Ruins (A Star Trek Reboot Fanfic)
Title: Ruins
Fandom: Star Trek Reboot
Author: therumjournals
Pairings: Kirk/McCoy, Kirk/Spock
Rating: R
Description: An angsty story told in 10, 100-word drabbles. Sequel to Torn.
Warning: Angst
Building
1.
Jim tries to be lighthearted about the whole thing, tries to keep things in the open by bringing them together. He grins as he shows them the old-fashioned calendar, his handwriting assigning the days - “Spock, Bones, Spock, Bones.” He’ll go to them, of course. Every fifth night he’ll spend alone in his quarters - “gotta take a break sometime,” he jokes. He asks them what they think.
“It is the most logical arrangement, given the circumstances,” is Spock’s response. Bones crosses his arms and nods curtly.
“Great!” He stands up and turns to go. His cheeks hurt from smiling.
He stops calling out their names. He used to love doing that, crying “Fuck, Bones, yes” as he climaxed, panting “oh god, Spock” as he came.
But nothing can turn a moment from burning hot to ice cold faster than gasping out the wrong name. Even just a “Sp-” or “Bo-“ on the wrong night brings everything to a screeching halt, and laying side by side staring at the ceiling has never been Jim’s idea of a good time. So he learns quickly, stops saying their names altogether, and if either one of them notices, neither says a word.
3.
Jim talks to them about each other, he can’t help it. For one thing, there’s no one else - not even Uhura will listen. Spock listens and responds from the distance that his defenses provide him. Bones listens, too, and comforts or nods in understanding, as circumstances demand. There is a limit, however, and Jim is coming close to it, he doesn’t realize, but he’s pushing at it, and when he reaches the limit, Bones will snap. Spock won’t snap, but he’ll withdraw even further, away from the uneasy camaraderie that they had come so close to, in the beginning.
The Ruins
4.
The planet is uninhabited, but it looks like something used to be there. There’s a momentary question of whether the atmosphere is breathable. It is, as long as they don’t stay on the surface for too long. They beam down into a tangle of jungle, but they were right - there is something there, something that was - a city of sorts, in ruins. Its been abandoned, or maybe it simply outlasted its builders - it’s impossible to tell which. With its temples and grand houses, it must have been something special, but all that remains is an empty shell.
5.
The ruins are impressive, massive blocks of stone decorated with intricate carvings and obscured by climbing vines. Jim pulls back a curtain of ivy to reveal a crumbling archway and a grand stairway to nowhere, flanked by fallen stone balustrades. “It must have been so beautiful,” Jim says, wonder in his voice.
“I guess this is what happens when you don’t give something the attention it deserves,” says Bones, running his hand along the wall.
Jim glances at him sharply. Bones holds his gaze.
“Is there something you want to say to me?”
“No.” He hasn’t reached his limit yet.
6.
In the end, Jim starts it, fighting Bones, fighting his silence.
“You hate this.”
Bones says nothing, leans against the crumbling wall.
“Dammit Bones, Spock may not show his emotions, but at least he has them!”
“What do you want from me?”
“Tell me you love me.”
“You know I do.”
“Then why can’t I feel it?”
“Jim, I let this happen. I had every right to leave you, months ago.”
“I know. I know,” he says, clinging to Bones, sobbing into his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Bones.”
Bones puts one arm around him, holds him tightly, staring out at the ruins.
Crumbling
7.
Jim starts feeling ill on his nights alone. He tries to sleep, tossing and turning until his stomach churns and he breaks out in a cold sweat. Soon he begins to forego his alone nights altogether, climbing into bed with one or the other, clinging to a warm body, then sliding his hand up a thigh or slipping it under a waistband. He needs the sex, needs the physical closeness, needs the intensity of release. And they are there for him, as always, and if either one of them notices that he has broken the pattern, neither says a word.
8.
It’s funny, or it would be, if Jim was still laughing. He thinks to himself how similar the two of them are, in some ways. Both mask their emotions, Bones covering his with a gruff exterior, Spock holding his behind a passive expression. Both are obsessed with logic, really. Bones won’t admit it, but it shows through, in his fear of space and his consent to this little arrangement. Both would do anything for him, even if it means putting themselves at risk. Both would do anything for him, and they already have, and that’s where it stops being funny.
9.
They’ve started talking to each other, and this terrifies Jim. He sees the future. In it they will find things more important to them than Jim Kirk. Or maybe they already have, things they’ve left behind for him - a species, a daughter. Are they deciding which one will leave him, or which one will leave him first?
He catches them in sickbay, talking, serious. He’s torn between running away and grabbing onto them and never letting go. He opts for a cordial nod, which they return, and turns to leave. Their eyes follow him, and it almost feels good.
Foundation
10.
They return to the ruins one last time. Jim finds himself in an overgrown courtyard, flanked by Spock and Bones. “It appears that construction was abandoned before it could be completed,” observes Spock. Jim sits on a step, tired. Spock and Bones look at each other, and Jim braces himself as they approach. Spock sits, puts an arm around him. Jim lets himself slump and Spock holds him close. Bones sits too, leans his forehead to Jim’s shoulder, runs a hand through Jim’s hair. Jim takes a deep breath. He doesn’t know what this is, but it’s not the end.
