riverviewlogs | ( closed ) how about you and me

Entry tags:

( closed ) how about you and me

who: Jim Kirk & Leonard McCoy
what: a failed dinner date surprise
when: now
where: their place, shared housing
warnings: gross domesticity, probably some smooching and general self-indulgent shippy stuff. will update if need be!

All in all, Jim had liked the flower festival a little more. Granted, he'd still been getting used to life in Riverview then, but the mood in general had been livelier and more festive. Not that people were in any way sadder or more unpleasant, but there was definitely a lingering feeling of grief and loss that just didn't sit well with him.

Most of the aspects weren't really up his alley, so he skipped on a lot of it. He accepted any lanterns only so he wouldn't be rude, but he didn't share any stories, he didn't hang any lanterns. He was honestly debating on whether to send a single lantern down the river in a few days, but he had time. Until then? There was one tradition he could get behind, at least.

Or... well, try his best, anyway. Because cooking really wasn't a strong suit of his.

He organized himself so that, hopefully, it wouldn't be too disastrous. Choosing a recipe: check. Buying ingredients: check. Getting some little decorative items just to set the mood: check. Oh, and a cute fancy apron (fundamental, clearly): check.

It all seemed fairly straightforward. He set up the table for two, simple but with a couple of candles and a small jar with flowers, the rest of the flat tidied up to near perfection. And it would've been perfection if it weren't for the fact that halfway through keeping an eye on the meat roasting in the oven, he let the rice burn and stick to the bottom of the cooking pot, and by the time he took care of that there was an even stronger smell of something burning in the air. He opened the oven and— ah. Great. A curtain of smoke right into his face that quickly enough spread through the rest of the flat.

Windows open, Jim was currently using a kitchen cloth to force the smoke out, looking a bit like a mess from having to deal with the disaster of his cooking attempt. Bones shouldn't be back so soon, though, so he could still try to get them takeout. Wouldn't be as special, but it'd have to do— and that way Bones wouldn't have to see the complete mess Jim had made of the kitchen, or the charred roadkill that should've been their dinner.

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An eyebrow shot up his forehead, and he almost snorted at that. "You're kidding me, right? I was bloodied and bruised, probably stinking up the place, and sporting a massive hangover. What part of that exactly was 'hotter than hell'?" Just saying, most days Jim looked great, especially after joining the Academy, but that had definitely not been one of those days.

Bones was just biased, obviously. Not that Jim could blame him, because... well, been there.

"For what it's worth, it left me kinda dazed when I saw you all proper and clean-shaven for the first time. You clean up really well," he hummed, a hint humorous but no less truthful. Jim knew Bones had a tendency to think less of himself in a lot of things, appearance being one of them.

He shrugged at the question, turning his head to the side and settling it on Bones's shoulder. "Guess I never really thought about it. Figured you just... wanted to help me." And also that he'd been weak to Jim's abandoned puppy look. Even if he really had tried not to look too upset about being left behind— he was never very good at dealing with that particular sentiment. "You don't have to deny anything. You never had to."

"Obviously doctors can see through the injuries. Sue me." Rolling his eyes, he snorted softly at that. Yeah, Jim was not at his best, but he still knew a good looking guy when he saw it. He just wasn't the one that slept around. So it had been a passing thought at the moment.

Then he full on laughed at that. Shaking his head, he turned his head to look at Jim with a small smile of amusement that lit up his eyes. "That so? Never thought you looked twice at me to be honest." He'd just figured Jim had been looking everywhere else but at him. And that helped him at least keep his thoughts to himself even if there was a little bit of upset.

"I always want to help you. I never wanted to be the next person to walk out on ya... Honest to god, Jim, never could figure out how anyone could." Reaching up, he slipped his fingers over Jim's cheek and smoothed over the shadow of lines that would crinkle at the corners of his eyes whenever he smiled. "Went from not wanting to leave you behind to just needin' you around. Funny how that works out."

"I think you just liked seeing me all messed up," he hummed in a playfully accusatory tone. Even if Bones found something attractive in that, honestly Jim wouldn't hold it against him. He'd cleaned up rather well himself once he joined the Academy, though, and even if he got into a scuffle here or there, it was never the kind of bar brawls he landed himself in back in Riverside.

