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myfeetrcolddd · 11 months ago

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Under the mistletoe

"And you're sure it'll only stop the two of them?" Draco asked, his eyes narrowed and skeptical of the curly haired Gryffindor.

"Yes, Malfoy, I'm sure." Hermione replied, annoyed at the Slytherin boys skeptics.

(✿◕‿◕✿)

Theodore Nott and Y/N L/N were completely oblivious and deep in denial. The amount of times the two gushed to their respective friends about something the other did was far too many.

It was obvious that they liked each other. Everyone knew, but them it seemed, and it was unbearable. Especially for their friends who couldn't take the constant talks about how much one liked the other but 'It would never happen because he's way out of my league.' or 'She deserves better than me.'

So Harry did the unspeakable, he went and talked to Draco. The two groups came up with a plan.

It was the holidays, Theo and Y/n were already practically a couple, doing things together that no normal friends would, all they weren't doing was kissing or shagging.

The two groups knew there was no way of really forcing them to confess, but if they could get the two to kiss then they'd have to confront the obvious attraction they felt for the other, and surely they wouldn't be able to deny the face that the other liked them.

It was nearly fool proof. The just had to find a way to execute it.

"Mistletoe!" Blaise shouted, grinning as he ran into the room of requirement, the official meeting place for operation Kiss, as Blaise suggested, though no one else wanted to call it that there was no other options.

"What're you on about." Ron said, frowning.

"Mistletoe!" Blaise repeated, still grinning like a madman as he held up the tiny bundle of mistletoe, showing it to everyone in the room.

"Yeah, we get it, mistletoe." Mattheo mocked, "What about it?"

"This," He waved the thing around in his friends face, "Is how we get them to kiss!"

"Mate..." Harry said slowly, "Hate to break it to you, but they've gone under mistletoe before, the completely ignore it. Like literally everyone else does."

"Yeah, I know that." Blaise says, annoyed by the lack of enthusiasm in the room, "But what if we found a way that forced them to not ignore it!" He waited for someone to interrupt him, to say it was a dumb idea, but when no one didn't he went on, "Hear me out, what if when they both walked under it it somehow kept them there! So that they wouldn't be able to leave that spot until they kissed!"

Everyone stared at him, confused but intrigued.

"And how would we do that?"

Blaise rolled his eyes, "Well I don't know." He sassed, "I came up with the idea, you all can figure out how to do it." He huffed as he dropped himself onto one of the many sofas in the room.

As if they were all thinking the same thing they all turned towards Hermione, who looked startled by the attention, "I don't know why you're all looking at me." She frowned.

"Well you're the smartest one here..." Enzo said and the girl pressed her lips into a thin line before she rolled her eyes.

"Well, there probably is a way it's possible, we'd have to modify a potion or maybe even a spell, especially since we don't want to trap others under the mistletoe, so we'd have to find a way to keep it person specific..." Hermione then rattled on about all the ways they could go about it and soon they had a plan.

It took a week for things to be ready.

(✿◕‿◕✿)

"Have your friends been acting weird lately?" Y/N asked Theo as they walked out of potions.

"More than usual actually." The boy replied and glanced down at the girl he was sure he wanted to marry.

"Same, and I swear I've seen Hermione talking with Draco so much this week."

"Maybe they're finally getting together." Theo smirked, "Salazar knows it's about time."

The girl laughed and shook her head, "Tell me about it. If they don't get together this year then I'm going to be out of ten galleons."

The pair went quiet for a moment and Y/N took the chance to look up at her best friend. He was beautiful, and quite possibly the love of her life. She had never planned on letting her feelings get this far.

It had only started as a small crush on a boy she was friendly with back in second year. But then they got closer, and the closer they got the harder she fell.

Now they're in their last year and she still hadn't confessed, she figured it was too late, and it was clear he didn't want anything other than friendship from her. He had had multiple girlfriends before, and none of them looked like her, they were quite the opposite actually.

Y/N was counting on losing feelings for him this year, it would be for the best.

As if he could feel her eyes on him Theo turned and looked at her, his green-blue eyes meeting hers. For a moment she felt her heart stop, she was lost in them and the swirling colors.

But then she shook her head and looked forward and started to rant about whatever came to mind. It was a good thing she always had at least one thing to rant about. Or she should say two, but it would be idiotic to rant to Theo about himself. It would also make her feelings for him obvious.

The two turned into a deserted hall and as they passed beneath an arch way they found that neither of them could take a step forward.

Their feet were stuck to the ground.

Y/N turned to Theo frantically, "What's going on?!"

"I dunno, I can't lift my feet off the ground."

"Neither can I..." She went silent and found that she could pivot. She looked around, and it wasn't until she looked up that she saw mistletoe hung from the high archway. But surely that had nothing to do with it, so she ignored it.

"Did the twins do this?" Theo started to ask but then remembered that the infamous pranksters had graduated. But that was all either of them could come up with, it was something the twins would do.

So maybe it was a Weasly.

The pair ended up staring at each other, the both of them ignoring the close proximity and the fact that their chests were touching.

After ten minutes Y/N had come up with an idea. It was a stupid one and she wasn't sure if it would even work. But Theo wouldn't stop staring at her and she was sure she looked like a tomato under the heat of his gaze.

"Theo." She said.

"Y/N."

The girl took a deep breath before blurting the words, "Kiss me."

"W-what?" Theo stuttered, his heart beating ten times faster now and a light blush coating his cheeks. His eyes flicked down to the lips he dreamt about kissing, the plump lips he fantasized about at night. He swallowed thickly and met her eyes once more. "I- Why?"

"I'm just-" She paused, "Testing out a theory." She wanted to kiss him, but she didn't at the same time. She didn't want to kiss him under these circumstances, if she was going to kiss him she wanted him to know it was because she liked him.

