the bridge {. uhura .}

[DR. LEONARD McCOY]

McCoy stood on the bridge of the Enterprise, arms folded with a grim look on his face. He clenched his jaw and stared out the window, watching a few workers fix up the ship. A few minor injuries to her hull that needed to be buffed out. Nothing severe. Either way, he watched them work while they had no idea he was looking. He chose not to leave on Shoreleave for the fact that there was no one on the planet that would really be thrilled to see him. All of his friends were on the ship, but they had family to tend to on the planet and he wasn't about to intrude on that. Instead, he chose to be alone on the bridge, trying to use that as an excuse to take up hours in the day.

The good thing about this was that he didn't have to shave or wear those tight uniforms. He wore a dark brown leather jacket over a somewhat loose gray shirt. Also some black cargo pants with steel toed boots. Always good props to show someone that he would kick their ass if they got on his bad side. He never did though. McCoy was a gentle man when it came to physical fighting. He just had a big aggressive mouth.

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

The African born young woman pulled the blue dress over her slender body and looked at herself in the mirror. She lookd like a completely different person. Normal. She wore her hair down, the black/brown color in waves against her shoulders. She wore little to no makeup on her beautiful face as she ran her hand through her hair. She looked at her body for a moment, wondering if it was safe to walk out like this. She then sighed as she stepped out of her private quarters and into the halls. She had made plans to visit with her parents before the shore leave ended. They wanted to congratulate her on her ranking so highly already and wish her luck on future missions. However, her mind was a bit busy. She knew that she should feel pride in the fact that she's been placed in such an important role, especially since she was still a green pupil.

Uhura looked toward the bridge and figured it wouldn't hurt to take one last look before she went to dinner with her family. She loved the ship more than she ever thought she would, and leaving it made her feel a little bit of separation anxiety. When her slender, dark legs stepped onto the bridge, her dark eyes met with the bulky form of Dr. McCoy. She had seen him earlier during their latest mission, but the two of them never really spoke. She stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around herself and looked up at him.

"Not ready to leave yet?" She asked him gently as she ran her hand up to her lips and stroked her bottom one.

[DR. LEONARD McCOY]

McCoy tilted his head so at least one of his eyes could see the door of the bridge. He heard it open and saw Lt. Uhura standing there before letting herself in. As soon as he knew who it was, he looked back out the window and pretended she wasn't there. McCoy wasn't usually the one to say 'how are you' or even a 'hi' so he just stood, silent. He felt a presence beside him and again he looked to the side to see her finding a place right next to the man. He rose an eyebrow, confused at why she decided to approach him. They barely said anything to each other unless it was work related. But there they were, almost standing like twins with something riddling their minds.

She was pretty, but not really his type. Too thin for his taste and he couldn't really understand why everyone was throwing themselves at her on the ship. She must be exhausted from all the attention and he felt sorry for her beauty. He only acknowledged the beauty, but didn't jump her for it. His taste was for the hourglass curves, but he did also appreciate her feisty ways. They seemed similar in that aspect. If he thought about it too hard, he would figure that they would be friends if they talked.

"Don't plan on leaving." He said with a gruff tone, glaring back out the window as though he had a death sentence to give to the workers on the ship.

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

Uhura and McCoy never really formally introduced themselves to each other. She knew of his demeanor and the way he was with people. She admired his bluntness in the situations they have both been in. He was honest and she appreciated that of him. Honesty was important to Uhura, and she valued it in most cases. However, secrets could be important too. She watched as he looked from her to the window, speaking to her in that gruff tone. He said he hadn't planned on leaving and she nodded her head and followed his gaze out to the workers who were repairing the hull.

"Ah, I see. Either you don't want to leave, or there's nothing to leave to." She stated, looking back to him. She didn't want to pry into his personal life, it really wasn't any of her business, but Uhura did want to at least be mild friends with the doctor. They were colleagues, comrades, and she hoped that one day they would be on a civil basis with one another. Lately, since shore leave began, drama has been finding Uhura wherever she stepped. Maybe getting to know McCoy would help relieve such pressures.

"I hope I'm not disrupting you. It would be nice to be on decent terms, you and I." She said gently, brushing hair out of her face as she looked from him to the window, watching the works go as he was. Uhura was aware of the male attention she was getting on the ship, but it wasn't like she was asking for it. The only attention from a male that she wanted was from Spock, but even that was lucky for her. Uhura cared more about her job, than her social life, but she figured that sustaining healthy relationships with members of the crew was important for morale. Besides, everyone needed friends.