"Mm... looked at you more than just twice, even," Jim didn't bother hiding that from Bones. But then they'd become close friends, and Jim hadn't really wanted anything more serious than some fling or a one-night stand, and he knew that'd be the kind of thing that could've very well ruined their friendship. He'd have had no one else at the Academy. So putting those thoughts away had been an easy decision to make.

But it was nice he didn't have to keep them hidden in that box forever. Not that he couldn't have, but still.

Hands curling on Bones's waist, he slowly guided the doctor into turning around so he was facing him. The food could wait a few seconds, probably. For now, leaning in to kiss Bones properly seemed well worth the risk of burning what they had managed to savage from the mess Jim had made. Lips pressed softly but lingered for a while, and he stayed close even as the kiss broke, licking the taste of Bones's mouth from his own lips. "Always needed you around too. So— I'm glad you didn't leave me behind."

“Maybe the reality is I like taking care of you.” Shrugging his shoulder, it wasn’t necessarily a lie, but he didn’t want Jim hurt just so he could care for him either. But he liked being the one back in the Academy that Jim went to when he did get messed up. Just cause he was okay with being friendzoned didn’t mean he didn’t want to be close sometimes. And he needed that sometimes with how he tended to distance himself from people after everything happened in Georgia that led him to that shuttle that day.

“Did you? And here I used to think you just liked a warm body in the bed when you curled up in bed with me.” Not that he minded. He liked those nights and even missed them when they got stationed on the Enterprise and time just didn’t allow it anymore. He just got too used to standing to the side and just behind Jim. It just felt natural now. In a way he thought Jim grew out of him and he’d just have to deal with that change.

So feeling the pull of Jim’s hand against his waist still took his breath away even when it was the simplest of touches. Moving to face Jim, he slid his own hands down the curl of Jim’s sides and arched a brow at him. It felt a little natural, like gravity, just to move and meet that kiss. Melting into it, he moved one hand up to cup the side of Jim’s face, fingertips grazing into his hair line before curling just behind his neck to pull him closer. When Jim did pull away, the doctor turned his head just enough so their noses brushed slowly, a smile growing on his lips.

“Not ever gonna leave you behind, Jim. Not gonna happen. So do me a favor and do the same, alright?” Stealing another soft kiss, he smiled against those soft lips.

Jim wouldn't take that particularly to heart, honestly. Not like Bones needed to want Jim getting hurt, as he did get into trouble often enough on his own for Bones to have plenty of opportunity to take care of him. Not as many fights the longer he was at the Academy, but a whole lot of dangerous situations he'd (sometimes literally) jump into headfirst without thinking since then.

"I liked your warm body in the bed," he smiled warmly, though he wouldn't lie. Back then, just about anyone would do. Jim never really did care much what people said or thought, he liked sex and he liked how much fun it was— but he also knew that the friendship he had with Bones was much more important than that. He'd have given all that up in a heartbeat if only Bones had asked him. Then again, he could understand why the doctor wouldn't. For the same reason Jim had never made a move on Bones to begin with.

Pressing his lips softly against Bones's, he sighed warmly as he cupped his neck, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt, letting out a sigh against the doctor's mouth. It was light and slow but there was something immensely sweet and intimate in such a simple touch, and Jim felt his insides twisting and fluttering happily once the kiss broke.

Even if the words that followed were a bit sobering. Still, Jim didn't let anything show on his face. His rash and thoughtless plan to accept a promotion, how that'd have meant him leaving the Enterprise and getting stationed elsewhere. Looking back now, Jim was all too aware how he hadn't planned any of it through. Right now he was just immensely glad he'd decided not to go through with it.

So he said the only thing he could. The only thing that happened to be very much the truth at this point. "Never. Promise you."

Smiling at that, he reached back to turn the stove off so he didn't end up burning anything. Something he managed to do without actually leaving the circle of Jim's arms. When this was done, he caught the other man by his hips and lifted him up onto the countertop before pressing in between his legs. In all honestly, Leonard didn't know what he wanted out of this, so much as he wanted to be close to Jim. To lean into him and soak up his presence in anyway possible. "I liked your warm body in my bed."

