The First Annual Adopted Family Thanksgiving

[smartass_captain]

It's not that Jim forgot about the second present he gave Verity way back a month ago on her birthday. How could he forget, when he'd had to dig out the key to the house to get it replicated? It's sat out on his desk in his quarters every day since, a bold reminder that Jim Kirk was seriously doing this.

Jim Kirk was going to try to have a normal family. A family who celebrated (some) holidays. A family who came together. Not a relationship. Hell no. But...you know..siblings? A family? He almost worried Sam or his mother would try to reach out to him. Thankfully no such messages yet. Which means Jim is free to spend time with the people he actually wants in his life.

And that means getting Thanksgiving put together.

He'll call Clint later. First things first. Calling Big Sister.

"Verity? It's Jim. You busy?"

Comments

[brave_heart_verity]

Anyone trying to bother Jim about Thanksgiving is going to have to get through Verity first. She's got no reason not to smack Sam or her mother around if need be, beyond her general disinclination toward violence.

(And yeah, Barney had better hope she never sees him again.)

The phone rings twice before it's answered. She'll have to have a word with Jim about letting someone say 'hello' first. "Just sorting out my yarn collection. What's up?"

[smartass_captain]

Hello is for suckers. She picked up, didn't she? (Jim seriously.)

"Getting the farmhouse set up for Thanksgiving. Figured I ought to consult you before I did anything. I need to go shopping. Want to meet up?"

[brave_heart_verity]

Well! That's a happy surprise. She'd been worried she'd have to beg him to come at all.

"Yeah! I'd been meaning to ask you about that..." There are some rustling sounds in the background. "When and where?"

[smartass_captain]

"Uh...nnnowish?" Yeah so much for planning ahead. At least Jim has the decency to sound a little bit guilty for giving her exactly zero notice about this. "Meet outside Nana's and then get to work, was my general plan."

Why, yes, Jim did put this off until what he deemed the moment where he had to decide to call it off or go through with it. but at least he chose to do it?

[brave_heart_verity]

"Okay, give me... fifteen minutes to get there?" What, one of her brothers might procrastinate? Say it ain't so. Nobody bring up how long she waited to go coat shopping. That's entirely different.

[smartass_captain]

"Sure, sounds good." Jim's already most of the way there, but that just means he gets to say hi and charm Nana some more. ...And then get forced to eat a slice of apple pie because he's just so skinny. By the time Verity arrives Jim is being fussed at in front of the diner to go get a coat before he freezes to death while she watches him like a hawk to make sure he finishes every last crumb of his slice of pie.

"Verity, hon, look at this daft boy! Not a hat on his fuzzy blond head, no coat--nothing!"

[brave_heart_verity]

Oh god, forced to eat Nana's pie? The horror.

"I'm sorry, Nana. He shouldn't offend you with his state of undress." Verity's got a coat, a long black swallowtail trench coat. She's clearly the stylish one in the family. "Thank you for looking after him for me."

Yeah, you're on your own when it comes to Nana, Jim. But Ver is trying to smooth the way for your escape at least?

[smartass_captain]

"Buh ish noth hat colh ou--"
"Don't talk with your mouth full, boy! Were you raised in a barn?"
"...Yesh."

Nana throws her hands into the air dramatically before shaking her head and muttering all the while wandering over to Verity and giving her a hug.

"These boys, hon." Shaking her head. "Have a good day, dear."

"Nana i'm fine." Jim replies, handing her his empty plate like the begrudging good boy that he is. "I'm going shopping with Verity, okay? I'll come see you again soon, I promise." Jim is ready to duck any other attempts to grab his arm or ear and force him inside. They've got work to do.

"How come she likes you so much more than me?" once they've gotten away, of course.

[brave_heart_verity]

Nana hugs! Yay! "I will, Nana. I'll look after him."

Ver will take Jim's arm, when he's done with his pie, and places herself firmly between him and Nana as she steers him away. She doesn't even care which way they're going, they can circle around later if need be. "I'm not entirely incapable of being charming, you know. I just usually don't bother. And keep in mind that I didn't get any pie, so we can't really know who she likes better."

