Friends with Benefits - Chapter 10
Title: Friends with Benefits
Author:
whatshouldntbe
Fandom: Reboot XI/AU
Universe/Series: Part of the 'What Shouldn't Be' series
Rating: R (NC-17 over all)
Word count: 17000+ for this part, 170000+ so far
Disclaimer: I own Star Trek as much as I own the Sun, which means not at all.
Warnings: always!girl Kirk, angst, action, infidelity, language, rom-com humor, sexual situations, violence, possible amateur world-building
Summary: Jim doesn't end up at Starfleet (until she does).
Chapter 10
Tuesday - August 11th - 6 a.m.
Jim is exhausted, but in a satisfied sort of way. She lies curled up into Bones's side on their California king-sized bed in comfortable silence. She doesn't let herself think about how much she missed this or missed him and his touch and the way he made love to her like he wanted her to be consumed by it because he (himself) is consumed by it. Jim likes the fact that Bones expresses himself boldly and passionately. She hopes their daughter comes out the same way-all heart and no fear. Jim can be brave when it counts, but when it came to anything emotional, well, she was quite gutless.
A hard life of disappointment and pain will do that to you.
"What took you so long?" Jim asks when she's tired of being inside of her own head and she winces when she realizes what she just asked-how it sounded. A shade of pink blossoms in her cheeks when Bones chuckles tiredly like he's so very fucking fond of her-like he loves her little slip-ups. "Shut up," she mutters into his shoulder before she lifts her head to meet his eyes. "I meant-why didn't you call me back or return my texts?"
"Got in the thick of that autopsy. Felt like I was on to somethin' and I figured if I just succumbed to it that I'd get out faster," Bones supposes before tucking her hair behind her ears with a sentimental face that makes her blush deepen. "Turns out that what he used on Dixie was some sort of otherworldly vinegar only found in Cardassian glyphosate herbicide. Now, this one was very specific since it's normally used to target their more aggressive wildflowers. The very same kinds of wildflowers that just so happen to have the same type of RNA strand found in developin' human fetuses. It's not harmful to adults, just unborn babies."
"That's sickening," Jim says with an outraged face. "That he'd do something like that to his daughter. That's mad."
"Yeah, couldn't agree more," Bones says, quite candidly as he runs a hand through his messy hair. "I submitted my findings to the review board assigned to his case, and hopefully it's enough to lock that bastard up for the rest of his days."
Jim makes an incoherent sound of agreement. "Have they started the deliberations?"
"Not sure, but I think they might've right before I shipped out," Bones guesses.
Jim considers following the story through the media, but then she scraps the idea altogether because she is over it and she's trying to move on with her life. She smiles to herself and she bites Bones's shoulder just to watch him flinch and swear before she rolls out of his reach and swaggers to their bathroom, naked as the day she was born. She's all too glad that they have both a stand-in shower and a Jacuzzi bathtub. She goes for the shower this time around and isn't surprised when Bones joins her when she's shampooing her hair for the second time.
They take turns washing each other and just savoring each other's presence.
Jim climbs into a strapless red/white polka dotted dress and some red flip-flops before she brushes her hair into a messy bun with her long bangs falling into her blue eyes.
Bones throws on some dark jeans and one of his plaid shirts (the red one that Jim likes) and some dark boots. He looks every bit of the countryman he is and she has half of a mind to drag him to bed again.
Jim doesn't though. She'll save that for later. For now, she follows him into the kitchen and watches with good humor as he opens their (very empty) two-door fridge with a miffed sound.
Bones slowly turns to her with a raised brow and says, "Really?"
Jim shrugs with a grin. "What? I figured you'd do all that grocery crap. You know better out of all of us what should be in there," she points out and she knows she's won the argument because Bones just rolls his eyes and mutters things that vaguely sound like "you're obnoxious" and "so goddamn lucky I find you adorable" and "you probably fed up on junk food all week". She says, "Can we sit down somewhere to have breakfast though, before we go shopping? I heard it's like the worst idea to shop hungry."
