Since he hadn't run from the room screaming, she assumed that everything was in fine working condition--not that she was surprised. She wasn't the most athletic of the crew, but she kept herself in enough shape that, if needed, she could kick an ass or two--it just wasn't something that was logical, in her position, to have to do. She tried very hard not to read the notes he was tapping in on his PADD, but she was curious. Instead, she let her eyes wander, meeting his with a quick grin when he responded to her comment about stomachs, twisting away slightly when he poked her gently with the PADD.
"Hey! Ticklish," she protested, a small giggle escaping her. "And please, I eat half as much as some people on this ship," she protested, thinking of the one and only time she'd seen Scotty eat....of course, being stranded somewhere for six months might do that to a person, but it had been horrifying.
When he mentioned sex, her eyes went wide and her stomach dropped to her feet. Shit. It was practical, obviously--Spock could have had some weird disease that his Vulcan half would have protected him from but that she might have contracted instead, but how did she tell Bones that even before she and Spock had ended it, they hadn't actually had sex for almost three weeks? And then there was the question of how to tell him she was sleeping with Kirk....
Fuck.
But the use of her first name had her shifting guiltily where she sat, feeling like a child with her hand stuck in a cookie jar. "Um. Yes," she said quietly, staring at a point behind Bones' shoulder. "We began sleeping together about six months ago. And we didn't have sex for the three weeks prior to our breakup, although we were, obviously...involved. Sexually, that is, during that time." She could feel herself blushing, and ducked her head down. "Ah. There is something you should know. He was the only person I was sleeping with until about a week and a half ago." She wanted to just shrink down and hide and never have to answer these questions again--what was he going to do when he found out she was sleeping with Kirk?
"Ticklish? I'm torn. Do I put that in my notes or not?" Yes, more teasing. He rolled his eyes though, though still smiling.
"That's true. Jim, for one, eats like he's a starving man everytime." It'd been rather painful for him the first few times he had eaten with his friend. Of course now, he'd gotten used to the almost childlike way in which he did so.
He could tell from the way she sat, her expression and tone that this wasn't a conversation she wanted to have. Part of him didn't, either. But part of being a Doctor meant asking those awkward questions sometimes. So, folding his arms, he nodded along. He wasn't surprised they'd slept together - it was only natural. Well, for a human.
But it was when she continued that he was surprised. A slight raise of his eyebrow followed, and shift in stance. Interesting.
"Right. Who have you been sleeping with? IF there is anything that damn Vulcan has given you, they'd need testing for it too. And any subsequent partners they've also had. I hope you've been with someone almost virginal, in that case." He was trying to make light of it, to make her less uncomfortable.
Nyota raised one eyebrow at him. "Please, don't. You do realize this ship is stock-full of geniuses, right? And that any one of them may be inclined to hack into my file because they're bored, right? And then I would be harassed by Ensigns night and day and then I would have to hurt you." Of course, she was joking....mostly.
"It's kind of weird," she agreed, thinking about how, next to Scotty, the captain seemed like the most polite person on the face of the planet. Of course, thinking about him eating made her think about his mouth, which was just...not something she should be thinking about, with Bones less than a foot away from her.
She knew that she was projecting, big-time, but where she could use meditation to calm her breathing and make her look like she wasn't flipping out because of doctors and hospitals, it was harder for her to do when she was talking about something like this. Something she knew was important, and that she had to be honest about. But, damn it, she didn't want to have to be honest about this--and, while sleeping with Kirk had never seemed like the brightest thing in the world, she hadn't anticipated having to tell Bones about it. Telling him about Spock wasn't hard--she suspected that he'd figured out they'd slept together. Telling him about Kirk? Yeah, she was so NOT looking forward to that.
"Well. Ah," she began, uncharacteristically at a loss for words. One hand crept up to her neck, fingers gently touching the mark there before she caught herself and put the hand in her hair instead, winding the long strands around her fingers, hoping it would look like that was her intent all along. "See, well. It might be a bit difficult to find this person's subsequent partners because this person really isn't the most virginal person around," she said, trying to make a joke out of it but instead having to look down at her knees again. God, this was going to suck.
"I've been sleeping with Kirk?" it came out as a question, and she cringed at how tiny and afraid of reproach she sounded.
"I'll be on my best behavior," he replied, crossing over his chest, a 'scouts honor' kind of move. There are few people he'd never dare to cross with Uhura very close to the top of the list! She was fiesty, and whilst he could handle that mostly, he had a feeling she'd eat him alive.
He watched her carefully, his eyes following her hand where he was sure he caught a hint of something on her skin. What was that? He'd have to explore further later. If she had some sort of rash, it really would need looking at.
