Don&#39;t believe in no-win scenarios

It has taken three years at the academy and a couple more on the Enterprise, but Jim knows better than to flip Bones off or sass back. Not while Bones is still holding all of those hypos. There's bound to be something Jim is due for or that would help he can pull out at hardly a moment's notice.

But the stewing sulking Bones may be expecting from Jim isn't there, once he asks about the fight. If anything, Jim looks like he should look, which is always frightening. He looks troubled. Uncomfortable. Hurt.

"That wasn't a fight."

Jim likes fights. Jim likes getting challenged, likes a good brawl now and again, likes playing rough rather than the diplomat once in a while. This...wasn't a fight. This was Jim reliving trauma. Chained. Drugged. Starved. Isolated. If you threw in abused, he'd be right at home reliving past traumas.

And what's most unlike Jim is he doesn't keep talking. Doesn't elaborate or go on about himself for several minutes. He just folds his arms over his chest, fingers gripping each arm tightly. Licks at his lower lip, and falls silent with his gaze distant and not tuned in on McCoy.

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Well, in terms of a normal and abnormal responses, this is one the doctor wasn't expecting. So much so that it gives him pause and actually reconsider what he's going to say next.

It's not like Jim to shy away from talking about a fight. In fact, the damn fool is normally boasting about it; even if he didn't win, he'll talk about the way he took the punches and how he 'almost had them'.

The wording makes Bones wonder, though, if it wasn't a fight, what was it?

"How do you feel now?"

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"Like I got stunned with a modded phaser." Which is more or less exactly what happened. Jim groans and shifts on the couch. He's trying to sit up properly but moving at all just makes his head throb all the more.

"Fuck..." Bones is nothing if not good though. The pain isn't leaving exactly but it is starting to dull. "...How long was I gone...if you're here?"

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He might find that he needs to lay down just a while longer for the analgesic to fully set in. As fast acting as the medication he's given him is, it doesn't peak right away. You don't get everything at once and still have the relief be long lasting.

Then again, Jim is always getting up faster than Bones expects him to. He's resilient and has a high tolerance for pain.

"We couldn't find you for nearly three days."

Edited Date: 2016-05-31 07:45 pm (UTC)

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Jim is also stubborn as a mule and 'sit still' isn't really in his vocabulary. Arguably never has been as long as he's lived. He'll take the pain if it means he can look Bones in the eye while he's talking. He hates how the world looks from a 'recovering' prone position.

It does, indeed, hurt quite a lot though. Moving. Sitting up. Not his brightest idea. But it's important he be able to see Bones. Three days? Three days with no comms, check ins, or readings of the Captain form the ship. He's surprised Starfleet isn't crawling up their proverbial asses trying to figure out what's going on.

But more importantly.

Three days missing after not even a year had passed since Jim died. He tries to imagine the panic the crew must have gone through and the guilt is enough to make him grit his teeth, turn his head to the side to try and hide the emotions that bubble up to the surface. Jim doesn't hide much from Bones. Doesn't hide his face when his eyes wet.

"I'm sorry." Even if it wasn't his fault. He's worried them all sick. Especially Bones, if he'd come Nexus side.

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Oh, you're going to do this to him, aren't you? Right here on this strange ... hub. That's the only thing he can think that beings to describe the Nexus. He's a doctor, dammit, not an astronomer.

"Forget it." He says, channeling all the worry that is surely going to have given him an ulcer by tomorrow into the usual gruffness. "I'm just glad that I found you and we can get you back to the ship where you belong."

No Jim, he doesn't understand why you need to take these little excursions off the ship and onto this place. Sneaky as you've been about it, he's discovered that a lot of people around her seem to know you and that means it's not your first trip down here is it?

Edited Date: 2016-06-03 08:31 pm (UTC)

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He has been sneaky about it, and for more than a couple of reasons.

For one, it's a new place to explore. That's the whole reason they're on this mission right? To explore new worlds and life out in the galaxy? So what does it hurt if Jim chooses to spend his off-shift hours exploring here too instead of resting? He wouldn't be resting anyway and Bones knows it. Jim is notoriously bad at pushing himself too far. Working too hard and for too long.

And for two...well. A lot of people know him here, and he knows a few extremely well. One in particular is a darker haired man in strange clothes that seems all too frantic until spotting Jim.

"I've been banged up worse than this before." As though that makes this alright, Jim. He must notice something because his eyes snap to something over Bones' shoulder and he smiles a weak smile and waves. It's thanks to Felix here and his healing magic that he's been able to keep these excursions a secret for so long.

