boldygoing | A Significant Date [for losthunter]

It is a little strange for Hunter to be marking an anniversary too. One year ago, he would have never imagined to be in such a significant relationship.

But he could not imagine his life without Jim in it.

He had finished putting on a nice dark gray suit jacket, when he heard the knocking at his door. He had dressed in a semi casual style. He gives Jim a bright smile when he sees him. That confident smile. And the bouquest of roses and zinnias.

"You look good." Straight to the point.

"Hey, handsome. So do you." Jim grins and leans in for a kiss, before offering up the flowers. He may have never done the whole grand romantic gesture thing before but that hasn't stopped him from reading up on it. And it seemed like the sorta thing Hunter would appreciate, according to pretty much everyone.

"I hope you've got a vase around here."

"I have a proper pottery studio now. I have several vases." Hunter smirks slightly.

He heads further into his apartment to find a vase. And finds one that matches the colors of both flowers beautifully.

He smells the flowers before putting them into the vase. "Good choice."

Jim steps into the apartment, feeling uncharacteristically nervous and a little out of his depth. It's not like they haven't gone out on dates before or anything. But this isn't just a date. Maybe this isn't the kinda milestone Caspar was talking about, exactly, but it's a big deal to Jim. If you'd told him a year ago that his friend-with-benefits would become serious long-term relationship, he would've called bullshit without hesitation.

A lot has happened since then.

It's hard to ignore the nagging worries that keep nibbling at him as he watches Hunter arrange the bouquet in the vase, that soft smile on the other man's face one that he hasn't seen nearly often enough lately. Is he doing this right, bringing flowers before dinner? What if Hunter doesn't like his plans for the evening? Tiny, petty, ridiculous worries that he knows are complete nonsense, and yet they persist anyway.

Little of this shows on his face, maybe adding to the creases at the corners of his eyes, a nervous tilt to the smile on his lips. "Yeah, zinnias are my favorite."

Hunter smiles back at Jim. Just seeing the other man happy again means the world to him. Especially after the past few months of worry and doubt. And sorrow.

He is glad to just have a happy reason to see Jim. To spend time with Jim.

"Good to know." Hunter grins.

"So should we reserve the gifts for before or after dinner?"

He'd known that Hunter would no doubt get him something, and yet it still comes as a little surprise every time, some part of Jim never expecting any such thing. Gift-giving - or rather, gift-getting - has never exactly been one of his personal traditions, and he's never quite sure what to do with that, knowing damn well why he feels this way yet unable to reason it away. It's awkward and strange, but the warmth it kindles in his chest more than makes up for it.

"Up to you," Jim answers, trying to look casual, lightly leaning against the doorframe. "We'll be going back to my place after."

"We are?" Hunter looks a little surprised himself. He has not seen Jim's new apartment yet. And he smiles. "Then my gift to you can wait until then."

He sets a simply wrapped gift at a pre-determined PINpoint location, so he can retrieve it later.

"Where are we going?" He heads over to take Jim's arm in his own.

"That's the plan," Jim answers, a slightly shakier smile concealing his nervousness. Stupid to worry so much, with such an easygoing guy like Hunter. "So don't totally fill up on dinner."

He already has the PINpoint coordinates loaded up and ready to go, just waiting the touch of his finger to take them away. "Zung Italia. It's an Andorian-Italian fusion place on the bay, supposed to have really good kookh alla parmigiana."

Hunter smiles. "That sounds interesting. I am not sure what kookh alla parmigiana is..."
He tries his best to pronounce the words, but he stumbled a bit. "But I trust your judgement."

"And you planning dessert at your place? I like the idea of that." He grins.

"It's like the Andorian take on eggplant parmesan," Jim explains. "Andorian vegetables, Italian seasonings. Most of the menu's like that, or the other way around." For a moment, he worries whether Hunter even likes Italian food... but he'd told Jim before that he wasn't picky. Besides, there's bound to be something on the menu he'll like. Stop worrying, Jim. It'll be fine.