Where he wasn't the type to sleep around, he liked having someone he trusted near him. And on his side of this, even if there was no sex, Jim was normally still there in the morning and came back to see him later. That had been worth far more than any hot night of sex to be perfectly honest. Cause Jim was there.

Tipping his head up into the kiss, he smoothed his hands from Jim's hips to his sides then back down again, rolling down the muscles of his thighs. Most of this felt almost like too much and not enough at the same time. But it made sense. As much as they oriented themselves to each other over the years, turning it into something romantic could only make things much more intense. And more obvious just how much Jim was like oxygen for him...

Leaning back a little to look him in the eye, he offered Jim a small happy smile. "I never thought I'd be this close to anyone, you know that?"

The move caught him more than just a little off guard, and Jim let out a sound of surprise as Bones lifted up his weight, though he helped and hopped onto the counter as soon as he figured out what Bones was trying to do. Grinning and chuckling softly, he wrapped his legs loosely around Bones, feet hooked together behind him as he moved his hands up and cupped the doctor's face.

He tipped his head down and pressed their lips together in a slow, soft kiss, sighing quietly as his hands slid down to Bones's chest, then back up his neck. It was all a little silly, really, but Jim liked it far too much to point that out right now. The food could wait a little longer, anyway.

"Well, we've always been close," he offered with the lift of a shoulder, sliding his hands farther up and tracing along the shell of Bones's ears with his fingertips. "But yeah... can't say I expected this, either."

Smiling all the more as Jim wrapped his legs about his waist, he couldn't help but curl his hands around the other man's thighs lightly. Leaning into that kiss, he licked at his lips gently and sucked on the lower softly before pulling back lightly.

"You know, I could get very addicted to just kissing you like this. It's going to end up being a real problem, darlin'. You know that?" Leaning closer, nuzzled at Jim's neck, kissing there softly.

"Mm... You're probably right." Kissing just under his ear, he let out a soft breath at that last comment. "Do you regret it?" He didn't think Jim did, but he wanted to ask. Just be sure that he wanted this level of intimacy.

"Don't see why this would ever be a problem," Jim pursed his lips and shrugged. Really, if Bones wanted to kiss him all the time like this, then all the better for him. He sure was planning on taking full advantage of it.

He did pull back a hint at that question, though, shooting Bones a flat look with just a single eyebrow quirking upwards. "I'm gonna pretend you didn't even ask that." Yes, because Jim always planned setting up romantic dinner dates (where he actually tried to cook) for people he regretted getting involved with. That was clearly a standard for him. Actually Jim planning out dates of any sort at all was evidently the norm.

Honestly, he couldn't even fathom why Bones even felt he had to ask.

"Anyway— dinner? Or are you planning on eating me instead?"

He winced slightly at that answered and ducked his head. Yeah, likely not his better questions he'd asked. Breathing in slowly, he started to apologize, but Jim seemed to roll on past it and likely didn't want to talk about it. Clenching his jaw, he Finally looked back up at him when Jim asked that question.

Nodding his head quickly, he felt a flush of embarrassment and probably even a little bit of shame as he started to unravel himself from Jim. "No point wasting your hard work. Just save dessert till after dinner." He smiled at him even if it was a little strained from feeling like a damn heel.

Catching Jim's hands as he pulled away, he squeezed them softly then turned to the stove. If nothing else, he would get dinner together and hopefully shake that feeling of guilt off. Pulling out plates, he started to fill them with the food. Once they were both put together, he picked them up and glanced back at Jim. "Wanna grab the silverware and something for us to drink?"

Moving toward the small table, he slid them both onto the table.

Bones got embarrassed and guilty about the stupidest things sometimes, honestly. It was a silly question, one that didn't need to be asked, and that was the sole reason why Jim had moved past it so easily. Not because he minded talking about it, simply because the fact that he didn't regret any of this was made abundantly clear by all the little things he kept doing for Bones.

