#mckirkenterprise

[jamest-kirk]

Bones + marriage proposals

Bones only proposes once in his life; at the early age of 20, when he’s madly in love with Jocelyn Treadway, and has been for 4 steady years. Of course, it doesn’t last. Having a kid makes everything better, for a while, until it just doesn’t. The divorce is painful, Bones is drunk for most of it - maybe even more so when he finds he’s driven her back into the arms of an older high school flame.

After the dust of that divorce is settled, and Bones joins Jim and the other on to the Enterprise, he’s changed. He’s still a romantic at heart, but he doesn’t believe in marriage. Losing Jocelyn has scarred him bad, and though he eventually starts dating again here and there - marriage is a thing not meant for him. He’s certain of that.

But that’s not to say he doesn’t receive proposals in his life. Quite a few, in fact. After getting over his divorce, he meets a girl in the Academy. They’re not serious or nothin’, he tells Jim when they’re drinking in the campus bar together, they work together on assignments and they have sex. Sometimes dinner first, or a movie. They date, but it’s not serious. Doesn’t feel as serious as Jocelyn had been, but maybe he’s just scared of getting hurt again. She thinks they’re serious, though, perhaps a little too much too quickly, because she casually asks about marriage on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Bones sat on her bed, quietly studying a case study on some alien disease when she asks him. Maybe a little insensitive, but he laughs out loud when she suggests it. “No, darlin’, I don’t think so,” he says, “if I were meant to be married, it would’ve lasted the first time I tried it.” He doesn’t hear from her after that.

The second time, it’s a guy. But does it really count? They’re visiting Earth shortly after defeating Nero and they’re celebrating their victory. Jim and Bones are out late, tipsy but not wasted. The guy that comes up to them is, though. He stumbles over, and Bones catches him before he falls. “You ruined it,” the guy says, “I was gonna fall for you, handsome. You’re a fine specimen- you’ll make a fine husband someday. Why not to me? There’s a chapel ‘round the corner.” “I– no,” Bones says, “thank you.” Jim’s laughing at him. The two help the drunk guy back to his hotel, and Bones declines his invitation to stay the night, thanking him kindly, though. “There’s a bucket next to your bed in case you need to throw up, okay?” Bones says when he helps the guy in bed. “Drink plenty of water. You want to stay properly hydrated, or you’ll have an even worse hangover. There’s a deli just around the corner for orange juice and a greasy breakfast.” “You hold on to this one,” the guy tells Jim, and he’s trying to point at Bones, but he’s very drunk, “you hold on to this one, and make ‘em yours.” Jim is still laughing about it when they get back to their own hotel an hour later.

An alien species has Bones under his spell, and his mind is not his own. He’s obsessed with her. Jim is shaking his shoulders, but the words his friend is saying doesn’t get to his brain. All he thinks, feels, even smells, is that alien girl, and it’s making him sick unless he’s close to her. She talks about marriage, too, but even her words barely have meaning to him. Really, he just does as she asks. That includes beating up Jim for trying to stop her. Jim isn’t fighting back - not really, and Bones fears he could’ve killed him if Spock hadn’t knocked him out with that incredibly painful Vulcan pinch. He wakes up on the Enterprise, Jim sitting next to him  with a broken nose, but the worried look on Jim’s face is not over his own well-being, it’s over Bones’. “Are you okay?” Jim asks. “Are you?” Bones counters, “fuck, Jim, I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop it-” “It’s fine,” Jim says, “no need to explain. I know it wasn’t you. We stopped her, you don’t have to worry. I gotta tell you though, dude, your taste in people is despicable.” Bones laughs, his hand reaching out for Jim’s face, fingers gently running under the bruise on his cheek. “Tell me about it,” he says.

With Jim, things are different. Jim is patient about Bones’ flaws, while simultaneously not taking any of his bullshit. Bones is dating his best friend, and for the first time, it feels similar to Jocelyn. Like it’s going somewhere, like this could be his forever. And Jim knows Bones doesn’t believe in marriage anymore, hasn’t believed in it since Jocelyn. But when a stranger in a bar in York Town hits on Bones openly, Jim’s a little jealous even if he has no reason to be. Bones has no intention to go home with a beautiful stranger when he can go home with his best friend. 

“Would you have gone home with her tonight if we weren’t, you know, a thing?” Jim asks Bones later, after he’s politely rejected that girl and they’re walking back to their apartment. “No,” Bones replies. “She’s beautiful, though.” “Certainly,” Bones says, “I think I still would’ve rather gone home with you.” “But if we weren’t a thing.” “Still,” Bones replies, “I rather watch movies and get drunk on the couch with you, having stupid discussions on the importance of updating my piloting skills-” “Very important,” Jim nods. “- than going home with a stranger for meaningless sex,” Bones concludes. 

They’re on the balcony of their apartment. It overlooks the plaza that leads to the terminals, and though they can’t see the Enterprise from here, she’s down there. Home’s down there, and it’s a comforting thought. Jim stands next to him, artificial breeze messing up that perfect little curl in his hair, and he smiles at Bones. “I gotta ask you something,” Jim says, standing up straight and tossing his beer bottle to the bin. He misses. It’s very classy (it’s not). “What?” Bones asks. Jim grabs both Bones’ hands, and he sinks down to one knee. He actually takes a knee for him. “Jim-” Bones starts, but Jim shakes his head. “Shut up. Listen. I know you don’t believe in marriage, and you don’t have to. We don’t need to get married. But I want you to know that I’m serious. I would be dead without you. Literally. And I’m just here, asking you to be my best friend forever.” Bones looks down at Jim’s totally serious face, and when he cracks a smile, Jim does, too. “You’re an idiot,” Bones replies, and Jim laughs. Bones pulls him back up on his feet, pulling Jim in for a kiss. “A wise man once told me to hold on to you and make you mine,” Jim says with a laugh, “I never forgot it. Guess I always knew that one day I might. So is this a yes?” “It’s a ‘you’re an idiot’, but I guess that’s also a yes,” Bones says. “there’s no one else I’d rather be with.”

[jamest-kirk]

"No," Leonard tells Jim. Short and sweet, and that's how he ends the conversation. Jim isn't done yet, though. Bones is working in his office, probably filling in all that paperwork he has to do. Jim sits down on his desk, taking his PADD away. "Please, Bones. This is Sam we're talking about." "You want to go to your brother's wedding and lie about a relationship? That's horrible," Bones says, "you're a horrible person." "Please," Jim repeats, "my brother is always better at relationship stuff. I want to one-up him this time.” “You want to one-up him on his wedding. Again, you’re a horrible person, I don’t know why we’re friends. And we’re definitely not fake dating.” “I’ll give you a week extra off. You can skip all the pre-departure preliminaries.” Bones takes a deep breath, and he clenches his jaws in the way he does when he’s annoyed; something Jim finds both infuriating and incredibly attractive. “Fine,” Bones finally says, “I’ll be your dumb boyfriend.”

Bones looks so good; a dark blue suit and a black tie; Starfleet insignia pinned to his chest. Jim reaches out to touch it, grinning when the other rolls his eyes. "Can we go inside or what?" Bones asks, nodding towards the doors to the reception hall, and Jim nods. "Can you at least try and pretend to be happy to be with me?" Jim asks, "I really need tonight to work." "Did I mention you're a terrible person?" “All the time,” Jim says, and Bones huffs. “Okay, let’s go inside.”

It's like the flip of a switch the moment they get inside. Bones' arm is around Jim's waist and he's smiling. He's greeting Jim's family members and he's laughing at bad jokes and, surprisingly, he doesn't drink a lot. Jim's surprised, pleasantly so, at this stranger on his arm. "James!" Winona said, cupping Jim's cheeks and kissing his forehead like she always does. "Mom," Jim said, catching Leonard smirking from the corner of his eyes. "Mom," Jim continues, "this is-" "I know who this is," his mother says, "I knew the two of you would eventually get together. You should’ve told me sooner, though." "You... what?" Jim asks. "Well, obviously the two of you are dating. You’ve been “roommates” since the Academy," she says, and Leonard smiles. "I can't believe you didn't even tell your mother about us, Jim, oh my God,” he says, and Jim feels terribly lost. 

Leonard tells Jim’s family about their incredibly romantic dates they went on, made up out of thin air. He kisses Jim’s cheek before he leaves to grab another drink. He’s constantly reaching out for Jim’s hand, or his arm, or his waist, anything. And he doesn’t even hesitate when Jim pulls him to the dance floor.  “What is all this?” Jim asks, sliding his arms around Bones’ shoulders, “I’ve never seen this side of you.” “Well, you know, countless years pretending to like my in-laws, I can do this,” Bones says, and Jim laughs. “What about that date we were describing? Stargazing at the Golden Gate Bridge? What secret romantic is hiding inside that grumpy exterior?” “Nothing secret about it, you literally call me Mr. Sensitive all the time,” Bones points out, and Jim nods. “That’s fair,” Jim says, and he smiles fondly at the other. Being this close to Bones, he finds himself thinking about kissing him. But they haven’t yet, other than cheeks, and this is different. Jim catches himself having feelings, and Bones looks so good. The other pulls away before Jim can do anything regrettable and impulsive, though, and with a conflicted mind, Jim watches him leave.

“Hey,” Sam says as he approaches Jim, and Jim smiles. “If it isn’t the groom. Congratulations,” he says, patting Sam’s shoulder, and then he pulls him into a quick hug. “You too,” Sam says, and Jim raises an eyebrow. “Huh?” “You and your doctor,” Sam says, “I gotta admit, I thought you were going to get an escort just to get back at me for being better at relationships than you.” “What? I would never do that,” Jim says, grinning stupidly. “I can tell. You look more in love with Leonard than I’m with my wife, and her and I are a for-life deal.” “Ha, yeah,” Jim says, and then: “wait, what?” "I see the looks you two give each other," Sam says, nudging Jim's shoulder, "that's how you know it’s for real." Jim glances in Bones' direction, who's speaking with Jim's mother, and when he catches Jim looking, he smiles lightly before turning back to the conversation with Winona. 

Jim promises he's going to help clean up afterwards. He walks Bones outside, only letting go of his hand once they were out of sight from most family members. "Thank you for this," Jim says quietly, and Bones shrugs. "It's okay, I had fun," he says, "you know that if you're going to clean up, I can help." "You've helped enough," Jim replies. He hesitates, and then adds: "You're really good at pretending." "Huh?" "You said you did this all the time, pretending to like your in-laws. It's really convincing. Even had me fooled," Jim explains, running a hand through his hair. "It helps that it's not all pretend," Bones replies, and Jim frowns. He studies the look in Bones' eyes, but he detects no annoyance or anger. No lies; instead, he smiles, possibly slightly intoxicated, and so Jim smiles, too. "Maybe we don't have to play pretend," Jim says, "we could just actually date." Bones laughs, and Jim feels the doctor's hands on his shoulders. "If this was your elaborate plan to get me to date you, you should know, it's ridiculous, and complicated. But, I guess, it did work," he says, and Jim grins. He reaches out, pulling Bones in closer, and he kisses him. Really kisses him, not just on his cheek.

