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Normally, Leonard was at least marginally respectful of Spock’s space. The whole touch telepathy thing and all. This time however, he hadn’t be able to help himself. The moment the doors had slide open and Spock came into view, he had felt nothing but happiness and an extreme need to get Spock as close to him as possible.
The hug was part apology, part relief, and part pure joy. It was also a lot less awkward than the hug he had previously shared with Scotty, though he assumed that had something to do with the fact that Spock had seen him far more...naked in the past.
At least, that was what Leonard had thought until Spock started to squirm in his arms. Maybe he should have asked permission for that hug before grabbing the poor Vulcan.
“Sorry.” Pulling back slowly, Leonard put a hand in his hair and smiled weakly “i just…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Leonard found himself being pulled up against Spock’s chest while the Vulcan put a hand in his hair. Both of his stuffies fell to the ground, discarded for the moment while the two men hugged. Spock held him in a tight grasp, almost as if he was afraid to let Leonard go and risk losing him again. Though, Leonard could understand the feeling. He knew that if anything happened to Jim or Spock he’d feel like his entire universe had come crashing down on him, and to have them back in his arms...well, he’d be afraid to ever let go of them again and risk losing them.
“Do not apologize.” Spock whispered, hiding his face in Leonard’s neck “I was not trying to break physical contact.”
“Hug.” Leonard chuckled fondly. He could feel Spock raising an eyebrow against his neck, an indicator of just how close the Vulcan had pulled himself. “You didn’t want to break the hug, Spock.”
“Mmmmm.” Where Spock would usually argue with Leonard over the proper way to express himself in words, he instead buried his nose into the Doctor’s neck and continued to hold onto him. It was almost as if he was afraid that Leonard would evaporate into nothing the moment he disappeared.
Leonard blinked. Where the hell had that thought come from?
It wasn’t until he could feel the fear, love, caution and slight sadness hidden away in the back, that Leonard had realized just how close Spock was to him. He could feel the skin contact between the two of them, and really that should have been a dead give away to prepare himself for whatever emotions Spock was experiencing deep inside of himself, but Leonard had been so focused on the hug that he had completely forgotten about the telepathic link that Spock was creating.
“Whoe…” Leonard screwed his eyes shut and tried to organize his thoughts around the sudden onslaught of emotions. He wasn’t used to Spock experiencing quite this much at one time. Usually it was one or two emotions at a time that made their way into Leonard’s mind, and usually they made him feel fuzzy and loved. Right now, however, all he felt was overwhelmed and a little bit sick. “Spock...i’m going to puke on you…”
He could feel Spock drawing back slowly, his hands placed firmly on Leonard’s arms as he examined the doctor’s face. “I am sorry. I did not intend to overwhelm you.”
Holding up a hand, Leonard smiled weakly and attempted to ground himself. “It’s ok.” he said softly, smiling when the the worries look on Spock’s face started to disappear “it was just a little...much. I just need warning next time.”
“I am not always aware of how much emotion i may share with you when you touch.” Admitted Spock, linking his hands behind his back as if they were standing on the bridge surrounded by people rather than in Jim’s room while Leonard was in his boxers.
“No, we’re not doing that.” Stepping up into Spock’s space once more, Leonard smiled when the Vulcan dropped his hands to his side and met his eyes. “I just woke up to Christine filling her bedroom with scented candles, stopped in the hallway to speak to your father in my boxers, and even hugged Scotty in my boxers. I think i deserve my cute cuddly Vulcan boyfriend and not the Commander of the U.S.S. Enterprise.”
“You act as if i am two different people.” Giving his head a shake, Leonard held out his hands and smiled when Spock nodded. Once Spock had granted him permission, Leonard carefully wrapped his arms around the other man’s waist and pulling him close while he hide his face in Spock’s chest.
“I just mean i don’t want you putting your guard up.” Leonard assured him, closing his eyes when Spock put a hand in his shoulder and allowed his love for Leonard to flow between the two of them. One emotion was definitely a lot easier to handle. “I like it when you’re just...yourself. Without all the professionalism.”
He could feel Spock slowly starting to relax in his arms. A nice reminder that only Leonard ever really got to see Spock without all of the professionalism and carefully thought out control. He loved it.
“I have missed you.” Spock whispered, pressing a tender kiss to the side of Leonard’s head as he spoke.
“Ya, a month seem’s like a long time.” turning his face upwards, Leonard smiled when Spock looked down at him with a raised eyebrow “sorry about that, but i’d do it again.”
“You would willingly die again?” Spock asked, a tint of hurt slipping through his voice.