San Francisco awaits, the weather not quite cold enough for snow but still decently chilly, a light fog beginning to settle in at street level as the sun sets. Unlike the last time Hunter was here, the city is alive with the normal sights and sounds of urban life. The wreck of the Vengeance has been completely removed from uptown, and rebuilding is well underway, the wide swath of brand-new buildings - and a completely barren Alcatraz Island, out in the bay - the only visual sign that anything ever happened. It's all very normal, for once, traffic moving smoothly both on foot and in vehicles jetting along the hoverlanes.

It's a short walk along the bay shore to the restaurant, its glowing sign easily visible through the thin fog as they approach. Zung Italia seems to be a decently popular place, with very few empty tables available and a lot of quiet chatter among the various parties seated around the restaurant. The waitstaff, a blue-skinned humanoid with a pair of antennae on top of zher head, leads them to a cozy little table near one of the windows that looks out towards the Golden Gate Bridge.

"I can't wait to try it." Hunter is always up for trying new things. And that includes Andorian vegetables.

It is completely different visiting San Francisco this time around. Hunter is enjoying to see the city come alive with its normal sights and sounds.

Hunter enjoys the short walk along the bay. Especially seeing the Golden Gate Bridge out in the distance. It pleasantly reminds him of the mural back in his apartment. A little piece of Jim's world that connects to a little piece of Hunter's.

After settling into his seat, Hunter smiles over at Jim. "This is lovely."

It's been a long year, for San Francisco. Getting back to some kind of normal has been a monumental task for everyone, but it's finally reached the point where most people can go about their daily lives without the constant reminders of what happened.

Jim, too, has endured a lot since then. But with his birthday behind him, and his ordeals in the past, the man sitting across from Hunter is much more like his old self again. Getting back to normal, one day at a time.

"I thought you'd like it," he says, smiling back, relieved that his choice of restaurant has met with Hunter's approval. "I haven't been to a real restaurant since our road trip last spring."

It is really good to see San Franciso getting back to some kind of normal. And a huge relief to know that Jim is doing the same -- adapting to his new normal.

Hunter has missed parts of that old self. The flirting. The command voice. The confidence. And that reminder of a date they had last spring gives Hunter many fond memories of that time. He smiles.

And reaches over to take Jim's hand in his own.

"I have missed this. I have missed you."

Jim's smile doesn't falter, and he gives Hunter's hand a brief squeeze. He doesn't particularly want to focus on the horrible shit they've both been dealing with since then, as much as their respective psyches will let them, anyway. Tonight should be about the better things in life, like dinner and good company.

"I missed this too."

Releasing Hunter's hand, Jim picks up the menu to look it over. Most of the items on the list are recognizable as Italian dishes with a xenoculinary twist, though Hunter may not recognize the foreign ingredients. There are a few Italian-style Andorian dishes listed as well, wine pairing suggestions listed for each item. "You need any help figuring out what's what, I'm your guy."

"Yes. You are my guy." Hunter lightly teases Jim.

He appreciates the fact that each of the dishes listed have a wine pairing suggestion. And since he is willing to try any of the dishes tonight, he is going to choose one that has a xenoculinary wine suggestion. He wants to eat and drink like Andorian's do.

Jim decides to stick with the kookh alla parmigiana, and while he's not usually much of a wine guy, this place is just fancy enough that it would be weird not to get any. One Sauvignon Blanc for him, and a plate of gristhera appetizers for the two of them to share.

For Hunter, he'll recommend the Alardi partinna, a creamy pasta-like dish with morsels of native Andorian meats that pairs well with glow-ale. It's something that shouldn't be too shockingly foreign, not like shaysha beetles would be, but still different enough from Terran cuisine to be novel and interesting.

"I'm gonna miss this place," he says, once their orders are in, glancing out the window towards the Bridge. "San Francisco's kinda grown on me, you know?"

