reel_startrek fic 1/2
Title: You called me and I came home to your heart
Fandom: Star Trek reboot with various crossovers
Disclaimer: none of these characters are mine; title from Browning.
Warnings: AU in a major way; implied child abuse
Pairings: none, as yet
Rating: PG13
Wordcount: 5745
Point of view: third
Notes: written forreel_startrek to prompt Sky High
More notes: thanks to stillane for reading over two scenes
Still more notes: the crossovers should be fairly obvious, but if you’re wondering and can’t figure it out, feel free to ask.
Also still more notes: prequel here
And yet again more notes: another prequel here
On Leonard McCoy’s first day at Starfleet Academy for Gifted Students, he accidentally got in the middle of fight. Since of the two combatants one had superstrength and the other impenetrable skin, Leonard was the only one hurt: his right arm broke so badly the bone poked out in three places.
Spock quit fighting the moment he realized someone else had gotten involved. Nero didn’t stop until Coach Pike froze him in place.
Leonard’s arm healed, of course. And Jim Kirk invited him to a table full of kids and insisted on calling him Bones.
Leonard was awake before dawn, lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, imagining every single thing that could go wrong. He knew that his backpack was all ready to go, lunch was being paid for by Principal Wayne, the schedule was set and he’d walked it-but they’d realize they’d made a mistake and they’d send him away, the police would arrest him for what happened, everyone would know he had blood on his hands-
“Hey, Leo, breathe,” Wally said, one hand on Leonard’s shoulder. “Kiddo, just breathe. Everything’ll be alright.”
Leonard breathed.
Wally made breakfast. Leonard picked at his helping while Wally worked his way through three.
“So,” Wally said. “You know where your classes are?”
Leonard nodded.
“And you have all your books?”
Leonard nodded again.
“You’ll be fine, Leo,” Wally told him. “Bruce doesn’t make mistakes like that.”
Leonard took a forkful of cold eggs and didn’t answer.
“Do you want me to go with you to Bruce’s office?” Wally asked.
Leonard shook his head. “I’ll be fine,” he said. He forced a smile. “Don’t worry about me.”
After his meeting with Principal Wayne, where Principal Wayne just went over his schedule again, the code of conduct, and then wished him well, another senior led Leonard to his first hour, History of Abilities (and Everything Else) with Mr. Ford. “I can show you around the rest of the day,” Dick Grayson told him. “Or you can try to wing it.”
“Thank you,” Leonard said, “but I’ve spent the past couple days exploring. I know my way.”
Dick smiled at him. “Good. Your classroom is just down that hall.” He nodded to the left and hurried back the way they’d come.
Leonard took a deep breath, straightened to his full height, and walked to the door.
Mr. Ford welcomed him, assigned him a seat, and then continued on with the lecture, thankfully. Leonard hated to be the center of attention. He quickly and quietly pulled out his supplies.
“We’re on page 62,” the student next to him whispered. Leonard murmured his thanks and flipped to the page.
“Mr. Guster,” Mr. Ford said. “Can you tell me the difference between empathy and muscle mimicry?”
“Yes sir,” the boy next to Leonard said. Leonard jotted down his answer and didn’t say another word for the rest of class.
At the end of the hour, Mr. Ford called Leonard up to his desk. He shuffled a few papers and then offered Leonard a packet. “All of the previous lecture notes are in there,” he said. “Burton Guster compiled them for you, mostly from his own. Dick Grayson helped.”
“Thank you, sir,” Leonard murmured, taking the packet. He placed it carefully in his notebook and waited.
“Oh, go on to your next class, Mr. McCoy,” Mr. Ford said after a moment. “And don’t worry about tomorrow’s essay-I expect yours on Friday, instead. That should give you enough time to catch up.”
Leonard nodded and hurried out the room.
Second hour was science with Dr. McKay. Leonard waited by the desk until Dr. McKay looked up; he waved to the class and said, “Sit anywhere, kid.”
Leonard chose the back row, next to Dick. “How’d history go?” he asked.
Shrugging, Leonard pulled out his book and notebook. “It was interesting,” he said. “I got a copy of all the notes I missed, which is pretty nice.”
Dick grinned. “You’re welcome, Lennie,” he murmured as Dr. McKay said, “Alright, time to begin. Everyone but the new kid, piece of paper and pencil.”
