Learning As We Go, Part 30 - in the Primary Ed. series
Title: Learning As We Go, Part 30
Author: Caera1996
Disclaimer: Not mine
Rating: NC-17
W/C: 6,621
Summary: Sequel to The Basics of Primary Ed. AU. It is possible to read this story without reading TBoPE first, but it will make much more sense if you do.
This part: Jim gets an offer from Nyota he’s not sure he can refuse, they go out to celebrate some good news, and later, Jim and Bones reconnect with each other.
“How are you feeling?” Nyota asked as she settled at Jim’s desk with him, arranging her lunch in front of her. “Are you sore?”
Jim shrugged, leaning back in his chair with a sigh, his hand automatically moving his side to rest over where the incisions were made. “Nah, not really. I’m okay. I’m a little more tired than I thought I was going to be. I mean, god, I haven’t done anything but rest for a week. I thought I was going to go crazy staying at home.”
Nyota nodded. “Well, I can imagine that surgery takes a lot out of you, and then you have to just jump right back in - I can see how it would be difficult to get back in the swing of things - especially since you don’t exactly have a desk job. I’ll bet you’re glad it’s all over with.”
That is the understatement of the fucking year. “Oh, you have no idea how glad,” Jim said aloud. “And yeah, thank god for Diane. I swear I could’ve kissed her when she offered to take the munchkins to lunch so I could just sit for a few minutes.”
Nyota chuckled. “I don’t think she, her husband, or Leonard would’ve appreciated that. I’m sure a thank you will suffice.”
“Noted,” Jim said with a smile. He opened the lunch he’d packed for himself and they spent a couple of minutes eating in silence.
“So,” Nyota said, “I wanted to touch base with you about a couple of things.”
Jim nodded, having expected as much. It was nice to have lunch with her every now and then, but she didn’t often just stop for lunch, and he knew a lot of things were still up in the air as far as his leaving was concerned.
“Liz’s last day is this Friday,” Nyota said, looking up at him. Jim paused, his sandwich halfway to his mouth.
“What?” Jim said, too surprised to be articulate. That was not what he’d been expecting to hear. “You fired her?”
Nyota gave him a slightly sour look. “The Board decided that it was time for a change in personnel.”
“At your recommendation,” Jim filled in. Nyota didn’t respond, but inclined her head slightly. Jim took a bite of his sandwich and chewed slowly, considering the situation, and the timing of what had happened. He wondered if Nyota made the recommendation before he’d told her about that he was going to be leaving…and suddenly felt like he’d royally screwed her over. Now she was going to be down not one, but two employees who shared some of the same needed skill set. “Did you make that recommendation because of me? Jesus, I’m sorry Nyota--”
Nyota stopped him before he could continue. “It doesn’t matter, Jim. Really. I didn’t make the recommendation to let her go because of you. I made it because of her…and I would have regardless of the timeline. She just…she showed me that she doesn’t belong here. I’m just sorry it took me as long as it did to see it.”
“Not your fault either Nyota,” Jim said. “It’s not like you let a bad situation continue, and I never felt like I was being singled out. Well…not until recently anyway. I’m just sorry about the position I’ve put you in. Do you have someone to replace her?”
“Not yet. She actually thought she was being fired because you wanted her job.” Nyota paused and looked up at Jim over his desk, her eyes narrowing as she contemplated that for a second.
“What?” Jim asked.
“Do you? Want her job?” Nyota clarified when Jim raised his eyebrows at her in askance. “You want to be a Guidance Counselor - you have the credentials for it now, and I’ve got an opening.”
Jim chuckled and took another bite of his sandwich, then caught Nyota’s eyes as she looked at him steadily, and saw that she wasn’t kidding. He swallowed what was in his mouth. “Wait, you’re serious? Be a Guidance Counselor here? You know the degree isn’t exactly official yet, right?”
Nyota nodded. “It’s as good as. And why not? You could finish your contracted time with us that way. I’m sure the Board won’t mind the switch, especially if I can find someone to take your place in the classroom.”
“Which shouldn’t be too hard to do,” Jim said.
Nyota nodded - that was true. She didn’t think she’d be able to find someone quite like Jim, of course, but to find a kindergarten teacher for a school like this…Jim was right. It wouldn’t be too difficult.
“Have you talked to the Board about my situation yet?” Jim asked after another moment of silence.
“Not yet. I had already brought them my concerns about Elizabeth before you let me know what was going on with you, and I wanted to deal with that situation first. I have another meeting with them tomorrow. Should I let them know that you’re leaving?”
Jim had picked up his napkin and was now tearing it into shreds. He kept his eyes on what he was doing, but he wasn’t actually seeing it. Should Nyota tell the board he was leaving….that was a good question. He could stay here, with the people who’d become his extended family. He could expand his role here…finish the year out in his classroom with his kids, and do double duty as an interim Guidance Counselor. Help Nyota find a new teacher for the next year, and then slide fully into the new role. That was an…interesting possibility. On the other hand, working for the county would offer him more opportunities for professional development and putting his shiny new degree to use. He needed more time to think about it.
“Can you hold off on telling the Board anything for a couple of days?” Jim asked.
“Sure,” Nyota said lightly, and Jim could hear the optimism in her tone.
“I’m not saying anything one way or the other, Nyota,” Jim warned. “I just…need to think about it.” And I need to talk to Bones.
“Understood,” she replied. “I won’t get my hopes up.”
“Okay.”
“Much.”
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Leonard pulled up to the apartment and parked in a spot, noting that Jim’s car was already there. He wasn’t surprised. It was only a little after three - earlier in the afternoon than Jim usually got home with Joanna, and it was much earlier than Leonard typically made it home on a regular work day. But today was Jim’s first day back at work since his surgery, and Leonard was worried that he’d be more wiped out than he anticipated.
They’d gone for a follow-up appointment, just to make sure that everything was healing properly, last Friday, and Jim had gotten a complete clean bill of health. The small incisions were hardly more than scabbed over scratches at this point, and there was no tenderness, no swelling, no redness - nothing to indicate the presence of an infection or some other problem. An ultrasound showed that the only things inside him were supposed to be there, and Jim had no complaints - aside from boredom. He felt ready to get back to work.
However, surgery was surgery, and Leonard knew part of the reason Jim felt so normal was because he’d been taking it easy. Something that Jim, in all his impatient exuberance, couldn’t seem to fully grasp. Not a surprise, considering he had almost no experience with the concept of “recovering” from something like this in a normal fashion.
So, he’d made a point to arrange his day to get everything done he had to actually be in the hospital for early, and planned to work at home for a bit. He pulled his briefcase and laptop bag out of the car, then detoured to the mailbox kiosk to grab the mail. He flipped through the junk mail and then the envelopes of real mail…and stopped in his tracks. There was a letter addressed to Jim from the UCSF School of Psychiatry and Psychology, Postgraduate Division. Jim had done the defense of his dissertation about a month and half ago - this was probably the official notice about his degree.
Excitement surged through him for Jim, and he quickly walked to the apartment, letting himself in the front door. Dropping his things on the couch, and all of the mail except the letter for Jim, he paused to listen. It was quiet in the apartment, and he wondered if they weren’t home after all. As he headed back to the bedrooms, he could hear the TV on in his bedroom through the wide open door.
Joanna and Jim were resting against the headboard, watching one of the cartoon shows she liked. Jim was propped on a couple of pillows, legs crossed at the ankles. He’d changed into sweats and a t-shirt and looked pretty good, if a little tired. Joanna had only pulled off her shoes and socks, letting them fall on the floor by the side of the bed, and she was leaning comfortably against Jim’s left side, his arm around her.
“Hey guys,” Leonard said. “How’re you doing?”
“Daddy!” Joanna exclaimed, sitting up. “You’re home!”
Jim looked over at him and smiled. “Hey Bones. You’re home early.”
“Just wanted to make sure my two favorite people were doing okay. Whoa…whoa…be careful of Jim, Baby,” Leonard said, reaching over Jim’s body to lift Jo up as she started to climb over Jim to get to him.
“I’m fine Bones,” Jim said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Leonard had been treating him like he was going to break for the past week. At first, he’d been pretty sore, and he hadn’t minded, but that only lasted a day or two. Now he was fine…a little tired, but fine.
