Fic: The Way It Should Be

[disturbinglynic]

Title: The Way It Should Be
Fandom: Star Trek XI
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2587
Warnings: oh lord the cavities, hell, you might even get diabetes
Summary: Jim doesn't think he is good enough for Bones, but Bones knows otherwise.
Disclaimer: If I owned them then I wouldn't have to play with them in stories.
A/N: Written for this prompt at buckleup_meme


Their laughter rang out across the room, reaching inside him, curling around his heart, and shattering it. He wondered how many more times his heart could stand to break before it refused to put itself back together.


Her name was Elizabeth. She was a doctor with a posting on Earth. She was traveling with a bunch of doctors, and had been aboard the Enterprise for a few days now. She had spent almost the entirety of her time so far with Bones, and Bones had definitely been enjoying himself.


Jim had been dealing with it. It hadn’t been easy, but he’d had years of practice repressing his feelings for Bones. This was too much for him to handle though. They were on the observation deck, and Bones and Elizabeth were standing right in front of the glass, looking out.


Bones never got that close to the glass unless he was with Jim. It didn’t matter how safe it was, Bones still didn’t trust it, but somehow, he trusted Jim to keep him safe no matter what. Of course, Bones was right. Jim would always keep Bones safe.


Jim excused himself and headed back to his quarters. He had really hoped that he would be over Bones by now. Instead, every day found him more in love with Bones than the last.


He wasn’t good enough for Bones though. Bones was the perfect southern gentleman, and Jim was, well, there was only one way to put it. Jim was a slut. At least he had been back at the Academy. He’d only had his hand for company since taking over the Enterprise.


Well, if Bones wanted to be with Elizabeth, then he wouldn’t stop him. Besides, from what he had seen of Elizabeth, she was perfect for Bones. There was no way that Jim could compete. He was a delinquent and a slut. Elizabeth was what Jim pictured as the perfect mate for Bones.


Jim went to bed that night with the empty ache that always seemed to be present these days. Except this time, if it was even possible, he felt emptier, and hurt even worse than usual.

*******

“Mornin’ Jim.”


“Bones! Haven’t talked to ya in a few days.”


“Yeah, sorry about that, but Elizabeth is one interesting lady.” Jim couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so helpless. He swallowed around the lump in his throat.


“So, I guess you really like her then.”


“Yeah, I do.” Jim’s brain shut off then and he started rambling.


“You should go for it then, Bones. I wouldn’t stop you if you wanted to head back to Earth with her. She’s perfect for you. Not like me. I could never be good enough for you, but Elizabeth, she’s good for you. She’s definitely better than I could…” Jim trailed off mid-ramble when he realized what he had been saying.


All of those years of keeping his love for Bones a secret and the minute that Bones shows a real interest in someone, he spills his guts. He looked at Bones and was confused by what he saw. It was his ‘Jim, you’re an idiot’ look. He knew that look well. Before he could find out why Bones was giving him that look, he was up and out of the mess hall.


He tried to spend his day on the bridge not thinking about what he had told Bones, but he failed miserably. There was nothing to keep him occupied since they were on their way to the nearest starbase, which is where they would be dropping off Elizabeth and the rest of her group.


As Jim headed back to his quarters after his shift, he realized that for the first time since he had taken over the Enterprise, Bones hadn’t shown up on the bridge, not even once. When Jim reached his quarters, Bones was standing there waiting for him. Before Jim could say anything, Bones spoke up.


“Jim, just let me say this, and then I’ll let you sulk in your quarters.” Bones paused to see if Jim would say anything, and when he didn’t, Bones continued. “You know damn well that I could have had any number of postings back on Earth, but instead, I followed you up into space on this tin can. You’re an even a bigger idiot than I realized if you think for even one second that I would leave you now.”


With that, Bones walked off leaving Jim standing there, mouth gaping, wondering what the hell had just happened.


Jim woke up the following morning to the sound of his comm chiming, letting him know that he had received a message. It was Bones asking Jim to meet him on the observation deck before breakfast. Jim really didn’t want to go, but he needed to be an adult about this, After all, if Bones didn’t leave him, then he’d have to work with him everyday. Also, it would be a shame to lose his best friend.