“Jim,” Jim’s mother says, so suddenly that it startles Jim, and he pulls away from Bones. “Jim,” she repeats with a sigh, though it’s clear she’s hiding a smile, “are you going to come inside to help or are you going to keep making out with McCoy over here?” “I’m coming,” Jim says. “I’ll help,” Bones offers. “Mom, I’m dating this guy,” Jim announces as he walks inside next to her, and Winona laughs. “I know, Jim, you couldn’t shut up about it all day.”

[jamest-kirk]

An 'away mission that goes wrong, Bones is captured, they find him and the first thing he says is "Are you alright?" because even when Bones is really the one hurt as he puts others before his own health?' prompt?

Bones is the best doctor, but he’s undoubtedly the worst patient. Jim is far from perfect when it comes to health checkups and generally looking after himself, but Bones is worse. It frustrates Jim to no end, because he’s worried and he’s angry at whatever causes Bones to suffer, but he’s also annoyed that his doctor and best friend doesn’t look after his own health the way he preaches it to patients. That, and maybe it’s one of those realizations that Bones is far more alike Jim than Jim wants to admit.

Bones gets hurt surprisingly frequently for someone who scolds anyone for getting as much as a scratch. He joins Jim on ground missions a lot, and so more than once, when things to awry, Jim finds his best friend hurt and bleeding, but it’s Bones who pushes through that and tends to the minor bruise on Jim’s cheek. He ignores his own pain until everyone else is okay, and then he gets himself checked out - if he even does that in the first place.

“Jesus Christ,” Jim sighs when he catches Bones incredibly sick in his own med bay. Not to rest, of course, instead he’s tending to the other patients. “You need to rest,” Jim says, and Bones huffs at that. “You’re not my doctor,” Bones says, “I am, and I am fine.” “You’re not fine,” Jim replies. Bones’ skin feels hot and clammy when he briefly places his hand on Bones’ forehead, but Bones leans away instead. “I’m fine, Jim,” Bones says. “Go to your chambers, take a hot shower, and go to bed,” Jim orders, firmly this time. He grits his teeth, watching Bones patiently tend to a patient instead, but once he’s done with that, Bones finally obliges.

Jim doesn’t say anything about it, because Bones is a damn fine doctor and he knows what he’s doing at least 99% of the time (arguably, that number is a lot lower according to Spock). But it’s incredibly frustrating, because every time Bones gets hurt, Jim feels nothing short of a panic attack until he’s certain Bones is gonna make it through. He has that feeling with everyone on the Bridge, but Bones even more so. And while Jim is bleeding - an encounter with an alien race gone horribly wrong - he makes his way to Bones, who looks far worse. “Bones! Let’s get you back to the Enterprise,” Jim says, grabbing on to Bones’ arm to hoist him back up on his feet. “Are you alright, Jim?” Bones asks, and Jim nods. “I’m gonna be fine, Bones.” “You’re bleeding, just let me take a look-” Bones starts, but Jim interrupts him. “God damn it, no. Scotty, two to beam up. Get Chapel ready to escort McCoy here to med bay.” “Jim,” Bones starts, through gritted teeth, but Jim shakes his head. “No, shut up. We’re going back to the ship, and you’re going to heal.”

Jim is angry with Bones, of course, but he doesn’t really have anyone to talk about that with. Spock and Uhura are busy, Chekov is never interested in Jim’s social life, Sulu can’t relate because his best friend is Pavel “everything I do is great” Chekov, and Scotty somehow always finds a way to blame Jim. So, Bones it is. Even if it’s the very person he’s mad at.

Bones sits quietly on the couch while Jim paces through the room. He’s ranting about everything and nothing. Bones getting hurt on the mission, Bones ignoring his own health, Bones diving headfirst into trouble to save an ensign. And Bones sits there quietly, listening to the other. “Are you done?” Bones asks, and Jim narrows his eyes. “Are you?” He counters. Bones huffs, rubbing his temples like he’s fighting a headache - something that instantly worries Jim. “Done with what? Being a good doctor?” “Being a reckless idiot,” Jim replies, and Bones laughs. “You sound like me yelling at you,” he says. Jim hesitates, briefly, and then he sinks down on the couch next to Bones.  “You’re ignoring my point, Bones.” “I know.” “I’m just constantly worried you’re going to get hurt, and I can’t… I think my leadership abilities are compromised when I’m worried over you.” Bones opens his mouth to speak, but instead he decides to be silent, resting his hand on Jim’s leg. “You gotta have leadership abilities in the first place in order for them to be compromised,” he replies eventually. Jim briefly glares at him, but when Bones smiles, Jim does, too. “I can’t believe it,” Jim replies, “I’m pouring my soul out here and you’re still talking shit about me.”

Jim reaches out, to the hand resting on his leg, and he squeezes it gently. Bones smiles at that, and turns his hand around to hold on to Jim’s before he can pull away again. “For the record,” Bones says, “you’re right.” “I’m– what? I mean, yes, I am,” Jim says, half distracted by the fact that they’re holding hands, but still very aware of Bones’ reply. “I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt, okay?” Jim says, and Bones nods, though Jim isn’t sure the other’s actually listening. There’s a look in Bones’ eyes Jim has seen before, but he’s never quite been at the receiving end of it, and it’s far more enchanting than he cares to admit. He leans in, much calmer now and yet his heart is pounding - all forgotten when he feels Bones’ lips against his own. “I’ll be more careful,” Bones promises, though Jim knows that’s not true, because it’s Jim who often promises Bones the same thing. “The things you do to me,” Jim sighs, hand briefly on Bones’ chest, and he feels he’s not the only one with a quicker heartbeat. Bones laughs at that comment, smile turning into a devious smirk. “They pale in comparison to the things I still want to do to you.“

[jamest-kirk]

How about something with Bones sitting in the captain's chair? (don't care if he is acting captain or if he is just having fun in the chair, take your pick)

Bones has been nervous for days. Jim has tried to calm his nerves by feeding him drunk the night before, but how is that gonna help? He’s a skilled doctor, Bones is, and Jim has seen him take charge on many assignments and field trips. If anyone in the medical rank should take command classes, it’s Bones. And he has been taking them. Doing quite well for himself, too, but now it’s his time to shine in the Kobayashi Maru test, and he’s nervous. “There’s no need to be,” Jim tells him, “you know it’s a bullshit test you’re going to lose anyway. Why be nervous at imminent failure?” “Jesus Christ, Jim, what happened to your ‘I don’t believe in no-win scenarios’? I think I liked that version of you better.”  “I still think that,” Jim says, “but you’re not gonna do what I did.” “No,” Bones says, stepping onto the simulated Bridge, and he glances towards the window where he knows he’s being watched, “I’m not going to do what you did,” he adds, and then he sits down in the captain’s chair. Jim knows, the moment Bones takes that deep breath, he’s gonna do fine.

Bones isn’t exactly first to be in command whenever Jim and Spock are away from the Bridge, but sometimes the situation calls for it. “We need a pilot to operate the shuttle,” Jim says as they’re brainstorming how to save a survivor on a crashing ship. “Sulu, Spock, you two come with me. Spock and I will have your back while you fly the survivor back to safety,” Jim promises as Sulu gets up from his seat. “Good luck,” Bones tells the three of them, and he gently pats Jim’s shoulder, “don’t get hurt.” “You too,” Jim says. “Why me? I’ll be on the ship.” “Well, yeah,” Jim says, “but you’ll be in command.” Jim watches the look in Bones’ eyes looking briefly struck with panic, and with a groan, Bones sinks down in Jim’s chair. “Just so you know,” he tells Jim, “if you’re not back in two hours, I’m taking this ship and I’m flying it to the nearest bar.”

Jim knows he agreed to meeting Bones at 6. The Enterprise is docked in York Town for a supply stop, but the Bridge is kind of their place. Plus, it’s quiet now and it’s dark. But it’s much closer to eight than it is to six by the time Jim steps on to the bridge. Bones sits in Jim’s chair, and when Jim approaches him, he finds the other asleep. Slouched back, head resting on his hand. Jim reaches out, his hand gently running through Bones’ hair, and the other slowly opens his eyes. “Hey, Captain,” Jim smiles. “At least this captain was on time for our date,” Bones counters, and Jim laughs. “Sorry, meeting took too long,” he says, sliding  down on the chair, too, and he sits on Bones’ lap. “You still wanna hit the bar?” Jim asks, and Bones shrugs. “I dunno, I’m kind of comfortable,” he admits, and Jim chuckles at that. “I know, right? The captain’s chair is pretty neat. That’s why I sleep here sometimes.” “Oh, that’s why?” Bones asks, “you sure it’s not your crippling fear of being alone?” “Wow,” Jim replies, settling down comfortably with one of Bones’ arms leisurely around his waist, “way to attack me on date night.”

Bones needs to go to medbay, but he refuses. Jim holds on to him tightly, one arm around Bones’ waist to keep him standing. “You’re bleeding,” Jim says, “you need to go to med.” “No,” Bones grits his teeth, doing his best to pretend he’s fine, but Jim can see his in pain, “Joanna is on that ship, Jim, I can’t– I need to see if she’s gonna be okay.” “Fine,” Jim says, stumbling back on to the bridge with him, and when they get there, he forces Bones to sit down on the chair. “I’m fine,” Bones says, but when Jim’s hand pushes him down, he sits down anyway. Jim rests his hand on Bones’ shoulder, partially to keep him seated, but maybe more so for mental support. Bones reaches out for Jim’s hand, squeezing it nervously while they try and get Joanna (and a few other kids) out of an enemy ship. 

Joanna is going to be a good Captain. Jim knows that ever since she’s chosen Command over Medical in Starfleet Academy. Maybe he knew even before that. She is Leonard’s daughter, after all. But Jim is turning grey, and Joanna has proven herself as his First Officer over the last few years, while Spock and Uhura resigned to raise their twins and research space anomalies from York Town. It’s a good position to be in, Jim knows. Scotty, too, spends his time teaching others engineering, and Jaylah and Demora keep the Enterprise running smoothly. The one thing that’s unfair about all of this, though, is that Bones, aging well into his fifties, only has a few streaks of lighter hair sneaking through that dark brown. He still looks young, to Jim. Strong arms, kind eyes, and that infinite wisdom about all things medical. Jim has spent countless hours in Bones’ presence, and he has no intention of giving that up any time soon. So when Bones receives a job offer in York Town and considers taking it, Jim knows it’s time for him to resign, too. Admiral, like Pike had been, doesn’t sound so bad either. “Quit your daydreaming,” Bones calls out to Jim, and Jim turns around to see Bones in the captain’s chair. Comfortably leaning back, one foot up on the seat like he always does. “You know,” Bones continues as Jim steps closer to him, “we can always... stay. If you’re not ready to go, we could do another mission. What’s another five years?” “And then another five years,” Jim says, sliding down on the chair right next to Bones. It’s a little tight - okay, it’s very tight, but they make do. “And then another five years, and then suddenly I’m like, a hundred.” “Jim, you’re 45,” Bones says, “no need to overreact.” “I think it’s time I handed the reigns over to Joanna.” “Oh God,” Bones mutters under his breath, like that’s only just sinking in. “Jo’s gonna do fine.” “She only had you as an example, I think ‘fine’ is a loose term here,” Bones replies, though with a laugh, and he leans in to press a kiss to the side of Jim’s head. “Hmm, we had a lot of fun in this chair though, right?” Jim continues, and Bones nods. “Sometimes, yeah,” he replies, and Jim smiles. He shifts, straddling Bones’ lap and he presses a kiss on the other’s lips. “Let’s take her for one last spin.” And to that, Bones readily agrees.

