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Leonard caught himself—or, more accurately, his patient caught him whistling a jaunty tune as he gave them a few more passes with the regen unit. They were surprised at how perky he was, but their stilted comment on it made him laugh. Was he really that scary that when he's in a good mood, people are nervous to point it out? "I'm just in a good mood is all. And you didn't get this injury being stupid, so I have no reason to be mad atcha!"
"I could have been more careful with the reactants," they mumbled rather dejectedly.
"Shoulda, woulda, coulda, but those chemicals you were messin' around with are tricky even in the best of circumstances. Heck, even I'd have a high probability of getting a burn from 'em." Leonard patted them on the knee and turned off the regen unit. "If anyone's to blame, it's the person who put the chemicals away without making sure their gloves were clean. You had no idea there were trace amounts on the lid!"
"I, uh, that… That was me."
Leonard took a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly. Not today. "Well, I guess you learned your lesson, right?" The lieutenant nodded frantically and hightailed it out of there as soon as they were dismissed. "Kids."
"You're in an awfully good mood today, Doc." Christine crossed her arms and leaned on the door to his office. "Got a hot date with the admiral tonight?"
"Yeah, somethin' like that." Leonard slapped his thighs and hopped off his stool, sauntering over to his office for paperwork. "It's our second anniversary of when we started dating officially."
Christine smirked and followed Leonard into his office. "And how long did it take you two to start dating?"
Leonard plopped into his chair gracelessly and put up his feet. "Surprisingly not too long. We didn't dance around each other, but we got flung into the thick of things by an emergency. Kinda… realized that life's too short, y'know?"
"You aren't usually sentimental about that sort of thing," Christine teased. "You were smitten."
"I'm still smitten, if you haven't noticed!"
Christine looped around his desk to give him a hug from behind before promptly dipping back his chair until he felt like falling. "Go get ready for your date, M'Benga, and I can—"
M'Benga popped his head into the office with a belabored sigh. "Volun-telling me again, Christine? I suppose, since it's for a good cause."
"I'll cover for you next time we're in range so you can talk to Rukiya."
"The deal is that you cover for me when I can talk to Rukiya, and I cover for you when you can talk to Joanna." M'Benga grinned broadly and winked. "You'll owe me a different favor."
Leonard playfully pouted and reached back to pat Christine on the arm. "Yeah, yeah, time zones and all that. I'll fix y'all dinner at our place when we get back next week, how 'bout that?"
"Actually, can Pike cook instead?" Christine asked, with M'Benga nodding in agreement.
"Oh, that's cold!"
"You'll still owe me a favor," M'Benga taunted as he left.
Christine ruffled Leonard's hair and squeezed his shoulders. "Me, too, Loverboy!"
Leonard was about to snark back when the red alert went off, and the klaxons started wailing. He was immediately put on edge and jumped out of his chair, only to get flung to the side as the ship rocked. Christine, thankfully, landed on him and not on any of the hard shelves. However, Leonard did hit the shelves, but the gash on his forearm would have to wait. After checking Christine, they started running through the protocols.
Once the hard parts were done, Christine and M'Benga ordered Leonard out of sickbay to check on Chris. While he was starting to get his legs about him, he primarily used a hoverchair, and that rock could have damaged it if he'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time. This hadn't even crossed Leonard's mind, and he felt instantly guilty about it, but Christine and M'Benga assured him he had done the right thing. He did what Chris would have wanted him to do.
"Computer, locate Admiral Pike."
"Admiral Pike is on the bridge."
"Thanks," Leonard spit out before bolting out the door and heading for the nearest turbolift. Probably wasn't the best idea to take the 'lift during an emergency, and it got stuck twice and fell once, but the safetygrav system kicked in whenever shit went down, and he might have even been safer. But it took Too Damn Long to get up to the bridge, and he was breathing hard by the time the doors opened. Just in time for Jim to call off the red alert.
"The hell," Leonard wheezed in relief, exhaustion, and adrenaline overload, "happened?"
Chris and Jim spoke over each other in their explanation, but when Leonard looked at Chris's outfit, he couldn't hear either of them. "What… are you…."
Chris looked down on his perfectly accurate Regency-era outfit that looked like it came straight out of Mister Darcy himself's wardrobe. "Shit."
While Leonard tried to piece his brain back together and not look like a teenager faced with his first crush, Jim filled him in. They somehow hit debris in the warp field, which knocked them out of warp and overloaded the warp drive's computer system. It'd take a few hours to get back up and running, but everything would be fine aside from a few bumps and bruises.
Everything but Leonard's reputation because his brain was running about as well as the warp drive computer.
"You're bleeding," Chris said as he took Leonard's arm and broke through the fog. "Did you hit your head?"
Leonard shook his head and tried desperately not to blush harder. "'M fine. You?"
