(Fic) Vigil (1/1)
Title: Vigil
Author: general_public
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Kirk/McCoy (Spock/Uhura mentioned)
Summary: Kirk needs looking after. McCoy indulges him.
Word Count: 938
Author Notes: Pure, unadulterated fluff inspired by my own recent experience with a bug. Except I didn't have a gorgeous doctor to take care of me. Lucky Jim.
Leonard doesn't work through his papers that little bit faster than usual. He definitely doesn't practically scurry to Jim's quarters the moment he's done. And he most absolutely does not feel a pang of sympathy when he gets inside and Jim's doubled over on the bed, curled on his side and clutching his stomach.
On Leonard's arrival, Jim looks up. He's pale and sweaty and utterly, completely pathetic.
"Bones..." he gasps, rolling onto his back and moaning pitifully from the effort. "Good. You can kill me...end my suffering."
"I'm a doctor, Jim, not a murderer. Though on some days the temptation -"
"Please..."
Leonard sighs. If Jim's resorting to manners things must be bad. He crosses the room makes himself comfortable on 'his' side of the bed, leans back against the headboard and stretching his legs out on the mattress, and carefully pulls Jim into his arms. Jim groans at every movement but eventually settles, leaning his weight into Leonard's side, his head lulling on Leonard's chest, close to his heart. Leonard presses a light kiss to Jim's forehead and Jim sighs, and leans on him more.
"Missed you," Jim sighs, snuggling, and because he's been so ill, Leonard lets Jim squirm against him like Jim's got the heebie jeebies just this once.
"I had to work. No need to ask how you've been?"
Jim just moans and buries his face in Leonard's shirt. Leonard rubs his back and makes what he hopes are soothing noises. He's not used to being around sick people; his patients are, when possible, always sent away to go recover on their own because once he's diagnosed them and administrated the necessary medicine there isn't much he can do anyway. He did watch over Joanna once when she got sick, and Jocelyn had some very bad days during her pregnancy but he's not good at this.
"I'm sorry, Jim. You're just going to have to ride it out. It's the best thing for it, I promise."
"Wanna die..."
Leonard makes more soothing sounds and strokes sweat-soaked hair away from where it's plastered itself to Jim's skin.
"Do you think I should check on Uhura? She was in a pretty bad way too when I stuck my head around her door this morning."
"Uhura has Spock," Jim protests, clutching at Leonard possessively. Or it would be possessive, if Jim had the strength. "You're all I've got. Stay? Please?"
If all Jim wants is someone to keep him company, there would be any number of young and gorgeous crew members all too quick to volunteer but Leonard knows Jim, and what he wants. It leaves him with a strange feeling in his heart, a feeling more alien than anyone on this ship, and he's not sure what to do with it. So he holds Jim protectively in his arms and makes himself as comfortable as he can, because it's going to be a long night.
Jim seems happy to let a natural silence wash over the room. Leonard holds him, kisses him occasionally...only softly, just a light brush of his lips over Jim's. Jim isn't up to much but Leonard gives what he can. He wishes he could do more than let Jim suffer like this but it really is the safer option. Whatever bug Jim and the landing crew picked up on their last mission, it's nasty but not fatal, and it shouldn't last more than a few more days.
"I'm bored," Jim pipes up, just when Leonard was starting to think he'd fallen asleep right there against him. "Tell me a story?"
Leonard rolls his eyes and snorts.
"A story?"
"Humour me. Come on, it'll distract me. Please?"
There's something about that word and Jim saying it that makes resistance totally futile.
"Alright. If I must...damn, I wish I could just hypospray you. Okay, once upon a time..."
Jim stirs slightly against Leonard's chest. He makes a rattling sound that could be interpreted as a chuckle.
"Once upon a time? Really, Bones?"
"Most of Joanna's bedtime stories start that way."
"Probably because Joanna's a seven-year-old girl?"
"Yeah, well you're acting like a seven-year-old girl, so..."
"Okay, okay, whatever. So. Once upon a time?"
"Once upon a time, there was a captain of a starship -"
"Huh. I may like this story - "
"There was a captain of a starship, and -"
"Was he handsome?"
"What?"
"The captain. He was hot, right? Everyone wanted him? Captain Fine."
"Jim -"
"Bones."
"Yes. Alright. Captain Fine. Once upon a time there was a captain of a starship, who was hot and wanted by everyone. Okay?"
Jim makes a snuffly little sound that Leonard decides he can take for contentment.
"He was handsome, and lusted over by the entire crew but he only had eyes for his doctor."
"Right." Somehow, even amidst his agony, Jim manages to flash a grin. It's not quite as bright as his regular ones but it's still just as cheesy. "Doctor Love."
Leonard rolls his eyes.
"God have mercy..." He shifted a little on the mattress, propping Jim up better against him so Jim wouldn't sag off the side of the bed. "Anyway, the doctor and the captain..."
Leonard's not sure how much time passes. Jim goes quiet after the first few interjections, and by the time Leonard notices Jim's drifted away he has a crick in his neck and a slightly sore throat from talking uninterrupted for much longer than he's used to.
He kisses Jim gently and lies with him until morning, but even then it's hard to turn away.