[DR. LEONARD McCOY]

Uhura was so small and young that if he ever decided to hug her, she may suffocate from his chest and arms enveloping her body. It was an interesting thought and he rose a curious brow to it. Of course he would never think of doing such a thing, but it was an amusing cartoon in his mind. "Both. There is nothing to leave to so I don't want to leave." He put it blatantly with a shrug of his broad shoulders. He usually didn't feel so massive around his best friend, but standing next to her made him feel like a giant.

He glanced down at her, feeling her eyes gazing at him as though she was trying too hard to have a conversation with the doctor. "Don't worry. You don't have to talk to me. I'll still save your life if you come into sickbay. I'm not the type to hold grudges for someone not saying hello. I'm not a teenager that insists on drama at every damn turn." McCoy rose his eyebrow further, noticing her age before giving that last sentence some thought. "No offense." He said to her with a clenched jaw and an overly scratchy sound to his voice. It didn't mean anything. It was just the way he spoke.

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

McCoy's bluntness made Uhura chuckle as she looked away from him to look out the window. He spoke, saying that she didn't need to speak with him, the thing was, she wanted to speak to him. She was interested in pursuing a friendship with the chief medical officer on the ship, he intrigued her in a way. He wasn't like anyone else on the ship, he was honest, blunt, and he didn't really care what anyone else thought of him. Uhura was the same, only she held onto tact in most situations. She was a very headstrong young woman, and she knew who she could easily associate herself with. McCoy may not notice it just yet, but she could see them being good friends.

"Oh, I'm not forcing myself to talk to you, Dr. McCoy. I just wanted to get to know you. Nothing wrong with innocent banter every now and then." She said with a smile before looking away from the window then looked back to McCoy. She shrugged her shoulders, looking down at her hands as she tugged at her dress gently before looking back up at him.

"Unless of course I bug you." She said with a laugh and a shrug. She turned toward him as she ran her hands up her arms. She could tell that he was going to be difficult to befriend at first, but then again, she was up for the challenge. She was in love with an emotionally challenged man, McCoy may just be a walk in the park to befriend.

[DR. LEONARD McCOY]

McCoy watched her laugh and rose his eyebrow again. She was interesting and refreshing compared to everyone who thought the good doctor had a stick shoved up his ass. It was just the tough guy persona that he held quite well, though he never really got into any physical fights. It was always verbal and he always proved the other guy wrong before they could even throw a punch. Instead they would sit there and scratch their heads while McCoy walked away with a high sense of pride. He was really quite a deep man. Affectionate and caring, but no one seemed to care to see that unless they were being operated on by him. He wasn't used to laughter for his blunt and sarcastic remarks, but it was nice to see.

The corner of his mouth twitched as though he were going to laugh with her, but he never did. "Hm. Well aren't you the risk taker?" He grunted with a smug eye roll, only going off from what everyone else said about him. "I take it you have nothing better to do?" McCoy asked her, turning his head toward her instead of just his eyes. "You could be talking to one of your many adoring fans, but here you're talking to me, who doesn't give a rats ass about getting you in bed. Any particular reason why?" He said blatantly, gazing at her as though he was ready for a slap in the face or a scream fest, but he also thought that she wasn't that type of person. She was pretty blunt herself, but she had the looks going for her so no one seemed to notice. He was just being truthful.

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

Uhura was aware that she had a few friendly people in her midst, but didn't know that other people were aware of it as well. When McCoy brought it up, she looked away, laughing a little. She didn't ask for the male attention, it just happened. She looked him with a shake of her head as she leaned against a man station, her hair falling over her bare shoulders as she ran her hands up her arms.

"Maybe I would prefer to be around someone who is honest and true. And I think that person is you, Dr. McCoy. Its refreshing. I could use just a friend." She said, looking up at the older man with a gentle smile. She was being honest, seeing as how she didn't have many real friends. She could use someone to be blunt and honest with her. She could see McCoy telling her she's being an idiot about something and the thought was welcomed. She could use someone like him trying to keep her head in the game.

"I could use your blunt nature." She said and looked down at the floor, her eyes scanning for a moment before she looked back up at the doctor with a warm smile.

[DR. LEONARD McCOY]

McCoy moved his arms around a bit as they were folded together across his chest. This was something he wasn't used to in people. He was telling her how it was and she wasn't getting mad with him. Either way, he would tell her if she was irritated or not. It was just that she didn't seem to mind. "You're not my type, so don't rub up against me like a cat or anything... I'm allergic." He said, taking a step to the side for more of an effect to get away from her. Part of his mind thought that her comment seemed to be advancing on him, but the other part thought that he was as refreshing to her as she was to him. At least, in this instance of meeting with each other. He was used to unintelligent retorts or getting divorced as punishment for speaking his mind. Seeing as she was intelligent, not getting angry, and not married to him, it was obviously nice for the doctor to experience laughter.

