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Crewmen scattered off to the side, ensuring Spock had a clear path to his destination as he made his way down the hallway. It was a convenient bonus of being the first officer. Not having to push his way past crew as he walked. Most of them were either too scared of him to get in his way, or smart enough to know that getting too close could be a death sentence.
Not from him of course. Spock wasn’t one to kill Crew unless they presented him with a logical reason for doing so. Nyota, however, took great offence to people getting too close to him, and it didn’t matter if she wasn’t there at the time when someone brushed up against him. If she found out, she would hunt them down and...well, most of them knew the stories of what had happened to Ensign Chekov for upsetting her.
It was better that no one impeded his path anyways. Spock had too much work to do on the ship to deal with being slowed down by tardy crewmembers, especially right now. Though, logically his current task couldn’t be referred to as ‘work’. Addressing issues of his mates behaviour with Doctor McCoy was of a far more personal nature.
It wasn’t as though Nyota had done something extremely troubling or worrisome, just that Spock did not understand why she had taken the course of action she had, and if anyone could explain it to him best it was Leonard. He did not want to risk upsetting Nyota with questions about her actions after all, not when it was easier to go to a third party.
Stopping in front of the Medical Bay, Spock stared at the door in front of him and waited patiently for it to open, raising an eyebrow when it failed to budge. It was unlike Leonard to keep Medical closed, even when he was busy torturing someone. The Doctor had an open door policy on his medical bay that he adhered to, only breaking it if there was something wrong.
“Computer, open Medical Bay doors.” He instructed “Security code Commander Spock G56-34F.” the computer beeped in response, releasing the locks and allowing the doors to slide open.
The scene that presented itself behind the doors was more than enough explanation for why Spock had found them locked upon his arrival. Directly in front of him he saw Doctor Joseph M’Banga, the second in command of Medical and Vulcan specialist, sitting on top of the chest of a young Ensign with his personal knife buried deep in the Ensigns chest as if…
“Doctor M’Banga…” Joseph looked up from his spot, Anger etched across his face “would you mind explaining what the Ensign has done to deserve having his heart carved out of his chest?”
Rather than explaining himself, Joseph took one hand off of his knife and waved towards the other end of Medical. A gesture that Spock could only understand as Doctor M’Banga being to angry for words at this exact moment. What had made him so angry, however, was the question. Doctor M’Banga was not one who was quick to anger. He almost always had a genuine smile on his face, and when something did upset him he was usually calm and collected while dealing out his revenge.
Giving his head a shake, Spock turned his attention towards the area that Doctor M’Banga had waved towards.
The first thing he noted was the blood soaking into Leonard’s uniform. He could smell it beneath that of the unfortunate lieutenant currently beneath M’Banga’s knife. Harder to find due to the amount of blood covering the floor under the Lieutenant, but there. The second thing he noted was the grimace of pain and the pale tone to Leonard’s face. He didn’t need more to determine the cause of M’Banga’s rage and wished him well in his endeavor to punish the person responsible for Leonard’s injury.
With a faint rumble in his throat, he strode across the room and came to a stop with his legs pressed to Leonard’s. The scent of Leonard’s blood was stronger here and it send an uncomfortable twinge down his back that put his hair on end. It was very similar to the same sensation he experienced when someone touched Nyota in his presence. It made him want to throw someone out of an airlock.”Doctor, you are injured.”
“Really?” Leonard’s voice was weak, but it still had a tint of the usual sarcasm that Leonard was so fond of using. “I thought i had spilled ketchup on my uniform.”
“Making jokes is illogical at this moment.” His hand moved to Leonard’s side as he spoke, peeling the bloody hand away from the wound. The scent of blood was suddenly overwhelming, sending sparks down his spin and pulling a slight growl out of his throat. “What happened?”
A smile pulled at Leonard’s lips, but not one that Spock was used to. It didn’t have the devilish hint of the Doctor preparing to deal with a patient, or the soft sparkle in his eyes when Jim or Nyota had said something sweet. No, this was a smile full of regret.
“He got my bad side.” Leonard emphasised his words by waving a hand over the large scar that took up the right side of his face, right over where his eye used to be. “I was talking to Joseph about improving protocol when dealing with traitors, and the little shit snuck up on my bad side and dug his knife in before Joseph or i knew what was going on.”
“You let your guard down?” Spock emphasised.
“I’m not perfect Spock.” he couldn’t argue with that response. Leonard was blind on one side, sarcastic, illogical and made it his life goal to anger as many people as possible. He was the perfect target for anyone wanting a promotion, or just because he had said the wrong thing.
Once he had done a detailed examination of Leonard’s wound Spock brought his hand up to the back of Leonard’s head and pulled the other man flush against his body, ignoring the Doctor’s protests while he adjusted his stance so that he could use his other arm to lift the man’s legs off of the ground.
