Never Seen Anything "Quite Like You"
"Well I've seen you in jeans with no make-up on, And I've stood there in awe as your date for the prom, I'm blessed as a man to have seen you in white But I've never seen anything quite like you tonight No, I've never seen anything quite like you..."
Not wanting to deal with the outside world, and after spending the evening with a drunk Kirk on the first week of classes, Leonard McCoy was beginning to wonder if this was how the rest of his time in Starfleet would pan out. He'd already given his adviser a piece of his mind when they opted for him to get a roommate. To which he had claimed that hell would have to freeze over before he went back to that shit again.
Barely a week went by, and Leonard's mind was already drifting off to thoughts of Cadet Hayes. He wasn't sure what to make of her upon their first meeting on the shuttle ride. She had taken him by surprise when she tried soothing his already frayed nerves. What surprised him the most, though, was how easily she had instigated a conversation between the three of them.
Most of the Cadets at the Academy were giving him a wide birth, and understandably so. He'd heard more than enough rumors floating around to make his eyes roll in annoyance. Hell, he'd only been suffering from a hangover one time, and that was on the blasted shuttle ride to the Academy. Leonard shook his head at the thought, realizing that the Academy made him feel like he was back in high school all over again.
It really was astounding, when he thought about it. The Cadets had already formed groups of friends which would usually sit at the tables at the mess hall. Their intimidating glares were usually more than enough to send him in the opposite direction, usually straight into a seat next to Kirk and Hayes. Not that he didn't mind sitting with Hayes. She seemed normal enough, as far as Cadets went. It helped that she was easy on the eye, and the way her eyes lit up whenever she laughed was damn attractive.
Leonard mentally smacked himself at the thought. No, he was not getting himself wrapped up in that shit again. He did not find her attractive. Even if she had a charming smile that could attract men for miles. Not to mention the way she talked was enough for him to feel like he could listen for hours.
Stop it! Taking a deep breath, Leonard finally found his way out of the dorm and into the blinding San Francisco light. He would have thought that dealing with one divorce was bad enough. Memories of it were still fresh in his mind, and there was no way in hell he'd put himself through that shit again. Once was more than enough.
With that thought in mind, Leonard reached the mess hall in record time, not surprised to find Kirk and Hayes already sitting at their table with trays full of what passed for food at the Academy. Both were deep in some kind of conversation revolving around whatever crap Kirk brought up; most likely trying to flirt with Hayes best as he could.
"… learn some proper fighting techniques if you wanna survive the big city," Hayes concluded as Leonard reached them with a cup of coffee in hand. "Morning, Leonard," she suddenly added cheerfully, and Leonard struggled not to spit out his coffee as she regarded him with a look of amusement.
"I thought his name was Bones?" Kirk asked with equal amusement, smirking as Leonard shot him a piercing glare.
"Dammit Kirk, that's not my name!" he snapped, having repeated himself for the umpteenth time. By now, he would have thought that Kirk would at least have the decency to call him by his proper title. Though, he was surprised Hayes had done so without missing a beat.
"You need to loosen up, Bones," Kirk said playfully as Hayes rolled her eyes and finished the last of her toast. "People are gonna think that you're some cranky dinosaur."
"I'm fucking twenty-seven, Kirk!" Leonard shot back, infuriated with Kirk's behavior while Hayes looked as if she was struggling not to laugh. Great; he knew he should've just stayed in bed all morning.
"Really? The grumpy exterior and attitude could've fooled me," Kirk retorted.
By that point, Hayes couldn't hold back her laughter as Leonard scowled at them both. Though, he had to admit it, Hayes had a beautiful laugh. Both Kirk and Leonard were staring at her incredulously as she finally caught her breath.
"Well, it's good to know I've got my entertainment for the day," she smirked as Leonard rolled his eyes while Kirk only grinned sheepishly. "At any rate, I've got classes to attend," she added, brushing it off nonchalantly as she sat up and left.
Once she was leaving the mess hall, Leonard caught himself staring after her before the doors closed behind her. It wasn't until feeling a sharp jab in the ribs that he realized Kirk had been watching, too.