[jamest-kirk]

The first time Jim finds Joanna on the bridge of the Enterprise is when she’s barely 10. It’s her first time on board, and she slipped away from her father’s office to look in the bridge instead. It’s largely empty, since they’re docked in York Town, and everyone is enjoying their time off. Except Bones, who’s always working. Jim is no different, except he gets surprisingly little done in a work day. “Hey, Jo,” he says, and Jo smiles. “Hi, Captain Kirk,” she says, and Jim huffs. “You can just say Jim, that’s enough. What are you doing here?” “I wanted to see the Bridge,” Joanna says, “I’m going to work here some day, so I wanted to see it.” “Really?” Jim asks, “what do you want to be?” “Captain,” Joanna replies, “or a pilot.” “Bones hates both of those,” Jim says, “good choice. You want to sit in the chair?” He barely finishes his sentence, and Joanna is in the chair. She almost presses the buttons there, looking at Jim for permission, and Jim simply shrugs in response. After all, what’s the worst that could happen?

Two months later, he still can’t open a Comms channel without duck noises echoing through the corridors. Whatever Joanna did to his chair, she’s a very good prankster.

The second time they’re on the bridge is 2 years later. He’s about to lock down the Bridge for the night, but then he hears those quiet sniffles, and he finds Joanna under Chekov’s desk. “Hey,” Jim says, crouching down in front of her, “what’s the matter, Jo-Jo?” “I’m staying here,” she replies, and Jim frowns. “What do you mean? It’s not a comfortable floor to sleep on, and no one will be here til morning.” “I don’t want to go back to York Town. School sucks, and dad will be gone for years.” “We’ll be back in York Town as often as we can,” Jim says, sitting down next to her, “and I’ll keep an eye on your daddy for you.” Joanna huffs at that, but Jim reaches out a hand to her. “C'mon,” he says, “lets sit in the chair and pretend we’re fighting Klingons.” “You’re so lame, Jim.”

When Joanna is 14, Jim is no longer just Jim. Not to her. He’s the cool uncle, without even really being an uncle. Hes more of a stepdad. Dad’s boyfriend. The one who rides motorcycles and takes Joanna with him despite Bones telling him not to, but uncle Jim has a nicer ring to it (and she flat out refuses to call him dad). They see each other on the bridge, but this time on more formal circumstances. Jim agreed to let school kids roam the ship so they can have a tour, and it just so happens to be Joanna’s class. “Hi, Uncle Jim,” Joanna calls out to him when her group makes it to the bridge. She looks a little smug at the other kids, who are perplexed to find out that Jo’s “Uncle Jim��� is actually Jim Kirk. She’s definitely bragging, and Jim let’s her. “Hey, Jo, want to sit in the chair again?”

“Why are we here?” Bones asks Jim, “we’re on the bridge every god damn day, let’s enjoy a bar on the plaza!” “But look at the view,” Jim says, pulling Bones towards the window, and they overlook the plaza together. Kind of. The docking stations don’t have the greatest views at all. “You have a penthouse downtown,” Bones says, “with a pool on the roof garden. That’s a view. This,” he gestures outside, “barely classifies as such.” Jim laughs, arms sliding around Bones’ shoulders. “You’re a beacon of positivity, Bones.” He leans in to kiss him, but Joanna groans at the sight of that. “Gross.” “Jo,” Bones says, turning to look at the girl curled up in a blanket on Jim’s chair, “what are you doing here?” She hesitates, briefly, and then sighs. “Jackson broke up with me,“ she says. Both Jim and Bones are at her side instantly, and Joanna feels much better when the three of them settle on the floor in front of that big window. “You’ll be fine,” Bones says, running a hand through her hair and hugging her tight, “who needs a guy named Jackson anyway? And you’re going to the Academy soon. You won’t even remember him next year.” Jim’s a little less subtle. He’s on the other side of her, also holding her tight, but instead of sugarcoating things, he looks at her, dead serious; “want me to punch him in the face?”

It’s become a habit by now. There’s at least one night he finds Joanna sneaking on to the Bridge, looking out at the terminals into York Town plaza. She’s seventeen now, and looks so much like her father, it’s almost eerie. “Hey,” Jim says, walking over to the window to stand next to her. “I got accepted,” Joanna says, turning to look at Jim with the biggest grin on her face, “I’m gonna go to the Academy next month.” “That’s great!” Jim says, pulling her into a hug, “why are you here, then? You should be celebrating!” “I’m worried dad’s gonna be disappointed, since I’m not in medical.” “Are you crazy? Bones is going to be proud no matter what you choose to do in life,” he says, “come, let’s go celebrate, the three of us.” “Can I sit in the chair for a bit, first?” “Fine,” Jim says, “but for the love of God, don’t change the sounds.”

“Seriously, Jim, I’m going to diagnose you a workaholic or something. And still you get no work done!” Bones tells Jim when they’re on the bridge. York Town is quiet this time at night, only a few people still stroll the plaza from what they can see. “This is just our little spot, you know?” Jim says, and Bones huffs. “No, I don’t know. Are you okay? You seem more jittery than usual.” “Hmm,” Jim replies simply, and then; “ I was just thinking, you know? We’re also not getting any younger-” “Yeah, you’re greying,” Bones interrupts him, and Jim briefly relaxes when he feels Bones’ hands through his hair. But then he narrows his eyes. “What do you mean? No I’m not. It’s summer blond, just lighter than usual.” “What summer? We spend most of our days in deep space!” “Shut up, oh my God. Why do I want to marry you?” He groans, and Bones tenses instantly. “What?” Shit. “What?” Jim repeats, throwing Bones a nervous smile, “is that bad?” “As far as proposals go,” Bones says, “this one is pretty terrible.” “Oh my God,” Joanna calls out from the chair, loud enough to startle both of them, “you guys suck, get on with it. I didn’t spend the last few weeks looking at rings with Jim for such a lame proposal.”

Sulu’s temporary resignation is a pretty big blow. He’s leaving to spend time with Ben and Demora, taking a year to explore different planets and enjoy each other’s company before they’re too old to do so, and before Demora leaves for the Academy. Jim understands, but it still sucks. He’s learned to blindly rely on Sulu’s skills and presence, and Sulu is one of his best friends . He’ll miss him dearly. Jim sits in the captain’s chair quietly, looking up when the doors slide open. “Sup, Uncle Jim,” Joanna’s voice rings, and Jim smiles. “Hey, Jo-Jo. What are you doing here? We’re about to take off,” Jim says, and Joanna huffs. “Dad was right, you are terrible at reading reports.” “Hey,” Jim says, “this is your other dad you’re talking about. A little respect is due after so long.” “I’m the new pilot,” Joanna says, and now that Jim takes the time to look at the girl who walks towards the window. Command gold t-shirt, because she refuses to wear dresses. “You’re going into deep space with us,” Jim says, a small grin on his lips, “oh, your dad’s gonna love this.”

[jamest-kirk]

Mckirk + "don't let me fall asleep"

“Let me get this straight,”  Bones says, watching Jim sit down on his desk chair, “you want to study for the Introduction to Command exam the entire night? Why didn’t you just start studying earlier, like a normal person?” “I’m the normal person here, Bones, no one actually starts studying weeks in advance,” Jim replies, turning around in his chair with a grin that’s terrifying - probably with at least three energy drinks downed already. “Lots of people study weeks in advance, that’s why I only have to read the summary a couple times and I can go to bed on time,” Bones says. “Sounds boring,” Jim replies, “anyway, no, you can’t go to sleep. You need to make sure I stay awake.” Bones laughs at that, until he realizes Jim is entirely serious. “Wait. What?” “I’m serious, Bones. Don’t let me fall asleep. I need to pass this exam or I’m out. Please.”

“You need to rest,” Jim tells Bones, watching the doctor fussing worriedly over the new batch of patients finding their way into the med bay. The ship was under an unusual attack; a deadly virus sweeping through the corridors. A few decks are under strict quarantine, and though Jim isn’t infected yet himself, he can basically smell the disease everywhere. Bones has been working on a cure, but so far results have been slow. Jim can tell Bones is infected, too; he’s pale and shaky, and he coughs a lot. Probably off worse than most sick people checking in, because they’re resting now, and Bones is not. “I’m close to a breakthrough,” Bones says, “I may have a vaccine.” “Just rest, please,” Jim says, “I’m worried about you.” He hesitates, and then adds; “at least rest until the test results from the vaccine come in.” Bones doesn’t immediately respond, so Jim takes that time to push his doctor down in his office chair, and he runs his fingers gently through Bones’ hair. “Rest.” “Five minutes, maybe,” Bones says, leaning back in his chair, “don’t let me fall asleep.”

Conference meetings are the worst. It’s a large gathering with captains, first officers, and CMO’s, as well as Starfleet officers, and all they do is talk. Talk numbers. Talk data. Talk laws and law breakers, processes and prime directives, and all that other crap. It’s like being back in the Academy’s auditorium, and Jim sits next to Bones, constantly stifling yawns and looking at his PADD under the table. He can feel himself nod off a little too often, and Bones nudges him just before they ask Jim an important question. Jim clears his throat, gives the admirals a bullshit answer, and slouches back in his seat. “Are you that tired?” Bones asks quietly, and Jim shrugs. “I am that bored, Bones,” he complains silently, and Bones chuckles. “You never grow up, do you?” “Not if I can help it,” Jim replies. He smiles innocently at the lady shooting them glares for talking, and then he rests his head on Bones’ shoulder. “Just don’t let me fall asleep.”

Bones is hurt. Bones is badly, badly hurt. His shirt is more red than it is blue, and Jim’s hands are slippery with the doctor’s blood when he pulls Bones back up on his feet. “Jesus, Bones- Scotty, two to beam up!” he calls into his communicator loudly, but all he hears is static noise, with the occasional angry shouting from Scotty coming through, but nothing coherent. “What do I do?” Jim asks Bones, helping him sit down against the wall of a destroyed building. Beaming down in a parallel version of Earth that’s somehow stuck in the 1940’s was a bad idea. Very bad. And Jim blames himself for Bones being hurt. Bones’ hands are shaking as he presses his hands down on the wound in his stomach. “Keep me conscious,” Bones grunts under his breath, and Jim stares at him blankly. “How?” he asks, gently cupping Bones’ cheeks, and he bites his own lip, “you need some rest.” “Falling unconscious is not the same as sleeping, you idiot,” Bones mutters through gritted teeth. Jim laughs, though it’s filled with sadness and worry over his best friend. Where his hands previously touched Bones’ face, the other’s cheeks are smeared with blood, and it looks horrible. “I’ll keep you conscious,” Jim promises. “Good,” Bones says, “just… don’t let me fall asleep.”

