The week was an interesting one. It wasn't that Jim avoided McCoy, it was more that he… didn't end up in the same room as him alone that often. Or at all actually. Jim wasn't planning it as such. Except that maybe he was. He didn't want to have any awkward conversations. McCoy was looking more and more annoyed by it as the week progressed and Jim seemed to always have someone attached to his hip though, and Jim wondered if the other really just wanted to talk to him and clear the air.

Thursday finally rolled around and Nyota saved Jim by bringing in a fresh batch of gingerbread that he passed off as his own that morning with a cheerful, fake smile. McCoy hadn't touched a single piece of it and had just raised an eyebrow as he left.

Jim felt like an idiot. He should never have allowed himself to fall in love with McCoy like this.

He sat in his classroom, during a free period he'd normally have been bothering Bones in, marking books glumly. He had the radio turned on low. The Shirelles crooned about whether or not there might be love tomorrow and Jim sighed, trying to keep his mind on correcting the spelling of 'astrophysics' from 'astropsychics'. It was pretty much a losing battle.

He was about to give up and get himself coffee when the door to his classroom opened.

He looked up to see McCoy stood there, looking a little sheepish before he squared his shoulders and walked towards Jim's desk. He guessed the moment of truth was upon him and he was going to probably have to strenuously deny everything.

"You've been a hard man to track down this week," McCoy said, leaning against Jim's desk. Jim focused on not looking at McCoy's hips or the long-fingered hand resting against his pile of papers. He shuffled the books in front of him instead.

"Yeah, you know, busy time January and all," he said. McCoy made a small noise in the back of his throat.

"Yeah I guess… I was wonderin' if you wanted to go for a drink tomorrow, that's all. We haven't seen each other all week. We can catch up," he said, his voice so, so casual and Jim's heart seemed to stop beating for a few seconds before it tried to make up for it by beating double time. He swallowed.

"Oh, you're going to come out with the rest of us? That'd be cool Bones," he said, trying to keep his voice casual and hoping, praying, that he hadn't misunderstood and McCoy would clarify... McCoy shifted a little and Jim could tell that he was looking at him. He didn't have the courage to look up.

"I don't really like that Irish bar. I was thinkin' there's this place a little further into the city. Got good food and live music. You know, a change of scenery?" he suggested. Jim swallowed and tried to still his hands on the pages. He was playing with the corner of a memo about report cards and he'd already dog-eared the corner.

"Why not? Should be fun," he said, aware that his voice sounded a little strained. McCoy made another small sound in the back of his throat.

"We can go straight from work tomorrow. I'll leave you to your marking," McCoy said and stepped away. Jim finally looked up in time to see McCoy's back disappearing through the door and sat there for a few moments, staring at the wall in numb shock.

Had Bones asked him on a date? Is that what this was?

He stood here a few moments later before getting to his feet and dashing along the corridor.

He needed Nyota.

After school he sat in Nyota's room. She was drawing a flow chart on the whiteboard. In the left corner it read 'Is not a date' and in the other it read 'is a date'. She had written questions and drawn complicated lines and Jim was trying to follow.

She pointed to the question at the top.

"Is it just the two of you?" she asked. Jim frowned.

"He didn't mention anyone else? Oh my god Nyota, do you think he's going to bring someone else? What if Scotty turns up? What if he invited everyone else? Or is going to?" Jim asked, wondering when he'd become a teenage girl and how he was supposed to deal with all this anxiety between now and then. Nyota chuckled.

"Well I haven't been invited, so let's assume it's just the two of you," she said, following the 'yes' line down the board. Jim looked at the next question.

"Is there food involved?" she asked. Jim tried to remember what Bones had said earlier.

"He mentioned food and music I think?" he replied. Nyota followed the line towards the 'date' box. Jim swallowed.

"Did he tell you to dress up?" she asked. Jim shook his head. Nyota moved down the line towards 'not a date' and Jim winced. The final question would solve all.

