He wasn't sure how much time had passed when the first buzz of awareness intruded upon his sleep. Jim didn't wake, but part of him, at least, was aware of Spock's approach. He shifted against the two men, throwing an arm over one and a leg over the other in a tangled sprawl.
He probably should have thought of at least cleaning up before anyone else came home. But there was only so much a girl could deal with at one time.
Well, didn't this just redefine awkward? Clearly this wasn't the kind of conversation that should be interrupted, but neither was it one that Leonard felt comfortable bearing witness to, much as he was brimming with questions.
The whole situation wasn't rendered any more so by the fact that his pants were sticking uncomfortably to his body in ways they shouldn't. Jim's words of earlier finally sank in, and Leonard just about repressed a wince.
"Look, I... you clearly need some space. I'll go check on Bill, yeah?"
He turned before they could respond, noting with a rush of relief that Bill seemed to have woken, already.
Jim managed a tight smile at that, though the emotion in the bond was relief and gratitude. Though it seemed unlikely, given what he'd seen of that universe, and what Spock had told him, that such a man would be capable of even getting this far.
Which begged another question. Jim wasn't about to ask when Spock had stopped him.
I'm glad, he said silently. And I should have warned you about Len and Bill being here.
He blinked over at them, as if remembering their presence yet again. He made a quick decision, because hell, nothing had happened yet. "Look, I'm sorry to wake you both. But I--we--need to talk. It's not a personal matter, for the record. And I think we'll be far more comfortable if we're not--" covered in semen "--naked. So if you don't mind, I'm going to grab a quick shower, and then you two can if you want, and I'm going to get some coffee."
Bill was still blinking his confusion when Leonard settled on the bed, so surely some unilateral action could be forgiven, especially as there was really only one answer.
"Of course," he said to Jim, "you go right ahead, we'll wait."
And once Jim had disappeared past the doors of the bathroom, he turned towards Bill, fingers brushing through his hair in acknolwedgement.
Bill drew up his knees, unconsciously defensive, and glanced at the bathroom door as it closed.When he was sure that it was closed, he reached up to touch Leonard's hand, frowning slightly.
"I haven't got the faintest," Leonard responded honestly, before reaching down to grab Bill's pants and shirt - it was somewhat chilly, like this.
"I... woke up to Jim being obviously upset, and he said there'd been... bad news." There was a frown working its way onto his forehead, even as he automatically smoothed out the shirt and wrapped it loosely around Bill's shoulders. "Something about Spock not having been hurt, and him stopping when asked to?"
The gears in his head were turning, twisting, until something clicked into place somewhere. "This is about James, isn't it."
It didn't strike Leonard as all that likely that Spock would have found herself in a situation that she hadn't at least played some part in engineering. At least not on this front.
"...that's exactly what I think must have happened," he concluded, after a moment's contemplation. Why on earth she had considered it a logical course of action escaped him, for the time being.
Bill sighed through his teeth, which he felt suddenly incapable of ungritting. He took a moment.
Then he said, "Fuck."
He shrugged the rest of the way into his shirt, and then pressed a hand to his face. He peered up at Leonard over it, eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion.
"And he stopped when she asked him to? So it was her own doing?" He sighed. "Is Jim angry with her? With him?"
His shrug was more eloquent than words could have been.
"I didn't get the impression that Jim is angry with Spock, no," he clarified after a moment. Not happy, by any means, but certainly not angry. "I don't know. Clearly there's more to it than that."
He brushed his fingers lightly against Bill's cheekbone, for want of anything pressing to do. (Although a shower would be more than nice.)
Leonard shook his head, both in response to the question and... not. He was completely with Bill on this one, which was more than a little odd, since there hadn't been any obvious harm done. And yet.
"No," he said, smoothing a hand over Bill's back in an attempt to soothe him somewhat, "I think Jim wants to tell us whatever else there is. Just not... well, I can't blame him for wanting a shower, first."
It wasn't hard, really, to figure out why Spock might have gone to him. After all, she hadn't been here, all the time they'd been harbouring their suspicions, hackles rising inexplicably at his every move and word. And James had represented Jim, her bondmate, in his natural form, the form she admired. Bill supposed that he could not blame her for attempting to use him as some kind of substitute, just to see what it would be like. Just as a guide.
