Chapter Text
“Uh, what are you doing?”
Bones stared down at the mass of wool in one hand and the knitting needles in the other, then up at Jim. “You realise you’re supposed to knock before entering?”
“You’re in medbay, anyone can come in.”
“Yeah, but it’s polite.”
“More importantly,” Jim questioned, “are you knitting?”
Bones put down the wool and needles. “Christine said I needed an alternative to alcohol,” he said despondently.
“Well, I fully support you in it then, but Starfleet’s yapping at me and I need the medical reports ASAP, so could I support you in it later?”
“Yeah, you’ll have them in twenty minutes.”
“Aaaaagghhh!”
“Doctor?”
Bones looked up and got a slightly frantic gleam in his eyes. “Spock. You have a boring logical brain.” He thrust the mess of wool and knitting needles in his hands at Spock. “Untangle this.”
Spock reluctantly accepted the mess. He stared at it for a long minute, before finding the end and making a quick blur with his hands. He then calmly started wrapping the magically untangled wool into a neat ball. Bones stared in amazement.
Spock handed the wool and needles back to him. “May I enquire as to why you are-,” he paused significantly. “attempting to take up knitting?”
“It’s supposed to be relaxing.” He stared at the wool and mournfully attempted to cast on again. “I must say, I’m not seeing it.”
“Well, I shall leave you to your relaxation, Doctor.”
“Yeah,” he muttered.
Bones flopped down into the chair across the table from Jim and Spock. “I’m going back to alcohol,” he declared.
“No!” Jim exclaimed. “Come on, you can do it.”
“No, Jim. No, I can’t. I cannot knit.”
Jim sighed. “Okay, Bones, have you actually asked anyone to help you learn?”
“And who exactly would you suggest I ask?”
Jim raised his eyebrows. “How about me?”
“Yeah, that’d be very useful.”
“Actually, it would.” Jim got up and gestured for them to follow. “Spock, are you ready to come?”
“I have some work to complete in Lab 3 first.”
“Okay, I’ll see you when you come in. Come on, Bones.”
Jim handed the knitting needles to Bones. “Okay, you’re cast on. Now…” and he proceeded to start knitting on his own.
Two hours later, Bones fell asleep over a decent attempt at the beginning of a scarf. An hour after that, Jim fell asleep next to him, with a half-completed scarf in his lap. That was how Spock found them when he came in half an hour later and turned off the lights before going to sleep himself.