A Star Trek Fiction

"For the relationship between Bones and Kirk, because they're awesome, but without each other they would be lame. Besides, who doesn't love the two together?"

The Couch and The Bed

5xs Kirk Had to Sleep on the Couch & 5xs Bones Had to Share his Bed

Story 3: It's Just A Scratch

Jim is dunking down about the normal amount of alcohol. He's only got four glasses down when he realizes someone has been eyeballing him for the past half hour. He smirks; the guy probably just wants his money. With a grin he downs his fifth and orders his sixth. It's only a matter of time before he becomes downright drunk.

Where's Bones? Who knows? The Doctor's been quite busy lately, something about semester one finals coming up and he should be studyin' his ass off as well. But Jim being Jim, said screw it and walked off for a drink. Plus, he's pretty sure he can pull the A's without studying.

Jim chuckles to himself; just thinking of his friend lightens his mood. It's been a long day, plenty of training and sprinting to next classes because Bones says if he's late to any more classes he's gonna hypo his ass to the twenty-fourth century. And he believes it.

Giving a sigh, he starts at his sixth drink, taking small gulps at a time. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see the man slowly making his way over from the back of the bar. He rolls his eyes, if he has to deal with one more of these guys, he's gonna throw a fit.

The man slides in next to him, sitting on the stool to his left. Jim clenches his fists, he's a bit tense but he eases when he sees the man just order another drink.

"Drink here much?" Jim asks, casting the man a weary glance.

"Huh?" The man grunts, taking the glass from the bartender.

"Do you drink here much?" Jim repeats, swiveling around to face the man.

"Not usually. Got a problem with that pal?" The man grunts, giving him a threatening glare.

Jim grinds his teeth, "No, no I don't."

"Good." The man mutters and returns back to his drink.

With a disgusted hummpf, Jim gets to his feet and makes his way to the restroom. He weaves between people, trying not to trip over their feet. When he enters the restroom he sighs, his paranoia is getting the best of him.

Jim walks over to the sink and washes his face, splashing up the cool water against his pale face. He looks at himself in the mirror; he almost doesn't recognize the face staring back at him. Jim looks pale, his beard growing in as rough patches.

He wipes his face off and looks back into his reflection, he doesn't look much different. No surprise there.

There's a rustle behind, he takes a glance over his shoulder and sees the same man enter the restroom. He quickly casts his gaze away, back down at the sink. The man ignores him momentarily, taking care of his own business.

Jim is walking out the door when a hand places itself onto his shoulder. He spins around sharply only to be face to face with the stranger.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" Jim asks, biting down on his tongue, holding back anything he might regret later.

"Yeah, you can. You're Jim Kirk right?" The man asks, and Jim's heart pauses for a split second.

"Yes, that's me." He replies suspiciously, "What's it to you?"

"My father says your daddy was an asshole." The man informs him.

Jim clenches his fists. No more fighting, no more fighting. Bones is gonna kill him if he throws another punch. Oh my god he might throw the first punch.

"It's all a matter of opinion." Jim responds, trying to keep his demeanor.

"They say he was a coward. Losing his marbles in a matter of minutes." The man continues as Jim starts to spin around to walk away.

He pauses, releasing a breath, "Just walk away Jim, just walk away." He tells himself silently.

"You're a coward just like your father! I heard you were so bad your mother left you and became a prostitute." The man mocks, giving a chuckle.

Jim turns around and hell yes, he's gonna throw the first punch, but without much luck. The man easily sidesteps it and kicks him in the rear. Jim crashes into the wall and spits out a glob of blood welling from his bottom lip.

"What did I ever do to you?" Jim snaps, brows furrowing together.

"Everything. C'mon, we all know you get special treatment. The superiors love you, you're like their little class pet." The man sneers, fists raised.

"Jealousy? So that's it? You got to be joking." Jim whines as a fist flies at his face.

He ducks quickly and the hand crashes into the tiled wall. The man yelps in agony and Jim takes advantage of the moment. Grabbing a handful of brown hair, he throws the man's head down and knees upward and as the man stumbles back he throws a left-handed punch across the jaw. The man collapses to the ground with a moan.

"That'll show ya." He mutters triumphantly and turns his back to stalk away.

His fatal mistake, never turn your back on the enemy.