It's been such a wonderful night. Jim's chest feels tight with love and admiration for his best friend; a feeling that's perhaps always been there, but he only now seems to be able to give that feeling a proper name. His Bones. And actually taking him out on a date to a small grill restaurant - quiet and hidden out of plain sight, it's lovely. It doesn't feel like a date, which makes it better. They laugh at each other's stupid jokes, and they get incredibly drunk. Somehow, they stay up until sunrise, talking about everything and nothing all at once. And Jim finds himself so tired when they're in bed. Where he struggles not to fall asleep, fighting to keep kissing Bones just a little longer. Bones isn't any better, one hand lazily in Jim's hair. "C'm on, it's date night," Jim groans tiredly, "with our shifts, who knows when we can do this next?" "Hmmhmm," Bones agrees, eyes shut and he looks way too comfortable to be getting sexy any time soon. "Bones, don't let us fall asleep," Jim says, head resting on Bones' shoulder, and he struggles to keep his eyes open. "Bones," he yawns, nudging the other slightly, until Bones mutters a:  "shut up and go to sleep."

[jamest-kirk]

A prompt: what about McKirk dealing with, for example, Jim somehow crossing roads with his stepfather again? It couldn't be a happy meeting.

Frank was never a bad person, but he was pretty far from good. He was a drunk, negligent, and an all-round asshole. How Jim’s mother managed to stay with him that long was beyond Jim, but then she wasn’t home a lot growing up. She came back shortly after Jim’s brother ran away from home, and Jim crashed Frank’s car off a cliff, and her being back in their lives made Jim being in his stepfather’s presence a whole lot more bearable.

But it’s a past he doesn’t think about. In space - exploring new planets, his life as a child is just a distant memory most of the time, and Jim is genuinely happy. It helps knowing his alcoholic dick of a stepfather would never achieve to anything, and that his mother is safe doing her research on a faraway colony. His brother is married and on Earth. All is well.

They’re outside on a small colony planet, far away from Earth, and Jim has been desperately trying to convince the primitive colony about the need for Starfleet to research certain minerals growing underground, but the townspeople are having none of it. It doesn’t help that Spock is trying to explain it to them, too, but continuously calls them derogatory terms they may not know the exact definition of, but they understand it’s not positive. Jim is interrupted by Frank, so suddenly stepping towards him and the people he’s negotiating with, it takes him completely off guard. He’s grey now, wrinkled and with a scruffy beard. Despite that, though, Jim recognizes him instantly, and he’s frozen in place watching the older man. Frank speaks to the people there quietly, and Jim let’s him, without hearing a word the man is saying because his mind is racing through a million questions he doesn’t even want the answer to.

Finally, Frank looks up and nods. “They’ll let you research for one week,” he says. . Because Jim doesn’t respond, Spock says; “Thank you” in his place, and then he turns around to get started. Jim turns around, too, and he starts walking away. “James,” Frank calls out to him, and before Jim can slow down himself, Frank walks after him and grabs his arm - and very briefly, Jim almost flinches like he used to. Almost. Instead, he turns around, turning to look at his stepfather, and forces a small smile. “Frank,” he says, “I didn’t recognize you.” Frank huffs. “Bullshit, you didn’t. I know you did. I don’t blame you for pretending not to, though,” he says, “I know we didn’t end things on great terms.” Jim doesn’t know what to say to that, so instead he asks; “What are you doing here?” “I oversee supplies being shipped here, mostly. It’s not Earth, but it’s something.” “Oh, okay,” Jim says, “well, I gotta go.” “Wait,” Frank says, “why don’t we catch up? I know you’re here all week. Make some time free for your old man.”

“I mean, who does he think he is? The nerve to tell me to ‘make some time’ for him. He’s not my dad. He’s never been my dad, Bones.” “I know,” Bones replies. Jim paces in front of him, constantly walking back and forth in front of the couch Bones is sitting on, until Bones reaches out and pulls him down next to him. “I don’t know what to do,” Jim says. “Why don’t you just go and see what he has to say? Even if it’s nothing, it’s only an hour or so, and then you never have to see him again.” “This is my stepfather we’re talking about,” Jim says. “You can also just not go,” Bones offers, “what is it you want?” Jim thinks about that for a few seconds, sighing; “I don’t know.”

Jim keeps tossing and turning in bed, thinking it over. What did he want? Preferably, for his stepfather not to have walked into his life in the first place, but he wasn’t that lucky. Eventually, Bones’ arm found its way around his waist, pulling him in closer. “Stop fussing,” Bones says, “or talk about it.” Jim sighs, turning around to face Bones. “I don’t want to see him,” Jim says, and Bones smiles lightly, his hand running through Jim’s hair. “Then don’t. You don’t have to. You owe him nothing.”

Still, Jim goes, because what if this man did change? Bones goes with him, to a small tavern where the beer is cheap and it smells like old cigarettes. Clearly, this whole planet is a bit underdeveloped, still, but that seems to fit Frank fine. Jim doesn’t know what to expect; an apology for a sucky childhood, maybe. Maybe even being yelled at again, or spoken down to, but it’s nothing like that. It’s not much of anything. Frank doesn’t acknowledge the past, and Jim doesn’t feel like digging, either. Frank doesn’t even ask much about Jim’s adventures in the Enterprise. They sit, and have a drink, and Frank talks about being a supplier. Honest work. He talks about Winona, too, about never really seeing her again. About Jim’s brother being married and with two kids, and he asks when Jim thinks about getting kids. Jim’s pretty sure he hears the other scoff a little when Jim mentions that the answer to that is “probably never”.

“Jim,” Frank says, “you’re not getting any younger, either. Perhaps you should start considering kids.” It’s the first time Bones turns into the conversation, too. He’d been sitting a table away to give Jim and his stepfather privacy. But even though Jim could still shrug Frank’s comment off, it seems Bones can’t. “Jim has a stepdaughter,” Bones says, which takes both Jim and Frank off guard. "Great with kids. Not negligent in the slightest, doesn’t even drink more than a beer in her presence. Who’d have thought that, seeing the great example he’s had growing up?“ Bones pulls out his PADD, showing off pictures of Jim with Joanna to the - to him - complete stranger sitting across the table from Jim. “Who’s this?” Frank asks. “My medical officer,” Jim says, and then adds: “and my partner.” Frank stares at the two of them. “Oh,” he says, “okay.”

It’s a short goodbye; no promises to meet again. Again, no apology either. “He could’ve at least said something about the twenty-something years he was a poor father,” Jim tells Bones when they’re back on the Enterprise. “Were you expecting anything?” Bones asks, sliding an arm around Jim’s shoulder when the other sits down on the couch next to him. “I don’t know, some recognition, maybe,” Jim says, and Bones shrugs. “You don’t always get the closure you hope for,” he says, “sometimes people are just shitty. And you have your family here. It doesn’t matter what an old man thinks.” 

Jim is still tossing and turning in bed, but it’s different. It wasn’t the closure he wanted, but it was closure in its own way. Next to him, he feels Bones shift, but Jim is one step ahead of him and slides his arm around Bones’ waist. “Still can’t sleep?” Bones asks, "are you even trying?” “I was thinking about what you said,” Jim said, reaching out to press a kiss on Bones’ cheek. “You’re actually thinking about things I say, meaning you actually listen to me sometimes?” Bones asks, and Jim huffs. “I listen to you most of the time,” he replies. “So, what’s on your mind?” Bones asks, and Jim smiles when Bones’ fingers run down his back. “Just… you’re right,” Jim says, “I think this might be some closure after all.”

[jamest-kirk]

Could you write about a Mckirk + Spuhura camping trip?

It’s Uhura’s idea. Jim immediately agrees. Spock takes a little convincing, but the promise of having plenty of research samples in the woods is enough. That, and the way Uhura looks at him and talks about spending time with him socially definitely contributes to Spock’s agreeing to it. Bones, though, is a cold hard “no”. “Please,” Jim says, reaching out to hold both Bones’ hands, and he squeezes them lightly, “I’m asking nicely.” “Hmm,” Bones replies, “no.” “Why not?” Jim asks. “Camping. In the woods,” Bones says, “that’s why. It’s awful. There’s flies everywhere, no bathroom, no bedroom-” “It’s just for a weekend,” Jim says, “can you try to not be the grumpy old man? It’ll be good for you to get some fresh air. The fumes of med bay are wearing you down.” “Resorting to flattery, I hear,” Bones replies, “there’s not a thing in the world you can do to convince me to come.”

“So what did it take you to convince him?” Uhura asks Jim quietly. The two of them walk ahead of Spock and Bones, following the small mountain path that leads down to a lake clearing, where Uhura arranged everything to be, apparently. “Sex,” Jim admits sheepishly, and Uhura rolls her eyes. “Classy. I shouldn’t have expected anything else.” “Oh, like you were any different convincing Spock. Engaging ’socially’, you’re not fooling anyone,” Jim counters, nudging her arm and matching her grin with one of his own. 

Okay, Jim can tell Bones is trying. He’s trying not to curse so much when they struggle pitching their tent. He cusses under his breath a lot, and Jim’s pretty sure his name is muttered out multiple times in less than flattering manners, but Bones is trying. And Jim shows his appreciation of that by pressing him up against the closest tree, lips chasing his in a heated kiss - something that brightens Bones’ mood considerably, at least. 

Uhura isn’t an idiot. Their camp site isn’t entirely excluded. There are other campers not too far away. There’s even an outhouse with a functioning toilet and a shower a few hundred feet away, and a campsite shop with a very limited amount of food that looks locally caught, cooked, or brewed. They’re camping, but they’re not really as stuck in the wilderness as it looks. When she tells Bones about it, he lightens up to the point that he actually enjoys himself. 

He teaches Spock fishing at the lake - something that would’ve been relaxing had it not been for Jim cannonballing into the water right in front of them. “Fuck sake, Jim,” Bones curses at him when Jim climbs back out of the water. "You’re scaring all the fish away.�� “I think you and your grumpy face do that, too,” Jim counters, which is answered with Bones pushing him right off the pier and back into the water.

While Bones and Jim stay at the lake to swim, Spock and Uhura venture out on a hike. Besides the fresh air and a change of scenery from their usual recreational spaces in the Enterprise, it’s nice to spend some time solely in each other’s company. They can gossip about crew members shamelessly, while simultaneously enjoying the views of the lake and the lush green of the trees. They take a break at a river bed to watch the fish and other wildlife around them. 

The night is spent surrounding a camp fire, roasting food over the open fire and sharing ridiculous dating stories. It’s nice to gossip and share secrets. Jim and Bones sit next to each other, bickering over whether or not Jim did or did not get hurt on their last away mission. Spock and Uhura listen to them rather fondly, though they’re more fond of each other’s company - Uhura’s resting her head on his shoulder while Spock’s fingers run absentmindedly over her arm. “Hey,” Jim interrupts them, “I know what Vulcan kisses look like. Get a room.”

Spock gets hurt on a hike the next day. Rather, it’s an allergic reaction to a sting from a bug. Luckily, Bones is there with a med kid to stop the reaction from getting too bad. He advices Spock to take it slow, though, and so that’s a good excuse to spend the afternoon with Uhura lazing around in the hammock near their tent. Bones is reading a book on the pier, feet in the water, and Jim’s next to him playing a game on his PADD. And, probably, because he’s still a Captain, checking up on the Enterprise crew.

