Fic: Playing Pretend [3/?] (Kirk/McCoy, NC17)

[inell]

Title: Playing Pretend [3/?]
Authors: andrealyn and inell
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Rating: Adult/NC17
Summary: When a visiting diplomat asks Bones out on a date, a little white lie starts a chain of events that changes his relationship with Jim
Word Count: 7620
Beta: florahart
A/N: This is our first co-write, and it's loosely inspired by several prompts from the Kink Meme. This is complete and will be posted as we edit each part!

It wasn't until three in the morning that McCoy saw the fault in staying in his own bedroom, given that they were supposed to be fooling Arlington with togetherness and bonding and room-sharing. McCoy grabbed his pillow and snuck out into the hall in nothing but a tank-top and his loose navy blue-striped pajama pants, keying the code into Jim's door while suppressing a yawn. He knew he was risking yet another fight, but he really did think this was the best way to keep from finding himself the object of adoration on some new planet. Without a word, McCoy tossed the pillow onto the bed and slowly crawled onto the open half and sprawled on his side, trying to get comfortable.

Part of him was hoping Jim would wake up, the other hoping he'd stay unconscious to the world.

Jim had been in the middle of a dream involving sunny beaches and warm water and he couldn't really remember the rest because he woke up too quickly for his mind to keep up. Someone was in his quarters. Since Spock and Bones were the only people who had the code, he knew it was either an emergency with the ship or something had happened in Medical. It took him a moment of blinking at the dark wall and listening to realize that whoever it was was sneaking around and being as quiet as possible. He didn't say anything to alert them to the fact that he was awake, though he figured that both of the possible people knew he slept lightly, even if he preferred to laze around in bed for a while after waking up.

The bed shifted as someone crawled in beside him, which meant it sure as hell better not be Spock. He grimaced at the thought, not just because he had no interest in going there but because Uhura would aim a phaser as his dick and that'd be that.

"Figured you changed your mind, since there wasn't a cot or any of your stuff or, oh, you here when I got back from the gym," Jim said, wondering if now was a good time to mention that he usually slept naked and hadn't expected Bones tonight so he hadn't bothered to change that routine. Probably not.

"Went back to my room to get some sleep until I remembered Arlington was right next door," McCoy admitted in a hushed tone. It wasn't like their secrets could leap past the walls and escape them, but three in the morning was no time for anything but whispers of their regular voices. He didn't have to look for very long to see that Jim was naked (though he might have looked longer than was necessary) and gave him a light shove as he turned his back to Jim, adjusting and digging himself a little path under the blankets. "I've got a duffle in my room to bring here tomorrow. Just clothes and the usual." He was trying to keep this light so as to ignore the fact that he'd jumped headfirst into this whole situation.

He felt...well, he felt like he'd picked up some of Jim's quirks via osmosis.

Jim snorted. "Didn't think he was the type to listen at walls," he said. "Does this mean we have to go to your room and have fake sex, loudly, at some point to convince him?" He was going to try to treat this like a crazy scheme that wouldn't have lasting effects. That way, he could approach it without needing to know every angle to keep Bones on the ship, like he'd been worried about earlier. "I can be pretty vocal, so it shouldn't be too difficult to pretend."

"Jim," McCoy started awkwardly, turning back so he could face him. "Look, Jim," McCoy sighed. "There's no one else I'd rather say I'm fake-dating than you on this ship. I trust you with this."

When Bones shoved him, Jim smiled and turned his face into his pillow before he rolled over to stare at Bones' back. He couldn't see very well in the little bit of light in the room, but he could tell that Bones was wearing pajamas. Of course. And Jim was lying there naked. If that didn't about sum up and contrast them perfectly, he wasn't sure what did. He should probably be decent and get out of bed to put on some underwear, at least, but he was comfy and it wasn't like the bed wasn't big enough for him to be able to avoid any inappropriate touching. Bones rolled back over while Jim was debating the best choice, and he made a decision when he heard what Bones said.

"I'll be a great fake-boyfriend, Bones," Jim told him. He still had no real idea what was expected of him as a boyfriend, but he'd be damn good at it, whatever it was. He smiled and got out of bed, grabbing the pair of underwear that he'd taken off earlier and pulling them on before he got back into bed. "If I had to play pretend relationship with anyone, you're the only one I'd actually agree to do it with." He focused on Bones in the darkness and wondered if 'love notes' had to be poetic and shit because, if so, he was going to fail majorly in that effort. “So, loud pretend sex is going to be required?”

