Work Text:
Cake
Jim tossed his PADD to the foot of his bed and flopped backward, splaying out on it like an octopus. He sighed loudly and addressed his roommate, “Gah, there’s four hours of my life I’m never getting back. I get why we need to learn about other cultures, but do we really need to be tested on Romulan and Klingon table manners? How likely do you think it is that we’ll ever sit down to dinner with either of them? Ugh. I’m ready to go to the pub. Are you going?”
Leo hummed, but didn’t look up from his own PADD.
“Bones! Are you even listening to me?”
Leo sighed and rolled his eyes as he looked at his best friend. “Yes, Jim, I’m a doctor. We multitask. Will there be Romulans and/or Klingons at the pub? Maybe you can practice your newfound skills.”
Jim laughed. “I sure hope not. Let’s go get a drink.”
“I can’t. I’m editing a paper for Chapel, and it’s due tomorrow,” Leo replied.
Shaking his head, Jim wondered, “You’ve been complaining about all the papers you’ve had to write over the past two weeks, and now you’re editing one for someone else? What the hell for?”
“Writing is growing the wheat and milling it. It’s juicing the sugar cane and evaporating it into crystals; feeding the chickens every morning and gathering the eggs, milking the cow, letting the cream rise to the top, and then churning it into butter. Eventually, after all those grueling processes are done, you can finally put the ingredients together and make a cake.
“But with editing, somebody has given you all the ingredients, and all you have to do is adjust the quantity—or maybe just pull some carrots out of the ground and grate them to create a new flavor. The heavy lifting is already done, and you can reswizzle the ingredients the writer provided you to make the best cake possible.
“Also, Chapel’s paying me to edit her paper. So, there’s that. Think of it this way: I’ll have money set aside to bail you out next time.”
Jim stared at Leo, wide-eyed. “You are such a drama queen. Are you coming with me or not?”
Leo tapped the PADD’s stylus against his bottom lip, considering. “I don’t think so, Jim. But, if you can find some way to amuse yourself for the next hour or two until I get this finished, I’ll make it worth your while.” He waggled his eyebrows at his lover, and continued, “We’ve got our own booze, and staying in will be much more fun than the pub.”
Jim stood and stretched, leering at Leo. “Mmm, I think I like that plan. I’m proud to be a part of it. I guess I can find something else to do for a while.” He shifted over to Leo’s bed, sitting next to him and kissing him gently. He deliberately made the second kiss quite a bit dirtier than the first, just to give Leo an incentive to hurry.
“Dammit Jim. Shoo. I need to finish this,” Leo choked out between kisses. He slowly and reluctantly pushed Jim away, and leaned in for one last kiss. “Just a little while. Then I’ll give you what you want.”
“Okay, Bones.” Jim said, getting back to his feet. “I guess I can go bother Uhura and Gaila for a bit. Send me a text when you’re done?”
Leo reached down to adjust his pants, and Jim snickered. “Of course I will. Let me work first, and then we’ll play.”
Putting on his boots, Jim said, “Just don’t take too long.”
Leo replied, “I won’t. I have plans tonight. Now go on, git. Love you.”
Jim smiled shyly and looked directly into Leo’s eyes. “Love you more.”