“Some sort of god damned prince charming.” Spock ignored the jab, focusing instead on carrying Leonard over to the nearest biobed and laying him down. “I can walk you know.”
“You should not be wasting your energy at the moment, Doctor.” Spock explained, his shoulders stiffening when he felt someone stepping up beside him. Turning around in his spot, he curled his lip up slightly and growled dangerously while Doctor M’Banga raised an eyebrow at him and attempted to clean the Lieutenant's bloods off of his hands with his uniform sash.
“Are we really going to do ‘over protective mate’ mode right now?” Joseph inquired. “He’s bleeding out and i’m his best chance.”
Spock knew that allowing the Doctor to help Leonard was the most logical course of action, but rather than stepping aside he instead forced himself between Doctor M’Banga and Leonard, preventing Doctor M’Banga from getting any closer.
“You are also capable of taking advantage of his current state and finishing the job that the Lieutenant failed at.” Spock challenged. “You are the second in command of medical, and if Leonard were to die on this table you would be awarded the position of Chief Medical officer.”
“Are you suggesting i want him to die?” inquired Doctor M’Banga “after i just stabbed a man to death and carved his heart out for hurting him?”
“There are many people in the Terran Empire who have gotten their targets to let their guard down by protecting them from others attacks.” Explained Spock, his shoulders tightening when Doctor M’Banga rolled his eyes. “How can i be sure you will do as you say and save Leonard?”
“Well, for one i actually have no interest in taking his job.” M’Banga huffed “He can have the paperwork and stuffy brass who come on board to ‘examine the ship’. I just want some fun job’s once in awhile.”
“Are we really doing this right now?” Spock turned his head just far enough to see Leonard perching himself up on his elbows. The Doctor’s face had grown a little pailer during his conversation with M’Banga, a worrisome sign of Leonard’s deteriorating health. “Now don’t get me wrong, i love it when handsome men fight over me, but can we save it for later? Preferably when i’m not bleeding out on my own biobed?”
Spock was about to argue further when Leonard’s arms gave out under him and he came crashing down onto the biobed with a pained grunt. Taking a step to the side, Spock allowed Doctor M’Banga to take his spot by the biobed while he reached out and took hold of Leonard’s hand, his eyes glued on Doctor M’Banga and everything he did.
“Shouldn’t you be off somewhere with Nyota?” The question caught Spock off guard, pulling his attention away from M’banga’s hands as they finished bandaging Leonard up, on onto the man lying on the biobed beside him.
“Nyota is not the one who is injured at this moment.” Spock answered, an eyebrow arching upwards when Leonard gave his hand a gentle squeeze. A jolt of concern ran through him, something he could only assume was coming from Leonard. An odd emotion to experience from the doctor in his opinion. Leonard wasn’t one to show a lot of concern unless someone was clearly injured, and even then he had to have a strong emotional bond with them in order to worry about them. “Nyota has kept updated with me and is currently in our quarters awaiting my arrival. She offered to come down to Medical when i explained why i was still here, but i know you would not like her or Lt Commander Kirk to see you when you are injured.”
“Well that’s mighty sweet of you, Spock.” A shiver ran down his spin when Leonard’s voice dropped into that sweet Southern accent. Something that even Spock had to admit was...attractive. He could understand why Nyota and Kirk always jumped the Doctor when he started using that voice.
“I did not do it to be...sweet.” Spock explained, attempting to keep himself under control even as his eyes moved back towards Doctor M’Banga and watched as the man finished up with the last bandage “it was the logical choice. Nyota would only worry more if she saw all of the blood you had lost.”
“Still…” Leonard gave his hand another squeeze.
“Well, we’re all done here.” Doctor M’Banga announced, taking a step back and allowing Spock to place himself between him and Leonard once more. “He’ll need some rest, but he should be fine to work tomorrow.”
Leonard groaned “Can’t even get me a day off Joseph?”
“If i did that you might start getting lazy,” Doctor M’anga shot back “We have to be careful with your days off now Leo. you’re getting old. Laying in bed may become your new hobby.”
“Next time, i’m letting the random jackass stab you.” Declared Leonard with a grumble.
With a roll of his eyes, Doctor M’Banga turned his attention to Spock “You’re going to want to inform Lt. Commander Kirk that he’s going to keep an eye on those wounds.” He explained calmly, raising an eyebrow when Spock’s shoulders tightened at the mention of Kirk. “If anything happens, bring him back to Medical and call Myself or Nurse Chapel. We’ll take care of him.”
“I will ensure that Leonard is sufficiently taken care of.” Spock declared, ignoring Leonard when he attempted to pull his hand back so that Spock would look at him. “As the Ensign who attacked Leonard seems to be from the Security department, i do not belive it wise to leave Leonard with the Lt. Commander.”