Half a dozen kids groaned and Dr. McKay raised a brow. “What was that?”
Dead silence. Leonard ducked his head to hide his smile.
“You have ten minutes to give me twenty reasons why telekinesis is the most useful power,” Dr. McKay said. “And I expect all of them to be scientifically sound.” As the students started writing, he added, “New kid, start reading chapter one. In ten minutes, I want a sheet of paper from you with a quick summary of the first two pages.”
Leonard opened his book and started reading.
Third hour, he had Art with Ms. Prince and he grinned as he walked past the desk. “Leonard,” she said, regally inclining her head. “Wally has told me you’re doing well.”
He ducked his head. “Yes, ma’am.”
She smiled. “Take any seat you like.”
He chose one of the front tables and dug into his backpack for the sketchbook Principal Wayne had provided. “Hey,” a boy said settling onto the stool next to him. “Did you know your hair is pink?”
“No, it’s not,” he replied, pulling the sketchbook out.
The kid said, “Yes, it is,” and held up a mirror. Leonard glanced in it distractedly and then looked back, mouth dropping open.
His hair was pink.
“What the hell?” he demanded, glaring at the kid.
“Charlie,” Ms. Prince called. “We’ve discussed this.”
The kid slumped down. “Yes, ma’am,” he said. “Fine, your hair is just like it was when you walked in here.”
Leonard looked into the mirror again and his hair was normal. He watched out the corner of his eye as the kid grabbed a sketchbook from thin air. “Huh,” he muttered.
The kid grinned. “Charlie Bartlett,” he said, holding out a hand. “Coolest cat in the world.”
Leonard shrugged mentally and shook his hand. “If you say so.”
Impossibly, the grin got bigger.
By the end of class, Leonard had drawn three houses and two trees. Charlie had designed a poster about the school play-Phantom of the Opera-and offered advice on how Leonard could spiff his drawings up. Leonard thanked him and then proceeded to ignore him.
“Well done, Leonard,” Ms. Prince told him as she walked the room, checking on everybody’s work. “Your assignment for the night is to fill them in, with shading or color-whatever you wish.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said.
Of all his classes, Leonard dreaded math the most. It wasn’t that he was bad at it; it just took more work than anything else ever had. Mr. Sheppard told him to sit anywhere, so he chose the empty desk in the furthest corner from the front and waited for class to start.
He didn’t recognize any of the kids, so he just hunched over his desk, book and notebook out, pencil in hand.
Mr. Sheppard did a quick review of Friday’s lesson, which Leonard was grateful for, and then got right to it. Leonard didn’t say a word the entire hour.
By fifth hour, Literature with Mr. Kent, Leonard was hungry. Ravenous, in fact. It’d been a long time since he actually felt hungry, even when he knew he needed to eat.
Mr. Kent welcomed him with a large smile and made him get up in front of the class to tell a little about himself. He mentioned that he’d lived a lot of places and liked anatomy, and then a brown-haired boy on the front row told a dirty joke. Mr. Kent focused on him and Leonard escaped to the back.
Once the class calmed down, Mr. Kent announced, “Take out a sheet paper; pop quiz time.” To Leonard he said, “Don’t worry about it. You can turn in a paragraph about ‘The Story of an Hour’ tomorrow.”
Leonard nodded and flipped to the story in his textbook while Mr. Kent called out questions. Once everyone had finished and turned their quiz in, the kid who told the joke led a lively discussion about Mrs. Mallard and the perils of irony. Mr. Kent didn’t even seem to be trying to corral him, just offering a word here or there. Leonard chuckled more than once, and actually laughed aloud.
When the bell rang for lunch, he smiled at Mr. Kent as he followed the herd out the door; he turned back when Mr. Kent called, “Wait, Leonard.” He stood in the doorway while Mr. Kent pushed off the desk. “You’re settling in alright at the school?” Mr. Kent asked. “You’re happy?”
Leonard looked at him for a moment and then said, “It’s too early to tell.”
Mr. Kent nodded, though he looked a little sad. “Go on to lunch. I think today’s fishsticks.”
Hefting his backpack, Leonard hurried out the door. Since he actually did feel hungry, he decided it would be best to eat.
part 2