A night hike is made terrifying by Jim filming everything and telling fake horror stories about the woods until Uhura tells him to shut the hell up. Bones scoffs about Jim’s immaturity, but it’s definitely Bones who lies awake at night terrified of every unfamiliar sound around them. Which, in the woods, is every sound. He rolls over in their sleeping bag, shaking the other awake. “What?” “There’s someone outside,” Bones says, and Jim huffs, turning back around. “There’s other campers, Bones.” “No, Jim, seriously, you should check.” “You go check.” “Jim.” “I’m sleeping!” “Jim-!” “Fine,” Jim says, turning around to face Bones, and he hovers over him for a few seconds, “if this is nothing, I swear I’m going to make sure you’re not falling back asleep any time soon.”

He doesn’t catch a predator, or a wild animal. He catches Spock and Uhura making out - and he’s not sure which is worse. True to his word, though, Jim finds a distraction by keeping Bones awake now that he is, too.

All of them are tired, come morning, but pleasantly so. They have breakfast quietly, and then clean up their tents, making sure there's no mess left behind that would disrupt the local wildlife more than them being there. "Did you enjoy it?" Uhura asks when they head for their shuttle back. "I always enjoy spending time with you," Spock says. "It was great," Jim says. "It was okay," Bones replies, and Uhura smiles. "Same time next year?" She asks, and Bones smiles, too. "Wouldn't miss it."

[jamest-kirk]

Do you have any headcanons about how things were at the hospital while Jim was recovering from stid? Like Jim going on walkabout to the kids floor or any special things between crew members or surprise visits by Joanna for Bones and Uncle Jim or anything like that?

The nightmares are the worst, and it’s not something his favorite doctor can cure. Nor any doctor, for that matter. They keep Jim up and restless, even when he’s exhausted. It’s not that he’s actively reliving the moments before his death, which he thankfully spent in the company of his family. Or, well, most of them. His dreams are empty. Not a soothing empty - but a terrifying one. The kind that scares him awake, bathing in his own cold sweat, wondering if he’s alive or dead or; maybe he’s somewhere inbetween. 

He slumbers like that for a week or so. Sleeping a lot, but not really resting, and not really any good company to his visitors because he’s drowsy and grumpy. Spock and Uhura still visit him every day, though, and they talk to Jim, even if he’s too tired to really talk back. Scotty and Chekov visit him, too, and he’s fairly sure Sulu and Demora were the ones who left him flowers.

But it’s Bones who’s always there. Every moment of free time, Bones fusses over Jim’s health. Checks his stats, feels Jim’s forehead, mutters quiet nothings to help Jim ease into sleep. Because that works. Knowing he’s not alone, and he’s alive, it helps him sleep better, and when Bones figures that out, he does it without asking.

When he sleeps better, Jim gets more active. Starts debating with Spock while sharing his breakfast with Uhura. Shamelessly flirts with Bones even when Joanna visits him to watch TV on that shitty hospital bed. And he gets restless, quick, and so within a day or two, everyone in the hospital knows who he is.

Jim spends a lot of time in the children’s floor, and it’s often where Bones goes looking for him. “Sick kids need that attention,” Jim argues when Bones drags him back to bed. “No, you need that kind of attention,” Bones replies, “those kids need to rest. If you want to hang out with them, do it during visiting hours.” 

So he does. He visits kids and hangs out with them in the recreational area. Drawing space ships and letting them play games on his PADD while he talks about saving the world from Nero. He doesn’t mention Khan. 

“What was dying like?” Joanna asks Jim, and it catches him totally off guard. They’ve just been sitting on Jim’s bed while Bones does work on his PADD in the chair next to them when she asks, and Jim doesn’t know why that question makes him nervous. “I don’t remember,” he says. “Nothing at all?” she asks, “no ‘light at the end of the tunnel’, or something?” “I don’t remember,” Jim repeats, and Bones looks up. “Jo, why don’t you get us coffee from across the street? Get yourself some cake,” he says, handing her money.

“Are you okay?” Bones asks, resting his hand against Jim’s forehead. It’s a soothing thing, and yet Jim finds himself short of breath. “I’m fine, I’m… fine,” Jim says, and Bones frowns. “Like hell you are,” he replies, sitting down on bed next to him. He reaches out for Jim’s hand while the other struggles through shallow breaths. “What’s– what’s happening?” he asks, fingers squeezing Bones’ hand tight. “You’re fine,” Bones says, “tell me about the kids you visited the other day.” “Wh-what?” “Tell me,” Bones insists, calmly so, and Jim takes a deep breath. Talking about those kids takes his mind away from dying, and though it takes a while, he finds himself calming down while he talks to Bones. Listens to the doctor speak about the most mundane things, but it helps. 

"I like your stupid white uniform," Jim says one day. "I like your stupid face," Bones replies, and Jim's not sure whether that's an insult or flirting from the doctor, but he'll take it either way. He's been sleeping better. Eating decent food helps, and so does exercise. Bones has cleared him to go home today, and somehow he's dreading going to a strange and empty apartment in San Fran to wait until the Enterprise is set on another mission. But it's like Bones knows it, or something, because Jim feels a hand on his shoulder. "You're sleeping with me tonight," Bones says, and Jim's lips twitch into a small smirk. "No," Bones says, "wipe that look off your face. I'm gonna take care of you at home, is what I'm saying." "Uh-huh," Jim says, smile easy on his lips even though he's incredibly grateful not to have to sleep alone. 

And like that he settles in at night, in Bones’ bed right next to him. Within a few minutes of tired chatting, he rolls in closer, and Bones lets him. Moves an arm around Jim’s waist to keep him closer. “Where would I be without you, Bones?” Jim asks, dead serious for a change, but rather than going along with that, Bones replies: “Dead,” and Jim huffs. “I’m trying to say thank you,” Jim says, facing Bones, and he runs his fingers gently over the other’s cheeks. It’s slightly unshaven, due to long work hours and then being with Jim all the time, his own personal care has taken a few steps back. Jim doesn’t mind that look on Bones at all. “You don’t have to say anything,” Bones replies, and Jim smiles. Fingers still on Bones’ cheeks, he leans in and presses a gentle kiss to Bones’ lips. “I don’t have to say it,” Jim agrees, “but I can still show my gratitude.” It’s Bones’ time to smirk, and Jim rolls his eyes. “Get your mind out of the gutter. I’m gonna take care of you the way you take care of me, is what I’m saying.” Bones smiles, confident and lazy and entirely comfortable. “Uh-huh.”

[jamest-kirk]

AOS Bones dealing with his father's death? In TOS, his dad died of xenopolycythemia.

Jim has his ritual on his own father’s passing. Before meeting Bones, this was mostly drinking himself into a stupor. But Bones treats it respectfully. One drink for himself, one for Jim’s birthday, and one for George Kirk. It’s been like that since their first year in the Academy, and Jim is secretly grateful for it. Bones is sweet and gentle, when he’s not yelling and chasing Jim down the corridors of the Enterprise with hypo spray.

And Jim knows Bones’ father has been dead for a while, but Bones doesn’t really talk about it, other than saying his pop was the reason he became a doctor. Bones talks about his mother a great deal, and Jim’s seen her a couple times over video chat - promised to take care of her boy and bring him home safe after their missions. He knows a lot about her, but nothing about Bones’ dad. Doesn’t even know the day of his death, it’s not something Bones shares with him.

Then Bones gets sick of Xenopolycythemia, and recovery is a long and torturous, almost miraculous process. There was no cure, but thanks to Bones, there is one now. Jim is with him when he’s in med bay to recover, and when Bones is sent to his quarters to rest it all out, Jim thinks that’s reason to celebrate. After all, how often does one get to cure an incurable disease? That’s impressive. Bones is impressive. 

But he finds Bones alone, and not in a celebratory mood. The way he’s curled up on his own sofa, Jim thinks he’s in pain, and immediately panics. “Bones, are you okay? Can I do… can I do anything for you?” Bones doesn’t respond, not immediately. He’s quiet, but the way he shakes his head is at least some indication that he’s not in pain. “I couldn’t save my father,” Bones says. “What?” Jim asks, walking over and sitting down next to him. “My dad,” Bones says, “died of Xenopolycythemia. I became a doctor to be able to cure this very disease. Maybe if I studied harder, I could have-” “Stop,” Jim raises his hand, “you’re the first doctor in this quadrant of the galaxy who’s been able to cure this disease, Bones. You’re going to change lives because of this.”  

Bones’ mother calls Jim over video chat a day or so later, and that’s terrifying. Jim is charming when he needs to be, but this is… different, and Jim tries not to look awkward about it. “I heard you had a hand in helping Len cure his own Xenopolycythemia,” she says. “Who told you?” Jim asks, and Nancy raises an eyebrow. “Well,” she says, “Leonard did tell me you were a bit thick for a genius. Hit on the head a lot, he says. I called to say thank you.” “Oh,” Jim says, “that’s really not necessary. I didn’t do much. Didn’t find that cure. That’s all Bones– er, Leonard. I just kept him from giving up.” “You saved his life,” Nancy says, and Jim isn’t sure why that makes him feel so incredibly awkward. “He saves mine all the time,” he replies. “If it’s not too much to ask,” she says, “I’d like you to make sure he knows no pie’s ever made without breaking a few eggs.”

Bones is writing. Actually writing something on paper, like it’s the old days. “What are you doing?” Jim asks. “I’m writing.” “I can see that. With a pen? Looks exhausting,” Jim replies, sitting down next to him, though he respects privacy enough not to read what Bones is writing. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine.” “It’s okay if you’re not,” Jim says, and Bones sighs. “My dad died 20 years ago. It doesn’t make sense that this affects me.” “I never knew my dad and it affects me,” Jim replies to that, resting his hand on Bones’ arm. “Tell me about your dad.” “He died.” “Tell me about what he was like when he was alive,” Jim presses on, though carefully so. 

David McCoy was a stern, grumpy old man (“that sounds familiar,” Jim says). A general practitioner in a small Atlanta hospital, and devoted husband. Worked long hours to support his family, and Leonard resented him not being present at his high school games for being at work, but then Leonard ended up doing the same to Joanna, so maybe they were much more alike than he first thought - or wanted to be. David McCoy hated space (“that also sounds familiar.” “Shut up, Jim.”), though he loved his Vulcan neighbors. Quiet, educated folk he could have deep and meaningful debates with about politics, new medicine, and world histories. Leonard thought all of those conversations were always incredibly boring. But David got sick, and the sickness got to him fast. Much faster than nowadays, when medicine slows down the dying process significantly. And, with Bones’ discovery, cure it completely. “It just doesn’t feel like a victory,” Bones says, “I expected it to feel more like one, but it doesn’t. It didn’t change anything.” “You can’t change the past,” Jim says, “but you’ll change the future.”

And he does. Because the cure is far from perfect; it's being tested on vigorously. Two more patients don't survive the cure over the next few weeks, but at least ten of them do. Jim follows them carefully. Bones says he doesn't, but Jim knows he does. He can see Bones upset when he hears one of the patients have died, even if they're planets away and they've never met. He sees him a bit more excited knowing it saved the life of an elderly lady who wanted to see her grandchildren being born. "I knew you were a good doctor," Jim says when he catches Bones in his office, "I never thought you'd become a famous one, too. Don't let it go to your head." "I know what a big ego does to a personality," Bones counters, "and I won't. I don't need the fame. I don't want the cure named after me." "Who, then?" "My pops,"  Bones says, and Jim smiles fondly. "Mr. Sensitive," he calls him out, though gently so, and Bones huffs. "Shut it," Bones says. He straightens up, clearing his throat, and adds; "thank you." "For what?" Jim asks. "Being there," Bones says, "I know it's stupid, it should've felt like a victory right away, but it does now. Thanks to you." "Well," Jim says, fingers running over Bones' cheek fondly. An intimate gesture he's not familiar with - not with Bones, but neither  of them are stopping it, "can't make a pie without breaking a few eggs." Bones laughs at that. "You sound like my mom," he says, and Jim grins. "Can't have that," he replies, going in for a long overdue kiss.

