BABIES

[connike]

the babies meme

guidelines
→ Leave a comment with your character's name, fandom, and any preferences you may have.
→ Another character replies and suddenly you are a loving (??) couple with a child or multiple children!
→ Go from there! You can do literally whatever you want, from silly day-to-day domestic shenanigans to threads involving pregnancies to more serious topics. If you're short on ideas, you can look to other memes like The Domestic Meme or The Family Meme for inspiration.

Comments

[aviophobia]

McCoy shrugs. "What's the progress on your cabin? We might be able to take her back there."

[captaincocksure]

"Let me find out."

He goes over to the speaker set in the wall, having a brief consultation with his chief engineer.

"Scotty says they're just about done. Amazing. Shall we?"

[aviophobia]

"Perfect timing." Tilting his head away from the cow still being persistently hit against his mouth and cheek, he glances at Jim. "Lead on."

[captaincocksure]

Jim leads them to the turbolift, which seems to be the only thing that the baby likes as much as the cow; once again she leans over, reaching for the handholds or anything else she can get a hand on.

"No, sweetheart, that's not for you," Jim says, gently taking her little hand in his.

[aviophobia]

Leonard tries not to let his heart beat too fast at the sight of Jim holding that tiny hand in his, because frankly, it's adorable, and he doesn't know what to do with it.

"Think that's the first time you've ever told someone to not stick their fingers where they don't belong," he snarks instead.

[captaincocksure]

"That's the first time I ever met anybody whose fingers were so small," Jim shoots back. "When she's grown she can put her fingers where she damn well pleases but until then..."

If he were actually thinking about this very much he might be surprised at how easily he falls into this nurturing role.

They reach his deck and Jim leads them out. "You want to inspect the setup to make sure it's safe, once we get there?"

[aviophobia]

"'Course I do." McCoy frowns, ducking away from the cow again. "I'm sure Scotty knows how to childproof something in theory, but he's too much of an overgrown kid himself to not put some flashes and bangs in any setup."

[captaincocksure]

They arrive at Jim's quarters, and sure enough, the crib seems rather elaborate for what Jim would've expected. (It's not a hazard, is actually reasonably well childproofed, it's just very much a Scotty creation.)

Scotty divides his time between explaining all the features of this rigged-up crib and fussing over the wee bonnie lass; Jim can't help but be amused.

[aviophobia]

The crib gets McCoy's grudging approval, once he makes sure that nothing can be easily pried off and shoved in her mouth or nose, that the bars can't go down and that she can't stick her head through the bars. It certainly gets the baby's approval - once he sets her in it, she laughs in delight and hits the cow against the bars.

[captaincocksure]

And for a few moments, three of the senior officers of the Federation's flagship stand around a hastily-created crib, smiling down at a tiny girl.

Scotty takes his leave, and Jim lingers by the crib, leaning on the side and watching the baby play with the stuffed cow.

"What do I do about getting her to sleep? Will she just do it by herself when she needs to?"

[aviophobia]

"She will, but you also may need to help her along if she's fussy or if she wakes up in the middle of the night. It's different for everyone, but." He hesitates for a moment, then barrels on. It's not like he hasn't mentioned his daughter to Jim before, but this feels different. This is picking at a scab that still hasn't healed over completely. "Jo liked having her back rubbed, or being carried around. Car rides, too, but that's a little more difficult out here."

[captaincocksure]

"Let's not mention that last thing to Scotty; he'll get ideas and try to set something up in the shuttle bays."

McCoy has mentioned his daughter, yes. But while his CMO is usually quick to share opinions and information about everything else under the sun, he doesn't much discuss Jo (or his marriage to Jo's mother) in anything but passing terms.

Which tells Jim everything he needs to know. It's only been a few years since the breakup so bad that it drove this doctor, who was scared to fly and loathed space, to enlist in Starfleet. And Jim has been with him damn near every day since; he knows McCoy hasn't spent any significant time with his daughter, that theirs is a relationship mostly carried out by video calls.

"Well." He puts a hand on McCoy's shoulder, warm, friendly--a light enough touch that he could pass it off as brotherly friendship should the doctor start in with what the hell are you doing get your paws off me. But he means it in empathy, in sorrow for what he knows his friend doesn't have and must miss, and maybe even in mild apology for dredging those feelings up. "I may need your help with that, some nights."

