AN: Thank you all for the suggestions, I noted them all and already have some fitting ideas.
Here a One Shot with one of my favourite characters of the fandom. Shoutout to HeartofFyrwinde for the request!
Music tip:
Lily Kershaw – As It Seems
youtube: watch?v=sut9u9fIkPA
fate
chapter 4:
pure
"I know I said I wouldn't tell anyone, but… figured you could use it."
It's Bones way for saying 'I care too much about you to see you not-celebrate another birthday alone, especially after what happened', so Jim gifts his friend with a thankful smile. One of those kinds he hasn't really felt on his face in a very long time. Honest. Pure.
Ever since his life in space had gotten boring.
Ever since things had changed.
Ever since she had left.
But it's all different now, he tells himself, as he receives the congratulations of his family – because that's what they are after all that had happened – with an expression on his face that comes close to being genuine for the first time in forever.
The usual people he ever came close to actually celebrate this god-forsaken day with were Bones and Pike. And her of course.
His friends manage to get his mind off of moody topics and more often than not he can be seen laughing and chatting about the most ridiculous things. It's how they work after all – a life and death situation brings them all closer together every so often and unable to fight this formless enemy called death, who seems to follow them like a shadow, they retreat into an atmosphere that brings them back to old times.
Like those during their days at the Academy.
Hours have gone by and old music is playing with one song in particular that makes Jim grin like an idiot, when he notices Bones isn't following his conversation any longer. Before he has the chance to ask the doctor what exactly is going on in his head, his friend has that dangerous sparkling in his eyes and shoves him into the direction of the Vulcan with some muttered words, before he disappears into the crowd.
"What did you do to him down there, Spock?"
As expected his Commander – not future Captain of the Enterprise! – only merely raises an eyebrow, but for once he doesn't mind. For once he sees the concealed smile on his friend's lips, as Nyota joins them out of nowhere and begins to talk about something completely off topic. He tries to find Bones again in the crowd, because whatever he has planned Spock and Uhura are clearly a part of, but his stoic best friend is nowhere to be seen.
Minutes go by, slowly they are joined by further members of the bridge crew and it's getting painfully obvious that this is a full-on mission planned by his cheeky crew. For a moment he allows himself to be proud of them for adopting his ever-annoying ways (Bones' words, not his!), before a serious expression appears on his face in an instant and settles on Chekov. He begins to stutter and back away slowly, then he seems to give in to the pressure his evil Captain inflicts on him, but Uhura is faster than him.
With a glare in the direction of Jim she puts her hand over Chekov's mouth and hisses, "Not a word!"
"But he's the Captain," the young man mumbles barely audible from behind her hand, as he glances up at her.
"He has a soft spot for you, Pavel, he won't do anything to you."
Before Jim has the chance to disagree or do something else to save his dignity (because she is right, he's like the little brother Jim never had), a strong hand clasps his shoulder and the familiar southern accent interrupts their little banter.
"Why are you threatening your crewmembers again?"
"Bones! Where have you been? And what are they trying not to tell me?!"
For a painful moment it sounds like he is actually whining, but floating on those feelings he has missed for quite some time now, he can't bring himself to care. Not when they stare right back at him with the same happiness that fills his heart to the brim.
Instead of teasing him more, like Jim has anticipated, his best friend and doctor grins and then reveals, "I took care of your present."
It takes him a second to overcome his speechlessness.
"…my present?"
"Your present," Bones confirms and takes a sip of his glass.
"What else could you give me, when I already have everything-" he starts and is still too baffled to even thank them appropriately, when everything just stops.
No words are left to say.
No air left to breathe.
It's her.
She's standing at the far end of the round room, barely visible from their position in front of the bar. Her slim body is clad in a simple white dress and to conceal her short height she is wearing high heels. The blond hair, so much brighter than his, has grown out a bit. Soft curls are falling past her shoulders now and bounce, when she turns around to muster the room. Her blue eyes, more ocean-like and not as bright as his, haven't found him yet.
She is still breath-taking. Beautiful. Even more so than the Enterprise.
His mouth is standing open and his expression is something between despair, relief, happiness and disbelieve, when he forces himself to look away from her for a second to stare at Bones.
With a laugh he nods.
"It's really her."
He wants to shout her name and see her eyes focusing in on him, the wonder and awe, even though she has to know that he is here. Nothing comes over his lips though.
And then, when Bones gives him a gentle push, he is off. He neither notices the warm and soft glance his best friends is giving him, nor the content looks that are shared between the rest of the bridge crew.
It's her.
A gift he never dared to see again, a wish only thought of in the middle of the night and in a bed too cold for his aching soul.
"Carol?"
He is standing behind her with an unsteady voice and shaking hands.
Suddenly he is seventeen all over again.
She knows it's him, even before she turns around to look at him in a way that steals his breath away and crushes his heart in the most loving way.
Her eyes sparkle and are filled with unshed tears of happiness, her red lips are parted and let out her soft laugh, as if she still can't believe he is real. She takes a step forward and looks up at him, unable to break eye contact even for a second.
It is as if they were never parted.
As if she never left.
He wants to ask her a million question, but not one comes over his lips.
Instead Carol takes over, stands up on her tiptoes and gives him a soft kiss onto his burning cheek, while the other one is being caressed by her cold hand. She seems to take a liking on the soft stubbles on his chin, because her fingers rest there for a moment longer, then she leans back and says in that beautiful voice of hers, which sounds more like a chime than anything else to be honest:
"Happy Birthday, Jim."
It's the first time he really celebrates his birthday.
And when she hands him her request to serve on board of the Enterprise again after the months spent on a far away planet, he decides it really can't get any better than that.