Scientific Progress goes 'Boink'
Sep. 23rd, 2015 03:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smartass_captainThere's a message stuck to a door, last door on the left of a certain apartment complex in a certain New York. It's replicated paper, definitely a different sort of feel to it than one would expect in 2013.
Paper isn't the preferred message delivery device in the 2250s. Replicated paper and replicated ink.
Clint
Head to my place when you get this. Bring Ver.
Bones knows you're coming, he'll get you where you need to go. Don't bring your bow, we're not leaving home.
See you soon hopefully,
Jim
((Feel free to post without me until you guys actually get through the door to the Enterprise. I'm stuck in training/meetings and won't have another solid break for 2.5/3 hours from now. Will post actively after that time.))
Paper isn't the preferred message delivery device in the 2250s. Replicated paper and replicated ink.
Clint
Head to my place when you get this. Bring Ver.
Bones knows you're coming, he'll get you where you need to go. Don't bring your bow, we're not leaving home.
See you soon hopefully,
Jim
((Feel free to post without me until you guys actually get through the door to the Enterprise. I'm stuck in training/meetings and won't have another solid break for 2.5/3 hours from now. Will post actively after that time.))
Much love for the Calvin and Hobbes reference.
Date: 2015-09-23 09:06 pm (UTC)After a brief conversation, some brotherly wheedling and wrangling (better not to ask who did which), Barney left to go flirt with the neighbor and invite her grocery-shopping, while Clint dialed Verity's number into his phone. Nexus-Verity. How weird would it be if he cold-called his world's Verity instead? Don't do that, Clint.
Math is the new religion: http://bit.ly/1iMGrcu
Date: 2015-09-23 09:19 pm (UTC)But this Verity, the one he's calling, knows better. "Hey, Clint. What's up?"
You always have the perfect link.
Date: 2015-09-23 09:24 pm (UTC)I do try. :)
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Date: 2015-09-23 09:43 pm (UTC)'Soon' being a relative term given the distances sometimes involved in these walks. But she is there soon, knocking on his door and wondering if he's figured out yet that he could have met her partway and saved them both some time.
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Date: 2015-09-23 09:47 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2015-09-23 09:54 pm (UTC)He pauses, adding, "if it's your birthday or something, and he is, and I just ruined it, I am so sorry."
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Date: 2015-09-23 10:02 pm (UTC)She looks over the note and then takes a minute to think. "You're right, it's probably about the math. And you guys wouldn't start another bar fight with me around, right?"
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Date: 2015-09-23 10:05 pm (UTC)"I wouldn't. I promise."
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Date: 2015-09-23 10:15 pm (UTC)"So no need for weapons or my preparing a good 'I told you so' speech."
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Date: 2015-09-23 10:18 pm (UTC)"I dunno, the way our luck goes, you might want that speech on stand-by," Clint half-jokes.
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Date: 2015-09-23 10:29 pm (UTC)"What makes you think I don't always have a couple ready for you?" She's totally serious. She's bossy and a planner, of course she's got a couple good generic "I told you so"s waiting.
"Ready to go?
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Date: 2015-09-23 11:19 pm (UTC)Clint laughs. "What, you were a girl scout? Be prepared, an' all that? Yeah, I'm ready." Downing the last of his coffee, he gets the door.
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Date: 2015-09-23 11:20 pm (UTC)Back to the Nexus?
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Date: 2015-09-23 11:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-23 11:27 pm (UTC)"Is... is that safe?"
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Date: 2015-09-23 11:36 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2015-09-23 11:50 pm (UTC)It will take him a couple tries to get it right--since it lacks a proper control switch the magic way to open the door is to slip his hand against the glass about a third of the way up the door from the floor.
Right about laying down on the floor reaching up level.
Don't think about that too hard. Really, don't. You are? Too late then. You can't un-know that little glimpse of trauma.
The good news? The door does finally open. As in, lets them onto the ship instead of just stuck in the radiation blast door area. Engineering is much the same as it was the last time Clint was here--full of jeffries tubes and the constant hum of the engines.
That little guy from before shows up in short order, pulling his goggles off to stare at him with large black eyes. That's not a window, Clint didn't come in through a window, and this little guy thinks you're an idiot, Barton.
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Date: 2015-09-23 11:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-24 12:03 am (UTC)The little black-eyed fellow gets a smile from her. "Hello. I'm Verity."
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Date: 2015-09-24 12:12 am (UTC)He wants to lead her over to the comm station with all the lights and buttons she wont understand. Then he runs off. But not for long! He comes back with a toolbox, heavy enough to have him leaning over while he carries it. It gets set down and he hops up on it.
So he can reach the controls. He pushes a couple buttons and then motions to Verity and Clint too, if he's there.
"This is Medical, y'all better not have had another 'minor explosion' or so help me god...." Oh hey Clint! it's Bones' voice!
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Date: 2015-09-24 12:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-24 12:23 am (UTC)Ah, a comm station. Useful. The little guy gets a grateful head-pat. "Hello. Jim. Um. Captain Kirk" and boy is it hard for her to say that without sounding sarcastic "asked us to drop by."
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Date: 2015-09-24 12:32 am (UTC)Keenser makes a noise that might be a chuckle at Clint's expense.
"Christ, already? Swear Jim just got back from puttin' the message out. Alright stay there. And don't you or your ladyfriend touch nothing. McCoy out."
The little guy, Keenser, nods when the comm goes silent and hops off his toolbox. There's a long blink while he stares up at Verity and Clint, then he shakes Verity's hand and grabs the box to get back to work.
It's not his job to babysit weirdos who come out of the Radiation door.
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Date: 2015-09-24 01:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-24 01:29 am (UTC)"It's so... retro. It's like what people thought the future would look like in the 60s. Oh man, does this make Jim a hipster?" There's opportunity for such mischief in that thought.
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Date: 2015-09-24 01:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-24 01:36 am (UTC)They've done quite a few tests since the last time. Bones doesn't trust anything especially in space, with Jim Kirk's health. He's in his Science Blues instead of scrubs, which is at least some sort of comfort.
No emergencies in Medical in the last few hours.
"Barton, isn't it?" Leonard's perpetual annoyed scowl lifts somewhat at the sight of the purple haired woman standing next to Clint looking just as much out of place. "Miss." His drawl gets a tad more pronounced, and his tones less borderline about to punch faces.