"Okay..." Theo said slowly and Y/N looked up at him with determination in her eyes.

She took a deep breath and brought her hands up to the boys face, instinctually his hands found her waist, "I really really like Theodore Nott!" She blurted quickly before smashing her lips onto his.

Theo stood still for a moment before he realized she was kissing him, and he wasn't kissing her back. So he did.

The kiss was sloppy, and rushed, and there was passion and hunger in it. Both of them seemed t have forgotten what was happening, losing themselves in the kiss of their lives.

It was only when she tugged on the hairs at the back of Theos head and he let out a groan did Y/N realize what she was doing.

Horrified she pushed him off, and when he stumbled back a step she saw that her theory was right and she bolted off. Running far far away from the boy and her feelings.

Meanwhile Theo stood there, dazed and confused and impossible flustered, and all he could think about was that he had just kissed her. And he knew he was going to marry her.

"She likes me too." He mumbled, smiling to himself as his fingers brushed across his lips.

No clue how to go on from this. Might make part two ;3

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orangemuffinss · 6 months ago

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I don’t want to read slow burns, I WANT THEM TO FALL IN LOVE THE MOMENT THEY SEE EACH OTHER, I WANT THEM TO PINE OVER EACH OTHER, I WANT EVERYONE EXCEPT THEM TO KNOW THAT THEYRE IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER

#marauders #the marauders #regulus black #james potter #james x regulus #jegulus #ao3 #fanfic #tropes #slow burn #love at first sight #falling in love #pining #oblivious #wolfstar #sirius and remus #dorlene #rosekiller

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lab-of-trash-prompts · 7 months ago

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A classic "didn't know they were dating," but instead of them not kissing bc they're taking it slow, A's confession was kissing B, and B just said 'okay.'

A thought that meant they were dating. B thought that meant that they just kiss now. For funsies, like a couple of besties.

#prompt #oblivious #boyf riends #boyf reinds #arson bros #richjake #kunizai #kunidazai #destiel #sabriel #midam

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rjmac211 · 7 months ago

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Alex, Kara and Lena having lunch

Alex: so how are you to going?

Kara: I’m good

Lena: Can’t complain

Alex: Any dates planned?

Kara: Alex I’m single and Lena just broke up with James

Alex: I meant with each other

Kara: Lena is straight Alex

Lena: Bi

Kara: No Lena please don’t go Alex is just really bad at jokes

Alex slaps her forehead

Lena: Do I have to kiss you to show you how badly I’m in love with you

#supercorp incorrect quotes #supercorp #alex danvers #kara danvers #lena luthor #Kara is clueless #oblivious

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xx-state-of-mind-xx · 6 months ago

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Dovey: *Exists*

Lesso: [gay panic] This means nothing. We’re enemies, and I’m sure these feelings will fade.

*12 years later*

Lesso: [Heightened gay panic] Any day now.

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cecilysass · 5 months ago

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Oblivious (1/1)

Read on AO3 | Tagging @today-in-fic

Mulder had not been convinced that drinks with Bambi and Dr. Ivanov was a good idea, but Scully seemed to enjoy it. She and Bambi shared one side of the table and became so engrossed in conversation that Mulder had to reach across and touch Scully’s wrist to get her attention. She was even content to stay and have a second glass of wine with Mulder after their two companions left.

“They didn’t leave together, did they?” Mulder wondered morbidly, craning his neck in an attempt to see Dr. Ivanov’s retreating chair.

“Mulder,” Scully said with a fond smile, “no. Bambi wasn’t interested in him in that way after all.”

“Oh?” Mulder said, arching his eyebrows. “And how do you know that, Scully?”

Scully shrugged. “It came up.”

“Really?” Mulder leaned forward on the table. “How did it come up? What were you talking about?”

“Mulder,” Scully said in warning.

“She told you she wasn’t into Dr. Ivanov?”

“Well, not Dr. Ivanov per se,” Scully said. “It came up that she wasn’t interested in dating men.”

Mulder’s mouth fell open for a moment, and then he discreetly closed it. He folded his hands in front of him on the table with calm decorum. “I see that I really should have been sitting on that side of the table.”

“We were talking mostly about our work,” Scully said defensively.

“So … how did her sexuality come up, exactly?”

Scully’s cheeks turned pink. “We were talking about there not being as many women in the sciences. She mentioned it was difficult in terms of dating women exclusively. Difficult to meet people.”

“Hold on. Wait.” Mulder made a show of scooting forward in his seat as far as he could. “Scully. You’re in the sciences.”

Scully shot him a disdainful look and sipped her wine.

“Did she hit on you?”

“No,” Scully scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. We were talking about work.”

“Did she give you her number?”

“Yes, but only so we could have dinner sometime if I’m in the area.”

Mulder’s mouth fell open again in deadpan disbelief, and Scully squirmed in her seat, visibly flustered.

“That’s not hitting on me, Mulder. Being attracted to women doesn’t mean you’re attracted to every woman.”

“Scully, you may be surprised to learn that I actually have experience being attracted to women,” Mulder said. He drummed his fingers on the table a second and bit his lip. “So … are you going to have dinner with her?”

Scully eyed him suspiciously. “Mulder.”

“What will you wear?”

She treated him to an unamused glare.

“Come on, I’m asking innocent questions.”

“I’ve seen those tapes that aren’t yours, Mulder. I think they’ve skewed your perception of relationships women might have with other women.”

“You’ve seen those tapes that aren’t mine?”

“Don’t you have one about amorous scientists specifically? Ph Double Ds or something like that?”

Mulder cleared his throat. “Scientist porn is a common genre,” he said. He eyed her slyly. “Actually, you might want to watch a little to prepare for your dinner date.”

Scully downed the rest of her glass of wine in a huff.