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Felix was genuinely worried for a moment there. This is what he gets for ~~pouring most of his energy into healing~~ taking his eyes off Jim. Visions of yet another kidnapping are forgotten once he lays eyes on the captain, of course... well, almost.

Felix quickens his pace, eyeing the stranger with Jim as he approaches. It's been a long day - it takes him a full minute to realize how similar the man's clothes are to the captain's. And thinking that brings... both relief and a sudden tingle of nerves. He must be one of Jim's people. A crew member. Maybe even a friend? At least that means Jim's fine; Felix, on the other hand, is suddenly quite conscious that he hasn't washed, well, all day. And slightly less conscious of the legionary armor he's wearing. At least the leather doesn't squeak any more.

All right, Felix. Relax. Friendly smile to the stranger- not too wide or you'll look like an idiot.

How do you make a good impression on space-folk?

"I think I turned myself around back there," he comments to Jim. Beneath his smile and light tone, there's no mistaking how closely he looks over the captain. Even if he stops beside Jim rather than settling right down beside him, conscious of their company. The potions he went to fetch are tucked in the satchel he's carrying, but Jim hardly seems to need them now. "Glad to see you weren't lonely without me."

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Yes. One of Jim's people. A great crew member and an even greater friend, he would insist. A seasoned, handsome and skilled doctor that any Starfleet Captain should be thanking his lucky stars to have as his CMO.

It's criminal how underappreciated he is. ~~Though one might wonder if there was any level of appreciation that would satisfy Bones. He has been known to be a bit ... prideful.~~

He ... doesn't know what he's going to see when he spins around to see who might be behind him. Not as if McCoy hadn't been privy to many of the looks Jim has flashed to an other of varying significance, but he didn't immediately recognize it as that. It was more heartfelt than what he's picked up on before.

That said, the Doc is a little protective of Jim and since you walked up without even introducing yourself, Felix, you're on a bit of notice with Leonard.

"Who are you?" He says, folding his arms with a judgmental look. Before the poor guy, visibly a bit nervous can even open his mouth, his attention is back to his Captain. "Jim, who is he?"

Edited Date: 2016-06-07 12:21 am (UTC)

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Jim wouldn't be alive if not for Bones, and that's the truth. And not just for all the miracles Bones has pulled out of his ass to save Jim, either. Bones is almost everything Jim needs in his life. A friend, like family even, someone who understands him better than most. Someone he can be 'Just Jim' around.

Kirk wouldn't have made it through Starfleet without Bones at his side. Without some kind of support to help him through the train wreck that is his life. He, Spock, and Jim make a great team. The best, Jim would argue even though Bones would disagree on principle of green blooded hobgoblins making poor teammates for anyone. He appreciates them more than they will ever know.

It just so happens Felix is the rest of what Jim needs in his life. Explaining that to Bones though? Gonna take a bit of work, especially since if you'd told Jim a year ago he'd be thinking that about another person at all, he'd have laughed in your face.

"You could just let him talk." Jim says with a hint of humor in his voice. He winks at Felix when Bones is busy glowering at something that isn't Jim for half a second. "Felix, this is my Chief Medical Officer I've told you about. Leonard McCoy. Just call him Bones. He prefers it." No he doesn't, Jim. Just from you. "Bones, this is Felix Caelus. He's a medical specialist and student of xenopsionic studies from one of the many worlds linked to the Nexus."

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Bones. This is serious. Time to quit eyeing his injured boyfriend and try to charm the healer. Smile a little more. Everyone needs a healer on their side.

Everyone really needs their boyfriend’s closest companions on their side, for that matter, so he’d really best hop to it.

“A pleasure, sir.” He bows a little. There’s no pretense in either the address or the gesture: he’s an Imperial and these courtesies are as natural as breathing to him. The sheer familiarity of them helps him recover some poise. “The captain-Jim’s spoken of you a great deal - and it’s certainly a relief to find him in such capable hands. After all, there’s… quite a limit to the assistance I can render with my training.”

Wait did Jim just call him a medical specialist? All right, it’s not entirely untrue, he’s definitely better at that than the destructive end of things. And he trusts Jim to know the best thing to say in the face of the fierce scrutiny he’s getting. From what Jim’s said before he thinks that’s… normal? Probably.

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McCoy pinches the brow of his nose. Deep breaths, Bones. Deep breaths.

"You know, on the one hand, I want to be mad at you, Captain, for seeking treatment from someone other than me." Could he be in better hands then these? This country doc doesn't think so. "On the other hand, taking care of you properly probably requires two people at least. Maybe we should get a whole medical team on standby."

Sometimes he gets so mad he'd like to slap Jim to sleep and then slap till he wakes up again. Fer cryin' out loud ...