"You make it through okay? No fever like symptoms?" He turns to Verity then, all business. "No allergies or shortness of breath? Neither of you are sick, right? Last thing I need is goddamn 2013 diseases spreading on this goddamn ship."
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Date: 2015-09-24 01:44 am (UTC)She offers a hand to shake if he's not too afraid of cooties. "Verity Willis. I'm from 2015, so that's a slightly different set of things to be paranoid about." Sorry Bones, nobody escapes the sass. "I feel as healthy as I ever do. You're... Bones? I've heard good things about your fancy future medicine."
He's welcome to turn that handshake into a pulse check. She's an exceptionally healthy young woman, physically. "So how many tests do I have to endure before you let me see Jim?"
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Date: 2015-09-24 01:46 am (UTC)"The note seemed kinda urgent... for a note stuck to my door, anyway."
Let's try this again.
Date: 2015-09-24 05:26 am (UTC)"Leonard McCoy, miss. I'm here to make sure everyone stays some semblance of put together on this tin can full of germs." Clint gets a brief nod. He half expected Barton to come back carrying his legs in one arm.
Don't ask how Clint would be hypothetically walking. He's a doctor not a novelist.
Both of them get a firm yet brief handshake.
"Jim'll be glad to see you two, which means I may get some work done without being bothered every ten minutes. Let's get out of here,I can't stand being by that door."
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Date: 2015-09-24 05:31 am (UTC)This is strange for her. She's starting to act like a normal person.
"So he is always that hyper?" That's good to know. At least she doesn't have to worry it's too much sugar or coffee because she does love piling both on when she can.
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Date: 2015-09-24 05:44 am (UTC)"Has he, uh, seen a therapist at all? I know a couple'a times I died, talking helped." Oops. That was an overshare.
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Date: 2015-09-24 05:55 am (UTC)They're not heeding any direction Clint remembers form the last time he was here. Medbay is skipped entirely and so are the crew quarters. The doctor goes rather quiet rather quickly when the topic of dying comes up. He's not even scowling. If anything, he seems kind of at a loss.
"I don't talk about my patient's medical history, kid. But if you're Jim's friends, I will say this. He don't open up to anyone. Best not to take it personal." He doesn't talk about it any more than that.
Everything in the future is lights and
lens flarescolors and bright. Also by the time they even get to the lifts Verity has seen at least ten different species giving her and Clint the side eye. Visitors are rare, and Doctor McCoy's gruff demeanor is somewhat infamous on the ship.no subject
Date: 2015-09-24 06:02 am (UTC)Verity could live without the lens flares, but mostly she's wondering who started giving iPhones steroids. The looks don't bother her. She's used to it.
"He'll open up when he's ready."
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Date: 2015-09-24 02:13 pm (UTC)"He'll come around," Clint agrees. Noticing that this isn't anywhere he went before, he asks, "so, uh, where we goin'?"
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Date: 2015-09-24 03:55 pm (UTC)There's computers everywhere Verity, the trick is getting into one without being detected. Might be safer to snatch a PADD and do the future equivalent of a wikipedia search. Much simpler to hide. And considering that tidbit of information is something pretty much only Bones knows about, much less likely to get you unwanted questions.
They get a rare but sincere smile from the doctor.
"You kids are VIPs today." He snorts. "We're gonna go get Jim. Might want to stay by the lift when we get there though." The there in question is the bridge of the Enterprise. Banks of computers run along the perimeter of the circular station, manned by a small bridge crew who seem intent on the tasks at hand. Spock's there, if Clint looks around.
"Officer on ze bridge!" Chirps the youngest of the bridge crew, and holy cow he really is just a kid. Doctor McCoy heads straight for the chair in the center of the bridge, leaning over it to mutter something.
Sure enough, Jim Kirk gets up quickly, all serious and business until he spots his companions by the lift. He breaks out into a smile.
"Spock, you have the con."
"Aye, captain." Musical Captain chair gets taken. Jim and the doctor hurry back.
"You guys made it. Good. Thanks for bringing 'em here, Bones."
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Date: 2015-09-24 04:55 pm (UTC)She'll stay by the lift, but oh, she wants to have a proper look around the bridge. It is shiny and interesting, and being off-limits only makes it more appealing. (Not everything Loki brought out in her would be considered a good thing.)
"Hey, Jim. We need to get you a phone. Passing notes is so junior high." She'd give him a hug if he weren't being all captain-y right now.
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Date: 2015-09-25 01:16 am (UTC)Jim gets a wave when he approaches. "What's the word?"
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Date: 2015-09-25 01:35 am (UTC)"Your comm, cornfed hillbilly." Bones rolls his eyes in exasperation. "Can I leave you alone with these kids without some kind of emergency so I can finish my shift?"
"Sure. We're gonna be in the prep room." Jim waves Verity and Clint to follow him back into the turbolift. The hallway they exit into is much less interesting than the bridge, sadly. Jim smiles and greets every worker he passes by name, while playing tour guide as best he can.
"So that was the bridge, pretty slow alpha shift today. Promise I'll give you the grand tour, but I figure we've got more important things to do at the moment. Remind me though, when we're done, to take you guys to the observation deck."
The prep room is like every conference room ever created except futuristic and in space. The wall mounted computer panels are neat and all, but it's still a meeting room. Not everything in the future can be cool.
"Take a seat guys. I'll grab us some coffee...." Where the hell did they keep the mugs and shit? Jim doesn't usually do this kind of thing when there's mission briefings going on. That's why Starfleet has Yeomans.
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Date: 2015-09-25 01:51 am (UTC)Verity looks around while they go, probably looking like some kind of silly tourist, but she's also paying attention to where they're going and how things work. Just in case. Thank goodness this future is in English. That makes it a lot easier than visiting Obichen.
"So this is about... the stuff?" Reed Richards math and so forth. She doesn't ask until they're in the prep room and she's sitting down. It's a sitting-down sort of subject for her. He can muddle through making the coffee on his own, or ask her for help if things get really dire.
Clint, stop being meta, you're bad at it.
Date: 2015-09-25 01:56 am (UTC)He, too, is keeping track of where they go and how things work. Once an Avenger, always an Avenger (as one zombie-themed villain learned very much to his dismay), and looking out for trouble and being ready for action are part of the whole superhero package.