But, oh hell, when she said 'Kirk', his stomach about dropped. His eyes widened and, though he wasn't pleased with his own reaction, he simply could not hide his surprise! He thought she'd never buckle under his flirtations. Damn, he thought she was better than that - more worthy of someone than Jim! He did love his best friend, of course, but he knew what Jim was like. He was a heart breaker.
She'd been hurt enough already.
"Jim?! Nyota, what the hell are you thinking?" He asked her quietly. This was definitely not Doctor McCoy talking. Rather 'big brother figure Leonard'.
Nyota snickered slightly, watching him promise not to tell. She knew that he knew that she would never really do anything terrible to him--well, unless under dire circumstances, obviously. But she knew that if it really came down to it, he might do the same to her. Which would have been amusing, if not so terrifying.
She couldn't even make herself look at him once she said Kirk's name. She watched his eyes widen, and had to drop her own, scared that she'd see something like disgust on his face. She knew what it looked like, she did--she'd been laughing off Kirk hitting on her for almost three years, been putting him down with quick remarks and withering glances, and had basically announced to the world that she wasn't going to ever, in a million years, sleep with Jim Kirk.
Only then she had. And she had to admit, even to herself, that she hadn't been expecting that. And she wasn't even sure what she was expecting, except that Jim gave her some semblance of companionship, somewhere she could at least lose herself for a while, because that's all it was--just finally being able to do something reckless, not thinking about consequences, or even thinking at all. And maybe it wasn't healthy, but it was what had happened.
"Yes," she answered softly, keeping her eyes on the floor. When he asked the next question, she couldn't help it--he sounded so disappointed, and worried, and just...she blinked, and tears that had been forming since she'd looked down began falling down her cheeks. "I don't know, Leonard," she whispered, keeping her eyes on the floor, afraid that if she looked at him she would just lose it. "I just...God, it jut hurts so much, you know?" She looked up at him, almost pleading with him to understand. "And when I'm with him, I don't have to think about what happened, or anything, I can just...I don't know. Forget?" She wasn't sure how to tell him that she knew that what was going on with Kirk wasn't permanent, how she was doing something completely stupid for once and not caring about the consequences.
He knew his reaction had probably not been the best for Nyota, but he couldn't help himself. He was an emotional person, and wore his heart on his sleeve. There was little he hid in that sense. He wasn't a fan of hiding things like that anyway. Life would be easier, he felt, if people just said what they thought and acted on how they felt. Which was a major factor in why he clashed so much with Spock.
He tensed up, his shoulders rising oh so slightly and his back stiffening when that broken tone flittered from her lips, and the tears slipped from her eyes. He most certainly was NOT in Doctor mode right now and, despite the fact he rarely did such things, he stepped closer and wrapped both of his strong arms around her, his face contorting with pain that he felt on her behalf.
"Nyota, I'm sorry, I didn't intend on making you cry," He spoke softly. Damn, he felt awful for that! Especially to say what a strong woman she was. Seeing her cry somehow was worse than seeing other people cry.
And yes, her reasonings were...decent, behind sleeping with Jim. But Jim was still Jim. The most notorious heart breaker in the academy. He'd seen countless girls fawn over him, chase after him, only to be disappointed afterwards.
"Hey! Ticklish," she protested, a small giggle escaping her. "And please, I eat half as much as some people on this ship," she protested, thinking of the one and only time she'd seen Scotty eat....of course, being stranded somewhere for six months might do that to a person, but it had been horrifying.
When he mentioned sex, her eyes went wide and her stomach dropped to her feet. Shit. It was practical, obviously--Spock could have had some weird disease that his Vulcan half would have protected him from but that she might have contracted instead, but how did she tell Bones that even before she and Spock had ended it, they hadn't actually had sex for almost three weeks? And then there was the question of how to tell him she was sleeping with Kirk....
Fuck.
But the use of her first name had her shifting guiltily where she sat, feeling like a child with her hand stuck in a cookie jar. "Um. Yes," she said quietly, staring at a point behind Bones' shoulder. "We began sleeping together about six months ago. And we didn't have sex for the three weeks prior to our breakup, although we were, obviously...involved. Sexually, that is, during that time." She could feel herself blushing, and ducked her head down. "Ah. There is something you should know. He was the only person I was sleeping with until about a week and a half ago." She wanted to just shrink down and hide and never have to answer these questions again--what was he going to do when he found out she was sleeping with Kirk?
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"That's true. Jim, for one, eats like he's a starving man everytime." It'd been rather painful for him the first few times he had eaten with his friend. Of course now, he'd gotten used to the almost childlike way in which he did so.
He could tell from the way she sat, her expression and tone that this wasn't a conversation she wanted to have. Part of him didn't, either. But part of being a Doctor meant asking those awkward questions sometimes. So, folding his arms, he nodded along. He wasn't surprised they'd slept together - it was only natural. Well, for a human.
