A/N: This one is… wow! Loved writing this so so much. Enjoy!
Finally finishing with his last course of the day, Leonard walked out of the lecture hall into the courtyard. It was close to 16:00, and there were groups of cadets moving about with their business to various parts of the campus. There was a soft chilly wind blowing, enough to make his skin prickle, and he inhaled a deep breath, taking in the cool smell of the saltwater close by, deciding to take a small break before heading to his dorm.
He ambled to the tall oak tree by the bay where he and Jim frequented to talk, and stopped for a moment when he spotted someone already sitting on the grass, leaning back on its trunk. Her auburn hair blew blithely in the soft wind, her long legs crossed one on top of the other, her hands busy flipping carefully through papers from a large portfolio on her lap. The curiosity in him burned as he watched her.
It had been almost twenty-four hours since he last saw her, the events of the last few weeks vivid in the back of his mind.
For the first time in a long time, he had actually felt good in the presence of another woman, and damn, she was a woman.
She was beautiful, beyond beautiful, and so smart. She already surpassed his expectations in the hospital after their third shift the day before, how easily she moved around the surgical wing while attending to patients and delegating work to the nursing staff. She would be a fine ship's surgeon, maybe even a chief medical officer in his opinion, but the thought that she pushed herself to learn something outside her area of expertise was astounding, and it amazed him that she would even pick up an extra course on top of all her current medical training, a course as hard as xenolinguistics.
That night they sat together after Jim's drunken escapades was pivotal for him. The way she smiled and cared for not just her brother but him as well brought her into a different perspective. She was a nurturer, and quite natural at it. Offering her space for him, providing her bed for Jim to sleep in, brewing fresh coffee that wasn't replicated and actually remembering how he liked his coffee, how they sat talking about medicine until the soft hues of the morning sun seeped through the small window of her dorm, their deal to quit on the bickering, to call each other friends.
There was a smile on her lips as she continued looking down at the portfolio, and his insides melted. It was a genuine smile, a smile that made heads turn, and he had the urge to see her smile like that again. Without a second thought, he walked over to her, stopping only a few feet away. His shadow shaded her from the sun, and she looked up at him.
And she rewarded him with a toothy grin. God almighty.
"Hi!"
Fuckin' hell.
Leonard cleared his throat as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder. "I thought you'd be at the library."
"The weather is actually agreeable since it's not so hot anymore, so I decided to camp out under this tree," she responded as she closed the portfolio. "The view of the bay is phenomenal."
Leonard hummed in agreement and nodded toward the contents on her lap. "Are you still tryin' to learn how to speak Vulcan?"
Jordan laughed lightly. "No. I got a pretty good grade on my practical exams. I can effectively say that I can communicate with a Vulcan now." She smiled once again as she brought her hand up, her pointer and thumb coming almost together to touch. "Small words, I mean. So, thank you. I appreciate it."
Leonard could feel a blush creeping up his neck and he brought his hand up to rub it as a coverup. In hopes to distract his bashfulness, he decided to change the subject. "So what are you lookin' at now?"
Jordan's eyes widened in glee and her smile was even broader. "Oh, these are just some engineering schematics for a constitution-class starship. It's currently being towed from Iowa to the space dock, since it's almost finished with construction. I heard it's going to be the fleet's flagship."
What?
"Engineering?" he asked incredulously. "You like to tinker?"
"I like anything with bits and bolts, but prefer an old-school car engine. I used to fiddle with my uncle's prized Mustang convertible,"she explained and shrugged her shoulders, "An engineering friend of mine showed me these before he was shipped off to Delta Vega and I had to take a closer look. I find the nacelle configurations a little fascinating, and let's not talk about the warp core."
Communications and now engineering.
Damn.
She was impressing him more each second she spoke as if she were a magnet pulling him to her.
Leonard chuckled, moving to sit down next to her, throwing his bag to his side. "Certifiable grease monkey."
"Pretty much," she said, her hands flat on the surface of the folder. "Healing and practicing medicine is always my priority, but give me some tools and a hunk of disassembled metal, and I might build you something incredible."
"Surgeons are biological mechanics. It's in our nature to fix things." Leonard slid closer, his shoulder barely touching hers and pointed to her hands. "Well, maybe you could show an old country doctor what all that means?"
Jordan's smile widened. "Are you ready to be mind blown, doctor?"
——
The banquet hall was filled to the brim with cadets and instructors alike, most mingling and drinking while others took to the dance floor. Gone were the cadet uniforms, replaced with evening suits and colorful dresses. Christmas was a cheerful event, the campus adorned with twinkling lights and festive signs for the entire duration of the chilly month of December, and the banquet hall was no different. A towering nine-foot Douglas Fir was placed in front of the wall-to-wall windows overlooking the bay, centered so everyone could marvel in its glory, decorated with shiny ornaments and golden tinsel. Multiple strings of lights were adorned around the walls and ceiling, and the occasional mistletoe hung in inconspicuous places, forcing strangers to share a peck on the lips.
For Leonard, however, it wasn't so cheerful. He didn't hate the festivities, just disliked it with great intensity. Having no family to celebrate it with, he found himself on his own around this time, and frankly, it made him feel like a grinch. So, in the spirit of not socializing with others, he tended to hunker down in his dorm or take up extra hours at the hospital while the rest partied until morning.
But, to much of his disdain, Jim all but dragged him out of the dorm for this event, not before forcing him to dress in his black suit and dressy loafers that hid in the back of his closet.
