Dragon's Keeper # 7
Title: Dragon's Keeper #7 Cure for the Itch
Author: remorsful_rain
Rating: G
Warnings: N/A
Word Count: ~1200
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Betas: Lady Kiren, Any more mistakes are my own.
Summary: “Come on relax, I’ll make sure no one steps on you and you come out with the same body parts you came in with.”
Authors Note: The ending is more sappy than funny. Warning: Unless you guys prefer not, this is going to get angsty (after all Bones has to deal with the fact he's a little dragon and can't do his regular duties and he doesn't strike me as a guy who would be willing to sit around twirling his thumbs). The humor will still be there but after the next part I'm planning on brining in the angst. ;D Also This one longer than usual, um a bribe to forget that it's been so long since I updated. -nudge, nudge-
The little bronze dragon twittered nervously as Jim made his way towards the mess. He figured it was the new version of Bones grumbling, the dragon twittered almost constantly and the old doctor complained almost constantly. There had to be some connection.
Bones flexed his talons and curled his tail a little tighter around Jim’s neck. They were entering hallways that were full of crew members coming off of shift or others heading for breakfast. By the time they reached the mess Bones was practically strangling his friend and was apparently trying to burrow his claws into Jim’s shoulder. The captain just took it in stride. Bones had been self-conscious to start with and being transformed into a mini-dragon certainly hadn’t helped. Jim reached up and scratched behind a brow ridge.
“Don’t worry buddy it’ll be okay,” he murmured, with a smile.
Bones leaned into the caress and hummed in appreciation, relaxing his death grip around Jim’s neck.
“Come on relax, I’ll make sure no one steps on you and you come out with the same body parts you came in with.” Jim chuckled.
Dr. Northrope had been trying to somehow get Bones alone and on an exam table, and ever since the two had first met the dragon never let Jim out of claws reach.
**
Jim bypassed the line and with a grin and a wink managed to get a couple of plates from the cooks. Though it probably had little to do with his natural charm and more with the fact he had a reptile with wings perched on his shoulder. Bones ducked his head and straightened his wings under their scrutiny, as if he didn’t know whether to hide or preen. Jim thought it was rather adorable, not that he’d ever say that within hearing distance.
Jim set the plates down on the table and sat down, while Bones chirped anxiously at all the eyes that were on them.
“If you want to eat you’re going to have to get off my shoulder. I’m not hand feeding you anymore, you need to fend for yourself or you’re going to get fat.”
Bones warbled and rolled his eyes at the plate of eggs and bacon in front of his captain. Hypocrite. He jumped down his talons scrabbling for purchase on the smooth metal table.
“Whoa!” Jim said snatching Bones before he could take a header off the edge.
The bronze dragon gave a frightened chirp and wrapped his tail snuggly around Jim’s forearm.
“That could’ve been nasty. Too bad you can’t fly yet,” Jim remarked, putting Bones down in front of his plate of fruit and ham.
Bones sent him a glare and nipped a finger before it was out of range.
“Ouch! Is that any way to treat your captain?!” Jim snapped, jerking his hand away.
“Considering you got him into this mess, I’d say it’s justified.” Uhura remarked, sitting down at the table followed by Sulu and Chekov.
“You’re always saying that. I didn’t do it on purpose, like I’d actually do that to my best friend.” Jim muttered to his eggs.
“The road of good intentions…” Uhura quipped.
Bones grinned at the exchange as he nibbled on a bit of cantaloupe.
“It is good to see you out doctor.” Chekov said, reaching out to scratch the little dragon under the chin.
Bones warbled his reply and leaned into the touch.
“You never do that when I scratch you.” Jim whined, glaring at Bones for his betrayal.
“Jim it looks like Dr. McCoy’s skin is dried out and starting to flake,” Uhura noted, running a hand along the bronze’s back.
“I’ll ask one of the zoologists about it, later,” Jim replied, popping the last of his bacon into his mouth.
“So how is the doc’s big reveal going?” Sulu asked in between bites of scrambled eggs.
“Not too bad, people have pretty much just been staring, but Dr. Northrope has a restraining order.”
“Vhy?” Bones was letting the Russian scratch his neck. He was doing it on purpose just to spite Jim, the bastard.
“He came looking for Bones the other day and Bones threw a hissy fit. I was sure he was going to attack the guy.”
“McCoy attack someone? I mean I could see him going for your face, but Dr. Northrope?” Uhura raised a falsely innocent brow.
