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Bones was sick. Not just a head cold where his nose kept running the 100 meter dash, but deep down-ache-in-his-bones (ha) sick. He had isolated himself to his dorm room for the duration, with Jim popping in with notes and well wishes. At first Bones had tried keeping Jim out, but eventually realized it was futile and not worth the effort to try to tell him different.
Jim would never admit it, but he was worried. Bones had been running a high fever for a couple of days, and although Bones had written out a hypospray schedule for Jim, he didn’t feel the medicine was doing Bones any good. He was determined to help his friend get better, so he spent his free time helping Bones.
He had set up camp beside Bones’ bed, idly figuring algorithms for an engineering class when he heard Bones mumble something. He couldn’t make out all the words, but he distinctly heard the words “kiss” and “Jim.” He didn’t think much about it; Bones had just been muttering about birthday cake and balloons and something about a bear in a hat when he heard Bones still mumbling about kissing Jim.
Jim stopped what he was doing to really look at Bones. Bones’ dark hair was sticky and glued to his forehead from sweat. His pallor was still slightly off and his eyes were over bright with fever. Jim also noticed that Bones was becoming fretful and restless. He began making shushing sounds and moved to hold Bones’ hand. Bones turned toward Jim looking helpless. Jim leaned over to brush his lips against Bones’ chapped ones. Bones sighed and parted his lips and Jim deepened the kiss. After a moment, Bones settled and went back to sleep with a small smile on his face. Jim was stunned. He hadn’t thought he would feel anything but suddenly, the world had tilted and now he was unsure of how to feel about his friend.
A couple of days later when Bones was pretty much back to being Bones, (Really Jim, you could have gotten yourself sick by staying with me, you idiot!) Jim had gone out with friends for a few drinks. His mind was still reeling from the not-kiss from the other day. With some subtle questioning, Jim determined that Bones did not remember his fever-induced delusions. In the meantime, that kiss was all Jim could think about. He had played that kiss out in his head so many ways; everything from just a peck on the lips to a full on tongue duel. He eventually left his friends in search of more liquor and instead ended up on a sidewalk on the other side of town, drunk calling his best friend.
Bones didn’t question; he just showed up and looked at Jim. Jim, who was smiling at him, nay beaming at him, was trying to tie the shoelaces of his boots together. Bones was probably also sure that Jim wouldn’t be able to explain how his underwear was now on the outside of his jeans. As he finally managed to get Jim’s arm hooked around his shoulders, Bones grumbled under his breath something about infants and liquor.
Jim began stumbling around, trying to do a dance with Bones. Bones tightened his grip on Jim and came to a stop underneath a streetlight illuminating an otherwise darkened alleyway close to the Academy. Jim was mumbling something about kissing and being sick when he abruptly stopped and suddenly blurted out that he loved Bones. Bones snorted once but held Jim steady while trying to pull Jim along with him back to the dorms. Jim was stubborn however, and refused to move. He blearily glared at Bones, practically challenging him to do something about his declaration of love. Bones sighed and pulled at Jim again. Jim tripped, almost pulling the duo down. As Bones tried to pull them upright again, Jim mashed their lips together, catching Bones off guard. Not thinking, Bones tugged Jim closer and buried his fingers in Jim’s hair. After a breathless moment, Bones pulled back to see Jim with eyes still closed. Bones threw Jim’s arm back around his shoulders and Jim’s head quite naturally came to rest on his shoulder. Bones sighed again and slowly got them back to their dorm.
The next day was interminably slow for Bones. Although the clinic was busy, he found his thoughts drifting to Jim and the kiss they had shared. The more he thought, the more he realized that something must have happened while he was sick. He had the vague recollection of asking Jim to kiss him, which made Jim’s drunken ramblings about kissing much clearer. After his shift, Bones trudged into the dorm to find Jim sitting at the desk, with his head in his hands. Bones hesitated and went to stand by his friend, ready to offer any support he could. Jim stood and they faced each other, both clearly remembering previous events, although the memories were tinged hazy from sickness and alcohol.
Neither moved; the tension crackled between them. When they looked back later, neither could remember who moved first, but it didn’t matter. Two halves came together and slotted themselves to make a whole. They naturally moved to accommodate the slight differences there were. Tentative at first, growing more confident when they realized the other was not going to pull away.
When they finished kissing, they pulled back just enough to rest their foreheads together. Jim had his hands on Bones’ hips, swaying them gently back and forth; Bones had his hands on Jim’s shoulders, toying with the short hairs on Jim’s neck. Jim broke the happy silence with a whispered, “Now that’s a first kiss. Happy birthday, Bones.”