Hunter is very grateful for the recommendation. He can't wait to try it.

He glances out the window to the bridge too. "How does that work, once you head on your five-year exploration mission? What happens to your new apartment?"

Jim leans back a little in his seat, returning his full attention to the man on the other side of the table. "In theory, when I come back it'll be just how I left it. I'll be taking any leftover food with me so it won't go bad while I'm gone."

"I sometimes forget, that things are different than how they would be in my dimension." Hunter blushes. "I had wondered how you would keep the rent on it paid, for a full five years. But... currency has changed."

Jim looks momentarily surprised by that too, and laughs a little, more at himself than at Hunter. It's still weird, sometimes, when they stumble into a minor little culture shock like this. "I forgot that'd be something you'd have to worry about. People in your century still do long tours of duty in the military and stuff, right? Do they have to worry about the rent while they're gone?"

"Usually in their case, it is the military who pays for the room. Or will purchase a block of rooms for their soldiers to use." Hunter explains.

"If we still used the same kind of economy, I'd hope Starfleet would foot the bill, then," Jim says, smiling across the table at him. It's comfortably familiar, slipping into the same kind of casual cultural exchange that he's so used to. Definitely helps take his mind off the more stressful thoughts that have him nervous about how the evening is gonna go.

The waitstaff comes by with their appetizers, colorful cubes of fried tubers that have been heavily seasoned with some kind of exotic herbs, and served with a savory sauce that tastes nothing like any Earth food that Hunter will have had before. "Gristhera's a really popular hors d'oeuvre in Federation space," Jim tells him, dipping one of the little bite-sized morsels into the sauce before popping it into his mouth. "The flavor appeals to a lot of species and there aren't many who can't digest it."

Hunter is a lot curious about the appetizers that come to the table. He watches Jim dip one into the sauce before eating it, and copies him. "Gristhera." He repeats the word.

"It is very exotic. I can't really... compare it at all."

Even though Jim has yet to run across a food that Hunter doesn't like, a twinge of nervousness shoots through his stomach. "Do you like it?" he asks hopefully. It's not like they'd go to waste; Jim would be more than willing to eat all of it. But he also wants to make sure that Hunter enjoys himself, especially today, experiencing the little facets of daily life on Jim's Earth.

"It is delicious." Hunter reassures him. He is starting to pick up on Jim's nervousness. And he reaches over to touch Jim's hand again.

And very uncertainly, he speaks again. This time in somewhat broken Russian, which he is just starting to learn. "Ты такая умная, так красив, так тактично. Я так повезло с вами."

Of all the things that Jim expected him to say, anything in Russian was not one of them. He's already surprised before it registers what Hunter has said, and then a pink flush creeps into his face. "Это было так романтично," he answers, before reverting back to English. "When did you start learning Russian?" It's only been about a week since the Nexus translators broke, so Jim won't be surprised if Hunter has only memorized a few choice phrases so far. The fact that he did that at all is... surprisingly touching? No one's ever gone through that kind of effort for him before.

The guess that he has memorized a few choice phrases is exactly right. Especially with that look of slight curiosity when Jim answers back. He didn't bring his book with him.

"About a week ago. From one of the language courses offered by the Foundation."

"I always wanted to be able to communicate with you. No matter what happens."

Jim doesn't bother to stop the smile that's teasing at his lips, a warm ember smoldering in his chest. "That's... really sweet of you, Hunter." He gives the other man's hand a soft squeeze, both in thanks and in affection.

"If you want, I can get you some introductory self-taught stuff for Vulcan and Andorian too," he offers, after a moment. Sure, it might take Hunter a while to get the hang of it, but he'll have a lot of time to practice while Jim is out in the black. "They're both about as hard as Russian, but they're the other two languages I'm totally fluent in."

It is so good to see that teasing smile on Jim's face. Hunter feels that instant flip-flip of his heart in reaction.

"I would like that."

