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]

"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.

[boldygoing]

"Oh so it'd be for other people's art? That's sweet of you. If you're not really using the space, I don't see why not. If my apartment hadn't gotten flattened by the Vengeance I would've gotten rid of it eventually for the same reason, although if I hadn't had the house to fall back on I don't know where I'd be living while they clean up San Francisco. It's gonna be a couple years before everything gets rebuilt."

Fortunately the omelet question stops him from going too far down that train of thought. "I like ham, cheese, onions, and mushrooms in my omelets but I'll eat absolutely anything, even if I don't like it."

[losthunter]

"I don't need my own gallery to exhibit only my art pieces. I have other galleries who are already familiar with my work." Hunter explained.

He cuts up some onions and mushrooms for Jim's omelet. Then just as the eggs get cooked enough to flip it as an entire piece, he adds the cheese on top.

[boldygoing]

Jim hadn't planned on bringing it up, but Hunter's comment triggers another train of thought, and he can't help but say it out loud. "When Faris and I were in your head, one of the things you were doubting was whether or not your art was going to be remembered by future generations."

[losthunter]

Hunter slides Jim's omelet onto a plate. Then turns to him. "Yah... that one was a based on a doubt that still weighs on my mind."

[boldygoing]

Jim takes the plate, but he's not quite ready to eat yet, not before Hunter's ready to sit at the table with him. He frowns a little. "But if several galleries know your work already, you're getting around. And you sell stuff in the Nexus, so it's not just your universe. Why are you worried about it?"

[losthunter]

Hunter is making his omelet with mushrooms, fried up bacon and sausage, and a few green peppers.

"My art work might be hanging in a gallery now... but that doesn't mean it will be hanging there next year. Or in two years. Or in five years."

"Just because my art is being appreciated now... it is no guarantee that it would be worth being kept by future generations."

"The society of New York is so 'what is hot now', not 'lets make a legacy'."

[boldygoing]

Jim's frown deepens a little. "When we first met, you said that if you got famous, you'd be fine with it, but you weren't staking your future on it... did something change? I don't even know how you'd guarantee a place in the history books through art if you haven't already. Your stuff's good."

[losthunter]

Hunter prepares his plate with his omelet. Then pauses to collect his thoughts. "I am not staking my future on getting famous..."

"But after visiting those museums... I just wondered what my legacy would be. If it would be anything at all."

[boldygoing]

Now that they both have their omelets ready, Jim grabs a pair of forks from the silverware drawer and hands one to Hunter, so they can sit at the table to eat. "I want to have the answer for you but I don't have a clue," he says, just as frank as he's been forced to be since the LOL set in. "Being famous is a lot of work and a lot of trouble and so's the future."

[losthunter]

Hunter sits down at the table, across from Jim. "I know that. But I still had my doubts. A few wondering 'what ifs'..."

He pauses for a moment. "If I remember correctly, you voiced your support for my art, just as you had voiced your support for me in general."

"And those doubts are fading... it was just one of the few that had still been there to be caught in that darkness."

[boldygoing]

"Yeah I did. The way I see it, the future doesn't matter if you don't care about the present first. What matters is the effect you have on other people and how you live your life, because once you're dead you won't know any different." Jim takes a bite of his omelet, and murmurs, "This is good," before he continues, this particular train of thought too strong to derail with his feelings on food.

"I had a lot of regrets while I was dying, but the friends I'd made weren't among them, and part of me was mad that I was gonna be remembered like my dad was, like some kind of larger-than-life fake persona instead of the fucked up person I am. I wasn't thinking about that until after I fixed the warp core and the only thing that mattered to me was making sure everyone else wouldn't die. I wasn't scared until I after knew I'd done that."

[losthunter]

Hunter pauses in mid-bite when Jim mentions the main thing that he was mad about, when he knew he was dying.

"I think the thing I love most about our relationship, is knowing that I love you for the real you. The fucked up you. It isn't perfect. And that makes it... real."

[boldygoing]

"I love that about us too," Jim agrees, giving Hunter a small smile. "There's never been any shortage of people who want to say they've slept with the famous Captain Kirk, or the son of the other famous Captain Kirk, before I was captain. I didn't take all of them up on it. That's not the point. I never had to worry about why you wanted to hang out with me because I'm not famous to you. Or at least I didn't start that way. And I can be friends with my crew but I still have to be the captain to them, but you're not crew so you're not under my authority. I can just be Jim and sometimes I need that."

[losthunter]

"I am glad I can be that person who gets to be with just Jim." Hunter gives a big smile. Returning to his meal for a moment.

"And that you know the real me."

[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.