It's easier to be amused by these things when you're not the one with the threatened ears.

[smartass_captain]

The front door clatters loudly as Jim kicks it open (he didn't bother to lock up when they pointed out), bags of shopping in each arm.

"--because, Clint, there's more to life than leftover pizza and Dog Cops. And Verity shot down my idea too, so quit complaining." Oh family, they're getting along fantastically, but Verity wouldn't let them binge on junk food. Woe is the boys upon return.

Admittedly, Jim's idea was several bottles of wine, whiskey, and schnapps and was probably a bad idea. He needs to stop associating gatherings with blacking out drunk.

[aw_hawkguy]

"I'm not saying we do that for Thanksgiving dinner," Clint protests. "Just, like, later. Sometime." Clint piled up on bags, determined to take as much as he could in a single trip. It may not have been the best idea, but since when do "Barton" and "the best idea" go together?

[brave_heart_verity]

Oh yes, how dare she want them to still be hungry enough to enjoy the food she's going to spend an entire day preparing for them? How selfish of her.

If they keep this up, she might leave them to the junk food.

She's carrying a reasonable number of bags and also a box full of the more fragile things. They may not care, but this is important to her, and damn it, she's going to enjoy having a home to decorate and a family to feed until they're stuffed. Even if she has to hogtie and gag them both from now until the turkey's done.

"You guys can watch all the Dog Cops you want, so long as you turn it off for the meal." Isn't she generous? "But we're not having leftover pizza as an appetizer, and we're not going to get so drunk we don't remember the day. Let's at least wait until we know for certain it's going to suck before breaking out our bad coping mechanisms?"

She's not waiting for an answer. There's groceries to put away, so she's headed for the kitchen.

[smartass_captain]

"If he figures out how to get it on the vid screen downstairs he probably will." Jim shakes his head. "Good luck trying to hook a dvd player up to that thing, though." Who's to say Clint doesn't have it downloaded onto his phone for long Avengers meetings and trips though?

He'll follow Verity into the kitchen and set the bags down on the table.

"So....what do you want us to do? Since I assume you'll be commandeering the kitchen form now until....whenever?"

[aw_hawkguy]

"I thought we were cleaning," Clint puts in, peering over his armload of bags in search of somewhere to put them. If someone would like him to just hold still while they take bags one at a time, that'd be fine, too. "Verity cooks, we clean?"

[brave_heart_verity]

"Dust first, then vacuum. I'll sort out the kitchen and get started on dinner for tonight." She looks over the bags and boxes already set down, then start unburying Clint. "Then uncover the furniture and put the clothes in for a washing. I'm assuming there's a washer and dryer around here somewhere? Oh, and Jim, call your neighbor, please, and let her know you've got some friends who're staying in the house when they're in the area, so she doesn't freak out if we run into her."

[smartass_captain]

"She knows." Jim calls from the hallway. "She's the one who suggested I get the copies of the keys made." The thing about subspace transmissions is you really have to think ahead of time. Luckily this has been in the works for a long time. Jim really can be thoughtful, on occasion.

"Hell, we should have made a bet and had the loser clean in the Hawkskirt." More showy than a maid outfit and doubly embarrassing for some of them! Jim grabs the telescopic pole and starts shimmying the cobwebs off to dust. Though rags and elbow grease will do in a pinch.

The vacuum could have been the great grandchild of a Roomba, once Jim plugs the transmitter in it's content to burble along behind him and vacuum after him as he goes. And then go follow Clint around some. And then bump into a wall because adorableness is programmable, apparently. Or it just hasn't been used in a long time. It's sensors aren't as sharp as they used to be. This is an old model.

[aw_hawkguy]

"Man, why would you want to clean in that?" Clint asks, trying not to trip over the vacuum as he dusts. "Aw, that thing's cute."

If I play my cards right we can still be having Christmas by July at this rate :D

[smartass_captain]

Verity is magical. Jim is convinced of this. One person pulled all of this off? Wonders of technology aside, Verity is still the Best big sister ever. He can't even grimace when people sit down at the table. It's...not a bad memory, or a reminder of the past.

