A Star Trek Fiction

"The ultimate duo, the mighty Bones and Jim. With Bones' skills, and Jim's unpredictability, the two are unstoppable, for better or worse."

Secretly a Child at Heart

5xs Jim was Careless & 5xs Jim Cared too Much

Story 8: Arguments

Bones grinds his teeth, his thoughts collecting all the things he wants to say. Oh how he's going to tear him apart for this one! Jim isn't going to escape it this time, not with some childish smile, not with charm, or talking his way through, no this time Jim better keep his mouth shut and listen to what he has to say.

He makes his way up the stairs and bursts into his dorm room, finding Jim on the couch rubbing his sweaty hands together nervously. There's blood trickling down his forehead and his left eye is bruised and swollen.

"Unbelievable. So it's true." Bones growls furiously, giving the blond a glare.

Jim opens his mouth but only releases a rough cough, "Yeah the pity card isn't working on me today Jim, so don't even."

"But Bones-" Jim starts frantically but Bones isn't about to let Jim speak just yet.

"No Jim, listen to me. I was in the middle of class when I heard about your stupid fight! I had to run out of class and come find you and on the way here Admiral Pike contacted me and guess what he said Jim?" Bones snaps pointing an accusing finger at the shriveling blond, "What?" Jim asks shyly, "He said that if he wants to keep you in the academy he's gonna hafta pull some strings and call in huge favors, but he doesn't want to if you're just gonna get yourself into another one of your goddamn fights! They even have the whole fight on camera Jim! Goddamn it Jim why do you do this? Don't you ever think about anybody else besides yourself? What am I supposed to Jim? What am I supposed to do with you?"

Now Jim seems so small, he's curled in around himself, flinching away from Bones, "I'm sorry Bones I-"

"No Jim! You don't get to say sorry this time, I'm not accepting it. I have put up with this shit so many times. It's always the same thing and the same apology and I'm calling bullshit on your part. You can't keep doing this Jim you have to be taught a lesson for once. You always get away with everything assuming that I'm just gonna be here to fix it when you come back. But not this one Jim, no, definitely not this one. This one is on you, just like all the other countless goddamn stuff you've done through the past couple of years. I'm not putting up with this anymore Jim. We're done, we're through… Now pack your things and get ready to leave. I've requested your transfer. You leave tomorrow morning." Bones rants angrily at him and Jim's eyes shimmer with fear and regret.

But instead of objecting, the blond nods his head in understanding and gets to his feet and runs to his room, slamming the door behind himself. Jim then slumps down against the door, heaving sobs and desperately trying not to make too much noise. He buries his face into his knees and wraps his arms around himself.

Deep down he knows Bones is right; all he does is think about himself, never about how his actions can affect other people, especially Bones. But instead of going back to Bones to try to make things right, he remains there wallowing in his misery.

Bones stands there in slight shock. He lied, he hasn't requested Jim's transfer, it just slipped out. And now he's all alone, like he wanted, but he feels so empty, so useless. The Doctor sighs and comes closer to Jim's door, listening in. Jim's crying, he's crying terribly hard. He can hear the sharp intakes of breath between sobs, each sniffle and each tear, it breaks his heart.

He raises his fist to knock on the door but stops. He's the one that made his best friend cry and now he wants to comfort him? Bones brain twists in thought, should he open the door? Should he apologize? Yes he knows that he shouldn't have said those things and shouldn't have lied but didn't the kid deserve a beating for once? Didn't Bones finally earn something? Must he always be the one to pick up the pieces…but that's just it. Jim's the broken one, not him. Jim's the one in need of fixing not him. Bones isn't the one with a heroic father that died the day he was born, he isn't the one whose mother abandoned him, he isn't the one with an abusive step father, he isn't the one who is haunted with nightmares. No, Bones isn't broken, Jim is, and Jim needs to be fixed and Bones is a fixer, so he can fix that.

So abandoning Jim now, at his weakest, wounded by his one true friend, the only person he trusts in, because god only knows all the trust issues the kid has, would leave the kid devastated for the rest of his life. Bones can't do that, not to Jim, not to his best friend.

Braving himself, Bones knocks on the door. Instantly Jim quiets down, but makes no attempt to reply.

"Jim?" Bones calls out awkwardly; praying to god Jim will open up the damn door.

"I'm packing. Go away." Jim growls, wiping his nose hastily and gathering to his feet.

Bones sighs, "Jim, just listen to me."

"No. I've already done that. Now go away McCoy." Jim grounds out, picking up his belongings that are scattered about the room.

"No Jim. I'm apologizing." Bones replies, but he earns no response from the blond, "Look Jim, I'm sorry for saying those things to you. You don't deserve that, no one does. And I'm sorry for being an asshole, I guess hearing that you might get kicked out of the academy made me pissed, and I'm sorry for that too. I should have never lashed out like that Jim; no one should hear the things I said to you. It was completely wrong and I take full responsibility for my actions. Jim, I am, truly sorry." The Doctor sighs heavily, silent tears slipping, and he barely manages to keep his voice from shaking.

Jim pauses, tears still falling from his red eyes. He walks up to the door and opens it to face Bones, who is crying as well.

"Can you ever forgive me?" Bones whispers, covering his face with a hand as he shakes his head sorrowfully.

"I already have." Jim chokes out, his voice trembling.

Bones looks up, meeting Jim's sapphire blue eyes. They both smile and wrap each other into a hug. Jim immediately starts to cry again, his sobs hitting him like a train wreck, Bones can only stand there and hold him tighter like if he doesn't Jim will crumble to pieces.

"It's alright kid. I'm sorry." Bones murmurs, as Jim begins to hyperventilate against his chest.

The blond grips Bones' shirt tightly, "I thought I was going to lose you." He wheezes, feeling wobbly at the knees, but the Doctor puts a supportive arm around his back to keep him upright.

Bones hushes him, trying to get his frantic breathing under control, "I'll never leave Jim."

Jim tenses at his words, old memories swarming his mind like plague. His breathing comes to a halt and Bones starts to stroke his hair, coaxing him into calming down. When Jim finally does blow out a long sigh, the Doctor is greatly relieved and he slightly pulls apart to looks into the blond's puffy red eyes, blood still sticky on his face.

The brunette smiles and brings Jim onto the couch alongside him, keeping him close. Jim gives a lopsided grin, snuggling up along Bones' side and placing his head of blond hair on the Doctor's chest. Bones releases a comforted sigh, knowing that the kid may be messed up, but with him here he'll be able to fix the kid every time even if it's from himself.