“If it meant you didn’t die? Hell ya.” Leonard beamed up at him, chuckling when Spock leaned forward to press their foreheads together. “I’d die a thousand times if it meant you got to live Spock. You, Jim, anyone on this ship.”
“I hope that we do not have to see that determination put into action again.” Chuckling, Leonard lifted his head up just enough to catch Spock’s lips in a kiss.
“So do i.” Leonard agreed.
“Spock, you’re being loud.” Glancing over Spock’s shoulder, Leonard watched with amusement as Jim reached over to grab the second pillow on the bed and slapped it over his head.
“I’m sorry Jim.” Leonard could hear the amusement in Spock’s voice. Jim was missing a chance to tackle Leonard to the ground and hug so hard he couldn’t move, and for once he probably wouldn’t get in trouble for it.
“How long has he been asleep?” Leonard lowered his voice so that only Spock could hear him, though his eyes were still glued on the lump in the bed that was his other boyfriend.
“I got him to sleep not long after i returned from putting yo... “ Spock’s eyes narrowed. An expression that Leonard recognized as the Vulcan trying to determine how best to approach the conversation.
“After you put me to bed, ya i get it.” Leonard rolled his eyes “Christine showed me pictures, and i’m sure i’ll see more. Really, i’m a little scared of what i got up to and how long you poor souls had me as a kid.”
“It was an enjoyable experience.” Spock offered, a smile tugging at his lips when Leonard looked at him “though, i do prefer you as an adult.”
“I thought you might.” Leonard smiled. He leaned in to steal another quick kiss before extracting himself from Spock’s arms and letting his hands slide down his arms. A movement he always did so that he could keep their emotional connection as long as possible.
It was only when he felt something metal under his fingers that he turned his eyes downward towards Spock’s hand and smiled. “My ring.”
It took Spock a second to realize what Leonard was talking about, but when he did he reached over and started to take the ring off “I had thought it would be helpful to keep something close that belonged to you when you…” the last word caught in his throat.”
“It’s a good idea.” Leonard said softly “it’s why i had it in the first place. Made me feel like my mom was still with me in some small way.”
Leonard watched as Spock twirled the ring between his fingers for a moment, lost in his own thoughts. He could only imagine what Spock was thinking, and figured a lot of it had to do with the way that he would touch the ring without thinking, or look at it whenever it wasn’t on his hand. Leonard knew it had to be at least part of what Spock was thinking about, since it had come across his mind more than once when he first started wearing the ring after his mom’s death.
He met Spock’s hand half way when the Vulcan started to hold the ring out towards him. “Keep it.” he smiled, watching as Spock tried to process what he had said. “I may be alive, but i want you to keep it. Have something to remind yourself that i’m always going to be here for you. That i’ll always find a way to come back to you.”
A range of emotions crossed over Spock’s face in the next few seconds. Surprise, confusion, understanding, and finally acceptance. A display that not many people got to see, and one that Leonard would always hold dear. He was a lucky bastard.
“Thank you.” Spock whispered, slipping the ring back onto his pinky carefully and letting his thumb run over the stone in the middle.
“Anything for you handsome.” Leonard smiled as he reached up and placed a hand on Spock’s shoulder “beside’s, i’m going to want the shirt back.”
With that said, Leonard made his way around Spock and left the Vulcan to watch as he made his way over to the bed and crawled under the blankets behind Jim.
“Spock…” Jim grumbled when Leonard wrapped an arm around his waist and pressed a tender kiss to the back of his neck. “Spock stop. I’m sleeping.”
Ignoring the Captain’s requests, Leonard continued to kiss the back of Jim’s neck tenderly and played with the edge of his shirt, allowing his fingers to brush against his skin just enough to make Jim squirm.
“Spock…” this time Jim turned around in his spot and buried his face into Leonard’s neck, probably hoping that he could convince the Vulcan to let him sleep in some more. “It’s too early to deal with Admiral Marcus and all of those diplomates. It’s to early…”
“Well, i didn’t say you have to deal with anyone, Darlin.” Jim’s head snapped up, bashing Leonard in the chin and sending the Doctor spiraling onto his ass beside the bed. “Owww….” he reached up to cup his chin and winced when Jim glanced over the edge of the bed with wide eyes. “You didn’t need to assault me like that.”
“You...you’re...i…” Jim whipped his head around to glare at Spock “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“That would involve a desire on your part to, how does Leonard put it? ‘Get your ass out of bed’?” Rubbing his hand against his chin, Leonard listened to the other two men arguing. It was amusing to say the least, listening to the way they bickered.
