"God," Leonard groaned wiping a hand across his sweaty forehead. "It's hot."
"Well maybe if someone wasn't so stingy with the air conditioner we wouldn't all be suffering right now." Uhura rolled her eyes as she walked past Leonard, tray of food in hand. Her pony tail was extra high today as it swung back and forth with the sway of her hips. Leonard crossed his arms leaning a hip on the bar he stood behind.
"The ceiling fans are on," he grumbled. "And it'll just waste money to have the air going on such a nice day like this."
As if on cue Scotty charged from his place in the kitchen with a red face and a deep scowl. "Alright laddie, I know yer a right good penny-pusher but if we don' get some cool air a'commin' through I quit!" A handful of patrons looked over at the ruckus the Scotsmen made.
"I agree with Meester Scott. It ees too hot. In Russia we do not get hot. We only get cold." Chekov commented as he leaned across Leonard to grab for a chaser glass. Leonard felt his eyes begin to roll again in the sockets.
He looked around his bar at the patrons eating and drinking. It was relatively early, the sun shined brightly outside but still the bar hopped with businessmen just getting off work and women who wanted an early outing with their friends. The music around the place was soft, not loud as it would be as the night progressed but enough so that there was boisterous conversations around the building. As he gazed around he saw sweat beading on his customers' foreheads and above lips and finally he relented.
"Fine. Someone go open the damn windows."
"Na-uh," Gaila yelled from the other end of the bar closest to said windows. She was leaned over talking to an attractive looking blond man. "You own the bar, you open the windows. We're not your slaves!" The blonde man smiled obviously holding back his laugh. He looked up at Leonard and the older man felt himself stiffen. Those were the bluest eyes he'd ever seen.
"Fine, fine," he threw his hands up in the air more to get himself away from those cerulean eyes then for the actual dramatics. He muttered to himself as he walked to the back of the bar and down a small hallway to grab the keys to unlock the various windows around the place. He muttered about insubordinate waitresses and cocky barman and how he could've been a doctor and not had to deal with all this shit as he walked back out to the front and over to the windows.
"Sorry," Leonard mumbled as he maneuvered around the pretty blonde man. With a grunt and a click he pushed the old window open and sighed as a heavy breeze came in chilling his damp skin. Behind him his staff cheered. Leonard held back his itchy middle finger. Now wasn't the time. They had customers.
Throwing the keys next to a pile of dirty glasses Leonard grabbed a dish towel to start drying. Gaila, smirking, came over to him getting close.
"Why don't you go ask mister All-American if he needs anything," she winked at him pushing her order pad of paper into his hands and nodding to the hunched over blonde man. She then ran off into the kitchen – probably to flirt with Scotty. Leonard bit his bottom lip, stood still for a moment, called himself an idiot then walked (he did not saunter) over to the man.
"What can I do you for?" He questioned gruffly. The man looked up from his menu and Leonard had to stop himself from taking a step back at the intensity of those eyes. They seemed even bluer now that he was up close and personal. A gust of wind blew into the restaurant. "And if you say a tall glass of me I will throw you out."
Blonde haired man chuckled turning away from Leonard to cough dryly into his elbow before facing him again. "You're a charmer aren't you?" He laughed shaking his head.
Leonard rolled his eyes for the third time in less than a half an hour. "You fixin' to eat or just sit there lookin' pretty?"
Shit. Leonard wanted to punch himself in the face. He settled for mentally kicking himself but the man did nothing more than take a few short breaths and laugh again shaking his head.
"I could sit pretty anywhere but I came here for a drink." The man turned his head to cough again. It was dry and forced, Leonard wondered if this guy was sick. "I'll just get a beer for now. And a shortglass of you, if that would make you happy." Leonard bit at his cheek and most certainly didn't blush.
"Can I see your ID?"
The man guffawed grabbing for his wallet and clearing his throat a few times in the process. "If you wanted to get my name you could've just asked." he said procuring his ID card.
Leonard gazed at it surprised to see it was military issued. The man's name was Jim Kirk and he was in the Army. He looked at the guy's birthday – twenty six. Wow, Leonard thought. The guy didn't really look that old. "Military guy huh? Well, congrats you get ten percent off."
Reaching down Leonard grabbed for a beer the same time as Jim put his card away. He slid the drink to him and watched as Jim once again turned his head to cough. It was harder than the last and when he got finished he shook his head as if to clear it. Jim put a hand to his chest and Leonard heard a slight rattle as he tried to bring in air.
"You alright kid?" The playful nature of Leonard's posture disappeared as Jim grabbed at his neck struggling to bring air into his lungs. The kid wheezed loudly, his eyes widened and he dug into his pocket with shaking fingers. Those blue eyes got impossibly wider as he didn't find what he was looking for. Jim whipped his head around to the opened window as he tried the pockets of his jacket. Leonard hurried to help him. "What? What do you need?"
Jim's eyes looked glassy when he turned back to him, his wheezing getting louder. "In-hal-ler." It was all he could get out on the uptake of breath. Jim searched through his pockets wildly not finding his medicine. Leonard looked over to the open window and at the flowers that had been planted a few weeks ago. Shit. The pollen.
"Sulu!" He yelled garnering the attention of his whole staff behind the bar. "JoJo's inhaler. In my desk, top drawer on the right. Now!"
Sulu split into action dropping the glass he'd been drying as he saw Jim struggling. Leonard practically jumped over the bar and grabbed a hold of the man. He maneuvered him until he was bent forward and tried to bite back his panic though his own hands still shook.
"Easy," He ordered. "Stay calm, Jim, just take slow breaths, it'll be alright." Jim's eyes were closed as he fought for every breath while mucus filled his airways.
Sulu rushed over a second later hand outstretched with Joanna's blue inhaler in hand. He knew they probably shouldn't share the medications but Leonard didn't care at the moment. He pulled Jim until he sat straight and inserted the puffer into his mouth. Jim, eyes closed, brought his hands up to encase Leonard's and pushed down on the puffer releasing the medicine and breathing in quickly then letting the it sit in his airways for ten seconds before slowly breathing out.
"There you go kid. Nice and slow," Leonard encouraged and Jim did it again leaning heavily against him as his chest expanded to take in as much as the puffer allowed.
After one more puff Jim seemed to calm down as his breathing evened out. Jim sat on the bar stool for the longest minute before he placed the inhaler on the dark wood bar and took a slow inhale of breath. Leonard sat down next to him feeling the eyes of patrons on his back. "You alright kid?"
"Mortified… but f-fine," Jim answered in a rough voice not looking at the older man. His hands still shook slightly on the table so he folded them up and placed them in his lap to hide.
"You're lucky my daughter as asthma and I just happened to have an extra inhaler." Leonard growled. "What were you thinking going anywhere without your meds? You could've died! In my establishment! Do you even know how much extra paperwork I'd have to fill out if you'd died from an attack? Does it look like I have that kinda time on me?"
Jim, looking thoroughly chastised frowned. "Sorry. I think I'll just…" He went to stand but Leonard put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"I can't let you go home."
"Look man, I really just-"
"Come on," Leonard stood dragging Jim with him. "I got a couch in my office and a glass of water with your name on it. Stay a while so I can keep an eye on ya and you can tell me how the hell they let an asthmatic as bad as you into the army." He smiled at the man warmly to show that he wasn't truly angry and Jim looked at him strangely for a second before understanding. He ran a hand over his hair and down his neck.
"It's actually a funny story," Jim cracked a small smile following Leonard to the back of the bar.