“Aw, come on.” He changed directions, smiling winningly. “Don’t take me so seriously. I’m just jealous. I’ve been trying to get her attention, and here you sail in effortlessly and win her over.”

“I don’t think that’s what happened, but I’m sorry to spoil your erotic fantasies regardless, Mulder.”

“Trust me, Scully. This conversation has not spoiled my erotic fantasies in the slightest.”

Her eyes narrowed, and Mulder wondered if he’d pushed it too far. Maybe it was crossing a line to allude directly to her being featured in his sexual fantasies like that.

But her tone was changing. “I’m sorry, really, Mulder,” she said, softening. “I do think she’s a nice woman, and she’s smart and beautiful. I see why you’d like her. I wish you could have dated her.”

“Thank you,” he said, taken aback. He wasn’t sure what to say in response to that, so he found himself shifting uneasily. “Do you want another glass?”

She stared at her empty wine glass contemplatively.

“I’m going to take that as a yes,” Mulder said. He gestured to the waiter across the room, pointing at Scully’s glass and his own.

“Can I ask you a personal question, Scully?”

“About what?” Her sideways look was suspicious.

“I have a theory about you,” Mulder ventured. “Call it a profiler’s hunch.”

“What comes out of your mouth next could not possibly be complimentary.”

“My theory is that you’re one of those people who’s oblivious to when someone has romantic interest in you. That you never know when someone is hitting on you. That this isn’t the first time. Would you say that’s true?”

“No,” she said definitively. “And I told you, she wasn’t hitting on me.”

“But see, you wouldn’t know. That’s the whole point.”

“I consider myself a fairly perceptive person.”

“Let me ask you this,” Mulder continued, aware now of the jagged little edge of the alcohol in his system. “Why do you think Skip the IT guy hangs around to talk to us in the basement for so long? And why do you think Caroline in requisitions is so nice to us?”

“If you’re implying that it’s because they’re interested in me, I reject that interpretation,” Scully said indignantly. “Personally, I think it’s simply because I’m nice to them. Being civil goes a long way.”

“Come on,” Mulder groaned. “Skip tries to see down your shirt almost every time he’s down there. And he’s made about a thousand thinly veiled references to getting drinks after work.”

“Maybe,” Scully said skeptically. “But Caroline?”

“She gets all tongue-tied when you walk in.”

“When we walk in,” Scully pointed out. “Maybe it’s you who’s having that effect. That’s not exactly an unknown phenomenon.”

“Noooo,” Mulder said emphatically, shaking his head. “She stares at you. Like you’re a beautiful statue. Like this.” He demonstrated by putting his chin on his hands and gazing at Scully, batting his eyelashes exaggeratedly.

Scully rolled her eyes. “Ridiculous, Mulder. If she did that, I would notice.”

“You’re proving my point left and right here, Scully.”

Scully scoffed, taking the new glass of Syrah the waitress handed her. Mulder accepted another beer.

“Admit it,” Mulder said. “In your past there’s a pattern of friends and acquaintances who unexpectedly confessed feelings to you, shocking you beyond measure because you never saw it coming.”

Scully sipped her wine. “Come on. Doesn’t that happen to everyone?”

“No.” Mulder began to laugh. “It absolutely doesn’t.”

“It’s never happened to you?”

“I didn’t say that,” Mulder said, amused. “But I wouldn’t say it was a pattern.”

Scully’s face was flushed just in the apples of her cheeks: the effect, Mulder assumed, of the wine. “That seems very hard to believe,” she said flippantly. “That you’ve inspired so few declarations of secret love, being … I don’t know, the way that you are.”

Mulder’s eyebrows shot up in delight. “Whoa ho, the way that I am? Thank you, I think.”

Scully waved her hand dismissively.

“It only happened to me once that I recall,” Mulder said. “A classmate at Quantico.”

Scully waited for a moment, but he didn’t elaborate.

“How often has it happened to you, Scully?” Mulder asked.

“A few times,” she allowed with a little shrug.

“Give me an example.”

“Mulder, I don’t know…” she groaned.

“Okay, who was the first?”

Sighing, she put her chin in her hand and considered. “Probably tenth grade,” she said. “My debate partner Phil Costello.”

Mulder smiled. “Ah, Phil.”

“He was very serious. Very competitive.” Scully took a generous gulp of wine. “And then one day, he’s stammering and not meeting my eye and asking me to go mini-golfing.”

“Mini-golfing,” Mulder said. “Classic.”

“But mini-golfing doesn’t necessarily imply a date,” Scully said. “I was watching Charlie that afternoon, so I brought him along.”

“Oh no,” Mulder said. He winced and shook his head. “Oh Scully.”

“And I later gathered from friends that I hurt Phil’s feelings,” Scully sighed, swirling her glass slightly.

Mulder thumped his hand on the table triumphantly. “Exactly. Phil had probably been putting the teen moves on you for months.”

“I would argue that story isn’t an example of me being especially oblivious,” Scully said. “I’d argue that it was an example of both of us being adolescents and not skilled at communication. Phil didn’t make the situation entirely clear either.”

“Let’s change the question then,” Mulder suggested. “How often would you say you get hit on?”

“At this stage in my life?” Scully said. “Almost never.”

Mulder rolled his eyes dramatically.

“Why don’t you believe that? What makes you such an expert on this, Mulder?”

“Let’s look at this objectively, like scientists.” He took another large swig of beer, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “You’re a young woman, at your sexual peak, extremely attractive, in a male-dominated profession, constantly surrounded by men. Looking at it from the outside, doesn’t it seem implausible to you that you would never be hit on? Isn’t the most likely explanation that you’re just not someone who notices?”

Scully didn’t say anything in response, just held her wine glass and stared at him, her face impassive.

“I assume I convinced you?” he said triumphantly.

“I think I’m not hit on as much any more,” she said with precision, “because I’m almost always with you.”

