Thorn in the Garden of Life

[losthunter]

Hunter paced his apartment, his phone in one hand, and a list of phone numbers in his other hand. He just got off the phone with Marcus, one of the six other people who had been given a gift by Kendra. And had learned that Marcus had been attacked by Austin.

Luckily, Marcus was able to get away, without any major side effects.

But Hunter was now worried about the others. And so he was making calls to everyone else who he had talked to, and warned them about Austin so they could stay safe.

And he knew it was time to face Austin again. But even though he felt like it was an emergency, Hunter knew that it would be better to make sure someone else came with him. He also knew exactly who he wanted to have by his side.

Jim. Austin attacked another person. I feel like I need to deal with this. Are you available to come with me?

Comments

[losthunter]

"I can just imagine all the other cadets just loved you." Hunter chuckles lightly. He pulls away so he can check on the chicken in the kitchen.

"Let me guess, you had that cocky streak all mastered by then."

[boldygoing]

Jim moves to follow automatically, before visibly checking himself, keeping back from the kitchen. Burn hazard, right.

"Yeah, I was an arrogant little shit. It was worth it to see the looks on some of their faces when I got on the shuttle though. Four of 'em had tried to beat the shit out of me the night before." He doesn't seem to hold it against them, though.

[losthunter]

Hunter takes out the deep fried chicken, placing it on a couple of paper towels so that the oil can drip off beforehand. Then he places the wedges in the fryer.

"Four of them tried? You were able to get out of that situation?"

[boldygoing]

"Well," Jim admits, "they kinda did beat the shit out of me. I was way too drunk to put up a good fight, so they did a number on me before Pike walked in. I was upside-down on a table so I don't know what his face looked like but he was pissed."

[losthunter]

"Remind me... was that the first time you met Pike? Or did you meet him beforehand?" Hunter kept a careful eye on the wedges as they cooked.

[boldygoing]

"First time. I must've made a hell of a first impression on him." Draped across a table, drunk, his face halfway smashed all to hell by angry cadets... it's a wonder Pike thought he was worth recruiting in the first place. Jim's always meant to ask him about that. Now he can't.

[losthunter]

"He must have seen something in you..." Hunter can only assume. He really wishes that he could have met Pike too.

[boldygoing]

Jim's smile isn't quite as bright, as he remembers his mentor. "My aptitude scores, for one thing. Chutzpah, for another. The rest... I don't know."

He doesn't really want to dwell on this all that much, for fear of provoking more flashbacks, so he deliberately changes the subject. "I'm glad you didn't ask me how I felt the first time I saw the Enterprise all put together. It was a lot less appropriately metaphorical and stuff."

[losthunter]

Hunter passes Jim a few paper plates, so he can take them to their picnic basket. He handles the now finished wedges and chicken onto a plate. He gestures to Jim to lead the way.

"I am glad that the question reminded you of an important memory in your life."

[boldygoing]

Jim grabs a few napkins on the way to their 'picnic site,' as he's pretty sure this is going to be a little messy. Good thing Bones isn't here to lecture him about eating healthy and all that. Jim knows he means well, not knowing about Tarsus, and if Jim didn't have such a fucked up relationship with food, it'd be good advice.

"It's kind of weird, isn't it?" he says, as they begin their indoor picnic. "I wouldn't think a curse like this would bring up good memories, but I've had two so far."

[losthunter]

"I think that just means the protective charms on your jacket are working. And maybe you will start to have more good memories, than the bad ones." Hunter can only hope for the best.

"I am just glad that you are not having constant flashbacks."

[boldygoing]

"I hope so. It's bad enough I have nightmares about this shit." Jim doesn't remember what it's like to not have nightmares anymore. He surely must've had some time in his life where that was the case, but not since he was thirteen.

[losthunter]

"No kidding..." Hunter hates that Jim has to deal with the nightmares in an ordinary situation. But now those same memories are taking over his life.