Bones looked at him with that expression of fond exasperation as he settled Joanna on his hip.
“I know you’re fine. I just want to make sure that doesn’t change. How was your day today?”
“Good!” Joanna said. “We have to write a book report.”
“You do, huh? Which book did you choose?” Leonard asked, sitting down on the side of the bed. He handed Jim the envelope he’d been holding, watching his expression as he talked to Joanna.
“I haven’t decided yet,” she said. “Miss Chapel gave us a list. Can we look at it tonight?”
“Sure thing, Baby. Why don’t you go change out of your school clothes,” Leonard said, setting her down on the floor as he changed his mind about working anymore today. “And maybe we’ll go to the park for a little while before dinner, okay?”
“Okay!” she said, heading out of the room. When she’d gone Leonard turned back to Jim.
“And how was your day?” Leonard asked, leaning in to kiss him. “How’re you feeling?”
“Just a little more tired than usual. Otherwise, it was a good day.”
“Yeah? Things weren’t too crazy after being out for a week?”
“Nope. Norma did a great job. Everything was in order, as if I’d been there myself.”
“That’s good, I’m glad to hear it.” He raised his eyebrows and looked down at the letter in his hands. “Could be it’s about to get a lot better,” he said pointedly.
Jim felt a pang of guilt for not telling Bones earlier that he’d already unofficially heard that he was being granted the degree. There’d just been so much stuff going on…and really there wasn’t much to tell until there was something to tell for sure. This letter…this was the ‘for sure’.
Taking a breath, Jim tore open the envelope. Leonard watched as he read the first few lines…and broke into a huge smile as Jim’s eyes widened. He might’ve already heard unofficially - but now…now it was for real. He did it.
James T. Kirk, Ph.D. in Psychology with a focus on Educational Development
Jim let out the breath he’d been holding in a whoosh, and the next thing he knew he was being thoroughly kissed again, Bones’ hands framing his face. Still holding the letter in his hand, he wrapped his arms around Bones and pulled him closer to him. Jim sat up, and Bones moved back to accommodate him. They parted and Bones hugged him, being careful not to squeeze too hard, one hand coming up to his head.
“I’m so, so proud of you,” he said.
Over his shoulder, Jim closed his eyes, those words hitting him harder and meaning more than he’d ever thought they would.
“I’m ready!” Joanna said, skipping back into the room. “Can we go now?”
Chuckling, Jim and Leonard let go and turned to look at the little girl. “Go on into the kitchen and get yourself a juicebox to take with us out of the fridge. I just have to change, and then I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
“’Kay,” she turned and headed to complete that errand and Leonard turned back to Jim, studying his eyes closely.
“Do you feel up to coming with us?” he asked. Jim hesitated, and that hesitation was answer enough. “Okay…why don’t you stay here and take a nap, and then we’ll all go out to dinner to celebrate. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect. Where are we going to go?”
“Wherever you want.” Leonard leaned forward to kiss Jim again.
“I’ve got something I want to talk to you about, too, later on,” Jim said.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s good. Just…Nyota and I talked during lunch today, and I just want to hear what you think.”
Leonard nodded, wondering what it could be. “Okay, we’ll talk about it tonight,” he said.
“Maybe steak,” Jim said thoughtfully, throwing Leonard off for a second at the quick change in subjects.
Leonard rolled his eyes and stood. “Wherever you want,” he said again with a smile. He stood and headed to the dresser to pick out something more appropriate for an afternoon at the park. He changed quickly and used the restroom, then came back into the bedroom to see Jim still sitting up, staring mindlessly at the television set. “Why don’t you go ahead and lay down,” he said, picking up a throw blanket that had been brought in from the family room.
Jim smiled, but moved to comply. “You gonna tuck me in Bones?”
“Yup.” He waited until Jim had made himself comfortable, then draped the blanket over him. Jim sighed in contentment and closed his eyes, his body feeling more tired than he’d been willing to admit to himself. He hummed when he felt Bones place a hand on his head and let it trail to his shoulder, squeezing him gently. Leonard picked up the remote control and turned off the TV. “We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Okay,” Jim murmured. Leonard paused at the door to turn off the lights, looking over at Jim for another moment before pulling the door closed slightly and heading down the hall to collect Jo and head to the park to let her burn off some energy for a while.
“Jo, you all set?” Leonard asked, coming into the kitchen.
“Yes! I got pink lemonade for me and I got water for you and Uncle Jim,” she said, holding up one of the reusable grocery bags.
“Uncle Jim’s going to take a rest while we’re at the park, Darlin’, and then we’re all going to go out to dinner.” Leonard started moving Joanna towards the door as they talked, taking the bag of drinks from her.
“Where are we gonna go?”
“I think we’ll let Jim decide that. We’re celebrating his new degree.”
“What’s that mean?”
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By the time Leonard and Joanna got back from the park, Jim was up, looking and feeling much better, and was ready to go. Leonard took a quick shower while Jim helped Joanna clean up, shaking sand out of her shoes, using a washcloth to wipe her down, and carefully drawing a comb through her hair.
“Can you do a braid?” Joanna asked.
“Yup, I can. I had to learn for Kimmie and Janie, so Aurelan taught me. You want one?” Jim asked.
“Yes, please. I have an elastic,” Joanna said, settling more fully in front of him. Jim spent a few minutes parting her hair and twisting the sections together. When finished, he smiled a little at his handiwork. He was out of practice, and it was slightly crooked, but it didn’t look too bad. He’d just have to practice and learn how to do that again.
Following Jim’s earlier suggestion, they did visit a steakhouse for dinner, though one that catered more to families so that Joanna wouldn’t be out of place. She generally wasn’t a particularly boisterous child, but Leonard was sensitive to the idea that a quiet restaurant wasn’t necessarily the place for a six-year-old.
“Since this is a special occasion, because of his new degree, can Uncle Jim get dessert?” Joanna asked at the end of the meal.
Jim broke into a huge smile at that, knowing inherent in the question on his behalf was a slightly more selfish motivation. “Yeah, can I, Bones?” Jim echoed, mirroring Joanna’s hopeful expression.
Leonard rolled his eyes at them, and played along. “Since this is a special occasion, Jim can get dessert,” he said, exchanging a teasing glance with Jim.
“Just Uncle Jim?” Joanna asked hesitantly. Jim chuckled at her and ruffled her hair. “Hey! You’re gonna mess it up!”
“I think, because it’s a special occasion, we can get something big enough for all of us to share,” Jim said. “How does that sound?”
“Good!” Joanna exclaimed. They spent a couple of minutes deciding which dessert to share, and finally settled on a brownie/vanilla ice cream concoction that satisfied everyone. While they ate, they talked about Joanna’s book report, and they looked over the list that had been provided to her. Most of the books listed were bordering on simplistic for her, but Christine Chapel had provided another, smaller list of books that would be more challenging, and definitely more suitable to her reading level, though she wasn’t going to require that Joanna choose a book off the supplemental list.
In the end, the decided a trip to the library was necessary and Jim promised to take her after school on Wednesday.
“Why not tomorrow?” Leonard asked.
“Tomorrow’s Tuesday,” Jim said. “And what do we do on Tuesday?”
“Volunteer!” Joanna said. “I think it’s good we’re going cause I didn’t go last week cause you weren’t feeling good yet.”
Leonard met Jim’s eyes over the table. “You sure you’re feeling up to doing that tomorrow?” he asked quietly. “I have to teach, and won’t be home until later, and you were pretty tired today.”
Jim shrugged. “I should be fine. I don’t do much but watch Joanna do her thing, right Jo?”
“Right. I help the teachers with the little kids Daddy. We read, and do puzzles and play games and sometimes play on the playground. Sometimes Uncle Jim helps with the puzzles.”
“Okay, just…don’t push yourself too much,” Leonard said, automatically reaching for Jim’s hand across the table. Jim smiled and squeezed back.
“I promise.”
Back at home, they went through their nightly routine with Jo, and by eight she was settled in bed. Jim and Leonard changed into pajamas, with Leonard choosing a sweatshirt and pants. He checked the thermostat, feeling a little chilly, and adjusted the heat a bit. He knew Jim had a higher tolerance for cold than he did, and that he didn’t like to be too warm, but it was dipping down into the low 50’s tonight, quite a bit colder than Leonard or Joanna were used to.