He scowled, and his eyes scanned the rest of the bar for a moment. There were other people there: couples having drinks, some kind of birthday party in the corner, and a group of apparently single men at the bar having an extended happy hour. They were thirtysomething, wore suits, had been joking around all evening. None of them were especially looking towards Scully, at least not after a quick glance. That did seem strange to Mulder. Why would guys like that miss checking out a pretty woman? Why wouldn’t someone try to make an approach? Then again, what’s the point of hitting on a woman who’s already sitting at a table with someone?

“Hmm,” he said. “I admit, that’s an interesting consideration.”

“Do you get hit on a lot, Mulder?”

He looked at her, surprised. “No,” he said. “But that’s different.”

“How?” Scully asked.

“I’m a little more of an acquired taste,” Mulder said modestly.

Scully startled him by bursting into loud, unrestrained laughter. She threw her head forward as she laughed and let her hair spill over her face as she lifted it back up.

“What?” he said, self-conscious.

“An acquired taste?” she said, still laughing. “What does that mean? Since when is being tall and good-looking an acquired taste? You’re the kind of man single women in bars … dare one another to approach.”

Mulder’s eyebrows shot right into his hairline this time. “Oooh, tell me more, please,” he said, licking his lips. “Would you approach me in a bar?”

“Of course not,” she said dryly. “I know you, and your personality works against the good looks.”

It was a joke. Obviously. She didn’t mean anything by it. But it happened that he’d heard that exact critique from women before, that it was something held to be true about Fox Mulder. Hearing it from Scully—from the lips of his partner, who these days knew him better than anyone else—just really stung. It hurt so immediately he couldn’t quite hide his reaction as it flickered across his face.

“See? An acquired taste,” he said, quickly trying to play it off. “And some people never acquire it.”

She already had a stricken expression. “Mulder,” she said, soft regret in her words. “I was only kidding.”

“Come on,” he said with a smile. “I know. We have to be able to joke about our own flaws.”

“No,” she said, looking down at the table. “No, it was a thoughtless thing to say. I’m sorry. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with your personality.”

“I think we both know that’s not entirely true, Scully.” She wasn’t meeting his eyes, still looking at her hands on the table. “There’s a reason they call me Spooky and keep me alone in the basement. There’s a reason I’ve been single for years. Something’s broken, right?” He tapped his temple playfully. “I know it as well as anyone.”

She raised her clear blue eyes to meet his and surprised him by grabbing his wrist.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Mulder,” she repeated urgently. “You could be working anywhere in the F.B.I.. You could be dating anyone you wanted. You just chose another path. You did that because there’s something whole about you, not something broken.”

He stared back into those shockingly blue eyes, moved, not sure what to say in response. He thought about how many times he called Scully on this case, how she drove all the way up to help him, how no one on earth seemed as accepting of his quirks and faults as she was. She was the best friend he’d ever had. No one else was even close.

“I shouldn’t say things like that even as a joke,” she said, her fingers still enclosed around his wrist. “And I shouldn’t get annoyed when you have the occasional flirtation on the job. You deserve to have that.”

“Annoyed?” Mulder repeated. “When were you annoyed?”

She shook her head. “Not important.”

“On this case? By what? By Bambi?”

She smiled a tiny, tolerant smile and withdrew her hand, leaning back on her chair. “Besides, Mulder,” she said, “you may have noticed that they don’t keep you all alone in the basement anymore.”

He smiled slowly, examining his beer glass. “Yeah,” he said. “I did notice.”

They didn’t speak for a moment.

“Anyway, I’ll try to pay more attention,” she said, returning to their previous topic of conversation. “To see if I think you’re right that I’m constantly the object of desire.”

“Obviously I’m right,” he said with a sigh.

“It’s a flattering idea, I guess,” she said. She seemed to immediately regret her words, looking down in embarrassment.

“Yeah, of course,” Mulder said encouragingly. “But you should enjoy it, Scully. You should go out with female friends sometime, go to a bar, let the guys have a chance to talk to you. I bet you haven’t done that for a while.”

Scully shook her head, her cheeks actually turning darker pink. “You’re right. I haven’t.”

She was quiet again, and he tried to imagine Scully actually acting on his suggestion. Maybe talking to some guy at a club—some guy with an ordinary job, a loosened tie, and an empty smile like those men drinking over there at the bar. He knew she deserved this kind of flirtation and fun, but he found, to his ashamed surprise, that he hated the idea.

“I don’t think I will, though,” she said, picking up her glass again. She looked at him over the rim. “That’s not where my head is these days.”

“Yeah,” he said. He immediately pictured their office, his view of her leaning over her work, her hair and a pencil tucked behind her ear, her expression serious and intent. “I know what you mean.”

She sipped the last dregs of her wine as they looked at one another. As he met her eyes, Mulder reminded himself the partnership might not last forever. Most likely, she would answer his calls and do his autopsies right up until the day her head was somewhere else.

“Probably time for us to go,” she said. She smiled and gave him a playfully stern look. “We need to get back to D.C. tomorrow and try to write up your killer cockroach case in some reasonably sane way for Skinner.”

“I’ll write the report,” Mulder agreed. “I’ll just need help with the sane parts.”

“Good thing I’m here,” she said lightly.

***

After Scully finished the last drops of her wine, she excused herself to use the bathroom. The waitress came back and set the check down in front of Mulder.

“Going well, isn’t it?” she said in a thick Massachusetts accent.

Mulder stopped getting out his credit card to look up at her, confused. Arms crossed over her ample chest, she looked down at him, smiling broadly.

“What’s going well?” he said.

“Your date,” she said knowingly. She winked. “She likes you. Trust me. I can tell when a lady is interested, and she’s interested.”

Mulder smiled politely back, putting his card down on the tray. “Oh, it’s not a date,” he said. “We work together.”

