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#and kirk getting the enterprise ofc
lenievi · 10 months
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you know, I expected La'an to pull out his file to check on Kirk (since we know she did read his personnel file before) but her actually calling him and making him aware of her own existence, feels a lot stronger, but also it might be hinting at a possible future development (let me dream okay lol)
looking at just his photo would feel kind of final, but her talking to him just doesn't. It opens possibilities because Kirk now knows her.
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spinach-pine · 1 year
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when you get in trouble and your parents have to discipline you.
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uhh comic idea about the enterprise doing time travel shenanigans where kirk and chekov want to witness the space race, and they of course know about laika and make plans to intercept her, which they do successfully and they bring her back with them and she becomes the official enterprise dog (she takes to kirk immediately ofc and sits by his feet until he gets her her own chair, spock is initially wary but becomes very attached to her, chekov speaks russian to her and is the only one who can teach her tricks, she follows bones around whenever he's on the bridge, etc)
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hawkp · 7 months
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I can't guarantee anything. But I might write a Kirk Bros fic because of you. Any ideas on what kind of thing would be the most fun and/or heartbreaking with that? (Again, no guarantees. I'm kinda flighty sometimes.) You've made me think more about them than normal, so if you need to yell about them, I may yell with you. (Sorry if this is too random, or annoying, or anything.😅)
So sorry but this answer might not make much sense. I have the stomach flu and just woke up from fourteen hours of sleep because I broke my fever. This is how I feel rn.
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So if it doesn’t make sense please ask or message me for clarification. Everything below is just word vomit at this point.
ANYWAYS
NO NOT RANDOM I LOVE PPL YELLING even if it’s something I don’t know about. I just love when people are passionate about stuff.
I have like 30 WIPS sitting in my google drive so I totally understand you. I also started a Kirk Bros fic. It’s just a lengthy outline right now that starts right at the end of 2x10 and would end after the four Enterprise crew members are back on the ship and recovering (because everyone is going to be messed up as hell, especially La’an and I’m sure that someone will be dead in the show).
But these are some things I’ve thought about including in my WIP! Please feel free to run with them. Seriously, take them from me!
Disclaimer, in my fic I’m retconning Sam’s wife and kids from TOS because I haven’t found the SNW mention of her, which is apparently there somewhere, but I didn’t want to have to include the daddy dynamic of Sam’s character into it lol.
So first off, Pike doesn’t end up deciding if they’re pulling out, Una does. They only pull out far enough to not be in immediate danger, which is still against Starfleet orders, so they’d be breaking some regulation already and be in a wacky sort of limbo.
Then, how difficult it would be for Pike to tell Jim. I feel like he’d save him for last after contacting everyone else’s families… which I now realize those four have very little of. Jim would just know that something is wrong off the bat just from Pike’s face. He might even jump to the conclusion that Sam is dead and then the reality of his situation when Pike tells him ends up being so much worse. From there, Jim is dead set on joining them for a rescue mission, even if he has to break some regulations himself. Also at this point Christopher is a freaking mess ofc.
My biggest issue with writing the Gorn right now though is figuring out how to not have them immediately kill or do the dermal impregnation thing that’s going on with Batel, to the four of them and the settlers from the planet. I’m toying with the idea that the Gorn have been possessed by another entity. There’s an episode of Enterprise where some crew members contract a “silicone based virus” that was a whole separate species and I was thinking about trying to emulating that somehow.
I have a lot in my brain that happens between the exposition and the rescue but of course my whumpy ass had Sam being in the worst shape out of the group when they get back to the Enterprise. I think if I did go the infected Gorn route then the “virus species” will have been experimenting on Sam and he might be totally catatonic by that point and from there it would be blah, blah, blah recovery blah, blah. <- my brain literally cannot form a better sentence to communicate this rn
The actual first scene I wrote for the fic was Sam telling Jim about how picturing their childhood got him through everything that happened and specifically telling him the story about the first time he held him as a baby. Idk what kind of crack I was on that night but he ends it by telling him that he knew it was his job to take care of him as soon as he set his eyes on him. Did I write that because I’m the oldest sibling? What? No.
So anyways… yeah I have a lot of thoughts on this. And if you’d like to write something together I’m down for that too!
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particlewaveform · 10 months
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hello, I've seen you Star Trek posting a lot and I've gotten curious.
Hypothetically speaking someone wants to watch it where does one start?? What do you suggest?
o hi there!!! so technically you can start whenever you want - some series reference previous series a bit more than others but if youre sticking with 80s-2000s trek it doesnt make a big difference (new trek such as discovery, strange new worlds, lower decks..... its a whole other ball game you really need context)
so now its rly all about the vibes you want!!
2009 movies: a LOT of new trek enjoyers got into the series through these ones - theres only 3 movies and their pacing is p much like most modern media so theyre easy to consume. more actiony than the rest of star trek. they are gonna have people like kirk and spock and bones etc
ToS (the original series): the OG! what started it all! this is the technical START of the series but its got really slow pacing so it might be harder to get through. this is THEE epitomy of submarine warfare but we love it. makes up for it by silly 60s shoestring budget, sass, COLOUR, and the most iconic charas in star trek (kirk, spock, bones, uhura, scotty - its a great time!)
TNG (the next generation): another really good place to start the series (this was my start as a kiddo) essentially this is the trek most people think of and sets the vibe. good pacing, consistent story, more modern graphics, and provides most of the worldbuilding for the whole series. the vibe here is mostly diplomacy > action but dw we still got silly scifi happenings. this will have picard, riker, worf, data, etc
ds9 (deep space 9): tumblr's darling child. the MOST gay and chaotic out of any of the treks - its insane how good (and bad) it can get. this has some carryover from tng but doesnt effect the story at large. a drawback for most people is its based on one spacestation so theres little to no exploring which is the bread and butter of star trek - it makes up for it by delving deeply into the alien races that live nearby instead of having them The Alien of the Week and never talking about it again. big themes of Imperialism/resistance/spirituality which is just Chefs Kiss. has characters like sisko, julien, garak, dax, kira, obrien, quark/odo, worf again
Voy (voyager): ever wonder what these ships are like in a crisis situation? ever think "wow star treks idealism would be hard to hold up without support and safety?" WELCOME TO STAR TREK: SURVIVOR. ship gets stranded hundreds of years from home and has to make the long journey back with little resources, allies, and a stedily degrading ship and crew. VOY weirdly has a bad rep but its v good and i just chalk that up to weird nerd sexism about the first female captain (Janeway my beloved). ofc it has its ups and downs like EVERY star trek series. crew becomes very much like a found family and theres tons of exploring since everything is new and exciting! has people like Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, Seven of Nine
ENT (enterprise): we've had a LOT of starships called Enterprise but this is the first! this predates the federation which is the defining theme of star trek in general. it heavily leans into a low tech astronaut feeling instead of scifi science magic. got canceled when it was just getting good and i really think its worth a watch. has people like Archer, T'pol, hoshi, Shran
TLDR
tos: Classique 60s hijinks
tng: diplomats in space but cool
ds9: chaotic gays in space
voy: oh god everything wants to eat us
ent: ASTRONAUTS SPACE IS COOL!!!!!
star trek itself is really a love letter to life, humanity, and the possibilities of space - i grew up watching it and its really been one of the most impactful medias of my life. if you do try it i hope you enjoy it and have fun!
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gerardspuppy · 1 year
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the crew of the enterprise in tos ranked by how good they are at karaoke 👍
1. Uhura. soloes everyone. like that one person who always sings happy birthday way too good, but no one can be annoyed at her for it because she's too sweet and the songs she picks are always great. a lot of Sinatra style stuff.
2. Spock, technically, although he chooses not to participate in karaoke. if he did, however, he would have a pretty decent voice. not as good as uhura, but good.
3. Scotty. his voice is not great, and he sings almost exclusively Scottish folk music, but it's really not as bad as it sounds. bearable, and always a fun time if nothing else. sometimes he pulls out the bagpipes as well.
4. bones. his voice is, in the technical aspect, better than scotty's, but he loses points for a lack of enthusiasm. unless you get more than the safe amount of drinks in him, he's going to refuse to grab that mic. he likes country music and disco, ofc, and can play guitar, although this is a rarely showcased skill.
5. Sulu. he's got a pretty average voice. just what you'd expect from going to karaoke night at a bar. bad, but in a fun way, and he does get quite into it. he likes early 2000s pop music, and together with janice rand is the reason that the entire crew knows all the lyrics to toxic.
6. Kirk. his voice is terrible, but he's always so enthusiastic about it that it pretty much makes up for it. he likes 80s disco, especially the love songs. the top gun soundtrack is a common choice.
7. Chekov is really into 2020s Russian rap. his voice is actually decent, but he is now only allowed to sing if it's someone else choosing the song. he thinks that that's reasonable, as these people are not russian and thus cannot be expected to have good taste.
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turtshell · 6 months
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8, 9, 23!! :) ~raphaelesbian
(!!! sorry for the late reply i was working fml tysm for the ask @raphaelesbian )
8. answered!
