It had been a few days since Leonard and Spock even looked in each other's general directions, so obviously nothing had really gone anywhere. They didn't message each other anymore. Leonard didn't know what to do with his spare time, so he'd been sparring with Jim each evening. He could barely sleep at night.
He just didn't want to really accept that Spock was the one that he had been talking to for so long. He was considering the possible relationship of the two of them before! But the idea of being with Spock... he just couldn't see him like that. An acquaintance, sure. A friend was a long shot. A romantic partner? Absolutely not. Leonard wanted someone who actually showed emotion. Someone who actually cared about him and his feelings. Someone who didn't have the chance of going into a psychotic rage and kicking him out of his home.
Several days ago, he was expecting everything to become easier and better for them after their identities were revealed. But it was pretty much the exact opposite. It was so much more difficult to deal with- it threw Leonard's whole life into some sort of rollercoaster down to Hell. He was really so disappointed that it had to be Spock. Yeah, it wasn't good of him to say, but he might've even been happier if it was Jim talking to him the whole time. Or even Keesner for Christ's sake! But Spock? It made him shiver at the thought.
Walking through Sickbay, he saw Christine and Spock talking, with the latter sitting on a biobed. He almost pivoted on the spot, not wanting to deal with it, but he couldn't tear himself away from the sight. Spock looked... he actually looked sick. A spark of worry welled up within him, even though most of him didn't want to give any shits about it.
He walked up to them, nodding to Christine and saying, "I'll take it from here, Christine, thanks." She smiled back at him, and handed him the medical report that she had already started filling out, and walked away. He chewed on his lip subconsciously while reading over the symptoms. Constant migraines, vomiting, abdominal pain, uncontrolled body temperature altercations (option limited to Vulcans and other species that could change their own body heat according to environmental changes)... He'd be condemning himself by saying they were common symptoms of stress. OR it was just a simple humanoid illness.
He looked Spock over, noticing every detail. Very tired, fatigued, hungry, slightly dehydrated, stressed... But what could the man be stressed about? Most Vulcans didn't allow themselves to feel emotion. Well, stress wasn't quite an emotion, was it? He looked back at the report. There were still questions to be answered.
"How many days have you gone without sleep?" He asked, knowing that with Spock, chances were he missed at least two days of sleep if he was acting like this.
"Three days." Spock replied, and Leonard raised an eyebrow at him.
"What, no decimal or close approximations?" He asked, and Spock just looked at him. Bastard could at least play along- he was trying to relieve some of the tension. He wrote the information on the report. Three days. "Follow my finger with your eyes." He ordered, and held out his finger, moving it side to side then up and down and back again. He wrote it down. Slow reaction time. He put the report down and felt Spock's neck under his jawline. It was protocol now, since so many people had been coming up with infections lately, so lymph nodes had to be checked constantly. His neck wasn't as warm as it usually was. It's not like he felt his neck all the time, though. Until he found something strange. He frowned, prodding a hard spot deep in Spock's neck. All awkwardness aside, he was almost freaking out. He started pressing on it harder, trying to feel the dimensions of it. It could be cancerous, or-
"It is normal. Vulcan males have glands that secrete a particular chemical during... a certain point of our lives. It allows us to be better identified by females during trying times, due to their acute sense of smell." Spock explained, and Leonard breathed out in relief.
"Oh, thank god. I wouldn't have wanted to sign your death papers any time soon, that's for sure." Leonard said, and wrote on the report again. Lymph nodes slightly swollen, most likely due to the vomiting. "Sometimes your Vulcan physiology evades me." He grumbled absently, filling out the rest of the required information himself. When he was finished, he wrote down the medications on a slip as he said, "I'm prescribing you a sleeping aid, as well as some pain killers that will also ease the nausea. Take this to Christine, she'll handle it for you." He held out the slip, and Spock took it with a nod. As the Vulcan stood, he swayed ever so slightly.
"Thank you." Spock said quietly, and left without another word. Leonard sighed, watching him go. Damn it. He didn't know how to explain how he felt, but he just felt sort of... empty. It was like the loss of I-Chaya left a void in his soul. Or something.
Ever since he saw that I-Chaya was Spock, he had been picturing Spock's face behind all of those conversations. And while it seemed wild at first that those great times could be associated with someone like that, it eventually became automatic in his mind. Now whenever he looked at Spock, he was reminded of all those good times, and it was kind of nice. Except for the fact that he still felt absolutely pissed off and frustrated that it had to be Spock in the first place.
