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Auniton IV was one of those Earth-like planets, a Class M, which meant everyone on the ship wanted shore leave. Spock sometimes wished they’d come across more Vulcan-like planets. Maybe those would be less cold. Because whether or not he wanted shore leave, he still had to go down onto the planet to record some data.
He focused on the readings from his tricorder. The dirt on this planet was infused with much more aluminum than was usual. “Fascinating,” he muttered.
“Found you!”
Spock turned around, definitely not jumping. Behind him was Leonard, who was smiling widely with his hands on his hips.
“I was looking for you, Hobgoblin,” he said. “You saying ‘fascinating’ made my hobgoblin-sense a-tingle.”
Spock didn’t even bother to say anything. He just raised an eyebrow.
“Whatever,” Leonard grumped. “Point is, here you are.”
“For what reason were you searching for me, Doctor?” Spock said, turning back to his tricorder.
“No reason, just felt like it.”
“If there is no immediate issue, I would like to be left alone.”
“Fuckin’ pointy eared, cold blooded--”
“If you’re going to insult me--”
“I’m staying.” Spock looked up to study Leonard’s face. He looked serious.
“Alright,” Spock conceded. “But I must work.”
“Great!” said Leonard, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I won’t bother you.”
Spock watched the numbers on his tricorder move and wiggle and paint him a picture of the history of this planet. Perhaps he overused the word, but it truly was fascinating. Worlds unfolded, a story told by data and numbers. Spock could record data for hours.
And then he heard the scream.
“AHHFUCK!”
Several crashing noises came from Spock’s left. He ran to the source of the noise and looked down a ravine to see Leonard at the bottom of it.
“Doctor! Are you injured?” he called, sliding down the steep hill.
“I’m fine, I think,” Leonard groaned. He tried to push himself up. “Ah. Wait. No,” he winced.
Spock tramped down the anxiety and alarm that rose in him as Leonard pushed himself up with his left arm while keeping his right pinned to his side. “To what degree are you injured?”
“Jesus,” he grunted, “would it kill you to say ‘are you okay?’”
“Are you okay?”
They made eye contact.
Leonard broke it off, glancing down at his arm and grimacing. He squeezed his eyes shut. “I think my right radius is fractured.”
Spock flipped open his communicator. “Spock to Enterprise.”
“Aye?” came the voice of Mr. Scott.
“Two to beam up. Doctor McCoy is injured.”
“Ah, see, here’s the issue…”
If Spock were Human he would have sighed. There was always something, wasn’t there? “What ‘issue’, Mr. Scott?”
“Eh, the transporters are… currently non-functional, sir.”
Leonard rolled his eyes aggressively and facepalmed. “Always with the fucking transporters…”
“How long until repairs are complete?” asked Spock, ignoring Leonard.
“At least a few hours, Mr. Spock. But we’ll have her fixed up like she’s never been before! She’s--”
“Alright, Mr. Scott,” Spock said, cutting the engineer off before he went off on an endless, highly illogical tirade about the Enterprise and how much he loved ‘her.’ “Contact us when it is possible to beam us up. Spock out.”
“God, that man…” Leonard laughed. He still had his eyes closed. “I love that ship, but Scotty’s on the same level as Jim with pretending it’s his wife.” He paused and grunted. “If we’re gonna be waiting, my arm needs a splint. Grab some wood--” Leonard stopped short, opening his eyes to see Spock already ripping his shirt to make strips of fabric to tie the tree branch splint with.
“Oh yeah,” said Leonard, shrugging his left shoulder. “I kinda forgot you’re competent.”
“Eloquent as always, Doctor,” said Spock, tying it off. “Do you require assistance in standing up?”
“Um--yeah,” he admitted. He reached out an his left arm and Spock pulled him up by the wrist. “Thanks,” muttered Leonard.
“Of course, Doctor.”
“Let’s get out of this hole.”
They clambered out of the ditch and sat down against one of the large trees nearby.
“Careful, you callous asshole!” Leonard yelled as Spock helped him sit down.
“Apologies, Doctor, did I cause injury?”
“No,” he grumbled, “But you might as well be a rock for how helpful you are.”
“I apologize if I have failed to meet your standard.”
“Ah, see, now you gotta make me feel guilty!”
“I was not intending to–”
“Shut up and wait for the fucking beam up.”
They sat in silence for a bit. Spock didn't really understand what he did wrong.
“Sorry I interrupted your science, Spock,” Leonard said suddenly, quietly.
“It is of no consequence.”
“I know it’s, like, your favorite thing. I just…” Leonard’s voice grew small. “Didn’t want to be alone.”
Spock didn’t know how to respond to that.
He watched Leonard from the corner of his eye, bracing himself for an emotional conversation he was not qualified for. “...Indeed?”
Luckily, Leonard didn’t need much prompting. “I lost a patient earlier. And, and I lose patients all the time, you know, nature of the job and all that… It’s just, he was so, he was so young. And it was preventable. If I’d caught it earlier…” He huffed a sigh. “Illogical, I know.”
“Indeed. Illogical to blame oneself for what is not one’s fault.”
Leonard looked over at him, eyes wide. Spock stared back.
“...Thanks, Spock.”
“Of course, Doctor.”
They sat in silence for a bit.
“I take back what I said earlier,” Leonard said. “You’re way more helpful than a rock.”
“Yes, logic is--”
“Shut up and take the compliment like a normal person you pointy dick.”
Spock silently raised an eyebrow.
“Shut up.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your eyebrows did!”
“Fascinating.”
Leonard scoffed and leaned his head on the tree. “You’re so annoying sometimes. I’m tryna be nice.”
“Nice.”
“You--” He cut himself off, taking a breath. “Sorry. I’m just grumpy cuz tired and in pain.”
Spock refrained from making a comment about Leonard’s excuse for his usual grumpy behavior. It was true--a fractured radius could be very painful. For a Human.
Spock could see the pain in Leonard’s face, in the lines around his eyes, in his pursed lips. In the way he was taking slow, deep breaths and the way his left fist was clenched.
His communicator chirped by his side. “Don’t answer it,” groaned Leonard. “It’s probably Scotty calling to tell you the warp core exploded or something and now we have to live down here.”
Spock ignored Leonard and flipped open the communicator. “Spock here.”
“She’s all fixed up, Mr. Spock! We can beam ya up now if you’d like.”
“That would be agreeable, yes,” Spock said, glancing over at Leonard, who had closed his eyes again, taking deep breaths. “Ready, Doctor?”
“Yep,” he said shortly. “Been ready.”
“Beam us up, Mr. Scott.”
“Energizing.”
As Auniton IV faded from Spock’s vision, he thought he heard a voice say “Thank you, Spock.”