Continue to Danger
Fandom: Star Trek Reboot
Author: therumjournals
Pairings: Kirk/McCoy, Kirk/Spock
Rating: R
Description: An angsty story told in 10, 100-word drabbles. Sequel to Torn.
Warning: Angst
Building
1.
Jim tries to be lighthearted about the whole thing, tries to keep things in the open by bringing them together. He grins as he shows them the old-fashioned calendar, his handwriting assigning the days - “Spock, Bones, Spock, Bones.” He’ll go to them, of course. Every fifth night he’ll spend alone in his quarters - “gotta take a break sometime,” he jokes. He asks them what they think.
“It is the most logical arrangement, given the circumstances,” is Spock’s response. Bones crosses his arms and nods curtly.
“Great!” He stands up and turns to go. His cheeks hurt from smiling.
He stops calling out their names. He used to love doing that, crying “Fuck, Bones, yes” as he climaxed, panting “oh god, Spock” as he came.
But nothing can turn a moment from burning hot to ice cold faster than gasping out the wrong name. Even just a “Sp-” or “Bo-“ on the wrong night brings everything to a screeching halt, and laying side by side staring at the ceiling has never been Jim’s idea of a good time. So he learns quickly, stops saying their names altogether, and if either one of them notices, neither says a word.
3.
Jim talks to them about each other, he can’t help it. For one thing, there’s no one else - not even Uhura will listen. Spock listens and responds from the distance that his defenses provide him. Bones listens, too, and comforts or nods in understanding, as circumstances demand. There is a limit, however, and Jim is coming close to it, he doesn’t realize, but he’s pushing at it, and when he reaches the limit, Bones will snap. Spock won’t snap, but he’ll withdraw even further, away from the uneasy camaraderie that they had come so close to, in the beginning.
The Ruins
4.
The planet is uninhabited, but it looks like something used to be there. There’s a momentary question of whether the atmosphere is breathable. It is, as long as they don’t stay on the surface for too long. They beam down into a tangle of jungle, but they were right - there is something there, something that was - a city of sorts, in ruins. Its been abandoned, or maybe it simply outlasted its builders - it’s impossible to tell which. With its temples and grand houses, it must have been something special, but all that remains is an empty shell.
5.
The ruins are impressive, massive blocks of stone decorated with intricate carvings and obscured by climbing vines. Jim pulls back a curtain of ivy to reveal a crumbling archway and a grand stairway to nowhere, flanked by fallen stone balustrades. “It must have been so beautiful,” Jim says, wonder in his voice.
“I guess this is what happens when you don’t give something the attention it deserves,” says Bones, running his hand along the wall.
Jim glances at him sharply. Bones holds his gaze.
“Is there something you want to say to me?”
“No.” He hasn’t reached his limit yet.
6.
In the end, Jim starts it, fighting Bones, fighting his silence.
“You hate this.”
Bones says nothing, leans against the crumbling wall.
“Dammit Bones, Spock may not show his emotions, but at least he has them!”
“What do you want from me?”
“Tell me you love me.”
“You know I do.”
“Then why can’t I feel it?”
“Jim, I let this happen. I had every right to leave you, months ago.”
“I know. I know,” he says, clinging to Bones, sobbing into his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Bones.”
Bones puts one arm around him, holds him tightly, staring out at the ruins.
Crumbling
7.
Jim starts feeling ill on his nights alone. He tries to sleep, tossing and turning until his stomach churns and he breaks out in a cold sweat. Soon he begins to forego his alone nights altogether, climbing into bed with one or the other, clinging to a warm body, then sliding his hand up a thigh or slipping it under a waistband. He needs the sex, needs the physical closeness, needs the intensity of release. And they are there for him, as always, and if either one of them notices that he has broken the pattern, neither says a word.
8.
It’s funny, or it would be, if Jim was still laughing. He thinks to himself how similar the two of them are, in some ways. Both mask their emotions, Bones covering his with a gruff exterior, Spock holding his behind a passive expression. Both are obsessed with logic, really. Bones won’t admit it, but it shows through, in his fear of space and his consent to this little arrangement. Both would do anything for him, even if it means putting themselves at risk. Both would do anything for him, and they already have, and that’s where it stops being funny.
9.
They’ve started talking to each other, and this terrifies Jim. He sees the future. In it they will find things more important to them than Jim Kirk. Or maybe they already have, things they’ve left behind for him - a species, a daughter. Are they deciding which one will leave him, or which one will leave him first?
He catches them in sickbay, talking, serious. He’s torn between running away and grabbing onto them and never letting go. He opts for a cordial nod, which they return, and turns to leave. Their eyes follow him, and it almost feels good.
Foundation
10.
They return to the ruins one last time. Jim finds himself in an overgrown courtyard, flanked by Spock and Bones. “It appears that construction was abandoned before it could be completed,” observes Spock. Jim sits on a step, tired. Spock and Bones look at each other, and Jim braces himself as they approach. Spock sits, puts an arm around him. Jim lets himself slump and Spock holds him close. Bones sits too, leans his forehead to Jim’s shoulder, runs a hand through Jim’s hair. Jim takes a deep breath. He doesn’t know what this is, but it’s not the end.
Continue to Danger