[aviophobia]

McCoy jerks his shoulder under Jim's hand, but it's a half-hearted get your hands off me jackass rather than one that has any oomph behind it. He misses Jo, more than he can ever say, and the empathy is appreciated. "You know where to find me. And after one night of being woken up every hour, you will be hollering for me."

[captaincocksure]

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see."

...See him doing precisely that, no doubt. Because he has no idea, he's never lived it.

For now, though, the baby seems to be considering the idea of settling in. She's quieter--she's stopped bashing the cow against the side of the crib in favor of an almost thoughtful examination of it.

Jim can't help himself. He knows maybe he should leave her alone while she's quiet, but he scoops her up, cradling her against his shoulder. She curls into him, sort of half-heartedly thumping the cow against him as he holds her. "Computer," he calls out, rubbing the little girl's back with his free hand, "dim the lights."

[aviophobia]

McCoy nods, mildly approving. "Walk around with her a bit, let her get relaxed, and then put her down."

[captaincocksure]

Jim smiles; there's a definite I got that right cast about it, but it's softer, warmer, too. Like he's pleased. Like holding this baby is pretty damned good.

"I'll try that." And he starts walking, slowly, that hand still rubbing small circles on her back.

[aviophobia]

Leonard realizes that he's not actually doing any good here; that he's just kind of awkwardly hovering, trying to reconnect with something he'd thought he'd lost. He knows he ought to go ...

... but he doesn't.

Instead, he grabs Jim's desk chair and settles in it, arms over his chest, watching like he's evaluating Jim for a progress report. He'd almost look stern if he didn't have that softness to his eyes.

[captaincocksure]

Jim is surprised when McCoy doesn't leave. He knows the scowling surveillance is mostly for show, and yet with a million other things he could be doing, his CMO is sitting there, arms folded, watching him hold the--

Oh. Oh. Jim thinks he gets it now.

"I forgot to check in with ship's services about the blankets and all the rest." And with that, a very drowsy baby is deposited in McCoy's arms so Jim can go avail himself of the communicator panel on the wall behind his desk.

He tries to keep the grin off his face as he hails ship's services.

[aviophobia]

You do not get anything, ever, okay, Jim Kirk. You certainly don't see that Leonard McCoy is as transparent as a window when it comes to children, especially tiny adorable babies who curl up against his chest and nestle their heads under his chin like she was meant to be there. He doesn't say a word as Jim goes to the comm, just shifts his position to hold her more securely, knuckles rubbing along her back gently.

[captaincocksure]

Some blankets and a couple of makeshift onesies, made quickly and on the fly, are apparently ready; Jim asks they be brought down. He steps out into the corridor to wait so the delivery person's arrival doesn't disturb the baby.

When he steps inside, the pile of folded blankets and garments he holds are amusingly familiar in their primary colors. It's clear ship's services gutted some uniform shirts. Jim sets the pile of things on top of his dresser, and then he comes over and drapes a command yellow blanket over the baby.

"How's she doing?"

[aviophobia]

"She's good." McCoy's voice is pitched much more quietly than usual, and he's stroking the baby's back with a slow, rhythmic motion. "Think she's just about asleep."

[captaincocksure]

"Good."

He wants to reach down and touch the baby, too, but he doesn't want too many hands on her, or to disturb McCoy's soothing.

"That works well? Rubbing her back."

[aviophobia]

"Mmm-hmm." He can feel her breathing evening out, the soft contented sigh of a baby finally soothed to sleep. "She seems to like it." He glances up at Jim. "Get the bed ready. She's gonna need it soon."

[captaincocksure]

"You got it."

Jim finds himself wondering, as he gets the crib ready, how you know something like that. Is it instinct? If he becomes a father himself someday, would he just somehow know what to do for a baby?

He comes back, smiling faintly at them both. "It's ready."

[aviophobia]

Carefully, Leonard hoists himself to his feet, moving slowly and gingerly so as not to jostle the baby too much, and settles her down into the crib, pulling the blanket tenderly over her.

"There we go," he murmurs. "Out like a light."