"Maybe you'll be loud, but I'm quiet in bed," McCoy said with the slight hint of a grin. This felt more like normal, this easy back-and-forth of teasing where he could just say what he wanted and knew that he definitely couldn't stun or shock Jim with the knowledge, seeing as his best friend had a habit of having already done and seen everything. He let out a quiet noise of appreciation when Jim went to fetch clothes and took the opportunity to settle under the covers, smoothing a hand out over the sheets.

After Jim was settled back into bed, he felt more relaxed and ready to sleep. Fighting with Bones always left him a little edgy, and tonight's fight had been bad enough that it had taken a few hours before he'd been able to drift off anyway. "I'm not surprised that you're quiet. You barely make any noise when you jerk off, so I guess sex isn't any different," he said thoughtfully. "Bet you could be noisy if you were with the right person, though. For the act, I'll just be loud enough for the both of us."

The right one. McCoy didn't exactly know what to make of that and he let out a quiet laugh under his breath. He'd spent so much of his life wondering if he was ever going to find someone resembling the right one instead of just the right one for right that moment. But Jim was pretty smart when it came down to things and McCoy had learned long-back not to argue him. McCoy was staring at the floor in front of him and trying to think of things they could actually do. "How about we go for drinks? Hang around the observation deck and play cards, we could...hell, we could play a round of pool or something. We don't have to write sappy love notes about stuff the both of us don't know anything about," McCoy admitted. "And uh, well. Guess I should resolve myself to the fact that I'll probably have to kiss you the once or twice."

"I'm going to try the love notes. If the Ex can do them, then I can. They can't be that difficult, so long as I say a bunch of romantic nonsense about your eyes and lips, yeah?" He grinned as he rolled over onto his back. Maybe he'd write something so graphic that Bones would blush and refuse to let Arlington read it. That'd definitely be more convincing than a bunch of poetry. He turned his head to look at Bones when he mentioned them kissing, licking his lips slowly as he realized that it'd be necessary. He was a tactile person in platonic relationships, so that'd definitely have to be even more present if he were dating anyone, he figured. Bones never seemed to mind how touchy he got, but that wasn't romantic-touchy. "You don't have to sound so excited about it," he said, rolling his eyes before he moved his pillow into a better position. "I've never had any STDs, as you know, and I promise that I won't bite. Unless you ask nicely."

"Fine, Jim, you can do your competitive love-notes, but don't be disappointed when mine are crappy in return. I'm a doctor, not a poet, damn it." He adjusted himself and stared at Jim's lips in the darkness for a long moment, debating doing something else rash. He'd already done enough for one evening, though, and so instead of leaning across the distance between them, he just ruffled Jim's hair and settled in with his eyes closed. "Guess I'll see you first thing in the morning," he admitted with a genuinely amused laugh. "Night, Jim."

"You never disappoint me, Bones." He yawned and pulled the sheet up around his waist. "Besides, no one said that love is poetry. Love's whatever it means to you. A personal sort of thing, and neither of us are poets. You have experience with them, at least, even if these will just be pretend." He closed his eyes and forced himself not to wonder what Bones would write in notes that were real and not faked for protection from an amorous alien diplomat. "Night, Bones." Jim wiggled against the mattress until he was comfortable and shifted his leg, finally getting into a sleep-worthy position. "Don't steal all the covers."

*
McCoy woke up in near the same exact position that he'd gone to bed in, but he definitely didn't recall Jim having fallen asleep so close to him. It might have been cute if not for the fact that McCoy couldn't feel his lower forearm and he had to piss like a racehorse. Very slowly, he got one hand on Jim's wrist and pushed the other on his waist as he likely poked and prodded and moved him from off of his body so that he could slide out of bed. He only afforded his morning 'problem' a momentary grimace before sliding into Jim's bathroom to shower and put that to rest. He stared at his bloodshot reflection in the mirror and groaned heavily.

"I don't want to talk about it," he informed himself before stripping off his clothes and getting the water to a decent temperature (he tended to like it a few degrees colder than Jim did) and decided that there were worse things than smelling like Jim for a while. Using his shampoo and soap just seemed to be common sense after that. He had to focus on simple things like routines or else the sheer insanity of his situation might start to bog him down.