“It was probably the giant needles the doctor was wielding around.” Jim let the face mauling comment slide for now.
He watched as the little lizard finished his breakfast, and now that he took a closer look Bones’ skin was starting to look a little dry.
The bronze gave a happy chirp once he was finished, and just to annoy his friends he laid out on the table. He crowded their plates, but Jim’s was the only one he actually let a body part flop in the food.
“Come on Bones get your wing off of there! I can’t see my food!” When Bones didn’t move Jim continued, “I think this is going further than retribution, you’re enjoying this too much.”
Bones rolled his eyes, Jim acted like such a petulant child sometimes.
“Ah well, I was finished anyway.” Jim sighed delicately lifting the dragon wing to peek at the remaining eggs underneath.
Bones immediately moved his wing back and hissed threateningly at Jim. As CMO it was his job to make sure the captain took care of himself, and that meant making sure he ate all of his food.
“Come on Bones,” Jim whined, “you got dragon scale germs on them. I could mutate horribly or something.”
Bones leveled his best ‘dry’ look, and Jim obliged, though he still managed to mumble about ‘not my fault if I mutate’ as he forced down the rest of his ‘contaminated’ breakfast. Jim not finishing his eggs wouldn’t cause malnutrition but Bones was enjoying the torture opportunities, plus it really was his duty all that. Riiiiight.
“It’s rather amazing how well you understand each other,” a new voice interrupted the exchange.
Bones gave a startled whistle and dove for Jim’s shoulder, hiding from the man he would from now on call ‘He who pokes with sharp needles.’ The group looked up to see the smiling face of…
“Hello, Dr. Northrope.” Jim said slowly.
“Good morning captain,” the man replied a little too cheerfully.
Bones growled a little as he leaned around the side of Jim’s face to glare at the doctor.
“I was wondering if you and Dr. McCoy would be free for a few more tests later?”
“No,” Jim snapped a little too quickly, surprised by a sudden sense of protectiveness of his friend. He wasn’t going to let bones anywhere near the man, he agreed with his friend the guy was a little eccentric.
“I mean today’s going to be a little stressful, since this is Bones first time out of my room since he changed. It’s going to be stressful… for both of us.” He quickly covered, internally wincing at the lameness of the excuse.
“I see. You’re probably right, perhaps after he settles in then.” Northrope actually looked disappointed, and Bones gave a louder growl. Jim reached up and began running a soothing hand down the dragon’s back.
“Hey doc?” Jim asked before the man could leave, “Bones skin looks a little dry. Could there be a problem?”
Stepping closer to the table Dr. Northrope let out a thoughtful noise. Bones didn’t make it easy for the man to get a good look at him, choosing instead to retreat and hiss.
“Well, I’d say his skin is just that, dry. Since we don’t know what kind of habitat he would regularly be living in, it could just be the fact the air’s to dry. Rubbing lotion or oil on his skin should help.” Northrope offered.
“But to be sure maybe we should run so-”
“Nope that’s quite all right. Thanks doc.” Jim cut in, giving him his best ‘thank you now you can leave’ smile.
The man seemed to get the hint and walked off.
“I just saved your ass, you chicken. You totally owe me.” Jim glared at the lizard on his shoulder and ate his last bite of ‘contaminated’ eggs.
**
Jim was exhausted by the time his shift was over. He ignored the looks he was still getting for having a lizard with wings sitting on his shoulder, and focused on making it to his room without running into a bulkhead. Bones was still paying attention to the gawkers apparently, if the angry hisses and worried warbles were anything to go by.
He punched in his entry code, walked over to his bed and promptly faced planted. Bones let out an indignant squawk as he was tumbled from his perch.
Between dealing with a almost constantly freaked out best friend, who was alternating between trying to strangle him with a tail and trying to bury his claws into Jim’s muscles, and the pissed off prime electorate of the T’lgran, who was rambling on about the federations misrepresentation of his planet, and how Jim should be honored the he was even thinking about holding negotiations, blah,blah,blah… he was plum worn out.
Bones chirped and poked his head with his snout. Jim looked up into his worried hazel eyes.
“ ‘m fine. Jus’ lil tired,” he mumbled.
Bones heaved a put upon sigh and climbed up on his back and began pulling on the material. Jim groaned and tried shaking him off; Bones just dug in his claws and nipped his ear.
“Ow!” Jim snapped, glaring at his friend.
The dragon jumped off his back and began pushing his chest.
