Leonard McCoy was on a mission. He had already searched the ship once for his disappearing pain-in-the-ass captain, and so far had been met with only a crumbling bread trail as to where he really was. The bridge crew said he was in engineering, engineering said he was in the science department, and the science department said he was in the mess hall. But Jim wasn't in any of these places. There was only one place left to check.
He knocked on the door of Jim's quarters loudly and listened for movement on the other side. Leonard heard a soft rustling of movement and cursed the thought that he hadn't looked here first. He had asked for Jim to get some rest, he just didn't believe that his friend would actually listen to him.
The door slid open to Jim's tired face. It annoyed McCoy to no end that even though they were on a run of the mill milk run – delivering meds to ships and planets in the Lega system, which had been suffering under the effects of a virus – Jim seemed more tired than ever. His paperwork, which had been piling up for the last several weeks because of some more exciting landing missions, was now being rushed to be completed.
Jim stepped back and walked back over to his desk, which was piled up with PADDs. He sighed. "Bones, I know what you're gonna say. I just don't have the time right now, okay?"
McCoy scowled. "Yeah, that's not gonna be good enough. You might be busy, but so am I. I had to go looking all over this damn ship just to find you."
"And whose fault is that? You told me to go to my quarters, so I did."
"I told you to get some rest. Which this does not look much like," McCoy growled, gesturing towards the desk.
Jim pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers, and McCoy's gaze softened for a moment. Usually when he did that it meant he was suffering from one hell of a migraine. But then he remembered that it probably wouldn't have affected him as much if he'd done as McCoy had asked him and slept, and he crossed his hands over his chest. "Please, Bones, I –"
"Yeah, I get it. I'm only your doctor. No need to listen to me." Jim looked up at him, opening his mouth to respond, but McCoy cut him off before he could start. "Look, I only came here to give you this." He pulled out a hypo from his med bag, and Jim pushed his chair away. McCoy rolled his eyes. "It's just a vaccine. The one for the virus. Almost everyone on the ship's got it except for you."
What McCoy wasn't going to tell him was that it was mixed with a light painkiller. After the events on the last planet Jim had broken a few ribs, and while they were healing fine, he knew they had to be a bitch. And the last thing Jim was going to do was ask for help.
Jim ran a hand through his hair. "Fine. Just… get it over with, will you?" McCoy stepped forwards, and before Jim could even react the vaccine was in his bloodstream.
He put the empty cartridge in his bag and looked at Jim for a moment, who was looking back at him now with a steely gaze. They stayed that way for a moment until McCoy asked, "By the way, when's the last time you ate? You look horrible."
"Aww, thanks Bones. I live for your compliments. Light of my day."
"Don't try to get out of this. I better see you at dinner."
"Yeah, love you too," Jim chirped, suddenly seeming a little lest tired. Probably the painkillers doing their job. The younger man turned back to his desk and picked up a PADD.
"Bitch," McCoy muttered, shaking his head as he exited. But before he could even leave the room, he heard the beep that meant a message was coming in for Jim from the bridge.
"Kirk here," Jim said after he had answered the call.
"Captain," McCoy heard Spock's voice. "Your presence is needed on the bridge. We have just received a new mission from Starfleet."
"Understood," Kirk replied. "I'll be up there in a minute." He ended the transmission and looked up at McCoy. "Better come with, Bones. Spock sounded pretty tight."
"He always sounds tight. And what happened to the directive we're supposed to be doing?"
Jim grinned. "At least I won't have to deal with any of this shit anymore," he said, looking down at the desk. An excited glint was shining in his eye.
"You're gonna have to do it eventually."
"Nah, I'll just have Spock do it. He hates it when things are late."
McCoy shrugged, and allowed himself to be pulled into the hall with his friend.