1) He thinks of himself as Leonard. Not Len, not Leo, not Lenny, not even Bones. Leonard. In fact, he won't tolerate nicknames, mispronounciations (well, okay, maybe if there's an alien involved and he has to be diplomatic), or the alteration of his name in any way, shape, or form. Jim, and Jim only, gets to call him Bones, and that's because Jim is special, and worse, knows it. Dammit.
2) "Do no harm" is his first and most serious vow, the one he will not foreswear for the world. This is the one rule even Jim will never ask him to break. Because he is in Starfleet, he will act in the defense of himself and his comrades, but he will never shoot to kill. However, just because he doesn't want to fight doesn't mean that he won't, or that he's not good at it.
3) He's a grumpy cynical bastard because the universe is an unrelentingly dark, cold place. Jim, though, is the warmest part of it. The kid looks after Leonard's back, and Leonard looks after his. Especially after that one time with Spock... But because the world is that crummy, he's very careful about how much he opens himself up to it. Luckily, after all these years Jim finally knows that every time Leonard calls him a "stupid infant" he's really saying "I love you."
4) He is a proper Southern gentleman because that's the way his Mama taught him. He treats women with respect. He treats men with respect too, once they've actually, y'know, earned it. Above all, no bond is tighter or more revered than that of family. What the Enterprise crew learns, some quicker than others, over the years is that Leonard considers them his family.
5) Jim gets him. He gets Jim. Not everyone gets them. That's okay. If someone asks him why he and the kid are together, he'll usually snort and say something rude. But if he's had a little too much bourbon, or hell, maybe he's just feeling sentimental, he'll quote Kipling's "The Thousandth Man" for you. The whole thing. And if Jim overhears, he'll grin that little grin of his, and get that look in his eye, and sometimes finish the recitation with him--in unison.
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branchandroot
Five Things About Bones
Date: 2011-01-14 12:29 am (UTC)2) "Do no harm" is his first and most serious vow, the one he will not foreswear for the world. This is the one rule even Jim will never ask him to break. Because he is in Starfleet, he will act in the defense of himself and his comrades, but he will never shoot to kill. However, just because he doesn't want to fight doesn't mean that he won't, or that he's not good at it.
3) He's a grumpy cynical bastard because the universe is an unrelentingly dark, cold place. Jim, though, is the warmest part of it. The kid looks after Leonard's back, and Leonard looks after his. Especially after that one time with Spock... But because the world is that crummy, he's very careful about how much he opens himself up to it. Luckily, after all these years Jim finally knows that every time Leonard calls him a "stupid infant" he's really saying "I love you."
4) He is a proper Southern gentleman because that's the way his Mama taught him. He treats women with respect. He treats men with respect too, once they've actually, y'know, earned it. Above all, no bond is tighter or more revered than that of family. What the Enterprise crew learns, some quicker than others, over the years is that Leonard considers them his family.
5) Jim gets him. He gets Jim. Not everyone gets them. That's okay. If someone asks him why he and the kid are together, he'll usually snort and say something rude. But if he's had a little too much bourbon, or hell, maybe he's just feeling sentimental, he'll quote Kipling's "The Thousandth Man" for you. The whole thing. And if Jim overhears, he'll grin that little grin of his, and get that look in his eye, and sometimes finish the recitation with him--in unison.