The waitress just smirked. “If you say so, sweetie.” She took the tray and shrugged. “It’s pretty obvious though.” ***

#xfiles fanfic #x files fanfic #fox mulder #dana scully #the x files #x files #xf fanfic #msr #oblivious #my fic #bambi berenbaum #war of the coprophages #season 3 x files

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toboldlygohome · 10 months ago

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Oblivious

Leonard McCoy x Reader

Summary: You are oblivious to all of Leonard's attempts to flirt and all of your friends think it's hilarious.

Character(s): Leonard "Bones" McCoy, James "Jim" Kirk, Spock, Nyota Uhura, Pavel Chekov, Hikaru Sulu

Warning(s): Slightly cringe attempts at flirting, Painfully oblivious reader, Stephen King references

Leonard was finally ready to move on. The divorce had left him with wounds he wasn't sure he could heal from. He hadn't been interested in dating for years afterward. But for the first time since then, someone had caught his attention.

You were the new head of Archaeology aboard the enterprise. You had been transferred from the USS Celine to assist in the 5 year mission. To say you were new wouldn't be exactly correct, you had been on board for about 6 months already. You had taken to the position well and were already good friends with everyone in your unit, as well as all of the bridge and command personnel.

Leonard knew he liked you the moment you met. You had a firm handshake, a killer smile, and when Captain Kirk asked if you were single, you told him it wasn't his business. Jim's stunned face when you shook his hand and walked away was priceless.

Of course there were far more reasons to admire you other than your ability to take the captain down a peg. You were incredible at your job, finding ancient ruins in the most unlikely of places. You were like a dog when it came to fossils, sniffing them out almost as soon as you landed on alien soil. You were smart and always ready to answer questions. You were also highly tolerant of people's mistakes, something that was slowly rubbing off on him. When you were around, Leonard found he had more patience for stupidity and everyone else noticed as well.

You were kind, you were a great listener, you were hilarious, you were dependable, considerate, honest, cheerful, and you could always be counted upon for some witty banter. Not to mention you were the most beautiful person Bones had ever seen in his life.

That's not to say you didn't have your downfalls too, everyone does after all. You were self deprecating, a little easily distracted, and of course you were the most painfully oblivious person in the universe.

~~~

It all started one morning at breakfast. You were sitting in the cafeteria with Jim, Nyota, and Spock.

Leonard had made his decision the previous night while drinking with Jim. Bones wanted to pursue a relationship with you, but he wasn't going to just tell you point blank. He wanted to gauge your interest before taking that leap of faith.

"Mornin'" Leonard said as he sat down beside you. "Jim, you look terrible."

Jim, who was still hung over from the night before, frowned at the doctor. "Gee, thanks. I had no idea."

"You're welcome. Now Y/N on the other hand, you look great this morning," Bones smirked. Jim and Nyota immediately perked up, clearly not expecting him to be so forward (especially not this early in the morning.)

"Thanks Doc," You smiled at him and returned your attention to your oatmeal.

"What's your secret?" Asked Bones upon deciding that your smile was a good sign.

"My secret?" You raised an eyebrow.

"To looking so good every morning," he clarified. Nyota and Jim looked at each other incredulously.

"Ummmm," You thought out loud. "Get good sleep, take your vitamins, and don't get wasted at two in the morning." You patted Jim's shoulder and stood up with your empty bowl. "I better get to the lab, see you guys later!" You grinned.

Everyone bid you a good morning before gawking at Leonard, amusement etched on their faces. "What's your secret? Did you seriously ask 'what's your secret?'"Jim cackled.

"Leonard, you seriously need to up your flirting game." Uhura barely stifled a giggle.

"I know it's been awhile doc but seriously, that was terrible! And I've heard Spock's attempts at flirting," Kirk snickered.

"It wasn't that bad, y'all are acting like I'm some cretin who stole their oatmeal and called it flirting. I called them attractive, get off my back." Leonard rolled his eyes.

"No, you said they looked good. That could be interpreted in, so many ways. As far as flirting goes, that was pretty pathetic." Nyota said.

"I would have to agree doctor, perhaps you could take instruction from the captain or even-" Spock started.

"Shut up and eat your breakfast," Leonard snapped, causing another fit of giggles around him.

Bones sat there, glaring into his eggs, trying to figure out where he went wrong. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed that Uhura was right. You didn't realize he meant it in a romantic way. Maybe he was more out of practice than he thought. He was just going to have to give it another shot. Practice makes perfect after all.

~~~

The next day, Leonard tried a different approach. Coffee mug in hand, he made his way to your office only to find it empty. He looked all over the labs, nowhere to be seen. It wasn't until made it up to the bridge that he found you deep in a discussion about landing sites for an upcoming mission.

Your head perked up when you saw the doctor come in from the turbolift. "Ahoy, McCoy! We missed you at breakfast this morning." you smiled as he came to stand beside you.

"Sorry darlin', had some gamma shift engineers to patch up." Bones casually passed the mug over to you. "Made you some coffee."

"Really? for me?" You peered into the cup and beamed, "thank you doctor, it's just how I like it!" Jim gave Leonard a subtle thumbs up while you sipped your drink.

Leonard had a good feeling this time. You were happy with the gesture and even Kirk seemed impressed. It felt like a good first step, until-

"First Chekov brings me a croissant, then McCoy brings me a coffee. I'm so lucky to have such great friends. Thank you guys!" You smiled at the two men.

"You are very welcome!" Pavel grinned.

Leonard's mood plummeted almost instantly. While he was glad you got to enjoy a croissant and a coffee, Chekov's untimely generosity made his romantic gesture seem more like a friendly one. He was going to have to go back to the drawing board.

You turned to the captain, cradling your warm cup in your hand. "Is there anything else you need of me Captain?"

"No Commander, I believe you've answered all my questions," Jim said.