“Jim wouldn’t send someone to kill me.” Leonard argued, his voice harsh as he tugged on Spock’s hand again. “Spock, god damn it listen to me!”
Turning around in his spot, Spock took a deep breath and gave Leonard’s hand a squeeze. A move that he had seen calm Nyota down many times, and which seemed to work just as well on getting Leonard to relax.
“My intention is not to say that Lt. Commander Kirk would want you dead.” He assured Leonard, watching as the anger started to drain away from the other man’s face slowly. “I do however believe that the Ensign in question may have targeted you because of Kirk, unless you can think of a reason for him to attack you.”
“I…” Leonard glanced down at the bed, giving himself a moment to analyse the situation before he turned his eyes back up to Spock “i don’t even know the guy. I have no idea why he would try to off me. There’s no gain in it for him if i die.”
“Unless you death were to greatly upset Lt. Commander Kirk.” declared Spock. “With you gone, Kirk would not be the same. His guard would be down, his desire to live would be...diminished. He would be easier to take out.”
“You think if i died Jim would become weaker?” inquired Leonard, his eyebrow arching upwards in disbelief. “That’s not Jim. He’s full of spunk and ready to take out anyone who questions his ability to lead.”
“I do agree with that assessment.” Spock watched as Leonard sat up in his spot, swinging his legs over the edge of the biobed so that he could face Spock and finally retracting his hand from the Vulcan’s grasp. “However, you fail to take yourself into consideration.”
“I’m his boyfriend, nothing else.” Leonard huffed.
“That’s not true at all.” Doctor M’Banga interjected “at least, not the way everyone else see’s it.”
Narrowing his eyes, Leonard glared at the two men in front of him “so what, you think if i die that Jim just..gives up?”
“You’re relationship with the Lt. Commander is...abnormal, compared to most human relationships.” Spock explained. “While others have their main mate, they do not show the loyalty that you and Kirk do. Last week Ensign Rogers murdered her husband because the Captain offered her a promotion if she did.”
Leonard crossed his arms over his chest in a show of annoyance “so what? That’s not my relationship with Jim but we’re not any different. He still fools around with other people and he’d probably kill me given the opportunity for a promotion.”
“I can assure you, he would not.” declared Spock, a hint of annoyance running across his face for a split second as he thought about it. “He has in fact already turned down a promotion for that exact reason.”
“I’m sorry, what?!” Leonard jumped up to his feet, grunting when his wounds flared up in pain and falling forward into Spock’s arms.
“Captain Pike showed annoyance with you during our first month on board.” Spock explained as if he wasn’t holding Leonard up at that exact moment. “He offered Lt. Commander Kirk his own ship if he were willing to take care of you, but Kirk turned down the offer without a thought. He has no intentions of betraying you and that shows an abnormal amount of loyalty to a single person. Loyalty very few humans have.”
“I feel like you’re about to call Jim a Vulcan.” Leonard grumbled as he hid his face in Spock’s shoulder, unable to move much as the pain in his side started to die down. “Please don’t call Jim a Vulcan.”
“He is quite human, i assure you.” Spock promised “however, your relationship is more Vulcan than even you would like to admit. There is no doubt that you and Kirk would willingly die for each other, and everyone on board knows this. It is emphasised by the stories of how you lost your eye.”
“Most of which are exaggerated.” Leonard pointed out, not bothering to protest when Spock lifted him off of his feet and held him close to his body.
“Still, the fact remains that you and Kirk would rather die than betray each other.” Making his way to the door, Spock watched as Leonard curled up into his arms. It was the first time he had seen Leonard not protesting one of his more protective actions, and it was a little worrisome. “If someone wanted to get Kirk to lower his guard, they would logically go after you first.”
“So, because of this you think i shouldn’t be around Jim?” Leonard inquired “you’re going to carry me to your room, force me to stay there and you’re probably not even going to tell Jim what happened.”
“I requested that Nyota fill him in as soon as we get to our room.” Promised Spock “i did not think it wise to worry him while he should be focused on work. If the crew saw his reaction to your injury, it would only cement the idea that they need to kill you in order to get to him.”
Grumbling his approval, Leonard shut his eyes slowly, apparently too tired to argue any further. Spock could understand that though, considering Leonard had decided to proceed with his stitching without any sort of anesthetic.
Spock made his way down the hallway quickly, holding Leonard close to his body and ignoring all of the stairs he received from various crew members along the way. If anything, seeing him hold Leonard should cement in their minds the fact that it is not only Kirk they have to deal with if they decide to try and harm the doctor. A useful thing, considering Spock did not want to walk into medical again to find Leonard bleeding.
