starlogs | ( closed ) and I'm floating in the most peculiar way

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( closed ) and I'm floating in the most peculiar way

WHO: James T. Kirk & Leonard McCoy
WHERE: Enterprise
WHEN: February 14th (+ another thread later on)
WHAT: Waking up with no power and zero gravity isn't their idea of fun.
WARNINGS: Nothing aside from Bones panicking and Jim hating himself a little later on. Possible mentions of death too.

When things actually started going down, Jim was too fast asleep to realize. Even the faint glow filtering through the windows as the nearest ship blew up wasn't enough to wake him, eyes shut for a while longer. The fifteen minutes of peace that followed would be the last bit of decent and unhindered rest he'd likely get in a while.

It started with a strange tingling sensation, at first. As the systems started malfunctioning, it was the engines shutting down completely and the whole ship going dead silent that had him waking up. His heart thrummed to the beat of the engines and the warp core, and suddenly everything felt... misaligned.

He nearly startled awake at that, shoving the blankets off of him in one sudden move as he got to his feet. Except his feet touched the ground for about a second or two before his whole body started to float, as if weightless, and the more he struggled to reach the ground, the farther away he got from it.

"What the fuck—" he looked over sharply, seeing Bones's silhouette starting to lift from the bed even in the dark of the room. Despite the evident lack of gravity, he tried to glide over to him. "Bones. Wake up, wake up— Bones!"

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The longer they were stuck like this, the easier it was for Jim to move around. He'd always been a natural during zero G training and right now that proved to be an asset, even if they couldn't seem to get out of the room just yet. Once he reached the dresser, he pulled a drawer open (carefully so his underwear wouldn't go floating off through the room), then dug into it for a few belts.

Thankfully he'd gotten himself a decent number of them, which would prove useful right now. Closing the drawer again, he moved back towards Bones, holding onto his arm with his free hand first, then unceremoniously wrapping his legs around the doctor's waist.

"Sorry," he offered honestly, devoid of any teasing this time around. "I need my hands free for this. Think you can just hold me in place?" He was already working on hooking the belts together into a longer strap that would hopefully encompass the whole bed. It was a little weird but honestly it wasn't like they had that many options right now.

When Jim came back in his direction, he automatically caught his arm. What he hadn’t expected as he hauled the blonde closer was to have those legs instantly curl around his waist. And maybe he let a gasp escape him that he hoped Jim didn’t hear. Brow furrowing instantly, all he did was nod in reply to Jim’s statement. It was necessity, sure…

Just didn’t account for Leonard not expecting Jim to attach himself so… inelegantly and maybe more suggestively than he expected. Breathing in slowly, he reflexively gripped Jim’s hip while his other hand stayed attached to the bed frame to hold them steady. “Yeah. I’ve got you.”

Offhandedly, he knew that phrase was something he said a lot to Jim. And quite honestly, he made an extreme point to keep that true. He’d cut his own hand off before letting Jim down. A reality he should likely wonder about. But he never saw it as misplaced loyalty. Jim never let him down either. Not really. Not in moments like this and surviving. “How do you always look in your element no matter what the situation is?”

If Jim heard that gasp, he figured he'd just collided a little too hard with Bones, but right now there was nothing that could be done about that. At least he'd managed to hold onto the doctor tightly enough, if somewhat unorthodoxly, and while the hand on his hip was a little distracting, it also did a pretty good job of keeping him in place. Sort of.

What mattered was that he had his hands free to put all the belts together, something he did with growing ease as he went along. He paused only to look down at Bones at his comment, huffing out a breath and shooting a small smile at him as he shrugged. "Natural talent, I guess."

He did not feel in his element right now, though, not even a little bit. But if he managed to work well under this kind of pressure (or complete lack thereof) and making it look like it was somehow easy for him, then all the better. At least he took comfort from the knowledge that it might be keeping Bones calm.

Finishing with the last belt, he nodded to the frame where Bones was holding onto. "Think you can tie one end there? Or just pull me closer."

"You've got a lot of that." He rarely fed the actual ego. He figured a long time ago that doing that would make Jim unbearable. But right now, he couldn't help but appreciate the man for keeping so... calm. Even if he knew damn well neither of them had it together, Jim made sure to look like he did.