So are meetings. You wouldn't think so, but they are. Clint takes a seat at the conference table with Verity, putting in, "good news, he asked hopefully?"
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Date: 2015-09-25 03:15 am (UTC)It's his preferred title.
"It is, yeah." Jim found mugs and a carafe, awesome. He also is working the replicator. Less awesome. But there is a tray of coffee and sandwiches brought over to the table. Might not be the best tasting, but it is probably the most precisely nutritionally calculated things they will consume.
Jim grabs his PADD and takes it over to one of the wall monitors. Passes out one of the devices to each of them, mostly for ease of following along.
"Good news? That depends on your definition of the phrase. This is one hell of a mess you have going on."
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Date: 2015-09-25 03:33 am (UTC)Verity's game to try just about anything once, so despite what she's heard about it, she'll take a sip of replicator coffee. Then she puts the mug down at stares at it for a minute. Now she understands why he likes her coffee so much. This is a travesty and needs to be fixed.
But oh look, she has a PADD now. She'll be waiting for an opportunity to see if they still have Wikipedia.
"Is there any chance of saving his world?" The idea of trying to save hers doesn't even cross her mind. She saw the numbers.
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Date: 2015-09-25 03:39 am (UTC)Clint takes a sip of his cup of liquid regret. Still not the worst coffee he's ever had, but he thinks fondly of the good stuff he's got at home. Then he takes his PADD, surreptitiously checking it for a Stark logo.
"And Verity's?" Clint is ride-a-jetpack-into-a-spaceship-while-on-fire levels of tenacious. Also, he doesn't understand the numbers so well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qnd-hdmgfk
Date: 2015-09-25 04:06 am (UTC)Several parallel planes come into view, lined up side by side. There's a bunch of math going on on Jim's PADD. With a lot of notations.
"Unless you know a guy who can beam a whole planet to the other side of it's orbit....no. We can try for evacuations, getting people into the Nexus, but then what? And how many would go?" With a drag of his finger he animates the image, and each parallel plane pinches inward toward each other.
"You've literally got a singularity ripping universes apart. Our warp technology can't come close to this kind of accuracy, and this is across parallel universes. Universes Clint. The total overall energy of the universes are being manipulated such that it's changing the shape and colliding key areas together."
Jim shakes his head. "Short of an evacuation, I don't know what else we could do for Verity's world. And that's not taking into account the entire other world on a collision course with it. A world form a universe I don't even know how to get to."
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Date: 2015-09-25 04:13 am (UTC)Moving on.
"Let's focus on what we might still be able to save." Please let there be some good news, Jim. She could really use some right about now.
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Date: 2015-09-25 04:24 am (UTC)"Sorry, Verity. Okay, yeah, what can we still save?"
Carl Sagan is my spirit animal
Date: 2015-09-25 04:42 am (UTC)"We know what's happening. You've got a disruption of the net total energy of these parallel universes. The target universe is left with total net energy of 0 as it normally is. This makes the universe flat."
He points to a couple of the adjacent universes.
"By manipulating the total net energy of the universes on either side, whoever's wrecking shit is basically free to manipulate the shape of the neighbor universes however they want. Accurate enough to slam planets together with their counterpart planets, just to be that much of a dick." It would be one thing to smush universes together, but to go out of one's way to be such a huge asshole to line up parallel Earths across neighboring universes such that they smacked together?
That's pure asshole.
"The good news is, one of the universes is left with net 0 energy. It's left alone. It's the wall the neighboring planes are smashing into. Since your universe isn't ripping apart at the seams, Clint, you don't have to fuck with your world at all. We just have to figure out how to keep other universes out of your quantum everything. Which....would mean figuring out how to absorb or deflect borderline infinite amounts of energy."
Gee, sure would come in handy to have some of that Red Matter on hand now, wouldn't it Jim? Too bad it's crushed into a singularity with the rest of Nero's ship. Well fuck, it couldn't be easy, could it?
Mine's a honeybadger.
Date: 2015-09-25 02:18 pm (UTC)"Or convert," she points out quietly. An oversight, surely, simply that Jim forgot to mention it and not that nobody thought of it. "Whatever's going to shield the universe is going to need an energy source, right?"
It would be an elegant solution, if it could work.
I got a rock. No, wait, a fox (it wandered off for a while).
Date: 2015-09-26 01:42 am (UTC)Clint has trouble following the math, but the general "universes are bending until they crash" explanation he can get. "That's a, wow, a hell of a thing. That was all in the stuff you got?"
He has no idea how to fight something like that, no idea what arrow to shoot at it (I have one skill, I'm damn well gonna use it). When Verity makes her suggestion, though, he blinks, then grins. "Verity, you're a genius!"
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Date: 2015-09-26 02:53 am (UTC)Blink.
OKay, Jim's not a petty man, but he gets the most '1000% done with this shit' face and wanders back over to the wall computers. Giving the archer a smack on the back of the head along the way.
Friggin two days with no sleep, replicated coffee, and a hyperactive ensign chittering in Russian at you while your chief engineer makes borderline illegal math puns trying to stop the end of the universe, And Barton's impressed by the word 'conversion'.
Not that it's a bad idea, but this took some serious work here.
"We can get all of this converted back into data your devices will read, let asshole Skrull meat guy and your other best and brightest figure out how to implement everything we've done. And if this Reed guy pops an artery at someone out mathing him, I want it on video."
Technically cheating since future, but eh. Jim will take what he can get. All of this is directed at Verity quite pleasantly.
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Date: 2015-09-26 03:21 am (UTC)"Thank you, Jim. This has all been so kind of you, and your crew, for dealing with your being so preoccupied. We'll have to find a way to thank everyone." Right, Clint? Now's the time to thank people.
"This must have taken a long time. When's the last time you slept?" This is probably not the kind of thanks Jim wants, but it's for his own good.
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Date: 2015-09-26 03:54 am (UTC)"I just, what Verity said make me think of something, and you're gonna like it. The energy going into those universes, it's from the Beyonders, and Verity had the idea we could pull it out and use it for our shield thingie. Well, there's somebody who stole energy from a Beyonder before, and it's Reed Richards' biggest rival." He grins for a moment, then drops the grin as he admits, "and also the despotic tyrant of a tiny European country, but I thought you'd find it funny, Reed having to reverse-engineer his worst enemy's old stuff to fix what he couldn't."