Also the fact he kept sleeping in his bed. Their bed? Whatever, details.

"On it," he nodded and went to the fridge to get them lemonade— the one thing he'd managed to make successfully tonight. The table was already set otherwise, so Jim only brought along a box of matches, setting down the jar of lemonade first, then using a match to light up the two small candles on the table between their plates, next to the tiny flower arrangement.

What? Just because he'd messed up the original recipe didn't mean he wasn't sticking to everything else he had planned for the night.

At the sound of a match being struck, he turned to watch Jim light the candles. The sight just made him grin and laughed softly. And in a few quick steps, he crossed the distance to Jim and wrapped his arms around him from behind and pulled him close. Pressing his face into Jim's neck he hid that smile in the warm skin. Breathing out a laugh, he finally moved again to kiss his cheek. "Thanks, Jim."

He really didn't know how else to express the feeling. The second realization that all this was something Jim tried to do for him. Try as he may, he couldn't think of anyone putting that kind of effort into anything with him and well... he would be lying if he didn't say it made him damn happy and not just a little bit sappy.

And it wasn't the first time he had to bite his tongue when he almost said he loved him. Especially when it came like a chant in his head as he hugged him tighter. "Now let's eat that dinner you started and I finished. Someone's gotta talk to me about those control issues." He teased him softly, knowing full well he only took control to help, but he rather Jim feel like he was the intruder and that Jim totally had it under control. Cause honestly, he'd have eaten it burned just cause Jim made it.

Jim knew this was a little more than what most people would expect from him, so realistically speaking he was counting on Bones being surprised by all the little details and the lengths Jim had gone to for tonight. Still, that sudden hug caught him a little off guard, and Jim huffed out a chuckle as he put out the match and set it down on the table.

His hands settled over Bones's then, and he moved so he could turn around and face the doctor. Leaning in, he pressed a light kiss to his lips, hands settled on his chest for a little while before he nodded and started pulling away.

"What, you mean when you took over and actually saved what would have been a disastrous dinner? You know we'd probably be eating takeout food right now if it weren't for you, right?" Because Jim had been just a few minutes away from calling some food delivery service when Bones had come in. So really, this was all thanks to the doctor, and Jim happily took a seat on one of the sides of the small table, picking up the jug of lemonade to serve up both their glasses. "For the record, this lemonade is not store-bought. That has to earn me some cooking skill points."

Moving to slide into his chair after Jim pulled away, he only looked up when Jim poured the lemonade with that tidbit of information. Smirking just a little, he arched a brow at the other man before taking his glass. "Well then, guess I'd better give it a try." Tipping the glass toward Jim, he pulled it to his lips to take a sip lightly.

"Well, I'll be... the Iowa boy makes a damn good glass of lemonade." Chuckling at that, he took another drink, savoring it before setting the glass down. Once Jim settled in, he slid his foot out under the table to softly tap Jim's. "Guess you'll be the one in charge of keeping lemonade ready for us."

It wasn't entirely teasing. He actually did like it enough to have Jim in charge of such a silly task. "Well then, let's give dinner a shot and see how we did." Picking up the silverware, he tried the meat first and gave a slow nod. Not half bad for a complete change in original purpose. He managed to mute down the burned flavor nearly completely, so he called that a real win.

Jim wasn't exactly holding his breath, there. He'd tasted the lemonade already so he knew it was pretty good. Still, he smiled happily at Bones's reaction, though raising an eyebrow at that choice of words.

"I know! We get lemons in the middle of nowhere too, go figure," he snorted a bit, nudging back at Bones's foot. Picking up his own fork, he got a decent bit of it and took it up to his mouth, letting out a pleasantly surprised hum as he chewed on the meat and swallowed it down.

"Amazing, it's actually edible. Think you might've missed your calling as a chef, no?"

"And here I thought all they had out there was corn." Smirking at that, he had to pick back at him. If he were a lesser man, he'd throw more corn into their diet just to pick on him sometimes. Instead, he aimed for things he noticed Jim enjoyed. So unless Jim picked something with corn in it, he'd not done that.