“How did you two survive without me?” Both of them turned to look at him with wide eyes. “I just mean...Jim needs someone to wake him up every morning but Spock you’re not exactly...rough enough to do the job.”
“Ya Spock, you’re not rough enough.” Leonard watched as Jim glanced back at Spock with a shin eating grin on his face. The man was going to be the death of him, and he wouldn’t have it any other way damn it.
“Dear god.” Slapping a hand over his eyes, Leonard allowed himself to fall back against the floor. Why was he in love with such a dork?
Something fell onto the floor beside him, making a soft ‘thump’ sound on his left side. Leonard lifted his hand off of his eyes just enough to see the pillow that had joined him on the floor, frowning when Jim tossed down the other one so that it fell on top of his face.
“Jim, what in the world are you doing?” He pulled the pillow off of his face and glared up at the other man, raising an eyebrow when he saw Jim crawling off the edge of the bed and laying down on the floor beside him.
“Cuddles don’t count when i think you’re my best friend.” Jim supplied as an explanation, making himself comfortable on the floor and wrapping an arm around Leonard’s waist. Jim’s fingers grazed over the tender skin of Leonard’s stomach, causing the doctor to squirm and bury his face in the pillow to muffle his laughter. “Awwww, there’s my cute boyfriend. I missed him.”
Removing the pillow from his face, Leonard glanced over at Jim and smiled fondly as he watched as the other man nudged his nose against Leonard’s shoulder. It was adorable. Jim had always been a cuddler, especially if it meant he didn’t have to get out of bed, but it was different this time. Usually he’d spend his time kiss Leonard’s arm, whispering sweet words to the doctor, and trying to convince him that it was a good idea to forgo their jobs for the time being and stay in bed together for just a little longer.
This time, however, Jim was just look at him. His eyes were glued on Leonard, examining every inch of his body while his fingers drummed against his side. It was almost as if Jim couldn’t believe he was actually back.
“Cute, cuddly and here to stay.” Leonard smiled, his eyes crinkling at the side. Jim seemed to love the sight, because the next thing Leonard knew there was a hand cupping his cheek and Jim had moved so that his head was hovering over top of Leonard’s.
“I missed those…” a finger ran over the skin just under Leonard’s eyes for emphasis. “Those gorgeous hazel eyes. I love the way they sparkle when you laugh, or the way they go a bit darker when you get upset. They’re amazing.”
Grabbing the top of his hoodie, Leonard attempted to pull it over his nose to hide the blush that was starting to take over his face. Unfortunately, it seemed like Jim had other plans. His hand met Leonard’s half way and prevented the Doctor from covering his face while Jim leaned down and pressed a kiss against his nose.
“Everything about you is cute.” Jim added, a dopy smile plastered on his face while he watched Leonard squirm under him. “Also, Spock is no where near as cuddly as you.”
“Spock is extremely cuddly.” Leonard protested, his eyes scanning over the room and locking in on Spock. The Vulcan had moved from his spot beside the door to the edge of the bed so that he could see Jim and Leonard. “See, he even comes with stuffy.” holding a hand up, Leonard pointed at the two stuffies that Spock had gathered from the floor and tucked under his arm “how can he not be cuddly when he comes with stuffies?”
“No, Spock is cuddly with you.” Jim countered “You’re his boyfriend and he takes the stuff seriously. He only cuddles with you. He shoves me to the side of the bed and tries to take all of the blankets from me.” glancing back over his shoulder, Jim stuck his tongue out at Spock and laughed when the Vulcan glared at him in response“Oh, and those stuffies are yours.”
Rather than continuing the conversation, Leonard leaned forward and stole a kiss from Jim. he tried to make it short, a taste of what would come later, but Jim seemed to be adverse to that idea this time around. Instead, he moved his hand to the back of Leonard’s head and held him there so that he could enjoy the kiss a bit longer. Unlike Spock, Jim’s kisses didn’t come with the extra bonus of their emotions being shared through a telepathic bond. However, Leonard could still feel all of the love that Jim felt for him, the worry that came with the thought that Leonard may disappear at any moment, and the urgency to make sure Leonard knew just how much he was missed.
They pulled apart slowly, letting the kiss linger between them for as long as possible until Leonard needed to lay his head back down on the ground so he didn’t strain his neck.
“What time do you two have to get to your shift?” Leonard asked, a little breathless from his kiss with Jim.
It was Spock who answered, naturally. “We are due on the bridge in one hour. I was hoping to get Jim to the mess hall. As you have always worried about his eating habits.”