“Jim, would you pull another blanket out of the closet and put it over Jo?” Leonard asked. “I’m going to make some tea. Hot chocolate for you?”
“Uh, you know, I think I’m chocolated out after that brownie. What kind of tea do we have?” he asked, getting the blanket that Leonard requested down. Knowing that Jim was not really a tea drinker, Leonard said he’d make him something he would like, and Jim went to cover Jo.
Now, they were settled in their bedroom, Leonard against the headboard, Jim sitting crosslegged, resting against the footboard. There was a single lamp providing soft light in the room and the chill Leonard had been feeling earlier was mostly gone, the hot tea warming him from the inside. Jim took a small sip from the mug Leonard handed to him and looked up in surprise.
“This isn’t too bad,” he said. Leonard smiled behind his mug. He’d made Jim a cinammon black tea, dosed liberally with milk and sugar. The result was something that he’d been sure Jim wouldn’t mind the taste of, though it wasn’t anything Leonard himself would ever drink.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” he asked. “You looked like it was important.”
Jim took another sip of the milky tea, then lowered the mug to his lap, cradling it in his hands, his eyes focused somewhere on the bed in front of him.
“Nyota talked to me during lunch today…Dehner is fired.”
Leonard’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Really? Good. Someone like that is nothing but trouble. Her attitudes don’t belong in a place with developing brains.”
Jim smirked and nodded. “Yeah. Well, now there’s a Guidance Counselor position open and…Nyota offered it to me.”
Studying Jim’s pensive expression, Leonard considered that information for a moment. He knew that as excited Jim was at the prospect of starting his new job as the Guidance Counselor with the county, he still had more than a few reservations about leaving the place and people that had become like a second home to him. Not to mention the fact that Leonard knew the idea of leaving his kids in the middle of the school year was especially troubling to him.
“So what do you think about that?” Leonard asked, keeping his voice and expression carefully neutral.
“I - guess I think it’s worth thinking about. I mean - I could finish this year in the classroom and just add interim duty as GC, and then take over completely next year.” Jim looked up at Leonard. “I could stay at McKinley that way Bones…finish out the contract I had with the Board, and still be getting the years in my field instead of as a kindergarten teacher. And…then I could find something else - or, maybe there will be another opportunity.”
Leonard nodded. “Maybe there would be,” he agreed. “And this could be a good way to get some experience under your belt. But - and I don’t know the school system all that well - it seems to me the job you’ve been offered is a rare opportunity. I mean, how many specialized Guidance Counselor positions does the county have?”
“Not many,” Jim acknowledged. “You’re right about that…it is a rare opportunity.”
“And…it’s pretty telling to me that they wanted you right off the bat, Jim. Obviously,” he continued, when Jim looked up at him questioningly. “Some big decision-makers think you already have enough experience, and have something you can bring to this position that the county needs.”
Jim smiled a little at that, his eyes going back to the comforter in front of him. “Thanks.”
“No reason to thank me - it’s not just an empty compliment. My point is, I don’t think this is the kind of job they’d offer to just anyone.”
“So you think I should take the county job and leave in the middle of the year,” Jim said.
“Well…I think the county job may be worth more professionally in the long run. What bothers you the most about leaving McKinley in the middle of the year?”
“Leaving the kids,” Jim said automatically, looking up at him, his blue eyes earnest. “I mean, I know they would be fine - Nyota will be able to find someone else probably better at teaching kindergarten than me. It was never something I thought I’d be doing anyway. But…I feel responsible for them, you know? They’re mine for now, and I promised them a great year. And what will they think if I have to tell them I’m leaving to do something else?”
Leonard nodded, thinking about how dedicated Jim was to his students, how much it meant to him personally to give them a good introduction to their formal schooling years, how sensitive he was to their perception of him.
“Maybe you should let…who is it that offered you the job?”
“Head of the Office for Student Guidance and Educational Psychology, Liam McInnis.”
“Maybe you should let Liam McInnis know how much leaving in the middle of the year bothers you. I mean, they wanted you for the same reasons you don’t want to leave the kids. If he has any sense, he’ll recognize the benefit of letting you finish the year out, and start with them fresh.”
Jim considered that for a minute, then shook his head. “He’s not going to hold this job for me, Bones. There are plenty of more qualified people who would take the job tomorrow.”
Leonard sighed and rolled his eyes. He wasn’t getting it. “Jim - out of all the people who have various levels of qualification and experience in the whole Unified County of San Francisco School District, Liam offered this job to you. He wants you - the person who developed a curriculum program for gifted children, who ran workshops focusing on learning styles and disabilities, who did a full-fledged psychology Ph.D. instead of a Masters in psych with an education Ph.D. He wants you, for all of these reasons, and more that I’m sure I don’t even know about. So…use that, Jim. Ask…sincerely…and see what he says. If he says no, then you have a decision to make. If he says he can make that work…then things get a lot easier.”
Jim had been listening intently, and he stared at Leonard for a moment after he’d finished. He’d never thought of it that way. He never really thought he was anything all that special. But looking at the situation way Bones saw it - it was like finally seeing the picture hidden within a larger mosaic of colorful shapes.
Holding his cup of tea in one hand, Jim shifted his position, leaning forward and moving towards Bones on the bed. When he was close enough, he put his mug on the bedside table, and then took Bones’ mug from him and set it on the table as well. Bones raised an eyebrow as Jim leaned over his body, his hands braced on either side of Bones’ hips, a little smile on his face.
“Thank you,” Jim said, inches from Bones’ lips.
“For what?”
“For seeing me. You always see me.”
Jim leaned forward and kissed Bones softly, pressing with his tongue and moaning when Bones opened for him. He sighed at the feel of Bones settling his hands at his hips, and lowered his body to make contact with him.
“Uh,… Bones,” Jim whispered against his mouth. Bones shifted under him, making Jim close his eyes at the sensation.
“You’re still healing,” Leonard whispered, feeling the intent in Jim’s body as he reacted to the gentle pressure.
“It’s been more than a week. I’m healed already,” Jim said, a little impatience slipping into his tone. Jim smiled teasingly, settling himself more fully on Bones, feeling his reaction and seeing it in the heat of his eyes. “C’mon Bones…since this is a special occasion…”
Leonard rolled his eyes and chuckled. “I don’t want you to strain yourself,” he said.
“I won’t…I’m fine,” Jim said. Leonard shook his head and grasped Jim’s arms, gently urging Jim over to the side. They shifted so that Leonard was kneeling and Jim was lying on his back.
“I want you to just lie back…and don’t strain yourself,” Leonard said, his voice low as he looked into Jim’s eyes with a boldness that was becoming more and more familiar to him, and an undeniable heat that made Jim’s breath catch. He swallowed and nodded, settling back on the pillow as Leonard shifted so that he was kneeling over him, straddling his hips. Jim’s lips curled into a little smile, his hands sliding up Bones’ strong legs, squeezing the muscled thighs.
Bones slid his hands up under Jim’s shirt, skimming over sensitive skin, his thumbs rubbing over Jim’s nipples. Jim raised his arms as Bones eased the shirt up and over his head and dropped it to the side. He leaned forward, reaching for the bedside table drawer and the bottle of lube inside. He smiled as Jim groaned and arched under him, trying for more contact.
“A little excited there, Jim?” Leonard asked.
“A week, Bones,” Jim said, the beginnings of desperation in his voice.
“Oh, trust me, Darlin’, I know.”
Jim let out a little huff of laughter, his eyes twinkling. “Take off your sweatshirt, Bones,” he said, tugging at the edge of the material. “I’ll keep you warm.”
Leonard smiled slightly and did as he was asked, kneeling up over him. Jim sat up enough to slide his hands up Bones’ stomach and chest, and over those sturdy shoulders. He spared a moment to appreciate what he had with Bones now…that they were so comfortable together, that Bones was comfortable enough with him to be so free with his body, and that he got to see Bones this way. He did, and no one else.
Holding Jim’s gaze with only a touch of the old self-consciousness in his eyes, Leonard leaned forward, easing Jim back down and kissing Jim thoroughly, and then moved down his body. Jim gasped as Bones tongued and kissed his neck, clenched his hands around Bones’ arms when he moved down his chest, lips and tongue playing over one nipple as his fingers gently rubbed and squeezed the other.
