#i miss them so much. chewing on the dry wall waiting for ch 5 so in hopes i can finally date them

[paper-mache-stars]

A little Avery, as a treat.

[captainsbabysitter-blog]

Space Princesses and Coffee Dates: Ch 2

So there’s probably going to be at least one more full chapter to this. Because @yourtropegirl asked for no smut, I might make an extra chapter at some point that can be read separately for those of you who would like that particular payoff.

First Chapter Here

Pairing: McKirk

Rating/Warnings: E for everyone. Fluff’s ahoy. Maybe some secondhand embarrassment.

Length: 1525 words

Summary: Here’s the date, guys! Enjoy awkward turtle Jim being precious.

The confirming text came a few hours later. ‘Sister said yes. Up for coffee in the morning?’

‘Coffee’s just about the only thing I *am* up for in the morning.’ And so what if he was picturing the way Bones’ eyes crinkled when he chuckled as Jim sent his reply.

He nearly choked on his mouthful of coffee when Len’s answer came back as ‘That’s a shame.’

“You okay, keptin?” Pavel’s voice carried across the room.

“He’s texting that doctor,” Sulu smirked. No one should look that smug when failing to fix an espresso machine. “Sounds like he’s better at flirting than we thought.”

A groan from the Russian preceded a $5 bill being slid across the counter. Sulu’s smug factor ramped up another couple notches as he pocketed it.

Jim tried to find it in himself to be offended. “You placed a bet on that?”

��What else are we going to do?” Sulu shrugged. Quiet curses were immediately followed by a resigned grumble. “Pav call Scotty. This stupid thing won’t work. With any luck, he’ll get in tonight.”

“Have fun with that,” Jim grinned while he tapped away at his phone. “I’m gonna lock up. You have your keys? Ny’s cat buried Spock’s somewhere and he can’t find them. You’ll have to let both of you in in the morning.”

“Yeah, alright,” Sulu waved him off absently, still not entirely content to leave the ill-behaved machine alone. “Have fun on your date. We expect details.”

“A lady doesn’t kiss and tell.”

“Good thing you’ve never been described as ladylike in your life.”

Jim had a good chuckle at that as he hit most of the lights and locked the door behind him.

~*~*~

The next morning was largely spent getting ready. Under normal circumstances, Jim relied almost exclusively on his charm and how good his ass looked in jeans, but something about the way Bones flirted so casually twisted his tongue and his gut in knots while sending his heart thrumming against his ribcage. It had him standing in front of his closet, wide awake and just a little manic, at 6am. Two hours should be long enough to find something to wear, right? His thoughts were interrupted by several rapid-fire alerts from his phone.

‘You’ll be fine.’ Of course Ny would’ve heard. ‘Don’t overthink it and just be yourself.’

‘Nyota has informed me I should wish you well on your date.’

‘She said I should wish you luck, but as I don’t believe in it I saw little point.’

That was the tension break Jim needed. He laughed to himself and sent off a couple quick ‘Thanks, guys’ and turned back to his choices. It was just a coffee date, not dinner out somewhere nice so slacks seemed a bit much. Ass-hugging jeans it was, then. He chewed on his lip a bit as he debated between t-shirt and a button-up.

He snagged his phone from where he’d tossed it on the bed and took a couple pics to send to Uhura. ‘Ny I’m hopeless help?’

‘Oh my god, do you love this guy or something? You’re just going for coffee, right?’

‘Yeah at that café down the street from my place.’

‘Go with the t-shirt, but wear that leather jacket.’

‘Thanks. You’re the best.’

‘I know.’

Once the clothes were laid out on the bed, Jim hopped in the shower. His hair was styled meticulously, toothbrush sticking out of his mouth as his attention waffled between hygiene routines.

Ny knew exactly what she was talking about. Once Jim shrugged the leather jacket onto his shoulders and turned every which way in front of the mirror on the back of his door, he had to admit she was right. The jeans and t-shirt hugged his body nicely and the jacket was just loose enough. Together they looked thrown together enough to be casual for the setting, but definitely good enough to be worn on a date. He ran a hand over his chin just once more to make sure he didn’t miss a spot shaving before he booked it out the door. Just a few minutes to 8; if he left now, he’d make it to the café in time.

