Kirk had made a habit of using Leonard's room as safe house, ducking in every few days to hide out. Leonard didn't pay any attention to the boy, only moving to open the door before returning to his studies or nap. Kirk would make himself at home, lounging on the floor or wandering around, pawing through Leonard's things. The doctor would easily ignore him, having pointed out that if the younger man made any sort of noise that was even slightly annoying; he would toss him out into the hall and leave him to the anger of whoever Kirk had pissed off that time. After only having to enforce this rule once, Leonard hadn't had any real trouble from Kirk. Apart from the one time the young man showed up in the middle of the night, drunk off his ass and rambling on about how it "wasn't his fault she had been wearing such a low cut top". Leonard had responded by locking Kirk in the washroom and letting the drunken man calm down and shut up before sending him on his way.

Leonard lay on his back in bed, the covers thrown off his chest and draped over his waist. His shirt had long since been discarded in favor of the cool air in his dorm. He had gotten into bed a couple hours before, but had been completely unable to sleep. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, ranging from the tests he had coming up in the next few days, to the day he found out he lost the custody battle for Joanna. Before Leonard had the chance to roll over and start sulking, there was a soft and almost hesitant knock at his door.

Grumbling, the doctor pushed himself to his feet and crossed the room, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes as he wrenched open the door.

"Whaddya want?" He growled, squinting against the all-too-bright lights in the hall, trying to figure out who had gotten him out of the warmth of his bed. He blinked and looked down slightly, the idea of trying to sleep slipping away as he caught sight of exactly who stood in front of him. Kirk glanced up to meet Leonard's gaze, one arm wrapped around his stomach and the other holding a tissue to his bleeding nose.

"Hey Bones...Can I come in?" He asked softly, looking almost pleadingly at the older man. Leonard nodded dumbly, watching in confusion as Kirk shuffled in, fell back into Leonard's bed and closed his eyes with a low groan.

"'The hell happened to you kid?" Leonard asked, finally finding his voice as he crossed the room. In the weeks that he had known Kirk, he had never seen the kid get caught, never mind beat up like this. He was vaguely concerned about the small drops of blood Kirk was getting on his bed, but there were obviously more pressing matters. When the younger man didn't respond, Leonard sighed and walked back to the bed, grabbing the small first-aid kit he kept in case of emergencies. He commanded the lights up as he walked back to Kirk, his eyes already scanning the younger man's injuries. He neglected to grab his shirt again, sitting down next to Kirk and putting a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Kid, I can't help you if you go all mute on me." Kirk snorted and opened his eyes, forcing himself to sit up.

"Funny, I thought you liked me quiet."

"Cute kid, cute. Now start talking or I ain't helping you." Leonard frowned, setting the kit down beside him and rummaging through it. Kirk watched him curiously for a moment before shaking his head and looking up with a small hum.

"Got jumped and kicked out of my dorm." He replied with a small shrug, sending a jolting pain through his shoulder. The younger man gritted his teeth and muttered a soft curse, tipping his head back and taking several deep breaths.

"Wait...What?" Leonard frowned, his hands freezing. Kirk rocked his head slightly, giving the older man a look that said "You heard me." Clearing his throat, Leonard nodded and pulled his hands from the box, placing one on the top of Jim's shoulder and his other on the side. "And how'd you manage that?" He asked, feeling around for a moment to make sure the joint hadn't been dislocated in whatever fight the younger man had been in.

"People got pissed off so they ah...Teamed up with my former roommate and tossed me out. Though...Maybe tossed isn't the right word to use." Leonard couldn't help himself but chuckle, dropping his hands once he was satisfied that nothing had been dislocated.

"Serves you right in my opinion." He shrugged, pulling some gauze from the pack and gingerly moving Kirk's hand out of the way of his nose, checking to make it wasn't broken and that the bleeding had stopped. The two fell into silence, Kirk having nothing to say, and Leonard not wanting to say anything. The doctor finished patching Kirk up, nodding contently. As he pushed himself to his feet and began cleaning up, Kirk stood and began making his way to the door.

"Where you goin' kid?"

"To find somewhere to sleep." Kirk replied without turning. Leonard watched him leave the room and turn down the hall, frowning slightly. Before the door had the chance to close, the older man jogged over and pulled it open, leaning out into the hall.

"Hey, Kirk!" He called after him. The younger man paused, poking his head out from around the corner he had just turned. "Get back here." Frowning in confusion, Kirk made his way back to the room, shifting from foot to foot as he stood outside the door. Leonard shook his head with a sigh and stepped aside, allowing Kirk into the room. "I'll send for a second bed in the morning. You're stuck on the floor tonight."

Kirk stood silently, frowning up at Leonard as his mind visibly worked to try and figure out what had happened. There were several moments of silence, confused blue eyes looking up to meet amused brown. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kirk spoke again.

"Wait...What?"