Title: Into the Black
Fandom: Star Trek AOS
Pairing: Jim Kirk/Leonard McCoy
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own any recognisable characters ... they all belong to Gene Roddenberry
Summary: Leonard can't believe that he's actually going through with this instead fo running screaming in the opposite direction.
Length: 390
Challenge: 'anywhere but here'


“Bones, buckle up!”

Leonard managed to control the urge to flinch as Jim clapped him hard on the shoulder on his way to the Captain’s chair. What Leonard couldn’t suppress was the eye roll. Jim had been bouncing around like a kid in a candy store ever since Starfleet had officially handed him the Enterprise. It was endearing as hell but, as much as Leonard loved Jim, he couldn’t help but hope that the novelty wore off soon.

He briefly turned back into what was happening on the bridge to hear Scotty confirm that the dilithium chambers were at maximum and Jim ordering Sulu to prepare to engage the thrusters, but retreated back into his thoughts when Spock appeared on the bridge.

Leonard didn’t like Spock, didn’t trust him and stood by his opinion that the guy was actually a green-blooded hobgoblin. He’d never met anyone as cold as Spock except for his ex-wife and that was something. Jim may have forgiven Spock but Leonard couldn’t; he had been the one to heal Jim from everything he had suffered when Spock had marooned him on that damn planet. And he didn’t relish the need to play nice with the pointy-eared bastard now that they were stuck on this bloody tin can for who knew how long.

Despite Jim’s words when they had been on that transport just after enlisting, Leonard had always known that Starfleet operated in space; after all, he was a surgeon, not an idiot. No, if being in Starfleet was going to be the only option available to him, Leonard had planned on getting a position on a starbase as a surgeon where he might be in space but at least there was gravity. He had never planned on being CMO of a tin can at the mercy of a batshit crazy engineer and a giant man-child walking disaster of a Captain.

Then again, he’d never planned on falling in love with Jim Kirk either and that had happened. Feeling the ship hum to life beneath his feet, Leonard slanted his gaze towards Jim just as the Captain gave his orders.

“Take us out.”

“Aye aye, Captain.”

Leonard McCoy may want to be anywhere but here when it came to space but there was no doubt about it; he’d follow Jim Kirk into the black without hesitation.