The bed was hard and moving. Jim frowned as he began to drift into consciousness, not opening his eyes yet because his alarm hadn't gone off. It took him being shoved onto the mattress to realize that his bed had been a person instead of a mattress, and then everything that happened a few hours ago came to his mind. It was Bones, of course. He'd been sleeping on Bones. He hadn't been snuggling or any of that cuddling bullshit because Jim Kirk was not a snuggler. If anything, Bones had probably needed some sort of support after an emotional evening where he'd done silly things like lie to a diplomat about having a three plus year relationship and had sought comfort in his best friend. Right. It was Bones' fault they'd been tangled up together. Jim could handle that explanation.

Jim rolled over onto his back and stretched, listening to the shower start. It'd take Bones fifteen minutes, roughly, to shower and shave, if he bothered, and brush his teeth. It always worked out well when they had to share a room because it usually took Jim about fifteen minutes to fully go through his morning routine in a 'get his ass out of bed' way when there wasn't immediate danger or an emergency. While he wasn’t a heavy sleeper, he liked that lazy ‘first woken up’ feeling enough to indulge in lazing around for a bit when he could. In the harsh light of day, as the saying went since space didn't really provide that light at all, he knew that things were going to start getting strange now. In a fake sense, due to their plotting and all.

Only, the weirdness would probably not feel that fake, since he couldn't really see how they'd hold hands and do other pretend boyfriend stuff without feeling something. Maybe that was his big problem right now, though. Jim could do stupid stuff for amusement and often did things based on gut instinct instead of thinking them through. His gut was telling him that he didn't want to risk losing Bones to some infatuated diplomat, and that meant playing along with Bones' lies. Even if he was maybe possibly just a little scared that playing pretend would either be better than he'd ever thought about or that it'd end up somehow hurting their friendship.

As Jim listened to the sounds coming from the bathroom, he reached down and shoved his hand into his underwear. He needed to take care of this big problem before Bones finished his shower. Somehow, he doubted him walking around in tight underwear with a noticeable erection was the best way to start off Day One of Operation: Boyfriends, as he'd decided to classify all of this so he could keep it separate from the reality of ‘we’re only just best friends and platonic and Bones doesn't even like men in that way’. He closed his eyes and thought about Bones in the shower, knowing that he'd use the water option because he didn't much like sonic showers. Water dripping down his body, maybe his own morning erection needing attention, and, yeah, that was definitely helping. Jim liked to think that Bones was jerking off to thoughts of him because it helped the whole fantasy, not that he actually believed it to be true. He focused on the feel of his cock in his hand and the image of a wet, naked, hard Bones in his head and moved his hand a little faster, needing to get finished and cleaned up before Bones was done.

McCoy didn't sing in the shower. He never whistled. Like every morning, he just focused on scrubbing himself down so that he could trade places with Jim and get dressed before heading off to breakfast. McCoy knew that it was Jim's shower and that he shouldn't be abusing the privilege of getting to use it, but he also knew that if he didn't take care of himself, he'd be snappish all morning and would probably drive away his nurses and possibly his patients. He tersed his jaw and glanced through the shower door before tentatively taking himself in hand and biting down on his lip. He had maybe seven minutes before Jim would be at the door waiting for his turn and he didn't like the idea of getting caught out. He ignored his reflection in the mirror and worked hard and fast, the job more than a little dirty. He barely reached his climax when the two-minute mark came up, grasping for a towel and trying not to seethe out a curse when he managed to knock his elbow on the wall in the process. Shit.

The orgasm was nice. Of course, the fact that Jim was considering it 'nice' was probably not a good thing. Nice was better than awful, but it hadn't been amazing or toe curling or any of the other various adjectives that could describe it. He had gotten good at jerking off since becoming Captain, and his only steady relationship was with his right hand, so he guessed it was all right to have an off day occasionally. It was difficult to feel sated coming all over his hand when there was a naked man that got him hard just a few feet away in his shower, after all. Still, it was enough to relax him and start the day off well, so he couldn't complain. He wiped his hand off and got out of bed, stumbling over the pile of clothes that he'd left on the floor last night. He muttered under his breath and looked at the door to the bathroom when he heard Bones cursing loudly. He had to smile at the mutual displeasure they were both feeling and wondered if Bones had tripped over something, too.

