3 Months

Spock evidently decided that they had danced around the topic enough, since he visited McCoy's quarters one night after they were finished with work. While he was still dressed in uniform, McCoy wore a baggy green sweatshirt so that he didn't have to look at the little bump forming.

He was napping on the couch when the door chimed, and he grouched out a "Come in!" before sitting up and rubbing his head. Spock walked in, his hands behind his back and his spine ramrod straight. What a fucking sight for sore eyes (sarcastically, of course).

"I have come to discuss the terms of our child." Spock said, looking down at him with no goddamn emotion to his face or anything.

"OUR child?" McCoy asked with a glare, sitting back on the couch and crossing his arms.

"I believe that my DNA-"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that it's yours. You had nothing to do with it." He interrupted, and Spock took a moment before speaking again.

"With that same logic, you had nothing to do with it either." He replied, and McCoy's scowl deepened. Spock sat on the couch, as far from McCoy as possible (which really wasn't that much space). "I let you have the decision about whether or not to keep the child alive. Now I am requesting that you let me be a parent to that child, since you have decided its fate." He stared sternly into McCoy's eyes.

"... Fair enough. So, what's there to discuss?" McCoy asked, raising his eyebrows at the Vulcan. "You wanna talk about, what, living arrangements? A joint checking account? Health plan?"

"Yes." Spock said simply, and McCoy glared again. He opened his mouth to reply, but he felt a nosebleed coming. He cursed and went to his bathroom, shoving a tissue against his nostrils. Spock followed him in, and even though he wasn't showing emotion, he seemed concerned. That was a common thing lately- even though his face remained a chiseled stone, McCoy could still get the gist of what he was feeling.

Weird.

"Don't worry about it, it tends to happen to people who're... you know." McCoy waved his hand dismissively, sitting on the toilet and keeping the tissue to the nose. He grabbed some more, just in case. "God, this is a little embarrassing, sorry." He grumbled, casting his eyes to Spock's boots. Spock crouched down, catching his eyes.

"I want to be here for you. It is only logical that we endure this together." He said, trying to take the tissue from him, but McCoy shoved his hand away.

"Thanks, but I'd prefer it if we weren't like a goddamn married couple for this. I just wanna have this baby and... you know... raise it. Maybe I'll get it fucking right this time." He explained, referring to his failed attempt at trying to stay with Jocelyn while raising Joanna. It just didn't work out. Spock didn't reply; he just sat on the floor across from him and leaned against the wall. McCoy could tell how uncomfortable sitting on a bathroom floor made the man, so he decided to put in a little effort. "Is there anything I should do differently? It'll be about one-eighth Vulcan." Spock was silent for a while before speaking.

"I am uncertain. I will speak with my father later tonight in order to learn what my mother did while she was pregnant with me. However, I may have some idea of what would be best for the both of you." Spock said, and McCoy listened silently, except for his small sniffs every once in a while. "I suggest that you begin transitioning into a strictly vegetarian diet, and to cease consuming alcoholic beverages-"

"Fuck, Spock, I'm a doctor not a crack whore!" McCoy complained, switching to a new tissue. Spock nodded, and crossed his arms where he sat.

"True indeed, Doctor. I also suggest that you have regular appointments with Doctor M'Benga in order to confirm that your health is in constant order." Spock said, and McCoy sighed before nodding.

"As long as I don't have to keep seeing that T'Laua woman, I think I'll be fine." McCoy grumbled, sniffed, and stood up to throw the bloodied tissues in the toilet. He flushed it before rolling up his sleeves and washing his face in the sink.

"I would prefer it if you ceased to communicate with T'Laua." Spock said quietly, and McCoy frowned at his reflection in the mirror.

"Why? Don't like her?" He joked and turned to face the other man, but Spock didn't look back at him.

"I do not dislike anybody. However, your assumption is correct." Spock said, and McCoy snorted. Contradicting bastard.

"Why not?" He asked.

"She is particularly malignant towards my human half." Spock answered as McCoy walked back into his quarters to sit on the couch. The Vulcan followed, sitting next to him again.

"Mmm, that explains a lot." McCoy remarked, and Spock physically turned to him.

"Explain." Spock demanded and McCoy smiled and shook his head.

"It's only that when I told her about the katra forming the embryo, and then about my decision to abort it, she said that I was making the 'correct' choice." He explained, and he could sense somehow that Spock was angry.

"I see." He replied calmly before standing up. "I will take my leave now. It is advisable that you fall asleep within the next 30 minutes in order gain the healthy amount by the time you rise in the morning. I will speak with my father once I return to my quarters, and will relay his knowledge tomorrow."

"Uh, alright." McCoy replied, a little confused, but actually tired now that Spock suggested it. "Don't... do anything about T'Laua, though, okay? She seems like a decent person if not a little xenophobic. We all are. But anyway, have a good night." Spock stopped at the door, his hands clasped tightly behind his back again.

"Sleep well, Leonard." And then he was out the door. McCoy sighed, looked around his empty room, and then climbed into bed.

More tired than he had previously anticipated, he fell asleep swiftly.

McCoy, Jim, and Spock ate lunch together in the mess, and the good doctor had planned on telling his trusty captain the news. He was a little nervous, and somewhat embarrassed, about having to tell his best friend that he- a guy!- was pregnant. Especially since he was pregnant with the guy that Jim used to have a crush on... oh boy.