He's less mad at Felix. He can't be disappointed by him, after all, because he doesn't know him. And it's because he doesn't know him, that he doesn't trust him, but ... since Jim seems taken with the guy, he at least tries not to be outright mean.

"Leonard McCoy." He says, taking a breath and trying to summon some false cheer. It's not all that convincing. He's a doctor, not a thespian. "Did you give him anything recently? I'd hate to find out our combined efforts caused an adverse reaction of some kind by seeing him hemorrhage all over this fine couch."

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"Well, it's kind of hard when I'm on a different planet than you to seek your treatment, Bones."

Wait, Bones doesn't know he's been frequenting the Nexus, he's surely not going to be pleased that Jim's been exploring other worlds all by himself. Well, not ALL by himself. Felix and Ghost Puppy were there too! They should tell Bones about the time they got Jim kidnap--well, maybe not. How about the time they almsot drow--uhm.

They have a lot of fun together.

"Nah, just a dermal regenerator. His work differently than ours do, but I can one hundred percent guarantee I'm not allergic to 'em." He has a sample size large enough to be significant backing him up there. That's not something to be proud of, Jim. "Relax Felix it's fine. How're you holding up?"

He hasn't forgotten how much of a drain those magics take on the Imperial.

"It's about time you two met anyway, really. Kind of surprised it didn't happen earlier." Considering how many times he's brought Felix on the ship....

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Felix is watching the doctor pretty closely. He can see the effort McCoy is making to stay calm and polite - and he can understand whatever irritation lurks behind it. He's just more concerned with getting around it safely until he has a better read of the man.

"Right." What Jim said. He shakes his head emphatically, keen to assure Bones that he has a free hand here. "No potions or other medicines at all, yet. Most of what I did was to check that he was still breathing and then check he was going to stay that way." A thought which shouldn't really prompt an affectionate smile toward the captain, but Felix is still feeling that wave of relief from earlier.

Jim's question is also met with reassurance. "Oh, I'm fine. Starting to get some more energy at my disposal, though it won't be needed now." He wonders what Bones is actually going to do though. Everything in Jim's world works so differently to his own that he can't guess what the healing must look like,

His curious pondering is interrupted by the need to hold back a grin at Jim's last remark. He coughs, murmurs, "Well, we weren't exactly taking tours of the ship..."

Jim's quarters tend to be the primary stop. Not that he's complaining.

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And it's not as if Bone's spends a lot of time in Jim's cabin. The health concerns of the persons on the USS Enterprise take a whole team of people to help manage them and Bones is in charge of it all. It's a lot of responsibility and it could be argued that he gets too emotional to be a great doctor. That he gets too invested to be objective. A true clinician would be critical of his methods.

But dammit what was the point of being a Doctor if you didn't care about the people you were treating? A nihilist is something he could never be. Would never allow himself to be.

"I can see that you being here has had a therapeutic effect of it's own." He says finally, after a moment of swimming in his own thoughts. That's ... probably the closet you'll get to thanks from him right now, Felix.

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Bones hardly spends any time in his own cabin. Jim knows he checks the medbay first, Bones' office second, and then maybe his quarters. In that order. At all times. Which has definitely helped avoid the good doctor on their frequent excursions onto the ship.

Still, he didn't expect Bones to completely miss the part where Jim's bringing strangers form other worlds onto the ship. Jim must be hurting pretty badly. He checks himself over and sighs. His head is still throbbing but it's less of a 'splitting his skull in half' kind of way so he can't really complain.

"Relax Bones. He's fine. As long as you don't toss around your 'cheating at scrabble' medical jargon he's pretty knowledgeable about our world too." Giving Felix another wink. Because whose fault is that? Certainly not Jim's, nope. If moving didn't hurt so damn much, he'd clap Bones on the shoulder. As it is he just tilts his head so he can look up at Felix. Smiles like the doof he is.

"He's real nice once you get to know him, I promise." Knows it'll take more than gruff bedside manner to upset Felix, but still.

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Felix doesn’t expect Bones to trust him too quickly. These two have known each other for years – he’d certainly be taking his time eyeing up this foreign newcomer, in the doctor’s place. That said, his grudging acceptance-for-now is more than enough for the Imperial to relax and perk up. He is being ~~Tolerated~~ Helpful!

“I try to be of service,” he says cheerfully, shrugging a little. Aside from Bones’s polite restraint, it’s hard to stay nervous when Jim keeps smiling at him like that. It’s hard to remember what to be nervous about when Jim smiles.