Tipping his head to look at where Jim indicated, he arched a brow slowly. Well, if Jim had no issues manhandling him, why not return the favor? "I'll do my best to get you over there." Slipping his hand over from Jim's hip to simply around his waist, he turned them shifting his hold on the frame. Granted this put Jim's back closer to the mattress and more with his back to what he needed. "You're gonna have to stop clinging to me like a spider monkey and turn over. "It's alright. I'll keep you in place from above. I'd try what you want, but I'm not sure where you're goin' with this."

Uncurling his arm from Jim's waist, he didn't even think about it as his hand drifted to his thigh and patted it slightly. "Mean it though. I got you. You do what you gotta do and I'll be your anchor."

"Yeah, well," he let out a huff as he struggled with the belts a little, lifting his shoulders at Bones. "Comes in handy at times, doesn't it?"

He wasn't bragging, not this time around. Not like their current situation was very conductive to his ego getting blown out of proportion by Bones's words, but he did appreciated them. They reassured him, grounded him (though not literally), and Jim could very well use that right now.

Huffing a little as his back brushed against the mattress, he uncurled his legs from around Bones, then promptly turned himself around so he was facing the frame too, his weight kept down between Bones and the bed. It was by no means a secure hold, but it was enough for him to loop the belt around the side of the frame, while sure that he wouldn't just float away.

And if nothing else, their situation meant Jim was focused on a whole lot, more than enough to stop himself from thinking about how close they were, or how he could feel Bones's presence brushing lightly against his back.

His hand moved to grip Jim's hip firmly as much to hold him in place as it was to reassure him. Furrowing his brow a little, he turned that thought over along with the current situation. "Hey, Jim... you know there is no one else in the universe I trust half as much as you. Sure as hell don't believe in any half as much as I believe in you. It's not just 'natural talent' as you put it."

He paused a moment, his eyes following the motions of Jim's hands as he attached the belts to the bed. "Figure I'm bias as well, but you have never let me down when it counted the most." Anything he did let him down in really was a personal problem and he had no right to even be remotely irritated by it. So just having the man close by doing something that may or may not be important, made Leonard feel ten times better.

"Got faith in you. And if our luck ever does run out, just hope I'm there with you." Cause god help him, he hoped he could 'have Jim's back' so neither of them would have to face that circumstance alone.

Jim listened to Bones in silence as he talked, his hands not slowing down as he tied the belts tight to the bed frame. Eventually he glanced over his shoulder when Bones fell silent, eyebrow raised just barely before he was looking away again. "Can you stop saying things like that? Makes me want to hug you and our current situation isn't very conductive to that."

He did appreciate Bones saying those things, even though he knew them already. He'd always known he had Bones on his side, that the doctor trusted and believed in him in ways that no one else really did. And honestly, he wouldn't have pulled half the crazy stunts he did if he hadn't had Bones standing by his side— figuratively or literally.

Tugging on the belts to make sure they were secured to the bed, Jim turned slightly to look at Bones, nudging him a little. "Okay, can you— hold onto the sheets and crawl us over to the other side of the bed?"

Rolling his eyes a little at Jim, he arched a brow at him. "Gee. Says the guy that thinks I never say anything positive." Snorting at that, he purposely ignored the hug comment cause well, obviously Jim was just givin' him hell as always.

Which was why he shrugged a bit at the request and slid one arm about Jim's waist and used his other to pull them both over the width of the bed so Jim could get to the other side. Once they reached that point, he switched arms to catch hold of the blonde while he grabbed onto something more solid to keep them in place. "Better?"

Honestly, having a task made things... easier. Not that he liked this feeling. He still felt stick to his stomach and he didn't want to function in zero-g even if he had no choice. Still, Leonard put his focus into keeping Jim in place while moving his hand from it's spot on his stomach to carefully return it to his hip. It was more to keep him in place than anything else... and certainly kept him from accidentally holding on to him too tight. Well, for many reasons.

"Well, you picked one hell of a time to say something positive." Clearly Bones had to work a lot on his sense of timing. And see, if these were other circumstances Jim would definitely hug him, but sure. The doctor could keep thinking he wouldn't, if that made things easier for him.