"Thought you were done with that shit?" he asked with a smirk.
"What do you mean?" Leonard scowled once he was sure she had left.
"I saw the way you were staring at her," Kirk said, his tone playful as he looked pointedly in the direction she had left. "I'll admit, she is easy on the eye, and I'm willing to bet she'd agree to go on a date with me if I keep asking."
"In your dreams, Kirk," Leonard scoffed in disgust.
Kirk threw him a knowing look. Leonard only rolled his eyes as he realized where this was headed. Not even a week had gone by, and Kirk was trying to find him someone to replace his ex-wife. When Kirk wasn't busy looking for a woman who could replace Jocelyn, he was constantly teasing Leonard about the notion. At any rate, it got infuriating after a while.
"Why not ask her on a date?" Kirk asked, giving him a weird, innocent look that suggested otherwise. "I'm sure she'd say yes, and it doesn't hurt to try."
Actually, it does, Leonard argued with him silently.
"No, I'm not ready for that shit," he grumbled instead. Kirk rose an eyebrow and eyed him skeptically.
"So, you wouldn't be opposed to the idea of me asking her out?" Leonard nearly choked on the coffee once again when Kirk asked that. "I mean, if you're not ready for that shit and all?"
"For God's sake, she's not property!" Leonard shot back, trying to hide his growing frustration for Kirk.
"Good, 'cause I didn't want to get in the way of whatever you're trying to start," Kirk shrugged before taking his leave, and before Leonard could give him a piece of his mind. Once Kirk was gone, one thought had crossed Leonard's mind. Whatever Kirk planned on doing with Hayes was not going to end well, on Kirk's part.
…
It wasn't until later the next day that Leonard had received a report at the hospital. He'd nearly rolled his eyes after noticing it was Kirk arriving for a checkup. Unsurprising, really, when he thought of how much the kid was asking to get beaten up.
What he wasn't expecting was to find Kirk waiting for him already, with a shiner of a black eye. Leonard had to stifle a laugh at the sight as Kirk scowled at him.
"So, I take it your talk with Hayes went well?" he guessed after running a normal routine checkup on him. Kirk only let out a muffled response, and Leonard resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Kirk tried to swallow his pride. "Jim, what the hell happened?"
"Girl packs a bigger punch than I expected," Kirk groaned, refusing to look at him.
"Wait, she actually punched you?" For all that it was worth, Leonard sounded both impressed and worried. She could get expelled if this case was reported. Kirk only shook his head and scowled once more.
"Nah, it was my fault, really. I tried sneaking up on her – which apparently is a big mistake around Hayes," Kirk muttered.
"Well, there's not much I can do for a black eye, Kirk," Leonard reminded him, still sounding slightly amused with the whole idea. "You're on your own for this one."
"Can't you apply makeup or something?" Kirk whined, really not looking forward to seeing how other Cadets would react to it.
Leonard only rolled his eyes as he let Kirk go. Considering the kid was allergic to most forms of hyposprays, a little pain might do him some good. Still, the fact that Hayes had turned Kirk down, and given a black eye, was what had impressed Leonard the most. He made a mental note for that in the future, just in case. A woman from Brooklyn who could fight back made a dangerous enemy.
…
By the time Christmas break rolled around, Leonard had begun opening up more to Emily Hayes. He realized she wasn't like the other Cadets, in a sense where she actually enjoyed spending time with him, and Kirk. He hated to admit it, but he was beginning to find her more and more attractive with each passing day.
The first time had been in the mess hall, that night after his shift had ended. He could clearly remember the way her eyes lit up when she spoke, and how she had carefully changed the subject upon bringing up his past when she noticed how tense he had gotten. The second time was when she had given Kirk that shiner of a black eye. Hell, if anyone could turn down Kirk like that, they deserved a gold star. There was just something about her that put him on edge, and in a good way.
After the last failed relationship, Leonard really wasn't sure whether or not asking someone out would end well. That was why he tried keeping their conversations light and casual. When Emily had asked about his divorce, he'd kept some of the worst parts of it secret. Though, it was clear she had her own secrets she was keeping.