Len was leaning against the wall just beside the door waiting for him when Jim finally came up, and the blond felt his mouth run dry; those jeans should be illegal and the way he had the sleeves rolled up and the top couple buttons undone was just downright sinful. He’d let his stubble grow in again, and Jim had to admit the effect was stunning. He enjoyed the view for another couple moments before Len glanced his way and smiled.

“Hey, Bones!” Did he sound as jittery as he thought he sounded? He hoped not. Not when Bones looked cool as a cucumber.

“Morning, Jim.” Len pushed away from the wall as Jim drew closer. “Ready to head in?”

The grin he gave in response was cheeky. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

They put in their orders at the counter and settled themselves at a table on the terrace. The sun was coming up over the trees, and there was a soft bite to the air that said fall was coming. Jim found himself looking around, hands fidgeting and leg bouncing as he struggled to remember any of the roughly fifty million conversation starters he’d thought up since the night before.

Bones didn’t seem like he was about to let that go. He ran his eyes over Jim’s shifting form for just a second before he reached over to snag his hand. “You nervous, Jimmy?”

“Are you not?”

“Honestly? This is the first date I’ve been on since before Jo was born. I think my heart’s about to hop out’ve my throat.”

“Glad I’m not the only one!”

Both of them laughing finally cuts the tension and conversation flows easily. Len asked about how Jim came to own Enterprise Books at such a young age (inherited from his adopted father), Jim asked some questions about his daughter.

“Her mother got primary custody and I let Joss have the house so Jo wouldn’t have to move somewhere different. Us splitting was nasty enough even if she was only a newborn when it was all happening.”

Jim let out a low whistle. “Wow, that sounds rough. If she had primary custody, how’d the munchkin come to live here with you?”

“There was a car accident. Joss was on her way to get Jo from daycare about a year ago and a car drifted into her lane going something like double the speed limit. You got the bookstore from your adoptive dad? What happened to your birth parents?”

“Father died the day I was born, mum didn’t handle it well, and Uncle Frank’s drunk ass was the reason dad won custody without much of a fight. He was one of my father’s army buddies, I guess.”

“And where is he now?”

A slow smile crept to Jim’s lips as he leaned in. “Why? Looking to meet the parents already? Dad retired, his husband is still a doctor.”

“Oh, so you’re just taking after your dad and chasing a doctor, huh?” Apparently two can play the teasing game. Len rested his chin in his hand and ran his eyes over Jim’s form. “Granted, you’d make a perfect trophy husband, kid.”

“Depends. You still in your residency? Can’t afford much of a trophy husband if you are.”

“If I were still in my residency, do you think I’d have so much spare time to hang around the store flirting?”

That startles him a bit. Honestly, Jim hadn’t noticed. “You were flirting?”

Len nodded and took a sip of his coffee, offering up a smile to the girl who came out to refill their cups. “Thanks. And yeah, Jim, I was flirting with you. I think. I’m not great at it, apparently.”

“I’m just oblivious, I guess.”

The rest of breakfast was spent chatting about light topics of interest. Jim found himself falling hard and fast as he listened to stories about Len’s childhood in Georgia, his quick yet difficult skip through his undergrad and med school (seriously, who finishes their residency before 28?), and everything that led him here to San Francisco. In turn, Jim told him about Iowa, his rather impressive track record of runaways and misdemeanors before he even hit his teens, and how he came to live with Chris when he was just shy of 10 years old. Len leaned forward intently as Jim regaled him with the story of how Chris and Phil met.

“They didn’t waste any time, did they?” Len chuckled.

“No, they didn’t,” Jim agreed before he drew his lip between his teeth in thought. “Y’know… Neither should we. If you’re interested, I mean, my place is just down the block…”

He shifted a bit under Len’s suddenly intense gaze. Had he misread the whole situation? Maybe this really was just supposed to be them meeting up as friends and he’d assumed too much.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Jim blinked at him in surprise. “Really?”

“Lead the way, o captain, my captain.”

Tagging: @mccoymostly @thevalesofanduin @emmkolenn @thinkwritexpress-official @auduna-druitt @pinkamour1588 @southernbellestatues @thislovelymaelstrom