Star Trek Oneshots

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Jim Kirk)

Written for @auroracalisto's prompt challenge on Tumblr.

Prompt: "Did you carve a pumpkin?" "Yeah, I carved a pumpkin that looks like a clown." "What clown?" "You."

Summary: Y/N and Jim Kirk grew up together as childhood best friends. Y/N had a childhood crush on him that developed into something much, much more. Still, they never took that extra step, instead staying best friend even as Jim went off to join Starfleet and explore the stars. Now, Kirk's coming home to Iowa for the first time in a while, and things might finally start to change—especially if the rest of his crew has anything to say about it.

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I finished arranging the cookies I'd made on a plate, then set them carefully on the table in the living room. I'd spent all morning preparing, and with some classical music playing in the background and the house completely decked out for Halloween, everything was perfect.

My best friend since I was a kid, Jim Kirk, was coming back to Iowa for the first time since he'd left for Star Fleet Academy. He was on shore leave for the week, along with the rest of his crew, and he was bringing a group of friends home to visit.

Of course, "home" for Jim didn't mean the house he'd grown up in. It hadn't meant that for a long time. Especially in those last few years before he left, home for Jim had become me and my place.

He'd become home for me too, although I'd never quite been able to tell him. When he left for Star Fleet, I'd cried for days. The only thing that made me feel better was that he was finally happy. Finally safe from all the baggage in his house.

I'd gone to visit him a few times in San Francisco, and we video chatted regularly, but this was the first time he'd come back to Iowa.

I couldn't wait to see him.

I snagged a few chips from the table just as a knock sounded at my door. I practically jumped for joy as I headed to the front of my house and flung open the door to find Jim standing there, a mile-wide grin on his face and a crowd of people behind him.

"Y/N!" he cried, wrapping me in a tight hug before picking me up and swinging me around. I laughed and hugged him back just as tight, and after a second he set me down gently on the ground.

"Jim! It's so good to see you!" I laughed.

"You too! I missed seeing you in person," he said with a smile. We stayed like that for a second, before one of his other friends cleared his throat and he turned around to introduce him. "Y/N, these are my friends and my crew. This is Spock, Bones, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov."

"Hi!" I said, smiling and waving to each person in turn as they returned the gesture. "I've heard so much about you all, I'm happy I finally get to meet you in person! Please, come in!"

"It's nice to finally meet you too," said the only girl in the group, Uhura. "Jim talks about you all the time."

"He does?" I asked, turning around to look at my best friend. He gave me a smile that was clearly trying to hide a grimace, and I looked back at Uhura with a slightly faster heartbeat than usual.

"Oh yeah," she said, smiling as she took my arm and we walked to the living room together. "It's like meeting a living legend."

I grinned, feeling my face heat up slightly as the group made it to the living room. I sat down on the couch with Uhura on one side and Jim on the other. I swear Jim had a slight blush around his neck, but I didn't want to get caught staring at him, so I couldn't be totally sure.

"So, Y/N, you probably have lots of embarrassing stories about the captain," said Sulu, looking at me with a massive grin on his face.

"Oh, you have no idea. I want to hear about everything he's done on the Enterprise too, though! Maybe we could trade a story for a story?"