He's halfway to the door when something slides into his ribcage. His breathing pauses and he lets out a gasp. Hot breath pants against his face and he casts a glance back. The man is pressed up behind him, twisting the dagger into his side.

"This will show you." The man replies coldly and pulls the dagger out.

Jim stands there, blood filling his mouth and seeping from his wound. The man washes the dagger off and shoves him into one of the stalls. Jim stumbles and falls over, crashing on top of the toilet. The man laughs and shuts the door, leaving him alone.

Jim's frozen, chills running down his spine. His body begins to shake and his world starts to fade. No, he has to stay awake, he can't lose consciousness, Bones will kill him if he isn't there for class in the morning.

In shock, Jim gets to his feet and shoves some paper towels onto his stab wound. He spits out his own blood into the sink and calls it good.

Despite his deathly pale skin, and the crimson blood seeping down his shirt, he manages to escape the bar without too many whispers and worried glances.

He stumbles out into the sidewalks, avoiding larger groups of people and taking the back way to his dorm. When he finally reaches his place, he feels like he's going to pass out. His head is spinning round and round.

Jim pushes the doors open and climbs the familiar steps into his dorm. He reaches his room and tries the door; it's unlocked for once, what a surprise.

With a grunt, he half crawls half stumbles inside, ignoring the littered garbage all over the floor. Jim crumples onto his bed and slowly his eyes close and he falls unconscious.

It's three in the morning; every normal person is asleep, including the good Doctor Bones. He's sound asleep, snoring actually. Bones has no plans of waking up anytime soon, but unfortunately he has a friend named James T. Kirk.

Sleeping snuggly, he's awoken by loud pounding on his door.

"Go away Jim!" He snaps angrily, rolling over and shoving a pillow over his head.

He doesn't want to deal with another drunken Jim on his front porch.

"Uhh, actually this isn't Jim; it's his roommate, Francis." Francis calls out.

"Yeah, hell, what do you want Francis." Bones snaps as he gets to his feet and walks to the door.

"Well actually it's about Jim." Francis chuckles nervously outside the door.

"What does he want?" Bones asks, opening the door open to reveal Francis.

Francis is taller than Jim and his muscles ripple when he moves. Damn.

"I think he got into another fight." Francis replies, running hand through his sweaty hair.

"Good for him." Bones grumbles and starts to slam the door when Francis stops him.

"Look, you're McCoy right? Because he's been crying for you for the past two hours and I'm tired of it." Francis snaps and Bones reopens the door.

"What happened, is he hurt?" Bones asks, grabbing Francis by the shoulders.

"As I said before, I think he got into a fight and yeah I think he's hurt, I had to scrub his blood off of the floor." Francis replies sarcastically and Bones' eyes widen.

"Dear god man! There was blood and you didn't even check on him?" Bones gasps, and pushes past Francis to head to Jim's dorm.

"I tried; he wouldn't let me touch him! He just kept saying Bones over and over again. And I figured it must be you because you're the only person he hangs out with." Francis explains, speed walking to keep up with the Doctor's quick pace.

"Both of you are gonna be in so much trouble when this is over." Bones grumbles and quickens his pace.

It doesn't take long for the pair to burst into Jim's dorm room, the smell of blood and puke lingering in the air.

"Damn it, did the idiot puke again?" Francis mutters under his breath and Bones rolls his eyes in disgust.

Bones walks into Jim's bedroom, the sight of the kid makes his heart stop.

"Jim?" Bones calls out softly, approaching the bed.

"Damn it Bones, what are you doing here?" Jim groans.

Bones walks up beside him, the kid is curled in around himself, his arms are wrapped defensively around his abdomen, clutching his side with a wince. Jim's eyes are red and his skin is frighteningly pale. His frame shakes every few seconds with tremors that work its way through every inch of his body.

"What am I doing here? Well shit Jim, I dunno, maybe because you've been crying for me for the past couple of hours. Your kind roommate woke me from my slumber and told me that you needed me. So hell Jim, what am I doing here?" Bones snaps and he can see Jim flinch and maybe even mentally as well.

"I didn't ask for you at all. I'm fine." Jim groans, another shiver wracking his body.

"Bullshit." Bones growls, crossing his arms.

"I'm be-being serious Bones. I didn't ask f-for you." Jim stutters, his breathing quickening.

Bones rolls his eyes and looks over at Francis who just leans against the doorway and glares at Jim.