Cheating is totally valid to save the world/universe. Clint once tricked Grandmaster out of enslaving Earth with what amounted to a double-or-nothin' bet on a rigged carnival game. Captain America was shocked.
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Date: 2015-09-26 04:11 am (UTC)Ladies.
Okay wow he needs sleep. There are no ladies here other than Verity and she is only attracted to gods of lies and police officers with no sense of humor. Speaking of sleep...
"Uh..." What day was today? He'd done two alpha shifts plus the work and--"Two days? Maybe? It starts to run together after a while. I've been awake longer." So that's why he's happily drinking the replicated coffee. He has no sense of taste anymore. He can probably feel his eyeballs rallying a mutiny.
"...Oh man. I almost wish i could be there to see his face." Jim pauses. Grins and oh man, that can't be good. "Tell him a relative solved it."
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Date: 2015-09-26 04:21 am (UTC)But he's right in that she doesn't count as a lady in his book.
"Tell him your alternate-future many-times-great grandson solved it. It will not be the weirdest thing he's heard all day." Otherwise, Barney will get all the credit, and nobody wants that. Nobody.
"I'd say we should get going because Jim needs to sleep, but I'm guessing he's not going to sleep without encouragement, so. Jim. What'll it be?" She's raised an eyebrow at you Jim DO NOT MESS WITH THE EYEBROW.
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Date: 2015-09-26 04:39 am (UTC)"That's perfect, that's absolutely perfect. This is gonna be so great, you will definitely get pictures." But Verity raises a good point. "And sleep. Time to put the coffee down, bro."
http://tinyurl.com/o2ouqxv
Date: 2015-09-26 04:50 am (UTC)It's the Vulcan eyebrow technique. Jim does not have enough coffee reserves to mount a defense. So he opts for distraction.
"Sure, but a promise is a promise. I've got some other good news for you guys. Follow me." Jim does set the coffee down. It's really no difficulty there. He'll lead them out of the prep room and back to the turbolifts. This time to a much quieter part of the ship.
The observation deck is something of a hang out for Captain Kirk, whenever he gets the time. He doesn't have any smart mouth introductions, any quippy statements. He just leads them inside and dims the lights so they can see the space all around them.
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Date: 2015-09-26 05:01 am (UTC)She's familiar with the technique, having been on both sides of it before. So although her eyes are narrowed, she'll allow it. For now. But this doesn't mean she's forgotten.
The view might mean she's forgotten. "Oh, Jim. It's so beautiful. Where are we?" Verity's up as close to a window as she can get, staring out into space with as close to childlike wonder as she's ever managed in her life. Nobody mess this up for her, please.
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Date: 2015-09-26 05:03 am (UTC)Them Iowa boys sure is eloquent, mm-hm.
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Date: 2015-09-26 05:15 am (UTC)The one where they got into that nifty bar fight even. But that wasn't IN the StarBase, Jim would have been recognized there. Which isn't always a bad thing.
"Either it's an anomaly in the radiation coming from one of the nebula nearby, or there's something out here. Either way I figured it wouldn't take long to drop out of warp and let them poke around. PLus it means I can show you guys this."
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Date: 2015-09-26 02:29 pm (UTC)"Look at you, planning things like a real grown-up," she remarks with a smirk. "You might just convince me you really are a captain at this rate." She's only teasing, but Jim doesn't need his ego inflated any further.
"How long until you're due to deliver the medical supplies?"
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Date: 2015-09-26 02:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-26 03:03 pm (UTC)"Not due for another several weeks, but our last mission ended up taking a lot less time than we'd planned." Not because Jim hadn't been there to summon trouble. "The initial readings from the planet had been incorrect, and there just wasn't a lot to see or do. A few geological readings, and away we went."
"Not every morning." Jim smiles though. He loves it. "While we're in warp there really isn't much to see."
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Date: 2015-09-26 04:59 pm (UTC)Somebody has to be the adult in the room. #sorrynotsorry
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Date: 2015-09-27 02:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-27 04:30 pm (UTC)A crew like a family. A real life family member via the Nexus. Jim considers himself pretty lucky, now. He turns toward Clint and Verity at length.
"You...you think you'll be able to fix your world with that?" Jim knows there isn't a guarantee. Know's he's only solved the question of what the problem is, not how to fix it. "If...I mean. If you can't...you can always come here. I mean it." Both of them could. Wouldn't be the first Starfleet regulation he'd bent in his favor.
Won't be the last.
"...I hope you can, though."
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Date: 2015-09-27 05:07 pm (UTC)Well, she has a grumpy old Mobian who may have only taken her in to try and soften her up so she agrees to that dangerous contract he's offered, and a maybe-boyfriend who gets so upset when she tries to talk to him about what's happening that she ends up having to comfort him.
It's still more than she deserves. She knows she should be grateful.
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Date: 2015-09-28 03:54 am (UTC)Clint sees Verity turn away, and puts a hand on her shoulder. "And thank you, Verity. This never would've happened without you. If you ever wanna, y'know, live in the world of two years ago... offer's there. Y'got friends."
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Date: 2015-09-28 04:32 am (UTC)Nobody.
He tries one more time, licking at his bottom lip nervously before he takes a step her way.
"I meant you, too, Ver. The three of us. Course, bein' a big sister figure to these two idiots is a shit job, but. You been doing good so far." He tries to play it off. It's no big deal if she's still upset. If she doesn't want it. Well it is, but its a good thing he didn't say that and lie through his teeth then.
What he does say, even though it sounds like a joke...isn't.
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Date: 2015-09-28 04:57 am (UTC)Verity looks over when Clint's hand approaches her shoulder, and he gets a little smile. The last thing any world needs is two of her, but it's a sweet offer. "Thank you."
Then she shifts her attention to Jim, so yes, now it gets to be all about him. She was not expecting that. And now she's crying. Happy crying, and only a little, but give her a sec to calm down.
BTW that smile means yes she wants it you idiots.
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Date: 2015-09-28 05:07 am (UTC)What sexual position says 'I'm sorry for your loss?'
Date: 2015-09-29 12:30 am (UTC)Oh thank god Clint's hugging her and calming her down. That's probably what he should have been doing rather than standing there like a twat. Why's he flailing an arm like that Clint wtf are you doi--yoinked!
