looking up at him. "Are you well?" he asked, indicating the tail injury.
Ruud glanced down at his tail, lifting it slowly. "It is healing," he hissed, the sounds emitting from the translator into slow English. "I am grateful for your assistance. Many times, injuries such as this- it interferes with the way- we speak. Makes it hard to serve her." He flicked it again, showing Bones its movement. "I thank you."
But Bones shook his head. "No, I owe you... everything." Unconsciously he looked over at Jim, then back at Ruud. "You kept us alive. We can't repay you for that, ever."
"If not for your captain's quick thinking, would be dead like crew-man," Ruud said calmly. "Debt between us is made and repaid."
There was a flash of understanding in the reptilian black eyes, and Bones simply nodded. A bond between their people existed now, because of what had happened to them, and the Federation was all the better for it. "I'm glad you were able to be here today. It meant a lot to Jim."
"Was surprise to be given such a grand position," Ruud hissed, looking to the female nearby. "Proud to have such strong lifemate. Is thanks to you, thanks to your Captain."
Bones' eyes searched the room for Jim before going back to Ruud. Lifemate. He liked the sound of that word. "I hope we'll meet again someday," Bones said. The snakeman nodded gravely, then returned to his female, lacing her arm with his in the proper Tuataran fashion.
"Cute couple." Bones jumped out of his skin at the sound of the voice behind him. He turned to see Jim grinning over at him. "I think things turned out well for him."
"Sounds like it," Bones agreed. "How are you feeling?"
"All in all? Pretty good. Everything's still pretty blurry, and I've almost tripped over Ruud's tail twice, but good." Jim stood right beside him, close enough Bones could feel his body heat, smell his cologne. "We got our alliance with some serious benefits to the Federation, the Tuatarans will get access to materials they find hard to get on their planet. I found out that they have more of their people on another planet in this system, and that Ruud and his new girl will be going with us to meet them."
Bones turned to see the new Ambassador and his partner speaking to the admiral, both of them looking a bit uncomfortable but trying. "Glad to hear it," he told Jim, looking at Jim with pride in his eyes. It had been a hard mission but they'd done it. There would be more of these missions in their future, no doubt, but seeing Jim standing in his command gold, Bones knew they could handle whatever the universe had to throw at them.
Just then, Jim's comm beeped. He pulled it out and frowned as Uhura said that he and Spock were needed on the bridge. "I'll be right there." Jim looked to Spock, who acknowledged his understanding with a nod, and turned neatly on his heel to leave the room. Jim looked at Bones and gave a small grin. "It never ends, huh?"
"Guess not," Bones answered. The reception looked to be breaking up, people breaking up into smaller groups to continue their conversations elsewhere. "I'd better head back to work myself," he added. "Meet me for dinner later?" It was a strange feeling, a familiar question but now it meant to much more.
"Sure," Jim said easily, but as Bones turned to head back down to sickbay, he staggered when the weight of Jim's arm landed across his shoulders. He turned his head, giving a confused look towards his friend and captain. "'Cept... I still need my seeing-eye Bones to get me to the bridge, so you'd better come along."
A slow smile spread across his face. Bones suspected that Jim didn't really need him to get up there, but the fact that Jim wanted him up on the bridge with him... it meant more to Bones than he could ever say. "We better get up there then," Bones told him, crooking out his elbow to help Jim, any way he could.
It was what he did.
Authors: salvaged_pride and sullacat
Artist: gadgetorious
Fanmixer: dizilla
Beta: shinychimera
Series: Star Trek XI
Characters/Pairings: Kirk/McCoy
Rating: R
Chapter Word Count: 1791 out of 42601
Summary: Jim is everything he needs to be when he's sent on a diplomatic mission to meet a potential new addition to the Federation - charming, calm, convincing - especially with his CMO at his side to back him up. But when Jim, Bones, and their security team wake up in the depths of an alien jungle and are given a mission to succeed or die, they'll need not only to survive, but come to terms with their true feelings for each other. Will it destroy their friendship or save them both?
Is it enough to teach Jim and Bones what they have been blind to - that sometimes there's more than just meets the eye, and the loss of one's world can lead to another?
