Chapter 20
Uhura glanced up at the door was opened, and McCoy cautiously stepped in, glancing around the room warily.
"No one else here?" He asked once he saw her, and she shook her head, "Everyone's either in their rooms or on the bridge. You spoke to him?"
"Yea. You spoke to your guy?"
She nodded, gesturing at the seat in front of her.
Bones walked over and took it, "They've been avoiding each other for a full week now. Everyone's noticed".
"That's why we spoke to them" She replied, "Did he tell you anything?"
"Oh yea" Bones replied, "And a big thing too. What about you?"
Nyota examined her nails, "Perhaps... On three?"
"On three" He replied, "One... Two... Three".
"Jim kissed Spock".
"Jim kissed Spock".
They both stopped, and smirked at each other.
"Glad we're on the same page then" Uhura said, "And I think we can safely say it's Jim's fault".
"Isn't it always?" Bones grumbled, "The question is, what do we do about it?"
"Well... According to Spock, Jim regrets he ever did it".
The man blinked, surprised, "... And according to Jim, it was Spock who ran away".
"Because Kirk told him he never meant to kiss him!"
"Because he was worried he had overstepped the line!"
They stared at each other.
Bones swore.
"Well fuck".
"Wait, so... so Jim thinks Spock didn't want to kiss him, but Spock thinks Jim didn't want to kiss him?"
"Looks like it" the Doctor replied, rubbing a hand over his face, "Can't do anything the easy way, can they?"
"So... now what?"
"What exactly did Spock tell you?"
"What did Jim tell you?"
"I asked you first".
"First is the worst, second is the best".
"Are you seriously bringing old Earth playground games into this?"
"Yep" She finished satisfyingly, "So spill".
McCoy sighed, "... Spock doesn't have the best background".
"I noticed".
"And when he first got here, he... flinched. A lot. He was almost scared of physical contact".
"And?"
"And despite the fact he's after getting a lot better with it... Jim thought he pushed him too far. That by kissing him, he stepped over the line. He thought Spock freaked because of it".
"... So Jim's worried that Spock didn't want to be kissed?"
"Basically, yea" He replied, "And the Hobgoblin?"
"You know how literally Vulcan's take things".
"I do. And-?"
"And when Jim told him that he didn't mean to kiss him... He thought it was because Jim didn't mean to kiss him".
"As in he thought Jim didn't want to kiss him?"
"Exactly. Spock believes that Jim did it accidently".
"How can you accidently kiss someone?"
She stared at him, "... I don't know much about his past, Bones. But from what I do? I'm pretty sure he's never been kissed willingly before".
"You think...?"
"You're his doctor, you tell me" Uhura replied, "From what I understand, his fiancé was a right bastard. And Spock wasn't exactly with him out of choice".
McCoy leant back in his chair and swore once again.
"... So the damn Hobgoblin doesn't realise that it's a sign of affection. Of love. He thinks..."
"He thinks it's meant to be painful, to be forced... He doesn't understand why he liked it".
"Fuck" Bones repeated, "... What are we going to do?"
"Well I would say lock them in a room together until they sort their problems out, but Jim's a stubborn bastard, and Spock's a Vulcan, therefore capable of unending patience... They'd both probably die of starvation before talking to each other".
"And if we swap?"
"Swap?" Uhura frowned, "What do you mean?"
"As in you take Jim and I'll take Spock" He explained, "We visit them again, just like we did an hour ago. Except this time, you tell Jim how Spock feels, and I'll tell Spock how Jim feels".
"As in speak to the other one for the other one?"
"Exactly, since they're not speaking. They're awkwardly avoiding each other, and literally everyone has noticed the tense atmosphere. I'm sick of it already".
"So we do their jobs for them" Nyota finished, slowly nodding, "Alright, I'm on board. Is Jim still in his room?"
"You mean is he sulking like a teenager with an enormous crush? Yea" Bones replied, "And Spock?"
"The labs. Obviously".
"Obviously" He responded, standing up, "Meet you back here in... shall we say... an hour?"
"I might need a little more than that to get it through his thick skull that Spock likes him back, but... Yea. Sure. One hour. See you then".
"See you then" McCoy finished, heading for the door.
Uhura watched him go before sighing and reluctantly standing up.
Those boys were going to be the death of her.