Leonard had just finished his shift at the hospital when he received a frantic call from some Cadet known as Kayla Richards. He hadn't thought much of it until reaching the dorm she had mentioned in the call. When the door opened, revealing the face of a young looking, rather nervous Cadet who only glared back, Leonard wondered if this had been some kind of prank.
"I'm sorry; I would've woken her up myself, but…" She peered over her shoulder uneasily, and Leonard's eyes widened in alarm as he realized something was clearly wrong. "I've tried everything, and nothing seems to work."
When she allowed him into the room, Leonard felt his heart racing with dread when he realized what this was about. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Leonard reached the bed in record time. She was suffering from some kind of nightmare. Again, he suspected it was an extreme case of PTS, but, she would never admit she suffered from it out loud.
"Dammit Emily, you're gonna be the death of me," he muttered as he reached out, taking her hand gently as the thrashing began to stop. The moment she began to relax was when Leonard let out a sigh of relief. And, began to worry even more.
Good God, what am I doing? he wondered after realizing there was only one reason she would have relaxed this much. Her hand felt warm and soft in his, and for a moment, Leonard was almost reluctant to let go.
"Will she be okay?" It wasn't until hearing Richards' voice that he was reminded that they weren't alone.
"It's hard to tell," he frowned, admitting that much, her face looked more peaceful and beautiful than ever as she began to sleep properly. "How long has she been waking up like this?"
"Usually, it's not this bad," Richards admitted, the guilt in her voice obvious as she looked at them accusingly, "She usually forgets what happened in the morning."
His frown deepened at that. So, not only was she suffering from an extreme case of PTS, but, she also forgot what happened the next morning. Something was definitely wrong, there. His thoughts were so intrigued with what she had said that he didn't notice Emily was stirring. That was when her fist suddenly collided with his nose, and Leonard nearly leaped out of his skin from the impact.
"Son of a bitch!" he swore, and blinked after realizing Emily was wide awake, staring at him in panic.
"Leonard, what the hell are you doing here?" she demanded while Leonard was clutching his nose in pain.
"Emily, I called him in," Richards explained, ignoring the glares both Emily and Leonard threw her, "You were screaming in your sleep, and thrashing. Nothing I did could wake you."
Emily looked between him and Richards, until her eyes widened, and her hands covered her mouth in appalled horror as she realized what had happened. Leonard was shaking his head in amusement as he caught the look in her eyes, despite the sudden tense moment from earlier.
"God, Leonard, I'm—"
"It's fine," he reassured her, though he was struggling not to wince in pain from the impact. He was pretty sure she had broken his nose, or maybe dislocated it, but at any rate, he wasn't going to hold her responsible. "Just a natural reaction."
"So, Doctor, what's your prognosis?" Richards asked, earning a glare from them both.
Leonard held back a sigh as he realized where this was headed. An explanation was definitely needed, especially after a reaction like that. He knew she wouldn't talk in front of her roommate, so, hopefully she would at least explain what was wrong when they were alone.
"I want you to stop by medical after classes are done," he told her.
…
A couple of hyposprays the following morning, and Leonard hardly felt a thing. Albeit, fellow nurses and doctors had given him strange looks as he reached his office. Some of them had asked what happened, but he brushed aside their attempts. Unfortunately, his morning wasn't going to go as planned when Kirk sauntered into his office.
"What happened to your nose?" Kirk had the nerve to ask when he finally noticed something was wrong. Leonard only gave him his best 'really?' look before deciding to indulge the kid.
"Bar incident," he muttered. "Jim, don't you have some class to attend?" More like someone else to bother?
"Not for another hour," Kirk replied, looking far too smug as his boots landed on the desk, ignoring Leonard's scowl of disgust that followed. "So, whatdya think of Hayes?"
His question had been so random, so out of the blue, that Leonard wasn't expecting it. He'd nearly dropped the data PADD he was holding, and gaped for a couple of seconds as Kirk just grinned back at him. God, he wasn't going to openly admit that he admired her from afar. He wasn't going to think of how beautiful she looked, or how musical her laughter was, or how the light in her eyes could put a smile on anyone's face. Nope, he was going to brush it all aside, and hope Kirk hadn't noticed.