"Did he use flirtatious body language when asking you?"

Jim didn't even know. He didn't want to admit to Nyota that he hadn't even been able to look at him. He shook his head and Nyota followed the final arrow down to 'not a date'. She sighed, looking at the board and the tangled web they'd created.

"Mixed signals huh?" she commented lightly and then began to wipe away the flow chart. Jim pouted. He'd thought she'd be able to help more than this.

"There is one way we can tell, though you'll have to wait until tomorrow," Nyota said as she stood on her tip toes to reach the top of the board. Jim admired the way her spine bent as she did it.

"Stop checking me out Kirk, you insufferable idiot," she scolded without even turning around. Jim laughed a little before she continued. "McCoy isn't exactly the most fashion conscious, as you've probably gathered. He has one designer shirt that he wears for like, every important occasion. It's a white Ralph Lauren shirt, you'll be able to see the logo on the breast. If he's wearing that tomorrow, then you'll know it's a date," she said. Jim perked up a little.

"That easy?" he asked. Nyota turned to him, board cleaner in one hand and shrugged.

"It's as good as you're going to get without asking him," she replied and he nodded, getting to his feet. She watched him warily as he approached her but didn't do anything other than feebly protest when he gave her a big hug.

"Thanks for this. Seriously. I don't know what I'd do without you," he said. Nyota made a humming noise as she was released and she took a step backwards.

"Uh-huh. Just remember that Kirk, if you end up getting married. I want to be a bridesmaid and wear a damn beautiful dress," she said before she smiled somewhat mischievously and Jim felt the cool, moist cloth of the board rubber swipe the end of his nose.

He stood there dumbly for a few moments, before reaching up to try to wipe away the no doubt black smear that had been put there. For a few moments they just stood there, before Jim made the quick dash for a board marker and Nyota slipped out of her heels, making a run for the door.

Okay, so it was childish and stupid and they ended up covered in pen. It was not something Jim had ever expected of Nyota, but as they stood in the staffroom, scrubbing pen off each other's faces and smiling, Jim appreciated that without her distraction just then, he wouldn't have known what to do.

McCoy was wearing a jacket.

Jim slumped against the table and tried not to look like he was going to go out of his mind. Spock didn't even question why Jim was trying to become one with the furniture and continued the morning briefing as always. Nyota gave his knee an understanding pat under the table before she left to get her lessons ready.

Jim stood up to go when McCoy caught his elbow.

"We still on for tonight?" he asked. His brow was furrowed slightly, something that Jim recognised as the 'Bones Worried' scowl. He tried to relax and smile.

"Of course, Bones! I wouldn't blow you off without telling you," he said. Sulu coughed loudly as he left and Jim felt heat creeping up the back of his neck. McCoy let go of his arm and nodded.

"Alright then. See you later," he said and left the room. Jim was left alone with Spock and he could feel the other's eyes on him. He glanced at him.

"You are going on a date with Doctor McCoy?" Spock asked. Jim felt his face flush.

"I don't know. I don't know whether to call it that," he protested but Spock just nodded.

"I am glad for both of you. And I should say, it's about time. I was beginning to worry about the two of you," he said and then just squared his shoulders and goddamn left.

Spock.

Even Spock thought they should be together.

Even Spock thought it was a date.

Even Spock.

Jim thought he was going to go insane if McCoy turned out to be 100% straight.

Time seemed to be warped. Some moments dragged on forever, then suddenly two hours would have passed in the blink of an eye. Jim didn't know if he was dreading the night or looking forward to it. By the time the final bell went, he felt like a complete mess.

He'd brought clothes to change into, but decided against it at the last minute. He never changed when he went out with everyone else, and if this didn't turn out to be a date, he'd look stupid if he did it now. He instead took off his tie, rolled up his shirt sleeves and unbuttoned his collar. He felt a lot more casual for it.