9. If you could change one thing about TMNT, what would it be?
ooooh that's a tough question, they're all such different series.
i guess i'd like to see the turtles actually growing up in an iteration - like, 03 has 7 seasons, i would've liked if by the ninja tribunal arc they were 20 rather than still being kids. i know they're the teenage mutant ninja turtles but it woulda been cool to watch them mature into the 20-something mutant ninja turtles
23. If you could have a tmnt crossover with ANY other series, which would it be?
oh man the possibilities are endless here.
i just typed out a full three paragraphs of tmnt 03 + star trek tos excitement and it didn't save the changes to the draft okokok
but - i would love to see a crossover with the 2003 boys and star trek: the original series. could you imagine the shenanigans mikey would pull to try get a rise out of mr spock?
and paralleling 2012 leo and captain ryan, 03 leo looking up to captain kirk and trying to take in his diplomatic approaches to conflict and following him around the enterprise? also hes gay so. gay little crush on captain kirk
raph hanging out with sulu and chekov! don on the bridge with uhura! both of them fascinated by scotty's work and how the engineering of a star ship works and how to pilot it and ofc scotty and chekov debating the merits of scottish vs russian alcohol with these two 'impartial' terrapins
the boys on away missions! deep space! they've already been to space but this is the future and space and they're (mostly) from the same planet and oooough i'm getting excited again
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noitsbecky127 · 2 years
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rebecca watches tos: journey to babel
ok ik which episode this is, it’s the one where spock’s parents are on the enterprise
I love how the episode description says Amanda is a Vulcan
I’ve never seen so many redshirts in one place
why is bones having so much trouble with the vulcan salute, it’s not exactly complicated
jim really just introduced spock to his own dad huh
and I love how neither of them even objected to this, they were both just like “Yes We Have Never Met >:|”
“ambassador sarek and his wife are my parents” *DRAMATIC MUSIC*
did spock just decide it was logical to not mention that the people being transported raised him
this situation is peak comedy my god
“you still haven’t learned to smile” yeah I don’t think your son does that (unless his bf is unexpectedly alive ofc)
jeez we know where spock got the bitchiness from
eighteen years??? bc spock joined starfleet?????? seems like an emotional reaction
I understand that in theory Starfleet uses force as only a last resort but also a redshirt dies in every episode so like
damn there’s a lot of different species aboard rn
why do vulcans know numbers so precisely, is that just a universal vulcan trait
wtf is that pig thing
a tellarite
bones immediately goes to asking for embarrassing stories of spock. love him
I fully support baby Spock and his giant dangerous teddy bear
wtf is that up ahead
“he is a vulcan” “he’s also human” are neither of you going to ask him what he thinks about this subject
so is the two-fingers thing a vulcan display of affection? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen people say it is
they keep encountering people going at warp 10+ but that’s Not A Thing
tellarites look so fucking weird my god
listen dude sarek is Not going to answer you and continually asking him isn’t logical
oh nvm he answered
christ these people want nothing more than to murder each other don’t they
damn rip tellarite
put your shirt back on jimothy
I love how Spock is just like “yeah it would probably have been a vulcan, yeah my father could easily have done it”
Why do people keep calling Amanda “Mrs. Sarek,” isn’t Sarek his personal name
is sarek having a heart attack rn
spock is very chill about dad having a heart attack
ok so someone is dead, someone else is maybe dying, and someone on the ship is communicating with a strange vessel. things are not going well huh
“there was nothing you could have done” yeah well she’s your wife, she still deserves to know!
ok idk how they plan to get enough blood for sarek
“I would estimate the odds—” “please don’t” amanda is a mood
spock taking this drug seems illogical but it seems like a vulcan can do any level of mental gymnastics to make anything logical
and meanwhile, jim’s being stabbed by an andorian in the galaxy’s most badly choreographed fight scene
and down he goes
damn spock changed his mind real fast
what is that accent the andorian has
spock. spock please. spock your dad is dying
baby spock got bullied :(
man this scene hurts
why doesn’t the door open when spock stands near it, does it know when someone wants to leave and when they’re being angsty
man this is what we gotta do to get spock to save dad huh
spock stop thinking about science things in the middle of your dad’s lifesaving surgery
there goes the antenna
honestly I’m not even interested in the A-plot so much as I am in the Vulcan family drama
this cannot be a good environment to perform surgery in
oh great now they don’t have power
ohhh it was a fake antenna, I just thought the effects were bad
alright, the enemy I didn’t really care about is down
kirk was like “let’s see if they want to surrender” and then they just go boom
and there goes the fake andorian
everyone on the enterprise is so difficult (except uhura) I love them
“I’m sick to death of logic” ma’am you married a vulcan
bones is definitely enjoying having the power here lmao
great episode!
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440mxs-wife · 3 years
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New Recruit - Part 1
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Pairing: Leonard “Bones” McCoy x Lt. Maggie Parker (OFC). Other Characters: Cmdr Spock, Lt. Nyota Uhura, Lt. Ruthie Warner (OFC), Ensign Miranda Nelson (OFC)
Word Count: 4040+
Warnings: None
A/N: This is my first attempt at a fic outside of the Supernatural fandom. I have @spacedancer1701​ to thank for that little nudge. :) This particular offering got away from me a bit, so I split it in two. Enjoy, and happy reading!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lieutenant Margaret Parker scanned the crowd as she waited for her turn to report to her assignment. She was one of six new recruits scheduled to board the shuttle that would take her to her next duty station as science officer aboard the USS Enterprise. The lieutenant grinned to herself, barely able to contain her excitement. The flagship of the Fleet. I can't believe this is happening, she thought.
The lieutenant then looked at her watch and frowned. She didn't want to board the shuttle without saying last goodbyes, but she could not be late. She wished that her parents could be here to send her off, but they've been gone for six years now. Her brothers had their families, so they couldn't make it either, due to work and school. This meant no immediate family to say goodbye before she left for her five-year mission.
However, there was one person she really wanted to make sure and say good bye to. Her roommate, best friend and almost-sister, Ruthie Warner. It was Ruthie who had supported her during her Academy years, helped with her studies and made sure she had some fun as well.
The two of them were well-known for their tag-team method of fleecing new recruits at Rocky's Bar by hustling games of 8-ball. Every year, the bar held an 8-ball tournament. Every year for the past four it had come down to Ruthie versus Maggie, as she was called by friends and family. Some of the time Ruthie won, and sometimes Maggie won, but they were always #1 and #2.
"I'm here! I'm here! Don't leave yet!" she heard as Ruthie came running towards her. The two women wrapped each other in a fierce hug, tears threatening for both of them. "You take care of yourself, you hear me, Lieutenant Maggie Parker, Science Officer for the USS Enterprise?" Ruthie whispered hoarsely.
"I will, I promise. You do the same, Lieutenant Ruthie Warner, Head Nurse of the USS Pegasus," Maggie chuckled dryly. "Love, you Sis," Maggie whispered.
"Love you too, Sis. Now get going," Ruthie ordered as she playfully pushed Maggie towards the shuttle's passenger loading area.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The energy waves of the transporter beams faded away, leaving Lt. Parker standing firmly on the pad. Waiting to greet her and the other recruits were Captain James T Kirk, First Officer, Cmdr. Spock and Chief Engineer, Montgomery Scott.
Maggie stepped down from the transporter pad and handed the captain a PADD with a copy of her orders and all of her information. "Lt. Margaret Parker, reporting for duty, Sir," she announced.
"Welcome aboard, Lieutenant. At ease, please," Capt. Kirk replied, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. She waited while he accessed a copy of her orders on the PADD in his hand.
"All righty, Lt. Parker, you are cleared to report to Dr. McCoy in the MedBay for your incoming physical. After that, someone will show you to your quarters," Kirk explained. "Good to have you aboard, Lieutenant." With a smile and a wink, the captain left the transporter room.
"Please follow me, Lt. Parker and I will show you where the MedBay is," said Commander Spock.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The doors to the MedBay slid open, and Cmdr. Spock strode over to a strikingly handsome dark-haired man with sharp, hazel eyes. "Dr. McCoy, this is Lt. Margaret Parker, here for her initial physical examination. Lieutenant, when you are finished, I will have someone escort you to your quarters. Excuse me," Spock turned and left the MedBay.
"Well, Lt. Margaret Parker, welcome to the Enterprise," remarked Dr. McCoy. "Hop up here on the biobed and we'll get this started," he ordered.
"Maggie," she said as she maneuvered herself up onto the biobed.
"Beg pardon?" Dr. McCoy asked.
"Maggie. Short for Margaret, in case you were wondering. It's a family name," Maggie explained.
"Oh. Well, Maggie, let's get this show on the road. I've got a mountain of paperwork to sift through," McCoy grumbled.
"Yes, sir," Maggie said softly as Dr. McCoy gave her an initial scan with his tricorder.
Dr. McCoy was about to give Lt. Parker her final assessment when two members of the engineering team walked in. One of them was holding her head, and looked almost ready to pass out. It took both her co-worker and Dr. McCoy to help her up to sit on the edge of the biobed.
"I'll be right back over, Lt. Parker, so just sit tight," Dr. McCoy called over his shoulder. Turning his attention back to his new patient, he began his examination. After a few minutes, he left the area to get what he needed to treat the young engineer.
While Maggie waited for Dr. McCoy to come back, she looked all around the MedBay to acquaint herself with her surroundings. Her attention landed on the engineer brought in about ten or fifteen minutes ago by her co-worker, who had already returned to duty.
The young lady was swaying a bit from side to side, holding her head. Suddenly, she leaned over too far and was about to fall off the edge. Maggie jumped up and rushed over to the engineer to catch her before she could cause further injury to herself.
"Whoa, easy there, I've got you. Let's get you set back up on here. So what happened that brings you down here?" Maggie asked. She had a suspicion that since the girl had a head injury, it could possibly be a concussion.
"I was down in Engineering, repairing a machine when something exploded and knocked me back," she explained.
"Did you hit your head?" Maggie asked.
"Yes, I did. Can I please lay down? My head really hurts and I'm so tired," she begged.
"No, honey, I need you to stay awake. You might have a concussion, and if you do, going to sleep is not a good idea," Maggie replied. "My name is Lieutenant Margaret Parker, but you can call me Maggie. What's your name?" she asked.
"Um....I'm Ensign Miranda Nelson," she responded.
"Nice to meet you, Ensign Nelson. Or, is it okay if I call you Miranda? Anyway, today's my first day here, and I can already tell it won't be boring around here. So how long have you worked in Engineering, Miranda?" Maggie kept asking Ensign Nelson questions to help keep her oriented and from going to sleep. Every so often, Maggie would interject pieces of information from her life into the conversation.
Dr. McCoy checked the hypospray to make sure it was the right one, and returned to the main patient area. Maggie was now sitting with Miranda, with her arm around the ensign's shoulder. McCoy took a few minutes to observe the situation currently in play with the beautiful lieutenant.
From the moment she stepped into his MedBay, McCoy knew Lt. Parker was different from any other woman he'd met thus far in his life. She had bright, expressive hazel eyes, and he could see a bit of mischief in them. Her hair was a light chestnut brown, curly and was just long enough to brush the top of the collar on her uniform.