"Okay, I might've exaggerated. But hey, I'm not putting up with this shit." Francis informs them.

"Yeah neither am I." Bones says sarcastically and gazes back over at Jim.

"Alright, enough with the charades, you can either stay here with your lovely roommate or you can come with me back to my dorm. Where, hell… I'm probably gonna throw your ass into medical. I don't care; it's up to you Jim." Bones tells him, but even before he said it he knew Jim's answer.

"I'm f-fine, it's just a scratch." Jim mumbles, curling into a tighter ball.

Bones' teeth clench. Jim can be a stubborn ass sometimes.

"Alright then, I'm leaving." Bones says and begins to stalk off with Francis on his heels.

"Wait, Mister McCoy!" Francis runs after him and Bones turns around at the door.

"Please, it's Doctor McCoy. Mister makes me sound old." Bones grumbles.

"Oh, okay. Doctor McCoy. You can't be serious. I'm not keeping him here. He's thrown up four times since he's gotten here and what if he gets worse? He can spend one night here, but after that I'm kicking him out." Francis tells him, crossing his arms.

"Well, that's Jim's problem, not mine." Bones snaps and slams the door behind himself.

Francis stands there momentarily, mouth gaping. He can't believe it, some friends they are.

Jim squirms in the sheets, trying to get comfortable without aggravating the stab wound. Francis walks into the room, his expression completely annoyed.

"You moron, Kirk. That was the one and only time I was gonna help you." Francis sneers, glaring over at him.

"Yeah, thanks for the help." Jim grumbles, shrugging off the glare.

"Why didn't you go with him?" Francis pries, eyes narrowing down on his skull.

Jim hesitates slightly, this is Francis not some kind roommate that actually cares about his wellbeing.

"C'mon Kirk, tell me." Francis says, coming closer to him.

"Because… It's none of your business." Jim replies, but Francis keeps getting closer until he's standing over him.

"Is it because you might get kicked out of the academy?" Francis asks; a smirk on his lips, "Too many bar fights ehh?" Francis adds after a moment's pause.

"How'd you-" Jim stutters, "Everybody knows Jim, rumors go around quickly," Francis explains, the grin getting wider.

"Look, Jim, pal. If you're not out of this room in two hours, I'm going to drag you into medical and report this. Got it Kirk?" Francis threatens, towering over him.

"You wouldn't." Jim snaps, a tremor passing through him.

"I will if you're not out of here in two hours." Francis corrects him and stalks off gleefully.

Jim sighs, sinking into the sheets. Well shit. He's screwed.

He rests for about an hour before he finally decides to sit up. He has to get to Bones' dorm and apologize his ass off until he can get the Doctor back on his side. Sitting up is quite difficult and standing is even harder. Francis just sits back and laughs as Jim stumbles out the door and slams it behind himself.

He tumbles down the stairs until he reaches the bottom. With a huff he climbs to his feet and limps out the doorway of the dorm building. He winces with each step and his teeth start to chatter with the brisk morning air. The sun still isn't out so the campus is lit with tall lampposts.

Cussing under his breath, Jim makes his way slowly to Bones' dorm. Shit, why'd Bones have to be so far away? Luckily no one's outside to notice him, otherwise he would've been stopped and escorted to medical.

He throws up when he reaches Bones' building, muttering a complaint then continuing inside the dorm. He'll deal with it later.

Jim makes it to the stairs and groans as he realizes has to make it to the third floor. Clenching his teeth shut, Jim climbs up the first few steps, but collapses on the eighth. He coughs painfully into his black shirt and ignores the new bloodstains. Jim grips his right side tightly and continues up the steps. Each step is more painful than the last and by the time he reaches the third floor, he's winded.

Stumbling to Bones door, he's about to knock when the door swings open to reveal the worried Doctor.

"Bones." Jim groans, swaying and crumbling to the ground.

"Jim!" Bones yelps and catches him before he can hit his head on the ground, bringing the kid back onto his feet.

"Shit Jim, you look terrible." Bones informs him with a chuckle.

"C'mon, lemme get you inside." Bones says and walks him to the familiar couch.

Bones plops him down and shakes his head with disapproval.

"Alright, let's see this scratch of yours." Bones mutters and digs out his medical supplies.

Jim just moans, sprawled out over the dirty couch.