"The chair you picked out has top-of-the-line gyro sensors and automatically corrects for shifts in position." Chris guided Leonard's hand to his shoulder and headed for the turbolift. "Kirk can manage things from here, let's get you down to sickbay."
"I'd prefer to go to my quarters. Or yours." Leonard didn't want to wait and certainly didn't want to be in public any longer with Chris looking like that.
Chris poked near the cut, which caused Leonard to wince. "This needs fixed, Len."
"I have the tools in my quarters!"
"What's gotten into you?"
Leonard stopped the lift and bent down to give Chris a rough kiss. "I panic, thinking you're hurt, then I walk into you wearing that and not being hurt. I'm hyped on stress hormones right now and you know how fucked my fight or flight reactions are."
"You mean your fight, flight, or fuck reactions," Chris teased before tugging Leonard down for another kiss. "It was supposed to be a surprise. Got the holodeck reserved, and I splurged and ordered some period appropriate outfits for us."
"Why'd you get outfits if we're using the holodeck?"
"In case we want to… play afterward." Chris winked and ran a hand up Leonard's thigh.
Leonard blushed and cursed and scowled and loved every bit of what Chris was proposing. The man sure as hell knew what got his motor going, even the embarrassing ones. Still, they were in private, so Leonard could be as excited as he wanted. And damn, was he excited. "What, uh, what did you get me to wear?"
"I bought you two options. One I know you'll appreciate, and another I have a strong feeling that you will enjoy thoroughly. But I won't say anything more until we get your arm healed."
"Fine," Leonard huffed and ordered the turbolift to take them to deck five. He should have gone down there anyway, knowing how many bumps and bruises there'd be. Leonard was surprised his doctor mode focused solely on Chris and didn't kick back into gear once Leonard verified everything was okay. Part of him was angry at himself, but the other part was happy that he was capable of feeling that strongly again. Leonard smiled to himself as he worked his way through patients.
And each and every patient asked him if he was okay.
—
Leonard made it to the holodeck at the appropriate time and found himself in a small Regency-era dressing room with… "Holy shit…"
Laid out before him on the bed were two outfits. One was an outfit similar to Chris's, dapper khaki trousers and a blue coat. The other was a light blue dress with white lace trim, cap sleeves, an empire waist with a dark blue ribbon, and elbow-length white gloves. He always pretended to be the damsel in his fantasies, but he'd never imagined himself in their clothes. Leonard blushed as he ran his fingers over the silk. Chris wouldn't put it out if he didn't want to see him wear it, right?
Leonard continued looking around the room and found a well-stocked vanity with old-timey makeup and perfume bottles. He chuckled to himself and started making up a look in his head that'd go with the outfit. The dress. Leonard blushed again and looked at the clock; he didn't have much longer before Chris expected him to go downstairs. Welp, time to bite the bullet and get this show on the road—and this dress on his body. He just hoped it fit. It would, because Chris planned it, but still. Would it fit the right way?
Standing in front of the mirror an embarrassing amount of time later, Leonard would say it did. Chris said as much when he came in and asked if he got lost. Only he had said it with his eyes because his mouth was too busy gaping. "Y-you… You look…."
"See something you like?" Leonard teased as he finished putting on his gloves.
Chris smirked and nodded, looking off to the side. "I do. I very much do."
Leonard held out his hand, and Chris took it all proper-like, leading him out of the bedroom, down a long hallway, and finally to an elegant staircase leading to a ballroom. This was a pretty damn good simulation, with each attendee wearing unique yet period-appropriate garb. In the cheaper sims he'd played with, they'd all be wearing one of three different outfits with different coloring. But this? Chris went all out.
They spent the next few hours learning the era's most popular dances, eventually moving easily around each other. Chris took a bit longer to master the steps with his hoverchair propping him in the upright position, and they had to adjust certain moves to make up for the differences in mobility, but it felt like magic when they finally got it down. Leonard was as giddy as a schoolgirl with her first crush, and Chris looked just as happy. And he looked even happier when the ballroom was swarmed by villains straight out of a western and kidnapped him.
"THIS IS THE WRONG GENRE!" Leonard yelled as he was thrown over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Chris smiled and waved before hollering back, "Consider it a wonderful blend of our interests!"
Leonard was taken out of the Regency era and right into an old western…and promptly tied to a railroad track. He rolled his eyes at the cliche, but he was more upset about his dress getting dirty than the change of scenery. Leonard knew how much Chris loved his western novels, though Chris had a hard time calling them romances. They were, they absolutely were, but he let his husband have his fun because Leonard was allowed to have his. More than allowed, even. Chris bought him a romance novel every time he worked late or missed a date, and Leonard eventually did the same. Both had quite extensive collections.
But then Leonard forgot about Chris's other literary love.
The goddamn space opera.
While the villains were using guns, Chris was using a phaser. He was still in his Regency wear but added a badge and was riding a… "What the fuck is that?"
