"Look, Jim, it's really lovely that you're so concerned about me but I'm fine." You tried to walk backwards, away from the Med Bay, but Jim's grip was unyielding. "It's just a little cut. It'll heal on its own!"
"Stop complaining and do what I say for once, Y/N. It was a pretty decent cut and you never know what could have been on that metal. What if you get sick?"
"Then I'll take some medicine and rest up. Please don't make me do this."
Jim just gave you a smile and pulled you through the double doors. "Bones is on today, he can take care of you."
"You know how I feel about needles, Jim. I don't need one."
"Bones!"
You planted your feet and refused to take another step as Jim called around for his friend.
"You'll like him, Y/N. Just try and ignore the needle part and you'll get along fine."
"I said no." You whispered furiously as he moved back to you. "Are you deaf?"
Ignoring your glares, Jim bodily moved you onto one of the beds as the doctor came around the corner. He stopped in front Jim just as you were attempting to single-handedly tug your skirt back into place; the idea of showing so much skin to a total stranger - doctor or not - was completely unappealing.
"Jim how many times have I told you to quit yelling for me every time you come in here? I have other patients, you know." He frowned at Jim and then shifted his gaze to you.
"Bones, this is Y/N. We're in the same hand-to-hand combat class." Jim grabbed your arm and held it up, smiling at your glare. "She fell over and cut her arm on the weapons stand. I figured you should have a look at it."
"I don't need it looked at. I really, really don't. I cleaned it and bandaged it myself and it doesn't hurt at all." You wiggled your fingers pointedly at Jim. "Look at how great this is; a little betadine cleaned it right up and I am feeling fine."
Jim tightened his grip and you winced at the dull throb it caused. "It still hurts. That stand hasn't been cleaned in awhile, I think the cut might be infected."
"Of course it hurts you idiot, it's a fresh cut!" You snatched your hand away and cradled it to your chest, glaring at the ridiculous smile on Jim's face. "I'm fine. I don't need to be poked and prodded and I certainly don't need a hypo."
"If I may interject…"
You looked up at Jim's friend, surprised that you had nearly forgotten he was standing beside you, and frowned at the strange pull you felt. Maybe there was something wrong with your hand after all?
"There's a good chance it could be infected. Nothing nasty, but it should be taken care of all the same."
"But I cleaned it! With betadine!"
The look he gave you shut you right up.
"Just a quick antibacterial and that's it. I need to look at the cut first."
You kept your hand pressed to your chest as you tried to reason with him. "It really is fine…"
"Doctor's orders." He reached out to you and as soon as his hand touched yours you jolted back, nearly falling off the bed. His touch set something alight in you, and you felt like you'd been struck by lightning. Warmth emanated from where he'd touched you, and you looked up to see that he was just as shocked as you were.
After years of feeling nothing you'd stopped looking, accepting the fact that you may not even meet your soulmate, that you were probably one of the few people who didn't even have one. Finding him here after waiting so long was almost too much, and panic quickly replaced the warmth in your body.
"I can't...I have to-" As he stepped forward you slid down from the bed and bolted like a jackrabbit, barely aware of the shouts behind you.
Unbelievable. All those years of loneliness and doubt and he had been here all along - and one of Jim's closest friends.
He was real. You'd finally found him and ended up freaking out.
You didn't even know his name.
After you'd gotten back to your room and made a tea you'd managed to calm down quite a bit; by the end of your second cup you were thinking rationally.
You had a soulmate.
The mere thought of him made the ache in your chest intensify, and you could only guess that you were feeling that way because you'd run away instead of actually talking to him.
When the door chimed half an hour later you were relieved. You hoped it was Jim offering advice and support but the way you felt drawn to the door made it clear that it was him.
He stood there, nervously running a hand through his hair, looking at you as though you were the be-all end-all; though for him you were, just as he was for you.
"I'm sorry," You whispered. "I shouldn't have run, I just didn't know what to do. I panicked."
"You and me both, sweetheart."
"Would you like to come in?" You stepped aside to make room, and he smiled as he moved past you.
"Jim told me where you lived. Practically pushed me out the door as soon as he was able." He circled around your small living room and then headed back over, holding his hand out to you once he was close enough. "I'm Leonard."
"Leonard? But I thought Jim called you..."
"Bones?" He huffed a laugh. "It's just a nickname he gave me."
"Lovely to meet you, Leonard. My name is Y/N." Rather than shake your hand like you thought he would, he turned it and pressed a kiss to your wrist, right on the pulse point. You held tight to his hand as heat ran through you, the flurry of sensations making your knees weak and chest tight. "I think I need to...to sit." You managed the few steps over to the couch and sank back into the pillows, unable to take your eyes off Leonard, who immediately moved to sit beside you.
"Are you alright?"
"This is all just a little...overwhelming, I guess would be the best way to describe it." You twined your fingers with his, the simple contact making you feel a little calmer, a little braver. "I spent so long thinking you didn't exist, and now you're here. My One and Only." Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and allowed yourself to just feel. The ache in your chest had abated, a deep sense of contentment spreading through you, calming you. His very touch was almost hypnotic. Was this the way he felt about you, too?
"I didn't think I'd ever have this again."
The happy buzz you'd been enjoying was gone in an instant.
"Again?" The look he gave you was one of deep remorse and sorrow, and though it very nearly physically pained you, you slipped your hand from his grasp, quickly standing and taking a few steps away. You couldn't meet his eyes, unable to bare the pain in them, and cursed the tremor in your voice as you spoke. "You mean you've already... had a soulmate?"
"It's rare, very rare. I suppose the easiest way to explain it would be to say that it's similar to Denobulan marriages, though not as intense. You know much about Denobulans?"
"A little, but I more know a few basics about their bodies, not their relationships."
Leonard took a slow couple steps towards you, reaching for your hand, gently tugging you back over to him. You easily accepted his touch, letting out a sigh as you felt a little calmer.
"Denobulans are polyamorous, right? Each male has three wives, and the wives have two other husbands. Big families. Multiple soulmates are a little similar. One can have two potential soulmates and, like Denobulans, those two potentials can sometimes have another of their own. I've only ever heard of there being one other, never more than that. You're my second; my last."
"If you have two, then doesn't that mean that I have another? I don't want another, I just want you." You weren't sure he had heard your whisper until he pulled you in for a hug.
"Not always, Sweetheart. For all we know I very well could be your only one. I sure hope I am, too."
You took a moment to relax against him. "What do we do now?"
"We spend time together, get to know each other; when we're ready, we can get a place together. Let's start nice and easy with dinner. Sound good?"
"It sounds lovely," You stepped back, intending to change out of your uniform and into something nicer, when Leonard pulled you back. One hand moved to your head, fingers running through your hair as he touched his lips against yours. Soft at first, the intimate contact was wonderfully sweet until something just clicked.
He's here, he's real, and he feels so right. The change was almost instantaneous; one minute it was all gentle kisses and caresses, and the next it was like the floodgates had been opened. Every want and need you had smothered over the years was suddenly front and centre, you felt like you couldn't get enough of him, and if the way he tugged at your hair and used his tongue - and sweet christ he could use his tongue - was any indication, he was feeling everything just as intensely as you were.
The sharp prick on the back of your neck and quiet hiss of a hypo administration shattered the moment like nothing else could have, and you reared back to glare at him. "Damn it, Leonard, I said I'd cleaned it!"
He gave you a wicked grin. "Shall I kiss it better?"