Jim groaned again, panting as his body shivered. Bones looked up at him, a wicked look in his eyes as he switched sides. Each touch of Bones’ fingers and tongue sent a line of heat straight to Jim’s cock, and he twitched against the cotton of his pants. Bones finally, finally moved further down, pressing kisses over Jim’s torso, his fingers ghosting over Jim’s right side. The small incisions were nearly completely healed. Martine and her team did good work.
“Bones, man…c’mon,” Jim said, shifting restlessly. “I thought you said you didn’t want me to strain myself.”
Leonard hummed, and then slipped his hands into Jim’s waistband, but didn’t pull them all the way down yet. Instead, he spent a couple of moments placing sucking kisses on Jim’s lower belly, making the muscles jump with ticklishness as Jim gasped and squirmed, his breath coming faster and he had to bite his lip to keep from giggling. His hands settled on Bones’ head, but he didn’t push him away, though it was a close thing. Despite the ticklish sensation, every kiss and teasing touch on Jim’s lower belly made him throb, and his hips jerked slightly.
Bones finally gave him a break and settled himself to the side of Jim. He hesitated for a moment, watching the rapid rise and fall of Jim’s chest as he caught his breath and took a moment to just take him in and appreciate the beauty of the body in front of him, and even better, the beauty of the person Jim was. Looking down at him, Bones reveled in what they had with each other - this, and everything else. This life they had together now. Sometimes, it still seemed too good to be true.
He rubbed his thumbs in circles over Jim’s hips, then pushed the sweats down. Jim lifted his hips to help him, and then eagerly took matters into his own hands, pushing them the rest of the way down his legs and kicking them off. Bones took the opportunity to sit back and squeeze some of the lube into his hand. Jim hissed, his hips thrusting uncontrollably a couple of times when Bones closed his hand around his erection, after being aroused for so long, the contact was almost overwhelming. Jim’s breath rushed in and out of him as he dropped his head back down on the pillow, squeezing his eyes closed as he clutched at Bones’ shoulders.
Leonard watched as a becoming flush of arousal worked its way up Jim’s chest to his neck and face. Gradually, the tense muscles of his arms and stomach relaxed as Leonard just held him, not moving his hand over the sensitive flesh at all. He watched as the almost-pained expression on Jim’s face slowly smoothed out. Leonard gave him a couple of gentle strokes, his hand loosely enclosing Jim’s cock, barely giving him any pressure at all.
“Oh, god…Bones…” Jim’s hips moved as if to thrust into his grip, and Leonard responded by slightly tightening his hand and stilling his movements.
“You let me do the work, Jim,” Leonard said.
“Well then do something Bones!” Jim panted. Leonard smiled and kissed him deeply, leaning over the length of his body. He gave him a slow, tantalizingly firm stroke and caught Jim’s moan in his mouth. He did it again, and again…and Jim arched under him, squeezing his eyes closed against the onslaught of sensation as Leonard fell into a excruciatingly slow rhythm. Kissing, breathing each other’s air, Leonard stroked Jim base to tip and back down again and Jim moaned and clutched at Leonard, pressing up as much as he could as his hips rolled with Bones’ movements.
As he stroked Jim, Leonard rubbed against his leg, the friction of the fabric of his sweatpants against sensitive skin as he moved teasing him and making his heart race. Gasping together, kissing, their chests and limbs slick with sweat, Leonard was relentless in the pace he set, and Jim grunted with each stroke, a heat and pressure coiling deep inside of him. Jim broke a kiss needing to breathe, each shaky breath carrying a plea for more.
“Bones…uh…so good,” Jim shuddered hard as Leonard dragged a thumb over his cockhead. “Ooh, please, Bones.” Clutching at whatever he could reach, Jim felt like he was going to fly apart in a million pieces. Dimly, he registered that Bones was thrusting against him, and he worked a hand down between their bodies, working the waistband of Bones’ sweatpants down around his hips.
Leonard gasped against Jim’s neck at the feeling of Jim’s hand closing around him. Gathering enough brain cells to focus, Jim let his hand slide up and down Bones’ cock, slick with precum. Bones’ hips jerked and he thrust into Jim’s grip.
They stroked each other, struggling towards release and relief from the hot tension pulling taut within them. Moaning, their lips meeting again and again in between uncontrollable cries, they worked each other to the edge. Feeling that Jim was close, his body trembling and arching, Leonard changed sped up slightly, and moments later, Jim’s whole body clenched, hanging for measureless seconds in that space in between, until Leonard stroked up, and let the palm of his hand rub over Jim’s cockhead. And then with a soundless cry, Jim’s body was jerking spasmodically under Leonard as he spurted messily between them. Leonard murmured to him quietly as he rode it out, stroking him through it, following the movement of his hips and feeling the way his muscles shook with the force of his orgasm.
Gasping, spent, Jim slowly came back to himself, and realized that Bones hadn’t come yet. Letting himself rest for a moment, he felt that Bones was moving against him, thrusting into his loosened grip. With an effort, Jim raised his arm around Bones’ shoulders and held him close, feeling his hot breath hit his neck with every explosive exhale. Jim tightened his grip, and started moving his hand again, in counterpoint to the movement of Bones’ hips, but the angle wasn’t great, and after a minute or so, Jim gently pushed at his shoulders, urging him to change position.
They shifted, and Bones ended up on his back with Jim sitting beside him. He dropped kisses all over Bones’ face - his eyelids, his cheeks, his mouth - while pulling the sweatpants down further until they were kicked off and discarded somewhere over the side of the bed. Hard and straining, Bones’ cock curved up and rested on his belly. Jim grasped it at the base, leaned down, and dragged his tongue up and down the underside, stopping to pay particular attention to the sensitive head with his tongue, sweeping around the crown and over the slit to collect the drops of moisture that gathered there, making Bones groan and his hips jerk. Jim lay a forearm across his belly to keep him from moving too much, and took Bones in his mouth again.
Leonard gripped a handful of the blankets and held on, channeling his desire to start thrusting into Jim’s mouth into that desperate grip. His body broke out in goosebumps and he shivered when Jim sucked gently at the head, and he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. He’d spent so much time on the edge already… Gasping, he reached down and threaded his fingers through Jim’s hair, then gently gripped him as Jim worked to bring him to orgasm.
Jim could feel Bones’ thighs shaking with the urge to move, and he sucked at the head, wrapping one had around the shaft and stroking - and that did it.
“J-Jim!” Bones cried out. His hips stuttered as he started to come, trying to stop himself from thrusting and not being entirely successful. He stifled a cry as much as he could, clenching his teeth, eyes squeezed shut as wave after wave crashed over him. Jim kept his mouth on him until the hot, slick slide of his tongue got to be too much on over-sensitized skin, then Leonard pulled the hair in his grip gently, shaking too hard to get an intelligible word out.
Jim understood, though, and finally released him with one more kiss that made him jerk again. Jim crawled up his body and collapsed down next to him, his head on Bones’ chest, listening to his heart racing in concert with the breath rushing over his head.
As his breathing slowed, Jim raised his head and met Bones’ lips. They kissed softly, with none of the urgency, but all of the passion, of before. Jim smiled, meeting Bones’ hazel eyes that held so much, and brushed sweaty bangs back, his hand moving to cup Bones’ face, a thumb rubbing over his cheekbone. Jim kissed him again, sighing contentedly as Bones wrapped an arm around him, holding him close.
They drifted, warm in each other’s embrace, languid and boneless, until Jim stirred. He wanted them to be comfortable, and if they fell asleep like they were, they wouldn’t be.
Understanding Jim’s intent, Bones sat up with him, and with no need to interrupt the quiet that enveloped them now, they took a couple of minutes to clean up a little, stripping a sheet that was too messy to keep and rearranging the blankets, and finally turning off the single light in the room.
Settling back down together, Leonard drew the blanket up over their naked bodies. Lying in the darkness in their customary position, Leonard smiled when he felt Jim entwine their fingers and hold their joined hands against his chest. Moving a leg over Jim’s, Leonard pressed close to him.
