Bones maintained that to cut up the fish and/or destroy it in any way was a crime against all that they held sacred. "Might even be in the Prime Directive," he joked, leaning back against the fire.
Hard as it was to believe, the lake and mountains looked even better in the twilight than it had during the day, when Bones had spent hours luring his monster of a fish onto his pole. Weather was perfect, twinkling stars peeking out above them, and Jim, poking at the fire, looking more relaxed than Bones had seen him since...
"What the hell are we honestly doing with a fish that big otherwise? It could feed a small country. Besides, it is not going in our bedroom. It'll stare at me when I sleep." Jim looked over suspiciously at it. Those eyes staring at him all the time would give him nightmares. "Maybe it could be in one of the lounges? With a plaque?"
Bones didn't want to listen. Jim was right, but still.
It was a great fish. But in a couple days it was going to get stinky. "Shit," he muttered, looking back over at him. "Guess we could eat him," he said mournfully.
Jim thought about it, then offered up, "we could make an exception to our 'no contact' rule and call up to the ship. They could beam it on board and stash it somewhere." It would be such a bullshit reason to contact the ship, but by the grin playing over Jim's lips he was seriously considering it.
Bones' lips curled up in the corners, a little smile that got wider. He leaned over, reaching across the space between them to find Jim's mouth and press his own against it. "You're the best, you know that?" he said, kissing him once more before pulling back and looking at his fish.
"Like hell you are!" Jim sputtered, getting up and digging out his communicator from his pack. He flipped it open, and spent about 10 minutes explaining what he wanted to the ensign who was laughing his ass off on the other end of the comm.
"Just do it!" Jim finally groaned, face palming.
"Yes, sir." Sporfle.
Jim looked to the fish and then to Bones. "I am never going to live this down."
But the ensign on the other end seemed to understand his job. Bones looked up and saw Tiberius dematerialize and then vanish into nothing. "Goodbye," he called out with a laugh, then lay back down and looked up.
"Which one is the ship?" he asked. He remembered asking last year, on the warm purple beach.
Jim went back to his seat and sat back, looking up at the sky in search of the right one. It took a few moments, studying, before he pointed. "There." Knowing that would be about as helpful as anything, he moved, stood behind Bones, and pointed again so Bones could use it like a cross hair.
Turning around, he wrapped his arms around Jim. "I'm glad we made it here." Even though they'd been on vacation for a couple weeks, a lot had happened for both of them.
His head turned, looking over at the bag of food they'd brought with them. "Hungry?" Lots of leftovers from their barbecue dinner yesterday afternoon with the guys.
It didn't take much to get the packets of food warmed, stuck up on a little wire grate. A long way from the first year when they nearly starved. Now they had so much.
It was the story of their relationship. His arms circling Jim's waist, he nuzzled at Jim's temple. "Five years. Can you believe that? Five years since you talked me into this." Never regretted one moment, not one, in all the time together.
Jim thought back, grinning slowly as he realized that Bones was right. "Almost can't believe it. Before I met you, I hated Christmas. Just another day alone, or finding someone in a bar... then, one Christmas, I got you." He knew it was cheesy, and meant it to be, but meant the idea behind it even more.
"Yeah, Santa must have been really pissed at you," he rumbled, pulling Jim into a huge hug. One finger on Jim's chin and he tilted his face up for one more lingering kiss.
"Speaking of Santa, you like your present last night?" he asked, laughter in his voice. It had been a gamble, surprising Jim with a guest for the evening, but Jim had seemed to enjoy the experience, at least couple of times if Bones counted right.
"Well, let's just say that it was my turn, after your gift last year," Bones pressed their foreheads together, with a little sigh. The food was warmed, from the smell in the air. A quick kiss to Jim's head. "Dinner time."
He moved over to pick at the packets, pulling them back off the fire. "Got some plates over in that bag over there." Opening one of them, he grinned. Perfect. "You never told me about your hike the other day, with Spock. How did that go?"
Jim rounded up plates and silverware, handing each plate over in turn for Bones to fill up. It smelled as good as it had before, and left Jim licking his lips. "Pretty damn well, I think." Jim sat back in his chair, balancing his plate on his lap as he cut into the steak. "It was a breath-taking view from the top, and I told Spock I'd better get a copy of the pictures we took with his camera. Felt good to get out and do something different... and just spend some non-work-related time with him."
Hard as it was to believe, the lake and mountains looked even better in the twilight than it had during the day, when Bones had spent hours luring his monster of a fish onto his pole. Weather was perfect, twinkling stars peeking out above them, and Jim, poking at the fire, looking more relaxed than Bones had seen him since...
- well, since their last camping trip. "You're not chopping him up."
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It was a great fish. But in a couple days it was going to get stinky. "Shit," he muttered, looking back over at him. "Guess we could eat him," he said mournfully.
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"I'm gonna call him 'Tiberius'."
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"Just do it!" Jim finally groaned, face palming.
"Yes, sir." Sporfle.
Jim looked to the fish and then to Bones. "I am never going to live this down."
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"Which one is the ship?" he asked. He remembered asking last year, on the warm purple beach.
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His head turned, looking over at the bag of food they'd brought with them. "Hungry?" Lots of leftovers from their barbecue dinner yesterday afternoon with the guys.
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He kissed the rim of Bones' ear. "It wouldn't be Christmas without this. Without you."
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It was the story of their relationship. His arms circling Jim's waist, he nuzzled at Jim's temple. "Five years. Can you believe that? Five years since you talked me into this." Never regretted one moment, not one, in all the time together.
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"Speaking of Santa, you like your present last night?" he asked, laughter in his voice. It had been a gamble, surprising Jim with a guest for the evening, but Jim had seemed to enjoy the experience, at least couple of times if Bones counted right.
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"Fuck yea," Jim groaned, his eyes closing just remembering. "That was one hell of a surprise. How am I supposed to top that this year?"
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He moved over to pick at the packets, pulling them back off the fire. "Got some plates over in that bag over there." Opening one of them, he grinned. Perfect. "You never told me about your hike the other day, with Spock. How did that go?"
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