"Stop your whining, just hold still." Bones tells him and cuts Jim's shirt off.

Jim's frame shakes slightly at the Doctor's touch. The wound is bad. The stab is round like the person who did it twisted the knife and turned his insides into spaghetti. Blood is slowly leaking out and pus is building up around the edges. The skin around it looks yellowish already.

"Great Jim, just great." Bones grumbles, using a flashlight to get a better look.

"You should've came to me sooner, idiot." Bones lectures, digging out more supplies.

"C-couldn't." Jim stammers, his body coursing with tremors.

"How come?" Bones inquires, rubbing disinfectant around the wound.

"Th-throw m-my ass, in-to medic-cal." Jim mumbles, trying to stop his hands from shaking.

"It's alright Jim; I'll warm you up in a sec. And what's so bad about receiving medical attention properly?" Bones grins, looking around for a blanket.

"Ki-kicked out, academ-my." Jim stutters, his breathing becoming more ragged as he panicked more.

"Oh, well shit Jim." Bones gasps, guilt settling into his heart.

It makes sense now. That's why he was so set on staying at his dorm.

Bones chews his lower lip, "Too many fights kid?" He pries; Jim just nods his head in response.

The Doctor then gets up and snatches a blanket from his empty bed. Thank god for no roommates. He returns moments later and makes Jim sit up slightly so he can drape the blanket around his shoulders. He then eases the kid back down slowly and Jim releases a sigh.

The kid's tired; his tank has been long empty. It's incredible how he even got here in the first place. Physically it shouldn't be possible; but then again, it is Jim Kirk here.

"Alright, well you just rest kid, I gotch'you now." Bones soothes, brushing Jim's face gently before returning to his work.

"Thanks Bones…" Jim grumbles and his blue eyes close.

Bones pauses and waits until Jim falls into a slumber to clean out the wound. Fortunately it's not too bad, so he can treat it easily with a lot of disinfectant and a few stitches.

Once done he steps back and watches Jim's chest rise and fall steadily, but the tremors still wrack through his body. With a sigh he goes to his own room and collects a change of clothes for Jim. He picks out some sweats and a basic white t-shirt, which he believes he's never seen Jim in white, so that'll be weird.

Bones stalks back in the room and stands over Jim.

"Alright, you better stay asleep cause I ain't gonna dress ya while your whining like an infant." Bones mutters to himself and brings Jim into a sitting position.

Slowly he pulls off the ripped up shirt and replaces it with his white one.

"Jeez your head is big." Bones chuckles as he fits the collar over Jim's ruffled head.

He then brings each arm through the holes and gives a grunt once he's satisfied with his work.

"Now the pants is comin' off. Dear god I'm glad he's not awake for this." Bones exclaims and starts by pulling off the kid's socks and shoes.

He grumbles as he pulls down Jim's pants to reveal bloodstained boxers.

"No. No-no-no. Hell no." Bones tells himself as he imagines changing Jim out of his boxers, "Nah, he can do that himself tomorrow morning. Oh wait, it is tomorrow morning." Bones adds.

Bones then slides the sweats up Jim's legs and he lays him back down so he can get the waist over Jim's fat ass.

"You need to lay off on the sweets kid." Bones jokes and pauses, man he's really pathetic.

He gives a long sigh once all his work is complete. He then proceeds to roll Jim onto his back and drapes the blanket nice and snug around his shivering frame.

Bones checks the time, it's almost six in the morning.

"Damn it Jim, I have class in almost two hours! Two hours Jim!" Bones growls, dragging his hands across his face.

"Okay, it's alright." Bones reassures himself, starting to pace the room.

"Here's the deal from now on Jim, you bunk in my room from now on, got it kid?" Bones informs the kid, staring at Jim for an answer, but he gets none.

"If you agree with me say nothing." Bones says and smiles when he gets no reply.

"Alright, it's settled, I'll get the paperwork done for you later because god knows you'll never do it." Bones sighs, collapsing to the ground beside Jim's head of golden hair.

"Jim, please don't ever do that to me again. You scared me to death…" Bones trails off, glancing over his shoulder at Jim, watching his chest heave with each intake.

"And don't ever lie to me again Jim, it ain't gonna work in the future because I will drag your sorry ass outta bed… And Jim, last thing, there is no way in hell that I'll ever call that 'just a scratch'!" Bones exclaims.