<< Chapter 7 | Main Chapter Listing
The Art | The Mix
Bones didn't know what time it was when he stirred next at the feel of something touching his face. His eyes fluttered open and in the dim light of the room, he could just make out Jim's face, propped up on an elbow, staring down at him.
Looking at him. Blinking his eyes faster, Bones looked back up to see Jim's eyes tracking his movements. "What do you see?" he asked in a soft voice, as if not wanting to disturb the quiet of the night.
"You." Just a whisper, but it was complete with a smile. "A very blurry you."
Perfect. Reaching up, he mirrored Jim's fingers, touching his cheek softly as he sat up, looking him fully in the eye. More than anything he wanted Jim to see what he needed to see, whatever it was in Bones' face that told Jim that his words were true and honest, and that what happened between them - it wasn't about pity or Jim being blind. It was because they belonged together, and Bones wanted that with all of his heart.
But first he had to be a doctor. "Stay here," he said, standing up slowly and crawling off the bed to grab the tricorder he left on the sofa. Sitting next to Jim, he pressed the buttons, scanning the eyes as best as he could considering his heart was beating a million miles a minute. "There's gonna be some bright light here," he told Jim, to warn him before he shone the brightness onto Jim's face, pleased at the quick reaction of the pupil. Jim cursed up a storm though at the sudden change in light, growling that he was blind all over again. Bones told him to stop being a baby, incredibly pleased.
"You could have given me some real warning, Bones! It's the middle of the night and all I can see is a big yellow sun spot now!"
"Brat," he murmured, turning the light off and grinning back at Jim. That scream of Jim's was the best thing he'd heard in days. "I want to get you into to Sickbay soon to do a full diagnostic."
"Can it wait til morning?" Jim grumbled, shifting on the bed. "Or now that you've re-blinded me do we need to hurry down?" Teasing, but under it was an electric excitement of hope, joy, relief.
A quick glance at the chronometer told Bones that they had a few hours before they really needed to be awake. "Morning," he agreed, settling his head back down next to Jim on the bed, unable to stop looking at his face, his eyes. Jim seemed to be watching him as well, both of them quiet for a moment, lost in their thoughts about what was happening. Then Bones leaned forward and kissed Jim, soft and gentle.
Jim sighed against his lips, touching Bones' cheek. He eased the kiss into something deeper, something sweet, then pulled his head back. Their foreheads touched, the silence between them comfortable and still until he thought he could almost hear Jim's thoughts echoing in his skull. It was easy to lay back down together, drawing each other close. It felt so easy, like they had been doing it for years instead of days.
The next morning Bones had Jim in Sickbay, running tests on his vision. Still blurry and out of focus, it seemed, but there were no holes in the line of sight, no gaps, no black spots on the periphery. All in all, Bones was pleased, and he told this to Jim. "I know I can't tell you to take it easy today," he began slowly, putting down the scanner. "But promise me that if your head starts to hurt you'll turn over whatever you're doing to Spock to finish. I know you're the captain," he began as he saw Jim start to protest. "But this is your eyesight, and its more important to me, and your crew, than this stupid ceremony."
"Not to Starfleet, though," Jim pointed out with a shake of his head, but he was still smiling. They were both dressed in their finest, and Jim looked good in the gold formal outfit that made his eyes and hair brighter than normal. But Bones growled again, and Jim told him that he'd let him know if his head started to bother him.
Not that Bones believed a word of it, but at least he would be there, nearby to keep an eye on Jim himself. It was a duty he found himself enjoying more and more. "C'mon, let's go," he said, following Jim out the door, and toward the transporter bay where they would meet up with Spock and await the first of their many visitors that day.
It was hard for anyone, even Jim's naysayers, to deny that Jim could give a speech. Bones knew, and wondered if anyone else knew, that the speech was entirely off the cuff. Jim thanked the Tuatarans for agreeing to join the Federation, once again made sure they agreed that no one else would have to go through the ritual of Cyli, and they agreed on the terms of their alliance.
Jim's voice rang in the room, filling up the edges of it, rich and in command. Bones hoped Starfleet took note of it.
More than once he saw Admiral Fersen leaning forward, deeply interested, before she looked away to study the snake people.