"So Jim, you know I..." McCoy started strong, but his words died out as soon as he looked at his friend's curious face. The raised eyebrows, big blue eyes, lips quirked up in a smile... How would he take the news?

"Yeah Bones? What is it?" Jim asked, setting down his fork and giving him his full attention. McCoy swallowed nervously and glanced at Spock, but the man was concentrating on his food. No help there.

"Well... the katra. We found out what it turned into. Or rather, what it made." McCoy began explaining, and Spock raised an eyebrow at him. He glared back, and Jim looked between the two curiously. "Well, you know that it was practically his living essence, but it turned into actual matter for some reason, which contained his DNA." He rambled, and Jim nodded, clearly not catching on yet. "Well his DNA mixed with some of my DNA, and uh... it created something new." Jim blinked at him for a while before answering.

"So what you're saying is that you and Spock are kind of... the same person?" Jim guessed, and McCoy snickered and took a bite of his salad. He shook his head and watched the gears turn in the man's head. "You're... pregnant?" He guessed again, and McCoy nodded as he swallowed down the bitter green food. "How far along are you?"

"About three?" McCoy estimated, looking over at Spock, who nodded. He tried not to be irritated about how quiet the Vulcan was being.

"Three what?! Days? Weeks?" Jim asked, frowning at them now.

"Months." McCoy supplied, causing Jim's jaw to fall to the floor.

"And you didn't think to tell me until now?!" Jim complained, and it was McCoy's turn to raise his eyebrows.

"Well I was going to abort it, so I didn't think it would've mattered." McCoy said

as if that was an actual excuse. He guessed that he should've told his friend about it earlier...

"Of course it would have mattered, damn it Bones! We're best friends! I thought that I had the right to know if you went and got pregnant with one of my other friends! And maybe if you didn't want to tell me just as a friend, you should have told me because I'm your captain and because you can trust me. Believe it or not, Bones, I want to be there!" Jim growled at him before standing aggressively from the table. He turned to Spock and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it and shook his head before walking off. McCoy watched him go before turning back to his meal. He ate and swallowed down some accursed celery.

"Would you like to discuss that which my father explained about my mother's pregnancy?" Spock asked, changing the subject, and McCoy glanced at him before nodding and eating some more of his food. "He told me that she had kept her diet strictly vegetarian, and that she was often in pain because of my excessive 'kicking.' Other than those things, there was not an extensive amount that she had done that would differ from a normal human pregnancy."

"Great, so I probably got a little violent vegetarian bastard inside me." McCoy grumbled before gulping down some of his water.

"I would appreciate it if you did not use any derogatory terms to describe the child." Spock said as he looked over at him. McCoy rolled his eyes.

"I'll do what I want, you pointy-eared hobgoblin." He said bitterly, causing Spock to frown at him slightly. McCoy stood up and grabbed his food to dispose of the leftovers, and walked away. The kid was inside him, not Spock; he could do what he wanted.

McCoy visited M'Benga for a little check up, and they once again got a private room. M'Benga did all the regular scans and examinations before they settled down to chat for a while.

"I'm sure the captain will settle down once he's gotten his wits about him again. After all, he did just figure out that his guy best friend is pregnant. And didn't he have some sort of thing with Spock?" M'Benga said, and McCoy shrugged.

"I think it was something else. But still, he's the one who decides whether I'm still on this ship or not." He grumbled, glaring at the ground.

"Are you going to stay on the ship for all of it?" M'Benga asked.

"No way I'm leavin'. Earth is the only place I'd be willing to go, and I ain't got no home there anymore. I'd drag Spock with me wherever I went, since I don't wanna be a single parent, but I know that he'll want to keep serving here." He explained and scratched the back of his neck. He was getting some sort of prickle there for some reason.

"Are you and Spock going to get... together?" The other doctor asked, and McCoy tried not to think about the hidden questions that might be under that.

"No. Not only is he not my type, I'm not into men." He answered bluntly, looking at the floor still because he didn't want to know M'Benga's reaction.

"I see. Well, I hope you find a nice lady who can be part of your... family." He replied, and McCoy nodded and slid off the biobed. He looked up at M'Benga's charmed face and nodded at him.

"Thanks. I'll see you later." He said, and walked out of the room. He had gotten slightly bigger uniform shirts, and he could feel the material swishing on his skin. If his posture was just barely bad enough, he could effectively hide his swelling belly from the public. He didn't want people to think that he was getting fat, but he also didn't want people to know that he was pregnant.

It wasn't like male pregnancies were particularly rare- they just didn't happen very often. He didn't really want to be known as 'That One CMO Who Got Prego With The Half Vulcan's Child.' Not only would it taint his name and good standing in the medical and scientific world, it would personally embarrass him to no end. But of course, he couldn't hide it forever. He'd have to face the music one day. Just not today.

M'Benga also brought up a good point, though. Would McCoy ever have a love life after this? Pregnant men usually meant that they were gay men. Especially since Spock was going to be a prominent parent to the kid. How would it work if he brought a woman into the mix? He'll just categorize this as another one of those "cross that bridge when you get there" things.