Hypochondria Pt 3

Part Three

Classes were becoming a struggle for Uhura. She hated being infatuated with someone, because she tended to obsess over that person to the detriment of more important things. She was distracted all day, her mind filling with fantasies of what her next encounter with McCoy would be like. She’d found out, through a little bit of digging on her own, that he had a birthday coming up in a couple of months. She wanted to do something nice for him, but then they hardly knew one another outside of a few really embarrassing encounters.

“Cadet Uhura?”

She heard her name, spoken more firmly than usual, which was an indication that she hadn’t been paying attention the first couple of times her instructor had spoken it. She looked up at the handsome half human, half Vulcan instructor and felt her neck and face warm up. Several other students snickered, and Gaila looked embarrassed for her.

“Yes, Mr. Spock?”

“Do you know the protocol for determining a standard communication signal from a distress signal in an unknown language, or possibly from an unknown species?”

He was staring at her expectantly. He always looked as though he were emotionally numb, so she couldn’t tell if he were exasperated with her or not. She cleared her throat and began reciting the textbook answer to his question.

“Run the signal through the ship or station database to see if there are any similar signals. Run the signal through the Universal Translator for it to begin working on a pattern analysis. Determine frequency modulation. Most intelligent species modulate distress signals on a high bandwidth to cut through subspace interference. Contact your commanding officer to inform them you believe you have either a distress signal, or a standard First Contact communication attempt.”

Spock nodded. “Correct, Cadet Uhura.”

Spock’s eyebrows furrowed slightly before he moved on to question other cadets on upcoming material for their midterm examinations. Uhura went back to gazing out of the window, and spotted Kirk and McCoy walking alongside one another on the campus grounds, absorbed in conversation. Kirk was especially animated. Uhura struggled to read his lips, which was something she’d learned to do in classes that focused on communicating with deaf persons.

…first name? You’re supposed to…best friend, Bones!

I promised her I wouldn’t…be right to break my word...

Uhura smiled. Kirk was trying to weasel her first name from McCoy, who wasn’t going to tell.

I’d go out with her is what it looked like Kirk said.

I told you, she’s too young—

Oh, bullshit, Bones. You haven’t been laid since your divorce, you’re just scared—


That’s just great, Jim. Why don’t you shout my business out for the whole goddamned Academy to hear?

Look who’s shouting now—

“Uhura!” Gaila hissed, kicking her on the shin. She’d been concentrating so hard on properly interpreting Kirk and McCoy’s conversation she’d completely forgotten she was in class. Several students laughed out loud as the end of class siren sounded.

“Cadet Uhura, I’d like you to remain after class.”

Uhura sighed. “Yes, sir, Mr. Spock.”

***

“Hasn’t been laid since his divorce?” Gaila gushed, back in their dorm. “Tell me again what Jim said.”

Uhura restrained herself from rolling her eyes. She was sorry she’d told Gaila what she’d witnessed between Kirk and McCoy.

“I told you, Jim said Leonard hasn’t been with anyone since his divorce.”

“That’s almost three years,” Gaila said. She stared off at the wall. “Mmmm…a man in that situation is very vigorous—”

“Don’t you even think about seducing him!”

Gaila looked scandalized. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Nyota! He’s your man.”

“You keep calling him my man, he’s not.”

“He is, you just don’t realize it yet. He’s been yours since that day at the clinic two weeks ago. It’s a good thing we’re going to his place tonight.”

“What?” Uhura sat her data padd down and looked back at her roommate.

“You really need to start getting ready. Jim invited us over for a double, and I said yes, for both of us.”

“You can’t speak for me like that!”

“Like you don’t want to. Just put on something nice that shows a lot of leg. If I were you, I’d wear these.”

Gaila reached into her underwear drawer and pulled out a pair of indecent, white lacy panties that had a red heart over the crotch.

“No way. I wouldn’t dare.”

Gaila laughed, rich and throaty, and said, “They’ll drive McCoy mad with lust. He sees these and you’ll have to call security to get him off of you! Not that you would.”

She winked and went over to the shower stall in the corner of the room. The water started to run and Uhura picked the panties up. They looked like they’d be uncomfortable to wear, but they were cute…in a whorish sort of way. She considered the possibilities for the evening and knew in her heart she wasn’t going to say no to the double date. She’d at least get to be in his presence, and McCoy, who was also a member of the staff and teaching medical classes at the Academy since he was a doctor before joining the Fleet, had larger quarters with partitioned bedrooms and a full service kitchen, rather than a replicator in the corner. It could be fun…

Deciding she wouldn’t get any studying done this Friday night, Uhura put away her things and stepped into the shower when Gaila was finished.

***

Uhura wished she had butterflies, rather than angry bats, clawing around in her stomach as she and Gaila materialized in front of the senior staff dorms. Theirs had a fountain out front and a garden in the back.

“This is so exciting,” Gaila said. “Jim’s never been allowed to bring women back to his place. McCoy doesn’t like it.”