Their breathing slowed and matched, the sound and rightness of it comforting and familiar, lulling them into a deep, restful sleep.
Author: Caera1996
Disclaimer: Not mine
Rating: NC-17
W/C: 6,621
Summary: Sequel to The Basics of Primary Ed. AU. It is possible to read this story without reading TBoPE first, but it will make much more sense if you do.
This part: Jim gets an offer from Nyota he’s not sure he can refuse, they go out to celebrate some good news, and later, Jim and Bones reconnect with each other.
“How are you feeling?” Nyota asked as she settled at Jim’s desk with him, arranging her lunch in front of her. “Are you sore?”
Jim shrugged, leaning back in his chair with a sigh, his hand automatically moving his side to rest over where the incisions were made. “Nah, not really. I’m okay. I’m a little more tired than I thought I was going to be. I mean, god, I haven’t done anything but rest for a week. I thought I was going to go crazy staying at home.”
Nyota nodded. “Well, I can imagine that surgery takes a lot out of you, and then you have to just jump right back in - I can see how it would be difficult to get back in the swing of things - especially since you don’t exactly have a desk job. I’ll bet you’re glad it’s all over with.”
That is the understatement of the fucking year. “Oh, you have no idea how glad,” Jim said aloud. “And yeah, thank god for Diane. I swear I could’ve kissed her when she offered to take the munchkins to lunch so I could just sit for a few minutes.”
Nyota chuckled. “I don’t think she, her husband, or Leonard would’ve appreciated that. I’m sure a thank you will suffice.”
“Noted,” Jim said with a smile. He opened the lunch he’d packed for himself and they spent a couple of minutes eating in silence.
“So,” Nyota said, “I wanted to touch base with you about a couple of things.”
Jim nodded, having expected as much. It was nice to have lunch with her every now and then, but she didn’t often just stop for lunch, and he knew a lot of things were still up in the air as far as his leaving was concerned.
“Liz’s last day is this Friday,” Nyota said, looking up at him. Jim paused, his sandwich halfway to his mouth.
“What?” Jim said, too surprised to be articulate. That was not what he’d been expecting to hear. “You fired her?”
Nyota gave him a slightly sour look. “The Board decided that it was time for a change in personnel.”
“At your recommendation,” Jim filled in. Nyota didn’t respond, but inclined her head slightly. Jim took a bite of his sandwich and chewed slowly, considering the situation, and the timing of what had happened. He wondered if Nyota made the recommendation before he’d told her about that he was going to be leaving…and suddenly felt like he’d royally screwed her over. Now she was going to be down not one, but two employees who shared some of the same needed skill set. “Did you make that recommendation because of me? Jesus, I’m sorry Nyota--”
Nyota stopped him before he could continue. “It doesn’t matter, Jim. Really. I didn’t make the recommendation to let her go because of you. I made it because of her…and I would have regardless of the timeline. She just…she showed me that she doesn’t belong here. I’m just sorry it took me as long as it did to see it.”
“Not your fault either Nyota,” Jim said. “It’s not like you let a bad situation continue, and I never felt like I was being singled out. Well…not until recently anyway. I’m just sorry about the position I’ve put you in. Do you have someone to replace her?”
“Not yet. She actually thought she was being fired because you wanted her job.” Nyota paused and looked up at Jim over his desk, her eyes narrowing as she contemplated that for a second.
“What?” Jim asked.
“Do you? Want her job?” Nyota clarified when Jim raised his eyebrows at her in askance. “You want to be a Guidance Counselor - you have the credentials for it now, and I’ve got an opening.”
Jim chuckled and took another bite of his sandwich, then caught Nyota’s eyes as she looked at him steadily, and saw that she wasn’t kidding. He swallowed what was in his mouth. “Wait, you’re serious? Be a Guidance Counselor here? You know the degree isn’t exactly official yet, right?”
Nyota nodded. “It’s as good as. And why not? You could finish your contracted time with us that way. I’m sure the Board won’t mind the switch, especially if I can find someone to take your place in the classroom.”
“Which shouldn’t be too hard to do,” Jim said.
Nyota nodded - that was true. She didn’t think she’d be able to find someone quite like Jim, of course, but to find a kindergarten teacher for a school like this…Jim was right. It wouldn’t be too difficult.
“Have you talked to the Board about my situation yet?” Jim asked after another moment of silence.
“Not yet. I had already brought them my concerns about Elizabeth before you let me know what was going on with you, and I wanted to deal with that situation first. I have another meeting with them tomorrow. Should I let them know that you’re leaving?”
Jim had picked up his napkin and was now tearing it into shreds. He kept his eyes on what he was doing, but he wasn’t actually seeing it. Should Nyota tell the board he was leaving….that was a good question. He could stay here, with the people who’d become his extended family. He could expand his role here…finish the year out in his classroom with his kids, and do double duty as an interim Guidance Counselor. Help Nyota find a new teacher for the next year, and then slide fully into the new role. That was an…interesting possibility. On the other hand, working for the county would offer him more opportunities for professional development and putting his shiny new degree to use. He needed more time to think about it.
“Can you hold off on telling the Board anything for a couple of days?” Jim asked.
“Sure,” Nyota said lightly, and Jim could hear the optimism in her tone.
“I’m not saying anything one way or the other, Nyota,” Jim warned. “I just…need to think about it.” And I need to talk to Bones.
“Understood,” she replied. “I won’t get my hopes up.”
“Okay.”
“Much.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leonard pulled up to the apartment and parked in a spot, noting that Jim’s car was already there. He wasn’t surprised. It was only a little after three - earlier in the afternoon than Jim usually got home with Joanna, and it was much earlier than Leonard typically made it home on a regular work day. But today was Jim’s first day back at work since his surgery, and Leonard was worried that he’d be more wiped out than he anticipated.
They’d gone for a follow-up appointment, just to make sure that everything was healing properly, last Friday, and Jim had gotten a complete clean bill of health. The small incisions were hardly more than scabbed over scratches at this point, and there was no tenderness, no swelling, no redness - nothing to indicate the presence of an infection or some other problem. An ultrasound showed that the only things inside him were supposed to be there, and Jim had no complaints - aside from boredom. He felt ready to get back to work.
However, surgery was surgery, and Leonard knew part of the reason Jim felt so normal was because he’d been taking it easy. Something that Jim, in all his impatient exuberance, couldn’t seem to fully grasp. Not a surprise, considering he had almost no experience with the concept of “recovering” from something like this in a normal fashion.
So, he’d made a point to arrange his day to get everything done he had to actually be in the hospital for early, and planned to work at home for a bit. He pulled his briefcase and laptop bag out of the car, then detoured to the mailbox kiosk to grab the mail. He flipped through the junk mail and then the envelopes of real mail…and stopped in his tracks. There was a letter addressed to Jim from the UCSF School of Psychiatry and Psychology, Postgraduate Division. Jim had done the defense of his dissertation about a month and half ago - this was probably the official notice about his degree.
Excitement surged through him for Jim, and he quickly walked to the apartment, letting himself in the front door. Dropping his things on the couch, and all of the mail except the letter for Jim, he paused to listen. It was quiet in the apartment, and he wondered if they weren’t home after all. As he headed back to the bedrooms, he could hear the TV on in his bedroom through the wide open door.
Joanna and Jim were resting against the headboard, watching one of the cartoon shows she liked. Jim was propped on a couple of pillows, legs crossed at the ankles. He’d changed into sweats and a t-shirt and looked pretty good, if a little tired. Joanna had only pulled off her shoes and socks, letting them fall on the floor by the side of the bed, and she was leaning comfortably against Jim’s left side, his arm around her.
“Hey guys,” Leonard said. “How’re you doing?”
“Daddy!” Joanna exclaimed, sitting up. “You’re home!”
Jim looked over at him and smiled. “Hey Bones. You’re home early.”
“Just wanted to make sure my two favorite people were doing okay. Whoa…whoa…be careful of Jim, Baby,” Leonard said, reaching over Jim’s body to lift Jo up as she started to climb over Jim to get to him.
“I’m fine Bones,” Jim said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Leonard had been treating him like he was going to break for the past week. At first, he’d been pretty sore, and he hadn’t minded, but that only lasted a day or two. Now he was fine…a little tired, but fine.