"It sort of sucked only knowing one language during that translation malfunction. I couldn't understand you. I couldn't understand Adia or Caspar."

"It was weird," Jim agrees, releasing Hunter's hand and offering him another gristhera morsel while they talk. Gotta eat 'em while they're still hot. "It was like... hearing the Canterbury Tales in its original form, listening to you talk. The only person I didn't have a single problem with was the other Jim."

Hunter will gladly take another gristhera. They are delicious.

"Did I at least sound all sexy, when you heard me speak like that?" Hunter teased.

"How are things with the other Jim?" Hunter doesn't know if he can ask, or not.

Jim chuckles, remembering how strange it was to hear such old English in that very Bronx accent. 'Sexy' is probably not the word he'd choose to describe it, but it was definitely interesting. "It was really striking. I wouldn't mind hearing it again sometime." And then, because he's curious, "What'd I sound like to you?"

Hunter need not worry. Jim doesn't tense up, or give off any other signals that anything is terribly wrong. "Better. I've seen him around the Nexus a couple times since he got back."

"A little foreign. A little mysterious. And still charming as hell, even when I could not understand you." Hunter admitted.

"Got back? He went somewhere?"

It's so weird to think of himself as being foreign to another Terran from the same continent, but yeah, he can see why Hunter would think so. Language is a living thing, adapting as necessary to survive, taking the best bits and mashing them into a different whole.

The question makes him pause for a moment. Of course. Jim had never said anything about it, and in a place like the Nexus, it'd be easy to miss news about one person unless you were seeking it out. "Kind of. Something happened, around our birthday. Destroyed his PINpoint, and... other things." Serious as this topic is, Jim doesn't want to let it drag down the mood, or give Hunter more things to worry about when Jim ships out. "I don't know much about it, and I shouldn't, but he's fine."

Hunter nods slightly. When Jim says he shouldn't know too much about the other Jim's situation, that is good enough for him. There certainly is a good reason for it.

"How are things going to prepare for your exploration mission?" Hunter focuses his question back on the man who matters.

Jim is more than ready to move the subject along too, as they finish off what's left of the gristhera. "Everything's still on schedule," he answers. The wait has been so long, and there've been some horrendous obstacles along the way, but the closer he gets to the Enterprise's launch date, the more the spirit of adventure has begun to worm its way back into his heart, the longing to get out there and learn what the galaxy has to offer. "Crew roster's been finalized and approved, and the Enterprise is due for intensive stress testing starting next Tuesday, to make sure all her upgrades work the way they're supposed to. There's four hangar bays full of supplies set aside groundside; those'll be loaded up right before the shakedown cruise in April."

Hunter can almost hear the excitement in Jim's voice when he talks about the upcoming exploration mission.

"Shakedown cruise? What is that?" Hunter asks.

"It's just a milk run," Jim assures him, and it's nice that they don't have to change the subject when the waitstaff returns with their main courses, placing the dishes in front of them. Jim nods in thanks to zher, before continuing. "We load up with our full crew complement and head out for a week-long trip where we do nothing but make sure the Enterprise is behaving how she's supposed to under normal working conditions. Engineering tests can only do so much at a time, so we stick around within a stone's throw of the Sol system and run her through her paces. That way if any problems do come up, we're still in reach of help, and we can fix her up before we head out for real."

"Wow..." Hunter also nods his thanks to the waitstaff when the main dishes are placed in front of him. "That is coming up fast."

And before he knows it, Jim will be gone on his exploration mission.

"I can't imagine how different your life will be... once you are up there. Exploring space, a new path that has not yet been explored."

"It'll be different, that's for sure. We've been out there before, but only on short trips, mostly to places that'd been marked for surveying before. Where we're heading has never been charted before, not by the Federation. There could be anything out there, waiting for us to find it. New civilizations we've never met, stellar phenomena that've never been seen or studied. The possibilities are endless." There's a note of passion in his voice, signs of his old self returning after months of hardship. It's been a while since Jim has really felt like himself.

