Leonard had just barely touched his knuckles to Jim's door when it slid open with a hiss. "Bones! Get in here," Jim said, yanking the man into his quarters and locking the door with a word once Leonard was inside.
"The hell, Jim?" Leonard asked as Jim dragged him across the room, pausing only when they were both standing next to the bed.
Leonard balked. "Jim, I'm still on duty. Can't this wait until…" His words trailed away when he glanced down at the basket.
At what the basket contained.
Leonard blinked. Jim watched him, bottom lip caught between his teeth.
"That's a baby," Leonard said after a moment.
"Yeah," Jim agreed.
Leonard turned to Jim, his expression a bizarre mix of amused and outraged. "Did you know there was a baby in there?"
"Of course not!" Jim said. "Not until a moment ago when it started making noise."
As if on cue, the baby's face scrunched, eyes squeezed closed and tiny pink lips parted as it loosed a horrific cry. Jim flinched and Leonard dove forward, scooping the baby, blanket and all, into his arms. He bounced it a couple of times, settling the child's head in the crook of his elbow and smoothing the blanket over its chest. "There, there," he cooed. "Come on, now. You don't mean all that." The baby whined and kicked its little legs, but otherwise settled against Leonard's chest, brown eyes staring up at him intently.
"What's wrong with it?" Jim asked.
"Oh, I don’t know," Leonard said, keeping his voice light for the baby's sake. "Might be that it's not too fond of being kidnapped."
"Fuck," Jim muttered, sitting on the bed and watching Leonard walk back and forth across the bedroom, steps slow and measured, arms never losing the soft bounce they'd adopted. "I didn't know there was anything in there," he said again.
"Yeah, well," Leonard said, throwing a sidelong glance at Jim. "Maybe next time an indigenous tribesman gives you a basket to take home, you'll check inside the damn thing before you bring it on the ship."
Jim flopped onto his back and sighed, long and loud. "Guess I should take probably take it back."
"Probably?" Leonard sputtered. The baby hiccupped and he immediately softened his voice. "Jim, there is no probably here. Get your ass up. We're going back to the transporter room and you're taking this baby back to its family."
Jim frowned. "But it was a gift."
Leonard's brows rose nearly to his hairline. "Do you even hear yourself?" he whisper-screamed. "You can't just gift someone a baby! Especially not you."
That stung more than Jim expected. In an instant he was on his feet, blocking Leonard's path. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"
Leonard sobered, his expression placating. "Jim-"
"You think I wouldn't be a good parent?"
"When would you even have the time?" Leonard asked. "Excluding the fact that you've never given any kind of indication that you'd even want a child, you're captain of Starfleet's flagship. Oh, not to mention you're also in and out of my sickbay every couple of weeks with some life-threatening injury or other. When are you going to have time to raise a child?"
Jim frowned, eyes dropping to the baby in Leonard's arms. "I'd make the time," he said, as if that were the obvious answer.
Leonard's jaw clenched, loosened, before he said, "That's easier said than done." He ducked his head, finding Jim's gaze and holding it. "Trust me on that one. I know."
Jim lifted a hand, touched a finger to the baby's nose. The baby blinked drowsily.
"Jim," Leonard said, voice soft. "The Enterprise is no place for a baby. You know that."
He nodded slowly. "I know."
"You need to take it back. It needs to go back to its people."
"I know," Jim said. "I know."
Pulling away from the baby, he snagged the basket off his bed. He motioned for Leonard to follow him, offering him a brittle smile. "Come on," Jim said, heading for the door. "Let's get this over with."
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Fill, Part II - Star Trek AOS [PG]
Date: 2015-03-16 03:49 am (UTC)Leonard had just barely touched his knuckles to Jim's door when it slid open with a hiss. "Bones! Get in here," Jim said, yanking the man into his quarters and locking the door with a word once Leonard was inside.
"The hell, Jim?" Leonard asked as Jim dragged him across the room, pausing only when they were both standing next to the bed.
Leonard balked. "Jim, I'm still on duty. Can't this wait until…" His words trailed away when he glanced down at the basket.
At what the basket contained.
Leonard blinked. Jim watched him, bottom lip caught between his teeth.
"That's a baby," Leonard said after a moment.
"Yeah," Jim agreed.
Leonard turned to Jim, his expression a bizarre mix of amused and outraged. "Did you know there was a baby in there?"
"Of course not!" Jim said. "Not until a moment ago when it started making noise."
As if on cue, the baby's face scrunched, eyes squeezed closed and tiny pink lips parted as it loosed a horrific cry. Jim flinched and Leonard dove forward, scooping the baby, blanket and all, into his arms. He bounced it a couple of times, settling the child's head in the crook of his elbow and smoothing the blanket over its chest. "There, there," he cooed. "Come on, now. You don't mean all that." The baby whined and kicked its little legs, but otherwise settled against Leonard's chest, brown eyes staring up at him intently.
"What's wrong with it?" Jim asked.
"Oh, I don’t know," Leonard said, keeping his voice light for the baby's sake. "Might be that it's not too fond of being kidnapped."
"Fuck," Jim muttered, sitting on the bed and watching Leonard walk back and forth across the bedroom, steps slow and measured, arms never losing the soft bounce they'd adopted. "I didn't know there was anything in there," he said again.
"Yeah, well," Leonard said, throwing a sidelong glance at Jim. "Maybe next time an indigenous tribesman gives you a basket to take home, you'll check inside the damn thing before you bring it on the ship."
Jim flopped onto his back and sighed, long and loud. "Guess I should take probably take it back."
"Probably?" Leonard sputtered. The baby hiccupped and he immediately softened his voice. "Jim, there is no probably here. Get your ass up. We're going back to the transporter room and you're taking this baby back to its family."
Jim frowned. "But it was a gift."
Leonard's brows rose nearly to his hairline. "Do you even hear yourself?" he whisper-screamed. "You can't just gift someone a baby! Especially not you."
That stung more than Jim expected. In an instant he was on his feet, blocking Leonard's path. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"
Leonard sobered, his expression placating. "Jim-"
"You think I wouldn't be a good parent?"
"When would you even have the time?" Leonard asked. "Excluding the fact that you've never given any kind of indication that you'd even want a child, you're captain of Starfleet's flagship. Oh, not to mention you're also in and out of my sickbay every couple of weeks with some life-threatening injury or other. When are you going to have time to raise a child?"
Jim frowned, eyes dropping to the baby in Leonard's arms. "I'd make the time," he said, as if that were the obvious answer.
Leonard's jaw clenched, loosened, before he said, "That's easier said than done." He ducked his head, finding Jim's gaze and holding it. "Trust me on that one. I know."
Jim lifted a hand, touched a finger to the baby's nose. The baby blinked drowsily.
"Jim," Leonard said, voice soft. "The Enterprise is no place for a baby. You know that."
He nodded slowly. "I know."
"You need to take it back. It needs to go back to its people."
"I know," Jim said. "I know."
Pulling away from the baby, he snagged the basket off his bed. He motioned for Leonard to follow him, offering him a brittle smile. "Come on," Jim said, heading for the door. "Let's get this over with."
---
End.