[jamest-kirk]

So I like the idea of Jim in science blue, so what if he has to wear it for a day or two and Leonard finds that he likes Jim in blue very much?

Maybe it’s because Bones is high as a kite when he opens his eyes, but there is something very alluring about Jim Kirk sitting next to him, wearing a Science Uniform t-shirt that’s as blue as his eyes. Bones had gone down earlier, a peaceful planet visit gone horribly awry, but the only thing Bones remembers are the few seconds before getting shot. With an actual gun. Who even still owns those in this day and age?

But Jim sits next to him, and he smiles and holds Bones’ hand. “I’m sorry to say, Bones, but you’re going to be okay,” he says, and Bones scoffs. “Define ‘okay’,” he replies. “You’re gonna be able to go back to work soon,” Jim explains. Bones cracks a small smile, considering a comment about how that would be the very opposite of okay, but instead he asks; “why are you wearing blue?” “I transferred myself to the med crew while you were out.” “Yeah right.” But Jim looks serious, and so Bones sits up straight. Or tries to, but Jim pushes him back down. “Jim,” Bones starts, “you can’t be in med without a medical degree.” “Good thing I got one, then.”

Jim explains he’s been studying practical medicine in his off time, when he’s not with Bones or anyone else, and that he recently required his first rank. In theory, anyway, because he still needs to do his practical assignments. “Why didn’t you ask me?” Bones asks, “I could help.” “I wanted to prove I could do this myself,” Jim says, “and I think I can. I diagnosed you.” “Diagnosed me?” Bones repeats. “Yeah,” Jim says, gesturing Bones, “a bullet wound.” “That was your diagnosis?” Bones asks, swallowing a ‘no shit’ when Jim nods like he’s dead serious about it all, and so Bones clears his throat and says; “Well, you’re not wrong.”

Now, it doesn’t take long for Bones to realize that Jim “cures” pretty much everyone entering medbay with band aids and paracetamol, whether it’s a headache or an engineer getting himself burned down at the engine room, and he writes them the next day off or so. Luckily, Chapel catches those patients before they leave and actually diagnoses them, before Bones can climb out of bed and chase after them and scold them for faking headaches to get the day off, or because they actually need medical attention they’re not getting. 

“You’re not really a first rank medic,” Bones tells Jim, who turns to look at Bones with a small smile. The type of smile that’s supposed to be charming and comforting, but after many years, the doctor recognizes that smile as a way to shut people up instead. “I think you’re delirious,” Jim says, resting his hand on Bones’ forehead again, “are you feeling okay?” “Yes, Jim, I’m fine,” Bones says, grabbing Jim’s hand, “what’s going on here?” 

Turns out, while Bones was unconscious, Jim simply refused to leave Bones’ side, and Chapel let him stay to be Bones’ “nurse”, but it’s mostly all pretend. Even the stupid blue uniform. “Is that mine?” Bones asks, and Jim nods, “and the whole transfer to the medical department was a fake?” “I just wanted to stay near you until you were fine.” “I’m fine,” Bones says, “but your sorry ass won’t be. Do you realize how many crew members have the day off because you diagnosed a headache as a serious enough medical condition?” 

But he does quite enjoy the sight of Jim in blue. Maybe even more knowing that it’s his own shirt - there’s something about that Bones likes. Jim stays near him until Bones is released, and he’s very insistent on walking him to his quarters. “I’m fine, Jim,” Bones says, “a bullet wound is quickly fixed nowadays. You should know that better than anyone else, considering you get shot at all the time.” “Just making sure,” Jim says, “I get down a lot - but you don’t.” “Won’t even be a scar,” Bones points out, “and I’d know, because I’m actually a doctor.” 

Once in Bones’ quarters, Jim crosses his arms. “You should show me,” he says. Bones raises an eyebrow. “Show what?” “The wound,” Jim replies, “show me.” “There isn’t any,” Bones counters, but Jim isn’t budging, “just show me.” Bones lifts up his shirt, revealing nothing but a smooth stomach - though then he catches Jim smiling, and saying: “Nice.” “You’re awful,” Bones says, though with a laugh, and then adds: “thank you, though.” “For what?” Jim asks. “Being all concerned. It’s cute,” he replies, and Jim huffs. “I was terrified, okay? Couldn’t lose you. I’d nurse you back to health myself.” “Please don’t,” Bones replies with a grunt, and Jim laughs. He briefly hesitates, wondering if the situation calls for it, but then he decides - it definitely calls for it. So Jim wraps his arms around Bones’ shoulders, pulling close. “You’d love me being the protective nurse.” “You’d be the death of me,” Bones replies, and Jim simply grins, shutting the other up by kissing him. Bones kisses him, too - on his lips, his jaw, and his neck, and Jim definitely sounds a little breathless when he leans away to pull both of them to Bones’ bed. He reaches down, grabbing onto his uniform to pull it over his head, but Bones catches him before he does. “Maybe keep the uniform on?” he asks, and Jim laughs. “Hmm, knew you’d like my playing doctor, doctor.”

[jamest-kirk]

Academy era Mckirk, where Jim says he's staying at school for the holidays since he doesn't really have anywhere to go, so Bones takes him home to Georgia with him?

Jim spends too much time with Bones. It’s not like either of them really care, and they’re quire fond of having each other to rely on, but Jim spends a lot of time with Bones. He doesn’t really know anyone else on campus. Sure, he’s friendly to everyone, and he knows everyone by name. A couple people he joins regularly when they go out partying, but he doesn’t know them. Not like Bones. He doesn’t just lounge on their beds reading old paper books, or play games on his PADD while the other studies. With Bones, he can have challenging arguments one minute, and the next they get drunk together. He doesn’t have that with anyone else. Doesn’t need it, either. Like this, it’s good.

But then come the holidays, and Jim figured he’d spend that with his mom, but she calls him to let him know her research project on another planet takes longer than expected, and coming home will take at least another few months. That’s fine, he doesn’t talk much with her anyway, and now he can spend his holidays with Bones. Though, once he gets to Bones’ dorm, the other is packing. “Where are you going?” Jim asks. “Atlanta,” Bones replies, “well, technically Atlanta first, then Eatonton.” “I don’t know where that is,” Jim admits, and Bones huffs. “No one knows where that is,” he replies, continuing to pack his bags as Jim falls down on bed. “So you’re spending the holidays with Jocelyn?” “Hell no,” Bones says, “I get Joanna on boxing day and new year’s eve. We’re spending it with my parents.” “Sounds boring,” Jim replies, picking up his PADD, but he’s mostly staring at the ceiling. Very much ignoring Bones looking at him. “You want to join?” Bones asks, and Jim finally turns to look at him. “Hell yes.”

Even though traveling goes quite fast nowadays, both of them are still tired by the time they get to Atlanta. Bones has a shitty hotel room waiting for them, and then they meet up with a few of Bones’ college friends for drinks. They’re all southern drawls, somehow getting stronger with a bit of liquor in their systems. And Jim gets to listen to stories about Bones as a young adult. All bark and no bite, apparently. So some things don’t change. “Refused to fight, that one,” one of Leonard’s friends laughs, “but a mouth too big to stop himself from getting hit occasionally.” “That sounds like Bones,” Jim agrees, ignoring the subtle glare from the doctor. “Hmm, stupidly brave, though. I tell you, two of us wouldn’t’ve been ‘ere had it not been for your pal charging into our dorm building that had caught on fire.” “You never told me that,” Jim says, turning to Bones, “why’d you never tell me that?” “Not everyone of us boasts with the few good deeds we do,” Bones replies, “I became a doctor to save lives. That’s what I did.”

They don’t really celebrate Christmas on the day itself. Instead, they sleep in and spend the afternoon watching TV from their hotel bed. Then, a long stroll through the city streets, eerily quiet for such a big city. Guess everyone is spending it with family, Jim thinks, and then he’s happily reminded that he’s doing the same thing, when Bones buys them french fries and chicken wings from one of the few shops actually open today.

But Jim is actually nervous for boxing day. They pick up Joanna in the morning, and it’s the first time Jim meets her in person. And while they rent a car, Jim quickly finds out she’s not shy at all. Because Joanna talks through most of the car ride out of town. About school, friends, mom’s new boyfriend, and with a witty sense of humor he recognises from Bones. They listen to classic rock, play road games, and munch on the candy Joanna’s brought. By the time they reach their destination, Jim thinks their day is pretty much over, and it’s been a good one.

But then they meet Bones’ mother, who bought a small gift even for Jim, and though the Christmas sweater he gets is absolutely hideous, he wears it without shame, and finds it comfortable enough that he’ll probably end up wearing it even outside the holiday season. After dinner, Jim plays old fashioned videogames with Joanna while Bones catches up with his mom and does some tinkering around the house. By the time Jim’s back hits the mattress, and he feels Bones lie down next to him, he’s pretty sure he’s never felt as at-home as he does right now.

With their few days off, Bones shows him around town. It’s small, but considerably bigger than Riverside, and Bones knows all the good bars. When Jo’s with them, they go hiking in the woods nearby, and they come home cold and tired and grumpy, though after a hot shower and a cup of soup, Jim feels instantly better.

"You have the perfect family," Jim tells Bones on New Year's Eve. It's their last night there, and Jim think he could do at least another two weeks here. "No family's perfect," Bones says, "but it's... good. I don't think I've ever seen you so relaxed, though." Jim laughs at that, shrugging lightly. Joanna's watching the fireworks from other countries with a couple friends. Bones' mother, too, has a few neighbours over. But Jim and Bones are outside on the porch, huddled in warm jackets and with a bottle of whiskey in between them. "That'll happen when there's absolutely nothing to do but relax," he says, and Bones smiles. "Yeah. Countryside's a curse and a blessing," he agrees, “I’m sorry you couldn’t spend the holidays with your own family, though.” Jim shrugs lightly, taking a sip from the strong whiskey. “I did spend it with family,” he says, and Bones turns to look at him. Jim finds himself staring, briefly, but  Bones is, too, and he’s definitely looking at Jim’s lips. And when the clock ticks midnight, judging by the cheering from inside, Jim opens his mouth to say: “Happy New Year, Bones.” but he’s interrupted mid-sentence because Bones leans in and kisses him. When Bones pulls away, he throws Jim a soft smile. “Happy New Year, Jim.”

[jamest-kirk]

father's day with jo jim n bones

To Joanna, Jim is Uncle Jim long before he starts ‘officially’ seeing her dad. During the Academy, she visits her dad as often as she can, and Jim is usually always there. Partially because he feels comfortable in Bones’ personal space, and partially because Jim doesn’t actually have too many friends in school. Joanna can tell. She spends a lot of time with Jim in the academy, when Bones is doing surgeries or case studies. Everyone knows Jim, but not a lot of people know Jim the way Bones does.