Maggie had a gentleness about her, which was obvious to McCoy from his observations of her conversation with Ensign Nelson. She had a soothing voice and refrained from showing frustration with Miranda's repetitive requests to go to sleep. Maggie looked around and when she locked eyes with McCoy, he returned to Ensign Nelson's biobed to step in and take charge of the situation.
"Well, Lieutenant, I hope I haven't been replaced as CMO for this case, now have I?" Dr. McCoy asked.
"No, sir! Not at all! This is Ensign Miranda Nelson, who almost fell off the biobed, but I got to her in time. She's complaining of a headache and really, really wants to go to sleep," Maggie explained.
"So, why shouldn't I give her a painkiller and send her back to her quarters for some rest?" McCoy inquired.
"Because she said she was repairing a machine in Engineering and there was a small explosion. She said it knocked her off of her feet and she hit her head. My concern would be that she may have a concussion, and it is therefore inadvisable to allow her to sleep," Maggie answered.
McCoy nodded and continued to examine Miranda while Maggie shared her hypothesis. "Well, Lieutenant, it turns out that your suspicions were correct, Ensign Nelson does have a concussion," he said. He motioned for Nurse Chapel to step back over to his position and gave her some treatment instructions for the ensign.
Maggie went back over to her biobed and resumed her sitting position while she waited for Dr. McCoy's assessment of her physical condition. "Thank you for your help with Ensign Nelson. Had you not been here, she would've sustained further injuries," he remarked.
"You're welcome, Dr. McCoy," Maggie murmured.
Returning to doctor mode, "Your vital signs look good, vision perfect. In general, you're in tip-top shape, Lieutenant. Except," he ran the tricorder along her limbs to check the joints. "You have a bit of tendon damage in your right wrist and right elbow. Are you a tennis player by chance?" he guessed.
Maggie smiled and shook her head. "Nope, I don't play tennis, Dr. McCoy," she replied.
"Leonard," he added.
"Huh?" she asked.
"My name is Leonard. You're Maggie, I'm Leonard," he explained. "Forget it, never mind," he grumbled. What the hell am I doing?!? he thought. Is this--Am I--FLIRTING?
Before he had a chance to answer the last question he asked himself, Maggie was asking him what he could do to fix it. She had felt some tenderness in those joints, and was hoping for some relief. Besides, it had recently kept her from doing any real damage at the tables against the new recruits. "Doc? Doctor? Dr. McCoy!" Maggie's voice finally broke through his mental fog.
McCoy shook his head as if to clear it. "Sorry, darlin', didn't mean to check out on you there. I'll just go get a hypo for the pain, then we'll get on to fixing that tendon damage," he told her.
A couple of minutes later, he returned with a hypospray and another device in hand. "I must say, Lieutenant, I'm impressed with your diagnostic capabilities," McCoy smiled at her.
"Well, Doctor, it helps to have a sister for a roommate. She's getting ready to serve as Head Nurse aboard the USS Pegasus. Staying up all those late nights helping her study must have stuck in my head after all," Maggie grinned back.
"So you got to room with your sister, that was convenient," McCoy commented.
"Actually, my roommate became my best friend, and we've been through so much together, we're like sisters. Her name is Lieutenant Ruthie Warner," Maggie explained.
"Friendships like that are rare and priceless. Do whatever's necessary to preserve it," McCoy advised.
"I fully plan on doing that, Doctor. I remember when we first met at Rocky's Bar, near the Academy, one night over a rack of 8-ball," Maggie mentioned.
"You shoot pool?" McCoy asked in surprise. Well, damn if that's not sexy. Wait, what? he thought.
Maggie chuckled. "Yes, Doctor, I sure do. 'M pretty good at it if I may say so myself. Anyway, I'm sure that the tendon damage you detected is because I'm right-handed when I play. In fact, the twinges I've been feeling lately have seriously affected my game," she muttered.
"Well, we can't have that, can we? Let's see what we can do to alleviate some of that pain," McCoy said. Maggie tilted her head to the right to give him access to her neck for the hypospray. After administering the painkiller, McCoy gently rubbed the injection site to ease the sting. Then he took the other device and slowly passed it over her wrist then her elbows.
"That should take care of mending those tendons. Now, all you have to do is keep a cue stick out of your hand for about a day or two," McCoy smirked.
Maggie chuckled. "I'm sure I'll have plenty of work to keep me busy to where that won't be a problem," she grinned. She appreciated his calm bedside manner and the feel of his hands on her neck after the hypo injection. When he smiled, there were these adorable little crinkles around his eyes. What am I thinking? she admonished herself. You just got here and you're already making goo-goo eyes at the doctor? Didn't you learn your lesson with Ryan? you chided.
At that moment, a slender, dark-skinned woman with long hair entered the MedBay and strode over to you. "My name is Lt. Nyota Uhura, and I'm the Communications Officer. Cmdr. Spock sent me to escort you to your quarters, if you're ready. That is, if Dr. McCoy is finished with his examination," Uhura remarked.
"Everything checks out, Lt. Uhura, her physical exam is complete. I'll send my final report over to Jim once I'm finished with it," McCoy replied.
Maggie hastily climbed down from the biobed, suddenly anxious to flee the MedBay and its attractive CMO. She began an almost speed-walk to the door when Dr. McCoy called out to her. She turned to face Dr. McCoy. "Yes, Doctor?" she asked.
"Once your tendons are healed, I'm looking forward to splitting a rack of 8-ball with you," McCoy gave her a wink and a smirk.
"Until then, Dr. McCoy," Maggie replied softly, giving him a small smile. She continued her retreat from the MedBay to catch up to Lt.Cmdr Uhura.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"First day, hmm?" Uhura asked.
"Yep, kinda nervous, too," Maggie admitted.
"I understand that, but don't be. This is the best crew I've ever worked with, and I'm sure you'll be a fantastic addition. Seems like you've already made an impression on Dr. McCoy," she remarked slyly.
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Maggie asked.
"Well, he's usually kind of grumpy, and he's not exactly known for socializing much. But he seemed to have warmed up a little, from what I saw," Uhura answered.
"I dunno," Maggie shrugged. "I didn't get the 'grumpy' impression at all. He was fairly sociable towards me, and we had some pleasant conversation. He seems very dedicated to his patients," she affirmed.
By this time, they had reached the door to her quarters. Once inside, Uhura gave Maggie the grand tour. She explained to Maggie how everything worked and where to find everything, in case it was arranged a bit differently than on her last assignment.
"Things are little informal on this ship, more like a big family than anything. It's not unusual for the captain to join us at meals, or for drinks after shift." Uhura laid a hand on Maggie's arm. "If you ever need to talk, please let me know. I'm hoping we can become friends," she remarked.
Maggie smiled warmly at Lt. Uhura. "Thank you, I hope so as well. Really missing my best friend right now, but she has her assignment, and I have mine," she replied with a watery smile. "I just can't believe I'm finally here, on the flagship of the Fleet!" Maggie exclaimed.
Uhura laughed. "I'm sure you've worked very hard to get here, because the Enterprise only lets in the best of the best. Relax, you have made it to the big show, my dear! Try not to work too hard, though," she advised. "Hey, some of us are getting together later for a drink, why don't you join us? It'll give you a chance to meet the rest of the group," Uhuru offered.
"Hmm. Let me think about it, and I'll let you know, if that's okay? I was just going to relax in my quarters for tonight," Maggie answered. "Wait, what time is everyone getting together?"
"I think Spock said to meet in the rec area at 2100 hrs. It'll be great, got to have fun while we have downtime," Uhura replied, then left Maggie's quarters.
I can't believe I'm here, and making friends already, she thought. The captain was relaxed, easygoing, but Maggie was sure he had the utmost respect of the crew. Nyota was quickly becoming a good friend, and Maggie couldn't wait to meet the rest of the group.
Maggie decided one night out wouldn't hurt, but she wanted to take a nap before meeting the rest of the crew. As she stared at the ceiling, she wondered briefly if Dr. McCoy would be joining them this evening. Nah, he said he had a mountain of paperwork to do, so he probably won't be there. Perhaps some other time, Maggie sighed. Her eyelids began to droop, then finally stayed closed as thoughts of a certain CMO danced in her head.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Captain Kirk made his way to the MedBay to speak to his CMO. He had gotten word from Nyota that some of the crew was getting together tonight in the recreation area. He had also heard that Uhura had invited the newest crew member, Lt. Maggie Parker to join them.
"Hey, Christine, is he in?" Kirk asked Head Nurse Christine Chapel.
"Yes, Jim, he's been holed up in his office all afternoon. Try and get him out of there, would you?" she pleaded.
Kirk nodded and smiled at Nurse Chapel and knocked on McCoy's office door. When there was no answer, he let himself in.
"Well, by all means, Jim, come right in," McCoy remarked dryly.
"Thanks, Bones. Hey, I was wondering if you were almost finished here, some of us are going down to the recreation area for a drink," Kirk mentioned.
"I've got a ton of paperwork, Jim. I don't think so," McCoy answered.
Kirk decided to try a different tactic. "Oh, by the way, thank you for sending over the results of Lt. Parker's incoming physical so quickly. Looks like Starfleet sent us a stellar recruit," Kirk remarked.
"Yes, Jim, she's fine," McCoy replied as he leaned back a little in his chair. "Actually, it was a good thing she was in here, or I would've had a situation on my hands," he added.
"Oh, really?" Jim asked.
Dr. McCoy proceeded to tell him of the engineer that came in with the head injury while he was conducting Lt. Parker's physical. "I left the room for a couple of minutes to get something. If Maggie hadn't been there, Ensign Nelson would've fallen off the biobed," McCoy explained.
"Lucky for you 'Maggie' was there," Kirk responded.
McCoy nodded, then explained how Maggie sat with the ensign and was able to detect her concussion. "She said her sister was on assignment as Head Nurse on the USS Pegasus, a Lt. Ruthie Warner," he remarked.
"Wait a minute. Parker and Warner, why do I know those names?" Kirk wondered aloud.
"Well, now how in the hell should I know, Jim?" McCoy retorted. "Anyway, I've got work to do, so if you don't mind," he said as a way to encourage the captain to leave.