He tries not to think about what that might mean.
Author: general_public
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Kirk/McCoy (Spock/Uhura mentioned)
Summary: Kirk needs looking after. McCoy indulges him.
Word Count: 938
Author Notes: Pure, unadulterated fluff inspired by my own recent experience with a bug. Except I didn't have a gorgeous doctor to take care of me. Lucky Jim.
Leonard doesn't work through his papers that little bit faster than usual. He definitely doesn't practically scurry to Jim's quarters the moment he's done. And he most absolutely does not feel a pang of sympathy when he gets inside and Jim's doubled over on the bed, curled on his side and clutching his stomach.
On Leonard's arrival, Jim looks up. He's pale and sweaty and utterly, completely pathetic.
"Bones..." he gasps, rolling onto his back and moaning pitifully from the effort. "Good. You can kill me...end my suffering."
"I'm a doctor, Jim, not a murderer. Though on some days the temptation -"
"Please..."
Leonard sighs. If Jim's resorting to manners things must be bad. He crosses the room makes himself comfortable on 'his' side of the bed, leans back against the headboard and stretching his legs out on the mattress, and carefully pulls Jim into his arms. Jim groans at every movement but eventually settles, leaning his weight into Leonard's side, his head lulling on Leonard's chest, close to his heart. Leonard presses a light kiss to Jim's forehead and Jim sighs, and leans on him more.
"Missed you," Jim sighs, snuggling, and because he's been so ill, Leonard lets Jim squirm against him like Jim's got the heebie jeebies just this once.
"I had to work. No need to ask how you've been?"
Jim just moans and buries his face in Leonard's shirt. Leonard rubs his back and makes what he hopes are soothing noises. He's not used to being around sick people; his patients are, when possible, always sent away to go recover on their own because once he's diagnosed them and administrated the necessary medicine there isn't much he can do anyway. He did watch over Joanna once when she got sick, and Jocelyn had some very bad days during her pregnancy but he's not good at this.
"I'm sorry, Jim. You're just going to have to ride it out. It's the best thing for it, I promise."
"Wanna die..."
Leonard makes more soothing sounds and strokes sweat-soaked hair away from where it's plastered itself to Jim's skin.
"Do you think I should check on Uhura? She was in a pretty bad way too when I stuck my head around her door this morning."
"Uhura has Spock," Jim protests, clutching at Leonard possessively. Or it would be possessive, if Jim had the strength. "You're all I've got. Stay? Please?"
If all Jim wants is someone to keep him company, there would be any number of young and gorgeous crew members all too quick to volunteer but Leonard knows Jim, and what he wants. It leaves him with a strange feeling in his heart, a feeling more alien than anyone on this ship, and he's not sure what to do with it. So he holds Jim protectively in his arms and makes himself as comfortable as he can, because it's going to be a long night.
Jim seems happy to let a natural silence wash over the room. Leonard holds him, kisses him occasionally...only softly, just a light brush of his lips over Jim's. Jim isn't up to much but Leonard gives what he can. He wishes he could do more than let Jim suffer like this but it really is the safer option. Whatever bug Jim and the landing crew picked up on their last mission, it's nasty but not fatal, and it shouldn't last more than a few more days.
"I'm bored," Jim pipes up, just when Leonard was starting to think he'd fallen asleep right there against him. "Tell me a story?"
Leonard rolls his eyes and snorts.
"A story?"
"Humour me. Come on, it'll distract me. Please?"
There's something about that word and Jim saying it that makes resistance totally futile.
"Alright. If I must...damn, I wish I could just hypospray you. Okay, once upon a time..."
Jim stirs slightly against Leonard's chest. He makes a rattling sound that could be interpreted as a chuckle.
"Once upon a time? Really, Bones?"
"Most of Joanna's bedtime stories start that way."
"Probably because Joanna's a seven-year-old girl?"
"Yeah, well you're acting like a seven-year-old girl, so..."
"Okay, okay, whatever. So. Once upon a time?"
"Once upon a time, there was a captain of a starship -"
"Huh. I may like this story - "
"There was a captain of a starship, and -"
"Was he handsome?"
"What?"
"The captain. He was hot, right? Everyone wanted him? Captain Fine."
"Jim -"
"Bones."
"Yes. Alright. Captain Fine. Once upon a time there was a captain of a starship, who was hot and wanted by everyone. Okay?"
Jim makes a snuffly little sound that Leonard decides he can take for contentment.
"He was handsome, and lusted over by the entire crew but he only had eyes for his doctor."
"Right." Somehow, even amidst his agony, Jim manages to flash a grin. It's not quite as bright as his regular ones but it's still just as cheesy. "Doctor Love."
Leonard rolls his eyes.
"God have mercy..." He shifted a little on the mattress, propping Jim up better against him so Jim wouldn't sag off the side of the bed. "Anyway, the doctor and the captain..."
Leonard's not sure how much time passes. Jim goes quiet after the first few interjections, and by the time Leonard notices Jim's drifted away he has a crick in his neck and a slightly sore throat from talking uninterrupted for much longer than he's used to.
He kisses Jim gently and lies with him until morning, but even then it's hard to turn away.
He tries not to think about what that might mean.