The next day was awkward, to say the least.
Leonard hadn't been needed on the bridge for anything, and wasn't part of the away team for the latest diplomatic mission, so he holed himself up in his office in Sick Bay with the threat of a random hypo to the neck if anyone bothered him.
Spock had come by early on to apologize, offer condolences, something. Leonard didn't know, and didn't care. He'd told Spock to leave just as soon as he'd shown up.
"Doctor, I do not wish for there to be any ill feelings between-"
"Then you shoulda thought of that before you went an' fucked Jim," Leonard snarled at him. He felt a morbid sense of satisfaction when guilt flickered across the Vulcan's face.
"Jim had not informed me of your separation. He merely stated that you two were no longer together. I inferred that this meant your relationship had been terminated."
"'Course you did. And of course Jim didn't tell you we were just separated. Apparently, in Jim speak, that means 'I'm breaking up with you.' Fucking infant." Leonard had snarled and clenched the PADD in his hand so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Look, Spock, I'm a little angry right now. A lot angry, actually. I really don't want to see yours or Jim's faces unless necessary just now. So you mind leaving my office? I'll contact you when I'm not still in shock over the entire situation."
He'd watched as Spock's jaw had clenched, then relaxed, and he inclined his head in acknowledgement.
"I apologize for bothering you, Doctor."
"Yeah," was all he grunted out, watching as Spock left his office, back ramrod straight and hands clenched behind him.
"Fuckin' pointy-eared bastard. Dunno what Jim sees in him."
That was a lie. Leonard knew what it was. There was something about Spock that Jim was drawn to; it was like the moon to the Earth-Spock was the Earth, and Jim was the moon, helpless to the pull of Spock. And if Leonard was being honest with himself, he knew it was going to happen eventually. He just never imagined it would be so soon.
The sound of his door opening pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Look, I told Chapel not to let anyone in here so I can get some paperwork done, so unless you're dying, kindly get the-oh." He paused his tirade when he saw who it was.
"You're awfully cranky today, Lenny," Gaila tutted at him, locking the door behind her and walking over to sit in the chair in front of his desk.
"Think I've got a damn good reason to be," he snarled back, not at all wanting to discuss the breakup yet again.
"So why not go find someone else to fuck?"
Leonard's scowled at her.
"Because casual sex isn't really my thing."
"Why not? You'd get over him faster. Isn't the human saying, 'To get over someone, get under someone else?'"
Leonard cringed at the crudeness of the statement.
"And run the risk of catching any number of sexually transmitted infections, or ending up fucking something with teeth in every orifice or something equally horrific? No thank you."
Gaila laughed, a high, tinkling sound that somehow caused Leonard to relax.
"Then have sex with me. From what Jimmy said, you're great in bed, and I'm getting bored with the engineers."
"That's nice and all, but no. I'm not sleeping with anyone else for a long time. Possibly ever."
Gaila shook her head, coral lips curving up into a small smile.
"That's a shame. Someone as beautiful as you being celibate? That should be a crime. If you change your mind, you know where to find me." She stood and walked around his desk, leaning over to press a kiss to the top of his head, fingers brushing along his shoulder. Gaila had always been the touchy feely type, something that had taken Leonard several months to adjust to once he and Jim had begun dating.
"Yeah, yeah. Oh, and Gaila?" Leonard hesitated as she reached the door, turning her head and raising an eyebrow. "…Thank you for last night."
Gaila smiled warmly at him.
"I don't like seeing you sad, Lenny." With that, she slid out of his office and left him to his paperwork.
Leonard thought about her offer for the rest of the day. He mulled it over between stacks of paperwork, tossed it around during dinner, and even debated it on his way up to his quarters.
He weighed the various pros and cons.
On the pro side, it was no strings attached, one night only sex with one of the most beautiful women Leonard had ever seen. It was something to take his mind off of his aching heart (which he'd numbed with the help of some Jack Daniels he had stored away in his office), and give him a brief burst of pleasure that wasn't going to kill him in the next few years. And, she had propositioned him. There'd be no chase involved, no fear of rejection, no embarrassment in the morning. Gaila was just as likely to leave afterwards as any other nameless drunken one night stand, and while they would see each other again on the ship, she wouldn't make things awkward or strange.
On the con side, Leonard didn't do one night stands with people he considered best friends. He and Gaila had bonded as his relationship with Jim was developing, and he considered the woman one of his closest friends. And the last time Leonard had slept with someone he was so close to, everything had gone to Hell in a hand basket within the week. And Leonard really couldn't handle that again; he was just now starting to feel a minor sense of normality, and going through another type of heartbreak that quickly might just break him completely.
By the time he reached his quarters, Leonard had made up his mind. Striding in and kicking off his boots, he went straight for his bottle of whiskey and took a swig from it. He was just about to punch in the code for Gaila's comm unit when his door opened, revealing the green woman.
"How in the hell do you do that?" he asked, both startled and relieved. He'd had no clue how to ask for her to come to his quarters, and she'd spared him that.
"Women's intuition?" she replied, grinning as the door shut behind her.
"That's really your answer?"
"I know you better than you think, Lenny."
He cringed at the use of her nickname for him, and took another swig from his bottle.
"I don't think I like that."
"Mmm. Well, too bad. I just spared you the awkwardness of asking for what I've already offered you, didn't I?"
Leonard flushed at that, mentally cursing Gaila for her innate ability to pinpoint Leonard's weaknesses.
"So, uh…how does this…how do we…?" Leonard trailed off, feeling his face heat up even more, and hating himself for stammering. Seduction had never been his forte, even with Jim. And God dammit, he did not need to be thinking about Jim right now.
