A/N: I have no explanation for this one, it just happened. But I'm actually quite fond of it.

A Good Friend Will Bail You Out, A Best Friend Will Be In The Cell Next To You...

It started out in the smallest way. Jim wanted to go drinking – off campus, past curfew. Jim assured him it was fine, assured him he was able to rig the security system to make it think they were still in the building. And, fool that he was, McCoy had agreed. Well, in fairness to Jim he had successfully rigged the security and gotten them off campus without being seen. But McCoy wasn't in the fairest mood as their cell door was locked behind them.

The minute he heard the buzz of the lock McCoy rounded on his 'friend'. (Could you call someone a friend after just a week? Should you call someone that when they'd just gotten you arrested?) McCoy's eye was smarting and he was working himself up for a good shouting match. Except Jim looked utterly pathetic when McCoy turned toward him. The kid had collapsed onto a bench, one hand pinching his still bleeding nose, big, blue and remorseful eyes turned towards McCoy.

"I'm so sorry, Bones, seriously." His voice was thick from his stuffed nose and he sounded honestly upset. "I didn't think it would kick off like that. Don't worry, I'll make sure it doesn't go on your record. I'll explain it was all on me, I'll have you left out of it." He was close to babbling now and blood was oozing out of his nose as he sat up.

McCoy sighed, putting a hand up to stop him. "Calm down, kid, it doesn't matter. I'm a big boy, I'm responsible for myself. Now let me see that nose." (He didn't realise it but that was the moment – when he gave in to the big, sad eyes. There was no going back then.)

Jim's nose, though a sight to see, actually wasn't broken. McCoy had a handkerchief to stem the blood flow and there was nothing else to be done for it. A quick poke at his own face confirmed what McCoy already knew – the guy who hit him was a light-weight. The doctor sat down on the bench, knee and shoulder almost touching his companion for lack of space.

"So what do we do now?"

Jim gave a small smile and nodded in the direction of the door. "They'll be in in a minute and then I get my phone call and get us out of here."

McCoy gave him a sideways look. "This isn't your first time, is it?"

He would have liked to be able to say Jim's smile was a little regretful but in reality it was probably closer to nostalgic. "Hardly. Is it yours?"

"Yes – they don't take too kindly to doctors who land themselves in jail on a regular basis."

Jim hummed, some of his energy seemed to be returning to him. "Yeah, I guess they wouldn't. They aren't all that fond of it in the Academy either, but don't worry, I'll smooth it out."

McCoy gave him another sideways glance, taking in the utter assurance that was practically oozing off the younger man. "We've only been here a week, kid, how many friends in Record Keeping can you have made? Or do you have some old uncle who's an Admiral that you haven't told me about?"

"Something like that." Jim nearly laughed. McCoy knew nothing of his family history with Starfleet. It had only been a week, after all, and Kirk wasn't that unusual a name. McCoy looked like he was going to ask more questions but the door buzzed open right then and a uniformed officer entered, throwing them both a bored glance.

"Do either of you need medical attention?" he asked.

Jim grinned at him in a rather obnoxious way. "Already got it. I'll just take my phone call, thanks."

The officer grunted in response and then gave McCoy a questioning look. McCoy shook his head, happy to leave this to Jim, if the kid thought he could fix it all for them. Jim followed the officer out and McCoy sat in silence for a few minutes, wondering at the life choices that had led him to a jail cell with a 22 year old hot shot for a friend and a building full of disapproving Starfleet officers to go home to. By the time he'd decided that he really needed to quit drinking Jim was back, grin firmly in place as he practically threw himself back onto the bench.

"Just about fifteen minutes to wait now, Bones."

In fact it was seven and a half minutes before the door opened again and the officer stood out of the way of an older man. An older man McCoy unfortunately recognised right away.

"Captain Pike!" Jim sounded for all the world like he had invited their superior officer over for tea. "Thanks for making it so fast."

Pike gave Jim a once over, glanced in McCoy's direction and then raised one eyebrow, a faintly amused expression on his face. "I was already out looking for you, as it happens, or it would have taken me longer."

Jim looked a little confused at that, and not at all cowed like he should given that one of their bosses was standing with him in a jail cell. "What do you mean you were already out looking? Did the system patch stop working?" And holy god, did he really just admit to hacking Starfleet security so he could go drinking? That was it – McCoy was obviously friends with an insane person.

Pike didn't seem angry though, if anything his face was mildly disappointed. "It worked – after a fashion. It shows up the recurring flaw in your work, Kirk – you don't think beyond the immediate." His voice had taken on lecturing tone, as if he and Jim were discussing a class project in his office. What was wrong with McCoy's life? "The patch made it look like you were both in your dorm – a neat piece of programming, sure." Jim gave him a grin. "But it also erased your previous movements – and I since I know you haven't been in your room for the last seven days straight, it was obvious what you had done."

"Of course." Jim's eyebrows were pulled together in a frown. "It overrode the original program completely – stupid of me, it needs a more targeted subroutine."

"It's like I said, Kirk, you go head first into things – that's going to cost you in your classes. You need to think of it like a game of chess, and yes, I know you play. You want to be a Captain, you need to be three moves ah-"

"I'm sorry," McCoy's mouth was moving on its own while his brain told him to 'shut up, you're in enough trouble already'. "Can we skip the field trip lecture, some of us would like to leave."

Both men turned near identical stares on him. McCoy definitely did not find it intimidating – he was a grown man, for god's sake, and a doctor at that. He could handle some jumped up hot shots. Even if one of those hot shots was actually considerably older than him, not to mention his superior.

Pike gave him an assessing look before turning back to Jim. "This would be Dr. McCoy, whom you told me about then? I see what you mean."

Jim just chuckled, "Yeah, this is Bones. I'd like to say he's being rude because we got arrested, but actually he's been like this all the time so far. He's got a point though, we should probably go." The first flicker of doubt showed on Jim's face. "What are you going to do about this, sir? I can explain, and even though it wasn't either of our faults, it really wasn't Bones', he was defending me."

"Hey now kid." McCoy wasn't about to let someone jump under a bus for him. "I make my own decisions," he turned to Pike, "If he's in trouble then so am I. Even though it wasn't our fault."

Pike glanced between the two of them, his face vaguely amused. He settled on McCoy. "I'm glad to see Kirk has managed to find himself a loyal friend – you might find that loyalty tested. A lot." He then looked back at Jim. "I already got the short version from one of the officers outside. I'm willing to let this slide. But Kirk – I don't need to tell you that this can't become a regular thing. It took some pull to get you here, if you mess that up there isn't anything I can do for you."

McCoy watched Jim pull his shoulders back and look more serious than he had in the whole first week of training. "I know, sir, I do. I made you a promise, I am going to keep it."

Pike just shook his head. "You keep telling yourself that, son, maybe we'll all start to believe it. Now come on, you've been AWOL long enough for one night."

McCoy was never really able to look at Pike the same way after that night.