Title: The Basics of Primary Ed., Part 9
Author: Caera1996
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Rating: This part NC-17
Disclaimer: Oh, so definitely not mine.
Summary: AU – Jim and Leonard have a night in.
Relieved that everything seemed to be back to normal, Jim asked, "What time did you want to be home tonight?" as Leonard followed him into his house.
"Sarah is planning to stay over. She knows that I might be late." Jim turned to look at him, a suggestive smile on his face.
"Oh, you will…if I have anything to say about it." Jim said, purposefully holding his gaze. He winked teasingly at the expression on Leonard's face – something between bashfulness and surprise – until he glanced away from Jim. Bones just didn't seem to realize how attractive and enticing he was. Jim didn't know what kind of relationship he'd had with his wife that made it so difficult for him to accept that he genuinely desired him, but Jim hoped he'd have a long time to show him.
After a moment, when Leonard had failed to come up with a response, Jim chuckled and leaned in to give him a quick kiss before turning away to head into the kitchen. Leonard swallowed and followed him, not for the first time wondering what the hell he was doing. Not that he hadn't enjoyed the time they'd spent together…especially that one night, but Jim was sometimes so…overwhelming. So confident. And Leonard wasn't kidding the other day...Jim was a lot more experienced than he was, despite (or maybe because of) the fact that he'd been married. It made him feel out of his depth.
"Uhh…so, what do you want to do for dinner?" Leonard asked, trying to regain some equilibrium. Jim opened his fridge and freezer, and did a quick survey.
"Well, choices here are a couple of Stouffer's frozen dinners, meatloaf and uh, meatloaf," he said, examining the packages. "Or…I have some left over pizza…pepperoni and mushroom…" He moved to the cabinets. "Spaghetti…you could make that sauce again. I don't know what this is…I don't even remember buying it…" Jim trailed off as Leonard chuckled. "What?"
"I forgot what it was like to only have to feed myself," Leonard said. Jim smiled sheepishly and shrugged.
"What can I say? I'm not big on cooking for one."
"What's good for take-out?"
"Have you tried Chinese yet?"
"Well…I've had it in Georgia. Can't be too different, right?"
"Seriously, Bones? Chinese it is, then."
* * *
Jim was down the hall, helping one of his neighbors – an elderly gentleman who'd knocked on his door with a minor plumbing emergency in his bathroom.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Jimmy, but could you come take a look before the whole damn place floods?"
"Sure Mr. Garrett. Bones, I'll just…"
"Go ahead. I'll finish cleaning up."
Leonard put away the leftovers and grabbed a bottle of water. Wandering into the living room, he studied the books on the shelves. Jim had everything from Steinbeck and Fitzgerald to Koontz and King – from Shakespeare and Kafka to Patterson and Sheldon. With a smirk he realized that the books were arranged first by genre, and then alphabetical by the author's last name. That struck Leonard as funny. Jim didn't seem to be a stickler for order in other areas of his apartment (at all), but he was apparently a bit OCD about his bookcases.
Studying the titles, he realized there was even a copy of Alice in Wonderland. It looked old, and like it had been read often. Curious, Leonard pulled that book off the shelf and opened it. There was an inscription on the front inside cover:
"To Chrissy, because sometimes the difference between genius and crazy is kinda hard to tell. Love ya! Jim"
Huh, interesting, Leonard thought. He slid the book back into place. Obviously, it had been a gift to someone, but it ended up back in Jim's hands. He moved on to another section of the shelves, and here were a large collection of professional texts that covered everything from elementary education to psychology to learning disabilities – all topics that were necessary to Jim's work.
Looking around, he realized that there were very few pictures in Jim's apartment – just a couple in mismatched frames on the side table and on top of the tv cabinet. There were two of Janie and Kim, and a professional family portrait of Sam, Aurelan, and the girls. That one looked recent. There was Jim standing with an older woman, arms around each other, smiling. The background looked like the room they were in was decorated for Christmas. Leonard picked it up to better study it. Jim looked to be a little younger, and he looked enough like the woman that Leonard surmised she was his mother. There were no pictures of any that looked like his father. And none of anyone who looked like she could be named Chrissy.