"Come on, have a drink with us, Bones. You need to loosen up a bit. Besides, Nyota said she got Maggie to agree to meet us there," Kirk indicated.
McCoy thought for a moment. A chance to spend more time with the lovely lieutenant outside of a work setting could be promising, he thought. "I'll see what I can do, Jim. What time is everyone meeting?" he asked.
"Spock said something about 2100 hrs. Come on, Bones, don't make me give you a direct order," Kirk warned.
"Jim. I said I'd see what I can do, I'm not promising anything. IF I'm there, I may be a little later than 2100 hrs.--"
"Good! I'll tell everyone you're coming. See you there, Bones!" Jim hollered as he left McCoy's office, leaving the good doctor shaking his head as he returned to his work.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Maggie had contacted Uhura to tell her she decided to join them for a drink after all. She was almost finished getting ready when she heard the chimes at her door. "Come in!" she called as she spritzed some perfume on her wrist. During the course of her unpacking, she had found her favorite pale peach sweater and dark gray jeans.
Uhura and Spock stepped inside Maggie's quarters. "Maggie? Where are you, hun?" Uhura asked.
"In here, just finishing up getting ready. Can't seem to get this earring in--ah, there it goes," Maggie said, stepping out of the bathroom and into the main living area. "Good evening, Cmdr. Spock. It's nice to see you again," Maggie remarked.
"Likewise, Lt. Parker," Spock returned.
"Please call me Maggie. So what brings you two by my quarters? I was just getting ready to head out to the rec area," she asked.
"I thought we could go together, show you how to get there and all," Uhura explained.
"Sounds logical, thank you. Oh, will the captain be joining us this evening?" she inquired.
"He's supposed to be, and I believe he mentioned something about it to Dr. McCoy as well," Uhura replied, watching for Maggie's reaction.
"Oh, well, won't that be lovely," Maggie remarked nervously. Uhura looked to Spock and nudged him out the door, with Maggie following.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"And that's the last time I tried to out-drink my sister!" Maggie exclaimed, to a chorus of raucous laughter. "When I woke up, I had the hangover of all hangovers, then had my final Chemistry exam that morning. Fortunately, I passed my exam. Then I went back to my dorm room, took two painkillers and passed out!" she finished to more laughter.
"Now, you said your sister is Lt. Ruthie Warner?" asked the captain.
"Yes, sir. She's the new Head Nurse of the USS Pegasus. She and I met at the Academy and hung out a lot at Rocky's Bar, playing 8-ball," Maggie explained.
"Parker and Warner....THAT'S where I remember your names from!" Kirk exclaimed. "You and your sister always ended up taking the top two spots in Rocky's annual tournament. Four years running, if I remember correctly," he finished.
"That's us, Captain," Maggie grinned. "Alas, now that I'm here, Rocky's torch must pass to someone else. I just play for fun now, except I'm under strict orders from Dr. McCoy NOT to have a cue stick in my hand for the next day or so."
"Good evening, all, is this seat taken?" Dr. McCoy gestured to the empty seat. He was wearing dark wash jeans with cowboy boots, a burgundy-colored button-down shirt and a thin black leather jacket. He greeted Spock, Uhura and the rest, then placed his drink on the table and claimed the barstool next to Maggie for himself.
"Speak of the devil, Bones! Glad you could make it tonight, pull up a seat," Kirk greeted the doctor boisterously.
"Don't mind if I do, Jim, thank you. Lieutenant, lovely to see you again. How are you enjoying your first day on board the Enterprise?" McCoy asked.
"It's like a dream come true for me. I've always heard that the Enterprise crew is the best of the best, and it's long been my goal to earn my place here. I've already met so many wonderful people like yourselves, and I'm looking forward to becoming friends with all of you," Maggie finished.
"Well said, Lieutenant," McCoy held up his drink in salute, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Thank you, Dr. McCoy, and please call me 'Maggie'. At least when we're not on duty," she requested.
McCoy leaned closer to Maggie. "Only if you call me 'Leonard', darlin'," he replied softly.
Maggie reached over and placed her hand on top of his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Agreed. Leonard," Maggie giggled. She'd only said it once, but already McCoy loved the sound of his name falling from her lips.
Across the table, Kirk and the others paid particular attention to the interaction between their CMO and newest addition to the crew. They exchanged glances with each other about what appeared to be happening between McCoy and Maggie.
It was clear to everyone that the pair were completely oblivious to what was going on around them except for each other. They liked Maggie already, and had hopes that something might happen between her and Dr. McCoy.
Part 2 here!
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cozy-the-overlord · 3 years
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Christmas Across the Stars
Summary: A backlogged mission on Jotunheim means Piper's going to miss Christmas with her family this year. At least she's not completely alone.
Written for @the-emo-asgardian's 'Tis The Season Writing Challenge on the prompt "snowed in and unable to get to family"
Word Count: 2,938
Pairing: Loki x OFC
A/N:  *wipes sweat off brow* whew! For a while I wasn't sure if I was going to get this done in time for Christmas. But here it is! I've been writing a lot of angst lately, so it was really nice to write something sweet and fluffy for a change. I did try to keep Piper somewhat vague as a character, but there's a lot of me/my family traditions in this story, so for that reason I decided to make it an OFC rather than a reader-insert. Hope you don't mind.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your families, and I hope you all have a healthy and fulfilling New Year! Thanks for reading! :)
Tags: @lucywrites02 @gaitwae
Read it on Ao3!
She had been staring at the stone ceiling for nearly three hours when Piper decided enough was enough. Abandoning the thick, itchy blankets and the naïve dream of getting some sleep tonight, she reached for her boots.
One of the annoying things about life on Jotunheim (and there were many) was the inability to do a damn thing without first putting on fifty layers. Her nylon jacket rustled as she pulled it over her arms, zipping up with an obnoxious squeak. Across the room, Olsen popped up in her bunk.
“Wuzgoinon?” she muttered, opening a bleary eye.
“Nothing,” Piper said quickly. “I’m just going for a walk. Go back to sleep.”
Olsen hummed, head dropping back to the pillow. Her other two companions didn’t stir. Piper sighed and grabbed her scarf and hat.
Her footsteps echoed against the rocky walls as she made her way to the bunker entrance. They weren’t supposed to go outside alone, what with being stationed on an unpredictable alien planet and all, but the blizzard that had been raging on for the past two weeks had finally seemed to pass and Piper could use a breath of fresh air.
The frozen hellscape greeted her with it’s usual chilly slap to the face. She coughed, bringing her scarf above her nose. When they had first arrived, the cragged mountain cliffs had hypnotized Piper. They stretched far above the horizon, their jagged silhouettes cutting through the paint-splattered sky like a crooked dagger. It was a severe kind of beauty, unlike anything Piper had ever seen before.
Now, it felt like the serrated ridges were laughing at her.
Piper sat down against the bunker door with a grunt, rubbing her hands through her mittens. What was she even doing out here? What had she expected to find? Despite her day-long daydreams, the bitter wishes she stored deep in her heart, her reality had not changed: she was a tiny ant of a person, trapped on this icy rock of a planet, sleepwalking her way through this drawn-out farce of a mission.
What a way to spend Christmas Eve.
When she had signed up for this job, it had been an adventure. Traveling across the stars to a world that until recently had only existed in myth, to test out technology that would allow for interplanetary travel? Move over, Captain Kirk. Piper Bassow was boldly going where no (human) man had gone before.
The mission had supposed to last for six months. They left at the beginning of February, wide-eyed and excited for the enterprise. They had planned to be home in August. Then something came up, some snag with the tech back on Earth, easily fixed but it disrupted the schedule. Their return date was moved to October. No problem, Piper thought. We’ll still be back for the holidays.
Then, a blizzard knocked out their antenna. Again, easily fixed, but they had to wait for the wind to die down before they could risk going out to fix it. Disrupted the schedule. Now their return date was end of November.
We’re still fine, she told herself. Thanksgiving is a shit holiday anyways. Who cares if you miss it?
The final communication from SHIELD was what did her in. The last three months of data had gotten corrupted. They needed to stay until February. Piper had been on radio duty when she got the message. Instead of replying, she dashed the receiver against the wall.
It was immature. She had signed up for this mission knowing full well that there was a high chance that things wouldn’t go as planned. In fact, she should’ve been thankful—out of all the things that could have gone wrong, this was pretty innocuous. Everyone was safe, everyone was healthy, they had enough rations to last over a year. There was no reason to be this upset.
But … the reality that she was going to miss Christmas with her family this year was tough to grapple with. Christmas was a big deal. Her siblings and her had all long since moved out, but they still all flocked back by December the 24th, where they’d stay up all night stuffing their faces with their mother’s butter cookies and arguing over which movie to watch as the piney scent of the Christmas tree wafted through the room. No matter where they were in the world, they found a way home.
But Piper supposed she wasn’t anywhere in that world anymore.
She huffed, pulling her hands closer against her chest as the wind whistled on. Christmas had been the one thing she had been working towards all year. Feeling homesick? You’ll be home with everybody for Christmas. Getting frustrated with one of her teammates? By Christmas you’ll have forgotten they exist. Blizzard outside wrecking her day? Just think of all the stories you’ll have to tell everyone over Christmas dinner.
And yet, here she was, Christmas Eve, freezing her ass outside on this godforsaken ice cube.
“What are you doing out here?”
Piper nearly jumped out of her skin. She whipped around to find their Jotun guide looming over her with a frown. Nearly a year of companionship with him had proved that Loki Laufeyson was hardly the malevolent villain the rest of her world believed him to be (SHIELD wouldn’t have put this mission in his hands if he was), but something about his presence still unsettled her. He said very little, choosing to skulk in the shadows and reappearing only when he deemed it absolutely necessary. It never failed to amaze her that a living creature could move so quietly—you never realized he was besides you until you turned around and he was there.
Piper tried to pull herself to her feet, but with all her extra padding she just rocked around on the ground. Her face burned.
Loki raised an eyebrow. “Do you need help?”