"Wonderful! If anyone needs me, I'll be in the lab trying to decode some ancient texts," you took another sip of your coffee before strolling back to the turbolift.

Once you were out of sight, Jim patted Leonard on the arm. Sulu and Chekov were trying their damnedest not to laugh, and failing miserably of course.

Leonard furrowed his brows at the two of them before looking back at Jim's cheeky grin.

"You told them?" Leonard scowled.

"Told them what?" Jim laughed.

"About..." Leonard rolled his eyes and gestured to the turbolift.

"The only ones I told were Uhura and Spock," Jim assured.

"He didn't need to tell us anything, It's written all over your face Dr. McCoy," Sulu said.

"Yes, you get all red in the cheeks and you have this look in your eyes like you've seen the sun for the first time. It is very obvious you are vying for the Commander's attention," Chekov agreed.

"If I'm so obvious, why isn't Y/N picking up on it?" Leonard crossed his arms.

"Maybe you need a new approach, try... I don't know, making up new excuses to spend time with them. Or maybe you could try touching them," Jim suggested.

"Touching them?"

"Yeah, nothing inappropriate or anything. Just little things, like pats on the back, nudging their shoulder. Stuff like that. Might show Y/N you're interested without having to use the words, you know?"

"I don't know Jim..."

"Look, you're a doctor right?"

"I hope that'd be pretty goddamned obvious by now," Leonard glowered and put his hands on his hips.

"And as a doctor, you have a pretty good gauge on if someone's uncomfortable right?" Jim asked, "just try it and if you get the sense they're uncomfortable, just stop doing it. Easy as that."

"Why do I get the feeling it's not going to be as 'easy as that?'" The doctor shook his head.

"Because you are an incorrigible pessimist, Bones." Jim patted his shoulder.

"I'm done here, some of us actually have work to do," Leonard grumbled and trudged to the turbolift.

"All work and no play makes McCoy a dull boy," Kirk beamed.

"Quote Stephen King to me one more time. See what happens." Bones said as the doors closed. Alone in the elevator, he allowed himself to think about where to go from here. Perhaps Jim's ideas weren't so terrible. He rather liked the idea of spending more time with you. He usually talked with you during mealtimes and meetings, but not much outside of that. The touching is what was making him nervous.

He came into contact with people all the time, being a doctor was a very hands-on profession. He just didn't have Jim's level of confidence anymore. It felt ridiculous, he could stitch a man's thumb back to his hand and deliver an infant in the middle of a battle, but he couldn't touch your shoulder? Maybe he'd just skip that step for now. Quality time, that seemed like as good of a direction as any.

~~~

He continued bringing you coffee every day, It gave him more time to get to know you and Leonard was falling harder by the minute. He hadn't really looked forward to anything in a long time, but he looked forward to your coffee talks. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough anymore. The chats weren't long enough and you still weren't catching on to his feelings.

It had been a particularly stressful day, it felt like everyone needed something from him and he was in desperate need of a break. The moment things got quiet in the medbay, Leonard snuck away and his feet carried him to the archaeology labs.

It was quiet inside. A few ensigns were at work in their stations, putting together fossilized bones and carbon-dating old tools. Leonard found you in the back of the lab where you were busy decoding some old scrolls. Learning to understand a lost language was no easy task; Leonard couldn't fathom the amount of reading it would take to accomplish such a thing. Still, you seemed ready to take on anything the Captain dished out.

"Commander, I see you're hard at work," Bones smiled and came to stand beside you.

"I see you're not!" You joked and looked up at him from your seat. "What brings you to my neck of the woods doctor? Did I forget about an appointment?"

"Not at all, I was just taking a break and wanted to see how you were doing," he said, hoping you would understand what he was trying to say: that he was thinking of you and wanted to see you out of everyone else on the Enterprise.

"Well I'm really glad you're here Len, because I've just made a breakthrough!" You beamed. "Take a look at this," you motioned for him to look closer.

Leonard leaned in to look at your scroll. "So, you know how I found these papers in a box under the Mofeli excavation right?"

"Mhm, you insisted there must be a basement and you found one," Bones hummed.

"I originally thought the site was a business, that these papers must be some sort of documentation. You know, like land deeds, proof of insurance, perhaps even money. Basically stuff you would usually keep in a lock box, but these aren't ledgers or inventory slips or anything like that at all."

"What are they?" He turned to look at you.

You met his gaze and gave him a grin that could melt the ice caps and outshine Sirius. "They're love letters," you said and his heart hammered his chest painfully. He was only just now realizing how close he was to you. How his hand was resting on your back, how his face was mere inches from yours.

"See, if you look here you'll find this symbol all over the place in these letters. It's the symbol meaning love or lover. I've completed the translation on this one right here." You returned your attention to the paper. Leonard swallowed and glanced at the sheet, trying his damnedest not to stare like some creep.

"What, um... what does it say?" He cleared his throat.

"It says, and I'm paraphrasing here, 'My dearest love, I find words elude me. My heart blossoms for you under the light of the sun and keeps me warm when the light fades. I find not the courage to speak, but many a whim to write. I desire your embrace. I seek your song. I crave your hand. I covet your blazing eyes. One day I-' This part is all faded so I can't make it out, but the last thing it says here at the bottom is 'May our hearts and bodies be intertwined for eternity, and our souls may sing together as one.' Then there's what I assume to be a name at the bottom, but I'm not sure how to pronounce it."

"It all sounds a little sappy to me," Leonard joked in a slightly strained voice. This whole thing with the closeness and the touching and the letter was really affecting him. If you noticed his struggle, you gave no indication, In fact, you seemed perfectly at ease being this close to him.

"Hey, a little sap never hurt anybody," you elbowed him lightly in the side.

"Croakus sap can."

"Touché"

Leonard chucked softly and lightly patted your back before crossing his arms casually over his chest Your easy conversation was already helping him relax again. "so, Commander, you've been down here in your lab for an awfully long time. What do you say we go for a walk to the observation lounge?"

"Sorry doctor, I would but somebody's got to make sure the ensigns don't blow the place up. That, and Spock wants me to finish three more translations by the end of my shift," you explained.

"Of course he does," Leonard huffed.

"But I'm free this evening if that works for you?" You tilted your head.

"Of course, absolutely." Leonard had no idea if that was going to work for him, but he was going to make it work.

"Great, I'll see you then," you said with a surprising amount of enthusiasm.

"See you then. Don't work too hard," he smiled and left you to your translating.

Bones was pleased with himself. He had managed to follow Jim's suggestions and they appeared to work. He'd even managed to secure a date with you later that evening...Well...he hadn't actually called it a date when he suggested it. No matter, Leonard would just clarify all that the next time he saw you!