“How long?” He turned his attention back down to Leonard, noting the softness in the other man’s voice. It was obvious that Leonard was almost asleep. “Till i’m allowed to be around my boyfriend again.”
“One night with Nyota and myself should be sufficient.” Spock explained “it will give us the day for news of the Ensign’s death to spread, informing everyone on the ship that you are well guarded and will not be injured without consequences.”
“And then i can go back to Jim?” Leonard inquired.
“If that is what you wish.” Confirmed Spock “though i have noted that you do quiet enjoy spending time with Nyota and myself.”
Leonard nodded his head, his nose brushing against Spock’s neck gently and sending shivers down the Vulcan’s spin. “I do.” he whispered “But still. Jim’s...he’s Jim. i can’t be away from Jim.”
“Another reason we need to find a way to ensure you are safe incase Kirk upsets anyone.” Stepping into the turbolift, Spock narrowed his eyes at the Ensign standing in the corner and waited for her to get off before he turned his back to the wall. “Quarters.”
“Jim’s the best at upsetting everyone.” Leonard chuckled.”maybe that’s why i love the little bastard.”
Spock raised an eyebrow at the sound of that. It was normal for humans to experience feelings of love, but rarely did they announce it so carelessly. It was information that anyone could use against them, and often put those they loved in danger. Leonard had to trust Spock a great deal to release such valuable information.
“I think everyone knows.” Leonard explained, pulling Spock’s attention to the fact that he could feel the pain and fear that Leonard was feeling. Emotions that Spock had noted when Leonard was on the biobed back in medical being healed.
He should have known that Leonard could sense what he was thinking, even if it wasn’t as clear as when Spock and Nyota were touching. They may not be bonded, but Spock had found himself dropping his guard around Leonard on many occasions. Something that would be far more concerning if he did not know that Leonard meant no harm to himself and Nyota. The Doctor had proven that more than once in the time they had known each other.
The turbolift stopped with a soft beep, indicating that they had reached their destination. Watching the doors open in front of him, Spock stepped out into the hallway and directed himself towards his and Nyota’s quarters without a thought,
“I do not understand why Kirk is the one you have chosen to fall in love with, out of all of the options you have.” Spock admitted. “However, i cannot deny that you two make an...intriquing couple.”
“Is that your way of saying we’re cute?” Leonard chuckled against Spock’s neck “that’s sweet Spock, but if there was a competition you and Nyota would win.”
“This i do not doubt.” Leonard flicked him in the arm in response “Still, i belive Nyota would agree that we are made better when you are around.”
“Awww Spock,” looking down, Spock rose an eyebrow when he saw Leonard beaming up at him with a playful smile on his face “is that your way of saying you tolerate me?”
“Tolerate is a weak work in this case.” Spock explained, stopping in front of his door and bending forward so that the security device could scan his eye “i believe ‘love’ would be more appropriate, though obviously it is not the same as your love for Kirk.”
“Awww that’s sweet.” Leonard whispered as he curled up a little closer to Spock.
Nyota stepped out of the washroom at the sound of Spock’s entrance, a smile on her face and her favorite silk robes wrapped around her body.
“How much trouble did he give you?” She inquired, stepping forward to press a tender kiss against Spock’s cheek as she put a hand in Leonard’s hair.
“Once Doctor M’Banga was done taking care of him he seemed more accepting of whatever i told him would happen.” Explained Spock “i believe he is too tired to argue at the moment.”
“That does tend to happen when one gets stabbed.” Running her fingers through the short brown strands of hair, Nyota leaned down a kissed his forehead gently “get him to bed. I’ll call Jim and let him know that Leonard’s here for the night and why.”
With a nodd of agreement, Spock made his way towards the bed in the middle of their quarters and laid Leonard down carefully, thankful that Nyota had already pulled the blankets back so that he did not have to struggle with them.
“Rest…” Spock whispered when Leonard attempted to reach out to him after having the blanket tucked under him for warmth. “Nyota and i will be back soon and you are safe here.”
Lingering for a moment, Spock watched as Leonard relaxed into the bed, his right hand hanging over the edge. It was quiet relaxing seeing Leonard so calm after a day such as today.
It was rare to see the Doctor let his guard down, especially after he had lost his eye at the academy. Even when he was alone with Spock and Nyota he was often on edge, ready to jump if anyone tried to harm him. The only time Spock had seen him this relaxed before was when he had walked into Kirk’s quarters early one morning to talk to him about his security team, and found the Lt. Commander laying in bed, unable to move due to the Doctor behind him holding him close and refusing to let go.
“You’re safe here.” Spock promised in a low voice as he reached out to brush back the short brown strands of hair in front of Leonard’s eye “i promise you that.”