"Jim, I've got better things to think about than women," he grumbled, hoping that was enough to push aside the persistent kid.
"Come on, Bones. Be honest." Of course he wasn't.
"Look, maybe I do find her interesting," he began, hoping to God it wouldn't sound like an insult. "If anything, she put you in your place."
"So, why not ask her on a date?" Kirk asked once more, and Leonard shook his head in disbelief, "Because if she can put me in my place, she's definitely not my type."
"Why are you so suddenly interested in my love life?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes as he wondered where Kirk was getting at with this.
"Bones, you've got a thing for her," Kirk replied without missing a beat, and it took every ounce of strength not to strangle that smug look off his face, "I know that look. You've got it bad."
Leonard glared at him dangerously after that. No way in hell did the kid figure it out so damn quickly. No way. There was no way in hell he had feelings for Hayes, either. It simply wasn't possible. He kept telling himself this as his scowl deepened.
"Get. Out. Now," he practically growled the words, and Kirk heeded his warning.
The moment Kirk was gone was when Leonard sagged back into his seat, rubbing his temple in frustration. Of course, Emily would choose that moment to arrive. Leonard sucked in a breath as he wondered just how much of that she'd heard. Judging from the look in her eyes, she'd heard more than enough. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Leonard knew that this couldn't end well, for either of them.
…
The next day hadn't gone by quite the way he'd hoped. First of all, it had been one of hell of a difficult night. After another incident gone wrong, and spending the night in the same dorm as her, Leonard was beginning to face a rather… difficult situation. Had things gone any differently, he would have turned down Richard's offer in a heartbeat. But, it was Emily he was mostly concerned about. And, any opportunity to sleep with her was beginning to sound appealing.
That was how Leonard found himself strolling across the campus, hoping, and praying, that Richards would keep her mouth shut about the whole ordeal. Because, he wasn't sure how Emily would have reacted otherwise. He admitted that she had a temper worse than a wolverine, and could easily put him in his place if she needed to.
Of course, his day would never go as planned when he spotted both Emily and Richards standing outside one of the main adviser buildings. Leonard stopped dead in the middle of his stroll, debating whether or not he was safer just turning and making a break for it. Unfortunately, Richards had other plans in mind.
"I don't know how, and I don't know why, but for some reason, you always seem to calm down whenever he's around." Richards pointed in accusing finger in his direction, and Leonard only glared in response, "So, whatever the hell is going on, please, figure it out!"
It was clear from the blush that followed that Emily was fully aware of what had happened last night. Which only made things all the more awkward as Richards left them standing there in awkward silence. In all honesty, Leonard wasn't even sure what to say at that point.
"What exactly did happen last night?" Emily finally asked, cutting through the silence like a knife.
"We need to talk," he cleared his throat after realizing what she was likely thinking of.
That was how they found themselves in his dorm, of all places. Logically, it seemed like the safest place to talk about what the hell was going on between them. And, if things went the way he was hoping, well, that was just another perk. By no means did he plan on forcing her into anything she didn't want. But, something in the back of his mind kept telling him that this was something they both wanted, or more like needed.
"Don't you have a roommate?" was the first question she'd asked once they took their seats.
"The perks of already having a PHD," he replied with the slightest of smirks, grateful he had given his adviser hell about not having a roommate. "Took a bit of convincing on my part."
The silence that followed was almost overwhelming. Leonard was desperately struggling to find a way to instigate a conversation. Eventually, Emily broke it with a question that took him by surprise.
"So, how do we go about this without making it anymore awkward than it is?" she asked, her eyes refusing to meet his.
Well, she knows how to get to the point, Leonard thought, realizing she probably wanted more answers than anything else.
"I'm not sure," he admitted, rubbing his temple thoughtfully as he tried looking through the list of excuses as to why last night had happened at all. He wished it was as easy as admitting he liked her. But, after his last relationship with Jocelyn, he didn't want to ruin whatever was going on between them.
"Look, I like the way things are, now," she suddenly breathed out, and Leonard eyed her in surprise.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked incredulously. She tensed for a moment, and Leonard was afraid he might have pushed her too far.