But still, the idea that that man could ever really be a substitute for Jim made his blood seethe.
He flopped back down on the mattress and stared at the ceiling. "No," he said, slowly, in response to Leonard's observation. He hoped Jim wasn't too sore. "All right. We'll wait."
There was little they could do, for now, but wait. Leonard stretched out alongside Bill, resting a hand against bare skin where the shirt was still unbuttoned, the steady thump of his heartbeat reassuring in its own way.
"It'll be alright," he said softly, lips meeting the line of Bill's jaw. "Jim has a knack for sorting these kind of things out, yeah?"
So long as there was something concrete there to work with.
He probably should have thought of at least cleaning up before anyone else came home. But there was only so much a girl could deal with at one time.
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Spock trailed off at the look on Jim's face.
"He did not injure me in any way, t'hy'la. He ceased when instructed to do so."
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The whole situation wasn't rendered any more so by the fact that his pants were sticking uncomfortably to his body in ways they shouldn't. Jim's words of earlier finally sank in, and Leonard just about repressed a wince.
"Look, I... you clearly need some space. I'll go check on Bill, yeah?"
He turned before they could respond, noting with a rush of relief that Bill seemed to have woken, already.
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Which begged another question. Jim wasn't about to ask when Spock had stopped him.
I'm glad, he said silently. And I should have warned you about Len and Bill being here.
He blinked over at them, as if remembering their presence yet again. He made a quick decision, because hell, nothing had happened yet. "Look, I'm sorry to wake you both. But I--we--need to talk. It's not a personal matter, for the record. And I think we'll be far more comfortable if we're not--" covered in semen "--naked. So if you don't mind, I'm going to grab a quick shower, and then you two can if you want, and I'm going to get some coffee."
Spock? I wouldn't mind your company.
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She nodded to the men on the bed, a twinge of discomfort for Bill Shatner. She would offer her apologies for the disruption later.
For the moment, Spock moved into the restroom, started the shower, running the water to Jim's preferred temperature without thought.
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"Of course," he said to Jim, "you go right ahead, we'll wait."
And once Jim had disappeared past the doors of the bathroom, he turned towards Bill, fingers brushing through his hair in acknolwedgement.
[OOC - threadsplit for ease?]
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"What's going on?"
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"I... woke up to Jim being obviously upset, and he said there'd been... bad news." There was a frown working its way onto his forehead, even as he automatically smoothed out the shirt and wrapped it loosely around Bill's shoulders. "Something about Spock not having been hurt, and him stopping when asked to?"
The gears in his head were turning, twisting, until something clicked into place somewhere. "This is about James, isn't it."
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"Oh, hell," he muttered. "You don't think Spock was stupid enough to go screwing that creep?"
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"...that's exactly what I think must have happened," he concluded, after a moment's contemplation. Why on earth she had considered it a logical course of action escaped him, for the time being.
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Then he said, "Fuck."
He shrugged the rest of the way into his shirt, and then pressed a hand to his face. He peered up at Leonard over it, eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion.
"And he stopped when she asked him to? So it was her own doing?" He sighed. "Is Jim angry with her? With him?"
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"I didn't get the impression that Jim is angry with Spock, no," he clarified after a moment. Not happy, by any means, but certainly not angry. "I don't know. Clearly there's more to it than that."
He brushed his fingers lightly against Bill's cheekbone, for want of anything pressing to do. (Although a shower would be more than nice.)
"You alright?"
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"I want to fucking strangle that bastard."
He paused. " - which okay, is probably not fair, since it doesn't sound like there was, you know, raping, but urgh."
He kicked uselessly at the bedclothes. "I hate that guy. Other than that, I'm fine."
He looked up at Leonard. "Do you think we should go?"
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"No," he said, smoothing a hand over Bill's back in an attempt to soothe him somewhat, "I think Jim wants to tell us whatever else there is. Just not... well, I can't blame him for wanting a shower, first."
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But still, the idea that that man could ever really be a substitute for Jim made his blood seethe.
He flopped back down on the mattress and stared at the ceiling. "No," he said, slowly, in response to Leonard's observation. He hoped Jim wasn't too sore. "All right. We'll wait."
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"It'll be alright," he said softly, lips meeting the line of Bill's jaw. "Jim has a knack for sorting these kind of things out, yeah?"
So long as there was something concrete there to work with.
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