This whole situation was going to be odd. Not bad, just weird. Jim was confident that he could play the part of doting boyfriend, especially since it was Bones, but he couldn't help wondering if it might not be too easy. His feelings for Bones had always been pretty mixed up and confusing, so this was probably just going to make them worse. He could keep the attraction separate from his friendship, though, and he'd never really thought about the possibility of there being more between them, so it wasn't like he had been pining or some shit like that. It was just one of those facts of his life, the way he felt about Bones, and he left it at that. Only, now that they'd be pretending, he needed to make sure that he continued being able to keep those lines in place and keep things separate. He could handle it. Hell, this might be fun if he approached it that way instead of taking it all too seriously. Bones had been the one to start the mess, so it wasn't like Jim would ever be blamed for playing along and doing what Bones had asked of him. If anything, he'd be commended for playing his part so beautifully, even if Bones maybe wouldn't see it that way until after.

McCoy hadn't brought any clothes with him and he had the distinct feeling that anything he might have borrowed of Jim's would be too small. Still, McCoy slung the towel around his waist and dried off his hair, stealing Jim's toothbrush to get his teeth clean (not like it was anything they hadn't done before) and checking the noises in the room over. "Jim," he called over, knotting the towel tighter. "You can have the bathroom, but I need something to wear. Just to get to my quarters."

When he heard Bones call out for clothes, Jim grinned. Now that he'd settled on an approach to this whole act he felt better. Not about lying to his crew, and he still knew that Spock would likely see right through them, but about being Bones' doting boyfriend and maybe earning a few cheek twitches or even some dimples along the way. He got a pair of sweatpants from his closet and dug through his drawers until he found one of Bones' t-shirts that had gotten mixed in with his laundry a few months ago. "Do you need underwear?" he asked, shoving piles of fabric around until he found a pair of boxers that were too loose for him to wear. "I've got a pair that Sam's wife sent me for Christmas. Never wore them cause they're too loose." Of course, the mistletoe on the crotch and the sparkly 'kiss me' above it might make Bones slap him, but it'd be worth it to know Bones was wearing the silly things.

McCoy wandered out into the room to pick through what Jim had set out for him, deeming the things acceptable seeing as they weren't the worst items in the world and they were only temporary. When his cock twitched with interest at the thoughts of wearing clothes that Jim had, clothes that smelled of him, things Jim would wear after, he told it to simmer down. He offered a flash of a smile and stared for a very long while at the boxers.

"Think I'll go commando," McCoy said, drawling out the words while shooting Jim a look that had to wonder why he owned something like that and hadn't allowed it to burst on fire. "It's just until I get my uniform." Though the thought of going without underwear so long as he was in Jim's sweats made blood rush lower again and he bit down hard on his lip to keep himself from needing a second go. The constant proximity to Jim was going to kill him. Sure, it had all been his idea, but he hadn't counted on how difficult it was going to be to be around Jim, to let his head become awash with too many confusing ideas and feelings. He was supposed to be a grown man, but Jim had an uncanny ability to make him act like a child. He adjusted the towel anxiously, trying not to fidget too much as he picked up the clothes, gesturing to the bathroom. "Go on, then. It's all yours."

Bones was just wearing a towel when he left the bathroom. Jim took a moment to appreciate the sight because, well, he was only human. He could acknowledge that Bones was good-looking and had a body that made even a more-straight-than-not man like him want to touch. It probably contradicted the 'normally straight' part of his personality that seeing Bones half naked made him harder than almost any of the women he'd seen completely nude, but Jim wasn't the type to worry about the details. He watched Bones, admiring the muscles in his chest, arms, and back, and he took a step closer as Bones started going through the pile.

"Told you. Gift from the sister-in-law. Sam and I are still working on that whole brother thing, so I couldn't really throw them out," he said defensively. "They aren't that bad. But I rescind the offer of them because you going commando is too good to pass up." He snatched the boxers and grinned even as the blood rushed through his body down to his cock at the thought of Bones naked beneath those worn sweatpants. "I've always told you that clothing was overrated, Bones. Nice to hear that you're starting to agree with me. I'll hop in the shower and maybe we can go for breakfast in the mess hall? Start our charade and test our acting ability." He reached out to brush his fingers against the back of Bones' neck and wiped a fingerful of lingering suds on the towel across Bones' hip. "You used my shampoo. Smells good."

