The alarm sounded too early for Leonard's liking, causing him to jolt into consciousness. He reached out with his left arm and smacked the offending object, before running his hands through his hair and scratching. Leonard sighed deeply and shifted in the bed, before bringing his arm back to its spot against Jim's back.

Wait. What?

Memories of the evening before slammed into his thoughts, and Leonard resisted the urge to groan loudly. Of all the stupid things he had ever done, sleeping with Jim Kirk had to have been near the top of the list.

Still, at least it had been a pleasurable experience.

Beside him, Jim groaned in protest. He left out a few sleepy grumbles before he roll onto his stomach, pushing Leonard further against the wall. The sheet was riding low on them both, and it gave Leonard a few view of Jim's back. He double checked that Jim was still asleep before investigating.

The light showed Leonard what his hands had felt last night. He lifted his head to gain a better look, and felt his stomach knot as he gazed over. Jim's entire back was a mess of thin white lines – signs of badly healed scars. They ran from the top of his neck and down past where the sheet cut out Leonard's line of vision. Most were criss-crossed with one another, although a few ran as low as far as Jim's side. These were slightly darker in color, as if they had torn the flesh more. Judging by the color, whatever had caused this had happened years before, possibly in Jim's childhood. Leonard had never seen such scarring in a person in his entire life. The thing that scared him the most was the design; these weren't from hands, or even from incidents of a bar fight – someone in the past had taken a strap, possibly a belt or (Leonard shuddered at the thought) a whip to Jim Kirk's back.

The mere thought sickened him.

Jim groaned again, as Leonard shifted and sleepy blue eyes blinked open. He squinted at the light pouring into the room, and buried his head back in a pillow. "Whattimeisit?" He mumbled, his words slurring together.

Leonard grinned; lucky he was fluent in Jim-Speak. "A little after nine in the morning. I gave you enough time for a shower, if you want one."

Jim snorted into the pillow. "I don't think I have a choice. I can't go to class smelling like sex." The younger man rolled over on his back and sat up, letting the sheet curl around his waist. He rubbed his hands over his face. "God, I don't even feel like moving. Do you think they'll let me slide if I miss just one test?"

"I really don't think you should test that theory."

"Me either." Jim sighed, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. He grabbed his pants from the floor and stuck his legs in, pulled the jeans up, leaving the front undone. Jim scratched the back of his head in an absent minded manner, tilting his head as though he were in thought. "I don't have a uniform . . . you don't suppose yours would fit me?"

"They'd probably be slightly big, but you might able to get away with it." Leonard answer, sitting up. "I'll try to find you one while you shower. You're on a time limit, kid. Hop to it."

Jim blinked. "Did you seriously just tell me to "hop to it.""?

"Old expression from my mother." Leonard explained. "Go." He waited until Jim had stepped into the shower to get up from the bed. Despite the events of the previous evening, he felt uncomfortable in the light of the morning. Looking for his pants, he found them at the foot of the bed. As he bent over to pick them up, Leonard felt his back protest the movement. Great.

"Leonard McCoy, you are too old to be doing things like this." He mumbled to himself. He pulled on his pants and padded over to the closet. He found a spare uniform, one he himself had yet to wear. It would be slightly large on Jim, but the uniforms would probably still fit. With that taken care of, Leonard looked around the apartment and cringed. The remains of the dinner he had shared with Jim last night still sat on the small table, along with the drinks and cooking utensils.

Leonard was putting away clean plates when Jim came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. "Sorry," He apologized, not sounding apologetic in the slightest. "I forgot most of my clothing out here. Ah! You found a uniform!" He gave a grin toward Leonard and grabbed it. Forgoing any modesty, he dropped the towel and started pulling on the uniform. Leonard turned, attempting to give him some room to get dressed. It was all he could do not to look.

"You're safe to look, Bones." Jim teased. The man grabbed a comb from the night stand and ran in through his short hair. Leonard grabbed another uniform from his closet and tossed it over one arm.