Replacing the framed photo, Leonard reflected on how little of Jim's background he knew. Sometimes it was hard to remember that they really didn't know each other all that well. Yes, they'd spent at least part of the last three weekends together, and they'd talked quite a bit during the weeks, but the sense of familiarity they had with each other was…not artificial...but, well, he couldn't really think of a way to describe it. Leonard felt as if he'd known Jim for a long time, though what he knew was actually very different. He'd never experienced a connection to another person like this before. It was kind of thrilling.
Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was coming up on nine. He couldn't believe how much time had flown by since they first got there nearly four hours ago. Jim was engaging, and fun, and really intelligent...and Leonard wished he'd hurry up and get back.
It was technically Joanna's bedtime, though tonight there was a little more latitude because of the sleepover. Pulling out his cell, he dialed home, wanting to check in.
"McCoy residence," Sarah answered.
"Hi Sarah, it's Leonard."
"Oh, hello Dr. McCoy." Leonard smiled. No matter how many times he told her it was okay, she just couldn't bring herself to use his first name. It made him feel old.
"Just calling to check in. Everything okay?"
"Everything's fine. No fighting or anything like that. They've been perfect."
"Good. I know you're still probably doing hair or whatnot, but bedtime by ten at the latest, okay?"
"No problem. We're actually just settling down to watch another movie…they both look pretty tuckered out. They'll probably fall asleep before then."
"And you're all set, right? I made up the pull out bed – pillows, blankets, you have everything you need?"
"Yup, I'm all set."
"Okay…I'm not sure what time I'll be home, so if you want to go to bed before I get there, please feel free to. Just make sure everything is locked up tight."
"Of course…and, um…you know, I can take care of the girls in the morning if you…"
"No, I'll be there in the morning," Leonard said quickly, his face suddenly hot. Oh, god. I am not having this conversation with my babysitter.
Sarah sounded amused when she replied, "Okay, see you then. Have…a good time."
Suddenly in a rush to end this conversation, Leonard said, "Call if you need anything," and hung up just as he realized that he hadn't asked to talk to Joanna. After a moment, he shrugged to himself. Sarah could call if Joanna wanted to talk to him. He was not calling back now. He settled himself in the living room, turning on the news, while he waited for Jim to get back. He didn't have to wait long. After just a few minutes, he heard the front door open. He got up and turned the tv off
"Took you long enough," he said as he met Jim in the hallway. He stopped short in surprise. "What the hell happened over there?" Leonard asked. Jim's upper body was drenched. He rolled his eyes.
"Obviously, I'm not a very good plumber," he replied. Jim stripped the wet shirt off, noticing that Leonard's eyes had gone a little wider, and then toed off his sneakers as well. Carrying the wet shirt, Jim headed into the bedroom. Leonard hesitated, not wanting to follow if Jim was going to be changing.
"So…does Mr. Garrett have a pool in his bathroom now?" he asked, voice slightly raised in order to be heard.
"Nah…it's actually not as bad as I make it look," Jim called back. He walked back into the living room in a dry shirt, rubbing a towel over his head. "The pipe that was leaking split a seal while I was trying to tighten it. I just got sprayed before I managed to turn the water off." Leonard's lips quirked in amusement.
"Aren't you supposed to turn the water off before working on the pipes?" Jim made a sour face.
"I'm a teacher, not a plumber! How the hell would I know?" He looked back up at Leonard. "Do you need to call home?"
"What?" Leonard asked, taken aback by the non sequitur. "Oh, no…I did already. Just now, as a matter of fact. Uh – why?" Jim shrugged, and tossed the towel over the back of the desk chair.
"Just checking. So…what do you want to do?" Jim knew what he wanted to do, and he'd wanted to minimize the possibility for distractions, hence the question about calling home. He also thought he'd noticed that when he made the first move Bones tended to pull back. The one time they'd been together, Bones was the one to approach Jim. He was well-aware that Bones was still slightly nervous about the physical side of their relationship; he wouldn't have been surprised if it had something to do with the guy he hooked up with in college. Jim didn't want Bones to be nervous because of him.
