Captain's First LOL [for losthunter]

[boldygoing]

With the restrictions on his food intake finally lifted, and with months to go until the Enterprise is ready to fly again, Jim Kirk has had all the more reasons to visit the Nexus and explore, particularly the markets. Whether it's finding interesting otherworldly seedlings for Sulu, tracking down a source of authentic Vulcan kreyla for Spock, or bringing home volumes of Russian literature for Chekov, there's always something to bring back for somebody.

Jim's been warned about LOLs before. Both through the brochure he picked up the first time he arrived here, and by some Nexus veterans, namely Hunter and Samus. But in the months since he's been visiting the multiverse, he's still never seen the phenomenon, not even once.

And so it's easy to forget for a moment that he has to be cautious.

He's discovered a Jewish cafe on one corner of the commercial district that's offering free samples to passersby, and it's been ages since he's had real, hand-made vorschmack on rye. So he doesn't think twice before accepting one of the samples on offer, and there's nothing to indicate that there's anything in it other than the usual bread, fish, and other typical ingredients he'd expect. At least, not until the woman running the sample cart asks him how he likes it.

Jim fully intends on simply complimenting her on the flavor of the food, but what comes out instead is, "It's good but not as good as my Grandma Ruth used to make." He blinks in confusion. "I don't know why I just said that. I wasn't going to tell you that." And again... he says more than he intended.

"Oh dear," the woman says, looking mournfully at the sample tray. "I used the wrong seasoning again. Sorry about that." And then she whisks the tray away, vanishing into the depths of the cafe with no explanation or any indication that she plans to return.

And only now does Jim remember the warnings he was given.

"Oh shit. This is not good." He doesn't know what the hell it's done to him, aside from making him chattier than he intended to be, but he doesn't want to go home like this. Especially not when he can't be certain there won't be more coming. And there's only one person he knows he can go to for help.

Jim calls up the coordinates for Hunter's apartment, hurrying to get his ass over there, muttering to himself under his breath.

Comments

[losthunter]

"Even if it was accidental, others need to know about the place, and be wary for the future." Hunter points out. He pulls out a knife and cutting board. Then places both in front of Jim, with some cheese, so he can help in the food preparation.

[boldygoing]

Jim pitches in, but he hesitates for a moment as a thought occurs. "How do you know if your own food is safe?"

[losthunter]

"I purchase from vendors who have their Nexus food services certificate. Or someone that Schön has personally vouched for."

"But..." Hunter frowns for a moment. "Nothing is really safe."

[boldygoing]

"Having your food tampered with is one of the scariest things I can think of. Wasting food is worse." Which means that, paranoid about the food or not, he's still not going to turn down lunch, and he moves to continue helping to prep the light meal. "I see people do it all the time and it drives me crazy."

[losthunter]

"I can relate to that a little." After all, Hunter spent some time on the streets. He remembers so much wasted food just being thrown away. And so many people who were homeless digging through the trash for that food.

"How long did it take before food insecurities were fixed, in your world?"

[boldygoing]

Jim hates talking about this even more than his nightmares, a much older, deep-seated set of fears and nightmares that've been part of him since he was a kid. But he can't avoid it or sugercoat his answer or even change the subject, compelled to respond, and answer truthfully. "The resupply ship showed up two months after the executions and it was still a month ahead of schedule. Shit. Fuck." He sets down the knife before his hands start to shake a little. And because he can't avoid speaking his thoughts, the next part is muttered to himself, but still audible. "It was thirteen years ago, Kirk, get a fuckin' grip."

[losthunter]

Hunter had not meant his question to lead to Jim being forced to answer about his food insecurity experience. He had more wanted to know how long it had taken Earth to correct things, so no one would go hungry anymore.

And he sets down his own knife, so that he can move behind Jim and just hold him.

It is more than upsetting to hear that there had been executions because there had not been enough food to feed everyone.

"Hey... you are allowed to be upset about it."

[boldygoing]

His question had been ambiguous enough that Jim's first association is with the personal, rather than historical, implications of the question. And once again, it's too late to change his response, his body tense under Hunter's hands.

"He killed half the colony," Jim says, a fact that still strikes him to his heart even though it was years and years ago. "Four thousand people."

[losthunter]

"Fuck Jim..." Hunter can not even comprehend experiencing something like that. He leans into the other man, placing his head on the other man's shoulder.