However, the thought of Spock being sick was kind of concerning. He wasn't too sure as to how often Vulcan adults got sick, but he figured it couldn't have been frequent at all. In fact, this was probably the second time he saw Spock get sick. The first was during an away mission gone wrong, which landed a couple dozen people in Sickbay with the planet's seasonal virus. Even that wasn't very bad- it was just very highly infectious. But to have Spock sick now... Leonard could only feel like he was the one to blame. He was probably the only person that Spock really trusted back when they were messaging each other. Then to figure out that it was really him of all people was probably catastrophic for him. Leonard coming over and yelling at him probably didn't help either.
Oh well. Spock was a strong man. He could get over it. Vulcans were already so prestigious at suppressing their emotions, so this should all be over and done with in no time. Or so Leonard hoped, as he got back to the ol' grind (work).
That night, Leonard was flopping around in bed trying to sleep when Jim commed him. "Spock's still vomiting. I don't think he took any of that medicine you gave him, or if he did, then it wasn't strong enough. Please do something. I need my sleep." Jim said, and Leonard groaned. He didn't grant Jim any answer as he rolled out of bed, got a sweatshirt on, and strolled off to Sickbay.
He had his eyes closed pretty much the whole way, since even though he hadn't slept at all, his eyes were still heavy on him. By that time, he had the exact route of almost anywhere to Sickbay mapped out in his head. It was pretty great. He walked into the 'bay, grumbling some noises at a nurse who asked why he was there, and ignored everyone on his way to the meds. He grabbed a hardcore sleeping hypo, which would no doubt knock any Vulcan out. It wasn't really supposed to be used unless the person was in immense pain, or couldn't sleep to (literally) save their life, but he figured that this could be an exception if he worded the report good enough.
Leonard walked with the hypo in his sweatshirt pocket, and a powerful yawn that could blow cities down if he wasn't careful. Why was he even up in the first place? Oh right, Spock. He was his patient- of course he would take care of his patients!
He was outside Spock's quarters, and chimed the door. He heard an "enter" somewhere, so he walked in. There was no one in the room, so he walked into the bathroom (the door was already open). There he saw Spock sitting on the floor next to the toilet, looking pretty bad. He actually felt bad for him.
"A certain someone complained that he couldn't sleep because of you," Leonard said, and tried to avoid contact. Except he caught sight of himself in the mirror and grimaced. Disheveled brown hair, bags under his eyes, and he was wearing the drabbiest clothes. What a loser. He turned back to Spock (who didn't look that much better) and opened his mouth to speak before the Vulcan maneuvered over the toilet and started vomiting. Poor thing. Throwing up really sucked, no matter who you were.
Leonard walked out of the room and got Spock some cold water and some hot tea, and carried them back carefully, setting them down on the floor between them. He sat down as well, waiting for Spock to finish, and leaned against the wall.
"I regret that you must see me in this state," Spock got out before vomiting again. Leonard snorted.
"Please, I've seen much worse in my day, believe me. You take the meds I told you to get?" He asked, and Spock nodded. "They help at all?" Spock hesitated this time before nodding a little. Leonard sighed. "Damn. You're so difficult to treat. I never know if your body's wanting to act like a human or a Vulcan. Anyway, I got a super powerful sleeping aid for you, whenever you're finished here." Spock gave him a stern look, wiping his mouth with a tissue and taking a long drink of water.
"You seem much more calm..." Spock trailed off, and decided not to finish his sentence. Leonard nodded.
"I guess I'm just starting to get used to the idea of your face behind all those messages. Even if it is ugly." He said. Spock just looked at him. "It was a joke, Spock. Now if you're finished, get into bed." The Vulcan nodded, grabbing the tea and drinking it before crawling into bed. Leonard grabbed the hypo out of his pocket and administered to Spock's neck, and the man was out in a matter of seconds. Looking around, Leonard grabbed an empty waste bin and put it next to the bed. Just in case. He also disposed of the old water and got a fresh glass, putting it next to the bedside table.