It’s also impossible not to grin back, though instead of answering Jim’s last remark he looks back up at Bones. “So... I take it he’s going to be fine after all?”

Because of course he’s not going to pass up the chance to ask, now he has it. The question’s still been nagging him and he- he wants to be sure.

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How did the doctor treating his patient suddenly become the third wheel in this ... well it's not really a room is it, so much as a couch in a big open forum.

It's the eyes they're making at each other, he figures. They look at each other the way Spock and Uhura do when they think no one is looking. Protective streak, in full force with Bones as it is right now, he can't say he often sees Jim as happy as he does right now. And he can't deny that it's better to see that look in his eyes then the one's he sees more often.

"I predict a full recovery." He says with a thoughtful frown. This question, is probably more directed at Felix because considering Jim's state when they dragged him out here, McCoy doesn't really expect him to know ... "as far as you both know, there aren't anymore people in that arena, right?"

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What look?

Jim isn't making a look. Jim Kirk is incapable of looking smitten. Except he totally is. This isn't bedroom eyes, but something else entirely. And he's less able to hide it with the splitting headache he has, too. But since Bones isn't saying anything ~~for now, Jim, for now~~ Jim thinks he's getting away with the worst kept secret ever.

"I told you I'd be fine." That's not to say he isn't an infuriating smug bastard with Felix either, because he so is. It's a voice that has had Bones throw things at him back at the Academy and one he should know better than to use around his CMO and best friend.

His attention shifts--wobbles more like-- back to Bones at the last comment, smile evaporating form his face.

"Oh..shit. Yeah, who else was drugged and forced t'be in there....I didn't even think of that. Didn't see anyone else when I was in my cell."

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Felix, for his part, loves it when Jim's maddeningly smug. That assurance of his gets an amused snort- even if that's at least half Felix letting out a relieved breath.

"Thank you," he murmurs to Bones, quietly grateful to hear it from someone who really does know. But then it's his turn to offer some reassurance.

"I can't speak to who else might have been drugged - I wasn't looking for anyone else when I was in there. Perhaps not many - they were accepting plenty of volunteers as combatants from what I saw." He shrugs. "Either way, I doubt we need to worry. The main, ah... 'rescue party' seemed very thorough. Though if you want to go back and make certain, we can."

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Bones makes an almost flippant shrug.

"I tend to leave those kinds of decisions in the hands of my captain and since his head isn't in state that much more altered than usual, I trust him to make the right decision."

Not to mention Bones has very little information on what they were dealing with in there. Were he forced to make the call himself ... he'd probably bring down as many security personnel as The Enterprise could spare and do a cautious sweep of the arena - if for no other reason that to make sure that no one got trapped or left behind.

Maybe he'd even consult with the green blooded one first. Then, at least, he'd know that together they could come up with a somewhat logical course of action.

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"....I can't go, huh." It's a rhetorical question but Jim struggles to get up all the same just to test the waters and--no. No he cannot get up without being in all kinds of nausea and dizzying pain. Jim leans back against the couch, sweat beading on his forehead.

"I can't go. But...we. Someone should make sure no one's left trapped." His gaze moves from Bones to Felix, and Jim tries to shift into his Captain face. Tries to look in command and prepared, instead of concussed and sore.

"Felix. You know the location. Y..you think you and Bones could check?" He'd feel better if neither one of them went alone, despite Felix's assessment that the place was cleared out.

((I'm prepared to tackle this however you two want. I can make NPCs and you guys can bond, or we can wrap up the thread as is pretty soon here.))

Edited Date: 2016-06-12 06:48 pm (UTC)

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"And leave you?" Felix drops onto the couch beside Jim: he may be assuming the captain's face now, but Felix (and doubtless Bones) saw how pale he turned just there. "If I take my familiar we can make it quick, but..." But he's not happy with the idea of abandoning Jim. Maybe he'll leave Ghostpuppy on guard anyway.

(( A rescue mission with Bones would be awesome, but I'm happy to proceed whichever way! ))

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Members of Starfleet are guided by the prime directives. That's what you learn at the academy. In truth, Bones has found by being a part of Jim Kirk's crew and seeing the effects that other men in the same rank have had on their team ... the Captain shapes his or her crew more than any rule one could pull up on a datapad.

And maybe that's why, though he doesn't particularly like the idea of leaving Jim behind either, McCoy knows that they need to make that sweep for survivors and others left behind. Leaving people behind is not something Jim does. Nor does the crew of the Enterprise. Not when they can help, anyway.

"He'll be alright until we get back." Leonard says, when he finally speaks up again. His tone softened in order to offer some comfort to Felix. "His vitals are stable and frankly, he's been through much worse."

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