The cliff was safe, they had said. No one had fallen from there in years, they had insisted.
Bullshit, thought Bones as he felt the rock beneath his feet begin to crumble. One second he was on the cliff, talking to Jim about how they shouldn't be standing so near to the edge and the next, icy water had enveloped him in a cold embrace and refused to let go. He had been vaguely aware of the shocked cry that had left his lips, never mind the panicked shout of his name from Jim as the rock simply gave way with the CMO with it.
He struggled to pull himself to the surface, hands clawing desperately at the water around him. He broke the surface for a moment, teeth chattering wildly and eyes blown wide. He managed one look at the cliff face before the water pulled him down again, barely giving the man enough time to suck in a breath before he was gone.
Jim stood on the cliff above, staring at the water for a brief second before diving in after his CMO.
He was expecting the cold when it hit, and managed to straighten himself out, treading water to keep afloat.
"Bones!" He shouted over the roaring waves that were threatening to pull him under as well. His cry was barely audible, and he realized it was useless if his friend was under the water. Sucking in as deep a breath as his lungs would allow, Jim dove.
The salty water stung his eyes, rimming bright blue with an angry red, but he didn't care. He spun in the water, desperately trying to catch sight of anything that may bring him to Bones. He realized his lungs were screaming for air, and he quickly surfaced, coughing a moment before he spotted it. Just a few feet over, a steady stream of bubbles. Without thinking, Jim dove again, straight towards the source.
It took a moment before he spotted it, the limp form hanging as though suspended in the water. Jim sped towards it, kicking as fast as the resistance from the liquid would allow. He pulled alongside Bones, immediately wrapping his arms around the man's waist and fighting to get them both out of the water. They broke the surface, Jim gasping for air and struggling to keep his hold on Bones.
"Come on old man, don't fail me now." He grumbled, spotting a small beach not too far off. He began swimming towards it, cursing under his breath as the waves crashed over their heads, sending both men under the water again. Spitting out the briny liquid, the young man finally managed to drag them both to shore, collapsing panting on his back. He took a moment to catch his breath before scrambling over to Bones and hovering his ear over the man's neck. Silence.
Shit.
"No no, don't you dare!" Jim scowled, tipping the man's head back in struggle to open his airway. He raised his clenched shaking hands over Bones' abdomen. Taking a deep breath, he pushed trying to imitate the actions he had learned years ago in Starfleet. He pushed on the doctor's still chest over and over again, his own heart pounding as he tried to restart his friend's.
"God damn it!" He cried, and with another heave he put all his weight down on this thrust. When he felt the doctor's ribs crack under his hands, he leaned over and forced his own breathe into Bones. Blinking through his blurred tears, he shifted back onto his knees and struggled to keep his arms locked as he punched into Bones chest. "Come on Bones, come on..."
Bones convulsed suddenly, his body tipping to one side as he emptied his lungs of —on the verge of hyperventilating—supported his back and murmured soothingly to the still convulsing man. Bones slumped down again, and Jim, fearing for the worst, quickly bent to resume his previous attempts at reviving him.
"Jim…" Bones groaned, weakly trying to push the man away. "Don't need that anymore." Jim leaned back in disbelief before laughing and pulling Bones up into a tight embrace, fingers clutching at the soaked fabric of the man's uniform.
"Can't breathe…" The doctor managed to gasp out, slumping down against the smaller man's chest as Jim loosened his hold.
"Sorry, I'm sorry…"
They remained curled together on the beach, the only sounds being the crashing of the waves and Bones' ragged breathing as his body struggled to recover from the strain of nearly drowning. Jim didn't speak, still holding Bones to his chest as he tried to calm himself down. He was surprised when the CMO didn't pull away, instead tucking his face into the junction where Jim's neck met his shoulders and going still.
Something about this whole situation seemed right to Jim. Not the falling off of the cliff or the nearly drowning, but being this close to Bones with no one around just felt right to the young man. He frowned in thought, still subconsciously rubbing the doctor's back as the man shivered and shifted uncomfortably. When Jim was certain he was alright, he leaned back to look at Bones.
"You good now?" He asked, blue eyes wide and uncertain. Bones looked up and nodded slowly, blinking the sea water from his eyes.
"Yeah...yeah, I'm good." He replied after a moment, teeth chattering as his adrenaline wore off and the cold set in. Jim nodded and pulled him close again, murmuring gently. His comm was either fried or at the bottom of the ocean right now, but he had a feeling Scotty would be able to find them sooner or later.
And find them he did. Within ten minutes, both Jim and Bones felt the odd tingling sensation that came with being beamed back up. Jim only looked when he was sure they were back on the ship, that they weren't in danger anymore. Reluctantly, he released the doctor and stood, water still dripping off his uniform into a puddle on the ground as he stared after medical. He swallowed thickly as he tried to organize his now frazzled thoughts. Something had changed, and he had a feeling he knew exactly what it was.