"If you'll wait a few moments, I'll walk with you to the class."

"Okay."

Knowing he was running short on time, Leonard ducked into the bathroom. The first thing he did was brush his teeth - after the events of last night, it felt good to have a clean mouth again. While doing this, he applied the daily necessities and somehow managed to put his clothing on. After rising his mouth out with mouthwash, Leonard wet a comb and ran it through his hair. At least he looked presentable.

Jim was poking around his room when he came out. The younger man grinned at Leonard. "You clean up well, Bones."

"I do my best." Leonard led them out of the room, and kept walking down the hall. They were quiet for most of the trip, both focused inside their own heads. He followed Jim through the main building, a shortcut Jim often used to get to his classes faster. As they entered the building, Leonard turned to Jim. "Do you want to grab something to eat after you get out of class?"

"I've actually got plans for later on." Jim admitted, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. "We could eat after you get off of work, if you wanted."

"I'm on shift until ten." Leonard said, frowning. "You've got plans? What exactly are you doing today."

Jim blinked at him. "I'm having a late lunch with a girl from one of my classes. We're supposed to grab something to eat after she finishes for the day, then maybe grab a few drinks at the bar. Why?"

Leonard had to resist the urge to stop in their track and give Jim a look of complete disbelief. "You have a date?" He repeated.

"I wouldn't call it a date. I'm eating and having a few drinks with a girl, that's all."

That didn't make him feel better. "Which girl?"

"Her name's Gaila." Jim said. He stopped at one of the vending machines and grabbed a drink, turning back to Leonard and tugged on his arm, beginning a slow pace toward the doors. "She's been wanting us to go out for a while, so I finally gave in to her. Why?"

"You're going out with the Orion?" Leonard asked, his eyes wide.

Jim frowned. "Bones, what's the matter?"

This was exactly the reason Leonard knew last night was going to come back to haunt him. He couldn't help the bitter feeling that was slowly creeping into his mood. "Nothing's the matter. I'm sure Gaila will be a terrific partner."

Jim stopped walked, his eyebrow furrowing as he looked at Leonard. "What is that supposed to mean, exactly?"

"I think you know exactly what I mean."

For the first time, Jim's face began to lose it's carefree appearance. "Enlighten me."

Leonard thought for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. "Let me get this straight. You tell me last night that what happened between us wasn't just another one of your one night stands. Yet, less than ten hours later, you've already got a date with another person?"

"It's not a date!" Jim exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "Gaila and I made plans earlier last week, and I"m following through with them. Trust me, Bones. I wasn't lying to you last night."

Leonard took a deep breath. "Okay, so you weren't lying. But you are going to be late for your test, and you still need to study before you go in."

Jim stood his ground. "This is more important that my damn test."

"And your passing the academy is more important than this conversation." Leonard argued. "Go to your test, and go out on your date. I have to go to work. We'll . . talk tonight or something."

For a moment, it looked as though Jim wasn't going to follow through. Eventually, he rolled his eyes and exited the doors of the building. Leonard followed him. Jim turned to him again, grinning. The kid's moods were about to throw Leonard for a loop. "What are you so happy about?" he grumbled.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"No, I don't suppose you do."

Jim let him hang for a moment, before turning to him as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "I'm taking the test again."

Leonard knew Jim wasn't talking about the test he was scheduled for in thirty minutes. He rolled his eyes and stared at his friend. "You've got to be kidding me."

"No, and I want you there."

"You know," Leonard grumbled, feeling his mood becoming darker with every second. How in the world could his morning have gone from something so great, to this within forty five minutes? "I have better things to do than watch you embarrass yourself for a third time."

Jim turned to face him, staring at him directly. "Bones, it doesn't bother you no one has ever passed the test?"

"Jim, it's the Kobayashi Maru. No one passes the test, and you don't go back for seconds, let alone thirds!"

