[NVC Day 14, Early Morning] -- [And So the Sun Rises] -- [Open to All]

[kirktastic]

After a long night at the theater, meeting Spock and his brother, and everything afterwards, it had been difficult to sleep. Along with the tickets, Jim had received a message about the trial's start the next morning. He had refused to let it bother him all night, just wanting to enjoy some time with Bones despite everything they had been forced to

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[kirktastic]

After the conversation with George, mood lower than he had hoped and a twitching pain flaring up in his left hand, Jim went back to the room he was sharing with Bones. He closed the deck doors to keep in the cool air from the environmental controls and walked over to the bed.

He sat down on the edge of it, smiling just a little as he watched Bones sleep. Finally he reached out, sliding his fingers through Bones' hair. Maybe he wouldn't wake Bones, just let him get some sleep.

[dctr_mccoy]

Bones wasn't fully asleep, just lingering at the edge of dreams. He was just now starting to get back to a feeling of something normal, sleeping deeply for the third night in a row, curled up next to Jim.

But Jim was sitting up, too far away, so Bones reached out with his arms and pulled him down on top of him, burying his face in Jim's neck. He smelled like sunshine. "Hmmm," he murmured.

[kirktastic]

Unexpected.

Jim was in a less than comfortable position like this, awkwardly half off the bed and half in Bones' arms who was nuzzling into him like a puppy. He sighed, working on righting himself so he could urge Bones back to sleep and escape his arms at the same time so he could be on time for the trial.

He gently nudged one of Bones' arms lower then kissed his forehead, leaning the bridge of his nose there for a moment as he enjoyed the feeling of being close. Weird, almost impossible, to think there had been a time they were almost afraid to touch each other.

[dctr_mccoy]

Bones wasn't letting go too fast. Jim felt so good, strong and substantial and tender. But he could also feel that Jim wasn't relaxing, not coming back to bed. He could feel the energy thrumming in him - Jim was never one to just sit still, the opposite of his lazy Bones, content to waste the day here in bed.

Especially today. It wasn't going to be easy to listen to, this fucking trial, and it would be a hundred times worse for Jim. A deep sigh and Bones opened his eyes, looking up at Jim. "What time does it start?"

[kirktastic]

Well, that was jumping right to the point. "...bout an hour and a half. Gonna take a shower and head down there." He wasn't sure if he could eat right now, but maybe he'd force down something. He gave a weak little smile down at Bones, shifting his hip up so he could half sit up and lean on his elbow.

[dctr_mccoy]

"...'kay," Bones nodded, reaching over and touching Jim's face. The scars were fading nicely, some of them disappearing into the natural laugh lines in his face, but Bones would always remember them, remember how Jim had been marked.

He sat up a bit, propped on pillows, and scrubbed his face, rubbing his eyes with one hand. "You wearing your uniform?"

[kirktastic]

Jim leaned into the touch on his face for just a moment. The scars were only a faint pink now, slowly turning to white with age, but the marks would always stay in his skin. Just too much damage, far too much damage to even the deepest layers of skin, to save him from a lifetime of the memory where the tattoos had been. A story of grief that could never die, a way that Nero had won.

"And deal with the media circus outside? No. Just going to look like a civilian and slip in the back."

[dctr_mccoy]

"Good idea." Bones took one more deep breath and sat up fully, the sheets falling to his hips. Swinging his legs off the bed, he sat there a moment, finding his balance.

"What you been up to this morning?" he asked, standing up naked, stretching before heading to the replicator, getting himself a cup of strong black coffee.

[kirktastic]

Jim appreciated the view, taking full advantage of it.

"Went and took a walk." He leaned back on the bed, scratching his chest. "Saw a few people, ended up talking with them for a while." He forced himself up, stretching. He definitely wanted a shower before he went... and the coffee did smell good.

[dctr_mccoy]

He looked back at Jim over the rim of his coffee mug. "Awfully early to be having meetin's, you know that," he teased. Bones walked toward the closet and began pulling out some clothes - a pair of khaki pants, a white shirt, no insignia or emblems. Tossing them down on the bed, he headed next to the dresser, pulling out some clean boxers and socks, all of this one-handed, while he held his coffee mug.

"You talk 'bout anything interesting?"

[kirktastic]

Jim frowned slightly, wondering what Bones was doing. "Did you get called in for a shift at the hospital?"

"Um... Scotty just got down from the Enterprise for the first time, Pasha's evidently being hounded by a jealous Sulu, and George... is being George." His mouth twisted.

[dctr_mccoy]

"Mr Scott doesn't know the meaning of the word vacation," Bones snorted. "Pasha and Sulu... well, that doesn't much surprise him, but hell, nothing on the ship surprises me anymore." He let the George comment lay for a moment, until they had more time. Maybe over the breakfast Bones would have to insist Jim pick at.

"Hospital? No, don't think so," he said, finishing his coffee and getting a second cup. "Told them I wasn't gonna be there while the trial was going on. Just gonna page me if there are any emergencies, or anyone from the Enterprise is brought in."

[kirktastic]

"That's because being with the ship probably is Scotty's concept of a vacation."

But the latter part of Bones' statements had Jim scowling. "...you're not going, Bones. You don't have to be there."

[dctr_mccoy]

Bones returned the look. Of course Jim would think that. "The hell I'm not going. You want the shower to yourself or you wanna share it with me?"

[kirktastic]

"You're not going to go through this because you damn well don't have to." Jim shook his head, and his voice turned more gentle. "Stay here, relax... at least one of us should be able to do that."

[dctr_mccoy]

It was too early to debate this, and Bones didn't feel like fighting anyway. Instead he put his mug on the table, strode over to where Jim was standing, and pulled him into a kiss, both his hands on the side of Jim's face.

He drew back, still cradling Jim's face. "You're not doing this alone," he told him earnestly, their faces close together, "so shut up, and go get in the shower."