Scientific Progress goes 'Boink'

[smartass_captain]

There'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.))

Comments

[brave_heart_verity]

This is true. And how could Verity not be attracted to someone so fundamentally honest?

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.

[aw_hawkguy]

Clint's not going to spoil it by being more dignified than Verity, that's for sure. He's right up against the glass, too, trying to see it all, with an appreciative, "woooooow!"

Them Iowa boys sure is eloquent, mm-hm.

[smartass_captain]

"There was a transmission that originated somewhere around here. Spock's doing some scans with Uhura to try and pinpoint the disturbance. We were heading toward Makus III with a shipment of medical supplies picked up at the last StarBase we were sent to."

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."

[brave_heart_verity]

That doesn't really answer her question, and she has no idea where Makus Anything is anyway, but whatever. It's so pretty. She does shift her attention away from he view to focus on Jim's reflection in the window.

"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?"

[aw_hawkguy]

Clint, too, wonders about the medical supplies, but since Verity asked, he doesn't want to bust Jim's chops by compounding it. "It's an amazing view. You get something like this out your window every morning?"

[smartass_captain]

"Scheduled delivery. Non-emergency and we were ahead of schedule anyway." Quoting stardates at them won't mean anything so he doesn't bother. Spock had assured him it wouldn't take long. And if they didn't find anything before they needed to head out? Oh well. There's the entire rest of the galaxy to poke around in.

"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."

[brave_heart_verity]

"Ah. Well, that's good." She doesn't really understand the appeal of poking at mystery planets, so she'll let it go in favor of drinking in the view for another minute before turning to Jim. "Plenty of time for you to catch up on your sleep."

Somebody has to be the adult in the room. #sorrynotsorry

[aw_hawkguy]

"Still, a view like that! No wonder you can wake up to such bad coffee." He grins, teasing about the coffee.

[smartass_captain]

"Wouldn't trade it for the world." It's the adventure, the thrill of the unknown. And admittedly the chance to see something no one's ever seen before. The company makes it all the better most days.

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."

[brave_heart_verity]

Being shut out of the conversation, Verity looks away, trying to give them some privacy. The sudden wave of envy she's feeling doesn't help. They're a real and proper family and she...

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.

[aw_hawkguy]

"I think we've got a shot," Clint answers. "And I hope I don't need it, but thanks."

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."

[smartass_captain]

Jim doesn't understand why she turned away. Was she still mad at him? Aside from the obvious. Who wants to be family with Jim Kirk, after all.

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.

[brave_heart_verity]

Shockingly, Jim, not everything's about you. She has plenty of other things to be upset about.

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.

[aw_hawkguy]

Have a hug, Verity. No one minds if you're happy-crying in a hug. And hey, open arm--come get in on this, Jim. Let's family it up as much as we can in the absence of a grill.

What sexual position says 'I'm sorry for your loss?'

[smartass_captain]

Oh dear, she's crying. Jim doesn't know how to deal with that. Verity would not appreciate his go-to solution to women crying. It seems to be happy-crying though? He smiles and nods to show he means it.

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

[brave_heart_verity]

She's so lucky to have the two of them looking out for her. There are literally no words for it right now. But there are plenty of hugs.

"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?

[aw_hawkguy]

Hugs. This is how you family, Jim, when you're not, like, punching out your supervillain bro for pretending to be an Avenger and scamming people.

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.

[smartass_captain]

No, see, Jim wanted Clint to pretend to be him so he could scam his crew into drinks and thinking he was a better shot than he is. It's the same thing, except way way less large scale.

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

[brave_heart_verity]

Jim is totally a superhero. He saves planets and stops wars. All Verity's got is sass and honest sass. But yes, she's definitely the short one in the group, so if that gives him comfort that's good enough for her.

"Ha ha." But she's tilting her head up into the touch with a smile. "You two are hilarious."

[aw_hawkguy]

Jim skydove from orbit onto a platform smaller than the dance floor in a third-rate disco, that's total superhero work. In fact, invite Clint next time, that sounds super fun.

Clint grins. "Runs in the family."

[smartass_captain]

Yeah but Verity makes friends with actual Gods and has even been on a field trip to see Doctor Doom and not gotten beat all to hell for it. And Clint is an actual Avenger and even Barney is built like a truck made of biceps.

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."

[brave_heart_verity]

Try living there, Jim. There's a reason nobody will ever convince Verity she's pretty. So. Many. Issues. (And then they start renumbering them and it just gets super confusing.)

"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.

[aw_hawkguy]

"Yeah, I'd kinda like to hear Spock say they've got it covered and you get some shut-eye. 'Cause you know he's gonna," Clint chimes in.

[smartass_captain]

It's Spock, of course he will. Jim grins an easy smile and slowly turns them away from the observation deck so they can head back to the lifts and toward Engineering.

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.

[brave_heart_verity]

Yeah, she heard it, but she's still blushing from the teasing.

"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."