They stared at one another for a moment, and Leonard wondered if Jim was going to challenge him. Instead, Jim broke into a bright grin. It might have worked if he hadn't know that's what the kid did when he was upset about something. Jim slapped him on the shoulder.

"I gotta study!" He announced.

'I"m sure' Leonard thought to himself. 'Like the studying we did last night'. "Study my ass." he mumbled to himself, waving an arm at Jim. Maybe work would keep his mind off of things.

Jim showed up at his room at almost eleven thirty. Leonard hoped the kid could be quick - it was going to be a long night no matter how he looked at it. He hesitated for a moment, then punched the button that allowed Jim entrance. He entered, holding a pizza box.

"I took the left over pizza from my roommate." Jim explained, setting it on the table. "He was going to throw it out. I don't know why he keeps doing that. He only eats half the pizza and he throws the rest away. It's a waste of food! Hell, I know some first years that would gladly take the pizza off of his hands."

While he talked, Jim grabbed a slice and sprawled himself on the couch. Leonard took the box and put it in the mini fridge, before returning to his bed and picking up his PADD. There was an awkward silence before Jim finally spoke again.

"You're still pissed at me, aren't you?"

"I wasn't pissed at you to begin with."

"Bullshit." Jim stated, taking another bite of his pizza. "You've been pissy with me since I stated I was going out to eat with Gaila. What, I'm not allowed to have other friends now?"

Jim was trying to bait him, and Leonard wasn't rising to the challenge. "How did the date go?"

"I told you, it wasn't a date. Nothing exciting happened."

When Leonard didn't reply, Jim finished off his piece and rubbed his hands on his pants. "Look, I don't know what I did to piss you off, but whatever it was, I'm sorry. I"ll fix it."

"There's nothing to fix." Leonard said, honestly. He shrugged. "You can't help it that I'm a bitter old man. Let me sleep it off. I'll be better tomorrow."

"What's there to be bitter about?"

Leonard bit his lip, uncertain if he really wanted to start down this path of conversation. Deciding there was really no other option, he sat aside his PADD and looked Jim in the eye. "I told you, I don't want to be another one of your nameless fucks."

Jim rubbed the back of his neck. "I told you that you're not. I"m still here, aren't I?"

"Point taken, but you didn't let me finish. We had . . fun last night. Hell, it was probably the best night I've had in . . . God, I don't even know how many years." Leonard knew he was probably blushing, and tried not to focus on that. "Yet immedietly after we wake up, you inform me you have a date. Jim, I've known you for three years. I know how you end your dates with girls."

Jim flushed, and the first signs of anger began to appear on his face. "Bones, nothing happened."

"What exactly do you define as nothing."

The small shift showed Leonard he was on to something. "We ate dinner, had a few drinks at the bar, and discussed situations on the Kobayashi Maru. Gaila works in that department - she was helpful!"

Jim screeched his neck again, and the light hit a spot directly behind Jim's ear lobe. A red spot, and one that hadn't been there this morning. Leonard frowned deeply.

"That's a nice hickey on your neck. It must have been a deep conversation."

He knew he had pushed the right buttons. Without another word, Jim grabbed his jacket and headed toward the door. Leonard bolted up from his seat and grabbed Jim's wrist, trying to stop him from leaving. Jim jerked his hand from Leonard's grasp, sending a furious look in his direction. "Don't fucking touch me." He growled. "You've made your case, and you've obviously proven yourself right. What more do you want?"

"The truth."

"I made out with her." Jim threw his hands up in defeat. "Nothing else happened, and if you want proof, ask her roommate. She walked in on us and kicked me out."

"Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?"

"And hand over the ammunition?" Jim shot back.

Leonard took a deep breath. "Okay, okay. So I got my feelings hurt."

Jim stared at him for a few seconds, before deciding to voice his opinion. "Look, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. What happened had nothing at all to do with you. First of all, I promised you things would change, and that we wouldn't act like it never happened. I never promised that I would stop seeing others, so you can't send me on that guilt trip."