“I’m fine,” she huffed, crossing her arms and scowling up at him. I guess I’m staying here for a bit. Where had he even come from? She was leaning against the bunker door—it hadn’t opened since she’d been here. “What are you doing out here?” she asked accusingly.
Loki motioned his head towards the boulder pile behind the bunker. “We were getting some odd readings from the east. I thought I should check up on it.”
“Oh.” Piper peered through the ice, but she couldn’t make out the sensor that was supposed to track the movements of Jotunheim’s celestial satellites. “Is everything okay?”
He nodded, gaze unflinching. “I believe an animal disrupted the apparatus. I righted it.” Cocking his head, he frowned. “So is there a reason you’re sitting outside in the middle of the night in the dead of Jotun winter, or have you just finally gone mad?”
Piper let out a breathy laugh despite herself. She leaned her head against the stone door. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Ah.” He sounded neutral enough, but Piper was fairly certain he was judging her.
“It’s Christmas Eve,” she added quickly. Glancing at her watch, she added, “Or Christmas Day. I’m not sure.” There was another annoyance about Jotunheim—the time difference was catastrophic.
“Oh,” Loki nodded again. He didn’t move. She frowned. What was he waiting for? Perhaps he didn’t know what she was talking about.
“It’s a holiday,” she explained. “On Earth. It’s kind of a big deal.”
“Yes, I’m aware.” For a moment, the two of them were silent, Piper staring out into the snow, Loki staring down at Piper. She waited for him to walk away, but he didn’t budge.
She sighed. “Do you need something?”
“You are upset.” He said it so matter-of-factly, as if it were plain as day. Piper’s embarrassment came flooding back.
“No. It’s not—” she inhaled. He was right. She was far too upset. “I just—I thought I’d be home for it.” Her eyes were burning. Piper leaned her head back against the door in frustration. Was she seriously crying over this?
“Oh.” Surely he’d leave now, now that he knew that nothing was actually wrong. She shifted to move her weight from against the door so he would be able to return inside. But to Piper’s surprise, he didn’t leave. After a moment’s hesitation, Loki sat down next to her with a grunt.
“I’m afraid my knowledge of Midgardian tradition is rather lacking,” he said as he made himself comfortable against the door. “Christmas is a religious holiday, yes?”
Piper stared. It took her a moment for her to find her voice. “Oh, um, yeah—” she stuttered. “Technically. But not everyone who celebrates it is super religious. Like, I don’t think anyone in my family has gone to church in their life.”
“What is it you celebrate then?” He leaned forward, seeming genuinely interested
“I don’t know. Family. Giving. That’s what they call it, the season of giving.” Geez, she sounded like the star in a Hallmark movie. “My family always had a big get-together every year. Or, has—I guess they still are this year, I’m just… not there.” Her voice trailed off pitifully. Piper forced a smile, desperate to show him that she wasn’t completely pathetic. “But it’s fun. We have cookies and chocolates and everything and we decorate the tree and give each other presents—”
“Pardon me,” Loki interrupted, perking up. “What do you mean ‘decorate the tree’?”
“Oh, yeah.” Of course he wouldn’t know what she was talking about. “It’s a Christmas thing. You get a pine tree—some people have fake ones, my family always goes to a farm to get one—and you put it in your house, and you decorate it with lights and ornaments and stuff, and then you put the presents for everyone under the tree.”
That was another thing she missed this year. Usually, whoever was in town with her parents for Thanksgiving would drive out with them to the Christmas tree farm the next day to help pick out a tree. That was always an adventure—her mom would be scurrying between the lines of trees as the rest of them rushed to follow her, pine needles attacking them mercilessly from both sides. Piper’s mother was a perfectionist in every aspect of life and picking out a tree was no different. They’d spend hours circling the farm, listening to her as she found a flaw in each one they came across.
“The shape of this one is just too wide. Far too dry. Oh look, there’s a hole right in the middle! That one’s beautiful, but it’s so tall, I don’t think it would fit in our house—”
Eventually, she would find a tree that came close enough to her standards (“well, this one has a bare side, but we’ll put it up against the wall so no one will see it”) and Piper would crawl under the thing with the shitty saw they got at the front and go to work, her two sisters bouncing around like cheerleaders at a football game when the tree finally came crashing down.
Piper suddenly realized that she wasn’t going to get to see this year’s tree.
Besides her, Loki sounded lost in thought. “That sounds like Yule.”
She turned, frowning. “Yule?”
“An Asgardian holiday. We decorate pine trees as well.” He sighed, almost wistfully. Piper had never seen him this relaxed before. “It’s probably where the Midgardian custom comes from.”
“Oh, yeah.” She thought she had heard that once, that a lot of Christmas traditions had come from the Vikings, although she had never made the connection between that and Asgard. It made sense—wasn’t Loki straight out of Viking myth? “What do your tree decorations look like?”
Loki hummed. “We had special enchantments on the trees to create the illusion of glowing orbs of light within the branches. You couldn’t touch them—your hand would go right through.” He laughed. “It drove my brother mad when we were little. On more than one occasion he knocked down the whole damn tree trying to grab the light.”
Piper grinned. “That sounds like our cat! We have these little glass balls that are like, multicolored, and he’s always trying to bat them down. My mom wakes up to find ornaments all over the floor. One time he even managed to get the star” That cat’s a little shit and he knows it, she’d tell Piper on the phone. I can’t wait til you guys get home. He’s always on his best behavior for you.
Loki was staring at her quizzically. “The star?”
“Yeah. You put the star at the top of the tree, and it lights up. It’s like a topper ornament. I’m not sure where that comes from.” Piper sighed. “I hope they’re able to get it all set up this year. I’m usually the one who does the lights and the star and everything.”
“I’m sure they’ll manage.”
“Yeah.” Of course they would. The idea that they couldn’t manage without her was nothing but wishful thinking on Piper’s part, a tiny, selfish little part of her that wished they were as lonely and miserable as she was. “It’s just—” she inhaled. “I’ve never missed Christmas before.” Her fingers were going numb under her mittens. She rubbed them against each other.
She could feel Loki’s eyes on her, studying her as she blew into her hands. He didn’t say anything for the longest time, but the silence felt more analytical than judgmental.
“You should go inspide,” he finally said. “It’s far too cold out here for you to just be sitting still.”
He was right, but still Piper bristled. “I’m fine.”
“Please.” He stood in one fluid motion, holding his palm out to her. “If you freeze to death out here, SHIELD will find a way to blame me for it.”
“I—” Her pride screamed at her to keep protesting, but the biting wind was picking up, cutting under her coat and piercing her bones. She couldn’t help the shivers, even as Loki shot her a pointed look.
Piper sighed. “Alright.” She took his hand (how was he so warm?!) and allowed him to pull her to her feet and lead her inside.
“Bassow! Bassow, wake up!”
The shouts rattled her skull as she pulled herself from deep within the recesses of sleep. “Hng?”
She was face down in her bunk. When had she even gone back to bed last night? She had been talking to Loki …
It was Medoff who was yelling her name.
“Come on, you’ve got to see this!” her teammate shouted in her ear as she shook her arm.
Piper groaned, pulling herself from the warm cocoon of blankets she had wrapped around herself at some point in the night. Her head was pounding. What time is it?
“See what?” she muttered.
Medoff yanked her out of bed, seemingly trying to jerk her up. “You’ve just got to see it. You won’t believe it otherwise.”
It was too cold. Piper ripped her blanket from her mattress and followed Medoff through the bunker hallways with it wrapped around her shoulders like a cloak, head lost in a sleepy fog.
“Is this really that import—” she trailed off when they reached the common area. The table where they took their meals had been pushed into the corner, but that was hardly what rendered her speechless.
There was a tree. A great, big, beautiful evergreen tree, with needles of emerald green, more vibrant than any Piper had ever seen on Earth. Kaleidoscopic orbs floated amongst the branches, slowly shifting through the colors of the rainbow before her eyes, held to the tree by chains of silver light. And on the top … it was a star, but comparing it to the plastic things Piper would haphazardly wrestle to the top of her Midgardian Christmas trees felt like a crime. It was as if someone had plucked one of the celestial bodies from the night sky and just fixed it at the peak, sparkling so bright it was almost blinding.
For a moment, Piper just blinked. “What—how—”
“We don’t know!” Olsen laughed from the table, where she was sitting with Wynn, the final member of their team. “We just woke up a few minutes ago, and it was like this! Isn’t it insane?”
“I mean, it is Christmas Day,” Wynn said. “Back at home, I mean. I guess Santa made it to Jotunheim after all.”
“Yeah. Santa.” Coming to her senses, Piper glanced about the room. It couldn’t be a coincidence that the most enchanting Christmas tree in existence magically appeared in their bunker mere hours after that conversation. She found him lurking in the hallway, watching them all from afar. Loki met her gaze, and Piper suddenly realized his eyes were the same brilliant green as the tree.
The biting homesickness that had been festering in her heart was still there, but it was beginning to fade, as if someone had wrapped it in a warm blanket.  She smiled. As her colleagues continued to chatter over the tree, Piper made her way over to the Jotun prince.
“Thank you.”
He shrugged. “It was hardly an unpleasant task. I thought I might enjoy indulging nostalgia for a day as well.”
The changing lights from the tree cast a mystical glow to the desolate bunker, sparkling across the stone walls. It was like living within the Northern Lights. Hesitantly, Piper reached to put her hand on his forearm. “Merry Christmas, Loki.”
At first, he stiffened, but after a moment, he returned her warm smile. “Merry Christmas.”
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lenievi · 2 years
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KIRK: Recommendations. MCCOY: I have one. I recommend survival. Let's get out of here.
Kirk: hmmmm what about no? Our orders do not say stay alive or retreat. Our mission is to investigate.
McCoy: we’re all dying, Jim
Kirk: hm... We’d better get out of here.