~~~

He never got to make the distinction that your walk was intended to be a date. You had brought a friend with you. Leonard could feel the fear in your ensign companion's eyes. Bones was sure everyone on the goddamned ship knew what he was trying to do but you. It was still a nice night despite the unwanted guest. He learned a lot about where you grew up, your interests, and your favorite films and music. He learned your favorite flower was the iris, your first job was a librarian, he even learned you were in a band during your time at the academy.

The more he learned, the more he liked you. He wasn't even sure if liked was the right word anymore. You had quite a few things in common. Your favorite foods, you liked the same movies, and you enjoyed the same music. You asked him questions that got him really thinking. They were the sort of topics you don't realize you have an opinion on until you start talking about them. But what surprised him most of all was when you asked about his daughter. What sort of interests does she have? How is she doing in school? I wonder if she would like X,Y, and Z. He was always hesitant to talk about Joanna or his ex, but it felt easier with you. Like that wound he had been carrying for so long was finally closing.

Your friendship progressed beautifully, but he felt like you were growing more and more blind to his advances. He had seen you turn plenty of people down before. If you weren't interested in someone, you made it abundantly clear. But you had yet to do the same with Bones. It wasn't just him: Jim, Nyota, Pavel, Scotty, Hikaru, and pretty much everyone else who knew you were puzzled as well. Even Spock couldn't understand how you were so incognizant. It was funny for them at first. They would laugh at every compliment you didn't register, every smile you didn't realize had meaning, every coffee, every walk to the deck, every deep conversation, every breath of relief when you come back from a mission. He was even so bold as to tell you in no uncertain terms that he'd do anything to make you smile.

The laughter turned into looks of pity. Leonard was about ready to give up. Maybe you weren't interested and you just wanted to let him down easy, you were good friends after all. Bones sat at the bar as Jim poured him another glass. Normally he was the one playing bartender, but Jim insisted he take over.

"I gotta say Bones, I really hate seeing you like this." Jim poured himself a drink too. "How did lunch go?"

"I told them they have beautiful eyes." Leonard sighed and shook his head.

"And?" The Captain probed.

"They said 'if only they worked as well as they look,'" Bones groaned.

"Ah..." Jim stared into his drink. He tried to put himself into Leonard's shoes. What would he do if he were in this situation?

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong..." McCoy muttered.

"You aren't doing anything wrong, Y/N just-" Jim started.

"It's something I'm doing, it has to be. Maybe this is a mistake."

"No, Bones it's not a mistake. That couldn't be farther from the truth."

"And how would you know? It's not like you have any problems finding dates," Leonard rolled his eyes.

"Seems like Y/N's not the only one who's oblivious," Kirk chuckled.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes Jim." Leonard took a sip of his whiskey and ran a hand over his face.

"Believe me Bones, I wish it were a joke. There's just no way the two most unaware people are head over heels for each other. I'm waiting for the punch line" James smirked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Bones scowled.

"Look, just... we have shore leave coming up in a few weeks. Ask them on a date. Like really ask them. Be frank, be clear, make sure there is no way Y/N can misunderstand you. Trust me," Jim squeezed Leonard's shoulder.

"Fine. But if this goes south, you owe me as many drinks as it takes to forget this whole debacle." The doctor downed the last of his glass.

"Bones if this goes south, I'll eat my hat."

"You don't have a hat."

"Point still stands. It'll work, you just have to have a little faith. And lucky for you, I have enough faith for the both of us." Jim winked.

