[backdated to early Christmas morning]
December 25th, very, very early morning. Just after midnight. All isn't quiet in Chicago, but then, when is it ever? There's people spilling out of bars and clubs, celebrating the coming of the day with a little too much alcohol and quite enough joy for the entire city. There are couples in Grant Park, taking a stroll to enjoy the freshly-
( Read more... )
He's highly tempted to take one of the sugar packets sitting at their table and dump that onto his waffles too, just to see Bones' resulting full body twitch. But it is Christmas, after all, and Jim can play nice sometimes.
Besides, he's more curious about the t-shirt at this point. "Huh," he says, staring at the item in question for a few seconds. He still recalls that first Christmas, the two of them rattling around Starfleet Academy's abandoned campus like the sad bastards they were. Jim also remembers Bones' annoyed grimace at unwrapping what appeared to be another poor innuendo on Jim's part before he was able to explain that Bones could only wear it when they were up in space together. And flashing forward a few years, when he showed up at Bones' door on the first night of the Enterprise's true maiden voyage and the man answered wearing it, as promised.
Maybe Jim can be a bit ridiculously sentimental, okay?
He shakes himself out of the reverie, remembering his own unexpected gift and fishing it out of his pocket. "Well, I found this on my bedside table this morning too, so..." he trails off, setting the Kelvin saltshaker on the table, running a thumb along the miniature ship reflexively. Bones knows what the little souvenir means to him, obviously. How it showed up here, though...
Jim blinks as an idea hits him. "Bones," he says excitedly, leaning forward. "What if it's Santa?" He accompanies his question with a wild gesture with the hand still holding his fork. A bit of whipped cream drops onto the table's surface, but Jim pays it no mind.
Growing up in an age of technology, it generally didn't take too long for the school age child to realize or be informed that Santa was a myth. Jim, however, held onto the belief for far too long despite Sam's frequent insisting that there was no such thing as the man.
And some of that child who spent several Christmases waiting for the sound of hooves on the roof is still visible as Jim leans back and nods. "It's definitely Santa. Bones, we were visited by Santa!"
Jim always knew he was real
Reply
He glances down at the shirt again. The look on Jim's face when he'd shown up at McCoy's quarters and found him wearing the shirt... Well. It'd been enough to convince McCoy to wear it around the Tower now, to see a similar look on Jim's face today. He's gotten a few looks, already, due to the suggestion of the shirt's inscription. But he's wearing it anyway.
Maybe McCoy can be a bit sentimental too, sometimes.
He raises his eyebrows over his coffee when Jim places the little Kelvin saltshaker on the table between them. Placing down his mug, he picks up the model ship, and yes, there's the little S where the salt would come out, and yes, there's the little gash on its underbelly. It's the same exact one.
This is strange. So of course Jim comes up with an explanation.
McCoy reaches over and grabs the wildly gesturing hand, stilling it. He lets go just a moment later, though, and says dryly, "Well you're temperature's normal."
He shakes his head and sighs, "Look, all I'll say is that we've seen weirder. It's probably not even worth it to suggest otherwise."
Reply
Who knew such a sexually charged t-shirt would be so precious? Oh wait. This is a gift from Jim we're talking about. 'Sexually charged but precious' is his personality in a nutshell.
Jim rolls his eyes when Bones grabs at his hand, but has no further reaction to it. Bones is a doctor and Jim is a generally touchy-feely person; between the two of them, small touches have lost all of their surprising qualities. He simply puts the fork down and continues on. "I told you I wouldn't be sick on Christmas," he reminds the man triumphantly, before switching subjects.
He scowls at Bones. "Oh c'mon, the idea of Santa has to excite you a little bit, Bones," he insists, before adding jokingly, "even if your heart is three sizes too small."
Reply
He frowns at Jim's declaration, muttering, "Well then it'll happen for New Year's."
After a sip of coffee he scowls right back.
"Actually it doesn't," he says, just to make a point. But still, he's seen weirder than Santa being real. It's not going to phase him that much. "Let's just be glad I got away without the green fur."
Reply
"But Bones," he insists. "It's Santa. C'mon. Even you were once a little Bonesy, all decked out in footie pajamas, hoping to hear the sound of hooves on the rooftop." Jim pauses, a thought just occurring to him. "Hold on, do you think there's a Rudolph too?" He's practically bouncing in his seat at the idea.
Yeah all that sugar probably wasn't a good plan.
He rolls his eyes at the next comment, choosing to ignore it in favor of taking another bite of his waffles. "So what's on the agenda today? Snowball fight? Snowman building? Snow forts? Sledding?"
Jim likes to believe that someday Bones will take him up on one of those suggestions. Someday.
Reply
He raises his eyebrows ever higher at Jim.
"I never had footie pajamas, actually," he mutters, before continuing, "and really, Jim, calm down. Even if there is a Rudolph you're not gonna get to see him, are you."
He scoffs into his coffee at the slew of questions, completely unsurprised.
"No," he says simply. "No. None of it. I'm staying inside where it's warm and dry and comparatively germ-free. And if I could do anything about it you would be too, but we both know I can't stop you, so..."
Reply
His faux serious expression breaks at the next comment, and he pouts. "Spoilsport," he definitely does not whine, stabbing moodily at the remains of his waffles. The remains being a rather large blob of whipped cream that he pokes at for a few seconds before finding one small chunk of waffle.
He stabs the piece of waffle and takes a bite, taking Bones' rejection in cheerful stride. "Snowman building. Someday I will get you to build a snowman with me. That's doesn't involve rolling around in the snow that much at all," Jim muses, before cocking his head. "Well alright, what did you have planned for the day, Mister Grinch?"
He leans back against the booth, cocking his eyebrow and taking a sip of his coffee.
Reply
Leave a comment