One hand held onto the loose end of the belts and Bones's shoulder both, while the other gripped at the sheets, helping the doctor as they slowly crawled over to the other end of the bed. It was especially difficult to stop on top of the bed and not just keep floating mid-air, but with Bones's help he managed fairly well, clinging to the frame for a little while until he was sure they were still.

Once he was sure Bones was holding him down, he let go, turning to face the edge of the bed, his now free hands working quickly to fasten the belt there. It wasn't perfect, but he managed to loop the edge of the belt into one of the other buckles, definitely firm enough that it wouldn't come loose. Just to make sure, he tugged hard, sighing in relief when it didn't budge.

"Done." If he didn't sound especially accomplished it was only because... well, it wasn't like this made much of a difference. It only meant they wouldn't be floating around while the room got colder and they burned through what amount of air they had available. Still, he said nothing about that, turning towards Bones while he held onto the belts. "Let's get under the belts. Come on."

Mumbling something unintelligible under his breath, he waited till Jim finished rigging up the bed while keeping him in place. When he finished, he let go of Jim's hip and placed his hand on the bed under them. He was getting ready to move away from the blonde when Jim turned over to face him. Blinking down at him, he ended up staring silently at his best friend a moment before he nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Okay." Moving to grab belt harness of sort, he paused as his body pressed closer to Jim. After a moment, he felt his mind kick back in gear. "It's going to get colder. We should... probably stay close. I don't know how well the blankets will stay down on us and well, I'm the best heat source you got right now."

The logic was sound. Truth even. But at the same time, he found he liked the idea of just holding on to Jim this time. Shaking his head as though physically throwing out his strange thoughts before pressing his hand into Jim's chest to put him closer to the bed. "You crawl in first."

Jim actually stared up at Bones with a raised eyebrow as he waited for the doctor to work through whatever train of thought he'd gotten himself lost in. Once he spoke, Jim nodded, moving around to help Bones as he tugged them closer to the center of the bed, this time his tone taking on an amused edge when he answered.

"The lengths you go to just to get me all wrapped up around you. Honestly, Bones." The last few syllables dissolved into a chuckle, and he shook his head playfully. Still, he did as Bones told him and got under the belts first, tugging the covers up so they'd also be trapped underneath the belts. It couldn't cover much but at least it'd help.

Reaching out to get a hold of Bones's waist, he pulled him closer so he could follow suit and join him. "I've got you. Come on."

Of course, the moment Jim said shit like that, his face reddened. He felt like the skin got set on fire and he couldn't get it to cool even in the progressive cooling of the room. Biting into his lip, he refused to answer that and just helped Jim slip under the belts. Then when it came time to get him in there, he actually hesitated a bit.

And quite honestly, Jim's grabbing him by the waist really didn't help matters at all with getting that blush to go away. Closing his eyes a moment, he finally nodded his head. "Yeah, alright." He answered almost in a gruff whisper before working his way under the makeshift tether. Once he was mostly strapped in place, he managed to curl the other side of the blankets about him so they would mostly stay over him.

Except now... after Jim's comment, he didn't feel inclined to just latch on to him. They should be fine a little longer. No point doing exactly like Jim said and looking.. what? Desperate to be close to him? Was that what it was? All he knew was his hands were coiled in a death grip on the covers and he still worked at fighting down the heat in his face and neck while staring into the darkness that was the ceiling overhead.

Well then. Good job, McCoy. You've made yourself look like a right idiot. Closing his eyes, he let out a soft sigh of resignation.

Jim was teasing Bones with that remark anyway, so he didn't really expect to get an answer to it, not anything more than possibly the doctor telling him to shut up or go to hell. So the lack of answer didn't surprise him, and considering the darkness and the fact they were otherwise preoccupied, he didn't notice the blush spreading across Bones's face either.

He helped the best he could as Bones slipped into the bed, mimicking the doctor by tucking the covers here and there so they wouldn't float off as easily. Once he was mostly settled down, he turned to face Bones, starting to reach towards him only to stop once he had already shifted closer.

"What, don't tell me you changed your mind already," he said a little lightly, eyebrow raised and arms reaching out towards Bones almost expectantly.

