Title: This Time of Year

Author: MikoAkako

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Language and direct mention to M/ relationship.

Pairing(s): Kirk/Bones

Word count: 1,751

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

Summary: Academy AU. Kirk woke up in a strange room on a very important day. Is he too late to repair his relationship?

Kirk didn't remember much about that day. Hell, he didn't remember much about the past week. From the empty bottles lying on the floor of the unknown room he had been having a good time. He blinked groggily, opening and closing his mouth and wincing at the pain associated with that action. If his hand wasn't so damn heavy he would have felt to see what was making his face so sore. He didn't remember a fight…but that wasn't saying much.

A few minutes – or perhaps half an hour – later, he sat up, his movements heavier than normal. No headache, though. That was a good sign. But then he remembered he didn't get headaches when he was hungover. Carefully he stood up, swaying on the spot until he got his balance. When he got his legs to obey him, he stumbled to the door, flipping the lights on so he could make out more of the room.

The harsh glare of the fluorescent lights made him wince, and built a pain behind his eyes, but it wasn't debilitating. When he could keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds, he examined the room. He was sure of only two things – it was a room at the academy, and it definitely wasn't the room he shared with…oh shit. Just as realization dawned on him, a blonde girl came out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a robe.

"Hey sweetie." She said, smirking as she lay on the bed, stretching out and grinning at him enticingly. "Up for a repeat performance?" Jim groaned, pulling at his hair and turning around. He felt himself respond to her question and controlled himself.

"I don't remember anything about last night, but I think there's been a mistake." He walked over to the bed, managing to appear much more coordinated than he felt, and threw a blanket on her to lessen the temptation. "I'm not…I mean…"

"You're taken?" She asked, tossing the blankets off and standing up. "I know. I was just messing with you." She shrugged a shoulder and brushed past him. He turned just in time to catch a pair of pants she tossed at him. "Put those on, hot stuff." Jim felt heat rise to his cheeks and he tried to make sense of her words.

"I'm a little hung over so can you add more words? The last thing I remember is…" He racked his brain, trying to come up with the name of the bar he went to. And why did he need to go to a bar alone?

"You were at Dry Dock." She prompted, floating around the room and tossing empty bottles into a bag. From the dizzing motion, it was obvious she hadn't drunk much the night before. Kirk had to sit down to avoid the sick feeling her motion evoked.

"Dry Dock?" He knew the place. He also knew a certain person who refused to set foot in there. It was somewhere the younger Starfleet members frequented. The owner turned a blind eye to minors in his establishment. "You're a bartender there, aren't you?" He looked at her harder, trying to picture her in the tight red shirt and black skirt that the female bartenders wore. "Cindy?"

"My name's really Candice. I need the money, and it was that or flipping burgers." She shrugged. "Drunk people tip better." She stopped her movement, giving him a look of sympathy. "Still don't remember?"

"Nothing." He admitted, frustrated. "Why the hell would I go to Dry Dock. I haven't been there in years." Since he'd met…No. He couldn't even think the name. Not yet anyway.

"Well, you showed up already pretty fucked up, excuse my French." She said. "I had to get you somewhere before they called the cops on you. And you helped me out in Basic Engineering my first year here so I figured I owed you one."

"Thanks, I think." Jim said, trying to piece together what had happened. "You don't happen to know why I was there, do you?"

"Sorry, hun." She shrugged. "You were muttering something about 'He's gonna break up with me.' Or, that's the gist of it anyway. You weren't quite so articulate." She moved to the small kitchen each unit was equipped with. "Coffee?"

"Yes please." Jim moved beside her, taking the drink black.

"So who is this Mr. Wonderful who's going to dump you?" She asked conversationally, sitting at the bar stood behind the counter.

"Fuck! What day is it today?" Jim spun around, leaving her question unanswered. "Oh fuck. Fuck! I've gotta go." Without a hurried 'thanks,' Jim ran out of the room, trying to orient himself in the building. A few turns later and he arrived at the entrance. He recognized the building as the Delta barracks and headed to Alpha, where his room was. It was still early, before dawn, and there weren't many people up. The few that were gave him strange glances as he raced past.

He wound up at his dorm panting and completely out of breath. He didn't take a minute to compose himself, though, deciding to rush straight in to his room. Lying across the table was his roommate. Judging by the number of bottles his hand had brushed out of the way, he was just as drunk as Jim had been. At the sound of the door whooshing open, he sat up, cursing and grabbing his head. Jim rushed to his side, wrapping his arms around the man against his complaints.