It is very nice to hear that passion in Jim's voice. To see the signs of his old self. The man that Hunter first was attracted to. The man that Hunter is still attracted to.

"You are going to be a wonderful Captain to that crew."

"I hope so." Jim used to think that he deserved such a position, an arrogant assumption that he belonged in the captain's chair regardless of his lack of experience or precedence. He knows better, now. Knows he has to earn it, every day, to be worthy of his crew. And this time, he feels he's up to that challenge. Proud to do it, even. "A captain is only as good as his crew, and mine's the best there is."

His nervousness has all but melted away, lost in the confidence he's regained in his crew, his mission. It's easy to forget how worried he was about tonight, seeing that fond look in Hunter's eye.

And the food is good, which helps a lot. Jim digs into his meal, familiar Andorian vegetables pairing well with the classic Italian seasonings, and he makes sure to slip a bite-size sample of the kookh alla parmigiana onto Hunter's plate, casual and easy.

It is good to see Jim relax even further, that those signs of nervousness from earlier have now disappeared. Hunter is relieved to know that Jim has his confidence back.

Hunter smiles when Jim shares a bit of his meal with him, so that both meals can be enjoyed and sampled.

The meal is absolutely delicious. That there is no need to find new conversation starters. And Hunter makes those little yummmmmm sounds as he enjoys the food, the wine. Of course, the company means the world to him.

"This is amazing."

Jim mops up the remnants of the sauce with a breadstick, washing it down with the last of his wine before he casually leans back in his seat, softly smiling at the man across from him. "How's it compare to the Bajoran place?" he asks, curious for Hunter's twenty-first century perspective on it all. Whether something with Earth-inspired elements would be more comforting in its familiarity than something entirely foreign, no matter how delicious.

"I honestly don't think I could compare the two meals. Both were delicious. And I am glad you thought of bringing me here." Hunter grins.

Jim returns the smile, glad that Hunter's enjoying himself. If dessert back at his apartment gets his approval, then Jim can really call this evening a success. No pressure, right? "San Francisco's got all sorts of great food. I had trouble picking just one," he says with a small laugh.

"Plenty of opportunities to try other places, before you leave on your mission." Hunter grins.

"I'll have to have you over again then," Jim agrees, the thought putting a warm feeling in his chest. The people who suggested sharing parts of his world with Hunter were right on the money, and thank fuck for that. He'd had no clue how to try to make this special for him.

"Ready to head out?"

"I am." Hunter has cleared his plate completely. He reaches over the table to take Jim's hand in his own.

"Are we going to your apartment next?"

"Yeah. I cleaned up the place for you and everything," Jim says with a teasing grin. Can't deny that he's a little concerned Hunter will think his apartment is pretty basic, though. He hadn't really been picky when he chose it, and even though it looks way better than it had, it's not as nice as Hunter's place.

Oh well. No point in delaying, and if nothing else, maybe he can make up for it with dessert.

The walk to Jim's apartment will take several minutes, heading away from the San Francisco Bay. The winter fog is thicker than it was when they arrived, city streetlights glowing softly through the haze to guide them along. The building itself is nothing special either, just a basic apartment block, and Jim has gotten used to the routine of riding the lift to the fourth floor and scanning his palm at the door to get in.

When the door slides open, they're greeted with scents of cinnamon and ginger and warm apples, like something has been baking just recently. The apartment is relatively small, but decently furnished, the walls sparsely decorated with artwork both from his century and a few pieces that Hunter has made.

Hunter enjoys the short walk to Jim's apartment. The city streetlights seem to light the way for them.

He was not sure what to expect, in all honestly. The ride up in the lift is quiet. And soon they enter the apartment.

Hunter takes a deep breath of the welcoming scent of baking. He glances around the sparsely decorated apartment. He smiles at seeing some of his artwork on the wall.

"This is a nice place, Jim." He finds a place to hang up his coat.