"Leonard, I like you as a friend," she explained after her eyes finally met his. "I'm just…"
In that moment, Leonard found himself staring into the depths of her eyes, suddenly wishing he could bring himself to flat-out admit the truth. Hearing that had only made things all the more awkward. Though, at least she had admitted she liked him as a friend. Even Kirk wouldn't dare admit that out loud, even if they were friends.
"Well, much as I hate to say it, your roommate's right about one thing," he muttered as his mind worked faster than he thought possible. If just one night he could get her to agree, then maybe, just maybe things could go back to normal.
"You really think I'm going to just agree with that?" she demanded as if she'd read his thoughts, and Leonard sucked in a breath as he caught the look in her eyes.
"One night," he pressed, still hopeful and bracing himself for the worst outcome. He wouldn't blame her if she slapped him right now, and stormed out on him. "Consider it an experiment." God, was that really the best excuse he could use?
He could see the conflict in her eyes. In that moment, Leonard suddenly wished he could have taken everything back. What the hell was he doing? He'd just asked for someone who only now considered him a friend, if anything else to sleep with him. What if this only made things worse between them?
"Wouldn't that be against regulations?" Her question was one that Leonard had thought of himself.
Something told him that the regulations weren't openly followed on campus unless an Admiral or anyone of higher rank was around. Hell, he'd seen Kirk with more women than he'd like to count over the last few months. So, Leonard found himself asking a question he knew he would later regret.
"Do you trust me?" he asked. She blinked at that, her wide gaze meeting his own. In that moment, he could see trust within those eyes. He'd trusted her enough with his own past, and she had trusted him enough to share her own secrets.
"I do," she replied without hesitation.
Without even thinking, his hand brushed gently against her cheek as he pulled her in for a kiss. The moment their lips met was when sparks flew around them. As the kiss deepened, he felt her hands wrap gently around the back of his neck, pulling her closer against his chest.
Any previous thoughts dissipated into that one kiss. As his hand snaked across her back, the warm feeling of her hands against his neck only left him wanting more. The passion of their heated kiss had taken his breath away, especially when his tongue sought entrance, and their tongues collided with each other. It wasn't until his hands had reached down to her waist, in the hopes of going further, that she stopped.
"Leonard." Her voice was barely a whisper, but he could hear the longing within that only added to his confusion, "Leonard, not tonight."
That was when reality kicked in. Leonard breathed out sharply as he realized what had happened. Emily's arms were still wrapped around his neck, and she was still pressed firmly against his chest. He couldn't shake off the sense of dread as he realized what he'd done, or more like, almost did.
"God, I'm—"
"I'm not angry, Leonard," she reassured him, her expression softening with a look that said everything, "I'm just… surprised." She paused for a moment, and Leonard half-expected her to walk out on him at that moment. "I prefer taking things slowly."
The teasing in her voice was what had really tipped him off. Leonard, for all that it was worth, hadn't expected that kind of response. For a moment, he was stunned into silence as he realized what she was implying.
"Dammit Emily, you're gonna be the death of me," he griped after also realizing what she meant by that.
These next few years were going to be long, and torturous, for him. Yet, despite her initial reaction, Emily had taken the whole idea surprisingly well. And he'd be damned if he wasn't going to admit that he admired her for taking control of the situation.
The last thing he didn't want to admit was that he was beginning to fall in love with Emily Hayes. Oh, no, he most certainly was not falling in love with her. But, that didn't stop either of them from exploring their relationship after that first night.
Kirk would later say that it was just an act of denial on his part. But, as time went on, and the third year had passed, Leonard was beginning to realize their relationship was something more. He couldn't bring himself to admit that he loved her. After all the hell Jocelyn had put him through, he didn't want to ruin whatever was going on between them. And, he sure as hell wasn't going to bring it up anytime soon.
AN: So, this is just a random one-shot that follows my other story... and of course, the title is based off of a song from the Script. I feel like this song is fitting for what goes on between Bones and Emily ;) Reviews are welcome, as always, and please let me know what you think of it!