Leonard wished he had Jim's enthusiasm. Officious little prick, he thought to himself...Dammit, now I'm quoting Stephen King.

~~~

Shore leave was just around the corner and Leonard was no closer to his goal of asking you on a date. Everyone was running around, trying to prepare the ship for inspection, he still had his normal duties to attend to, neither of you had time for coffee all week, Spock was being especially nitpicky about protocol, and he was anxious about what you'd say when he eventually got around to asking the million dollar question.

Yeah, Leonard was about ready to lose his marbles.

He was prepping the supply storage units, when Spock strolled in for the tenth time that day.

"Dr. McCoy," Spock greeted, startling Bones to the point that he nearly dropped his box of gauze.

"My god man, what the hell do you need this time?" Leonard implored, "don't you have anything better to do with your day than pester me?"

"Indeed I do, doctor" Spock replied.

Leonard huffed and sat down his box, "then what is it, did you miss my face or something?"

"I saw your face only moments ago, I have no need to miss-"

"It was a joke Spock, what do you want?" Leonard pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I came to inform you that I saw Commander Y/L/N coming in this direction." Spock stated.

Leonard raised an eyebrow, "and?"

"It is my understanding you are anxious to speak with them regarding your-" Spock started.

"Your understanding is correct, I just..." Leonard sighed and shook his head.

"Would it help if I told you the odds that they will say yes?" Spock asked.

"Never tell me the odds Spock," Leonard grumbled.

"Then I will simply say, good luck." Spock turned and left again, leaving Bones to decide if he was ready for this. He didn't have time for a decision, because there you were in the doorway with two mugs in your hands.

"Hey, stranger," You laughed. "Looks like I got here just in time, you look like you need some." You handed over the cup and Leonard took it gratefully.

"Thanks," Leonard offered you a smile and took a sip from his mug. It was just how he liked it, right down to the temperature. Together, they retreated to the safety of his office. Once inside, they fell into their usual conversation. He waited until things got quiet, then he decided to go for it.

"So, got any plans for shore leave?" Leonard asked, leaning back in his chair in an effort to appear more at ease.

"No, not really. Maybe I'll visit with a couple friends, catch up on sleep. How about you? got any exciting plans?" You leaned in, resting your chin on your hand.

"Not yet," he admitted. "But I'm hoping to make some."

"Oh? You got someone special in mind?" You hummed.

"Someone incredibly special, yeah." Leonard smiled. So far, so good.

"Oh, well I hope it goes well." You shifted awkwardly in your seat.

"Me too..." Leonard agreed. You both didn't speak for a moment, the distant hum of the warp core did little to tame the silence.

"Hey Y/N... I was thinking maybe we could go to that restaurant you like, you know the one with the really good Chicken Parmesan you're always talking about." He mused, "what do you think?"

"I, um... I think they'd like it" The smile you gave him looked...sad?

"What are you talking about? Who'd like it?" Leonard couldn't possibly be more confused.

"Your special someone?" It was your turn to look confused.

You've got to be kidding me

"I'm talking about you darlin', do you want to go to that restaurant with me, just us, nobody else. You and me. Together." Leonard clarified, meeting your gaze.

You looked positively flabbergasted. He couldn't possibly mean what he was saying, right? There was no way Leonard wanted to... I mean, he was way too good for you! You had been trying for months to get his attention, to no avail. This must be a dream. You're going to wake up any minute.

"Darlin'?"

"I, uh...what?" You blinked out of your daze.

"Dammit Y/N, I'm trying to ask you out on a date!" Bones ran a hand through his hair, exasperation evident in his tone.

"Really? Me?" You asked hopefully.

"Yes!" He replied "Look, it's okay if you don't w-" You suddenly burst into laughter and all the words died on his lips. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! It's just-" You giggled, "I actually came here to do the same thing..." You said sheepishly as you dug into your pocket "I, um... I got us tickets to see your favorite band. Figured if you said no, you could just take Jim instead." You handed the tickets over to him.

Leonard stared at the tickets in his hand, shock written all over his face. "Sweetheart, are you telling me we've both been dancing around each other for months, when we could have been doing stuff like this the whole time?"

"Seems that way, yes."

Leonard smiled and shook his head. "We're not very good at this, are we?"

"Not at all," You laughed. "Ahoy McCoy? What was I thinking?"

"Points for creativity darlin'," Bones chuckled. He almost couldn't believe things had turned out so perfectly. But in his experience, coincidence didn't exist. "Jim knew, didn't he?"

"He was actually the one who pushed me to come here," you admitted.

"Same. The bastard told me you'd say yes... Guess this was one of the few times I should have trusted him." Leonard concurred.

"So... What now, doctor?" You leaned a little closer. How had he never noticed your eyes before. He knew they were beautiful of course, but the way they were looking at him now made him weak in the knees. Had you always looked at him like that?

"Well, for now we're going to finish up our shifts, wouldn't want anyone to think we're slackers. But later, we're going to meet at the recreation room for a drink, possibly a game of darts. Then we'll see where the night takes us," McCoy smirked.

"How romantic, I can hardly wait for you to sweep me off my feet, they're killing me from all this running around, you know?~" You mused, resting your chin on your palm.

"Now you listen here darlin'. I'm a doctor, not a broom." Bones couldn't hide his amusement when you rolled your eyes at him.

"Well, what if I sweep you off your feet then?"

"You'll have to be careful, you might drop me and we could end up tangled in a whole mess of limbs."

"Oh, I'm counting on it.~" You teased.

Leonard swallowed hard and hid his bashfulness with a sip of his coffee, "Well in that case, sweep away."

You laughed again and McCoy was sure he had never heard a more beautiful sound in his life. He could see a future with you then. He wanted to sweep you off your feet, kiss you until you were breathless, share coffee with you early in the morning, and swap stories until late in the night. He wanted to introduce you to his daughter.

Baby steps.

"I hate to cut this short doctor, but I left the ensigns alone for too long, I'm worried there will be no lab to return to. I'll see you tonight?" You asked, fidgeting nervously with cuffs of your sleeves.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I'm not going to change my mind." Leonard smirked.

You blushed and smiled in relief, "good! Great!" You stood, grabbed your mug, and sauntered happily to the door. You paused just a moment and looked back at Bones sweetly. "See you later, handsome."

"See you later Y/N," replied Leonard. You gave him a cute little wave before hurrying back to the labs.

Once he was alone again in his office, Bones leaned back in his seat and admired the tickets on the desk. He almost couldn't believe how thoughtful you were, but this wouldn't be the first time you gave him an incredible gift. A couple months after you met, Bones had mentioned offhandedly that he missed a particular brand of whiskey from Earth. Despite being light years away, you managed to find some and give it to him. It wasn't even a special occasion, you got it just to make him happy. Leonard supposed he should have realized your feelings for him right then and there. Damn. He really was oblivious.

McCoy wanted to give you something tonight- no, he needed to give you something tonight. Something sweet, something romantic, something that says: 'you're special to me and I need to show it to you because I'm terrible with words'. But where was he going to find something like that on a starship? The botany labs. Flowers make for a great gift on a first date! Maybe if he was lucky, they would have irises growing down there. So what if bouquets are a little sappy?

A little sap never hurt anybody after all.

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