the Dalaverse

Okay so this is a bit of established-relationship, future-set fluff that I apparently had to get out of my system before seeing HBP and descending into angst. For once I got something to approximately 1000 words! Is similar in tone to The cure for anything is salt water so I decided they're sister fics.


Title: Under the Same Sky
"Twenty-five years on a Federation flagship and he wants to see the stars."
Author: Dala
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Rating: R
Disclaimer: standard applies
Notes: thanks to tricksterquinn for beta help



Under the Same Sky


“Twenty-five years,” Bones muttered, trudging up the slope behind him. “Twenty-five years on a Federation flagship and he wants to see the stars.”

A corner of Jim's mouth twisted up. The doctor's voice was low for all its vitriol, but he knew better than anyone that Jim's hearing was still sharp.

“We're almost there, old man." He glanced over his shoulder in time to catch the scowl Bones shot at him. "And I've never seen these stars before."

Bones let out a bark of laughter, near enough that he could almost feel the puff of warm air on the back of his neck. “What the hell do we have observation decks for?”

“To remind you of the darkness and danger and death that’s lurking right outside the window, of course.” Finally reaching the crest of the hill, Jim paused to gaze at the landscape around him. He would definitely be recommending colonization when he finished his report tomorrow. This planet was covered in fertile grasslands and forests, with three major oceans and a number of smaller bodies of water; Science had already identified several dozen species of edible vegetation. The largest native lifeforms looked something like giant green-and-brown striped cows, placidly observing their survey over the past two weeks.

For this final expedition he'd chosen his spot carefully. Bones came to a halt beside him to look down on the meadow below. Thick grass rippled in a light breeze off the bay two klicks to the east. A pale lavender color by daylight, at night it became indistinguishable from the grass in any other clearing on any other world. But it was softer than the scratchy brown scrub of late-summer Iowa when he lowered himself to the ground, ignoring the twinge of protest from his right knee. That one was from just a few months ago and Bones was bound to start in about taking better care of ill-used joints if he heard a groan. He grumbled about his own knees as he dropped down beside Jim, both of them canting their faces up.

Jim leaned on his hands with a long sigh of contentment. The night sky stretched over them, peppered with blue-white stars and the deeper glow of a neighboring moon and the Enterprise in orbit. Bones lifted an eyebrow as Jim flopped back in the grass. Doubtless he had warnings about space chiggers and backaches on the tip of his tongue, yet he let Jim pull him down, turned his head as Jim raised an arm to point out shapes in the inky black canopy. A whale, a teacup, three interlocking rings, a nebula that happened to be an exact match for the scattering of freckles at the small of Bones' back (he earned himself a truly epic eye-roll with this particular illustration). Stellar Cartography had drawn the first constellation map for this world, but it would be left for someone else to tell the stories behind them.

"See?" Jim whispered, tracing their names across the stars. "Beautiful."

Bones hmm-mmmed in agreement, his attention on Jim's face rather than the view as he reached up to catch his wrist, curled it against his chest. Jim kissed him, slow and deep, rolling toward him in the dark. The familiar taste of his mouth was sweetened by the freshly-picked fruit Sulu had assured them was safe to eat with dinner. After a few minutes Bones pulled away to swat at his shoulder, wry affection shining in his eyes.

"Go back to your stargazing, Jim-boy. I'll keep myself entertained."

And he scooted downward, settling himself over Jim's hips. Jim laced his hands behind his head. He did not wriggle with anticipation, as that would be beneath his dignity (he might've grinned a little but fortunately there was no one around to prove it). Bones pressed lingering kisses to his stomach because he liked the way the muscle and flesh yielded under his touch just as much as he'd ever liked it firm and taut, maybe more. Jim thought he was crazy but was not about to complain, not when Bones was stroking and licking and sucking gently until Jim was hard in his mouth.

The stars seemed to grow closer, falling down upon him as heat pooled in his belly and spun out through his nerves. He blinked away the sting, determined to commit every spark and twinkle to memory for when they wouldn't have the chance to roam uncharted planets. Not yet, he told himself, not just yet - but soon enough, and when that day came he thought he'd be ready. There would be hundreds of impressionable young cadets to hang on his every word, chess games as often as could be managed so Spock didn't get rusty, a little house on the bay whose deed sat in his desk drawer even now, Joanna and her new baby and the ship she'd return to when he was old enough. And always, always -

"Bones," he murmured, breath catching in his throat. He slid his hands into Bones' hair, thumbs rubbing the gray at his temples, and moaned his name again as Bones swallowed him down.

At the end he couldn't keep his eyes from closing, but pinpricks of light burned against his lids nonetheless.

"Well?" Bones poked his arm after crawling up to sprawl beside him once more. "You dragged me all the way out here to see the damned stars - gonna tell me what you think of 'em?"

Jim turned his face into Bones' shoulder, inhaling the scent of sunlight and good earth that clung to his shirt.

"It's the same and it's different," he said quietly. "Every single time."

Jim wrapped an arm around his waist and felt the curve of Bones' lips on his brow. In a little while someone's comm would go off - Uhura or Chekov wondering where the captain had disappeared to when his shift started in twenty minutes, Chapel or M'Benga asking about this patient record or that vaccine. It was never easy to steal a moment together on a ship of such size, even accounting for many years of practice.

But for now they were alone, two travelers at rest on a bright new world. And Jim was sure he would remember the pattern of its stars.