Joanna is probably also the least surprised when Bones tells her he’s in love with Jim. Because Joanna has seen that progression from a distance. She’s watched Jim and Bones get gradually closer. Seen the way they looked at each other way before they even realized it themselves. The not-so-subtle touches, the deer in headlights look when they’re figuring things out and Joanna walked into them many times.

But when they get together, Jim is family more than ever. Joanna hangs out with him when they’re visiting Earth, and when Jocelyn moves to York Town for work, Joanna gets to see her dad and Jim a lot more often. Supply stops, days off, whatever research object they’re sent off to gather. Jim is family. And she really wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s nice to see Bones in a mood other than tired and grumpy.

Jocelyn drops Joanna off at Bones’ apartment a day before Father’s Day, and when she walks in, Jim is packing a small backpack. “Are you leaving?” Joanna asks, and Jim nods. “Tomorrow is for you and your dad,” he says, “I’m spending tomorrow with Spock.“ “For fun?” Joanna asks, and Jim laughs. “Hey, Spock is great. And I’ve just finished joking to Bones about him being such a sensitive old dad,” he replies. “Why don’t you stay with us?” Joanna asks, and Jim shrugs. “It’s Father’s Day,” Jim says. “But you’re family,” Joanna says. And just like that, Jim is sold.

Joanna wakes Bones up with breakfast in bed. Jim, too. “You made this?” Jim asks, looking at the three plates with croissants and jam, and a glass of orange juice. “It’s just bread,” Joanna says, “I can make that for breakfast.” Bones hands the serving tray to Jim, pulling Joanna on bed with them. “Thank you, darlin’,” he says, “wanna watch a movie in bed while we eat breakfast?” “Yes,” Joanna says instantly, settling in between the two of them in bed.

There is a medical history museum in York Town, and the three of them visit there that afternoon. Joanna is a little bored, and Jim finds Bones more interesting than the actual museum. Joanna watches in amusement how Jim doesn’t really listen to Bones explaining something about medieval healing practises, but he’s still just staring into Bones’ eyes, smiling fondly at Bones’ wildly gesturing at some inaccuracies on the plaques he’s just been reading.

They have dinner in a cosy barbecue, and ice cream after that. Joanna is usually above holding her dad’s hand, thinks she’s “too old” for that now, but it’s Father’s Day, and for Bones, she happily reaches out for his hand while they walk over the plaza, back to their apartment.

“Happy Father’s Day,” Joanna says that night. She’s already dressed in her pajamas, ready to go to bed while Jim and Bones are catching up with work on their PADDs, though judging by the sound coming from Jim’s device, he’s been looking at dog videos, or something. Handing Bones her own drawn card, and fancy chocolates, she readily accepts the right hug and kisses that follow. Bones is sensitive that way. But when he lets go so she can go to bed, Joanna reaches out to Jim instead. “Happy Father’s Day, Uncle Jim,” she says, giving him a card, too. “Oh?” Jim says, a little confused, “I’m not-” “You’re the coolest step dad,” Joanna says, “though I like calling you uncle, more. I hope you like the card.” Jim just stares at the card, not really saying much and just rereading the little message Joanna’s written for him personally. Glancing at Bones, her dad simply shrugs. “Are you okay?” Joanna asks. “I think you broke him,” Bones says, reaching out to run a hand through Jim’s hair, “his brain can’t handle too much.” “Shut up, old man,” Jim replies, and before Joanna can even really avoid it, she finds herself in Jim’s arms. Hugged tightly enough to be unable to squirm away. And then Bones leans in, too, and she knows she’s stuck there for a little while, showered in unnecessary affection.

She finally escapes the two of them, and brushing her teeth in the bathroom, she overheats the two of them talk. “… I’m gonna hang it on the window next to our bed in the Enterprise,” Jim says, and Bones laughs. “Who’s the sensitive old dad now, huh?”

[jamest-kirk]

Bones hiding away somewhere to cry alone after losing a patient he thought he should have been able to save. Kirk or Spock of chekov finding him and giving him a hug. Ok bye (Sorry if this sent a few times Tumblr was being weird

Bones has been quite close to cadet Francis for a few months now. Jim jokes it’s because the cadet fancies him, but it’s mostly because Francis suffers Xenopolycythemia. It’s horrible, Bones feels terrible for him, and it puts extra pressure on the doctor, for he’s the only one in the Alpha Quadrant who managed to cure the stupid disease thus far. And only once; on himself. It takes up a lot of his time, researching and testing different methods he used on himself before, but they don’t seem to change Francis’ condition. Jim visits him a lot, distracting him with reports, whiskey, and kisses (not necessarily in that order), because Jim needs attention, too. Often medical attention, at that, for getting himself hurt in an away mission.

One of those away missions goes awry, and the crew gets hit by a nasty flu. Bones is quick to catch on, placing cadet Francis in quarantine before he gets too close to those infected, but it’s too late. His already weakened immune system is not strong enough to fight off the virus, and two days later, cadet Francis is dead.

Bones is okay. He’s not fine, but he’s dealing. Dealing being; drinking himself into a stupor while trying to remind himself that deaths happen all the time. And so long he doesn’t think about it and keeps himself busy, Bones is okay. But then Jim waits for him at his quarters, medical report of Francis still open on his PADD. “You okay?” Jim asks, and just that question makes Bones think that no, he’s not okay, and he narrows his eyes. “Fine,” he says, “I just need to be alone.” Jim reaches out, a hand on Bones’ cheek, with the kind of affection Bones often yearns for, but now it just makes him more upset. “I need some time to deal,” he says, pulling away from Jim’s grasp, and he walks off.

The Enterprise has many corners and rooms that hardly see any visitors. And Bones finds a quiet corner down in the engine room, sitting down while continuously going through his PADD to look for ways he could have. Maybe. Could have had a different solution.

“Doctor,” Scotty says when he finds him, “what are you doing here?” “I need some time alone, Scotty,” Bones replies, though the hands in his hair must have indicated otherwise, because Scotty sits down next to him instead. “I heard about Francis,” Scotty says. “How did you-” “He was in engineering, I know everyone in engineering,” Scotty explains, “good lad. Terrible with the lassies, but a good lad. Idiot worked in a tank top one day instead of his uniform to get grease over his arms to impress the ladies. Didn’t work, and I had to send him to medbay with burns over his arms.” “Sounds like him,” Bones huffs, and Scotty chuckles. “Aye, so it does,” he says.

“Mr. Scott!” Chekov’s voice rings, and seconds later, he’s found the two of them, “I was just working on the engine and I noticed - Doctor? Are you okay?” “Yes, Chekov,” Bones says. “He’s upset because he lost someone on the operating table today,” Scotty says bluntly, and Bones sighs. “Yes, thank you for your tactful explanation,” Bones says, and so Chekov puts away his tools and instead squeezes himself right inbetween Chekov and McCoy. “You can’t save everyone, doctor.” “It’s my job to,” Bones says, “what good is an engineer if he can’t keep the engine running?” “Aye, well, way to get personal,” Scotty says, “but I can’t always keep the engine running. You know the Enterprise, it gets beat up a lot.”

“I’m here,” Sulu announces himself, and Bones frowns. “What are you doing here?” “Chekov texted me you were upset,” Sulu says, and Bones runs a hand through his hair with a sigh. “Of course he did.” “I brought some whiskey.” “Oh,” Bones says, gesturing him over, and Sulu sits down next to him. He opens the bottle, taking a sip himself before passing it on to Bones. “Did you know Francis well?” Sulu asks, and Bones huffs as he gives the bottle to Chekov. “Can we not? I came here to feel bad, I don’t need to feel worse.”

“Leonard,” Uhura calls out to him when she finds them, cupping his cheeks and pulling him into a hug. “Are you alright, doctor?” “Did Chekov message you, too?” Bones asks, and Uhura frowns. “No, Sulu did.” “Oh, of course,” Bones says, though he cracks up a small smile when Uhura sits down next to Sulu and she takes a sip of the bottle when it’s passed on to her.

“Uhura texted you?” Bones asks when Spock joins in, too. “Naturally,” Spock replies, “I heard about Francis.” “Everyone heard about Francis,” Bones says. “His survival was improbable, Leonard,” Spock says reaching out just briefly to gently squeeze Bones’ arm, but he sits next to Uhura, and even takes a sip of whiskey. “If I can cure myself, I should’ve been able to cure him.” “You know better than anyone else that it doesn’t always  work that way,” Spock says, “even if you had cured him, his immune system was so weakened that the virus still might have gotten him.” “You don’t know that,” Bones says. “I calculated the chances of his survival based on previous cases of Xeno-” “I don’t want to hear it,” Bones says, “I couldn’t save him.” “You would have if you had a little more time,” Uhura promises him. “You’ve cured more diseases than most Starfleet doctors combined,” Chekov promises him, “there’s no one we trust more to treat us than you.”  

"I can't believe all of you are having a making-Bones-feel-better gathering and none of you thought of texting me," Jim announces when he arrives, “I had to hear from the beta crew!”. "I thought Spock would," Uhura says. "Why would I? This isn't about Jim," Spock replies. "Oh my God, I feel so left out," Jim says, sinking down on the floor in front of Bones. "Are you okay? I knew you were upset, but not that you were this upset." "I'm okay now, Jim," Bones says, half annoyed, and half incredibly grateful when Jim cups his cheeks and kisses him softly. "If I knew, I would've come a lot sooner! Babe, it's not your fault, okay? You're the best doctor we could hope for." "I know," Bones says, "I already heard all the peptalks." Jim huffs, taking the bottle from Scotty's hands, and he takes a big sip. "I can't believe this. My own boyfriend’s down and no one tells me. This family's the worst." Bones laughs, surrounded by his friends, all huddled together with a bottle of liquor. "No, this family's just fine."

[jamest-kirk]

Any fics where Bones has a prosthetic leg or arm or something? He was hurt on an away mission or something?

Jim is by Bones bedside the entire time Bones is unconscious. He blames himself every second of it. Because this wasn’t supposed to happen. The fact that Bones couldn’t dismantle that torpedo back when Khan was threatening them, why would Jim assume this time would be different? It wasn’t. And as a result, Jim is looking at a synthetic arm. It being the 23rd century, it looks realistic. Feels kind of realistic, too, when Jim hesitantly reaches out to touch it. It’s just colder to the touch. But it frightens Jim into a panic attack, and Bones isn’t conscious to help him ease through it.

And when Bones is conscious, Jim can’t ask him for help. Because Bones is hurt himself. He touches his arm in pure terror, and Jim swallows his own feelings and instead he reaches out, resting his hand on Bones’ shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asks. Bones lifts up his prosthetic arm, and to Jim, the way he moves looks almost natural. The skin is paler, but otherwise, it seems to function just fine. “No,” Bones replies, “I don’t want to talk.” “I just want you to know, that if you do-” “I don’t,” Bones replies. “Okay,” Jim says, “I’m here for you.” “I don’t need you,” Bones says, “just leave me alone.”

That’s painful, but Jim can only give Bones the space he so verbally demands. But really, after a few days, and Bones goes back to work almost immediately, it just feels like Bones is avoiding him. He buries himself in work, mostly paperwork at that, and he doesn’t show up on the Bridge anymore. “Don’t worry about it too much,” Uhura tells Jim when the other’s clearly on edge, “with that arm, he can do his work just fine. He just needs time to accept it. He’ll get there.” “I just want him to talk to me,” Jim sighs, “if he just tells me he’s not okay, then maybe I could… you know, be there for him.” “You can be there without him asking for it,” Uhura says, “just like Bones has always been there for you.”