Bones nods as he shuts the desolate fridge and aims his hazel eyes to the other side of the apartment where Joanna and the baby's room rests. "I'mma go get Jo up and dressed, then we can go," he promises.
"Kay-but dress her in something red."
Bones looks unfailingly amused.
"We should, you know, match and stuff."
Bones's lips are twitching.
"I've been reading up on family bonding things and it said-"
Bones is definitely chuckling now.
"Oh fuck you. Whatever. Fine. Do what you want. I don't even care."
"Whatever you want," Bones swears, hazel eyes twinkling. "Color coordination and all." He snickers all the way to Joanna's room.
Jim just sighs in reply as she grabs the TV remote on the island counter before she hops up to sit on the edge and swing her feet lazily. She flips through different stations before she finds a news channel she deems less obnoxious than most. Though, it isn't short on universal propaganda, that's for sure.
Bones returns with a giggling and totally ecstatic Joanna atop his shoulders. He's put her in a pair of Minnie Mouse white and red overall shorts and white tank top with matching flip-flops.
Jim manages to break her concentration long enough to appreciate the way he's smiling up at his daughter as she cradles his face between her small hands. She grins a little to herself before she turns the TV off and slides onto her feet.
Bones leads the way out and he carries Joanna on her shoulders all the way to the car as she rambles away about what she and Jim have been doing without him.
Jim's sliding into the passenger seat of Bones's car when she uncaps a small tube of red lipstick and applies it.
After Bones buckles Joanna in, he climbs in the front seat and starts the car.
Joanna finishes her tales with, "-and we did not go skating, daddy."
Jim snorts and rolls her eyes.
Bones sends her a look. "Jim-"
"I have amazing balance and she didn't hurt herself and neither did I," Jim interrupts before he can really get started. "I could probably teach you how to skate. I taught Joanna and she's amazing. You should really see."
Joanna claps her hands excitedly and agrees.
Bones just grunts and that's as close as a consent as he's ever going to give to something he's not entirely comfortable with.
Jim counts it as a win anyway and she mentally makes a reminder for herself to have several more visits to the skating rink with Bones and Joanna.
They drive to a local restaurant up the way and settle down into a booth beside the windows.
Bones and Jim share a stack of waffles between them with some eggs and some sausage that Jim doesn't really eat and leaves to Bones.
Joanna happily munches away on some smiley-face chocolate chip pancakes as she watches them fuss over a mental grocery list their compiling together.
"Look, all I'm saying is that I refuse to live in an apartment that has no cosmopolitan ice-cream sandwiches," Jim says as she drowns her waffles in the corn syrup that Bones insisted she use and petitioned their waitress for. "That's it, that's all."
"That's it, that's all?" Bones huffs as he shoves another piece of greasy sausage in his mouth.
"Yup," Jim says and licks some syrup off her thumb.
"You're allergic to strawberry," Bones points out. "Joanna's allergic to strawberry too. I don't see the point in it. We can get all vanilla or all chocolate."
"Meh," Jim says with a disgruntled expression before she looks to Joanna who perks up under her attention. "What say you, little duck? Chocolate or vanilla."
"Both, momma!" Joanna exclaims around a mouthful of food.
Jim turns to Bones with a smug look, even though her cheeks are a little pink from Joanna's new little name for her.
Bones snorts in amusement and he grabs a napkin as he attempts to clean the streaks of blueberry syrup off Joanna's cheeks and on her chin.
They eat the rest of their breakfast in companionable silence, and when it's time to leave, Jim pays for it because she can and she likes it when Bones lets her without a word or some kind of macho speech about male obligation. Together they go to Starfleet Daycare and drop off Joanna for the noon classes with a promise to return for her later.