Oh. Like a real family.
Okay, everyone gets hugs then. Jim can do hugs. The rest they can teach each other, since literally no one in this trio is a shining paragon of functional family experience.
Cunnilingus. Not that he's going to get to practice on her. :P
Date: 2015-09-29 01:07 am (UTC)"I've never had any siblings," she admits quietly, before the sass takes over. "But I'm pretty sure I'm going to be super bossy, so I hope you know what you're getting into."
Definitely not. They're family now. Weird family, but what other kind would they have?
Date: 2015-09-29 01:20 am (UTC)Clint chuckles. "Oh, well, I dunno about that. I've never had to work with a bossy lady before, y'know." Such a lie, but he's obviously joking.
They're not THAT kind of hillbilly family.
Date: 2015-09-29 01:30 am (UTC)Jim is the least skilled Barton/Kirk. Not a shred of super hero in this guy. It's a good thing Verity's a part of the family now, because then he's not the smallest.
"Like you weren't before? I think we'll live." Jim leans his head forward and bumps it gently against Verity's for good measure of point proving.
Thank goodness
Date: 2015-09-29 01:47 am (UTC)"Ha ha." But she's tilting her head up into the touch with a smile. "You two are hilarious."
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Date: 2015-09-29 02:47 am (UTC)Clint grins. "Runs in the family."
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Date: 2015-09-29 03:24 am (UTC)Hanging with Marvel people makes one insecure sometimes, is all. Coming from the man who does space jumps and captains his own starship. Which are super fun, by the by when redshirts aren't getting themselves killed and bringing down the party.
"C'mon you two, I'll take you back to Engineering. Clint's got some pictures to take of Skull guy losing his mind, and Verity's gonna drag me by my ear to my quarters if she can find it." Or worse, call Bones and tell on him.
"And then yes, I will go to bed as soon as alpha shift is over. Or as soon as you're gone, if Spock says they've got it covered."
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Date: 2015-09-29 03:31 am (UTC)"Pretty sure the doctor would tell me if I asked," she points out. "And don't tell me you wouldn't sleep better if I stay." It's not like she's got anywhere to go.
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Date: 2015-09-29 04:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-29 04:34 am (UTC)Don't be too sad you guys, space will still be there next time you visit.
"I'm sure I would, Ver. But you don't have to trouble yourself over it. Wouldn't want a certain someone to get jealous, would we?" And just like that, everything is back to the way it should be. Jim's laughing, Clint's chiming in with the brotherly advice....
And Verity just heard a huge lie in that first sentence, despite how natural Jim looks. He really is that used to lying when it comes to himself. No one would know any better, if they didn't have the abilities she does.
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Date: 2015-09-29 04:51 am (UTC)"He'll understand. And you slept really well that night we all got drunk, so maybe you should give me some credit." She'll reach for his arm, intending to stop him so they can talk before they get anywhere public. "If you want to insist on waiting until your shift is over, okay. Give me something to read and I'll wait too. But you're too important for me to give up on easily."
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Date: 2015-09-29 05:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-29 03:49 pm (UTC)Booze well spent if it will save a world.
"Anywhere else you'd like to see before we leave?" Jim isn't quite sure why they're being stopped, but he's not arguing.
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Date: 2015-09-29 04:03 pm (UTC)She did warn them about the bossiness.
"I know you have a relationship with your crew that I'll never really understand, and I'm not trying to compete with that. But you don't have to be the stoic, unflappable captain with me. You can accept help from me without it being anyone else's business."
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Date: 2015-09-29 04:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-29 04:31 pm (UTC)Jim swallows a lump that's suddenly in his throat. He can't say no to Clint. Like, literally can't. That argument pretty much sums up their status. Jim does owe him a couch surfing. And his couch is awesome, it would be ten kinds of rude to say no.
And Verity.
Well. Verity's world is exploding like right now how is he going to be a dick and throw her out?
He isn't.
And they know it. Okay....Okay! Plan B it is then.
"Ahahaha! You got me there. Guess we're crashing at my place." Jim grins and nothing is amiss except that laugh is a total lie. What is going on here? Seriously? They turn toward a turbolift and Jim keys in to go down to his quarters. Leads them down a rather quiet hallway. Punches in his personal code and lets them into his quarters. Clint's seen it before, but it is surprisingly sparse and clean. He has a computer terminal and office in the corner, a couch with a small coffee table stacked with PADDs of paperwork he has to do, and his bed on the far side over by his closet.
"I share my bathroom with Spock; his quarters is next to mine. I can get spare toothbrushes and the like easy enough--gotta warn you though. Sonic showers aren't nearly as relaxing as ones you're used to." A spare blanket and set of pillows gets chucked onto the couch easily. "You guys argue over who's sleeping where, I"ll take the couch even, I don't mind. I'm gonna go comm Spock and let him know I'm taking off early." Jim points to his terminal and wanders over there.
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Date: 2015-09-29 04:46 pm (UTC)The lack of biometric locks is going to make it hard to keep her out in the future. Just saying.
She has a little look around when they get to his quarters, but while he's getting a blanket and pillow for the couch she's moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "I'm sure we'll survive." The sonic showers are clean so they don't do the spinny throw of pain like in the Sims, right?
Once Jim's back is turned, Clint gets a curious look. "You're staying too?" Doesn't he have a world to save and a mafia to fight? Then the couch gets a look. He's sleeping over there.
She doesn't have much time with Jim not looking and a PADD in her hand. Future Wikipedia, tell her all about Tarsus IV.
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Date: 2015-09-29 04:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-29 05:13 pm (UTC)Jim is unaware of Verity's search as he settles into his station. There aren't biometric locks; his captain's override is usually enough to get him security. And no one knows what that is.
"Spock? Yeah...we've finished. Hey listen I--" Beat. A chuckle. "I was just going to ask that, actually. You don't mind? Sure. Yeah. Comm me the second anything happens." Everything seems okay from the bridge. Jim gets up and heaves a sigh, wanders into the bathroom. Takes care of his hygiene needs and grabs a sonic shower.
Conveniently offscreen for whatever Verity is about to learn.
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Date: 2015-09-29 05:19 pm (UTC)That's good because her poker face is pretty much nonexistent. She's half listening to the conversation while she takes off her shoes, and then he's out of the room and she's reading.