"It's a sehlat!" Chris said from the back of a giant saber-toothed bear dog thing. It was large enough to carry Chris and his folded hoverchair and had a saddle that allowed Chris to mount safely. "They're Vulcan."
Leonard rolled his eyes and started wriggling in his ropes, letting a bit of ankle and shoulder show. "That's nice, but can my handsome husband please rescue me already?!"
Chris did not rescue Leonard; he was having too much fun beating off the bad guys with phaser strikes and a few well-placed punches. The giant Vulcan critter also appeared to be having a helluva time using its massive paws to swipe at groups of attackers. Leonard huffed and relaxed back as much as he could on the uncomfortable tracks, noticing for the first time that his outfit had changed. This time it was a ruffly, big-skirted blue contraption with a lacy back. He probably looked good in it, but no one looks good tied to railroad tracks.
Tracks that started humming.
Leonard looked to either side as the tracks started humming louder, moving enough to shake the pebbles around him. "Chris? Hey Chris?"
"In a minute, dear!" Chris yelled from wherever the hell he went to.
"I can't have sex with you if I'm dead, Chris!'
"You can't die in a simulation!"
"I'd rather not test that theory!" Leonard writhed and squirmed, but the ropes didn't budge. They didn't look secure, but he sure as hell couldn't get them off despite that. Chris must have known he'd try to escape and programmed the sim to hold him tight. Goddamn command types always needing control of their little games, even when they're anniversary presents.
When the train was within eyesight, Chris and his saber-toothed bear came bounding over, and he instructed the creature to sever the ropes with its giant teeth. Leonard was pulled into Chris's arms before they ran off into the sunset, like in any great romance novel. Also, like any great romance novel, Chris found a secluded spot on a grassy hill with a single tree that happened to have a picnic blanket and wine glasses set out for them. Perhaps it wasn't like the novels; he'd get wined and dined beforegetting ravished.
"Thanks for indulging me tonight, Len," Chris said as he handed Leonard his wine glass. "Happy anniversary."
Leonard tapped his glass to Chris's before taking a hefty sip. "Coulda done without the whole train business, but other than that I had fun."
"You didn't like being a damsel in distress?"
"That's not the point." Leonard sighed and leaned against the tree, staring up at the sky. "I was worried you'd give yourself full mobility back."
Chris snickered and passed over a cracker full of Leonard's favorite goat cheese. "That would have been a direct route to the couch."
"The couch is bad for your recovery, it would have been a direct route to a bed from sick—"
"Don't think you can kick me all the way to sickbay, Lieutenant Commander."
"If you'd let me finish!" Leonard took an aggressive bite of his cracker and waved the rest of it in Chris's face. "A bed from sickbay brought to the living room." Chris leaned forward to steal the cracker from Leonard's hand, earning him a scowl. "I can still send ya to the living room."
Chris smiled and made up another cracker. "Easy there, tiger. I've got plenty more to spoil you with."
They sat there eating and drinking, watching the sun slowly set over the horizon— and emphasis on slowly; Leonard was sure time had been slowed down. Chris eventually maneuvered himself to sit next to Leonard, both commenting on his increased mobility since the last time they were together. Today was shaping up to be a good day for him, even with the red alert incident earlier, and Leonard was appreciative. They'd have enjoyed their anniversary even if it was a bad day, but good days were always better.
"I'm glad you chose the dress," Chris said, interrupting Leoneard's thoughts. "They both looked good on you."
Leonard blushed and picked up his skirt, swishing it as much as he could from the ground. "Oh, this old thing?"
"I'm serious, Len!" Chris started pulling up the skirt while snaking his down, grabbing a stocking-covered calf. "I should have put you in a dress sooner…."
Leonard snorted, "Yeah, right. I'm too stocky—"
"You're beautiful, Len." Chris slipped his hand under the skirt and quickly made his way to Leonard's inner thigh. "I mean it."
And just as Chris was about to reach Leonard's definitely-not-briefs undergarments, the klaxons went off again and shut down the simulation.
"Oh, fuck me," Chris cursed as he rubbed his temples in protest and denial.
Leonard nudged him with his elbow. "I can do that later, but I think they need you now."
"Unless sickbay needs you, I want you in my guest suite wearing one of the dresses." Chris leaned over and kissed Leonard on the cheek. "I also have some lingerie for you to try."
Leonard's brain fizzled, and his blush took over, but he managed to stammer, "Go be Sexy Captain, and be quick about it.
"I'm an admiral now, Len."
"Same difference."
"I'm going to have words with you about this later," Chris admonished playfully as he pulled himself back into his chair and called for the door.
Leonard stood up, shook out the wrinkles in his dress, and blew him a kiss. "Those words better be 'Sexy Captain reporting for duty.'"
Chris spared him one more glance before shaking his head and heading for the exit. "Get changed and down to sickbay, that's an actual order."
"Yeah, yeah." Leonard jogged forward and kissed Chris on the cheek. "Go get us out of trouble, Admiral. That is an order."