“Okay, okay I’m getting up.” Jim groaned. You know, he was pretty sure his joints shouldn’t be making the noises they were.
Bones jumped off the bed and scrambled up onto the front of his shirt, then proceeded to use his weight to make Jim stumble toward the bathroom. Once there he wormed his way under the captain’s shirts and began to gather them up.
“I get it, I get it.” Jim peeled off his shirts while Bones scrambled down to his thigh and unbuttoned his pants. The dragon fell along with the material into the heap on the floor.
“Smart move,” he chuckled as Bones wiggled out of the pile and sent a glare back at it.
Bones studied him for a moment before giving a satisfied nod and a nip to the heels.
“Okay, okay I’m going. No need to be so pushy.”
Bones was waiting once he got out of the shower, and before he knew it he had a towel thrown at his face.
“Hey, knock it off.” Jim growled when his pajamas were similarly thrown.
Bones just hovered perched on his shoulder or glided from perch to perch, twittering, warbling and acting rather mother hen-ish the entire time.
Jim collapsed onto his bed with a grateful sigh, being the captain was exhausting, but he really wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Bones, c’mere,” he commanded, eyes closed in relaxation.
He felt the bed twitch as Bones settled next to him with a questioning chirp. Jim just reached out a hand and began scratching the bronze behind the head; Bones tried to nip and bite his fingers at first but gave up and lay down to enjoy the attention.
A rumbling noise caught Jim’s attention. He opened his eyes to see Bones’ eyes were closed in bliss as he ran a hand over the dragon’s back. The noise seemed to becoming from Bones himself.
“Are you purring?” Jim asked.
Bones opened his eyes, he looked pissed off that the scratching had stopped, and whacked Jim’s stomach with his tail impatiently. Jim resumed scratching.
“I mean it is more of a thrumming noise than a purr but still. You’re acting like a cat again; I thought you were supposed to be a dragon.”
Bones lifted his head and glared at him, underneath the irritation Jim could see the enjoyment and relief. Jim suddenly remembered his friend’s dry skin and mentally kicked himself.
“Hold on,” he muttered tapping the wall next to his bed and rummaged through the drawer that popped out.
Bones eyed the bottle he pulled out warily.
“Don’t worry it’s not lube. It’s lotion.”
Bones turned toward him, his look of disgust morphing into something more teasing.
“Have you seen how dry and cracked my hands get after a desert mission? This stuff comes in handy.” Jim defended himself when Bones broke down into a dragon’s version of laughter.
The bronze dragon seemed to find the idea of his captain using moisturizing body lotion hilarious, and by the time Bones was practically making a bugling sort of noise Jim decided he’d had enough.
“Do you want me to help with your skin problem or not?” he snapped.
Bones quieted with some effort and looked a little remorseful, but not much. Jim propped himself up against the wall and Bones crawled onto his lap.
He began with Bones head, gently tracing a path around his eyes and nose. Bones closed them obligingly, and kept them closed as Jim moved onto his neck and back. He must have been extremely comfortable, because by the time Jim was done he had a puddle of purring blissed-out Bones in his lap.
“Turn over, I need to do your belly.”
Bones immediately stopped purring and stiffened.
“It’s not as if you haven’t ruined your tough guy image anyway,” Jim pointed out.
Bones craned his neck and nipped Jim’s wrist, before heaving a sigh, rolling his eyes, and flipping over onto his back. As the lotion was rubbed into the skin on his belly, Bones flexed his claws reminding who was letting who do what.
“I get it Mr. big bad dragon monster man,” Jim smiled finishing. He rubbed the remaining lotion over his hands and feet ignoring the dragon’s humored look, and put the bottle away.
He slid down so he was lying more horizontal, and Bones immediately claimed his chest for a bed. He knew he was being sappy or something but the scratching felt good, so he butted Jim’s hand. Getting the message Jim began stroking Bones from head to back. The dragon warbled sleepily and closed his eyes.
“Lights off,” Jim mumbled, and the room was plunged into darkness.
The Enterprise continued on her journey toward T’lgran and its angry prime electorate, but in the captain’s quarters Jim and Bones feel asleep between one stroke and the next.
#6 ___ #8
______________________________________________________________________
There it is after far to long, part 7!! RL has settled down so I'm hoping to have the next part up by the beginning of next week. I'm thinking once a week updates, we'll see how that goes. I'm sorry for the delay, but I hope you enjoyed this next instalment. Next up I'm thinking Bones needs to learn to fly! :P