Leonard shrugged, looking around the living room, avoiding Jim's eyes. His gaze fell on the picture he'd studied earlier.
"Is that your mom?" Leonard asked. Clearly, Jim hadn't been expecting that and he blinked in surprise. To his credit, he recovered quickly.
"Yup, that's her. Winona."
"You look like her. Same eyes."
"Yeah…that picture is about three years old," Jim's tone got Leonard's attention. He sounded…wistful, and maybe a little sad. He looked at Jim, a question in his eyes. Leonard was curious, but he didn't want to seem nosy. The need to ask, though, disappeared when Jim sighed and picked the framed picture up, seating himself on the couch. The doctor in him recognized that tone and look, but he waited for Jim, taking a seat next to him.
"She doesn't look like she was sick here, does she?" Jim wasn't really asking, Leonard knew, but he shook his 'no' anyway. "Pancreatic cancer. They found it while doing a PET scan for something else about two months after this." Leonard winced. Pancreatic cancer was particularly insidious. Difficult to detect and treat, usually by the time it's found it's already too late for the patient.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. Losing a parent was painful no matter how old the child is. I would know, he thought. "Were you close with her?" Jim shrugged.
"For the most part. There were…things…we didn't talk about in my family. You know -- if you don't acknowledge it, it doesn't exist. As long as we stayed in safe territory, everything was okay." Leonard nodded. He did know. Jim seemed melancholy now, and Leonard was sorry he even brought it up. He said as much, and Jim looked at him with an expression that Leonard couldn't quite place.
"Nah…don't worry about it. I'm glad you asked. I want you to know about me – and I know that you of all people can understand what it's like to go through something like that." Leonard had already told Jim about his father when they were talking about how his research landed him in California. He was fortunate that his mama was still alive and well, living in Savannah with her sister. He wondered about Jim's father, and decided against asking about that, for now. Jim hadn't offered anything, and that would really be prying…very different from asking about a photograph in plain sight.
Leonard took the frame from Jim and placed on the end table. Enough of that. Jim looked at him, a small smile on his face.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Leonard said. Hesitantly, he reached a hand to trace down the side of Jim's face. Jim closed his eyes and leaned into the touch slightly. Before he could change his mind, Bones leaned in and kissed Jim softly. Jim responded immediately, wanting to encourage without pursuing. When Bones pulled away, Jim opened his eyes and smiled. Leonard smiled back, dropping his gaze after a moment and moving to withdraw from Jim's personal space. Jim stopped him with a shake of his head.
"Don't stop," he said softly. Leonard froze, uncertainty creeping into his eyes. "What do you want Bones?" Leonard licked his lips and took a breath, trying to calm his heart rate.
"I – I don't know," he said. Jim watched as his eyes flicked around him, and Jim realized what was making him hesitate.
"Want to move this to the bedroom?" Jim suggested. After a moment, Leonard nodded and Jim stood, urging him up too, and led him down the hall. "Take off your shoes, Bones. Be comfortable," Jim said. Leonard complied, feeling ungainly and uncoordinated. The bedside table light was on, and he remembered their first time in this bed together. He felt a flush working its way up his neck, and decided that he wasn't removing anything else, for now. Seeing this, Jim didn't either. He pulled the bedspread down and then turned to envelop Leonard in a hug. Jim again felt the tension in his body, but after a moment, that dissipated and they held each other, just enjoying the comfort of being close.
After a few moments, Jim pulled away and tugged him gently towards the bed. Leonard went easily enough. Lying on their sides facing each other, Jim kissed Leonard, not holding back any of his desire. He wanted Leonard to realize how he felt, and how much he wanted him. After a few minutes, Leonard took the initiative and brought their bodies in closer contact. Jim gently held Leonard's face, but let Leonard control the kiss. Jim moved his hips slowly, deliberately, knowing the teasing pressure would be just enough to further excite, but not satisfy. Leonard broke away, panting, and squeezed his eyes closed as Jim's movements fell into a rhythm. Leonard's hips had started to move against Jim's, his hands clenching the material of Jim's shirt at his back.
