Big Reveals [for losthunter]

[boldygoing]

Jim has been in Starfleet Medical for eight weeks before he's finally released. Which is not to say he's been cleared for duty, mind you. But he's recovered enough not to need that kind of constant medical supervision, able to take the rest of his treatment as outpatient. He has physical therapy three times a week, exercises to do at home, and of course Doctor McCoy is still keeping an eagle eye on his diet, something that annoys Jim to no end.

Of course, that's nothing compared to finding out that his Starfleet-assigned apartment is buried under the crashed bulk of the USS Vengeance.

Jim doesn't really give a shit about the apartment itself. Yeah, it was kind of nice to have his own place, but it's never been home. It was just a place to stay whenever the Enterprise was in port. And though it was more decorated than his quarters onboard the ship, it was all meaningless knickknacks, nothing with any real sentimental value.

No, he's more pissed about the fact that nobody told him until a month after he woke up from the coma.

He understands why, of course. McCoy gave him the whole spiel about stress being bad for his recovery, about not needing to worry himself about things he couldn't do anything about, that by the time this happened Jim was already dead, but it's a heavy blow to realize that the loss of life was far, far greater than he'd realized. Tens of thousands died or lost their homes. Yet Jim Kirk lives, when he has no right to be breathing, let alone leaving the hospital.

And it's hard not to be in a foul mood when he realizes that the only place he has to stay on Earth is in Iowa, at the old neglected Kirk homestead. At least it's not likely to be bugged by Section 31, and Jim spends two entire days sweeping the place for surveillance devices, and another three to get the house in order, before he's reassured enough to have visitors.


[OOC: Image links to replace broken ones below:
23rd century Iowa
Mind meld position]

Comments

[boldygoing]

Jim hasn't had much time for the simpler pleasures of life lately either. A few button presses later, and he has a heaping bowl of popcorn for each of them. "Extra buttered, there ya go."

[losthunter]

"I have to admit, it is weird not to hear the popping sound of the kernels." Hunter chuckles lightly.

[boldygoing]

"Maybe next time, we'll do it the old-fashioned way," Jim says, giving him a lightly amused look. "This is farm country; getting real popcorn won't be hard."


([ooc: Off-topic but I just got back from Wonder Woman and it is SO GOOD! Made me cry.]

[losthunter]

"I would be more than happy to bring over my popcorn machine."

[[no spoilers! But I am glad that it was good!

[boldygoing]

Jim gives him a funny look as he sets his bowl of popcorn down on the low table in the living room, ready to make his reading selection from the new additions to his collection. "You have a dedicated machine for that?"


[I know, no spoilers! :P But I definitely encourage everyone to go see it.]

[losthunter]

"There are a few options for those who want to make their own popcorn. Some people can do it in a frying pan."

"Others go out and buy a machine. Some are hot air poppers. Some are oil based."

"I have a hot air machine."

[boldygoing]

Jim shakes his head a little. The idea of an appliance with one single use is kind of funny to him, in an old fashioned kind of way. "Sounds quaint. I'm sure we can rig up some kind of power converter for it."

[losthunter]

"That would be great. I think you would enjoy the air-popped corn."

[boldygoing]

"I've had it done over a campfire before, but it gets messy real fast," Jim says, retreating upstairs momentarily to grab his chosen book. He already knows which one he wants, so he's only gone for a moment.

[losthunter]

Hunter waits until Jim comes back downstairs, to ask him a question. "What other campfire goodies have you made? Smores? Bush pies?"

[boldygoing]

Jim frowns slightly, taking a seat on the couch, resting his book in his lap. It's one of the volumes of poetry, one of Emily Dickinson's. "I've had s'mores and hobo packs, but I've never heard of the other thing."

[losthunter]

"You take pie filling, and put it in between two slices of bread, then fry it up over the fire."

[boldygoing]

"Guess I missed out on that. How about you?" It occurs to Jim that these particular memories are ones he made with his brother, before Sam ran away. And he has no idea if Hunter has any siblings. "You have any brothers or sisters who made this stuff with you?"

[losthunter]

"I got to do all of it, when I spent the weekend at our lake house with my friend Lindy." Hunter remembered, with a fond smile.

"No. I'm an only child."

[boldygoing]

Jim shoves a handful of popcorn into his mouth, partly to try to make this a little less awkward. It's still hard sometimes, thinking about Sam. "Did you ever wish you weren't?"

[losthunter]

Hunter tilts his head, thinking on that question for a moment. "That is hard to say..."

"I don't know if my father would have been harder on me... or easier on me... if I had a brother or sister."

[boldygoing]

Jim nods a little. He can understand that. "I don't know where my brother is these days," he admits. "He ran away from home a couple of weeks before I drove the car into the quarry. I got a few messages from him after, but that's all I've heard from him since."

[losthunter]

"I had wondered what happened to him..." Hunter had not known how to ask. And he treads gently, since he senses this might be a sensitive subject.

"He ran away, for the same reason you drove that car into the quarry?"

[boldygoing]

He nods again. "Frank. Our step-dad." Jim has mentioned him to Hunter once before, the man who dared think that he could sell George Kirk's antique car as his own. "I got all the attention for being the Kelvin baby, but Sam had to share our dad's name. One of the last things he said to me was that it's impossible to be a Kirk in this house."

[losthunter]

"When did you change your last name to Kirk?" Hunter asked.

[boldygoing]

"Officially, I've always been a Kirk. Wasn't much point in taking Frank's last name; everyone knew who we were anyway." Jim shakes his head a little. "Mom wasn't married to him very long, anyway. Only a couple years. But it was enough, on top of everything else."

[losthunter]

"I must have misunderstood."

But this seems like a good time to bring up information about Hunter's own name. "I recently legally changed my name to Hunter. It isn't the name I was born with. But it is the name I have been using, since my appearance was changed."

[boldygoing]

Jim tries to figure out what he might've said that would be misleading, and comes up with one good candidate. "Sam's legal name is George Samuel Kirk Junior. Everyone calls him Sam because it's... easier." For his mom, for Sam, for everyone.

He listens as Hunter speaks, passing no judgment, never reacting like Hunter's been lying to him about his identity or anything like that. "Because you feel like a different person now?" he guesses.

[losthunter]

"Ah. I didn't get that connection."

"At first, it was because I didn't want anyone to know that I was me. So I used it as a pseudonym. But as I got to find myself and accept myself... it became my new identity. My new self."

[boldygoing]

Jim smiles slightly in apology. "Sometimes I forget you don't know this stuff. Too used to everyone knowing my family's business."

That strikes a chord in Jim, but he can't admit to it, not without breaking the confidentiality that he's still legally bound by. "Why'd you pick Hunter?" he asks instead.