Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who commented on my first submission, Speed Bumps. It is incredibly appreciated and a little bit of a confidence booster. Thank you a million times over, hope you enjoy this one as well.
Jim stood alone in the observation deck, his arms crossed loosely over his chest, a strip of gauze taped over his left eyebrow. Dried blood crusted on his temple and his head pounded in a dull ache, but he couldn't wipe the smile from his face.
The misson was supposed to be simple; go down, collect some samples from an uninhabited planet nestled near Betelgeuse and report their findings to Starfleet. However, Jim realized now it was silly of him to think it would go smoothly. It was a mission lead by James T. fucking Kirk, what else was expected but chaos?
He hadn't anticipated the chaos coming in the form of large, angry bear-like creatures in the midst of their mating season. They'd managed to get back on board the ship mostly in one piece, but there was still work for Bones. Jim had declined the offer to be seen first and simply accepted a bandage and the promise to be checked on later.
Jim didn't turn when he heard the soft whoosh of the door, but the smile on his face grew a bit when he heard Bones' gruff mumbling.
"Alright, Jim," the doctor stood to his side, kit in hand. "Let's get this checked out."
He nodded once and allowed his friend to clean his cut without a sound, hardly flinching as bits of dirt and debris were pulled out. It was a process that took about three minutes total, a time spent with the Captain looking out the window, that little smile still tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Somethin' on your mind?" Bones asked, reaching up and smoothing on a clean bandage. "I mean, I ain't complainin', but you've usually got a few choice words for me during clean-ups."
He tossed the wrappers and the old gauze into a biohazard bin, setting it down with his gear arms as Jim shrugged.
"Y'know, Bones," Jim finally spoke up, unfolding his arms and leaning against the railing. "I don't care what anybody says. These are the glory days."
The doctor let out a small huff of hair, shaking his head.
"Maybe you hit your head harder than I thought, but have you been payin' any attention today?" Bones slowly peeled off his gloves, letting them drop to the floor. "We lost our samples, our helmsman's got a broken arm, and there's so much blood – red and green – on my everything, it looks like a Christmas card threw up in my sickbay."
"Yeah," Jim laughed lightly and turned back to the large window. "But look at that sunset."
Rolling his eyes, Bones looked out the window. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face, all of his stress seeming to melt away in the blues and greens in the atmosphere as Betelgeuse dipped behind the planet.
"It's always the little things with you, Jim."
Jim smiled wider, clapping an arm around his friend's back. "You know it, Bones."