Written for space_married over on LJ. Thanks to edie and jen for beta and support. They're lovely people.
Disclaimer: I write fanfiction of JJ's fanfiction of Roddenberry's Star Trek. Sooo... really Paramount owns everything.
In his four years, ten months and four days as Captain of the Enterprise, Jim had attended five weddings, three of which he officiated himself.
There had been the wedding, if you could really call it that, on Telvin III, that they'd arrived in the middle of. Two warring factions were marrying off their youngest in a bid to end the fighting. The crew of the Enterprise, after beaming down in the middle of everyone and causing general chaos, had been invited to observe the ceremony. They'd all felt rather out of place, except for Scotty, who apparently could, and would, make friends with anyone and in any situation (no matter how awkward).
Jim's first time officiating a wedding as Captain had been two years in, when he'd married his favourite assistant, Janice Rand, off to her long-time boyfriend Cupcake (who he was sure had a real name, which he'd conveniently forgotten). Jim had practiced what he was supposed to say for hours, possibly more nervous than either of the two actually getting married. Of course everything had ended up going smoothly. Well, except for when Chapel tried to get Spock drunk with chocolate, and Uhura got pissed (and Bones had to confine Chapel to sickbay for awhile, but really, what wedding was complete without a cat-fight?).
They'd all been surprised when Sarek had remarried. After the destruction of Vulcan and the loss of his wife, the Ambassador had never been quite the same. But Sarek was young by Vulcan standards and when he'd entered Pon Farr, T'Pau had insisted he go through telsu dvelan. His assistant T'lal had been willing and compatible. Sarek had contacted Spock, wishing him to be present during the kun-ut kali-fi, and Jim had accompanied him for support. (Not that Spock had showed any need for support, but Jim knew Spock had been grateful for the company.) It was the most uncomfortable wedding Jim had ever attended, and that counted the Telvin III incident (and the one on D'mashl that they Did. Not. Talk. About. unless they wanted to spend six weeks on KP duty). Spock had spent a long time with his father after the completion of the ritual, and although Jim never learned what had been said, it had eased the lines of tension in Spock's shoulders.
Then Sulu had proposed to Chekov on his 21st birthday. Literally, the very second he turned 21, when they happened to be on the bridge of the Enterprise during Gamma shift. Chekov had been rather enthusiastic in his acceptance, amidst laughter and cheers from the rest of the bridge crew. It was all Jim could do to separate the two of them long enough to finish their rotation. A call down to engineering for some of the alcohol Jim wasn't supposed to know about, some fancy planning by Uhura and Rand, and they'd thrown the wedding during the following Alpha shift. Jim had never been happier to see two people finally get married.
Well, until now. Today Jim had officiated his third, and possibly last, wedding for his crew. Spock and Uhura had never officially married according to Starfleet, despite their bonding during Spock's own Pon Farr. Now, with the end of their mission less than two months away, and the possibility of new assignments, Spock had decided it was time that they marry according to Earth custom. Married officers would not be stationed separately from each other.
That was Spock's logical explanation anyway. Watching Uhura, beautiful in her flowing gown, beam up at her lover-turned bondmate-turned husband, and Spock smiling (a real smile!) down at her, made Jim think it didn't really have much to do with logic at all.
Jim settled himself against the wall, drink in hand, as the reception continued around him. Uhura and Spock had eyes only for each other, lost in their own world on the dance floor. A wistful smile crossed Jim's face as he watched his two friends so obviously in love.
"Credit for your thoughts?" McCoy drawled in his ear, and Jim's smile instantly brightened at his lover's voice.
"Not sure they're worth that much," Jim admitted, turning his gaze to meet McCoy's. "Just thinking about all the weddings we've gone to these past few years."
McCoy nodded, watching Spock and Uhura for a moment with a thoughtful expression. After a long pause he shook his head.
"Never thought the pointy-eared bastard would go through with it," McCoy murmured, though without rancor, and Jim grinned.
"I knew he would. He almost looks relaxed when he's around her. How could he give that up?" Jim laughed.
McCoy huffed in agreement, fond smile playing at the corner of his mouth, and he settled himself next to Jim, a solid line of warmth against Jim's side. Jim pressed a little into him before returning his gaze to Spock and Uhura. They were no longer dancing: Rand had somehow succeeded in pulling Uhura away, laughing something about tossing the bouquet, while Spock stood aside and watched the whole scene with one arched eyebrow. As Jim watched, Uhura gaze Spock a playful wink before turning, back to the crew, and tossed her flower bouquet firmly over her shoulder.
Jim was rather shocked when it came down straight on his head and landed in his arms. He stared down at it without comprehension.
"Guess the next wedding you go to will be ours," McCoy breathed and though the words were teasing, there was a tone to his lover's voice that had Jim snapping his head up to stare, eyes wide with surprise. McCoy met his gaze, face calm, though trepidation lurked in his dark eyes.
"Bones... but, I thought... you never... I thought you didn't want to get married again" Jim stammered. McCoy didn't like to talk about his past, about Jocelyn and what his life had been like before he'd sat down next to Jim on that shuttle so many years ago. But Jim was an expert at gleaning the truth from what wasn't said and he knew that McCoy had fallen in love young and hard, had rushed into marriage and a family before he'd really been ready for it, and had been utterly destroyed when it had all fallen apart. Jim didn't know the particulars, nor did he care to, but he knew that Jocelyn had broken McCoy, leaving him a scattered mess of pieces that would never fit fully back together again.
McCoy shrugged self-consciously, crossing his arms and dropping his head. "Eight years of friendship, four of those as lovers... I gave up on trying to get rid of you years ago," he teased gently, raising his eyes to Jim. "I figure I might as well keep you around forever," he continued and Jim felt the slow smile stretching across his face, so large it actually hurt. McCoy grinned back and for a moment the rest of the ship fell away and it was just the two of them, basking in the sheer joy radiating from them both. McCoy broke the moment with a roll of his eyes, but the grin didn't fade.
"Besides, who else is going to patch you up when you go off-"
Jim interrupted McCoy before he could get started, jumping in his arms and pressing the fiercest of kisses to McCoy's lips, trying to pour every ounce of passion and joy and desire and love that he could into that one kiss. McCoy's hands gripped him tightly, pulling Jim close and one kiss melted into another and then another until finally they had to break away to breathe, or pass out there in front of everyone. Jim's grin was blinding as he pulled back just enough to gasp in air, chest heaving as he cupped McCoy's face in his hands.
"Yes."