Staying still in that position still felt strange. The weightlessness being the biggest part of that, but feeling like a real heel added right on to that. And maybe he sank a little lower in the covers when he felt Jim move to face him. Biting at his lower lip, he finally let out the breath he was holding.

Logic told him to just shut up and accept the offer to be close. But well, that just made his face heat up more. At this rate he might burst into flames and Jim would have plenty of heat to survive by, assuming it didn't eat the oxygen up first. Turning his head toward Jim finally, his brow furrowed.

He wanted to snap at him with a sarcastic remark and tell him to figure out warmth on his own, but he couldn't even formulate the words right then without looking well, stupid. "You're a real ass sometimes." He pointed that out finally not finding anything better to work with at that point so he just settled with simple.

Too bad he knew the current situation wasn't likely a good one to get in a fight with Jim. For all they knew they'd suffocate in there or die of dehydration. And he really didn't want that time spent growling at each other. "Look, if it irritates you, I'll be fine. Just... let me know if you start getting cold." Cause he didn't need Jim getting hypothermia or anything else of the sort. He'd figure something out for getting Jim warmer.

It was definitely not the answer he was expecting to get. Granted, he had poked some fun at Bones, but it hadn't even crossed his mind that the doctor would take it to heart. It had just been some light teasing anyway, mostly with the intent to distract Bones and pull his thoughts away from the current situation.

Certainly nothing that he thought warranted being called an ass for. Raising his eyebrow even higher, he looked confusedly at the doctor. "What the hell, Bones? What did I do now?"

But evidently Bones had no interest in making sense now, apparently. Maybe he was already suffering from low oxygen levels. Fuck if he knew why the doctor sometimes acted the way he did. (Jim did some pretty crazy shit, granted, but at least he was consistent.)

Letting out a faint, if somewhat exasperated, huff, he rolled his eyes, turning on the bed and away from Bones so he was lying on his back instead, arms crossed over his chest. "You know what? Fine. Be that way. See if I give a shit."

Really, that was a good question. Other than being himself, Jim really hadn't done much different than usual. It wasn't his fault Leonard felt like the butt of the jokes cause of all the confusing feelings going on. Cause really, facing down those feelings wouldn't do him a damn bit of good. Especially now that Jim was angry.

Staying silent at first he let his fingers fidget with the covers a moment and much to his dismay, the more he thought about the whole damn thing, the hotter his skin felt. And it was not helping with making him feel warmer. It just made it feel colder. Still, after a moment he reached out across the space between them and curled his fingers over Jim's shoulder.

"'M sorry." He mumbled the words softer this time, before shrugging a little pointlessly. Pulling his hand away just as slow, he started to turn away onto his opposite side. "Just... feel stupid cause maybe you're right and I do like finding reasons to be close to you right now. Probably just bein' an idiot. Over sentimental or whatever." He frowned to himself and pressed his face against the bed to maybe smother himself or something. But the mumble he made into it was still intelligible. "I know I'm useless right now."

Need a doctor, he was your guy. But this stuff? Jim would be better off with Spock. Or even Scotty. Hell, probably even Chekov.

"Whatever," Jim shrugged off the hand, the reaction more immediate and thoughtless than he meant it to be. He didn't want to be upset at Bones, even less so in the situation they'd gotten themselves stuck in, but he couldn't help bursting out in a way almost rough and callous in response to an all too familiar pain.

But that was stupid. Bones was his best friend, not some arrogant Academy thug, and Jim wasn't a kid in his early twenties anymore. If nothing else, what Bones said next eased some of that immediate hurt, and he sighed audibly as he closed his eyes a moment.

"You don't need reasons to be close to me, Bones," Jim muttered, opening his eyes again and turning his head to the side just enough to look at Bones's back. Even if there was no need for it, Jim would always welcome Bones closer if he wanted a hug, or just... hold hands or sit close to each other. And at least then he didn't have to worry about explaining why he liked that so much.

Reaching a hand out, he pressed it lightly between Bones's shoulder blades, thumb drawing slow circles there. "You're not useless. There's no one else I'd rather be stuck here with," he said, then added after a pause. "In this universe, I mean. Not this particular situation. But only because I'd rather you be safe elsewhere."