He waited a few minutes, but as they ticked by he grew more and more impatient. He quickly ducked under his desk, pulling out his cologne from his briefcase and dabbing himself with a little to try to get himself smelling a bit fresher. He came back up and nearly died when he saw McCoy there, his eyebrow hiked half way up his forehead.

"What on earth are you doing under your desk? The day been that bad?" he asked. Jim laughed, realising he probably sounded a little hysterical. McCoy wasn't just wearing a jacket now, but also a coat over the top and Jim wanted to just strip him down to see what he was wearing.

"I dropped something but I can't see it," he lied and straightened up. McCoy seemed to take him in as he put his hands in his pockets. Jim grabbed his coat and slid it over his shoulders as he grabbed his keys, making sure he had everything.

"I thought we could get a cab rather than drive?" McCoy suggested. Jim nodded, his tongue seeming to be trapped to the roof of his mouth. He walked to the door, turning off the lights, hyperaware of McCoy behind him. They walked out of the school in almost silence.

McCoy must have booked a cab because there was one waiting for them in the parking lot. Jim slid into the back seat and tried not to think too hard about it all. He began to prattle on about his day as the taxi started to take them through gridlocked streets towards that bar McCoy had picked.

McCoy seemed to be genuinely listening which made Jim actually feel somewhat bad as he knew he was talking complete and utter shit. He grimaced when he felt how sweaty his palms were. There was no way of knowing, however, just what McCoy was thinking at that moment. Jim was too worried he was looking into it too much to trust his own observations and the line between friendly and flirty was too blurred for him to make out.

"You must have been lacking for adult company today. You're talking a mile-a-minute," McCoy finally commented and Jim felt his mouth snap shut. He licked his lips, taking in McCoy's teasing smile.

"Sorry. You're right. I spent most of the day with the kids or by myself. Guess it's all coming flooding out now," he lied and tried to surreptitiously wipe his hands on his pants leg. McCoy chuckled, a sound that made the caterpillars in Jim's stomach give an enthusiastic wiggle.

"It's alright. It's just been a while since I've listened to someone tell me about their day," McCoy replied and he didn't sound wistful, but instead just slightly amused. Jim cleared his throat and looked out of the window at the darkened streets and brake lights.

"You didn't need to be quiet. I didn't say I minded," McCoy said after a moment's awkward silence. Jim looked at him out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know what to do. He felt flat-footed by the whole experience. Was this what it was like for normal people on dates? He had always been so confident when dating before, he'd never thought that his partners might have felt like this.

Then again, he'd never really been on a date with someone he liked and respected as much as McCoy before.

"I ran out of steam," he replied, shrugging slightly. McCoy's mouth turned down a little, like he wished he hadn't said anything at all. A few moments later and Bones began to dig through his pockets, getting his wallet out and giving terse instructions to the driver to take specific turnings.

They pulled up outside a venue that was definitely out of the way and looked small. It was freshly painted on the outside though, and there were a few people hanging around the front entrance smoking and talking easily to each other. A large crocodile playing a guitar was painted on the window.

"C'mon. Let's get inside," McCoy said, opening the cab door and climbing out. Jim followed suit, looking up at the place. He found it was distinctly 'McCoy' and that he probably shouldn't have been surprised that McCoy would pick somewhere like this. He followed the other man in, grinning a little when he took in the inside.

It was dark and intimate. There was a stage at the front, a small dancefloor, and a scattering of tables around the place. Even at the early hour there were people starting to fill up the tables from the front. McCoy however led them to a corner with a good view of the stage and took off his coat, hanging it over the back of the chair.

Jim's heart was in his mouth as McCoy began to undo his suit jacket as well. Jim fumbled the buttons on his own coat and jumped when the waitress suddenly appeared at his table.

"What'll be be?" she asked, smiling cheerfully. Jim's mind raced as he tried to decide what the hell he wanted to drink but McCoy beat him to it.