Bones looked at him with that expression of fond exasperation as he settled Joanna on his hip.
“I know you’re fine. I just want to make sure that doesn’t change. How was your day today?”
“Good!” Joanna said. “We have to write a book report.”
“You do, huh? Which book did you choose?” Leonard asked, sitting down on the side of the bed. He handed Jim the envelope he’d been holding, watching his expression as he talked to Joanna.
“I haven’t decided yet,” she said. “Miss Chapel gave us a list. Can we look at it tonight?”
“Sure thing, Baby. Why don’t you go change out of your school clothes,” Leonard said, setting her down on the floor as he changed his mind about working anymore today. “And maybe we’ll go to the park for a little while before dinner, okay?”
“Okay!” she said, heading out of the room. When she’d gone Leonard turned back to Jim.
“And how was your day?” Leonard asked, leaning in to kiss him. “How’re you feeling?”
“Just a little more tired than usual. Otherwise, it was a good day.”
“Yeah? Things weren’t too crazy after being out for a week?”
“Nope. Norma did a great job. Everything was in order, as if I’d been there myself.”
“That’s good, I’m glad to hear it.” He raised his eyebrows and looked down at the letter in his hands. “Could be it’s about to get a lot better,” he said pointedly.
Jim felt a pang of guilt for not telling Bones earlier that he’d already unofficially heard that he was being granted the degree. There’d just been so much stuff going on…and really there wasn’t much to tell until there was something to tell for sure. This letter…this was the ‘for sure’.
Taking a breath, Jim tore open the envelope. Leonard watched as he read the first few lines…and broke into a huge smile as Jim’s eyes widened. He might’ve already heard unofficially - but now…now it was for real. He did it.
James T. Kirk, Ph.D. in Psychology with a focus on Educational Development
Jim let out the breath he’d been holding in a whoosh, and the next thing he knew he was being thoroughly kissed again, Bones’ hands framing his face. Still holding the letter in his hand, he wrapped his arms around Bones and pulled him closer to him. Jim sat up, and Bones moved back to accommodate him. They parted and Bones hugged him, being careful not to squeeze too hard, one hand coming up to his head.
“I’m so, so proud of you,” he said.
Over his shoulder, Jim closed his eyes, those words hitting him harder and meaning more than he’d ever thought they would.
“I’m ready!” Joanna said, skipping back into the room. “Can we go now?”
Chuckling, Jim and Leonard let go and turned to look at the little girl. “Go on into the kitchen and get yourself a juicebox to take with us out of the fridge. I just have to change, and then I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
“’Kay,” she turned and headed to complete that errand and Leonard turned back to Jim, studying his eyes closely.
“Do you feel up to coming with us?” he asked. Jim hesitated, and that hesitation was answer enough. “Okay…why don’t you stay here and take a nap, and then we’ll all go out to dinner to celebrate. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect. Where are we going to go?”
“Wherever you want.” Leonard leaned forward to kiss Jim again.
“I’ve got something I want to talk to you about, too, later on,” Jim said.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s good. Just…Nyota and I talked during lunch today, and I just want to hear what you think.”
Leonard nodded, wondering what it could be. “Okay, we’ll talk about it tonight,” he said.
“Maybe steak,” Jim said thoughtfully, throwing Leonard off for a second at the quick change in subjects.
Leonard rolled his eyes and stood. “Wherever you want,” he said again with a smile. He stood and headed to the dresser to pick out something more appropriate for an afternoon at the park. He changed quickly and used the restroom, then came back into the bedroom to see Jim still sitting up, staring mindlessly at the television set. “Why don’t you go ahead and lay down,” he said, picking up a throw blanket that had been brought in from the family room.
Jim smiled, but moved to comply. “You gonna tuck me in Bones?”
“Yup.” He waited until Jim had made himself comfortable, then draped the blanket over him. Jim sighed in contentment and closed his eyes, his body feeling more tired than he’d been willing to admit to himself. He hummed when he felt Bones place a hand on his head and let it trail to his shoulder, squeezing him gently. Leonard picked up the remote control and turned off the TV. “We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Okay,” Jim murmured. Leonard paused at the door to turn off the lights, looking over at Jim for another moment before pulling the door closed slightly and heading down the hall to collect Jo and head to the park to let her burn off some energy for a while.
“Jo, you all set?” Leonard asked, coming into the kitchen.
“Yes! I got pink lemonade for me and I got water for you and Uncle Jim,” she said, holding up one of the reusable grocery bags.
“Uncle Jim’s going to take a rest while we’re at the park, Darlin’, and then we’re all going to go out to dinner.” Leonard started moving Joanna towards the door as they talked, taking the bag of drinks from her.
“Where are we gonna go?”
“I think we’ll let Jim decide that. We’re celebrating his new degree.”
“What’s that mean?”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By the time Leonard and Joanna got back from the park, Jim was up, looking and feeling much better, and was ready to go. Leonard took a quick shower while Jim helped Joanna clean up, shaking sand out of her shoes, using a washcloth to wipe her down, and carefully drawing a comb through her hair.
“Can you do a braid?” Joanna asked.
“Yup, I can. I had to learn for Kimmie and Janie, so Aurelan taught me. You want one?” Jim asked.
“Yes, please. I have an elastic,” Joanna said, settling more fully in front of him. Jim spent a few minutes parting her hair and twisting the sections together. When finished, he smiled a little at his handiwork. He was out of practice, and it was slightly crooked, but it didn’t look too bad. He’d just have to practice and learn how to do that again.
Following Jim’s earlier suggestion, they did visit a steakhouse for dinner, though one that catered more to families so that Joanna wouldn’t be out of place. She generally wasn’t a particularly boisterous child, but Leonard was sensitive to the idea that a quiet restaurant wasn’t necessarily the place for a six-year-old.
“Since this is a special occasion, because of his new degree, can Uncle Jim get dessert?” Joanna asked at the end of the meal.
Jim broke into a huge smile at that, knowing inherent in the question on his behalf was a slightly more selfish motivation. “Yeah, can I, Bones?” Jim echoed, mirroring Joanna’s hopeful expression.
Leonard rolled his eyes at them, and played along. “Since this is a special occasion, Jim can get dessert,” he said, exchanging a teasing glance with Jim.
“Just Uncle Jim?” Joanna asked hesitantly. Jim chuckled at her and ruffled her hair. “Hey! You’re gonna mess it up!”
“I think, because it’s a special occasion, we can get something big enough for all of us to share,” Jim said. “How does that sound?”
“Good!” Joanna exclaimed. They spent a couple of minutes deciding which dessert to share, and finally settled on a brownie/vanilla ice cream concoction that satisfied everyone. While they ate, they talked about Joanna’s book report, and they looked over the list that had been provided to her. Most of the books listed were bordering on simplistic for her, but Christine Chapel had provided another, smaller list of books that would be more challenging, and definitely more suitable to her reading level, though she wasn’t going to require that Joanna choose a book off the supplemental list.
In the end, the decided a trip to the library was necessary and Jim promised to take her after school on Wednesday.
“Why not tomorrow?” Leonard asked.
“Tomorrow’s Tuesday,” Jim said. “And what do we do on Tuesday?”
“Volunteer!” Joanna said. “I think it’s good we’re going cause I didn’t go last week cause you weren’t feeling good yet.”
Leonard met Jim’s eyes over the table. “You sure you’re feeling up to doing that tomorrow?” he asked quietly. “I have to teach, and won’t be home until later, and you were pretty tired today.”
Jim shrugged. “I should be fine. I don’t do much but watch Joanna do her thing, right Jo?”
“Right. I help the teachers with the little kids Daddy. We read, and do puzzles and play games and sometimes play on the playground. Sometimes Uncle Jim helps with the puzzles.”
“Okay, just…don’t push yourself too much,” Leonard said, automatically reaching for Jim’s hand across the table. Jim smiled and squeezed back.
“I promise.”
Back at home, they went through their nightly routine with Jo, and by eight she was settled in bed. Jim and Leonard changed into pajamas, with Leonard choosing a sweatshirt and pants. He checked the thermostat, feeling a little chilly, and adjusted the heat a bit. He knew Jim had a higher tolerance for cold than he did, and that he didn’t like to be too warm, but it was dipping down into the low 50’s tonight, quite a bit colder than Leonard or Joanna were used to.