Which brought him to his current predicament, standing by the bar, nursing a glass of whiskey in his hand, a grimace plastered on his face as his eyes roamed around the immensely large room. His empty hand reached up and tugged on the collar of his white dress shirt, which was loose with the first two buttons undone and he had forgone the use of a tie. Though it wasn't as tight as his cadet tunic, he still felt constricted in the clothing. He was more comfortable in a plaid shirt, his worn out leather jacket and a pair of loose-fitting jeans.
Jim had left him on his own to disappear into the crowd, which allowed Leonard to formulate an escape plan. He stayed close to the main doors, hoping that at some point, he could slip out unnoticed and hide in his dorm like years before.
"I hate these stupid functions," a voice he knew all too well announced, and he turned, his eyes widening at the sight before him.
Damn.
She was very different. Gone was the cadet red uniform he was used to seeing her in. The long sleeveless evening dress she wore was a forest green, subtle but elegant, hugging her curves like a glove as it cascaded down to hover centimeters over the floor. Her auburn hair flowed down her back in waves, a contrast to her usual high ponytail, and the small smile on her lips was alluring, enough to make his knees buckle.
"You and me both, darlin'," he responded, returning her smile with one of his own as he stepped closer to her.
"You clean up nice with that suit, doctor."
"Well missy, you're lookin' like a cool glass of water on a hot summer day."
"If I didn't know better, I would say you two could've been married for quite some time," Jim said when he walked up behind his sister, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to bring her into his side.
Leonard watched the two interact, something he started to secretly enjoy, the way Jim let down his guard around her, and how Jordan looked at him with the greatest love she could express to her older brother. There was no denying that the Kirks were a dynamic duo, a force to be reckoned with, Jim with his hunt for the captain's chair, and Jordan on her path in becoming the most knowledgeable surgeon in the galaxy.
Jordan rolled her eyes but smiled as Jim handed her a glass of rosé. "You know, I sometimes wonder if you really are my brother."
"Lighten up a little, sis. It's Christmas," Jim whined as his hand squeezed her shoulder. His head lifted as something caught his eyes, and he dropped his arm. "I'm going to go and socialize. Please try not to kill each other."
"Please don't make a fool of yourself out there," Jordan called out as Jim retreated quickly. He waved his hand over his head in acknowledgment and disappeared into the heavy crowd.
Leonard shook his head. "Always actin' like the life of the party."
Jordan giggled as she took a sip of her wine. She turned to watch the crowd, but her face paled and quickly turned away. "Oh god."
Leonard looked at her alarmed. "What's wrong?"
"It's some guy from my communications class that won't leave me alone. He's walking straight to ward us."
Leonard turned his gaze back to the crowd, and he caught sight of the man she was talking about. He was tall and slightly lanky, but the look on his face annoyed Leonard. The dance floor started to fill when a new song began to play, and an idea popped in his head, his previous thoughts of leaving completely gone. He set his whiskey on the counter and grabbed Jordan's glass from her hand to do the same. He took her hand in his and pulled her into a brisk walk. "Come on."
"What are you doing?"
"I'm helpin' a damsel in distress," he responded as he moved them around the dancing couples, settling in a small open space. He turned to her, bringing an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, and with his other hand, he interlaced his fingers with her small ones and brought them to his chest. "Just don't step on my toes."
"I know how to dance." Jordan was blushing profusely as she averted her eyes, her free hand coming to rest on his upper arm as they started to sway to the soft band music.
He smiled at her sudden bashfulness, and his arm tightened around her as he brought his cheek to her temple in a feathery touch, his lips hovering over her ear. "Relax darlin'. Just stay close and let me lead."
She relaxed in his arms, rewarding him with a lightened sigh as she closed the distance between her temple and his cheek. He was sure she could feel how fast his heart was beating under her hand, but if she did, she didn't make it known. He turned his head slightly, his nose snuggled into the tendrils of her loose hair and he inhaled a deep breath, catching a whiff of her flowery shampoo. It was a soothing smell, something that reminded him of a vast field of fragrant lavenders.
"You're light on your feet doctor," Jordan said as she pulled back her head to glance up at him.
"I took some lessons with my ex-wife."
God damn it.
Leonard cringed slightly at his small revelation. The words had slipped out without carefully thinking of how to respond to her, and he stiffened. It wasn't something he was used to talking about, especially with someone like Jordan Kirk. His past was a dark place, a place he tried not to think about.
"Oh!" Jordan lifted her eyebrows as she felt the slight change in his stance. She patted his arm softly in reassurance. "It's okay. I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Leonard sighed and squeezed his hand with hers, his muscles relaxing at her soft words. It was a balm, soothing the sudden anxiety down with just the tone of her voice. The nurturer in her was definitely showing as he felt her hand on his arm draw soothing circles over the sleeve of his suit.
He cleared his throat lightly. "There's a lot of things we don't know about each other."
"You're right. I think we've been changing that slowly, but I have still much to learn," she said mildly and smiled in appreciation. "Thanks for being my knight in shining armor."
Her blue eyes were shining as he stared at them intently, and he could see the soft reflection of the lights around them. Leonard's eyes blanketed her face, taking in her soft features and paused on her lips. She was biting her lower lip, making the skin plump in redness.
Leonard swallowed as his throat ran dry, and he let out an airy chuckle. "What are friends for?"
There was a slight heaviness to his words.
Friends.
Their friendship had blossomed in the passed few weeks, between studying together and working hand in hand at the hospital. Since their heavy argument that night on their first shift, she felt lighter around him, almost carefree. She proved to be a friend to him, but at the moment, holding her tight in his arms, dancing to the soft music under the twinkling lights adorned over them, staring at each other like there was no one else in the room around them, the word 'friend' appeared to be not enough.
And for the first time in years, he wanted more.