Hey Clint, feel free to come get in on this horrible horrible discovery.
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Date: 2015-09-29 05:24 pm (UTC)We're all Trekkies we already know.
Date: 2015-09-29 06:14 pm (UTC)"Remember when he freaked out so bad about the food he might have eaten at your place? He begged me not to make him talk about this." He can read for himself what happened. "You cannot bring this up with him. Clint. Seriously. We have to be careful with this."
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Date: 2015-09-29 06:17 pm (UTC)Nobody knows except everybody knows.
Date: 2015-09-29 06:29 pm (UTC)He can either not go to sleep, or hope everything is okay. He'd managed to keep his night terrors to himself while at Clint's place, startling awake and shaking quietly in the chair by the window or on the couch. Barney gave him an odd look once or twice, but Jim refused to talk about it.
He'd been up for over two days. He should totally be able to sleep. But if they found out....the shame is a snake uncoiling in his guts, coursing through him like poison. Jim just got a family again. He doesn't want them to see how broken he really is.
Jim kicks the door open with a foot and scrubs a hand through his hair as he wanders back in. He's just going to have to deal with it and make sure he doesn't wake up screaming. Luckily he's noisy enough for concerned people to not be huddled together making worried faces when he gets out.
"You guys figure out who's crashin' where yet? Bathroom's free t'clean up with."
The First Rule about Cuddle Club is: you don't talk about Cuddle Club
Date: 2015-09-29 06:49 pm (UTC)"I'm going to brush my teeth. No plotting while I'm gone." If she comes back to some kind of sexy guy pillow fight...
...she's just going to be really confused.
The Second Rule of Cuddle Club is: you don't wear anything sharp or chafing.
Date: 2015-09-29 07:08 pm (UTC)Once Verity's gone, Clint observes, "you look pretty wiped, man."
Jim's idea of a pillow fight is to put a pillow on someone and then punching them
Date: 2015-09-29 09:06 pm (UTC)He seems to brighten even more once Verity is off into the bathroom. It's like he knows that no one can tell him he's full of shit now. If only Jim knew how wrong he was.
"I worked two alpha shifts in between the work I had Scotty and Chekov helping me with on that drive. That's a hell of a lot of coffee. None of it good." Jim snorts and flops down onto his bed, throwing an arm over his eyes.
"Lights, 25%." And the lights dim. Shiny. Ohhhh man. Not-sleeping may not be an option. His bed is really nice, you have no idea. So is the couch, Clint. Starfleet knows its crews tend to run long loooong shifts. "I know it's two years out, but...I wanted to give you as much time as possible." Pause.
"And I was hoping I'd be able to magically save verity's world, too."
That's 50% less fun and 72% less sexy.
Date: 2015-09-29 09:10 pm (UTC)If he didn't want her around to call him out on this stuff he shouldn't have adopted her.
Wait, so smothering and punches still has some room on the fun and sexy scales?
Date: 2015-09-29 09:15 pm (UTC)"Yeah," Clint admits with a sigh, "yeah, so was I. Thanks for tryin', man, and I'm not gonna give up 'til it's over, but... yeah."
Everything is sexy if you do it right.
Date: 2015-09-29 09:51 pm (UTC)"Thought I was gonna be sick when it dawned on me there was just no way." Jim's voice has gone quiet, a murmur of guilt he knows isn't his fault. He still feels that way though.
"FYI, if you hear an annoying sort of whistle from my terminal, I'm getting a comm and you should wake me the fuck up right away. I usually catch it pretty quick, but.."
People have some weird kinks.
Date: 2015-09-29 10:13 pm (UTC)She is so tiny to try and carry such a burden. "You two are big damn heroes. You feel like you have to fix things or die trying."
Fair enough. Who am I to judge?
Date: 2015-09-29 10:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-29 10:53 pm (UTC)Sometimes that power of hers throws Jim off. Not being able to lie to the people he cares about most because he cares about them makes dealing with things hard.
"...An I got mad because you're right." Mumble mumble, he smiles as Clint takes his turn in the bathroom. "Want one of my non-reg shirts for pajamas?"
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Date: 2015-09-29 11:14 pm (UTC)"Your answer would probably let me sleep at night," she admits. "Yeah, something to change into would be nice. Thanks." Nooobody's going to get the wrong idea about this, not at all. Although it's probably not the strangest way Spock's ever found Jim. "If we're doing this on the regular I'll bring some of my jammies next time."
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Date: 2015-09-29 11:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-29 11:49 pm (UTC)Future toothpaste is disappointingly recognizable. Everything tingles a little more though. It's better at its job. Verity gets tossed one of Jim's civvy long sleeve shirts. If anybody does walk in it WILL be the strangest thing Spock/Bones has ever seen. Jim's clothed, there's a girl--clothed. And another guy--clothed--on the couch. They'll think he's gone crazy.
Luckily people just don't walk into the Captain's quarters. Usually. Spock knows his captain's override code though. how the pointy eared bastard found out Jim will never know. If Bones gets it too he's switching numbers. Nattering hens.
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Date: 2015-09-30 12:27 am (UTC)"Thanks." She gives Jim a pointed look until he turns around before she changes. Sure, she could do the locker room change where layers and wriggling mean nobody really sees anything, but she'd rather not risk it. It's a good thing Jim's tall and his shirts are long enough to cover everything.
Once she's changed she sits on the bed next to Jim, reaching out to stroke his hair like it's the most natural thing in the world. "Hey there. Where do you want me?"
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Date: 2015-09-30 02:13 am (UTC)Clint gets back just in time to hear that question, and manages through the practice of working with the Black Widow for years to keep a straight face and not snicker at the accidental innuendo. For his part, he'll settle in on the couch and try not to make much noise.
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Date: 2015-09-30 03:20 am (UTC)"However I can get you, obviously." He is not very bright in this regard. Or able to defend himself all flopped back on his bed like he is.
You don't get to be quiet, Clint. Either Jim's antics or squawks of pain are cause for much amusement.
"S'weird seeing someone else in my shirt." And a first, actually. Awkward mornings after aren't a thing he does. "C'mon, make yerself comfy. For all the crap you give Clint I'm really not sure how the good officer would react if he saw this."