“You’ve never been here? Not even when Leonard’s gone?”

“No, but Jim told me which one is theirs. Twenty fifth floor, suite 2510.”

They rode the lift up to the 25^th floor, which was half way up the tower, and found 2510 a few doors down the hall. Jim Kirk answered, dressed in jeans and a teeshirt, looking the role of the bad ass. He flirted with her, as usual, and as usual Uhura ignored him.

The apartment was spotless and roomy. The living room alone was nearly twice the size of the unit she and Gaila shared. The windows took up the entire back wall, offering a stunning view of the Golden Gate bridge and Academy grounds.

“Bones, they’re here!” Jim called.

McCoy came out from his room, and Uhura almost gasped. He was dressed in a black turtleneck and loose fitting gray slacks, with a leather jacket. He hadn’t shaved in a few days, either, and looked handsomely grizzled.

“I just have to shave,” he said, self-consciously rubbing his chin. Uhura felt let down, but didn’t object.

“He looks good enough to eat,” Gaila commented, eyeing McCoy with open lust. Uhura reminded herself that it was simply Gaila’s nature to lust after people, male and female alike.

“What about me?” Kirk asked, looking himself over.

“You do too,” she cooed, and began kissing him. It went on long enough for Uhura to clear her throat.

They broke apart, and Kirk led them further into the room to have a seat on a couch that faced the windows.

They made small talk and McCoy mixed them drinks. Uhura sipped hers, and took a seat beside him. After about an hour, Kirk and Gaila weren’t aware they had company in the room. She put one long, green leg up on Kirk’s lap and he began stroking her thigh, kissing her deeply.

McCoy cleared his throat in a repeat of Uhura from earlier in the evening. Kirk looked around. “We’re going to retire. You kids have fun.”

“I thought we were going out for dinner?” McCoy said. He was obviously uncomfortable with the idea of being left alone with Uhura.

“We can later. I have something I want to do first.”

Gaila giggled as Kirk picked her up, spun her around, and headed for his bedroom.

“Sorry,” McCoy said to her. “I thought he’d be a little more sociable.”

“Really? Even after living with him for two years?”

McCoy grinned. “I should know better by now, I guess. Another drink?”

“No, thank you. I like to stay sober on a weekend I plan to spend studying.”

“I should study too. The command classes are kicking my ass. Damn it, I’m a doctor, not a commando.”

Uhura laughed. She loved it when he said I’m a doctor, not a… He was smiling at her now.

“So, tell me a little about your life before Starfleet,” Uhura said, kicking off her shoes and putting her legs up. She’d forgotten about how short her dress was, and wasn’t consciously thinking of it, though McCoy certainly noticed. He cleared his throat.

“Well, I had my own practice right here in San Francisco for three years. I got married, had a daughter, divorced, lost everything in said divorce, now I'm in the Academy trying to pick up the pieces.”

Uhura honestly couldn't imagine anyone treating Leonard McCoy with such heartless cruelty. “I’m sorry.”

McCoy shrugged. “I’m not. Starfleet’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I was all work and no play before I met Jim. I took myself way too seriously.”

“I’m guilty of that,” Uhura said. “I try too hard to be perfect, and I always fail.”

They lapsed into silence.

“So, you have a daughter?” she asked, trying to think of something to say.

“Yeah. What about you? Want children some day?”

“I don’t know, probably. Right now I want to concentrate on my career.”

McCoy nodded, and then downed whatever he was drinking (it smelled like scotch) in one. When the burn settled, he glanced away from her and said, somewhat shyly.

“You look lovely tonight, Nyo—Uhura.”

There was something in his voice, something vulnerable and sweet, that made her smile.

“You can still call me Nyota—when Jim isn’t around. And…you look good too, Leonard. Good enough to eat.”

She’d never called him Leonard to his face, but that wasn’t what made him swallow. It was being told he looked good enough to eat.

He hasn’t been laid in a few years, Uhura thought. If I make a move, I’ll bet he wouldn’t play too hard to get…

She slid closer to him on the couch. He remained still, looking sideways at her, his body tense.

“I’m younger than you, true, but I’m old enough to know what I want. I want to get to know you outside of class. I want to get to know what kind of man you are. I want to be your friend.”

She reached down and touched his hand, which was wrapped tightly around the glass in his lap. He cleared his throat and said, in a really husky voice, “My friend?”

“I’d like more than that. A lot more, if you’re willing to give it a chance.”

The silence of the room was broken by the tapping of rain on the windows. Summer was fading, fall was coming in wet and ferocious. Under the sound of the rain was another sound—Gaila’s moaning. It should have been embarrassing, but it added to the tension between Uhura and McCoy.

She reached out and stroked his face. He turned to face her, and didn’t pull away when she allowed her hand to lazily roam down his hard, muscled chest. She wanted to take it slow, lest she scare him off—

She wasn’t prepared for him to lean in and deftly slip his tongue into her parted lips. He leaned into her, kissing her slowly and deeply, and she returned it, feeling need and tension build in the core of her body.


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