But it was when she continued that he was surprised. A slight raise of his eyebrow followed, and shift in stance. Interesting.
"Right. Who have you been sleeping with? IF there is anything that damn Vulcan has given you, they'd need testing for it too. And any subsequent partners they've also had. I hope you've been with someone almost virginal, in that case." He was trying to make light of it, to make her less uncomfortable.
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"It's kind of weird," she agreed, thinking about how, next to Scotty, the captain seemed like the most polite person on the face of the planet. Of course, thinking about him eating made her think about his mouth, which was just...not something she should be thinking about, with Bones less than a foot away from her.
She knew that she was projecting, big-time, but where she could use meditation to calm her breathing and make her look like she wasn't flipping out because of doctors and hospitals, it was harder for her to do when she was talking about something like this. Something she knew was important, and that she had to be honest about. But, damn it, she didn't want to have to be honest about this--and, while sleeping with Kirk had never seemed like the brightest thing in the world, she hadn't anticipated having to tell Bones about it. Telling him about Spock wasn't hard--she suspected that he'd figured out they'd slept together. Telling him about Kirk? Yeah, she was so NOT looking forward to that.
"Well. Ah," she began, uncharacteristically at a loss for words. One hand crept up to her neck, fingers gently touching the mark there before she caught herself and put the hand in her hair instead, winding the long strands around her fingers, hoping it would look like that was her intent all along. "See, well. It might be a bit difficult to find this person's subsequent partners because this person really isn't the most virginal person around," she said, trying to make a joke out of it but instead having to look down at her knees again. God, this was going to suck.
"I've been sleeping with Kirk?" it came out as a question, and she cringed at how tiny and afraid of reproach she sounded.
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He watched her carefully, his eyes following her hand where he was sure he caught a hint of something on her skin. What was that? He'd have to explore further later. If she had some sort of rash, it really would need looking at.
But, oh hell, when she said 'Kirk', his stomach about dropped. His eyes widened and, though he wasn't pleased with his own reaction, he simply could not hide his surprise! He thought she'd never buckle under his flirtations. Damn, he thought she was better than that - more worthy of someone than Jim! He did love his best friend, of course, but he knew what Jim was like. He was a heart breaker.
She'd been hurt enough already.
"Jim?! Nyota, what the hell are you thinking?" He asked her quietly. This was definitely not Doctor McCoy talking. Rather 'big brother figure Leonard'.
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She couldn't even make herself look at him once she said Kirk's name. She watched his eyes widen, and had to drop her own, scared that she'd see something like disgust on his face. She knew what it looked like, she did--she'd been laughing off Kirk hitting on her for almost three years, been putting him down with quick remarks and withering glances, and had basically announced to the world that she wasn't going to ever, in a million years, sleep with Jim Kirk.
Only then she had. And she had to admit, even to herself, that she hadn't been expecting that. And she wasn't even sure what she was expecting, except that Jim gave her some semblance of companionship, somewhere she could at least lose herself for a while, because that's all it was--just finally being able to do something reckless, not thinking about consequences, or even thinking at all. And maybe it wasn't healthy, but it was what had happened.
"Yes," she answered softly, keeping her eyes on the floor. When he asked the next question, she couldn't help it--he sounded so disappointed, and worried, and just...she blinked, and tears that had been forming since she'd looked down began falling down her cheeks. "I don't know, Leonard," she whispered, keeping her eyes on the floor, afraid that if she looked at him she would just lose it. "I just...God, it jut hurts so much, you know?" She looked up at him, almost pleading with him to understand. "And when I'm with him, I don't have to think about what happened, or anything, I can just...I don't know. Forget?" She wasn't sure how to tell him that she knew that what was going on with Kirk wasn't permanent, how she was doing something completely stupid for once and not caring about the consequences.
((AWW she feels SO GUILTY ABOUT THIS))
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He tensed up, his shoulders rising oh so slightly and his back stiffening when that broken tone flittered from her lips, and the tears slipped from her eyes. He most certainly was NOT in Doctor mode right now and, despite the fact he rarely did such things, he stepped closer and wrapped both of his strong arms around her, his face contorting with pain that he felt on her behalf.
"Nyota, I'm sorry, I didn't intend on making you cry," He spoke softly. Damn, he felt awful for that! Especially to say what a strong woman she was. Seeing her cry somehow was worse than seeing other people cry.
And yes, her reasonings were...decent, behind sleeping with Jim. But Jim was still Jim. The most notorious heart breaker in the academy. He'd seen countless girls fawn over him, chase after him, only to be disappointed afterwards.
(So does he now!!)
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