"You're cute when you're nervous, Lenny." She flashed him a mischievous grin, and Leonard had a fleeting mental image of his face bursting into flames, it was so hot.
"Shut up," he mumbled, taking another swig from his bottle before setting it down; too much, and he wouldn't even be able to get it up.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" she chirped, and holy shit, when did she get all the way across the room and in his personal space?
"I can think of several much better uses for my mouth right now."
"Really now?" Leonard's eyebrow shot up, and his hands reflexively went to her hips, palms sweaty and shaking ever-so-slightly.
"Mhm." She stood on her tiptoes to reach his face (and wasn't that strange? Jim had always been able to just crane his neck just a little, and-he really should stop thinking about that bastard), and pressed her coral-painted lips against his in a soft kiss. Her arms slid around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair. The kiss remained soft and slow, as if she were allowing him to ease into the idea, until his fingers curled around her hips tighter, and then Leonard found her tongue sliding into his mouth, and oh God, how he'd needed this.
Things were a bit of a blur after that, the two stumbling around his quarters until they hit the bed, clothes coming off and being flung every which way, and then they were falling into his bed, Gaila giggling when he stumbled and almost landed on top of her.
"Graceful as ever, Lenny."
"Shut your mouth," he growled, leaning down to catch her lips in another kiss. His hand came up to cup one of her breasts, and Leonard groaned at the feel of it, soft and warm and fitting perfectly in his hand. She sighed at the touch, and moaned when his thumb brushed over one perky, orange-y brown nipple. The moan grew in volume when he pinched the nub, and she brought one of her legs up to wrap around his waist.
Her fingers in his hair tugged and guided his head down to her chest, where he quickly took the hint, and dragged his tongue over the nipple, earning him a breathy, high-pitched moan. His other hand came up to pinch the other nipple while his mouth worked on the first one, his free hand going to her thigh and curling around it.
"Oohh, fuck, Len-" she gasped when his teeth came down on her nipple, a warning against using his nickname in bed. She pulled his hair hard in response, and he growled around her breast.
"Now don't you go pullin' my hair like that, darlin'," he reprimanded her, releasing her nipple to do so. She took advantage of the moment to flip them, so she was now straddling his hips and grinning down at a very confused Leonard.
"I will do as I please," she told him, leaning down to kiss a trail up his jaw to his ear, nipping at the lobe.
"Little shit," he growled, dropping his hands to his waist and curling his fingers around her hips.
"Do what I can," she said, reaching down and grabbing his cock. Leonard groaned as her hand wrapped around him, and bit his lower lip when he felt the head rub against her lips.
"F-fuck, Gaila," he groaned, resisting the urge to thrust his hips up; knowing Gaila, she'd stop all activity to tie him down and do as she pleased with him, while he could only sit and watch.
She simply flashed him another grin, and slowly lowered herself onto him, hands resting on his shoulders, eyes closed and head tilted back in pleasure. It took everything he had not to thrust up into her without warning, giving her time to adjust and find the right angle.
And oh, did she find it.
Rolling her hips, she set a fast-paced rhythm, riding him for all he was worth. It was all Leonard could do to dig his fingers into the soft globes of her ass and thrust his hips upwards, the only noise the sound of flesh slapping together and Gaila's loud, very enthusiastic moans and Leonard's deep groans.
Leonard buried his face in her neck as he thrust up, sure his fingers were leaving bruises on her ass, and not really caring. She was hot and wet and tight around him, and was making those God damn delicious moans so close to his ear and doing this thing with her hips, and her hand was snaking between them, and-oh.
He watched in fascination as her slender fingers rubbed against her clit, occasionally brushing against his dick as it slid in and out of her, and Jesus Christ, he wasn't going to last much longer.
"C'mon, darlin'," he panted, tilting his head to the side and pressing a biting kiss to her collarbone. He felt her clench around him, and a high pitched keening noise escaped her as she came, spasming around him.
"Oh, Leonard!" she gasped, and that was it. One, two more thrusts up into her, and he came with a groan, curses and endearments falling from his lips.
They remained together for a few long moments, each catching their breath before Gaila finally slid off of him and laid down on the bed.
"My thighs are killing me," she groaned, stretching them out.
"Glad to hear it was good for you," he muttered darkly, reclining against the headboard and scowling down at her.
"Of course it was, silly," she giggled, snuggling up to him and wrapping an arm around his waist. "I'm just saying. I'm going to be sore for the first time in a long time tomorrow." She twisted around to check out her backside.
"I'm pretty sure you even bruised my ass."
"Mhm." Reaching down, he brushed his fingers over said bruises in an unspoken apology. "Sorry."
"No need. I like it rough." She grinned up at him, and Leonard shook his head. His arm was draped around her shoulders, idly playing with her curls, until a thought occurred to him, and he froze.
"You're on birth control hypos, right?"
"Oh my God, that is the worst pillow talk I've ever heard, and I once fucked an accountant."
"Answer the damn question."
"Yes, of course I am. I'm not that stupid, Lenny. Now shut up and lay down." Scowling at her once more, Leonard obeyed, sliding down and under the covers, making a mental note to change the sheets in the morning.
"We're definitely doing that again," she murmured as she pillowed her head against his chest. He nodded in vague agreement, ordering the lights to dim and closing his eyes.
That night, he slept the soundest he had in weeks. When he awoke to find her soft, warm body still curled up against him, he allowed himself a small smile.
Maybe she had been on to something after all.