“Jim, would you pull another blanket out of the closet and put it over Jo?” Leonard asked. “I’m going to make some tea. Hot chocolate for you?”
“Uh, you know, I think I’m chocolated out after that brownie. What kind of tea do we have?” he asked, getting the blanket that Leonard requested down. Knowing that Jim was not really a tea drinker, Leonard said he’d make him something he would like, and Jim went to cover Jo.
Now, they were settled in their bedroom, Leonard against the headboard, Jim sitting crosslegged, resting against the footboard. There was a single lamp providing soft light in the room and the chill Leonard had been feeling earlier was mostly gone, the hot tea warming him from the inside. Jim took a small sip from the mug Leonard handed to him and looked up in surprise.
“This isn’t too bad,” he said. Leonard smiled behind his mug. He’d made Jim a cinammon black tea, dosed liberally with milk and sugar. The result was something that he’d been sure Jim wouldn’t mind the taste of, though it wasn’t anything Leonard himself would ever drink.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” he asked. “You looked like it was important.”
Jim took another sip of the milky tea, then lowered the mug to his lap, cradling it in his hands, his eyes focused somewhere on the bed in front of him.
“Nyota talked to me during lunch today…Dehner is fired.”
Leonard’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Really? Good. Someone like that is nothing but trouble. Her attitudes don’t belong in a place with developing brains.”
Jim smirked and nodded. “Yeah. Well, now there’s a Guidance Counselor position open and…Nyota offered it to me.”
Studying Jim’s pensive expression, Leonard considered that information for a moment. He knew that as excited Jim was at the prospect of starting his new job as the Guidance Counselor with the county, he still had more than a few reservations about leaving the place and people that had become like a second home to him. Not to mention the fact that Leonard knew the idea of leaving his kids in the middle of the school year was especially troubling to him.
“So what do you think about that?” Leonard asked, keeping his voice and expression carefully neutral.
“I - guess I think it’s worth thinking about. I mean - I could finish this year in the classroom and just add interim duty as GC, and then take over completely next year.” Jim looked up at Leonard. “I could stay at McKinley that way Bones…finish out the contract I had with the Board, and still be getting the years in my field instead of as a kindergarten teacher. And…then I could find something else - or, maybe there will be another opportunity.”
Leonard nodded. “Maybe there would be,” he agreed. “And this could be a good way to get some experience under your belt. But - and I don’t know the school system all that well - it seems to me the job you’ve been offered is a rare opportunity. I mean, how many specialized Guidance Counselor positions does the county have?”
“Not many,” Jim acknowledged. “You’re right about that…it is a rare opportunity.”
“And…it’s pretty telling to me that they wanted you right off the bat, Jim. Obviously,” he continued, when Jim looked up at him questioningly. “Some big decision-makers think you already have enough experience, and have something you can bring to this position that the county needs.”
Jim smiled a little at that, his eyes going back to the comforter in front of him. “Thanks.”
“No reason to thank me - it’s not just an empty compliment. My point is, I don’t think this is the kind of job they’d offer to just anyone.”
“So you think I should take the county job and leave in the middle of the year,” Jim said.
“Well…I think the county job may be worth more professionally in the long run. What bothers you the most about leaving McKinley in the middle of the year?”
“Leaving the kids,” Jim said automatically, looking up at him, his blue eyes earnest. “I mean, I know they would be fine - Nyota will be able to find someone else probably better at teaching kindergarten than me. It was never something I thought I’d be doing anyway. But…I feel responsible for them, you know? They’re mine for now, and I promised them a great year. And what will they think if I have to tell them I’m leaving to do something else?”
Leonard nodded, thinking about how dedicated Jim was to his students, how much it meant to him personally to give them a good introduction to their formal schooling years, how sensitive he was to their perception of him.
“Maybe you should let…who is it that offered you the job?”
“Head of the Office for Student Guidance and Educational Psychology, Liam McInnis.”
“Maybe you should let Liam McInnis know how much leaving in the middle of the year bothers you. I mean, they wanted you for the same reasons you don’t want to leave the kids. If he has any sense, he’ll recognize the benefit of letting you finish the year out, and start with them fresh.”
Jim considered that for a minute, then shook his head. “He’s not going to hold this job for me, Bones. There are plenty of more qualified people who would take the job tomorrow.”
Leonard sighed and rolled his eyes. He wasn’t getting it. “Jim - out of all the people who have various levels of qualification and experience in the whole Unified County of San Francisco School District, Liam offered this job to you. He wants you - the person who developed a curriculum program for gifted children, who ran workshops focusing on learning styles and disabilities, who did a full-fledged psychology Ph.D. instead of a Masters in psych with an education Ph.D. He wants you, for all of these reasons, and more that I’m sure I don’t even know about. So…use that, Jim. Ask…sincerely…and see what he says. If he says no, then you have a decision to make. If he says he can make that work…then things get a lot easier.”
Jim had been listening intently, and he stared at Leonard for a moment after he’d finished. He’d never thought of it that way. He never really thought he was anything all that special. But looking at the situation way Bones saw it - it was like finally seeing the picture hidden within a larger mosaic of colorful shapes.
Holding his cup of tea in one hand, Jim shifted his position, leaning forward and moving towards Bones on the bed. When he was close enough, he put his mug on the bedside table, and then took Bones’ mug from him and set it on the table as well. Bones raised an eyebrow as Jim leaned over his body, his hands braced on either side of Bones’ hips, a little smile on his face.
“Thank you,” Jim said, inches from Bones’ lips.
“For what?”
“For seeing me. You always see me.”
Jim leaned forward and kissed Bones softly, pressing with his tongue and moaning when Bones opened for him. He sighed at the feel of Bones settling his hands at his hips, and lowered his body to make contact with him.
“Uh,… Bones,” Jim whispered against his mouth. Bones shifted under him, making Jim close his eyes at the sensation.
“You’re still healing,” Leonard whispered, feeling the intent in Jim’s body as he reacted to the gentle pressure.
“It’s been more than a week. I’m healed already,” Jim said, a little impatience slipping into his tone. Jim smiled teasingly, settling himself more fully on Bones, feeling his reaction and seeing it in the heat of his eyes. “C’mon Bones…since this is a special occasion…”
Leonard rolled his eyes and chuckled. “I don’t want you to strain yourself,” he said.
“I won’t…I’m fine,” Jim said. Leonard shook his head and grasped Jim’s arms, gently urging Jim over to the side. They shifted so that Leonard was kneeling and Jim was lying on his back.
“I want you to just lie back…and don’t strain yourself,” Leonard said, his voice low as he looked into Jim’s eyes with a boldness that was becoming more and more familiar to him, and an undeniable heat that made Jim’s breath catch. He swallowed and nodded, settling back on the pillow as Leonard shifted so that he was kneeling over him, straddling his hips. Jim’s lips curled into a little smile, his hands sliding up Bones’ strong legs, squeezing the muscled thighs.
Bones slid his hands up under Jim’s shirt, skimming over sensitive skin, his thumbs rubbing over Jim’s nipples. Jim raised his arms as Bones eased the shirt up and over his head and dropped it to the side. He leaned forward, reaching for the bedside table drawer and the bottle of lube inside. He smiled as Jim groaned and arched under him, trying for more contact.
“A little excited there, Jim?” Leonard asked.
“A week, Bones,” Jim said, the beginnings of desperation in his voice.
“Oh, trust me, Darlin’, I know.”
Jim let out a little huff of laughter, his eyes twinkling. “Take off your sweatshirt, Bones,” he said, tugging at the edge of the material. “I’ll keep you warm.”
Leonard smiled slightly and did as he was asked, kneeling up over him. Jim sat up enough to slide his hands up Bones’ stomach and chest, and over those sturdy shoulders. He spared a moment to appreciate what he had with Bones now…that they were so comfortable together, that Bones was comfortable enough with him to be so free with his body, and that he got to see Bones this way. He did, and no one else.
Holding Jim’s gaze with only a touch of the old self-consciousness in his eyes, Leonard leaned forward, easing Jim back down and kissing Jim thoroughly, and then moved down his body. Jim gasped as Bones tongued and kissed his neck, clenched his hands around Bones’ arms when he moved down his chest, lips and tongue playing over one nipple as his fingers gently rubbed and squeezed the other.