He moved his hand to his chin, stroking it gently as he stared at the floor. "Use it for what?" He asked after a moment of assessment to the situation, looking back over to her smiling face.

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

Uhura let out a hearty laugh at the cat comment. She had no plans of rubbing against him like a feline. She wasn't attracted to the big oaf, not that he was unattractive, it was just she felt something else. She wasn't interested, and it was obvious he wasn't either. She liked that, she appreciated his indifference to her and she hoped he would understand that.

"Trust me, I am in no means interested in rubbing against you. So you can calm yourself." She said with another genuine laugh. It felt good to laugh again as she tightened her arms around herself as she shifted her gaze from the floor to McCoy as he asked what she would use it for. She sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"I'm not used to people being so blatantly honest with me. It's about time." She stated simply and looked up at him with her tightened jaw and a shrug of her slender shoulders. It was true, people tended to treat her life a frail animal, worried they would break her. But at least with McCoy, she would at least have someone who wouldn't lie to her.

[DR. LEONARD McCOY]

McCoy pursed his lips and tightened his jaw at her laughter. "You're the one who gets all the attention on this ship. I get nothing. So thanks for laughing and bringing my self esteem up." He grumbled through clenched teeth, speaking out of the side of his mouth and averting eye contact. It didn't bother him. He was used to being in the background of everything while his best friend got every girl that ever crossed him. The doctor got stuck with the jerk who couldn't keep his mouth shut about the night he spent with whoever it had been the day before. Oh well. He was used to getting turned down or ignored. McCoy and women weren't on the best of terms anyway. He resented them for suggesting to his wife to divorce him. They all gathered together and plotted against the doctor. And after he saved lives, he was treated like shit. He didn't see the sense in all of that, but he didn't care anymore. He just liked voicing his objections to it.

"Well if you were looking for that, you've come to the right place, kid." He said, looking at her. He thought her frame was frail, but not her mind. It seemed she could keep up with him and not pay any mind to his bitter comments. McCoy bit the inside of his lip and eyed her carefully, thinking he should probably jump after her if they were in a crisis. She would get the most hurt with a thin frame like that.

[LT. NYOTA UHURA]

Uhura looked to him with a raised eyebrow at his defensiveness. She didn't take it personally as she just nodded her head. She shrugged her shoulders as she ran her hands down her arms. She didn't know anything about his life, so she didn't know what would merit such a response, but she didn't question it. It wasn't for her to question. She looked down at her feet as she kicked them forward a bit before she lifted her gaze back to him when he stated that she came to the right guy. Then, he called her kid. Kid...No one called her that. Normally, she would get all pissy about it, but for some reason, it sounded right coming from him.

"Good to know, big guy." She said with a smile for him. She felt like something nice was starting between them. A trust was building and for some reason unknown to her, she felt safe around him. Maybe she could turn to him if she really needed to. It would be nice to have someone to rely on when the going got tough. He seemed like the type to not turn someone away if they really needed. He was a doctor after all. It was his job to help people. She leaned off the panel and turned to him.

"Well I better get going, my parents are waiting." She said and started for the door. She then stopped when she body was side by side with his before she slowly looked back up at him.

"Be seein' ya, McCoy." She said and with that, the lithe woman exited the bridge and went off down the hall. She held a genuine smile as she continued on down the hall, holding herself as she exited off the ship.

[DR. LEONARD McCOY]

McCoy couldn't help but smirk at her raised eyebrow. It was almost as if she had seen him raise his own all the time and it just caught on, but he figured that wasn't the case. It was just funny to think about. He gently nudged her in the arm with his elbow and cracked a rare smile. "Lighten up, Kid. I was just trying to get you...uncomfortable, I guess. Don't mind me." He rubbed his arm with a large hand and shook his head with the smile still peaking on his lips.

"Ah...thanks. Now that was the compliment I was looking for." He smirked again, looking out the window. It felt nice to smile even after he had a natural frown to his lips. He didn't really know why he was, but he didn't mind it much. The smile faded after he started to stare at one of the workers again. Assholes touching the ship. Probably giving it worms. He noticed she had spoken and turned to her again. "Oh. Well alright then. Have fun with the ol' geizers." He smiled again, his face almost seeming to soften for a moment. "Be seein' ya." He repeated back to her with a nod of his head, watching her leave before turning back to the window. "Good kid." McCoy mumbled to himself before his face turned back into the scowl it usually showed. "God damn it! Watch what you're doing, asshole!" He yelled at a worker, who obviously couldn't hear the restless doctor.