It is very shocking to hear some of the things that Jim has been dealing with privately. That no one else would know.

"You can have a safe-stash of food here, if you want."

[boldygoing]

Jim can't look at him, since Hunter is behind him, but he does reach up to put his hands on Hunter's, where they're clasped over his chest. There's an odd warmth in his core, a spark against the cold, dark memories of Tarsus IV. "It wouldn't bother you? It bothered Bones."

[losthunter]

"No. It wouldn't bother me." Hunter could suggest some places that a safe-stash could be kept.

"As long as it isn't in the art studio, where cross contamination might happen..."

[boldygoing]

"That's fine. I wouldn't want any of it to get ruined by getting paint or clay or something on it." To him, that'd be as bad as deliberately wasting it.

[losthunter]

"Exactly..." Hunter gives Jim another hug. "But if you see a spot that looks like it would work... go ahead and use it."

[boldygoing]

"It's your home, Hunter, I don't want to hide anything like a squirrel burying acorns for winter or something stupid like that." Jim sighs a little, the glimpse of humor only a brief one. "I know damn well that it's not going to happen again but I worry about it all the time, and I'm not supposed to even let anyone know I was on Tarsus Four in case they ever catch Kodos and I have to testify. There were only nine witnesses to the massacre who survived and witness protection doesn't work if you talk to a counselor about it."

[losthunter]

"Careful with that squirrel comment... some Nexus LOLs have been known to turn humans into animals."

Hunter returns to his side of the kitchen counter, to go back to frying up some meat and eggs to go with the cheese.

"Well, this is another one of those incidents where I know about it now, so you have the option of talking to me about it."

[boldygoing]

"You've got to be shitting me," is Jim's unfiltered, somewhat amused response to the squirrel comment, but at least it's a less depressing thought than the horrible events he's been recalling.

"It was a horrible experience," Jim warns him, able to do that at least instead of just launching into a description of what he went through as a kid, trying to shift his focus to Hunter instead of Tarsus. "I don't think you want to hear it over lunch if you plan on eating it."

[losthunter]

"I have heard of it happening. Or the cliche of people becoming their costumes..."

Hunter nods in agreement. "Let us find something else for your motor mouth to focus on right now."

"I have hired a detective to find Austin." Hunter opts for taking about his life.

[boldygoing]

"That asshole who cursed you?" Jim's hands aren't steady enough yet to continue helping get lunch ready, but he's getting there, and it helps to have something else to occupy his thoughts. "What'd you tell the detective you wanted to find him for?"

[losthunter]

"You would be surprised how few questions they ask, when you give them a healthy bonus."

[boldygoing]

"Yeah, I guess I would be. I don't really get the 'get rich' mentality at all. What the hell does anyone even do with more money than they need? Having more than you can spend is pointless."

[losthunter]

"I agree with that mentality. I would rather help others, however I can."

[boldygoing]

"Hoarding material wealth isn't important to people in my century. Kinda hard to be when we can make precious metals and gemstones on demand. I know a lot of our tech is new or weird to you but your attitude on a lot of things fits right in."

[losthunter]

"I guess that is why I spend time at my Nexus apartment, than the one in New York." Hunter notes. He is making an omelet, and looks at Jim to see if he wants any extra toppings in his.

"I have been considering consolidating my New York apartment, and just getting a basic flat, and public art gallery combination. It would make more sense."

[boldygoing]

Jim's trying to focus on the conversation, so that he doesn't start blurting out three different things at once, so he doesn't quite get the silent question that Hunter's asking him with that look. "You want to turn your home into an art gallery? Is that typical? Wouldn't you have a lot of strangers in your house? I don't know that I'd do that, but it's your apartment." He grimaces a little at the slightly tactless way his mouth decided to say all that. "Sorry. I feel like I should keep apologizing."

[losthunter]

"The Foundation has been offering a few different university-level classes, and one of them is art. We have a few talented students... who face challenges of getting their art work displayed, because they don't have a home address."

"My thought was to have the art gallery as a place for them to display their artwork. The flat would be separate and private. Not that I would use it that much." Hunter shrugs. "Right now, I just consider having that other apartment as an unnecessary luxury."

"Do you want anything in your omelet?" He asks the question directly.