Leonard nodded.

"Second, you don't have to ride my ass about everything. I'm a grown man, Bones. I can handle myself, believe it or not. My day was actually going pretty fucking good until an hour ago."

"My day was fine until you mentioned your date."

"I'll stop eating with people. Will that make you happen?" Jim rubbed his face.

Leonard gave up. He nodded and turned around, moving back to the bed and to his study materials. He and Jim were going in circles at this point.

Jim stood at the door, as if he were trying to decide if he should leave or not. "I don't know how to make you happy. Every time I try, I end up fucking things up."

"I'm sorry." Leonard said, honestly meaning it. "I shouldn't have said anything and I over reacted. You're right, you didn't promise me anything."

That earned him a careless shrug. "You didn't over react. It's what people expect from a man whore."

Leonard rolled his eyes. "You're not a whore."

The look Jim gave him clearly said 'Don't shit me'. Leonard sent him one back. "I'm your best friend. I happen to know you don't sleep around near as much as what you like people to think." When Jim didn't reply, Leonard looked up from his PADD. Jim was leaning against a wall, and chewing on his bottom lip, his eyes focused on the floor. Leonard spoke softly "Jim."

Jim looked up.

"What do you want?"

One shoulder went up and Jim sighed. "Honestly? You."

Leonard blinked. "That's . . . new?"

"Gee, thanks."

"I mean it. Last night you said all you wanted was an experiment. Now you want . . me?" Leonard's mind was racing with this information. "Make up your mind, kid."

"I asked you because you're the only man I've ever found slightly attractive. I meant what I said last night, Bones. You're gorgeous." Jim shuffled his feet against the floor, not looking up. Even from his position on the bed, Leonard could see the pink tinge on Jim's cheeks. Leonard scooted things off of the bed and patted the edge. Jim took the hint and crossed the room, sitting on the very edge of the bed.

They stared at one another for a few moments, blue eyes meeting hazel. Leonard swallowed a few times, before reaching over and grabbing one of Jim's hands. Jim looked at it in surprised, blinking back up at Leonard. "Bones?"

"Okay."

"Okay?"

Leonard just nodded, not knowing what else to say. Instead, he changed the subject. "You're taking the Kobayashi Maru again tomorrow? Really?"

"Yeah. Third time's a charm, right?"

He shook his head. "Jim, I don't know that you can beat it. That's nothing against you, it's just the damn test. It's not programed to allow people to win. You know that."

"I have to beat it, Bones." Jim's voice was insistent. "You don't understand that."

"It's not going to be the end of the world if you don't."

"It will for me." Jim set his jaw. "I've never let something like this push me around before, and I've managed to come out of situations people deemed to be losses. There has got to be a way."

Leonard squeezed Jim's hand. "Okay, kid. Give it your best shot."

Jim grinned for the first time since he came in. "When don't I?" The smile faulterd. "Are you going to be there?"

"I'll be there."

"Thank you."

"You know you don't have to ask." Leonard kept his voice soft. He rubbed his face, fighting off the need for sleep. A look at the clock showed it was past one in the morning, and he knew they both had early starts. "Jim, ow really should get to bed."

"Yeah. . . I don't know how that's going to happen." Jim shrugged. "I'll figure out something. The test starts at ten, by the way." He fought off a yawn, releasing his hand from Leonard's and standing. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bones."

He was halfway to the door when a thought struck Leonard. "Jim?"

Jim turned to look at him. "Yeah?"

"If you beat that test tomorrow, I'll take you on a date."

Jim's mouth twitched. "Incentives? I like that."

"Go to sleep, Jim."

The door whooshed shut, and Leonard fell back against the pillows. "Jesus Christ, Leonard McCoy." He mumbled to himself. "You have got to be the biggest fucking idiot the galaxy has ever seen." Somehow, he didn't think he'd be getting much sleep tonight.