Stretching his leg out just a little more, he let himself hook his heel around Jim's in a lazy lock just to feel that connection before he moved to try the next thing on his plate. Rolling his eyes affectionately, he waved a piece of broccoli at him lightly. "If I'd been a chef, you never would've met me."

And really, he didn't think of himself as that good of a cook anyway. "Ma could've done better." He stood by the fact that no one cooked like his mother, hands down. "Besides, just think of all the benefits for you having a doctor that knows anatomy so well."

"Jerk!" Jim huffed out with feigned offense, knitting his eyebrows as he nudged at Bones's leg. "Better than goddamn peaches all over the place. Weirdass furry fruit. I'll take corn any day of the week." Or maybe not. He did like corn, though, just not on every meal. Like, you know. Most other people from Iowa.

"Mm, that's true," Jim nodded, smiling warmer when Bones mentioned his mom. Not that Jim would know what that was like. Even when his mom was around, she was never much of a cook. Luckily they had a replicator back at the farm, so despite everything, Jim never really went hungry.

"I think I'll be glad for having a doctor that both knows anatomy and can cook me a really nice dinner. How's that?"

Winking at Jim across the table, he purposely blew him a kiss as Jim nudged his leg. Ducking his head, he laughed softly only to smirk over the candles at his best friend and likely the one person that meant the universe to him. "You say that, but I bet if I made you peach pie or peach cobbler you'd change that tune of yours."

Cause his mom's recipes were the best and he had not problems with usin' them against him. "Then again, mom might go and try to steal you from me. You've got her so damn charmed she'd keep you at this point." Not that he minded. As long as his mother kept to herself all those calls and letters home where he talked too much and too openly about the cat he took home and decided to keep.

"Least you appreciate what you've got that way. Cause god help me, I like spoilin' ya... even if I shouldn't." Not that he'd ever quit. Jim had him wrapped around his little finger in more ways than one. Friends or more, Leonard always took care of Jim first.

Jim tried to roll his eyes like that wink didn't absolutely endear the doctor to him. Jerk just had to use all his weapons against Jim, didn't he? Anything to win an argument. Not like Jim could talk, granted, but... still. "Sure, there's no peach fuzz in those things. You do know I'm allergic to the little hairs on peaches, right?"

Of course he did. Bones likely knew all of Jim's allergies even better than Jim himself did.

"Well, she is a pretty great lady. Who knows, maybe I picked the wrong McCoy," he winked right back at Bones then, making it plenty clear that he was just teasing him. But really, he did like Bones's mom a lot, so if and when he got to see her again, he'd always be his sweet and charming self. (And also probably get his hands on those letters eventually.)

"Why shouldn't you? I mean, if I went around acting like an entitled brat," which he did not, thank you very much. "No harm in spoiling the people you care about, at least a little bit. And... it makes me feel special, when you do," he confessed with a smile and a small shrug.

Leaning forward on the table, he placed his elbows on it even hearing his mom's voice in his head yellin' at him about table manners and etiquette. Still, he leaned in closer to smile just a little. "Like I'd ever forgot things that hurt you. Unless I prepared the peaches myself with ma, I wouldn't even let her try to feed it to ya."

That was the truth. Leonard would step on his own mother's toes to be sure Jim would be safe. And that really was sayin' somethin'.

"You think so? Make it hard for a guy to argue when you're talkin' about leavin' him for one of the two greatest women in his life. Wholly unfair." Between his ma and Jo, there really wasn't any room for much else in his life. Well, so he thought till the scrappy blonde with amazin' blue eyes went and tried to calm him down on a shuttle to Starfleet Academy. Had to admit, that completely blindsided him. (And those letters will be burned if he even dares try to find them.)

Smiling warmer still at that reasoning, he lightly nudged Jim's foot under the table. "You are special and I enjoy it more than I should." Even when it meant he got stuck doing something dangerous or flying somewhere. "Sayin' no to you is a real problem. I need to work on that."

"Well, good to know you'd have my back, doc," Jim smiled, not the least bit surprised that Bones would do that. One thing he knew for sure was that the doctor would never feed him anything if he wasn't absolutely sure it was safe for him. God knows Bones was far more zealous about Jim's allergies than even Jim himself was.