"Bourbon. For both of us," he said. The waitress jotted it down and walked away with a smile. Jim glanced at the other and McCoy actually grinned as he slid off his jacket. "You're in a Blues bar, Jim. You can hardly drink anything that's not from the South."

It was then that Jim made out the small, inobtrusive, logo on the breast of McCoy's shirt. His heart leapt into his throat, his cheeks flushed, his breathing hitched. He quickly shucked his coat and sat down so that he wouldn't fall over.

McCoy thought this was a date. According to Uhura in any case.

Jim trusted her.

So this was a date?

The food was good. The booze was cheap and plentiful. The music was amazing and Jim found himself appreciating the enthusiastic blues band that took to the stage as the night wore on. He and McCoy didn't have trouble talking after Jim's initial awkwardness. Talk turned to shop quickly, but soon enough it wandered to all manner of things, from music to opinions of films and books.

It turned out that McCoy wasn't a fan of modern literature, preferring what he referred to as the 'classics' though he made an exception for Steinbeck. He liked action films and had laughed when Jim had suggested some clever films that might change his mind. They'd agreed at some point that McCoy should almost certainly watch Breaking Bad, which he admitted to having never bothered to watch and Jim felt was an outrage. They'd found that their music tastes matched almost exactly, an eclectic mix of things from their childhood and their parent's eras that left them discussing concerts from before they were born.

Jim was more than a little tipsy by the time ten rolled around. He knew he was at his limit for sensible alcohol and was going to have to stop soon. Luckily McCoy stopped ordering alcohol at that point too and called for the bill.

Jim would have liked to have stayed for a while and perhaps danced, but he got the feeling that McCoy wouldn't join him and that it would be somewhat awkward. He instead reached for the bill, only to have it snatched away from his fingertips.

"Hey! I was going to suggest going halfsies!" Jim protested. McCoy raised his eyebrow and Jim felt a surge of excitement when he saw McCoy place down what had to have been the full amount. Just like you would do, if you went on a date.

If this was a date.

Jim swallowed and got to his feet, putting his coat back on. He'd had a good time. He'd probably have had a better time if he'd felt he was allowed to flirt though. There was a heaviness in the air now, the awkward moment where he didn't quite know what to do. The end of the date. What did he even say? What did he do? How did he get across that he had a great time and would like to do it again? Maybe next time with them rolling into bed together afterwards?

McCoy pushed through the crowds to the door and Jim followed, trying to think of a way to end the date that wouldn't be awkward and left McCoy in no doubts about it. Once he was outside though, McCoy was instantly flagging down a cab and it left Jim a little dumbstruck. Was McCoy that desperate to get away? He hadn't seemed so inside…?

"C'mon. Get in. I'm going to have to go half way through your neighbourhood to get home anyway so we might as well share a cab," McCoy said, holding the door open. Jim nodded and got inside. Usually at this point in one of his dates he'd have been all over the other person, touching them, possibly making out in the back of the taxi.

McCoy didn't lean over to kiss him. Didn't reach out his hand. He did turn his body towards Jim though, eyes shining and slightly glassy in the darkness. Jim only then remembered to tell that driver his address.

"I had a great night, Jim. It's been a long time since I've had someone to go out with like this," he said and Jim wondered if the last person he'd gone out with had been Jocelyn. McCoy didn't seem like the kind to date or be a playboy.

"Yeah, I had fun too. That band, they were amazing. We should definitely go again," he said, hoping that McCoy caught the tone of his voice and interpreted it correctly. There was a moment when he thought that it had gone over the other's head, but then McCoy's neck turned a little pink and he nodded.

Not entirely platonic then. Jim could live with that.

"I would say next Friday, but I think that the others might get suspicious if you were missing every Friday evening all of a sudden," McCoy said with a shrug. Jim laughed a little and thought about it. Did he care if other people knew he was seeing Bones? Well, obviously not, but it clearly bothered McCoy.

"We could go during the week and just knock the alcohol on the head," he suggested, his heart in his mouth. McCoy gave him a small smile.