He hadn’t known what to expect when he got to the observation deck, but he sure as hell hadn’t expected to find Bones and a picnic.


“Come on Jim, sit down and have breakfast with me.” Jim didn’t know what was going on, but since it didn’t seem like Bones was mad, he sat down. Nothing else mattered as long as Bones wasn’t mad.


They each talked about what they had been doing the past few days, and it seemed that Bones was making a point of not mentioning Elizabeth, a fact for which Jim was grateful.


There seemed to be something different about Bones, though Jim couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It was something he could think about on the bridge today. He was in for another boring day since they were still traveling to the starbase, and still wouldn’t arrive until the day after tomorrow.


Bones showed up on the bridge around midday. Jim was happy about this, because it meant that things were back to normal between him and Bones, except, Bones threw him for a loop again.


“You look bored Jim. Want to walk around a bit with me?” Jim looked up at Bones. He was smiling at him, a soft smile that was incredibly rare for Bones. Jim liked that smile. It made Bones seem younger. It made it seem like he had never been married to that evil woman, and that he wasn’t flying around space on this ‘tin can’.


“Alright Bones. You have the con Spock.” They walked in silence for a while, taking a path that was familiar to both. Bones was the first to break the silence.


“So, I hear we’re going to arrive at starbase the day after tomorrow.” Jim took a deep breath before he answered.


“Yeah, are you going to be sad to see Elizabeth go?”


“Elizabeth? Nah. She was sweet, and she was definitely intelligent and extremely interesting, but I won’t miss her when she’s gone.” Silence again. Jim was trying to come up with something clever to say, when Bones broke the silence again.


“So, there is supposed to be this really nice Italian restaurant on the starbase. Would you want to go?”


“Sure Bones. That sounds good.” They both stopped walking then. Their path had led them to sickbay.


“Hey Bones. Sickbay looks slow for once.” Bones chuckled at that.


“The idiots down in engineering haven’t blown anything up for two days now. I think it’s a record.” Jim laughed at that. Scotty and the engineering crew were notorious for the experiments they tried.


“I’m gonna head back to the bridge now Bones. I’ll see ya later.”


“Jim, wait a minute.” Jim stopped and turned to face Bones.


“How about dinner in your quarters tonight instead of the mess?” Jim smiled.


“Yeah Bones. I’d like that.”


Later that day, when Jim had arrived at his quarters after his shift, he began to feel a little nervous. This was the first time the two of them would have dinner in Jim’s quarters since Bones found out how he felt.


He had just finished changing into his civvies, when he heard his door chime. That was funny, Bones usually just walked right in.


Jim’s mouth watered at the sight that greeted him at the door. Bones had changed into a pair of jeans, and a deep, dark green button down top, the top buttons undone. And he was smiling again.


When Jim finally remembered how to talk, he asked, “Bones, why didn’t you just come in?” Bones shrugged.


“Thought I would try something different.”


Conversation flowed smoothly during dinner, mostly because the engineering crew’s luck had run out and there had been an explosion that sent a number of people to sickbay. Bones spent most of dinner griping about them.


The evening had finished too fast, and before he knew it, he was saying goodbye to Bones with promises to do this again tomorrow night.

******

All of a sudden tomorrow night was right now and he was answering his door for Bones again. Bones had traded in his green top for a white one. Jim had enjoyed many fantasies on the bridge throughout the day that consisted of Bones and that green top. He honestly hadn’t thought that Bones could get any hotter, but he had been wrong.


Dinner conversation flowed smoothly again, and Jim found himself happier than he had been in quite some time. He wondered if the change in Bones had anything to do with it. He still couldn’t figure out quite what that change was, though.


They finalized their plans for the restaurant for the following day. They would, unfortunately, be wearing their uniforms, but at least they would be off of the ship for a while. He knew Bones was looking forward to that.

********

Jim was standing outside of the restaurant waiting for Bones, and very aware of the fact that this felt like a date. That was impossible of course. Bones would never want to date him.


Bones might not believe it, but he had his pick of anyone on the ship. It was no secret that Bones was hot and had a heart of gold, even if he did hide it under the sarcasm. Most everyone on the ship was better suited for Bones than Jim was.