The Mother was on a view screen in the room, and Bones had not only been proud of, but for, Ruud who stood tall beside a formally dressed female Tuataran he had called a handmaiden of Cyli, the pair now named the Ambassadors to the Federation for the Tuatarans. Maybe it was just him, but Ruud's calm features still seemed to exude a certain level of pride and excitement.
After the ceremony was over, everyone headed to the reception in one of the adjoining lounges. Bones found himself face to face with Ruud for the first time since they had been on the planet, and the feelings welling up inside him were surprising, though upon reflection they shouldn't have been. They'd shared an experience together, one neither of them would forget. Even though the mission was technically a success, there had been unspeakable loss, his fellow crew members, and the Tuataran in front of him had been instrumental in keeping them alive. He'd saved Jim's life, and Bones would never forget that.
He nodded at the lizard creature, looking up at him. "Are you well?" he asked, indicating the tail injury.
Ruud glanced down at his tail, lifting it slowly. "It is healing," he hissed, the sounds emitting from the translator into slow English. "I am grateful for your assistance. Many times, injuries such as this- it interferes with the way- we speak. Makes it hard to serve her." He flicked it again, showing Bones its movement. "I thank you."
But Bones shook his head. "No, I owe you... everything." Unconsciously he looked over at Jim, then back at Ruud. "You kept us alive. We can't repay you for that, ever."
"If not for your captain's quick thinking, would be dead like crew-man," Ruud said calmly. "Debt between us is made and repaid."
There was a flash of understanding in the reptilian black eyes, and Bones simply nodded. A bond between their people existed now, because of what had happened to them, and the Federation was all the better for it. "I'm glad you were able to be here today. It meant a lot to Jim."
"Was surprise to be given such a grand position," Ruud hissed, looking to the female nearby. "Proud to have such strong lifemate. Is thanks to you, thanks to your Captain."
Bones' eyes searched the room for Jim before going back to Ruud. Lifemate. He liked the sound of that word. "I hope we'll meet again someday," Bones said. The snakeman nodded gravely, then returned to his female, lacing her arm with his in the proper Tuataran fashion.
"Cute couple." Bones jumped out of his skin at the sound of the voice behind him. He turned to see Jim grinning over at him. "I think things turned out well for him."
"Sounds like it," Bones agreed. "How are you feeling?"
"All in all? Pretty good. Everything's still pretty blurry, and I've almost tripped over Ruud's tail twice, but good." Jim stood right beside him, close enough Bones could feel his body heat, smell his cologne. "We got our alliance with some serious benefits to the Federation, the Tuatarans will get access to materials they find hard to get on their planet. I found out that they have more of their people on another planet in this system, and that Ruud and his new girl will be going with us to meet them."
Bones turned to see the new Ambassador and his partner speaking to the admiral, both of them looking a bit uncomfortable but trying. "Glad to hear it," he told Jim, looking at Jim with pride in his eyes. It had been a hard mission but they'd done it. There would be more of these missions in their future, no doubt, but seeing Jim standing in his command gold, Bones knew they could handle whatever the universe had to throw at them.
Just then, Jim's comm beeped. He pulled it out and frowned as Uhura said that he and Spock were needed on the bridge. "I'll be right there." Jim looked to Spock, who acknowledged his understanding with a nod, and turned neatly on his heel to leave the room. Jim looked at Bones and gave a small grin. "It never ends, huh?"
"Guess not," Bones answered. The reception looked to be breaking up, people breaking up into smaller groups to continue their conversations elsewhere. "I'd better head back to work myself," he added. "Meet me for dinner later?" It was a strange feeling, a familiar question but now it meant to much more.
"Sure," Jim said easily, but as Bones turned to head back down to sickbay, he staggered when the weight of Jim's arm landed across his shoulders. He turned his head, giving a confused look towards his friend and captain. "'Cept... I still need my seeing-eye Bones to get me to the bridge, so you'd better come along."
A slow smile spread across his face. Bones suspected that Jim didn't really need him to get up there, but the fact that Jim wanted him up on the bridge with him... it meant more to Bones than he could ever say. "We better get up there then," Bones told him, crooking out his elbow to help Jim, any way he could.
It was what he did.