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

[boldygoing]

Jim takes a few bites while Hunter talks, glad that he's able to listen without his mouth demanding he interrupt with whatever inane thought has crossed his mind. It'd be a shame if this home-cooked omelet got cold due to his inability to shut up.

"I didn't know there was a fake you except what stupid people assume when they see you." By now, he's pretty much given up on apologizing for his phrasing. Hunter hasn't taken any offense so far, and he seems to get that there's nothing Jim can do about considering his words before he speaks, at the moment.

[losthunter]

"We met at the right time." Because if it had been 'Kyle' who had been given the door to the Nexus, he would have never bothered with the opportunities awaiting him on the other side.

"When we both needed the other to provide support and understanding."

[boldygoing]

Jim nods in agreement. "I'm glad I met you. I don't have any other civilian friends right now and it's hard to meet people who don't already have assumptions about me."

[losthunter]

"I am sort of glad that I get to take you to one of the clubs in New York now. It is a place where no one will recognize you."

[boldygoing]

"Not being recognized is severely underrated," Jim sighs, and continues working on his omelet. So far, no indication it's diluting the effect of the LOL, but at least they've gotten him onto a more pleasant topic to ramble about. "It's still a little weird to me that men in dresses is notable in your time though. I know it was like that historically but it's one thing to learn it from a database and another to experience it, even though we haven't actually gotten there yet."

[losthunter]

"I am almost finished with my dress. I am actually quite excited about this night."

[boldygoing]

"I'm hyped too," Jim agrees. "I don't get out much like that anymore. No time to party when you're captaining a starship."

[losthunter]

"Have you heard about when you, and the Enterprise, will be sent back on a mission?"

[boldygoing]

"Still months from now. There's no set date yet. It depends on how fast the repairs and refits go and how long before she passes her stress tests and stuff like that. It's no good to fix a ship without making sure nothing's gonna break right out of the gate. And Samus suggested a few things to change that I submitted to Starfleet's Corps of Engineers so we have to see if those get cleared and how long that will take."

[losthunter]

"Oh good. I am glad to hear that she had some suggestions that might make things better."

[boldygoing]

"Me too. She had some good ideas that hopefully mean we won't suffer the same kind of catastrophic power failure that made it necessary for me to climb into the goddamn warp core in the first place."

[losthunter]

Hunter reaches across the table to take Jim's hand in his own again.

"I am glad you are taking her advise."

[boldygoing]

Jim doesn't want to upset Hunter by bringing it up again and again, but he can't help it. "I don't want to think about it but I can't help it. Sometimes I forget and then something trivial or stupid happens to remind me and then I can't get it out of my head again."

[losthunter]

"I don't mind you bringing it up." Maybe it will help Jim a little to be able to talk about these things.

"You sort of have a 'Rudeness' free card tonight."

Hunter tilts his head. "I will just keep a tally, so you can make it up to me later."

[boldygoing]

"You're gonna have a hell of a tally when I'm done," Jim says, trying not to sound too depressed about it. "I bet you already do. I haven't even gotten to the bad stuff yet."

[losthunter]

Hunter has to stop himself from asking. It is likely stuff he doesn't want to know the straight truth about. And stuff that he doesn't want Jim to feel forced into talking about.

"Excellent. I can ask for something really interesting..."

[boldygoing]

Jim frowns at him. "Interesting like what?"

[losthunter]

"Sure put me on the spot."

Hunter laughs. "Like having you cook me a meal. Or do a sexy strip tease. Or just another bike tour. Or even a pleasant surprise."

"It is not like I would ask you do something unpleasant. Or even expect you to do anything you were not comfortable with."

[boldygoing]

Jim gives him a faintly amused look. "It's not like this is truth or dare. So far it hasn't made me do anything besides talk your ear off. That's not to say that I might not someday do a sexy strip tease when I'm more in the mood, but that'd be my choice."

[losthunter]

"Well, I am more than willing to share any truths about my life that you might be interested in. Balance things a little..."

He finishes up with his omelet. It was a good meal. Especially after working on his art project earlier in the day.

[boldygoing]

Jim's mostly done with his, although he's been eating a little slower - a necessity, since he can't quite shut up long enough to eat more than a bite or two at a time.

"I have been thinking that we know a lot about each other now but we kind of skipped some of the more mundane stuff," he says. "Like what your favorite color is and what kind of culture you claim as yours and that sort of thing."

[losthunter]

"That is true. You told me when your birthday was... but not how old you are."

Hunter thinks for a moment. "My favorite color is red. It is a very passionate color. And has lot of tones, to describe different moods."

"And as for the culture I claim as mine... New Yorker is very appropriate. And yes, we consider that a culture of our own."

"But if you are asking about what country I can trace my roots to... that would be England."

[boldygoing]

"I'm twenty-six," Jim answers, as soon as Hunter mentions that somehow his age had never come up.

"Red's a good color but I like gold better. I might've told you that already." Eh well, can't hurt to say it again.

He finishes the last bite of his omelet as he listens to the rest of Hunter's answer. "I thought New York culture was still pretty diverse, with all the immigrants who came there first."

[losthunter]

"An older man. Sexy." It is only one year, but Hunter will still flirt a little.

"You did. That is why I am excited about my gold dress that I have made." Hunter cleans up the plates.

"It is pretty diverse. And even though generations ago, a member of my family immigrated to the States from England, I have been surrounded by a lot of different cultures my entire life. And so I have my own melding pot of things that I think are cool, even if they are not English traditions."

[boldygoing]

"Wow, I've never been accused of being old before."

"I'm not really that in touch with my own roots," he says, once Hunter explains his outlook on the New York culture he's a part of. "My dad's side of the family has been in North America since the pioneer days but other than the house, there's not much connection there. Mom's family is Jewish."