"Yeah might be an idea," he replied and Jim wished he'd either said straight 'yes' or 'no' and left no more room for the gnawing doubts that had wormed their way through him. He wasn't this kind of person normally, so self-assured. He wasn't sure how to deal with it all.

They pulled up outside his house while the two of them had worked their way back round to discussing the band. Jim drew some dollar bills out of his wallet and handed them to McCoy.

"For my part of the ride," he explained. Their fingers brushed as he handed over the money and he froze. He looked up, surprised to see that Bones was looking directly at him as well. There was a moment where Jim thought that McCoy was going to lean over a kiss him, but then McCoy was turning away. Jim bit his lip and got out of the cab.

"See you Monday," he said, waving and shutting the door.

He watched the cab speed away and then walked to his door. He felt a strange mixture of elated and depressed, the emotions warring inside him. He didn't know whether to grin or feel frustrated. He put his key into the door and stepped into his house, shedding his coat and shoes instantly.

He considered just going straight to bed, but his head was buzzing too much. He paced in his lounge for a moment before deciding he just needed to talk it out with someone, anyone.

He picked up his phone and dialled the one person who he knew would be able to calm him down. They picked up after the second ring.

"Nyota! I have no idea what happ-"

"Jim?"

Jim's mouth snapped shut and he pulled the phone away from his ear to check he'd dialled the correct number. Yep, he'd dialled for Uhura but that was definitely Spock's voice on the line.

"Oh, er, sorry Spock. I was after Uhura," Jim said, feeling sheepish. There was the muffled sound of Spock calling her and then a peel of laughter that sounded like Uhura's before Jim heard the crackle of the phone being passed over.

"Hey, Jim. How'd it go?" she asked cheerfully. Jim realised his mouth was open and closed it.

"You and Spock huh?" he said in reply. He heard Uhura huff in response.

"If you're just going to make fun, I'm going to hang up," she replied. Jim chuckled and got to his feet pacing once more.

"I don't know what happened. I don't know if I had a date or went out with a friend or if he likes me or what. It's just as confused as before. confused," Jim clarified, rubbing a hand against his forehead. Uhura sighed.

"And you couldn't have just asked I guess?" she asked. Jim made a noise that she took as a 'no' and chuckled. At that moment Jim's doorbell chimed.

"Hang on, Nyota, there's someone at the door," he said, hooking the phone under his ear and undoing the latch.

McCoy was stood there. He had his hands in his pockets, a scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. His expression was serious, seemingly composed. Jim blinked at him.

"I forgot something," McCoy said and Jim's mind briefly managed to process that McCoy hadn't been in his house to leave something, when the other was leaning forward and pressing their lips together.

Jim dropped the phone immediately, his hands going to McCoy's neck to pull him in closer. It felt like whisky poured into his chest, warming him through and making him gasp for breath. His whole body felt electrified by the smallest of touches, McCoy's hand on his waist, the lightest skim of the other's tongue against his lower lip, the ghost of his breath over his mouth.

Then McCoy was pulling away. Jim must have had a dazed expression on his face because McCoy grinned, a beautiful smile that light up his eyes and made him look younger. He took a few steps backwards, off Jim's doorstep.

"See you on Monday, kid," he said and then turned and walked away, humming the blues under his breath.

Jim stared at his retreating back for a moment before he closed the door. His phone was ringing insistently at his feet and he stooped, absently answering it.

"Jim? Jim who was it? Are you okay? You weren't attacked were you?"

Jim felt laughter bubble in his chest. It escaped as one quick giggle before it descended into hysterical, joyful laughter.

"He came back to kiss me, Uhura. Oh god, that was really romantic of him wasn't it? Oh my god, I'm going out with someone from work, this is such a bad idea…"

Jim let the sentences, happy and gleeful, run from his mouth as Uhura listened and offered her own playful, teasing comments.

He was happy.

Will you still love me… tomorrow?