"Mm, just giving you a bit of a push to try harder, I guess," he shrugged, winking teasingly. Bones hardly had to try, really. Jim was easy to please, and he liked Bones's company more than enough that he never needed much more than that. Even now that they were something more than just friends.

"Are you kidding? That's as far from a problem as can be," he winked with a lopsided grin, nudging back against Bones's foot. He reached out with his free hand, catching Bones's own and weaving his fingers through Bones's. "Not like I'm that good at saying 'no' to you, either." Even if Bones's requests were likelier to be more reasonable than Jim's.

"Always." He pointed that out only to break into laughter at Jim's answer to his accusation. "Really? You'd use my ma to get me to work harder to keep you? You know James T. Kirk, you could ask me anything and I would do it. How could I possibly up my 'game' more than it already is?"

God, he loved the way Jim could look like a cocky asshole and still manage to flirt like that. And look attractive to boot. Running his eyes over Jim's face, he turned his hand over to help him curl their fingers together. He loved how it felt to be together with him. It was something he really never considered he could have.

"Yep, spoiled. And you tell me I need to work harder." Rolling his eyes, he squeezed his hand. Angling his head a little at the admission to that, he gave him a feigned look of disbelief. "That's why you run every time I need to do inoculations? Or is that your way of making me run after you?"

"You know... that is true," he said in tone of contemplation, as if he was just made aware of this now. As if he didn't know full well he could talk the doctor into doing just about anything he wanted or needed him to. He hadn't, however, talked him into all this— whatever 'this' was. If anything it had been Bones making the first move, and to be perfectly honest, that left Jim feeling a lot more comfortable and at ease, if only because he knew for sure that this really was something Bones wanted.

"That your way of telling me I should work harder, is it? Should I?" Because he would, really. And it could well be a hundred times more intense than this impromptu date and Bones may or may not regret it intensely. For now, though, he just curled his fingers a little tighter, tugging lightly on Bones's hand while he brushed his thumbs across the doctor's fingertips distractedly.

"I ran because they hurt like hell and you weren't very gentle about it," he said in a nearly accusatory tone, raising an eyebrow at Bones. "But yeah, sometimes I also liked making you chase me around the ship."

Once again he rolled his eyes at Jim. Of course he wanted to play and be ridiculous. Smiling a little to himself, he figured Jim always knew what kinda sap he was for him. At least in the sense that he would follow through in any cockamamie plan he came up with cause he'd do anything for the man. Hell, he jumped off a damn cliff into the water with him. He flew an alien space craft and so many other things. Obviously, he was just doomed to a life of following after a crazy genius with an addiction to adrenaline.

Not that he'd change that at all.

"Jim, I want you to be you. I don't want you to do anything you don't wanna do." the doctor would likely melt like butter for anything Jim did do more for him, but he wasn't gonna ask for none of that. That felt a lot like wanting more than just Jim himself.

Humming a soft sound at the warm sensation of that hand holding his, he half closed his eyes almost forgetting he should be eating. Well, until Jim got him with that confession. "Sometimes you deserved it." He pointed out with dry amusement only to huff a laugh. "Yeah? that your way of flirtin'? Or your way of makin' me do my runnin' exercises?"

"I never said anything about not being myself, did I? That doesn't mean I can't try a little harder sometimes. For things that matter, I always want to," he paused, hand moving to curl around Bones's instead, fingers pressing into his palm, then lifting it up across the table to kiss his knuckles. "And you definitely matter."

It didn't mean Jim would just do things he didn't feel comfortable with, or ever act like anything but himself. He cared about Bones and he wanted to show him that. To show him he was willing and even glad to go the extra mile for him. Didn't seem right that Bones was always the one following behind and running to keep up.

Lowering their hands down to the table, he slowly let go, drawing his arm back so he could go back to eating. "Well, I wasn't trying to flirt then. I just didn't like the damn hyposprays. But you gotta admit, thinking back to it, you chasing me around the ship is kind of a cute image. Silly, but cute."

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