Chapter Text
Jim was drunk. He wasn’t tipsy with a sloppy walk, he wasn’t a little bit too much and too loose. He was deep down the rabbit hole, 4 drinks too many, probably going to black out with one more shot, type of drunk. And when James Tiberius Kirk got that drunk, he got really really fixated on really really stupid things.
"Bones! Bonesie Booonnnesss" His friend was currently in the process of hauling his very uncoordinated ass out of the bar. "Have I ever told you that Bones always made me think of boners?"
“Jim, I swear to god if you don’t shut your trap-"
"Hey, hey that’s mean Bones you can’t say that.” Bones turned on him, or as much as he could without dropping him, and gave him the highest eyebrow raise he’s ever seen.
"And why can’t I be mean, Captain?” Under normal circumstances, Jim would have heard the acidic sarcasm and known to stop talking, but Jim was no where near normal.
"You can’t be mean Bones because I love you. Didn’t you know, Leo?” Jim chuckled and lurched sideways in the resulting dizziness from his laugh. “Know…Leo… it’s a rhyme! I rhymed for you Bones. Leonard. Leo.”
Bones had gone scarily still at his side. “Jim. What did you just say?”
"Leo like a lion! You roar sometimes. And other times you’re all fluffy and cute looking." Jim felt himself being turned around, until he was facing his ‘lion’.
"Jim, I know you’re drunk, but do you realize what you just said? Are you joking? Because that’s not something you should-“
"But Bones, I do love you. You’re my best friend and I don’t call just anyone that. You bail me out when I fuck up and you buy me a beer when I don’t. That’s like,” he punctuated his words with a wild hand movement, “both sides of the friendship coin. Bones, you’re the best.”
He was being tugged along again, strong arms keeping him upright. He leaned into the touch and he could hear a constant stream of “goddamn kid doesn’t know what he’s saying, too drunk to think…” and some tiny pinprick of light poked hard through his foggy brain.
"Oh! Oh, Bones!”
"If you’re going to hurl, try to face away from me, will you?"
"No, Bones. Bones I just got it!” And with great effort Jim spun to face him, both hands on his shoulders, trying to stand as steadily as he could. “Your phasers are set to stunning because you are stunning.” And Bones just cackled, real laugher rolling out from him like it had been waiting for years. “Fuck, I messed that up! You’re stunning and your phasers are- I mean, you must be set to, FUCK!” Bones just reached out and patted his head, actually patted him like he was a child, and smiled that sarcastic half-smile that’s mostly made of eyebrows and a quirked lip.
"It’s okay Jim. I understand."
And Jim just glowed, so happy that Bones got it. Because if he tried to explain further he figured he’d just fuck it up even more. He allowed himself to be dragged back to the dorm and thrown unceremoniously on his bed because all he could think was I did the thing, I did it! And now Bones knows.