“Bones,” Jim says quietly when he walks into Bones’ quarters. It’s a mess of broken furniture. For someone irrationally angry all the God damn time, Bones has always been calm when it comes to non-verbal stuff. Never has Jim seen his room such an angry mess before. “Bones,” Jim repeats quietly, finding the other on the ground in the bedroom, covered in paperwork. “Hey, Bones, what are you doing?” “I resign,” Bones replies, “I’m sorting out the paperwork.” “What? You don’t have to, Chapel said you could still do your job. Prosthetics these days, they’re-” “I don’t want to hear it,” Bones says, “next time we’re on Earth or in York Town, I resign.” “But Bones-” “But what?” Bones snaps at him, “you’re going to convince me to stay, like you convinced a God damn doctor that he’s capable of dismantling a fucking torpedo?” Jim immediately falls silent at that, knowing full well that this whole thing was his fault, he just never expected those words to actually come out of Bones’ mouth. “I’m so sorry,” Jim says, not sure what else to say, “is there… anything, I can do?” “You can accept my resignation,” Bones says, “and you can leave me alone.”

“He’s just dealing with his injury,” Uhura says. “McCoy loves you, given some time, he’ll stop being angry,” Sulu tells Jim. “McCoy is angry at everyone all the time. He forgave me for almost getting him thrown into space, he’ll forgive you,” Scotty says. “I don’t know why you’re asking me, Captain,” Chekov says, “I find doctor McCoy terrifying.” “Jim,” Spock says, sighing a little, “given the circumstances, the doctor’s reaction is entirely logical.” “I just want to know how I could make him feel better,” Jim says. “I think you’ll agree I’m not the best example on conveying human emotions,” Spock says, “when Uhura and I disagree, we give each other space.” “I don’t want-” “Forgive me, Jim, but what you want in this case is irrelevant,” Spock says, “you’re suffering because you feel guilty. Leonard is suffering because he lost an arm. His entire life, passion and profession relies on having the steadiest arms in the galaxy. He has the right to be upset. All you can do now is apologize, and accept that he might not forgive you.”

So Jim gives Bones the space he needs, though he’s miserable in the process. He misses his best friend to talk to. To talk to, to complain to, to have drinks with, to just be around each other. But it’s what Bones wants, and so Jim gives that to him. Bones is present at the staff meeting, and the way he talks to Jim finally makes him think something might be changing after all. Because Bones tells him “damn it Jim”, and “we’re running low on supplies”. And yet, after it’s all over, Bones retreats to his room.

But then Jim gets himself hurt during an away mission. Not even on purpose (he’s tried that, and got treated by Chapel instead). No, he gets himself wounded in his side. Knocked out by a blow to the head. When he wakes up, Bones is standing over him in med bay. “Bones,” Jim says quietly, trying to ignore the splitting headache. “Can’t even walk two steps without getting hurt,” Bones says, and Jim watches him work quietly. He thinks about being careful, but maybe it’s the headache that turns him more into his own self. “How’s your arm?” he asks, and Bones raises an eyebrow. “Which one, the real one or the fake one?” “Whichever,” Jim says. “Well,” Bones says, “I can choke you with both.” “I’m into loads of things, but choking isn’t one of those things,” Jim replies. Bones stares at him blankly for a few seconds, and then he cracks a smile. Jim, too. “You’re a fucking idiot,” Bones says, and Jim laughs, briefly. “Can’t argue with that,” he says, sitting up straight, “I heard you performed brain surgery the other day on one of the cadets.” “Hmm,” Bones hums in reply. “Did that go well?” “He lived.” “Good,” Jim says, “I mean, I’m not surprised.” “Flattering and careful wording isn’t your style,” Bones says, “stop treating me like you’re walking on thin ice, and then maybe we can get drunk.”

And so Jim shows up in Bones’ quarters, a bottle of bourbon with him and he greets the other on the couch. Bones finally seems warmed up to him again. A little angry, sure, but he drinks that alcohol and he complains about med bay like he’s never been through the Hell Jim put him through. “Stay with me,” Jim says, so sudden it catches both of them off guard. “Huh?” “Don’t resign,” Jim says, “I can’t– I don’t want you to resign. You can still do your job just fine.” “Stop,” Bones says, but Jim shakes his head. “No. I fucked up, okay? But that doesn’t mean… I want you to stay. I want you here.” “What you want isn’t the most important,” Bones says. “You’ll be miserable back on Earth.” “Excuse me?” “What you need is your family,” Jim says. “Yes,” Bones agrees, “my family-” “Is here,” Jim interrupts him, “Uhura, Spock, and the others. We’re all here for you. And I know this is my fault, and I can never make this up to you, but I love you, okay? And you’re not alone through this.” “Shut up,” Bones groans, “you don’t get to say that.” “But it’s true,” Jim says, “I can’t begin to imagine life here without you, because I love you.” “Don’t.” “I lo-” Bones reaches out, surprising strength in both his hands, and he pulls Jim in closer, lips together in a kiss that’s both rough and a little drunk, but Jim happily pushes himself in closer to reciprocate. “Stay with me,” Jim begs him quietly, and Bones huffs. “Fine," but they both know he's secretly relieved not to go anywhere.

[jamest-kirk]

Hi there fellow Dutchie! Love your HCs :) I'd love to read one where the entire crew of the Enterprise (including Bones) finds out about Jim-on-Tarsus by some leak to the press about the identities of the Tarsus Nine. Thank you so much

Jim is over it. His childhood sucked. His teenage years were not great either; mother gone for work months at the time, and a negligent stepfather. But all in all, Tarsus doesn’t haunt him. Shaped him as a person, but he doesn’t think it haunts him, still. He doesn’t really have nightmares about it, but he avoids extremely violent missions when they can, and he doesn’t watch gory movies. Thankfully, Bones hates those, too. And honestly, Jim is fine. He lives his life the way he does; getting into dangerous situations almost daily, but phasers are almost always set to stun, never to kill.

But then this history docu channel catches them by surprise. It’s on in the recreation room one evening. Spock and Uhura are watching it, Jim’s just trying to beat Chekov at chess, Sulu and Scotty are quietly bickering about the most effective way to fly those old fashioned planes. Bones is on the couch next to Spock, reading a cheesy romance novel about ancient times. Outlander, or whatever. Jim teases him for it frequently, but Bones is a romantic at heart, and Jim wouldn’t really take him any other way.

He hears the name of Tarsus IV briefly from the TV screen, and he thinks he imagined it. But there it is again, and Jim’s mind just blanks. He stares at the chessboard, but his brain can’t focus on it at all. His gaze changes to the screen, and it shows re-enacted footage of the small planet. Farming fields, the downtown area. It’s not filmed there, clearly, because Jim doesn’t recognise the streets he roamed as a kid.

“Kirk,” Chekov calls out to him, and Jim turns his gaze away from the screen. “Huh?” “It’s your turn, Captain. Unless you want to call it quits and I win?” Jim glances at the smugly grinning Chekov, but he feels Bones is looking at him, too. “You okay?” Bones asks, and Jim nods. “Fine, yeah,” he says, and then he looks back at the chessboard.

The documentary calls out the mere handful of survivors of “One of the worst massacres in colonial outer planet history’, and they call Jim Kirk’s name before Jim can switch the channels. It’s excruciating, he feels all the eyes are on him, but Jim doesn’t want their pity. “What?” He asks, “I’m fine.” But he does gets up, and he leaves.

Bones follows him, grabbing his arm and stopping him in his tracks. “Jim-” he says, but Jim frowns. “What, Bones? I’m fine.” “That’s why you’re leaving the room in a hurry, I bet.” “I don’t want you to treat me different knowing what I’ve been through.” “Have I ever treated you different?” Bones asks, and Jim frowns. “Well, no, but Tarsus is always so hushed and tiptoed around,” Jim says. “Jim,” Bones sighs, letting go of Jim’s arm, “do you really think I didn’t know?” “Huh?” “I’m your doctor, Jim. I’ve seen your birth certificate,” Bones says, and Jim simply stares at him for a while. “You never said anything.” “It’s not really my place to call that out, is it?” Jim glances at him, the man he knows and cherishes so dearly. “But you want to,” he says, and Bones sighs. “Desperately.”

So Jim does tell him. It feels weird, it’s been so many years it almost feels like he’s narrating the documentary instead of his own experiences, and Bones calls him out on that almost immediately. Then Jim starts telling him about the farm fields, and the games they used to play there. How his old neighbours would scold them and check them for ticks and fleas afterwards. Warm summers spent in the small creek in the woods. Jim doesn’t remember much about school or how the colony functioned, but he remembers the sound of space shuttles flying over the woods and fields. He remembers his classmates. “How’d you survive the night?” Bones asks, pulling Jim away from pleasant memories, and Jim frowns. “I was on the list to survive because of my mom,” he says, “but I wasn’t home when the news hit.” “Your mom knew that was gonna happen?” “What? No! They didn’t inform them beforehand, only when the decision had already been made.” “So you waited until sunrise?” “No, I wasn’t home when the news hit. I was with friends at the creek. We heard gunfire everywhere, so we ran home. The neighbours hid us in their basement. When we got out in the morning, they were dead. Everyone was dead, Bones.” Bones listens quietly, and Jim is thankful for the hand resting on his own to stop him from fidgeting. Then, Bones says; “you want to go back?”

It looks nothing like Jim remembers. Most houses are gone, others are in a state of decay. A few new farmers have settled, but they are instantly welcoming to Jim and Bones when they get there. “Are you okay?” Bones asks, and Jim doesn’t answer that. Instead; “this is where my house used to be,” he says, walking over to the overgrown walls and collapsed roof. “Looks cozy,” Bones says, and though Jim shoots him a glance, he’s secretly grateful Bones doesn’t treat him like porcelain. Makes light of a dark situation, and it makes Jim more at ease, too. “C'mon,” Jim says, reaching out for Bones’ hand, “I’ll show you some place real cozy.”

The creek is unchanged. A bit wilder, trees are bigger. Darker. It’s immensely green because humans leave it alone, and Jim points out where they used to swim or fish. “You can’t see any of the destruction of the towns here,” Bones says, and Jim nods. “Mom and I would camp here when she was home.” “Did you enjoy camping?” “Sure.” “Maybe we should,” Bones says, and Jim looks up. “Huh?” “Y'know, the two of us. Fishing, sleeping in a tent, all that jazz.” Jim laughs at that suggestion. “Do you even know anything about camping?” Jim asks, and Bones simply shrugs. “I’m a quick learner,” he says, “and I have more patience than you when it comes to fishing.” Jim grins, cupping Bones’ cheeks, feeling strangely at ease in a place he’d sworn never to even really think about again. “Thank you,” Jim says, and Bones shrugs again. “I’m just being a good doctor,” he says, and Jim laughs. “You this close to all your patients, doctor?” He asks, smiling against Bones’ lips when the other leans in to kiss him. Bones runs a hand through Jim’s hair, and he smiles, too. “Only the insufferably handsome ones.”