Being shrugged off stung. A lot. He felt it all the way to the center of his chest and gut. But he’d just done the same thing without the actual push away from him. So Leonard was well aware he deserved that. And honestly, he was ready to bury his face in a pillow and save the room some oxygen if only to try to drown out all this stupid mess he just put them in. Like they needed his damn confusion on top of near death circumstances.

Then Jim had to go a say a thing like that and for a moment all he could do was press a hand over his face. That possibility of combustion obviously was still very real. And maybe the moment he felt Jim’s hand on his back he shivered and tension started to bleed out of his back and shoulders that had built up since they started floating. Long story short, he was doomed. Because he knew damn well that if all Jim had to do was touch him? He was way too far gone on him for this to ever be normal again.

And Jim saying he didn’t need a reason? On top of basically saying the exact same thing he thought constantly when they got tangled up in some mess together. Grouse and complain as he did, he knew he wouldn’t rather be with someone else.

Which was why he turned over and caught Jim’s hand as he moved closer. Pulling that hand to his chest a moment he curled the other arm about his best friend’s waist and pressed his face into his neck hiding there. Even if it would become abundantly clear he was still blushing his ass off, at least Jim couldn’t see it. That would have to do for now. “I’m not leaving you.” Not like everyone else in Jim’s life. All those people that kept picking up and leaving, that wasn’t gonna be him. “If I had my way, I’d rather us go out together.” Because he didn’t want to be left behind. “It kills me every time I nearly lose you. You know that, right?”

Brow raising as Bones turned around to face him again, he didn't so much as move, and definitely didn't pull his hand away when Bones reached out for it. Finally he turned too so he was on his side, his own hand snaking around Bones's shoulders when that arm curled around his waist.

If he felt Bones's face particularly warm against his neck, he wasn't about to point it out this time around. He closed his eyes instead, curling up close to him, his hand sliding up and down the doctor's back in what he hoped would be a soothing touch. Well, as soothing as it could get when they were stuck on a dead ship in the middle of space.

"I know," he murmured with a nod, chin brushing against Bones's temple in the process. He'd known that since Bones risked his own Academy record by dragging him along onto the Enterprise for the first time. Granted, it had all worked out pretty great in the end, but Bones couldn't have possibly known that then.

So no, it hadn't crossed his mind that Bones would turn his back on him. Not ever, and no matter what.

"You're not losing me, Bones. I'm right here, I always will be," he offered, a platitude more than anything, when he knew damn well he couldn't make a promise like that. "And we're gonna be fine, you'll see. I'm sure someone on the Eluvio's working to get to us, and if not..."

He trailed off as another thought came to mind. "The comm devices. We should be able to get in touch with someone there." However, the comm devices were currently floating around mid-air, a little too far from his reach.

Leonard didn't rush. He simply pressed Jim's palm to his chest and slipped his own hand over it. Letting his fingers settle between Jim's, he rolled his thumb softly over the side of Jim's hand gently. In the same way, his pinky slid over Jim's in a slow idle motion that was no more than that. Soft and gentle contact.

His eyes closed slowly, a soft breath leaving him when Jim nodded against his temple forcing his head to move just a little with that motion. God help him, but he was a damn goner and he knew it.

Angling his head, he moved until he could feel Jim's chin against his forehead and just a slight move more till it slipped into the dip at the bridge of his nose. "I know you'll be there as long as you're able." His voice was quiet, nearly resigned in saying that. He knew. Jim would always storm forward and save the universe and he'd tag along for the ride. He knew that was how it went. And he wouldn't want Jim to be anyone else but himself.

That was the person that meant most to him anyway.

Turning his head a little at the comment about the communicators, he stared into the darkness of the room and arched a brow. "That's gonna be real fun to find." Pressing his hand flat against the small of Jim's back, he let the fingers splay out over it softly. "We'll look in a little bit if ya like. Just... mind stayin' like this a bit?"

All the small and seemingly casual touches had been just fine before, when Jim had a task to get done and could focus his mind elsewhere. Right now, though, he couldn't stop himself from narrowing down his attention to even the smallest brush of Bones's fingers on his hand, so much so that he had to close his eyes for a moment and take a slow, steadying breath.