Jesus Christ, McCoy thought, stunned. Jim was going to kill him. He swallowed hard and stood there unmoving as he was touched, not knowing what to do when fingers brushed sensitive skin and then took a descending path to lower areas that would be even more sensitive. "It was your shampoo or grease, Jim, of course I used it," he said, heart beating erratically as he somehow managed to get his words out without them faltering. "Jump in the shower, get clean, and we'll grab food. I'm gonna get changed and then I'll be back." There was something else to worry about and that happened to be some of the proximity issues, the intimacy presentation, and the variety of other things they would need to perfect in a damn quick hurry. "Jim, he can't see us in here," he found himself reminding Jim patiently, to try and maintain some kind of control on the mess.

"Well, smells good on you. Better on me, though," Jim said, lightly pinching Bones' side before he stepped back. Bones informed him that Arlington couldn't see them in here, which made him roll his eyes. "I'm not stupid. I haven't started acting yet." He smiled and ran his hand through his hair. "Go get dressed. Maybe he'll be lurking outside your room and realize you're not wearing underwear. That'll give him a good idea of where you've been." He studied Bones for a moment before he leaned over and drew Bones' bottom lip into his mouth, nibbling a little and sucking on it. While doing so, he moved his fingers into Bones' hair and mussed it up. When he pulled back, he surveyed his work and carefully moved his hand so that the underwear he was holding covered up his reaction to Bones. "There. Now if he sees you, there won't be any question in his mind that you're mine," he told him, feeling strangely possessive. He turned and hurried into the bathroom, mostly because he was half-hard just from carrying out a part of the plan and because, really, Bones might try to hit him for what he'd just done.

McCoy drifted, swaying forward after the strange kiss, feeling like he was being maneuvered by a strange puppeteer. He cleared his throat with some difficulty and cursed under his breath as he shoved a hand down the towel and just gave himself a light squeeze to try and center himself before he lost his mind. "Damn it, Jim," he hissed to himself and yanked up the remainder of his clothes as he snuck out while Jim was busy in the bathroom.

It didn't take long to get back into his room and take a moment to use the privacy to compose himself and try and figure out just what was going on. If Jim knew that Arlington couldn't see beyond the walls, if Jim knew there was no point, then why was he acting the way he was? If this was some kind of proof of how devoted he could get, McCoy wasn't about to get one-upped. He thought about it the whole while he dressed and by the time he pulled on his blue tunic, he'd made up his mind. Jim wasn't about to drag McCoy along, looking unwilling. He could go toe for toe in this.

Besides, it was all just temporary. He grabbed his duffel and checked the hall security cameras before picking up and heading back to Jim's room, dropping the bag by the door and perching on the edge of the sofa, just waiting for Jim to come out of the shower.

The shower took a little longer than usual because Jim's cock decided that it was interested in various scenarios involving Bones and Bones' mouth. After coming for the second time in less than half an hour, Jim felt much better. He hadn't really done that since he was a teenager and his recovery time was quick. Back then, he could get hard just thinking about sex. Now, well, he'd be thirty in a couple of years, and it took him a little longer usually. Not today, though. Maybe it was a reward for being such a great friend and participating in Bones' crazy plan. If so, he could definitely handle receiving more of the universe's repayment methods. He brushed his teeth after rinsing his brush thoroughly and combed his hair before he pulled on his underwear.

Jim left the bathroom and heard noises in the living area. Instead of getting dressed, he walked around the partition and leaned against the wall. "Back already? You can go ahead and start unpacking if you want. Not sure if Arlington will be coming by here today, but better safe than sorry, right?" he said, scratching his belly before he went back into his bedroom. "So, about this relationship thing, can I call you honey or do you prefer sweetie or sugar bear?" He smirked slightly as he bent over to get a pair of clean socks out of the dresser.

McCoy watched Jim carefully, something seemed to be gleaming in Jim’s eyes that struck McCoy as vaguely predatory. "If you start calling me sugar bear in public, people are going to think you hit your head and I refused you treatment," he pointed out with a lazy drawl as he leaned back on his elbows on the couch, waiting for Jim to get adequately dressed before he made his move. They had time. "And I still maintain jackass is a term of endearment," he added with a smirk.