Jim watches the way that Bones introduces himself to Joanna's teacher, Mrs. Juniper Harris, who receives him warmly with an equally slow southern accent. One would almost think they were long lost cousins the way they got on so well. She fiddles with her ring as she waits for him by the door and gives a little wave to Joanna who is huddled in the corner with some of her classmates and some virtual building blocks.
Bones comes finds her when he feels confident about leaving Joanna with Ms. Juniper and he presses a hand between Jim's shoulder blades to steer her into the hall and out of the building to his car. He drives to the local grocery store where they get separate shopping carts because they can't seem to agree on what they put into it.
Jim mostly puts junk food in hers-things she thinks that both she and Joanna will enjoy. Like chips and candy and sweet cakes and cookies and ice cream.
Bones mostly puts healthy food in his-things he knows will be good for all of them. Like organically grown fruits and vegetables, and weird rice and gluten-free products and a whole lot of other things that Jim would never even think to buy.
"You're boring," Jim complains as she stands across from him in the self-checkout area. "I bet it takes like a truck full of salt or sugar to make that stuff taste good."
"I'll manage just fine," Bones scoffs. "With the way I'll make it, you won't even know it's good for you."
"You better," Jim warns playfully and bags up all her items before paying for them. She swings her cart over to his and helps him with his items even though he fusses at her for it. She bumps her hips into his when he drops the last bagged item in his cart and playfully says, "Race you to the car! Loser has dish duty!"
Bones mutters a curse under his breath but he gives into the chase as they dart out of the store like a pair of overgrown kids and into the parking lot to his car.
Jim laughs as she maneuvers her way across the concrete and even shouts at Bones when he goes the wrong way. Of course she makes it to the car first and Bones, being the sore loser he is, swears up and down that she tricked him somehow as he corners her against the passenger side door and presses her into it.
Bones sweeps her up into biting kiss fueled with frustrated affection.
Jim's breathless by the end of it and she feels so lightheaded that she doesn't say anything when he puts away the bags by himself. She buckles in when he climbs into the car and he drives back to the apartment complex. She helps him carry everything in (mostly the light bags because that's all he'd let her grab) and together they put everything away in the cabinets and in the fridge.
Bones grabs an orange from the small fruit basket set in the center of the kitchen island and he starts peeling away at it as he hops up to sit on the edge.
Jim walks over and stands between his legs. She watches (slightly captivated) as his methodical hands tear that tangerine apart. She follows each piece up until it disappears behind his sumptuously full lips.
Bones chews and looks down at her with a raised brow. "You look hungry," he murmurs with barely concealed amusement.
Jim rolls her eyes as she leans up on the tips of her toes and runs her tongue along the seam of his bottom lip. She pulls back with a smirk when he tries to kiss her. "Your lips, Bones-just, God, sometimes I wanna ride your face," she whispers.
Bones flushes a little but there's a certain heat in his hazel eyes. He cups his hand over the back her neck and sinks his tongue in her mouth like he's trying to fuck her open with it.
Jim moans because he tastes sweet like orange citrus. She has half a mind to climb up on the counter after him but she staves off the urge so she can pull back and say, "Let's watch a movie."
Bones feeds her his last two pieces of orange slices before he slides off the counter. "What did you have in mind?"
Jim chews, swallows, and licks her lips before she says, "Lord of the Rings. One of the guys on there looks just like you, it's uncanny I swear."
Bones lifts a brow and snorts. "You talkin' about that actor-Karl Urban? Cause I've heard that a few times before," he admits.
Jim smiles and grabs his hand to guide him to the front room. She shoves him onto the couch and says, "Actually I was talking about Sméagol-but I guess if you squint really hard, then sure, one could say you look like Karl Urban. He's pretty hot."
Bones makes a face and grabs her wrist, yanking her to him until she falls in his lap with a loud laugh. As revenge, he starts digging his fingers into her sides and all the ticklish spots he must know by heart and that's so unfair.