#lately i think that jim and orders is an interesting thing to think about#he is by a book soldier and he listens to orders - sometimes to a fault - the galileo seven for example#except when the ship and the crew is concerned - that's how he also gets around the prime directive#even though one episode is like 'the captain would die and let his ship to be destroyed rather than interfere' but on the other hand#the instances of kirk 'breaking' the PD was because someone else already messed around/enterprise was attacked#and ofc then there is his obsession - even though he does have a logical explanation#but i just can't agree with the popular take that kirk would break rules only for spock because it simply isn't true#he isn't nonchalant about breaking rules as the pop-culture makes it out to be but he also has the option to disregard orders if he deems it#right.#and he did disregard orders in obsession - he disregarded the fact he needed to deliver medical supplies - that he was right about the#danger doesn't matter#i know it's cool to see kirk as someone who would put his friend(s) above other things but... he also literally sacrificed spock twice in#the show#jim thought that he had killed spock in return to tomorrow#getting him to vulcan was something he'd do for others as well. he did ignore orders about yonada because he didn't wanna leave mccoy behind#the episode just doesn't make a big deal out of it#idk this doesn't even make sense but i started to feel that people who are like 'gotta protect kirk from flanderization' aren't always#entirely objective. i mean i'm not objective either lol#but kirk breaking rules all the time and kirk breaking rules only for spock are two extremes and the truth is somewhere in the middle imho#tos nonsense#in any case i probably just need to stop reading other people talking about kirk lol
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Spirk fic ideas for aos i can't get out of my head:
- junior ambassador spock and not-quite-cadet kirk, accidental sugar baby au, where george kirk survived and became a hotshot admiral and kirk tries to avoid actually being in starfleet. Kirk picks up spock outside a boring ambassadorial function, featuring a hoverbike ride through the night and spock thinking human culture means spoiling your partner in illogical ways (and then their dads find out)
- spock prime arrives through the black hole much earlier, disposes of nero and saves kirk from tarsus IV. Kirk grows up on vulcan with spock prime and also sarek plus amanda with kids. When spock prime dies kirk takes over his research on vulcan and aos spock slowly comes to terms with them being t'hy'la, stepping in to take spock prime's place and more in kirk's life
- anything where pike keeps captaincy of the enterprise with kirk as first officer and spock as science officer, and how he suffers as they banter/flirt
- the admiralty needs kirk to get married for publicity reasons. Some of the core planets of the federation banded together and demanded it, offering their own candidates ofc (just silly political maneuvering). They call kirk who accepts it on the bridge, thus all the bridge crew being informed that he has three days to choose one of the listed candidates. Spock points out that vulcan, one of the founder planets, seems to lack a candidate. Apparently they were not invited to such an illogical discussion... naturally spock decides to volunteer himself on vulcan's behalf and there you go, fake marriage with pining
- bonus obsession of mine: aos star trek movies but spock dates bones instead of uhura
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spock-smokes-weed · 3 years
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I wanna write a fanfic about the enterprise going to a autumn harvest festival for like a diplomatic mission, and once all the political stuff is taken care of they spend the rest of the festival on shore leave
Kirk is excited cus it’s such a romantic venue for him and Spock to take their vacation in, and Spock is pleased cus he’s never been to this planet before and it’ll offer some great scientific opportunities. And everyone else is excited cus festivals are awesome
But ofc since this is Kirk’s crew they’re bound to get into trouble while Kirk is completely oblivious cus he’s too busy making heart eyes at Spock while he talks about plant vegetation or whatever.
Kirk: oh please tell me more about the rate of leaf germination mister Spock
Chekov: uhhhhhh ceptin mister Scott is bewing tekin away by ze authorities
Kirk: shhhhhh not now Pavel, mister Spock is talking
Also cus it’s fall and Vulcans are sensitive to cold, Spock gets to wear cozy weather appropriate clothes and Kirk insists on holding his hand while they walk through the festival cus he doesn’t want his husband’s fingers to get cold.
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wickedsingularity · 4 years
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Mistletoe Thieves [one-shot]
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wickedsingularity’s Christmas Stories 2019 Masterlist
Fandom: Star Trek Pairings/characters: Jim Kirk x reader (but not really), OFC (Lieutenant Tanager), Montgomery Scott, Nyota Uhura, Hikaru Sulu ++ Words: 2439 Warnings: Alcohol consumption, jealousy, insecurities, kissing
Summary: (Based on the prompt: we get drunk at the Christmas party and steal the mistletoe so no one else can kiss) At a Starfleet Christmas party, someone realises they don't like mistletoes very much.
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For the past year, the Federation had made a big deal out of honouring and showing off all the traditions and customs and holidays of the different member species and nations. It was a way for everyone to get to know and respect each other's cultures and it had opened a lot of outsiders' eyes to what the Federation was. It was a great publicity stunt. And a lot of fun for us on the Enterprise.
The year was almost over, so it was time for a Human Christmas. So as to not distract from work completely, the Humans had turned only the mess hall and recreation areas into truly festive areas, full of Christmas spirit halfway through December. Lights and poinsettias and small trees. The chef prepared all of Earth's traditional Christmas foods and the replicators could produce most of them too. A few of our Ensigns – lead by Chekov – had also put up mistletoes all over the ship.
I wasn't too much of a fan of the mistletoes, but I was still hoping Jim would catch me under one. We'd been dancing around each other for far too long. We were both clear on what we wanted, having had our relationship grow naturally from fellow students to colleagues to friends to friends wanting more. But for some reason, neither one of us took that next step. Why I didn't do it, I wasn't entirely sure, but I was starting to think he took some perverse pleasure in watching me sweat and squirm. But I kind of loved making him sweat and squirm too, so that made it bearable.
So far, I hadn't even seen Jim when I had been near a mistletoe. Everyone had put them to good use and I had even caught a kiss on the cheek from a blushing Ensign, from Nyota, and one of Bones' nurses. It wasn't until Christmas Eve that I got close. That morning, I had stopped to have a quick chat with Lieutenant Tanager from the biology department on my way out of the mess hall after breakfast. Scotty had appeared and surprised me with a kiss on the cheek, I hadn't even realised I was under a mistletoe. Jim had wandered in after my boss, but he had just smiled at me and gone straight for the replicator. I had blinked in surprise, said goodbye to Lieutenant Tanager and left for Engineering to start my shift.
Insecurities grew in me as the day wore on. Especially after seeing Jim kiss the top of Nyota's head as I grabbed a satsuma on the way to my quarters to change after my shift. Not feeling very much like dinner with everyone anymore, I replicated some toast and started packing for a couple of days of shore leave the next day.
Starfleet had invited their senior officers to an informal Christmas party on Deep Space Station K-7 and we were scheduled to arrive bright and early on Christmas Day. Jim was taking all of his senior bridge crew, and chiefs and assistant chiefs of all the ship's departments and divisions. I was looking forward to some change of scenery and real alcohol. Sometimes synthehol just didn't cut it.
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Deep Space Station K-7 had a few restaurants, a couple of bars, one giant mess hall, a few observation decks, but small quarters. It wasn't designed for having guests staying long, as it was right beside the Klingon border. But it was enough for two days and one night. Jim would never have us stay longer – he wasn't exactly a fan of being this close to the Klingon Empire.
The party would be on the observation deck, the mess hall and the closest bar. I decided to start in the mess hall, where most of the food would be. Classical Christmas music could be heard down the hall and I felt the spirit of it all sneak into me a bit, the music was catchy. The mess hall was beautifully decorated, elegant and classy and wondrous, but also infested with those wretched mistletoes. They were above doorways and snack tables. I was careful not to linger in the doorway too long, and thankfully Tanager and Nyota hailed me the moment I stepped inside.
"These cheese fritters are delicious!" Tanager announced, leaning back against a tall round table, holding up a small plate with several round golden balls on it, a couple of different dipping sauces on the side.
I snatched one off her plate and ate it before she knew what happened. "So they are." I grinned and went to grab some, careful not to stay near a mistletoe for more than a quarter of a second. I also found the drinks table and got the strongest one I could recognize.
"Trying to forget something?" Uhura asked, one eyebrow raised, nodding at the glass in my hand.
I took a large gulp of the drink, emptying almost half the glass in one go and shuddered at the burning in my throat. "Just in a drinking mood," I replied with a shrug.
The three of us chatted for a while, getting through a bunch more cheese fritters, pork ribs, fruit cake, borscht, prawns and cookies. Not to mention I had two more of those drinks, and not even all that food could soak up enough of the booze flowing through my veins. I was well and truly tipsy already.
After a while, both Nyota and Tanager headed off to check out the observation deck, and I was left with my third drink. That's when Jim came in. The new female personnel officer we picked up at har last starbase pit stop halted him by the door, right under the mistletoe. Even from across the room, I could see her flirting shamelessly with him, her hand on his arm, batting her eyelashes and giggling. I rolled my eyes and made a face as if I had tasted something disgusting. Some goddamn personnel officer. When Jim bent down and kissed her on the cheek, I turned around and downed what was left of the drink Nyota had left behind and went to refill both her glass and mine.
"Too damn close to Klingon borders," someone muttered on my left. I looked around and saw Jim, looking handsome in civvies, dark jeans, black t-shirt and leather jacket, quite a long way from his Starfleet issued trousers and golden shirt. "Hi," he said and gently bumped his shoulder into mine.
"Hello," I said, pursing my lips. I corked the bottle and lifted both glasses.
"You here with someone?" Jim asked, eyeing the two drinks.
"Nope. Both mine."
He chuckled and poured one for himself. "Thirsty?"
"You could say that." Without another word, I turned around and started towards my table again, but it was now occupied by none other than that personnel officer and her friends. "Well fuck."
Jim turned around and followed my gaze. "Your table?"
"Yep."
We were silent for a few moments and I downed half of one of the drinks while glaring at my occupied table, before Jim bumped into my shoulder again and leaned in. "You okay? I've barely seen you for the past few days. I miss you."
I tried not to let the obvious worry in his voice get to me. "I'm fine. Just been busy getting into the Christmas spirit." Before he could dig further, my comm went off and Tanager called me over to the observation deck. I downed the rest of the glass and set it down. "See you later, Jim," I said with a smile and hurried off with the full glass.
This time, I wasn't quick enough to duck away from the mistletoe by the door, and a Chief Engineering officer I recognized from my Academy days who had tried to chat me up back then, cornered me. The alcohol had clouded my judgement, and before he had time to say anything else than "hi", I dragged him down by the collar of his shirt and planted my lips on his. He only took a split second to kiss me back, but when he tried to slip his tongue into my mouth, I pulled back and pushed him gently away. Then I winked and disappeared from the mess hall.