"Nah. They'd just think I was crazy in love and unable to contain my joy and shit," he said. "Besides, they know that you'd never refuse me treatment, honey." He grinned as he found socks, finally, and had to wonder where they all seemed to disappear to. He needed to check with laundry about them before he ran out. "It is when you use it, but maybe not when others do. I call you asshole with all the endearment in the universe, obviously."

He kept his eyes on Jim, ready to launch himself full into this. He didn't do med school half-assed, so there was no way he was about to be the reluctant party. He'd unpack later after breakfast and cite something about having had a fight if Arlington asked. That wouldn't be the furthest from the truth, either.

"But how about you get ready, darlin', because I'm starved." McCoy said it idly, scratching at his cheek as he peered ceilingwards. Two had to play this game and he wasn't about to be the lagging party.

Jim looked over at Bones and arched a brow, not that Bones could see him. He was staring at the ceiling and tossing around that drawl and words like darling. "Don't use the drawl with me when you don't mean it." He frowned and shook his head, not entirely sure why he cared about that, of all things. "Give me five minutes then we can go take care of that hunger problem." After he got dressed, he took a moment to prepare for this whole acting thing. He didn't know if they'd be successful at this, but he sure as hell planned to do the best job that he could. With that goal in mind, he went back to join Bones. "Do I pass muster as boyfriend material?" he asked, doing a little turn and wiggling his ass in an exaggerated way.

McCoy opened his mouth to argue that pet names could go horribly wrong very quickly, but he stopped when Jim protested the drawl, of all things. It wasn't like he hadn't used it before and there were occasions when his accent got so thick that it was unintelligible because of his mood. Now Jim was asking him not to use it? He thought that strange, but he tucked it aside, not sure what to do with it. He could focus instead on Jim wiggling his behind right in his face.

McCoy pushed himself to his feet and lightly smacked Jim, blaming him for giving such an apt target, before circling around to Jim's front. "There's just one thing left before we go," he said, voice subdued and serious. He eyed Jim up and down, hand cupping his forearm before his elbow, the same one moving up to brush his cheek and through his hair as he considered his best friend and tried to make it so that this was no big deal, that it was something that they could do and forget come the next week.

"Oh, so we're one of those couples?" Jim snickered, reaching back to rub his ass if Bones had really hit him hard. "I don't mind a little spanking, old man, but no whips and chains. Got it?" His amused smile faded when Bones sounded all serious. "What is it?"

Slowly, McCoy took a step in. His foot was framed by Jim's and he moved his other hand to the back of his neck.

"You look good," McCoy assured, voice strained and caught in his throat as he aligned their bodies and eliminated body space between them, leaning in to press a kiss to Jim's lips, his eyes falling shut as he did, lips parting slowly and gently as he pressed his chest to Jim's.

Jim blinked when Bones moved closer and gripped his neck, trying to ignore the excitement that he felt over the compliment. It wasn't as if Bones really thought he looked good. This was all an act, even if it maybe didn't completely feel like one to him. It was only a few seconds before Bones was kissing him, an almost chaste sort of first kiss. Jim could tell himself that this was pretend all he wanted, but his body couldn't tell the difference when someone he was attracted to pressed into him and kissed him. It would be better to keep it simple, to think about Bones like he was some sort of elderly aunt or something, but Jim had never really been good at simple.

When he felt Bones' lips parting, Jim felt something inside him snap. He stopped standing there in shock letting Bones kiss him and became an active participant. He reached up to move his fingers into Bones' hair, tugging gently as he swept his tongue along the full curve of Bones' lips before he deepened the experimental kiss. He closed his eyes and stopped thinking about pretending and friendship and everything except the feel of Bones so close to him and the way he tasted, so good that Jim wanted more.

All things were progressing well at this point. It wasn't like McCoy had doubted Jim was more than capable of delivering a damn good kiss, but it was another thing altogether to be witnessing it. His mouth was dry and his stomach felt empty, but he was kissing Jim, sliding his hand up his clothed back and pulling him closer than before, trying to remind himself that this was just to test the waters before they went to breakfast, and falling back to the couch and making out for the next two hours wouldn't help.

Suddenly, with great certainty, McCoy had a brilliant epiphany and broke the kiss to press his lips down Jim's jaw, kissing his way down to his neck and starting to nip and suck, worrying a small patch of skin until it would bruise a beautiful purple and stay on display. He kept at that while his hand lowered and gripped a good handful of Jim's ass, hauling him closer.