"I'm kidding!" Jim swears and she squeals and tries to curl up. "You're way hotter than he is! Like super mega fucking sexy!"
Bones huffs but he stops tickling her. "Don't you forget it," he warns and grins when she straddles him.
Jim bites his cheek before throwing her arms around his neck and pulling back. "You wanna marathon it though?"
"Let's leave it for the weekend. They're pretty long and I wouldn't want us to forget Joanna just cause we got lost in the world of elves and hobbits," Bones supposes. "We can watch somethin' else in the mean time."
"Okay," Jim sighs as she thinks. "Well, we could start a show together. Something that has a lot of episodes or whatever. Really bond over it." She twists around so that she's sitting in his lap and she grabs the remote and starts browsing through the video library.
It takes them a while to actually agree on something, as it usually does, but they come to the mutual agreement of watching Dexter. It appeals to Bones's inner medical geek while it enticed the rebellious deviant in Jim. And before either of them knows it, it's already time to go pick up Joanna.
Jim tries to encourage Bones to go pick her up by himself but he doesn't trust Jim for a second not to continue watching without him and so he drags her along.
Joanna is excited to see them both (of course) and she presents them both with a candy necklace that she crafted herself out of jellybeans and gummy worms and soft chewy candy.
Jim thanks her a million times for it as she eats it on the walk back to the apartment.
Bones doesn't seem the slightest surprised when Jim commandeers his necklace and eats it as well. He does still accuse her of being greedy in that exasperatedly fond tone of his.
Joanna requests spaghetti for dinner, which Bones obliges because he's a big softie, and he kind of bullies Jim into helping him so she can learn how to make it too.
Joanna watches them with widely amused eyes before she gets bored with it all and wanders off to the living room to commandeer the TV and switch on something she likes.
They sit down at the kitchen table when the food is done and Bones serves everyone.
Joanna rambles on about her day and her favorite people and her favorite activities at the daycare. She gets spaghetti sauce all over herself in the process (but that's to be expected really).
Bones and Jim play 'rock, paper, scissors' over who gets to give her a bath.
Bones wins because of course he wins.
Jim makes a silent vow to figure out his system because this is getting ridiculous. She guides Joanna to her bathroom while Bones stays behind to clean the kitchen. It takes her less than thirty minutes to get Joanna all cleaned and sorted out.
Joanna invites Jim to stay and join her 'Extra Special Weekly Tuesday Tea Party' and Jim is so honored that she graciously accepts. Joanna even bestows a silver bedazzled plastic crown fit for a queen on her while she wears a small tiara herself like the little princess she is.
Bones finds them right when they're in the middle of a debate about whether or not grilled cheese sandwiches taste better topped with skittles or marshmallows. So far, Jim is losing when Bones says, "You two have bizarre tastes."
"That's something only a commoner says," Jim says with a posh drawl, taking her pretend role as a queen quite seriously.
Bones rolls his eyes and crosses his arms as he stands in the doorway. "A commoner? Really? I thought I was the King of the house."
Jim kind of actually likes that idea. But she likes teasing him more. So she sniffs and says, "This is an apartment. Not a house. Simple peasant mistake."
Bones rolls his eyes.
Jim makes a shooing motion. "Go away. You have common blood."
"Common blood?" Bones pretends to be offended as he slaps a hand over his chest, playing into this little game that Jim's spinning. He looks to Joanna for support. "Am I common, Jo-Bear?"
Joanna cocks her head as she considers him for a moment. "It's true, daddy. Sorry. We already decided."
"Ha!" Jim exclaims because she is a mature adult.
"Why can't I be a King?" Bones asks and he frowns and Jim thinks he looks adorable.
Joanna explains, "Because, daddy. You just can't."
Bones narrows his eyes. "What's Jim?"
"Momma's a Queen!"
"Now how is that fair? What's a Queen without a King?"
