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]

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.

[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."