"I'm still working on it," Jim answers, though he doesn't miss the smile when Hunter sees his own artwork on the walls. "Make yourself comfortable and I'll get dessert."

The food stasis unit has kept everything hot and fresh while he was gone, and the baked apples are still lightly steaming as Jim transfers them onto a pair of small plates.

There's a sofa in the living room, a table nearby holding a pair of wineglasses and a bottle of hard cider. An unlit candle sits in the center, waiting to be kindled to complete the atmosphere. Jim sets down the plates on the table and lights the candle, the warm orange glow small but enough to cast deeper shadows on the walls. "It's my first time making this, so I hope it's good," he says with a slightly nervous laugh.

Hunter has made himself comfortable on the sofa, near the table holding the pair of wineglasses. He uses his PINpoint to teleport his gift to Jim to him, so that he can place the package and a card onto the table.

He takes a deep breath of the baked apples as Jim places the plates on the table.

"I never knew I was dating a baker...." Hunter grins. He can't wait to try it.

"Old Kirk family recipe," Jim tells him, pouring them each some of the cider to go with dessert. The cider is sweet and rich, and the apples are flavorful and soft enough to cut with a spoon. Despite his worries, the dessert tastes pretty damn close to how he remembers it, vague childhood memories of the few times he visited his paternal grandparents. "One of my grandma Margaret's best-kept secrets."

"Mmmm you bringing out the old family recipes for me." Hunter grins. The dessert is delicious. He closes his eyes at the flavorful taste.

Jim's no stranger to providing food for others, but making it himself... not something he does very much these days. Seeing Hunter enjoy his cooking, a dish that Jim always enjoyed in his childhood... it's definitely worth all the effort he went through.

"Seemed fair," he says, smiling at Hunter over the rim of his glass. "Now you've had a taste from both sides of the family."

"That is so cool, that you now have a connection to both sides of your family." Hunter should really look into his own family background today.

"The parts that I like, anyway." Family is... complicated, to say the very least. Especially when it comes to Jim Kirk's family. But this is a part of it that he doesn't mind sharing, not with Hunter. There's no bad history to wade through here. Just an old favorite dessert, a legacy left behind by someone who cared.

When his plate is cleared, Jim produces an envelope and hands it to Hunter. There's no card inside, but there are two concert tickets, the words VAN HALEN stamped across the top, dated for next week.

Hunter smiles when he takes the envelope. His eyes light up when he sees the concert tickets. He honestly can't remember the last time he went to a live concert. And this... makes it even better.

"This is so awesome."

Since it is obviously gift time, Hunter pushes forward his box. There is a playful card in the envelope. And when Jim opens the box, he will see several other gifts inside the gift.

"I thought that since you were going to be leaving on your exploration mission soon. And these are little gifts that you can open anytime during that first year you are gone, any time you wanted to think about me."

The card gets a grin out of him, and a look that says that if this evening doesn't end with the both of them getting laid, they're doing it wrong. The sheer amount of little gifts surprises him at first, until Hunter tells him what they're really for. Yep, twelve of them. One for each month.

"You got me a box full of anticipation?" Jim laughs a little, because that's so very Hunter.

That look from Jim makes Hunter feel warm. And excited for what will eventually come.

But tonight will make up for everything.

He grins when Jim speaks about how he will feel that anticipation to open the gifts. And that thrills him a little.

"They are all things that won't require you to leave your ship, or your mission." They are poems. Art creations. Even a few Ipods with a variety of songs and movies.

"Lookin' forward to it. But there's a gift I've gotta open tonight," Jim says, leaning in closer, touching Hunter's cheek and trailing his fingers closer towards the collar of the other man's shirt.

Hunter sighs contently, leaning into the touch. And he wraps his arms around Jim, pulling him closer.

"Good. And I have one of my own to open." He slides a hand up Jim's shirt.

(Good spot to wrap up. :D)

A Significant Date [for losthunter]

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