"I'm so sorry, Bones." He said. "I fucked this up, didn't I?"

"Shut up, kid." Leonard McCoy said, pushing him away. Jim allowed himself to be swatted aside. "I'm gonna be sick." And then the dark haired man stumbled to the bathroom. Jim slumped onto the couch, letting his head fall into his hands. He still didn't remember the night before, but he didn't need to to know he had messed up what had been the best thing in his life. He wished he could figure out why he'd done it, though.

From the bathroom he heard the shower start. Without anything better to do, he went to the kitchen, finding his way around without a problem and starting a pot of coffee. His own cup had been left at…Courtney? Clarice?...no, Candice's room. He knew Bones would want some when he finished.

The thought that it was over, that he had, once again, screwed up a relationship made him pause for a minute. He'd never felt this way about anyone. He certainly hadn't expected it to be with a cranky doctor six years his senior. He still woke up most days feeling like he was in some kind of dream. The past eight months had been perfect…were still perfect as far as he could remember. But he knew something had sent him to the bar. He just couldn't remember what. Bones would know, but he didn't know if he could ask. Unlike Jim, Leonard could drink himself into a coma and remember every minute of it.

"Decided to show up?" Jim spun around. He'd been so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed the shower shut off or the door open. He turned to see his best friend-turned-boyfriend standing in a towel right beside him.

"Whatever I did, Bones, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." He wasn't sure how any advance would be taken so he stayed where he was, trying to find some emotion on the older man's face.

"Fuck, Jim." Bones said. "You're apologizing even though you don't remember what happened? How much did you drink last night?" The doctor didn't look upset, but Jim still didn't move.

"I…I don't remember." He admitted. "I stayed at…a friend's. She didn't know either, though. Apparently, I was already well on my way when I got to the bar." He looked down at the floor, glancing up at Bones. "But I am sorry. I don't want to fight with you. Especially not today."

"Come here, kid." Bones said. Jim rushed to him, hugging his midsection while the older man wrapped him in a strong grip. "While I appreciate your apology, you weren't the one who started the fight."

"I…I wasn't?" Now Jim was even more confused. Surely he'd done something, or said something, that made his much more level headed friend upset. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." Bones said, chuckling. "I owe you an apology. I got freaked out, I'll admit. But it had nothing to do with you and everything to do with my own screwed up past."

"You thought…" Pieces of their night drifted back at Bones' prompting. They'd had a long day – Kirk came back to the room in a foul mood after a difficult round of tests and Bones had already been drinking. As soon as Jim walked in, he'd been assaulted with various names. "I'd never leave you, Bones."

"I know, kid. I know." Bones said softly. "But Jocelyn's call came out of the blue. Like hell would I go back to her? Lying son of a bitch that she is."

"Love you too, Bones." Jim said, smiling now that he knew he hadn't messed up…yet. "But wait…she wanted you back?"

"Don't worry about it." Bones said, breaking their embrace and sitting on the bed, still only wearing a towel. "Told her she was about two years too late. You can't get rid of me that easily."

"Well good." Jim said, sitting beside him. "Because I'm not above kidnapping you to bring you back." He took Bones' hand in his, rubbing circles on it absently.

"So why'd you think it was your fault I kicked you out?" He asked, curious.

"I have a history of driving people away this time of the year." Jim admitted cautiously. "You know what I grew up with. I…I don't like relationships. And this…particular day is a rather painful reminder of that."

"Were you planning on breaking up with me today?" He asked. Jim jerked back, wide eyed.

"No!" He said, empathetically. "Not in a million years. You're…I mean…I love you. So much more than I thought I ever could. Though I'll never know why you gave me a shot. I was a dick back then."

"Yeah. You were." Bones agreed. Jim had either brought back or went home with a different girl every other night, never returning any calls or caring who he hurt. "Happy Valentine's Day, Jim."

"Back at ya, Bones." Jim said, kissing him gently. "The first of many."

A/N: My first foray into Star Trek and it's Bones/Kirk. And written in about fifteen minutes. Hopefully I'll be posting more in this genre, though perhaps things that are more thought out and beta'd. Haha. And more of the Spirk variety. ;D Anyways, Happy Valentine's Day everyone!