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]

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.

[boldygoing]

"I appreciate that. It's nice to spend time with somebody I don't have to order around later. You're good company. And a good cook." Truth be told, Jim probably wouldn't mind if Hunter was a terrible cook, but that's definitely a bonus.

It's also nice that the curse seems to be giving him a break at the moment. He's sure he'll pay for it later, but any break in the awful flashbacks is a welcome one. Particularly over a meal.

[losthunter]

"Hmmmm I do have to admit I do get shivers when you speak in that captain voice. So I am glad I don't hear it all the time..." Hunter chuckles.

"And we wouldn't be enjoying the relationship we have... if I was one of your crew."

[boldygoing]

"No, we wouldn't," Jim agrees.

He's already eaten a good portion of both chicken and wedges, enough to ease any lingering food anxiety for the moment. With a meal in his stomach and the ration bar still stashed away in his pocket, he feels somewhat confident in not freaking out over hunger in the near future.

But he still can't quite relax, getting that nagging sort of feeling that his luck won't hold out forever. It hasn't been nearly long enough for the curse to be broken.

"You know, if you want more deep-frying recipes, you could see if Bones or Scotty have any family recipes you can try out," he suggests, planning to ride this out as long as the curse will let him. "It'd be something to play with while we're gone, anyway."

[losthunter]

Hunter is getting full himself. Anything that is left over goes into a Tupperware container (and back in the fridge for later).

"I would be happy to try out any recipes they have, or even Spock or Uhura."

[boldygoing]

"Vulcan food's pretty good. I'll make sure to give you the address for that shop Verity found for me, before we leave." Can't have authentic Vulcan cuisine without Vulcan ingredients, after all.

Jim helps clean up, since it doesn't involve anything that might be dangerous. "So, we've got an hour." He's not sure what to do with that time. All the usual activities are out, for the time being.


[Heading out in about an hour, so this might be my last tag until Tuesday]

[losthunter]

There are so many things that Hunter can't suggest. Since Jim can't take off his jacket, the hot tub would be a bad idea. As would offering him a massage to try to help him relax.

"I have some board games." It seems like the easiest solution.

[Enjoy yourself!]

[boldygoing]

"I haven't really learned any besides chess," Jim admits, but that isn't a no. "I'll let you make a recommendation." He's sure Hunter will select something appropriate, and easy enough for a new player to pick up.

[losthunter]

"Well if I thought an hour was enough time for a chess game, I would recommend that." Hunter chuckles.

He decides to set up a scrabble board. Even if they don't finish tonight, it would give them something to do tomorrow.

"This one is pretty based. Make words with your tiles, and score points."

[boldygoing]

Oh good, a language game. He figures he might be good at it, so long as none of the words played sets off any unpleasant memories by association. Jim inspects the board and tiles, making note of the multipliers and so forth. "When does the game end? And are we sticking to English words only?" Seems fair, if he knows more languages than Hunter does.

[losthunter]

"The game ends once all tiles are gone from the bag and a single player has placed all of their tiles, and the player with the highest score wins."

"And yes, I think it would be best if we stuck with English words. No proper nouns, like names."

[boldygoing]

"Sounds pretty straightforward."

Jim watches how Hunter sets up the board and how the tiles are dealed out. He's never really paid much attention to board games before, more focused on physical activities during most of his life. You need friends or family to play with, after all.

[losthunter]

Hunter starts the game by having each of them draw a 'letter' from the bag. Jim, who drew a B, gets to go first. So he gets to draw his seven letters first. Then Hunter. And of course, that gives Jim a head start, since the first word placed on the board counts as a double-word score.

The game is pretty quiet. Hunter tallies the score as they go along, keeping track of double word scores, triple word scores, and times when two words align slightly so that smaller two-letter words are formed.

And it is a good way to pass the hour, especially if Jim doesn't have any flashbacks during the game.

Once it gets closer to the assigned 'bed time', they are pretty much at the end of their game. Hunter tallies both sides, and Jim wins the game. The only thing left is to get ready for bed.

[figured this was better than a word-by-word commentary]

[boldygoing]

For the most part, the game is uninterrupted. A handful of times, one of the words on the board pulls Jim momentarily into a memory, mercifully nothing violent or frightening this time around. Not really good memories, either, just neutral. At least one revolves around one of his lessons in literature in the third grade, resulting in a minor zone-out moment where Jim is unresponsive, but doesn't last very long.

And fortunately, once the time comes to get ready for bed, Jim has visited and stayed over often enough that he already has a small stash of personal items in Hunter's bathroom. He trades his jeans for soft pajama pants and brushes his teeth, trying not to think about how creepy the whole idea of the dreamless sleep potion is.

"I really hope this works."

[Fine with me. I am also thinking maybe when Jim wakes up in the morning, he has a longer flashback than previous ones. Like the potion only delays the ones he would've had overnight.]

[losthunter]

"Me too." Hunter still doesn't like the idea of Jim having to drink the potion. But what other choice do they have.

He holds out one bottle of purple liquid to Jim.

[My thoughts were along the same suggestion. He has no flashbacks during the night, but a longer flashback when he awakens. And perhaps even that he 'awakens' in the flashback, which could be more disorienting.]