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Date: 2015-09-30 03:30 am (UTC)There we go. Huff. Whap. "You really do have a one-track mind, don't you?" But he's not getting rid of her that easy. She'll lay down beside him and try to figure out how to do this with someone who isn't Loki-shaped. Her head on his shoulder and an arm across his chest? She's used to being the little spoon. This is weird.
"None of your legions of lovers ever tried on your clothes? I thought wearing home someone else's shirt was a badge of honor. Maybe it was just those sorority girls at college..."
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Date: 2015-09-30 03:59 am (UTC)It's good to be out of Verity's smacking radius.
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Date: 2015-09-30 04:11 am (UTC)"Never had someone special." And holy shit that's true. In fact, Jim seems a bit unsure of where to put his hands or anything else for that matter, so he just lets Verity situate them however she likes.
"You guys want me t'leave the lights on dim like this or shut em off? If you gotta get up you can always just tell the computer to put them back on. Like this. Lights, 10%."
And it's almost all dark.
"We good here? Having our first family sleepover?"
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Date: 2015-09-30 04:20 am (UTC)She's quiet while she arranges Jim's arms so they'll be cozy but not too close to anything sensitive. Fortunately, she has an expanse of back that's safe territory. "You will when you're ready." She's such an expert on these things, they should always listen to her about this stuff.
And then she's making this quiet little humming sound. There's no melody or anything, it's just happy. "This is nice. Family is nice."
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Date: 2015-09-30 04:31 am (UTC)"She's right," Clint adds. "Like the song says. Y'can't hurry love."
Settling back on the couch, he gives a contented sigh. "Dark's nice. Better'n streetlights comin' in."
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Date: 2015-09-30 04:45 am (UTC)His goddamn alternate reality supergreat grandpa is crashing on his couch.
Jim falls asleep to the thought of 'what the hell am I even doing' crossing his mind.
What he's doing is getting beat. Starving. Watching friend and family alike die in the Purge. Sometimes Sam's face is among the dying, staring up at him with accusing, dead eyes.
Sometimes it's his crew. His Aunt.
Tonight it's Clint, a makeshift bow splintered and broken over his lifeless body. And arms snaking their way around him. Smothering him. Choking him. He's next.
"No!" Jim's pulling and flailing at the hands around him, blindly panicking as he rips himself free from the strange embrace. How had he let someone get so close? His breathing is irregular, eyes wide and unseeing as he shuffles to the far side of the bed, nearly falling off in his hurry to get free.
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Date: 2015-09-30 05:12 am (UTC)"Jim? What's wrong?" She doesn't try to touch him, much as she wants to; she knows it's not likely to help right now. He wanted away so he'll have his distance. "Jim. It's me. It's Verity."
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Date: 2015-09-30 05:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-09-30 03:06 pm (UTC)Jim topples off his bed with a reverberating thud , hyperventilating and making low whining noises in the back of his throat as he curls up. He's not on Tarsus. This he's dimly aware of. It's not Iowa either.
Oddly enough, it's the gentle hum of the Enterprises's engines through the floor that brings him back to reality and wakes him up properly. He's in his quarters. There's no one there to hurt him.
And he just made a huge scene in front of Clint and Verity.
Oh, hell.
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Date: 2015-09-30 03:59 pm (UTC)It's hard to tell what's going on in the dark. "Lights, 20%." Should be just enough to see without her tripping over anything, at least until she finds her glasses.
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Date: 2015-09-30 04:18 pm (UTC)"Here," he supplies, holding out the cup, "got'cha some water."
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Date: 2015-09-30 04:34 pm (UTC)They're looking at him. They know. He knew this was going to happen. Shouldn't have let them stay. Not with him. It's pitiful isn't it? Not being able to function like a normal goddamn person.
With the lights on Jim has no choice but to sit up, despite the protesting pain in his abdomen. He still isn't able to properly breathe, panic attack not subsiding knowing he's here and okay. It's reinforced by the replacement emotions of shame and dread. The worst sponsor emotions to ever get a deal working with the brain.
Suddenly there's just this burning desire to be out, somewhere they can't see him like this. BUt that's no good either. If he bails on them, his crew is going to see. he's trapped.
Jim's not even aware he's shaking or crying, trying to process unattainable escape plans.
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Date: 2015-09-30 04:55 pm (UTC)"Jim. Listen to me. It's okay. You'll get through this. We're going to help you get through this, just like you always help us. Can you tell me what you need?" She's moving slowly across the bed while she talks. If he doesn't balk at her approach, she'll land behind him on the floor so she can hug him and he can lean back against her.
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Date: 2015-09-30 05:14 pm (UTC)"We're here, Jim, and we're not goin' away. We're family, and you're stuck with us."
http://tinyurl.com/pcra9wm
Date: 2015-09-30 05:26 pm (UTC)"I'm fine." He snaps like a whip, going rigid in Verity's grip. It's a similar defensive mechanism to hers. Walling himself up. Pushing everyone else away. Burned bridges mean he's abandoning them, not the other way around. The distinction is important in his warped view of the world.
They're lying. Had to be. It's not okay, he's not okay and they're pitying him. They're starting to see how much trouble he is and they'll get tired of it. Empty promises. Words he's heard dozens of times before. They may not mean to, but Jim knows better. Knows how twisted he is and that people are right to hate him.
This was a mistake. All of it. They're seeing a Jim that he's kept hidden from even Bones and Spock. And Jim's shaking with the knowledge that he may have just blown his chance for a family again.
"It's not a big deal." He can't even talk without sounding like he's pulling the words out with a pliers through his constricted airways.
Awww :(
Date: 2015-09-30 05:33 pm (UTC)The best part of knowing that is she knows how to get around it. Learn from her example, because the situation will be reversed again someday far too soon.
First things first, she doesn't let go of him. Her hold is light, gentle, but persistent. He can get away if he really wants to, but... why would he want to? If he won't lean against her, she'll lean against his back, soft and warm, with her chin on his shoulder. "Please don't push us away, Jim. We love you. Try to breathe. Just breathe with me, okay? Nice slow breaths. In, and out. In, and out."
She's warned him she's stubborn, right? Because she is stubborn.
Poor puppy.
Date: 2015-09-30 06:16 pm (UTC)He's so wrong.