He looked at his work for a little bit then. He would've made a good father if he was allowed the chance, right? Taking care of a sick kid was in that job description, and there he was. It was like Spock was his son. That he almost had a relationship with because of a damn website. Sometimes he wondered if Jim put them both on that site on purpose, but he dismissed the idea as quick as it came; there was no guaranteeing that they would actually meet on there, and absolutely no guarantee that they'd actually like each other.
Did he like Spock? Leonard looked at the innocent, sleeping man. His upswept eyebrows made him look pissed even in sleep, but he still seemed at peace. It was a view to behold. In that moment, he decided it. No, he definitely did not like Spock. It was just wrong. Every time he looked at the man, he still wanted to punch him.
Leonard walked out of the room and back to his own quarters, where he was finally able to fall asleep.
The following morning, Jim made them all go to breakfast together. It's not like Leonard had any qualms about going, it's just that he felt that he could only take so much of Spock's shit. Cold truth.
Spock was the last to arrive, looking well rested but still a little pale. He got a bowl of soup and some tea. Seemed fitting enough. "How you feelin'?" Leonard said before taking a bite of his omelette. He could tell that Jim was watching the two of them closely, and it was sort of unnerving.
"I am adequate, thank you." Spock replied, and Leonard gave him The Look. He was about to say that 'adequate' wasn't good enough of an answer, but Jim started blabbering first.
"Yeah, well, I'm still not clearing you for duty. You need another day's rest first." Jim demanded, and Spock almost looked annoyed. Or that's what Leonard thought. One had to be very keen to see the minor changes in the Vulcan's face and body language in order to determine how he was feeling. Leonard felt like he'd built up that skill- certainly more than Jim had, as he was pretty oblivious of whatever Spock was feeling.
"Hey, Captain," Leonard butt in, and Jim scoffed at him. Jim hated it when he called him Captain. "I'm the doctor here, so I think that I'll be the one to judge when Spock can return to duty." He said, and Spock opened his mouth to interject, but he spoke again. "I meant that I'm the only active medical doctor here, Spock." He raised his eyebrows at the Vulcan, who in turn took a tentative sip of his tea.
"I always forget about your higher level of education, Spock." Jim said after he got done munching on a bite of apple. "How'd you know about that, Bones?"
"Please, kid, I know more about Spock than anyone on this ship." Leonard chuckled, and as expected, Jim scowled at him. "But don't be jealous that you'll never measure up to someone as trustworthy as I." He smirked, and Jim slammed his head on the table.
"I will take you on right now." Jim threatened playfully, although his face was completely serious.
"Bring it on, Jimmy Boy!" Leonard exclaimed, mimicking a certain guy back at the Academy that would always pick on Jim. Finnigan, if he remembered correctly.
"Is this another demonstration of friendly affection?" Spock asked, and they both glared at him.
"Of course not." Jim said, slamming his Apple down.
"We're really going to fight." Leonard said next, then turned to Jim. "Hour after work?" He asked, and Jim nodded with determination before taking his food and leaving dramatically. Which was completely uncalled for, since he didn't even finish his breakfast.
It was the most important meal of the day, damn it!
"I advise against engaging in conflict with the captain." Spock said, and Leonard smiled, taking a drink of his orange juice. Had to get his ascorbic acid somehow.
"Nah, we've taken to sparring almost every evening now. It's kind of a fun pastime." He explained, and Spock nodded in approval. "It's also a pretty good outlet for emotional buildup..." He said suggestively, eyeing Spock. Vulcans had plenty of emotional buildup, right? "Maybe you should come." Spock took another drink of his tea, as if thinking it through.
"I am amenable to that." He said, looking Leonard up and down. "Although, I wouldn't say that you are quite the formidable foe." Leonard looked at him, shocked.
"My race might be three times weaker than yours, but that doesn't mean that I am! And you're only half Vulcan, which means that you'd only be one and a half times stronger than a human." Leonard explained, feeling good about himself.
"That theory is not held upon sound evidence." Spock replied, raising an eyebrow. Leonard mimicked him, raising his own eyebrow.
"Then I guess we shall have to see, then, won't we?" He asked challengingly, and Spock nodded. They both went back to eating, leaving Leonard to wonder what in the hell he just did. He just INVITED Spock somewhere. Didn't he just get through saying how he didn't even want to deal with the man? And now he was inviting him other to the gym for playful tussles?
He must have been going insane. It was the only logical explanation.