Jim groaned again, panting as his body shivered. Bones looked up at him, a wicked look in his eyes as he switched sides. Each touch of Bones’ fingers and tongue sent a line of heat straight to Jim’s cock, and he twitched against the cotton of his pants. Bones finally, finally moved further down, pressing kisses over Jim’s torso, his fingers ghosting over Jim’s right side. The small incisions were nearly completely healed. Martine and her team did good work.
“Bones, man…c’mon,” Jim said, shifting restlessly. “I thought you said you didn’t want me to strain myself.”
Leonard hummed, and then slipped his hands into Jim’s waistband, but didn’t pull them all the way down yet. Instead, he spent a couple of moments placing sucking kisses on Jim’s lower belly, making the muscles jump with ticklishness as Jim gasped and squirmed, his breath coming faster and he had to bite his lip to keep from giggling. His hands settled on Bones’ head, but he didn’t push him away, though it was a close thing. Despite the ticklish sensation, every kiss and teasing touch on Jim’s lower belly made him throb, and his hips jerked slightly.
Bones finally gave him a break and settled himself to the side of Jim. He hesitated for a moment, watching the rapid rise and fall of Jim’s chest as he caught his breath and took a moment to just take him in and appreciate the beauty of the body in front of him, and even better, the beauty of the person Jim was. Looking down at him, Bones reveled in what they had with each other - this, and everything else. This life they had together now. Sometimes, it still seemed too good to be true.
He rubbed his thumbs in circles over Jim’s hips, then pushed the sweats down. Jim lifted his hips to help him, and then eagerly took matters into his own hands, pushing them the rest of the way down his legs and kicking them off. Bones took the opportunity to sit back and squeeze some of the lube into his hand. Jim hissed, his hips thrusting uncontrollably a couple of times when Bones closed his hand around his erection, after being aroused for so long, the contact was almost overwhelming. Jim’s breath rushed in and out of him as he dropped his head back down on the pillow, squeezing his eyes closed as he clutched at Bones’ shoulders.
Leonard watched as a becoming flush of arousal worked its way up Jim’s chest to his neck and face. Gradually, the tense muscles of his arms and stomach relaxed as Leonard just held him, not moving his hand over the sensitive flesh at all. He watched as the almost-pained expression on Jim’s face slowly smoothed out. Leonard gave him a couple of gentle strokes, his hand loosely enclosing Jim’s cock, barely giving him any pressure at all.
“Oh, god…Bones…” Jim’s hips moved as if to thrust into his grip, and Leonard responded by slightly tightening his hand and stilling his movements.
“You let me do the work, Jim,” Leonard said.
“Well then do something Bones!” Jim panted. Leonard smiled and kissed him deeply, leaning over the length of his body. He gave him a slow, tantalizingly firm stroke and caught Jim’s moan in his mouth. He did it again, and again…and Jim arched under him, squeezing his eyes closed against the onslaught of sensation as Leonard fell into a excruciatingly slow rhythm. Kissing, breathing each other’s air, Leonard stroked Jim base to tip and back down again and Jim moaned and clutched at Leonard, pressing up as much as he could as his hips rolled with Bones’ movements.
As he stroked Jim, Leonard rubbed against his leg, the friction of the fabric of his sweatpants against sensitive skin as he moved teasing him and making his heart race. Gasping together, kissing, their chests and limbs slick with sweat, Leonard was relentless in the pace he set, and Jim grunted with each stroke, a heat and pressure coiling deep inside of him. Jim broke a kiss needing to breathe, each shaky breath carrying a plea for more.
“Bones…uh…so good,” Jim shuddered hard as Leonard dragged a thumb over his cockhead. “Ooh, please, Bones.” Clutching at whatever he could reach, Jim felt like he was going to fly apart in a million pieces. Dimly, he registered that Bones was thrusting against him, and he worked a hand down between their bodies, working the waistband of Bones’ sweatpants down around his hips.
Leonard gasped against Jim’s neck at the feeling of Jim’s hand closing around him. Gathering enough brain cells to focus, Jim let his hand slide up and down Bones’ cock, slick with precum. Bones’ hips jerked and he thrust into Jim’s grip.
They stroked each other, struggling towards release and relief from the hot tension pulling taut within them. Moaning, their lips meeting again and again in between uncontrollable cries, they worked each other to the edge. Feeling that Jim was close, his body trembling and arching, Leonard changed sped up slightly, and moments later, Jim’s whole body clenched, hanging for measureless seconds in that space in between, until Leonard stroked up, and let the palm of his hand rub over Jim’s cockhead. And then with a soundless cry, Jim’s body was jerking spasmodically under Leonard as he spurted messily between them. Leonard murmured to him quietly as he rode it out, stroking him through it, following the movement of his hips and feeling the way his muscles shook with the force of his orgasm.
Gasping, spent, Jim slowly came back to himself, and realized that Bones hadn’t come yet. Letting himself rest for a moment, he felt that Bones was moving against him, thrusting into his loosened grip. With an effort, Jim raised his arm around Bones’ shoulders and held him close, feeling his hot breath hit his neck with every explosive exhale. Jim tightened his grip, and started moving his hand again, in counterpoint to the movement of Bones’ hips, but the angle wasn’t great, and after a minute or so, Jim gently pushed at his shoulders, urging him to change position.
They shifted, and Bones ended up on his back with Jim sitting beside him. He dropped kisses all over Bones’ face - his eyelids, his cheeks, his mouth - while pulling the sweatpants down further until they were kicked off and discarded somewhere over the side of the bed. Hard and straining, Bones’ cock curved up and rested on his belly. Jim grasped it at the base, leaned down, and dragged his tongue up and down the underside, stopping to pay particular attention to the sensitive head with his tongue, sweeping around the crown and over the slit to collect the drops of moisture that gathered there, making Bones groan and his hips jerk. Jim lay a forearm across his belly to keep him from moving too much, and took Bones in his mouth again.
Leonard gripped a handful of the blankets and held on, channeling his desire to start thrusting into Jim’s mouth into that desperate grip. His body broke out in goosebumps and he shivered when Jim sucked gently at the head, and he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. He’d spent so much time on the edge already… Gasping, he reached down and threaded his fingers through Jim’s hair, then gently gripped him as Jim worked to bring him to orgasm.
Jim could feel Bones’ thighs shaking with the urge to move, and he sucked at the head, wrapping one had around the shaft and stroking - and that did it.
“J-Jim!” Bones cried out. His hips stuttered as he started to come, trying to stop himself from thrusting and not being entirely successful. He stifled a cry as much as he could, clenching his teeth, eyes squeezed shut as wave after wave crashed over him. Jim kept his mouth on him until the hot, slick slide of his tongue got to be too much on over-sensitized skin, then Leonard pulled the hair in his grip gently, shaking too hard to get an intelligible word out.
Jim understood, though, and finally released him with one more kiss that made him jerk again. Jim crawled up his body and collapsed down next to him, his head on Bones’ chest, listening to his heart racing in concert with the breath rushing over his head.
As his breathing slowed, Jim raised his head and met Bones’ lips. They kissed softly, with none of the urgency, but all of the passion, of before. Jim smiled, meeting Bones’ hazel eyes that held so much, and brushed sweaty bangs back, his hand moving to cup Bones’ face, a thumb rubbing over his cheekbone. Jim kissed him again, sighing contentedly as Bones wrapped an arm around him, holding him close.
They drifted, warm in each other’s embrace, languid and boneless, until Jim stirred. He wanted them to be comfortable, and if they fell asleep like they were, they wouldn’t be.
Understanding Jim’s intent, Bones sat up with him, and with no need to interrupt the quiet that enveloped them now, they took a couple of minutes to clean up a little, stripping a sheet that was too messy to keep and rearranging the blankets, and finally turning off the single light in the room.
Settling back down together, Leonard drew the blanket up over their naked bodies. Lying in the darkness in their customary position, Leonard smiled when he felt Jim entwine their fingers and hold their joined hands against his chest. Moving a leg over Jim’s, Leonard pressed close to him.
Their breathing slowed and matched, the sound and rightness of it comforting and familiar, lulling them into a deep, restful sleep.