By the time I got to the observation deck, Tanager was gone and Uhura was nowhere to be seen either. But I didn't mind, as I found a makeshift bar and ordered two more drinks since the one I had brought with me was empty already. I grabbed one in each hand and found a comfortable seat overlooking the stars outside.
All the drinks had made my mind pleasantly fuzzy and gooey. Soon, I realised I was sitting directly below a mistletoe as someone kissed my cheeks. I snapped my head around and the room spun for a moment, but thankfully it was just Scotty again. He and a few of our senior Engineering officers joined me and we had a fun time embarrassing each other with stories from work and Scotty was kind enough to fetch me one more drink. Once that was gone, the stars in the window seemed to be blinking and moving and were making me dizzy. Some rational part of my brain that had somehow managed to not have drowned in alcohol figured it was best to call it a night.
I said my goodbyes and stumble towards the door and curse loudly when someone knocked into me right in the doorway. "Not another fucking mistletoe," I whined.
"Shhhhh," someone said and dragged me away. I stumbled after the person and only when they stopped, did I see that it was Jim, and he had his hands full of mistletoes. "Help me hide these," he slurred while looking down at the green branches and red bows.
"Did you take down all of them?"
"I think so. Can we hide them in your room? I can't be seen with them."
"Sure," I said and staggered towards the turbolift. It was already there and we got in, Jim leaning back against the wall, holding the mistletoes up to his chest. It took me a moment to remember the number of the deck my room was on, and I hoped it was right when the turbolift took off. "Why'd you take them?"
Jim frowned down at the branches, looking at them as if they'd insulted his entire family. "Don't like 'em."
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Something pricked at my cheek and woke me up the next morning. I frowned and groaned and moved my head, but the pricking feeling didn't quite go away. I opened my eyes but shut them quickly at the too bright light in the room. I must have forgotten to turn them down before I fell asleep.
"Computer, lights down to 10 %." Behind my eyelids, I saw the light dim and dared to open my eyes again. Then I felt around my face for whatever was pricking me. I pulled something from my hair and held it up, staring at, feeling very confused. It was mistletoe. I tossed it to the floor and when my arm fell down on the mattress, I noticed there was more there. I sat up and looked around.
There were mistletoes everywhere on my bed. And that's when it came back to me. Jim had stolen all the mistletoes around the Christmas party and we had staggered into my room and he had dropped them on the bed. He had hugged me goodnight, stumbling a little and then left. In my drunken and dazed state, I had collapsed onto the bed and slept in the mistletoes.
I didn't have the energy to deal with them just then. My stomach growled like a bear and I saw it was around the time we had agreed to meet for breakfast. I changed my clothes, splashed cold water onto my face, brushed my teeth, hurriedly pulled my fingers through my hair and headed out. Something fatty and salty for breakfast, and then I would grab a shower and a bath before we went back to the Enterprise.
Out in the hall, Jim, Nyota, Scotty, Tanager, Bones and Sulu were also coming out of their rooms. They all looked just as terrible as I felt. I caught up with them, falling into step next to Jim.
"Morning," he said with a smile.
"Good morning." I was still feeling a little insecure from everything that had happened the last few days, so different from how he had been the last few months.
As we rounded the corner to the stairs, Sulu cleared his throat behind us. "It appears you have branches in your hair, Lieutenant," he said amusedly.
I stopped and felt the back of my head, finding nothing, looking questioningly at Sulu. Jim had paused to look too. He chuckled and pulled away a mistletoe.
Chekov cleared his throat and looked amused and Nyota smirked. I felt myself blush.
"So that's what happened to all the mistletoes," Tanager said. "Did you two have sex on them or something?"
I blushed even harder and shook my head. "I don't know how that got there."
"Sure." She raised her eyebrows and looked up before she and Sulu walked past us.
I looked up and Jim was holding the mistletoe above my head. Then I looked at him, his blue eyes sparkling in an otherwise pale and tired face, staring at me. Then he too looked up, before turning back to me with a wink. I rolled my eyes, it was so cheesy. But I remembered how he said he had missed me yesterday and I had to kiss him at least once in my life, so I slipped one hand behind his neck, the other grabbing his collar and pulled him down. Our lips met and the others whistled and laughed.
Jim threw the mistletoe away and slipped his arms around my waist, pushing us back around the corner, away from everyone. As soon as we were out of sight, his lips were on mine again. I pressed myself against him, months of frustrations needing a release. His tongue pushed against mine and he tasted like minty toothpaste. I was close to jumping up to straddle his waist right there in the hall when my stomach roared like an animal again.
I pulled away with a breathy chuckle. Jim leant his forehead against mine, breathing hard. "Replicator breakfast?" I asked.
"Replicator breakfast."
I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards my room, deciding we ought to have some fun with the rest of the mistletoes.
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ihavenocluedude · 4 years
Text
The two awkward fools
Chapter 3. His choice
Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (AOS) x OFC
Chapter 1     Chapter 2
A/N: Okay so... I said I’d post it in a few hours on monday... Yikes. I did post it on AO3 this wednesday (it’s literally just copy and paste on there) it’s just basically much easier to do this whole thing there but like I wanna post it on here too. So uhm... I’m moving these next 2 days, because of uni. I’m really excited but as I’m probably going to be a bit busy I don’t know how much I’ll write. I will however say that I’ve started an Agent Whiskey x reader... So yup... :)
Word Count: 1266
The amount of reparations McCoy had wanted the trusted engineers to perform were apparently… a lot and quite troublesome as well, so much so that Scotty and Jen had to return the next day. It was in these moments that Max started wondering if McCoy just left reparations that were needed to the very last second, as if he waited for at least three things to break before calling the engineers. Sure McCoy wasn’t one to waste the medical equipment he had but he obviously didn’t want engineers running around the place all the time? 
However all of this was just a theory in Max’s head, trying to distract herself when she sat by Jen and Scott as they repaired the equipment. It had been very slow in the medical bay lately, McCoy had most of the small situations under control, and if not there were other doctors and she could simply sit there waiting for McCoy to call her through her communicator, to tell her that there had been some big accident, several limbs lost and everything. 
Throughout the reparations Max had sat there looking at the two engineers, maybe mostly at Scotty. She had seen Jen fix things before, Jen had fixed, upgraded or repaired her replicator way too many times for Max not to have seen her fix something. Scotty’s engineer ways didn’t seem that different from Jen’s however he seemed to mostly supervise Jen and make sure she knew what she was doing. Scotty was also intermittenly messaged by the other engineers, sometimes small things but eventually it seemed that a few larger incidents that needed to be taken care of. Still he wasn’t leaving Jen and Max, not running to the next situation.
“Scotty, you can go if you want? I’m sure Jen’ll do fine.” Max told him, starting to feel guilty for not only taking her engineer friend’s attention away from perhaps bigger things but now also the chief engineer’s attention. Scotty almost wished he had told her to call him Monty yesterday. Sure it’d almost be a new thing for him, he wasn’t really used to the nickname except from when he’s back home. And well… considering all the alone time with Keenser out in the cold on Delta Vega for way too long. And then beaming to the Enterprise with Kirk, basically inventing (being gifted) the transwarp beaming equation. And after all of that getting out on new adventures with the Enterprise. It had simply been a long time since he’d been called Monty. And to maybe hear it from her? 
“Nae, I can’ jus’ leave ya.” The scotsman claimed, his denial truly truly wasn’t about the way he felt when he caught Max’s eyes on him and the way he had sort of avoided her throughout the week. But now couldn’t resist sitting there just a small distance from her. Scotty wouldn’t really admit it to himself but he found himself drawn to the woman that was as she said ‘just a few years younger than you’. Which intimidated him, he hadn’t truly sought out companionship for the following years on the enterprise but there she was. Sure he had doubts about the whole thing and he wouldn’t ever believe it if she had the same feelings towards him. The thought itself felt absurd to even think about. 
“Scotty, it’s okay, I swear. You clearly have more important things to handle.” Max told him when his communicator called for him again “I won’t hold it against you y’know, you’re the chief engineer. I shouldn’t be keeping you here stuck with me and the medical bay’s problems.” Max chuckled slightly, scratching her neck, looking down on the ground beside the two engineers, Jen also confirming that it’d all be fine if he left. 
“If ya insist, I’ll jus’ check in later?” Scotty shrugged, gathering the tools he might need but that Jen might not need, wouldn’t want to make them take even more time on the repairs just because of his taking of the tools she might’ve needed. It was probably for the best either way, Scotty had sort of blown off the other engineering staff to help Max’s problem. Max nodded at his small question about checking in later. Mumbling something about the next shift as she looked down at her PADD. “Then I’ll see ya later then…” Scotty trailed off, backing out of the room, opening his communicator to hear who needed him at the moment. 
“So… one of the engineers you trust is Scotty huh?” McCoy teased coming from behind Max out of the office she could’ve sat in during all of this if she hadn’t wanted to observe the repairs the pair of engineers performed. “Didn’t know that you two had gotten so close lately?” He mused with a smirk on his face, clearly sensing how Max had instantly tensed up and rolled her eyes.
“Shut up McCoy.” Max rolled her eyes, putting her hand over her face as she looked at the man who had entered the room. “Everything okay? no medical emergencies or anything?” Max questioned, perhaps trying to change the subject. 
“Yeah yeah, everything is fine. Lieutenant Rogers do you mind telling me what’s going on between my little kiddo doctor and the chief engineer?”
“Well…” Jen paused, laying her tools down momentarily, already seeming slightly flustered by the question  “She’s… well… He’s her type-”
“-Jen!” 
“I’m not lying am I? And he has probably ignored way more important stuff just to hang out over here with our sweet little doctor, ‘supervising’ mostly” Jen chuckled and gesturing quote marks with her fingers around the supervising part before returning to the repairs.