The table looks like nothing Jim's seen before. It's a new memory with a new family. One he chose. One that chose him. He's smiling before he even realizes it. An honest one.

"Sure." The way she's cooked the turkey, carving is really a formality than an effort. The sections are all clean cuts and easy to slice. Everyone can have their preference of meat--there's more than plenty to go around. "...Thanks for this." Jim murmurs while he's working, his blue eyes shining. "Both of you. I'm grateful for meeting you."

And Easter for Halloween? 4th of July cookout for New Year's?

[aw_hawkguy]

"It looks amazing, Verity," Clint puts in, openly admiring the culinary miracle she's wrought. "And smells even better. This is really something to be thankful for."

New Year's 2016 will be totally retro in 2018.

[brave_heart_verity]

"You two are what I'm thankful for," she admits with a smile. They can debate whether the meal, or she, is magic or a miracle; she's just glad it's not burnt. Before she sits she gives Clint a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then Jim gets the same. When she has their attention, she holds out one hand; her fingers move clumsily but determinedly to spell out I love our family.

And if either of them tease her about it, they're getting smacked.

Whhhhhpshhhh! Crash! Tinkle, tinkle. Gee whillickers Verity, you smacked him through the window!

[smartass_captain]

Jim's getting a bit moist in the eyes and he's not even the one that has hearing problems. He'll looks away long enough to regain composure before he grins and starts serving the food.

Some people throw themselves into the 'try some of everything' pile, but when it comes to food, Jim is all about the known comforts. Clint is welcome to the cornbread loaves because Jim has half a dinner roll in his mouth before he's even sat back down from serving the turkey he just carved.

Don't make eye contact with him or comment or he's just going to wiggle his eyebrows suggestively at you and keep eating it.

[aw_hawkguy]

Clint's jaw drops, then closes as he breaks into a misty-eyed grin. [I love our family, too.]

After a glance at Jim, he smirks, adding, [so does he.] "That's great, Verity! I didn't know you were studying sign."

He's gonna take his time, eating, to savor everything all proper-like. Verity worked hard, he's going to enjoy it.

Better than he deserves. :P

[brave_heart_verity]

Ver watches the signing intently, and it takes her a minute to put the letters into words. But she'll get better with practice. [I know.] Her sass is already shining through. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

She takes a little of everything to start, but that's why seconds were invented. If Jim tries to scoop the stuffing out of the pumpkin he'll get a quiet correction that the pumpkin's to be sliced and eaten too. Gravy goes on just about everything; she's not shy about that. Everything but the turkey. That's where the cranberry sauce goes. "Thank you both for cleaning the house, it would have taken me days to get everything done by myself. And I--what just ran into my foot?"

Did somebody forget to turn the Roomba off?

Don't feed the roomba Jim it's not a family pet.

[smartass_captain]

"It took us all day even with two of us." Jim points out, moving to slice the pumpkin to because holy shit this is fancy stuffing and he is going to eat it. "Us and--" oh, speak of the devil.

"Oh, uh. Shit." Jim pulls the tablecloth up and leans down. Sure enough Roombot's cleaning up the crumbs he dropped from his dinner roll shenanigans. Sheesh Jim, they need a robotic nanny to keep up after your messes. "Get out form under there, bud. Hey. Hey!" Aw. Jim grabs another roll and breaks a bit off, crumbling it in his hands and dropping it carefully on the floor to attract its attention.

"There we go. Come on out." And once it's no longer attempting to clean up under the table, Jim scoops it up under one arm and gets up. "JUst a sec, I'll go put this away." Vree, vreeeeee, and the roombots little feelers flail out slowly as it tries to understand this Up and why it cannot move.

This is why we have racoons.

[aw_hawkguy]

"It was a surprise, all right. Got me good," Clint assures Verity with a grin.

And then Jim's wrangling the roombot. "Yeah, he's earned his dinner, too." Beat. "Um, recharging. Because, robot."

Since Jim's got it in hand, Clint helps himself to a slice of that pumpkin and stuffing. "Wow, I wonder if you could do a pie like this."