"Don't think," he exhaled breathlessly between kisses and nips, "that he'll doubt this."

Bones broke the kiss and started kissing all over Jim's face. Not to be outdone, Jim slid his hand up under Bones' shirts, touching bare skin. He lightly scratched, fighting the impulse to leave marks, and whimpered when he felt Bones sucking on his neck. Whimpered! What the hell was that? He didn't whimper. He didn't tremble, either, but his body seemed to forget that right now. He groaned low in his throat. "Asshole. You left a mark."

Then Bones gave him the equivalent of a cold shower when he spoke. Don't think he'll doubt this. Right. Because this wasn't about them, wasn't Bones wanting him, wasn't him finally getting what he's wanted for so long. This was about acting and faking emotions. Jim tensed slightly, fighting an internal battle before he gave in and leaned his head forward, biting Bones hard enough to leave a bruise of his own It was instinct to mark, and he knew he was weak to give in to that when he was more aware of the pretending than ever before. He licked at the skin before he let go of the cloth he'd pulled aside to reach the bare skin.

"You're really good at this acting thing," Jim murmured, trying to get back into control of himself. God, he hated the feeling of losing control, and he couldn't believe how easily he'd just given it up, just because Bones asked, because Bones had finally touched him. This was going to be a long week.

McCoy was breathing heavy and hard against Jim's neck, having let out a small growl at being bitten and marked, but he knew it served their cause in the long run. "Had to figure out if he'd believe us when we got intimate," he mumbled, still trying to catch his breath, easing his hips away from Jim so that he wasn't pressing a hard-on against him, wasn't showing Jim his full deck of cards. He adjusted backwards and shifted his shirts so they sat on him normally, but the seam brushed against the brand-new discoloration and he shifted irritably, brushing his fingers against it. He swallowed hard, biting back on a comment about 'acting' as he stared at Jim through half-lidded eyes.

McCoy closed his eyes and leaned heavily against Jim's body, not entirely willing to pull away just yet when his hands were grappling Jim's back and one was perilously close to making his hair a terrible mess.

"Right." Jim considered mentioning that that had been one of his concerns last night when Bones was refusing to listen to him and having a fit, instead, but he didn't want to argue. They had to go into the mess hall and put on a show, deceiving not only Arlington but also their friends (which were a lot like family to Jim after three years) and the crew into thinking this had been going on the whole time. He tried not to think about that part of the plan, which was made easier by the way Bones was still so close and smelled so good. Jim stroked the bare skin beneath his hand, scratching just a little harder than before when Bones pulled away a little.

How was McCoy supposed to survive a week when just a kiss with Jim rendered him so absolutely useless. "Not half bad yourself. But you're the consummate leading man," he pointed out.

"Nah, you're the leading man in this farce. I'm just the co-star," Jim said, forcing a smile. He could feel Bones' hand in his hair, knowing that he should probably go comb it again but not really caring. Bones was probably trying to improve the image they'd present or something, kissing him breathless then mussing his hair. "So, I guess we shouldn't have any issues with the hand holding and kissing parts of this plan of yours. Kinda surprised that we didn't bump noses or anything. Best first kiss I've ever had, even if it wasn't real." Which was probably sad and pathetic, but Jim wasn't bothered by that sort of thing. He smiled, not a forced one, and nuzzled Bones' neck while he could get away with it. "Always knew we were a good team. Just didn't realize how far that extended into other areas." Bet the sex would be amazing was something he managed to keep to himself.

McCoy brushed his thumb back and forth against the space between Jim's shoulderblades as he eased away and let out an exhalation as he straightened his posture and didn't break away immediately. "We always fit together before, why not now?" he asked, the words slipping out of his mouth before he could even stop himself. He let out a gentle laugh and finally disentwined from Jim's grasp, studying him over and fixing his hair half-heartedly, grinning like a teenage boy when he caught a glimpse of the mark he'd made. He brushed two fingers over the mark, rubbing it and feeling somehow accomplished for it.

Now Bones knew exactly what it would be like to kiss Jim Kirk until his knees started to feel weak and his mind lost all thoughts and gravity seemed to stop caring about keeping him grounded. He was beginning to see the opened door into a room that involved just how easy it would be to give in to Jim on a permanent and intimate basis and the answer to that was 'far, far too easy'.