Bones showed up just then and slung his arm around Jim’s shoulders, something that Jim usually did to Bones.


“Come on Jim, let’s go get some food.”



They talked and laughed throughout dinner, sometimes drawing the eyes of everyone in the restaurant because they were laughing so loudly. Jim felt lighter than he had in years. He could almost imagine that he and Bones were a couple.


They were both still laughing when Scotty beamed them onto the Enterprise. Scotty was used to the antics of the crew, and didn’t even spare them a second glance.


They were standing in front of Jim’s quarters before Jim had even realized where they were heading. Jim turned to look at Bones, but before he could say anything, Bones leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. When he pulsed back he was smiling.


“See ya tomorrow Jim.” Jim stood there for the second time in just a few days with his mouth hanging open.


Jim spent the following day on the bridge thinking about Bones and their date. It had definitely been a date. He figured that all of their get-togethers over the past few days had been dates as well.


Now though, it was the end of his shift, and Bones hadn’t shown up again. What could that mean?


When Jim entered his quarters, the first thing he saw was a bouquet of flowers on the table. Bones was one of the few people who knew how much Jim loved flowers. Bones even knew his favorite kind, which were now in a vase on his table. There was a note beside the vase.


Jim-
Meet me on the observation deck at 20:00.
-Leonard


Jim smiled and started getting ready.


Jim’s jaw dropped when he met up with Bones. Candles and flowers were strewn everywhere. Etta James’ “At Last” was playing softly. Most importantly, however, Bones was standing there, in a black top this time, smiling at him. That same soft smile he had been giving Jim these past few days. Jim finally figured out what had been different about Bones these past few days. He was acting like a man in love.


“Dance with me Jim.” Bones said, holding out his hand for Jim. Jim was in Bones’ arms not realizing he had even moved. Bones held him close as they swayed in time with the music. Bones leaned in even closer to whisper into Jim’s ear.


“Jim, I need you to listen to me. I don’t know what gave you the impression that you weren’t good enough for me, but that’s just ridiculous. You are the kindest, sweetest, and the most caring person I know. You would die before letting any of your crew come to harm. You are completely selfless. As far as your reputation is concerned, I don’t care. It’s just a number Jim, and it’s in your past. I always knew that when we got together you would be faithful to me. I love you. I’ve always loved you and I always will.”


Jim pulled back from Bones, blinking against unshed tears. He leaned in and kissed Bones. Finally. It was a slow, lazy kiss. They took their time exploring each other’s mouths and running their hands along each other’s bodies.


All too soon, Bones pulled out of the kiss.


“What do you want Jim?” He knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted to know that Bones was his. He wanted to fill Bones. He wasn’t sure if Bones was willing to do that though.


So, instead of saying anything, Jim started unbuttoning Bones’ top, pressing kisses along Bones’ jaw as he did so. He pushed Bones’ top off and ran his hands along the exposed skin, groaning in appreciation.


“I don’t suppose you brought lube with you, Bones.” Bones smirked and pulled a small bottle out of his pocket.


“Finish undressing and lay down,” Jim told Bones as he quickly hurried out of his own. Jim followed Bones down, covering Bones’ body with his own. He kissed him deeply, wishing he never had to stop kissing him.


Jim took his time preparing Bones. He wanted this moment to last. When he finally pressed into Bones, he nearly wept with joy. The sensation was almost too much.


Jim knew he could be romantic, but he never really considered himself to be sentimental. The wave of emotions going through him right now though made him want to write love sonnets and sweep Bones off his feet with romantic gestures.


This was what making love was. This is what he had heard about and had never really believed existed.


Their lovemaking was slow, sweet, and beautiful. They came together, calling out each other’s names as they did so. When Jim had caught his breath, he pulled out and laid next to Bones, who pulled him into his arms.


“I love you Jim, and I’m never leaving you,” Bones whispered into his ear. Jim smiled.


“I love you too Bones. And thank you.”


That night, Jim fell asleep in the arms of the man he loved for the first time, knowing he would get to do this for the rest of his life.