We get a lot of Jim's birthday, but what about Jim doing something for Bones the first birthday he can't see Joanna? (my quarantine birthday is coming up and I need a pick me up 😊)
“Bones, love of my life, sole owner of my heart, can you promise me something?”
Jim locks himself in Bones office, not that his husband would notice really, because he’s too busy focusing on the PADD in front of him, glaring at it the way he glares at ensigns who don’t show up for vaccinations on time.
“You say something, Jim?” Bones says after a minute, blinking up at Jim.
“Can you not make Chekov cry again? Sulu might challenge you to a duel, and we know you can’t handle a sword, so I’ll have to do it, and I really don’t want to be eviscerated by my pilot.”
Bones sighs, rubs at his temples. “I didn’t make Pavel cry. I just wasn’t happy with the news he delivered. Might’ve overreacted.”
“You taught him some curses even I haven’t yet. And he thinks you’re mad at him. He’s commandeered the communications hub to make you an apology card.”
Jim leans into Bones, slotting himself into place the way he has more times than he can count. He knows about the news Chekov delivered--and he wished he hadn’t. He’s already been on the comm all day, figuring out ways around it.
“I’m sorry we won’t be back Earth side for your birthday.” He says into Bones’ hair.
“No big deal.”
“Mr. Chekov wouldn’t agree with you.”
He hears Bones’ huff of breath. “Every birthday I’ve seen her. I don’t even know what it would be without that.”
Jocelyn is militant about Joanna’s visitations. She gets to see Bones on her birthday, but she had the flu, and his. And the brief shore leaves on Earth, which every year during Bones’ birthday they’ve been on the Enterprise, has coincided. Not that Jim had anything to do with that. At all.
But this year they’re too far to make it back. A milk run and a rescue mission back to back will place them to many systems away from Earth to get back in time. Jim tried pulling favors to get Jocelyn and Jo on a ship so they could meet halfway--no dice.
“I’m so sorry, babe.” Jim threads his fingers into the nape of Bones’ neck. He knows about shitty birthdays. Before Bones, before the Academy, his birthday consisted of a warm body and bottles of whatever took the edge off.
Bones takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, turns his face into Jim’s neck. “It’ll be fine. Just a day, right?”
Right.
***
“Jim.”
“Nope, not right now.” Jim tells the guts of the display system.
“Excuse me?” The voice incredulously asks.
Jim’s head collides with the panel door. “Shit, ow, sorry, Uhura. What’s going on?”
“I’ve heard back from all the departments, we’re a go for the non-essential blackout.”
He could kiss her. “Oh, thank god.”
“What else do you need?”
“Right now? For this display to stop being a little shit.”
Jim hears Uhura’s shoes click clack on the floor before smelling her floral perfume as she settles down next to him. “Want me to get Scotty?”
“I’ve got him and Chekov running Bones interference.”
“Good luck with that.”
“That’s what I said.” Jim slams the panel door closed sends a silent prayer to any deity that might be listening that this works.
***
“Bunch of halfwits. Who shaves off their eyebrows twice?” Bones says as he enters their quarters.
Jim winces and makes a mental note to send Chekov and Scotty a fruit basket or something later.
Before Jim can get farther into their rooms, Jim stops him. “Bones! I haven’t seen you all day. We were supposed to have birthday lunch.”
“Thank the entirety of engineering who decided to actually show up early for their checkups.” Bones grumbles and accepts a kiss.
“Aw, its like they wanted to give you a birthday present.”
Bones snorts. “Please tell me we can drink now.”
“Not yet. We’ve got that safety seminar, remember. On the observation deck?”
Bones face scrunches up. “This day keeps getting better and better.”
Jim tugs Bones into the hallway, nodding at two ensigns who quickly salute and then dart off, knowing smiles following behind.
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” Jim says, pushing the wide double doors of the observation bay open. The large windows have been replaced with the display screens he installed earlier.
Bones grumbles about being the first to arrive as Jim checks his comm. Right on time.
The displays blink on and Jo’s toothy seven-year-old grin fills the large screen. Bones gasps--actually takes a shuttering breath and stumbles forward. Thank goodness, Jim’s there to hold him up and push him into a comfortable chair. “Jo? Baby?”
“Daddy!”
Jim’s not sure he can hand out commendations for this but he desperately wants to. He owes his crew. Big time.
For all that their ship is high tech, best in class, and so on, they still can’t get past communication blackouts this far into the black. And Starfleet, no matter how much they owe Bones, can’t just grant resources to pushing a video call on a flagship’s CMO birthday. It took some major juice--the juice that running all systems and causing a virtual blackout would do--to power this call.
But hearing Jo sing happy birthday and Bones blink away happy tears and grip his hand so tight that Jim thinks his husband’s palm lines are imprinted on his own--is worth it.
“When you come home, Jim says we’re going to spend a whole week together!”
Oh yeah, and he managed to call in that favor after all. Couldn’t get Jo here in time but he could get Joce and Clay a Risa vacation in exchange for a week with Jo when they dock on Earth next month.
Bones squeezes his hand again and mouths, Thank you. And Jim leans into him and hopes he knows that no thanks is necessary.
“Happy birthday, Bones.” He says instead, kissing his temple and grinning as Jo holds up a large poster happy birthday sign.
Maybe birthdays don’t have to be so bad after all.