“Spock, for him to have eating habits he actually has to remember to eat once in awhile.” Leonard contended, chuckling when Jim face planted in his chest and groaned. “But, an hour does mean we have time.”
“Time?” Spock raised an eyebrow “time for what, exactly?”
Rather than replying with words, Leonard simply held out his hand towards Spock and waited. It took the Vulcan a second to realize what exactly Leonard wanted, but once he had he carefully set the two stuffies on the bed and made his way to Leonard’s side and took his hand.
With Spock’s hand in his, Leonard tugged the other man down slowly and grumbled when Spock tried to resist. “Ten minutes.” He begged, meeting Spock’s eyes and smiling softly “please?.”
Drawing in a deep breath, Spock allowed himself to relax and followed Leonard’s pull until he was laying down beside him. It took him a moment to get comfortable, and to steal the pillow from Leonard’s other side that Jim had forgotten about in favour of laying his head on Leonard’s chest. Once he was comfortable, however, he carefully placed a hand around Leonard’s waist just under Jim’s and pulled himself close.
“See, that’s better.” Leonard smiled triumphantly. “I’m alive, an adult, and i have the two most amazing men in the universe cuddling up to me. Life couldn’t be better.”
“Spock, i think he forgot something.” Jim lifted his head off of Leonard’s shoulder just enough so that he could look over at Spock.
“I am inclined to agree with you Captain.” Raising an eyebrow, Leonard looked between the two of them and frowned. “Leonard, you said ‘two most amazing men in the universe’.”
“Well ya.” Leonard beamed “i got James T. Kirk. Universe's most reckless asshole but prize winning cuddler.” Jim buried his face into Leonard’s chest once more in a poor attempt to hide his embarrassment “and Spock, the universe's more sarcastic little shit who can take you down with one Vulcan Nerve pinch, but also makes a great pillow when i’m sleepy.”
“But you have forgotten something, Leonard.” Raising an eyebrow again, Leonard waited for Spock to fill him in “You have forgotten to mention ‘Leonard McCoy. The grumpiest Chief Medical officer in the universe and the kindest and most embarrassing boyfriend that we could ask for.”
“A boyfriend who’s not allowed to die.” Jim added “ever.”
Laughing, Leonard slide his right arm around Spock’s shoulder and pulled him close. “So, how did you two do without me?” he asked softly, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of Jim’s head. He knew Jim had probably taken his death the hardest. He had always been an emotional mess when he lost someone “did you take care of each other?”
“It was more like Spock took care of me.” Jim answered, tilting his head to the side so that he could look at his best friend. “He gave me time to process everything and watched out for me.”
“Well,” running his fingers through Spock’s hair, Leonard watched as the Vulcan allowed his eyes to slide shut and tilted his head back into the touch “I’m glad to hear it. I don’t ever want my two favorite people left alone.”
“It is not the same, unfortunately.” Spock pointed out.
“What do you mean by that? You two are best friends.” Leonard frowned, his fingers playing with the edges of Spock’s hair.
Jim lifted his head off of Leonard’s chest and looked down at him “Ya, we’re best friends. That’s about it.” He said softly, leaning down to press his nose against Leonard’s. An action that Jim had always been fond of when it came to showing his affection for Leonard. “I mean, we’ve shared a bed together before but it has always been with you. Alone it’s kind of...weird.”
“What, there’s no one in the middle for you to kick at?” Leonard chuckled fondly “or does Spock not snore as much?”
Rubbing their noses together, Jim closed his eyes and smiled fondly “there’s no one to put up with it.” he corrected “Spock and i aren't made for each other. Not the way we’re made to fit with you. We’re great friends but…”
“Our relationship works because of you.” Spock supplied, his fingers twisting into the fabric of Leonard’s hoodie. “Without you, it is simply a friendship.”
Leonard chuckled at the sound of that “Well, it is one hell of a friendship. Two recklass ass holes egging each other one and trying to one up the other person in what stupid thing they can do this time. Not sure which one of you is going to give me a heart attack first, but i’m sure it’s part of your ultimate plan.”
“Of course it is.” Jim smiled triumphantly “which is exactly why you’re not allowed to die via phaser blast or any other means. It’s no fun if it’s not one of us that kills you.”
A sense of amusement ran through Leonard. Something that he only noticed when Spock’s fingers started to twitch against his skin. Apparently the Vulcan had decided to try and subdue his emotions even when the two of them were connected telepathically. It was probably best. Leonard still felt a little ill from the first onslaught of emotions when Spock had hugged him earlier.