Jim moved his hands to Bones' shirt and undid the first few buttons, waiting for a reaction. He did a couple others, and he could feel Bones start to tense. Soon after, Leonard grasped Jim's wrists gently, his forehead pressed to Jim's shoulder.
"I just want to make you feel good, Bones. Can I?" He could feel Bones' breath as he panted against his shoulder, and he could feel that Bones was shaking a little. Jim forced himself to think, no easy feat given the situation. It was becoming obvious that Bones needed the control in this situation. Jim could do that. "What do you want Bones? Tell me…I want to do what you want." It took a moment, but Leonard couldn't resist an offer like that from this man. Didn't even want to try.
"Can I…can I explore you?" he asked hesitantly, feeling his face heat. Explore me? Jim thought. That sounded…really, really good, actually.
"What do you want me to do?" Jim asked, letting his hands travel up and down the expanse of Bones' strong back. He did not want to give Bones any reason to think he wasn't totally on board, including seeming too hesitant. He got the feeling it wouldn't take much to make Bones pull back into himself right now. Bones pulled away and studied Jim's face carefully. Jim did his best to project all the confidence and ease and interest he had in Bones' request that he was feeling.
"Will you take your shirt off?" Jim smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. They both sat up and Jim pulled the shirt over his head, tossing it on the floor. He raised an eyebrow…the question obvious. What now? "Lie back?" Jim complied, watching Bones look at him, carefully avoiding Jim's eyes.
"Bones?" Jim said after a couple of moments. His gaze landed on Jim's. "Are you going to touch me?"
"Yeah..." He sat beside Jim, and starting at his shoulders, Leonard gently drew his hands across Jim's body and down the center of his chest and stomach. Jim jerked and huffed out a laugh. Bones looked up at Jim.
"Ticklish," Jim said, with a little shrug. Bones grinned at him playfully and swiped his hand across his stomach again, and again Jim jerked a little, catching his breath. Bones leaned down to kiss him, and Jim opened to him easily, raising his hands to Bones' shoulders and holding on. The kiss ended sooner than Jim would've liked, until Bones continued down, lips and tongue playing over Jim's neck. He gasped when Bones found a particularly sensitive spot, and he lingered there so long it got hard to stay still. Needing…something…he turned his head, gripping Bones' arms tightly. Finally, Bones pulled back and looked at Jim, relishing the way he managed to make him react this way.
Jim was embarrassingly out of breath, surprised at how easily Bones could reduce him to this. No one else had; not this easily. He opened his eyes, and for the first time since they started, they held each other's gazes for longer than a moment. Caught up as he was in the dark hazel of Bones' surprisingly direct stare, he gasped when he felt his nipple being gently rubbed and teased. Aroused as he already was, it didn't take long for the touch to become intense, and Jim arched his back slightly, barely a breath away from asking…for more, for him to stop…he wasn't sure which. Finally, Bones left that nipple, and moved on to the other, his fingers circling it gently, stopping to run gently over the very tip, sensitizing it as much as the other. When Bones dipped his head, flicking his tongue over the first while his fingers continued to stimulate the other, Jim jerked. He switched his hand and mouth, and continued to tease.
Jim groaned and pressed his head back on the pillow, his hips raising slightly, looking for pressure that just wasn't there. His grip on Bones' shoulders was becoming more like pushing away the longer Bones continued, and his breath was coming as harsher pants.
Finally, Bones pulled back and stopped, again studying Jim's face. After a couple of moments, Jim opened his eyes. Leonard smiled at him a little cheekily, and Jim raised his eyebrows.
"Having fun?" Jim asked. Bones flushed, but didn't back down.
"Yes. You?"
"Oh, yes," Jim replied. "But, I'm getting a little uncomfortable," he raised his hips, his meaning clear. Bones glanced down the length of his body, and moved his hand to the button of Jim's jeans.
"Can I?"
"God, yes," Jim said. Bones undid his button and zipper, and Jim lifted his hips, allowing Bones to tug them over his hips and off, to join his shirt on the floor. Freed of the confines of his jeans, Jim's erection was much more evident, pressing against his underwear. Bones seemed to stall, and started to look less comfortable again, less sure of himself. "Bones," Jim said, trying to keep him focused. "What do you want?"