At Bones’ words, Jim looked at him curiously. He seemed relaxed and at ease, which was interesting considering the fact that they’d just been kissing rather passionately. Maybe it hadn’t been an act for Bones, either. But, if not, what exactly did that mean? Jim knew he’d get a headache if he tried thinking about it, so he decided not to bother. They were playing pretend, and that was what he had to remember. If anything else happened, well, that wasn’t important until a time when it was. For now, this might be the only opportunity that he had to experience the whole relationship thing, fake or not, and it was doubtful that Bones would ever let him get this close if not for the plan, so the smart thing to do was to take total advantage of it while he could.

“Yeah, why not now?” Jim smiled when Bones fussed with his hair and flashed dimples. He’d earned that smile, he knew, and he liked seeing Bones like this, happy and calm in a way that he usually wasn’t. Maybe all he needed was to get kissed really well to improve his mood. Jim considered that as he felt Bones touch the mark on his neck that he knew he wouldn’t be able to cover up. “The crew is going to think I’m getting really sloppy, having visible love bites like that. I try to be careful about that stuff since becoming captain. You’re a bad influence, Bones. And, damn, do you know how long I’ve wanted to say that and have it actually be true?”

"As for the crew, that's part of it. It's because now that Arlington's around, we've decided that there's no cause to keep it hidden when it just throws people off, especially the visitors. Right?" The last part wasn't so much a question as it was a reminder to Jim. "C'mon, you owe me breakfast after groping me in my sleep all night," McCoy said, slinging his holster on and sliding the tricorder into it, as well.

“Right. Because we haven’t had any visitors during the last three years who needed to be aware,” Jim pointed out dryly. “It’s probably better if we just let it happen and don’t worry about explaining. Otherwise, we could get caught up in trying to explain but not making any sense. Or we could just say that you’re finally making an honest man out of me so we have to go public to plan the wedding.”

"I am not marrying you, James Tiberius Kirk, no matter what anyone says." There were lengths to go to and then there were the kind of lengths that trapped him into something that part of him wanted more than anything and another part of him was absolutely terrified of. "I'm only as much a bad influence as I am because someone is contagious," he noted pointedly, leaning against the doorway and just watching Jim for a minute.

“Of course not. It’d only be pretend,” Jim said, shaking his head. The idea of anyone, much less Bones, wanting to marry him was ridiculous, but it appeared that Bones wasn’t in a mood to take a joke. “Wait. I should probably be offended, shouldn’t I? I won’t make you tell me why you’re rejecting me as a husband, but just know that I’m incredibly hurt. Surprise blow jobs have a way of making me feel better, though.” He leered in an exaggerated manner to try to get Bones to laugh because he looked like he was going to a funeral or something equally solemn. “Seriously, though, let’s just do our thing and let things fall where they do. If anyone asks, we’ve been together for three years. Got it.”

This was actually pretty fun once he stopped stressing about every detail and just went with it. In a way, it wasn’t much different than usual, only it had kissing so that was like normal but better. “Also, if I’d been groping you, we’d still be in bed,” Jim said confidently. “I think that you owe me breakfast for grabbing me and holding me like I was your life-size teddy bear or something.” He grinned and nudged Bones’ ribs with his elbow. “However, as your caring and attentive boyfriend who knows how cranky you get when you’re not fed, I’ll buy you breakfast, honey.”

"Excuse me, but I was perfectly fine sleeping on my own half of the bed. You're the one who leaped over the lines and decided that you just had to have me," he said evenly, smacking Jim's hand away idly and fixing his hair just once more before heading for the door, bracing himself for the upcoming and inevitable storm. He was going to have to deal with more gossip and idle chatter than he really liked, but it was going to be worth it. It had to be worth it.

“I didn’t leap anywhere. I was dragged,” Jim said matter-of-factly. His lips quirked slightly as he reached over to muss Bones’ hair a bit more, not that he didn’t already look thoroughly kissed. Still, this was his reputation so he didn’t want anyone to doubt that Bones was extremely satisfied with him as a lover, thank you very much. “I couldn’t resist without waking you up, and we both know that you get growly, and not in a good way, when you wake up like that. I guess you’re the one who just had to have me.” He was lying since he had no idea which of them had moved towards the other while sleeping, but he wasn’t about to admit that he might have been seeking snuggles while dreaming.

Chapter 2 | Chapter 4