Laying his head back against the floor, Leonard smiled warmly and pulled both men closer. “In that case, i’ll do my best not to die again.” he promised playfully, laughing when Jim and Spock poked him in the side simultaneously and used their bodies to prevent him from squirming out of their reach.
It was nice, being back. Although it hadn’t felt like he was gone at all, Leonard had felt oddly empty when he had woken up earlier. As if he hadn’t been cuddled or kissed in forever. It had been a horrible feeling, but now he had his two favorite people in his arms and he had no intentions of letting them go until he absolutely had to.
“By the way…” he frowned, glancing over at Jim when he realized the implications of his death “who took my quarters?”
“Joseph…” Jim whispered, hiding his face back into Leonard’s chest as if he was waiting for the doctor to blow up at him. “He was your replacement if anything happened, and now i’m going to have to get him to move out and he’s going to have to go back to being second in command of medical and…”
“And you are doing absolutely none of that.” Leonard interrupted, smiling when Jim looked up at him in shock. “I have two gorgeous boyfriends who i can switch rooms between. At least, until you two decide to start sharing a bed with each other. Then we’ll have one room.”
Spock and Jim met eyes, sharing a confused look for a moment before turning their attention back to Leonard. “That will probably only happen if you sleep between us.” Jim pointed out “At least then there will be one person between me and Snorey McMonster.”
“You will also be able to absorb the Captain’s constant kicking more efficiently than i would.” Spock added, an eyebrow raising when Leonard glared over at him.
“Ok, in that case…” Leonard closed his eyes and sighed “i’m never letting you two into the same bed and you’ll have to fight over who gets to sleep with me every night.”
Jim seemed to perk up at the sound of that. At least, that’s the only way Leonard could explain the sudden jab of fingers in his side while Jim sat up on his waist. “Are you telling me we’re going to have to compete for your attention?”
He could practically hear Spock groaning beside him. “Captain i do not think…”
“Oh, that is absolutely what i meant.” Leonard interrupted, smirking when he cracked an eye open to see Spock glaring at him “no playing dirty though. Playing dirty ends with me sleeping in the other person’s bed, and if you both play dirty i’ll do what you hate more than anything in the world.”
“You wouldn’t.” Jim glared down at him.
“It is Leonard, so i believe he would.” Spock responded with a sigh.
“Damn right i will.” Leonard smirked triumphantly, laughing when Jim fell forward and hide his face in Leonard’s neck. “I expect you two to play fair. The couch in my office isn’t even that comfy so i don’t want to sleep there often.”
Jim nuzzled his nose against Leonard’s neck playfully, laughing when Spock placed a hand on his back to support him through his laughter. “Alright, we’ll play nice.” Jim proclaimed, turning his head so that he could smile over at Spock “but i warn you, nice doesn’t mean i’m going to let you win all the time.”
“I look forward to the competition, Captain.” Spock agreed.
Propping himself up on his elbows, Leonard looked between his boyfriend and smiled playfully “good. Now that that’s settled, we should get breakfast.” He declared “i need to find Joseph and make sure he’s up to sharing the status of CMO.”
“You…” Jim glanced over at him with wide eyes “share?”
“Ya, why not.” Leonard shrugged his shoulders “He’s just as talented as me, has more skill with Vulcan anatomy which is useful given who our pretty first officer is.” Leonard winked at Spock playfully, chuckling when the Vulcan looked down at the floor and attempted to keep himself from blushing “and unlike me he usually likes big gatherings, so he’d be perfect for diplomatic meetings.”
“And you’ll take the paperwork?” Spock asked with a raised eyebrow.
Leonard gave his shoulders a shrug “i like it just a little bit more than he does.” he pointed out, laughing when Jim nudged him in the chin with his nose. “Beside’s, two CMO’s would be awesome. One will always be on board and we all know we make an awesome team.”
“You two plus Christine does give us the best medical team in starfleet.” Agreed Jim.
Nodding his head, Leonard nudged Jim in the leg “We have to get to breakfast first.” he smiled softly “Don’t want you forgetting what food is. It makes me look like a bad Doctor when my patients forget how to eat.”
Jim rolled his eyes “Yes, Doctor McCoy. We wouldn’t want you to look bad in front of Admiral Marcus and all of the dignitaries who heard you yell about how much you didn’t like him.”
Leonard could feel the colour draining out of his face. Turning his eyes towards Spock, he looked for any hint in the other man’s eyes that Jim was lying to him. Pulling his leg and trying to get a rise out of him. Unfortunately, all he saw was amusement.
Admiral Marcus was going to murder him.