Date: 2015-09-30 11:36 pm (UTC)Which is fine. If no one loves you, no one walks away. No one matters. Except Clint and Verity do matter. They matter as much as Spock and Bones and they know.
Jim's goddamned terrified.
But there's no changing what's already happened. They know and he can't magically make them un-know. The breathing is helping; he feels less strangled in his own skin. He stops looking quite so flushed after a few minutes, and mutely reached for the glass of water once he's pretty sure he's not just going to drop it with his stupid shaking hands.
"...This...is why...I don't do sleepovers." He settles on finally. It's all he can think of to say.
He'll learn. <3
Date: 2015-09-30 11:45 pm (UTC)She'll keep up the quiet breathing mantra until he reaches for the water, but she doesn't move away. "I don't think either of us expected you'd be a good sleeper, Jim." Not only do they know, but she at least already knew. But her tone is affectionate. That means something. "Did you hurt yourself?"
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Date: 2015-10-01 12:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-10-01 12:49 am (UTC)Like, they go back to bed. Jim's pretty sure he's not getting back to sleep. He can put on some shorts and a t-shirt and go spend the rest of the night in the gym working out. That's how he usually handles this shit. That or paperwork.
Literally anything but going back to sleep.
And definitely not talking about it.
"Didn't hurt m'self. I'm fine." Nope, nope nope nope.
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Date: 2015-10-01 01:12 am (UTC)He's not getting out of this so easily. "You can't pretend forever. Trust me, I've tried. You're going to have to talk to somebody about this."
Bracing for another panic attack in three, two...
"But it doesn't have to be tonight"
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Date: 2015-10-01 01:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-10-01 01:31 am (UTC)He does, however, give a rather pleading 'just drop it' look Clint's way.
"..." Does he really want to explain why he still has them on board when he supposedly went to bed? Not really, no. More people will assume and that would be fine except no it's not it's creepy as hell even if Clint and verity are attractive and so doable. "I'll go back t'bed." He finally mumbles, pulling himself away from Verity to sit on the side of the bed again.
"....Sorry, guys." There is so much self loathing in those two simple words.
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Date: 2015-10-01 01:46 am (UTC)"There's nothing to be sorry about. You haven't done anything wrong." One of the benefits of having a sister who's so endlessly literal. It's just that simple to her. She'll stay on the floor until invited to join him again. She'll sit on the floor next to his bed all night if she has to.
"What can we do to help you right now?"
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Date: 2015-10-01 01:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-10-01 01:52 am (UTC)Really any severely unhealthy solution to make this problem go away is what Jim thinks he needs.
He's pretty sure none of those options are things they will grant him, and only one of them Jim actually agrees with them on.
"...I don't think I can go back to sleep." He finally admits. "...Dunno what to do now. But I'm pretty sure this isn't how sleepovers work."
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Date: 2015-10-01 01:56 am (UTC)What? She never said she didn't try to have friends as a kid.
"Or we could find something else to do. A card game or we could go for a walk... Clint, could you find my glasses for me please?" She can't remember where she left them.
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Date: 2015-10-01 02:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-10-01 03:21 am (UTC)They seemed to like it last time, and Jim really does too. And since Alpha shift is over, it's probably pretty quiet at this time of the 'day'.
Getting out of his quarters seems like a good plan, for now, regardless. Though he probably needs a shirt if he's going out.
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Date: 2015-10-01 03:36 am (UTC)"That would be nice. It's very peaceful up there." When he starts getting fidgety they can find something more active to do. She's going to need to get dressed.
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Date: 2015-10-01 03:38 am (UTC)"Yeah, the view was great up there," Clint agrees. Although this time, he's going to be keeping an eye on Jim out of the corner of his eye. It'll keep him from fidgeting (Clint, that is).
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Date: 2015-10-01 03:50 am (UTC)The observation deck is as quiet as it was the last time they were there. Only a few other crew members are around, and they all find somewhere better to be when they notice the Captain has come in, looking less than his best.
Some people feel small and insignificant when they look out at the night sky. They feel afraid of the expanse surrounding them. James Kirk has always felt mollified by this immensity. Something about how little anything mattered in the grand scheme of the cosmos made the burdens he carried feel a bit more insignificant too.
He won't make it twenty minutes in there without drifting back off to sleep in the first chair he'd settled into. And, judging by the little snores he's making soon after, he's properly knocked out this time.
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Date: 2015-10-01 04:05 am (UTC)If Verity notices Jim is falling asleep, she pretends otherwise. The view is magnificent and she could use a little grandeur in her life. But the snoring makes her smile.
"I think he just hates beds," she murmurs to Clint.
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Date: 2015-10-01 04:20 am (UTC)That view really is magnificent, and Clint revels in it until he hears Jim snoring. Verity's suggestion gets a quiet chuckle. "Should we carry him back to his room?" he murmurs, "or get a blanket to put over him here?"
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Date: 2015-10-01 03:52 pm (UTC)"We should probably try to get him back to his quarters before he has another nightmare," she admits. "He's upset enough that we saw that. Imagine if it was some random ensign."
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Date: 2015-10-01 03:56 pm (UTC)The good thing about practicing with a high-draw bow pretty much constantly is the great upper body strength it brings. Clint can scoop Jim up and carry him without staggering around making comical faces and sounds; one arm under his knees, one behind his shoulders.
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Date: 2015-10-01 04:01 pm (UTC)A proper prince carry. How sweet.
Verity can keep a lookout and a hand on Jim's head to keep it from getting bumped against anything in close quarters (and the ship is all close quarters). There may be some ducking-around-corners to avoid anyone seeing Jim getting carried around, but he doesn't need to know about that. And this is when her powers of observation are so useful: if Jim didn't put his override on the door, they can get him back into his quarters no problem.
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Date: 2015-10-01 04:06 pm (UTC)If blankets need moving, hopefully Verity can handle that, before Clint eases Jim down into bed.
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Date: 2015-10-01 04:32 pm (UTC)They'll get Jim tucked in nice and comfy (boots off, blankets on), and Verity curls up next to him again. But there's less holding on this time, just in case. No need to trigger his fight-or-flight response a second time. "Or are you worried Barney will be jealous?"
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Date: 2015-10-01 04:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-10-01 04:58 pm (UTC)Damn it, now she can't sleep. She's going to have to start just bringing her sleeping pills with her everywhere.