But at least it is not as bad as it could have been.

"I really wish I could protect you from this..."

[boldygoing]

Jim stops and turns towards Hunter. "You may not be able to stop it but you are helping. This scares the shit out of me and I'm terrified I'm going to hurt you. But it'd be way worse if I tried to do this alone. I trust you."

[losthunter]

Hunter leans forward to place a soft kiss on Jim's lips. "I am glad you trust me. This scares me too. I don't want to lose you."

[boldygoing]

Jim leans into the kiss, though he's reluctant to make things more intimate. Nice as that would be, he really doesn't want to risk going into a flashback in the middle of sex. Talk about a mood killer.

He touches his forehead against Hunter's for a moment, before pulling back and giving him a small smile. "C'mon, food's gonna get cold." And after Hunter went through the effort of cooking, it'd be a shame to let that happen.

[losthunter]

Hunter isn't looking for anything more intimate right now. He wants to be alert in case Jim has another flashback. Plus, he is very aware that Jim has had his fair share of romantic relationships and would rather not have to deal with one of those memories right now.

He laughs at Jim's comment about the food. He doesn't say anything more about the food getting cold. He doesn't want to have another food-related memory being triggered.

"And remember, one hour from now, you should take that potion." Hunter starts digging into his chicken and wedges.

[boldygoing]

"Yeah, I know." Jim's not looking forward to the experience. He doesn't really know what to expect, and the part where he might wake up in the morning in the midst of a flashback isn't exactly filling him with joy either. But it's better than the alternative. There's no way he'd get through the night without constant interruptions.

He takes a decent portion of the food, blowing on it a little to cool it down before taking a bite. No bad memories associated with these flavors, at least none that immediately spring to mind, and it sits easier in his stomach than the half of a ration bar he wolfed down earlier.

He makes a face after a minute. "I just realized, I'm gonna have to sleep in my clothes." Not something he's a stranger to, but it's still not as comfortable as he'd like.

[losthunter]

"Hmmmm.... not all of your clothes." Hunter pointed out. He is enjoying the flavors of the deep fried chicken. The batter was spiced perfectly in his opinion.

"Just your jacket. You could at least remove anything else."

[boldygoing]

"Sure, the least comfortable part." Jim shakes his head a little. He's not deeply bothered by it, it's just a small annoyance. "At least it shouldn't stop me from getting to sleep, if the potion works how it's supposed to."

Which is kind of a creepy thought, to be honest, but maybe if he looks at it the right way, it won't seem so bad.

"This is really good," he says, taking another piece of chicken.

[losthunter]

"If the charms on the jacket are keeping the flashbacks from hitting you constantly.... there is no way you should take it off." Hunter insists.

"I don't think it has to be zipped up... just on you."

Hunter knows that Jim wants to avoid talking about the potion. So takes the cue to change the topic. "Thanks. It is not often I get a chance to use the deep fryer. Just for special occasions."

[boldygoing]

Jim can absolutely agree with not taking the jacket off. Possibly to the point of paranoia. But if they try to test it, and he takes it off and wigs the fuck out for more than just a minute or two, Hunter's probably going to have a hell of a time getting it back on him. Better not to risk it at all.

He smiles slightly. "This counts as a special occasion?" It'd be nice to pretend that they're just having an indoor picnic just because. They probably don't have a great shot at it, but they can try.

[losthunter]

"Most of our dates count as a special occasion." Hunter replies, smiling.

[boldygoing]

Jim smiles back at him. "They're important to me, too." He doesn't have much of a civilian life these days, and sometimes, his time spent with Hunter is the closest that he can get. It's nice to get a break from the pressures of command every now and then.

Granted, getting cursed isn't exactly a bonus, but at least it's not typical.

[losthunter]

"And especially since you will be heading on your five-year mission soon... I just want to provide you with a place where you feel like you can relax. Where you don't have to be a Captain... you can just be Jim."

"My Jim..." Hunter smiles.