“Okay, well kiddo, don’t break anyone’s heart now.” McCoy almost said sternly, as the true grump he is. As Max processed his sentence she simply shook her head, break anyone’s heart, who did he think she was. Sure they had gotten to know each other a little better during yesterday’s and today’s repair sessions but she barely knew him. And sure he was her type, Jen had been right about that ever since that time they were sat in her quarters drinking that vodka mix, she had even confirmed it even more later that evening. 
--- --- ---
“He is quite cute right? I mean he’s… Sweet? I really liked his eyes…” Her tone dreamy as she looked over at Jen with a big smile before her face fell “-God I can never show myself by engineering again can I?” The vodka mix had been settling in very nicely and given both of the girls quite the buzz.
“Oh please it’s not as if you embarrassed yourself…-wait did you?”
“Well no but… I mean… having feelings towards a lieutenant commander, a superior? That’s baaad, really bad. Isn’t it?” 
“It doesn’t have to- It could be great! You could be really cute together.”
--- --- ---
However Max was afraid that Jen was wrong, it wouldn’t be ‘cute’, it wouldn’t be great and it simply couldn’t be. Fuck Max thought, stop thinking about it, push all thoughts aside and simply breathe, look over the lists on the PADD, check if there’s anything else you can fix while the action at the medical bay is slow. Max’s thoughts didn’t stop however and even if she would deny it extremely to both herself or anyone else, she really was happy that the scotsman had entered her life. Whether it would only be temporarily and then not see each other ever again, or if he was there to stay in her life. It would either way probably be his choice.
Next Chapter
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Red Light, pt 1
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Hockey AU - Featuring Star Trek AOS, first person OFC.
XXX
There was something about the smell of freshly cleaned ice that instantly transported me back to my childhood, and every time I came in to work, that reminder of happier times made the stress of this job worth it. It wasn’t that I disliked my job - in fact, I loved it. But it was stressful managing publicity and media for a hockey team.
The San Fransisco Enterprise has been the best team in the United Federation of Hockey for the past four years. After the retirement of General Manager Christopher Pike, however, the team had been struggling. There were new players, and the team just wasn’t gelling under team captain Jim Kirk. The starting line-up was a hot mess. Kirk was at centre, and a new trade, Spock, had traded in at season start with a personal record for goals from his team on New Vulcan. Spock was a precision player, head always in the game, brain always four passes ahead. Kirk, on the other hand, was a cowboy. He played tight in the corners, and was a hard hitter, but his strategy was better summed up as flying by the seat of his pants. The men had nearly come to blows in practice, and barely tolerated one another on the ice. That conflict made for an uneasy team all around.
Team morale was worsened when ‘Doc’ Puri, the journeyman goaltender who seemed to be able to stop anything, blew out his knee on a road trip. It was a career-ending injury, despite the advances to medicine that had come in the three-hundred plus years since the game had been invented. The new GM had to find another goalie, and quick. 
Which is what had been the biggest thing on my plate for the past week. Geoff M’Benga, the second string goalie, was in his first year in the pros. He was competent, but lacked the confidence to truly take the reins as the lead goalie. Talks had been heated, but finally, a trade was made with the Proxima Bees. The Enterprise’s draft pick for star goalie Leonard McCoy. McCoy was considered the best in the league, although his year had been off to a rough start. The man could stop almost anything, but the Proxima defense lines were weak and when they allow fifty plus shots on goal per night, there’s only so much one goaltender can do. McCoy was happy to be traded; the Enterprise had a solid defensive corp led by Montgomery Scott and Pavel Chekov, and the rumour was his marriage had just fallen apart and he was longing to get away from the drama.
I cleared my head of my musings, and filled my coffee cup at the pot in the corner of the office. The rich aroma of the coffee, countered with the cool tang of cleaned ice focused my thoughts on the day’s tasks. The press conference to announce the acquisition of McCoy was scheduled for 10. I needed a tight media release and some smiling players to welcome the new goalie. I pressed the button on my communicator to connect with the changeroom. 
“Kirk, Spock, please come to the administrative offices when you’re done showering,” I announced. The loudspeaker in the changeroom would be amplifying my voice over the din created by the showers, and I knew I could expect the men to arrive shortly. I logged into my PADD and pulled up McCoy’s current stats to begin the media release.
“I’m afraid Kirk is outside signing autographs and flirting,” Spock announced as he walked into the office. “I let him know you wanted to see us, and he said he would be up shortly.”
“How are you settling in, Spock?” I asked. The team was ten games into the season, and I’d been hoping to see a more cohesive group by now.
“I’m starting to understand Kirk’s playing style,” he admitted. “It’s not to my liking, but his recklessness does have some advantages.”
“You guys need a team-building retreat,” I laughed. “Strand you on an island so you have to cooperate to survive.”
Spock looked horrified at the suggestion. “Every practice is an opportunity to build our team,” he protested.
“Yeah, but part of what makes a team work is when you like each other. You have to be able to see your strengths and weaknesses and figure out how they complement each other. That’s easier to do when you are not only teammates, but friends,” I offered. He shrugged.
“I’m not sure that Kirk and I are destined to be friends,” he replied, without a hint of malice. “I fear we are too different.”
“More alike than you realize,” I countered. “But I have faith it’ll come.”
“We will see. As interesting as your perspective is, I hardly think you called us in here for a pep-talk,” he changed the subject quickly. The doors behind me opened and Kirk strolled in. Spock must have seen his approach.
“Leonard McCoy should land at nine this morning, and we have a press conference scheduled for ten. Marcus wants a couple of players at the scrum to welcome him. As top scorer and team captain, I felt you two were the obvious choices.” I directed my comments to both men. Kirk smiled his lazy, handsome smile and sat on the edge of my desk.
“Is that the only reason you picked me?” He asked. I raised my eyebrow in question and then realized he was trying to flirt. I sighed and rolled my eyes.
“I’m not one of your puck bunnies, Jim,” I reminded him. “I’m immune to the charms of hockey players.”
“I keep telling you that if you just give me one chance, I can change your mind,” he teased. I laughed in response.
“And I keep telling you, I am a professional, and cannot compromise my integrity by carrying on with someone at work.” 
“That’s kindest way I’ve ever heard someone say that I’m not their type,” he winked.
“I appreciate that you recognize it as that,” I laughed.
“I appreciate that you allow me to continue to flirt with you,” he shrugged. “Keeps my skills up.”
“As if you need practice, Jim Kirk!” I shook my head again, but couldn’t help but smile. Of all the hockey players I’d ever interacted with, Jim Kirk was the safest. He loved to flirt, he loved to play the romance card, but he always respected the women he flirted with, and never went too far, never made anyone uncomfortable. “Now, scoot, both of you. I have work to do.”
XXX
I checked over everything that was needed for the press conference. Media release was ready, the new jersey for McCoy had just come up from having his name and number sewn on, scrum room was clean, chairs out, mics working. I placed the script for the GM on the prompter, and made sure it was running at his speed, and then double checked it. Marcus was not the kind of leader to make friends, and he ran a tight ship. He made me uncomfortable, and as a result, I actively sought to minimize our interactions. Being called on the floor because I’d screwed up something simple was not on the agenda. 
I was waiting at the zamboni bay doors for the arrival of the new goalie, to bring him to the press conference. The shuttle arrived from the airport just moments after I’d stepped outside. Leonard McCoy stepped out, ballcap pulled low on his brow. He swung his equipment bag over one shoulder and grabbed his stick bag with his free hand. He scowled at me as he approached. I reached for the stick bag and he pulled back.
“I can manage my equipment just fine, sweetheart. Just tell me where it goes,” he growled. I cocked my head to one side and gave him a hard look.
“My name is Samantha Nelsen, not sweetheart. You are welcome to call me Sam, or Ms. Nelsen,” I corrected sharply.
“Where do I stow my equipment, Sunshine?” he snapped.
“I was under the impression this move was a happy one,” I countered, my tone equally sharp and I gestured to a dolly sitting just inside the doors. “Perhaps you can put on your big boy pants before the press conference? You have five minutes.”
He dropped his bags with a heavy sigh and turned to face me. He looked exhausted. His jaw was covered in a three day growth of stubble, and there were bags under his eyes that appeared to be packing their own bags. Aside from that, he was as undeniably gorgeous as all his headshots had made him out to be.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry. I’m running on empty,” he apologized, pulling his ballcap off and rubbing a hand across his forehead. “Lawyer met me at the airport this morning to give me all the paperwork on my divorce. She took everything, the house, the car. She may as well have taken the goddamn team and the whole damn planet. All I’ve got left is my bones.”
“And a shiny new contract with the Enterprise,” I reminded him. “So let’s go counter some bad press with some good, shall we?” I offered a smile, hoping he realized I was effectively erasing his bad first impression. I headed toward the elevator, my heels clicking smartly on the hard cement.
“So you’re the media gal?” He asked, catching up with a quick skip. I pursed my lips and nodded.
“I prefer Manager of Broadcasting, Communications and Public Relations, media gal is kind of old fashioned,” I corrected with a wink, wondering exactly how many times I was going to have to straighten up this man’s language and bring it into the 23rd century.
“Of course, ma’am,” he nodded and bit his lip. I wasn’t sure if he was trying not to smile, or trying to bite back a smart comment. I suspected it might be both. I stepped on the elevator and held the door for him. As the doors closed, I turned and looked him over. 
“We need to stop in the office and grab you an Enterprise hat. Get rid of that ratty old Bees one. You glad to be back on Earth, at least?” I asked. He pulled his hat off again, and scrubbed his hand through his short, messy hair. I led him from the elevator to the office and pulled a hat out a closet full of swag. 
“I’ll let you know after I’ve had some actual sleep.” He pulled the hat on and checked his reflection in the mirror by my desk, slapping his cheeks a little to wake himself up. “This old face has a few more miles in it, anyhow.”
“Yeah, doesn’t look like you’ve stopped many pucks with it,” I teased, tipping my head toward the doors leading to the media room. He smirked.
“Why, Ms. Nelsen, I’d hazard you just told me you find me handsome,” he teased, meeting my eyes. With his temperament improved, and warmth in his eyes, it was undeniable, the man was stupidly hot.
“Focus on the press conference, pretty boy,” I laughed, opening the door for him. He walked in to the press conference, and I headed to the back of the room to manage the media.
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