Despite everything, it was soothing. The touches, the closeness. Even when he had nothing to do, nothing to think about but their current situation, he felt calm and safe and (ironically enough) grounded. Though he knew Bones was likely panicking inwardly, Jim just hoped he offered at least at least a fraction of that calm to the doctor by keeping him this close.

"Yeah... no rush. We can look in a bit," he nodded, breathing quiet and slowly. His hand moved up to the back of Bones's head, fingers sifting lightly through his hair. "You never know. Our luck might turn and I'll get smacked in the face by one of the comms before we even start looking."

Tipping his head into Jim's hand in his hair, he let out a soft sigh. He liked it. More than he wanted to admit. And that likely showed in the way his hand squeezed Jim's under his own. Turning his head, he knew his forehead brushed against Jim's jaw as he narrowly avoided his lips touching Jim's neck.

"Well, keep hopin' it's your luck and not mine." Cause damn it all, but he had the worst luck of all. So if anyone was gonna be cashin' in on that happenin'? It would definitely not be on his account. "Then again, I think we skate by on yours more often than not."

Leonard felt so safe and warm against Jim. He was... thankful that Jim let them stay still. Cause seriously he didn't want to lose this right now. "In all truth, I just know things'll turn about one way or another." He released Jim's head just long enough to lightly cuff Jim with his knuckles under his chin. Soon it returned to its spot spread over Jim's. "You're like some kinda lucky charm or somethin'." It was a partial tease, but he really did have that much faith in Jim.

"Considering the things you've lived through in the past few years, I'd say you're pretty lucky," Jim hummed softly, trying not to think much about the doctor's warm breath on his neck. "But maybe it's just me rubbing it off on you. Who knows."

Either way, though, it worked for the best, so Jim wasn't about to complain. But Bones couldn't really say he'd been unlucky as of late, not with all the crazy things they'd lived through over the years. Well, luck might be a part of it, but Bones was also brilliant and Jim knew that played an instrumental role when it came to getting them out of a tough spot.

"How unusually optimistic of you, doc," he said around a smile, voice lilting vaguely. His fingertips curled over Bones's ear, sliding from his temple and around the shell, down to the back of his neck. "Must be your lucky charm, at least."

“Mm… you make me a better person, but I don’t know about rubbing luck off on me.” He huffed a small laugh and playfully rolled his eyes even if Jim couldn’t see it. “Sure as hell try more things cause of you.” And go against his fears for that matter. Leonard had found he could overcome things that horrified him if Jim needed him to. And Jim never asked him to needlessly.

“Yeah well, don’t tell anyone. It’ll ruin my image.” Snorting softly, he started to laugh only to have the breath come out shakily as that hand swept over his ear like that. The arm about Jim’s waist tightened just a little as he lowered his head to press his eyes against Jim neck close to the shoulder. His voice came out a little off as he spoke that next word. “Mine?”

It hung in his head almost too hopefully before he pushed himself to say something else. He dared not cling to any hope like that, and really, Jim was just joking. “Well, having you around has worked so far, so I’m not complainin’.” Nor denouncing the idea that Jim could be ‘his’ anything other than just friends. “You make a good heater, too, by the way. If we’re listin’ off your good qualities.” Smirking just a little he smiled to himself still half hidden pressed against his neck.

Edited 2017-03-07 16:06 (UTC)

"Yes, and they always somehow turn out well. I'd call that luck, wouldn't you?" Granted, Bones's talent got him through a number of those situations, but he couldn't deny that sometimes a lot was left to chance. The doctor couldn't really say he was unlucky, no— not since he met Jim, anyway.

So yeah, maybe he was rubbing off on him a little. (Not in the literal fun way, though.)

"Guess you better keep me around for a good while longer, then. Although I'm not sure I'd say you don't complain, but... you know, it's grown on me," he said with a soft chuckle, arm tightening a little around Bones's shoulders, his head tipping down at his next words. "Mm, one of those days, is it? Well, not about to stop you if you wanna keep showering me with compliments."

And at least it kept them distracted, so.

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