"I want to see you. All of you," he answered, voice a little gruff. Not needing any other invitation, Jim quickly stripped himself of his underwear, and lay back down, letting Bones look. Generally, Jim had no problem with being naked with someone; he didn't have any hang-ups about his body. But to be the focus of such direct interest was a little intimidating, nonetheless, and an uncharacteristic flush gently suffused his fairer-colored skin. Still sitting beside him, Bones noticed and his brow furrowed a little. He caught Jim's eyes. "Is this okay?" he asked, obviously needing confirmation that Jim was still on board.
"Yes, oh yes. Do you want to touch me?" Jim asked, reaching for him. Bones leaned down and kissed Jim, his hands taking another pass down Jim's chest, rubbing first one nipple than the other. Jim broke away to gasp at this, and Bones kept it up for a couple more moments, moving from one to the other. Eventually, his hand continued downward, and came to a rest just above Jim's naval. "Bones," Jim groaned, hips thrusting into nothing as Leonard mouthed at Jim's neck. "Please touch me." He felt Leonard chuckle against him.
"Eager?"
"Getting desperate, is more like it," Jim replied breathlessly. Bones hummed a little and finally, finally, took Jim's erection in his hand. Bones sat up and Jim's body prickled with goosepimples at the wash of cooler air over his flesh. He bit his lip and dug his heels into the mattress as Bones took some slow, gentle strokes up and down Jim's length. "Oh, god," Jim groaned. After just a couple of minutes of the pace Bones set, Jim was struggling to stay still. He was fisting the sheets tightly, his brow furrowed.
No matter how Jim moved, Bones kept the same slow pace, his grip just tight enough to be maddening, and not nearly enough. Eventually, his hips moved with the strokes, following Bones' hand up, thrusting further, trying to prolong the contact. He could feel everything tightening…all his muscles, his stomach…the pleasure building and coiling, but it was too slow.
"B-bones…please," Jim hissed. He was breathing hard and fast, his body alternately bowing and arching, fighting to let Bones stay in control…losing control over his own reactions. Each stroke was accompanied by an almost pained grunt.
"Jim," Bones said. Jim fought to open his eyes and focus on Bones' face above him. "What do you want Jim?"
"Uuuhhh, I – oh, god – I need more – I need to come," Jim managed to say between gasps for breath. Jim wasn't paying attention to Leonard anymore, beyond what he was, or wasn't doing to get him off, and he found it easier to stare at the results of his touch. That he could reduce Jim to this – shaking, sweating, gasping, needing – was powerful and empowering. That Jim would give this to him, was humbling. A rush of possessiveness, the desire to comfort and love, rolled through him with a force he'd never experienced before.
Leaning down over Jim, he captured his mouth in a kiss made desperate by Jim's state. The kiss was needfully brief, as Jim couldn't breathe quickly enough, his jaw clenched. Jim relinquished his grip on the sheets and clutched at Leonard, holding on as he suddenly gave Jim what he'd been craving…stroking harder and faster without a pause without breaking rhythm. Jim's whole body tightened, arched and went still as the intense pleasure came to an explosive peak.
Watching the total abandon as Jim's orgasm crashed over him, Leonard stroked continuously, Jim's body undulating under him, bucking hard…his head rolling back and forth. He cried out when he was finally able to get the breath to do it, and Leonard slowed his motions as the tension in Jim's body lessened.
Finally, Jim's body relaxed onto the bed, completely spent. His lashes fluttered and Bones held him, tenderly brushing his hair off his face. He shuddered periodically, still gasping, as he came down. Taking his eyes off Jim, he rolled half way over to grab the box of tissues. He wiped his hand, and gently cleaned Jim off who jerked slightly with sensitivity, even in his semi-conscious state.
Done with his ministrations, Bones lay down beside Jim, listening to the sound of his calmed breathing and basking in the feelings of overwhelming trust and belonging, and maybe even love…and wondering how he'd gotten so damn lucky.