"Well, historically better," Jim supposes and laughs at the playful glare he sends her way. She leans forward and does a quick sidebar with Joanna. When they pull away, Jim is grinning madly. "Tell you what, Commoner, our very gracious Duck Princess has petitioned a request on your behalf. We have decided that we will hold a very special super awesome tournament and if you can win, we'll make you a Knight."
"That so?" Bones drawls. He spreads his arms and says, "Fine. What do I have to do?"
"Tell us how pretty we are!" Joanna exclaims as she sips away at her imaginary tea.
Jim smirks. "I like the way you think, little duck. That is a fantastic place to start."
They look at him expectantly.
"Well," Bones starts. "You're both very gorgeous. You have lovely eyes and lovely hair and lovely skin. You glow like the sun and the moon and the stars and every bright-shining thing in the galaxy. I'm often blinded by it."
"That's kinda corny," Jim remarks but smiles. "But it'll have to do. So, moving on-now what we require is a hand-stand."
"Really?"
"Chop, chop," Jim says, clapping her hands together and fixes her crown as she sniffs primly.
"Do a hand-stand, daddy!" Joanna urges.
"Fine, fine," Bones grumbles.
Jim leans forward eagerly and watches as Bones does an absolutely perfect handstand. He even pushes it a little further by doing it one-handed.
Joanna cheers.
Bones stands on his feet again and looks unfairly smug.
"Okay, that was kinda really cool," Jim relents and turns to Joanna. "You pick what he does next."
Joanna perks up and looks at Bones with a happy grin. "Tell a joke that makes us laugh really hard!"
Bones asks, "Why does a Moon-rock taste better than an Earth-rock?"
Jim fights back a smile and says, "Oh God. This is gonna be terrible, isn't it? Okay. Why?"
"Because it's a little meteor?"
Joanna laughs like it's the funniest thing she's ever heard and Jim rolls her eyes but grudgingly snickers because it's funny in a dumb kind of way.
Bones clasps his hands together and shakes them from side to side before he bows. Then he straightens. "Now, did I pass your little tournament? Did I prove myself?" he asks and crosses his arms.
Jim and Joanna have a quick sidebar again before Jim pulls away and sighs heavily as she says, "I suppose you have. Step forward, Commoner. Princess Joanna is going to officiate things."
Joanna hops to her feet with a glittery scepter and urges Bones to get on his knees.
Bones complies with an amused grin.
Jim clears her throat and says, "By the royal decree of Queen James and Princess Joanna, we hereby proclaim you, Sir Leonard McCoy, an honorable man worthy to hold the royal banner."
"And you have to promise to protect me and momma and the baby from all the bad scary things and love us forever and ever and tell us we're pretty all the time," Joanna adds before she taps both his shoulders with her glittery scepter.
"Promise," Bones says with an absurd smile that Jim should not find devastatingly breathtaking but she fucking does.
"Yay! You're a Knight now, daddy," Joanna says with an admiring tone.
"Fantastic," Bones drawls as he stands and sweeps Joanna off her feet as she giggles. "And my first order of business is to see the Duck Princess to be bed because she has to get up bright and early tomorrow for royal daycare."
Joanna squirms in his arms and litters his cheeks with kisses. She doesn't stop squirming, even when he tucks her in and begs for a bedtime story.
Jim watches with a smile and her heart flutters a little at the sight of them. She waits until Bones finishes his wildly spun tale before she switches off the lights, turns on the LED nightlight, and stamps a gentle kiss on Joanna's forehead with a soft goodnight. She follows Bones out of the room and to their own where they begin their nightly ritual.
After they slip into bed together, they stay up for a little while talking about different things. Mostly about Joanna and the baby, about how their going to pay for the bills, about how hectic their respective schedules could possibly be, and other serious topics.
Jim usually doesn't like to bother with such talks, but with Bones she feels confident enough to do so. Sure they fuss and argue before they come to any real agreement, but Jim likes that too.
She wouldn't trade it for anything in the universe and that kind of scares her.
Part 2