smartass_captain | The First Annual Adopted Family Thanksgiving

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?"

Current Mood: thoughtful

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From:

brave_heart_verity

Ver's happy to see them both eating well. That's what makes all this worthwhile for her. She's not shy about her own appetite, so between the three of them, they won't have to worry much about leftovers.

"Yeah, I've never actually been on an actual farm before. This is going to be part nature hike, part field trip for me." Puns intended, boys.

When they've either finished the food or finished with it, she'll get up and roll her shoulders before beginning to gather up the empty plates and platters. "Do we want dessert right away, or after the walk?"

From:

smartass_captain

"...That's true." Jim forgets that this isn't the sort of place everyone grew up in, hanging out with Clint and Bones as much as he has been. Though all farms are not created equal. Bones' place is in Georgia somewhere and it sounds a lot friendlier than where Jim grew up. Except for family drama, that is. That's the same wherever you go.

He sees what you did there Verity. Clint gets a look and a grin because they both did, he knows it. Jim's got nothing but respect for his brother Hawkeye, and Clint's the most likely to follow Jim's crazy ass line of thought.

"Sorry guys. I gotta wait until after." Jim shakes his head when they've finished. "You two can pie now, if you want. I'd like to keep this delicious meal where it is." He's quick to help clear the table, but once it's clear Jim thumbs toward upstairs. "Clint, think you can help Verity put away what little leftovers there are and make a plate for the furry guy? I'm gonna go see if I can find some flashlights and an extra coat or two. It gets dark around here hella fast this time of year, so I want to be sure."

From:

aw_hawkguy

"After's good," Clint agrees. "Don't wanna drop into a turkey coma and abandon you guys, right?" And pie is the final step in a Thanksgiving. It isn't over until pie, so there's no sleeping until pie. In the meantime, he'll help clean up with a, "you got it."

From:

brave_heart_verity

"Okay. This shouldn't take long."

The boys can take all the leftover food. She's guessing they don't want the bones, so she'll put those away for herself. Mmm broth. Everything else she'll pack up as meals, as much as possible. The rolls and cornbread get bags; they won't last long enough to need a fridge. Then they just need to load the future dishwasher. Surely the future has dishwashers that can handle everything?

Helping means Clint gets a preview of the pies. The pumpkin looks creamy and amazing. But there's no apple pie. This is not an apple emergency! Instead there's a tower of caramelized apple goodness. It's everything good about apple pie without the crust. Something to look forward to.

From:

smartass_captain

The spare bedroom is a cornucopia of spare winter wear and storm protection, so Jim quickly finds the lights and his old coat. Plus one for Clint, since neither of them had come prepared. Gloves if Verity needs them, and they should be good to go. It wasn't wet and soggy yet, so there was no real need for hefty boots.

There's not an app for getting her dishes washed, but there should be no problem getting everything put in there, especially if she'd done a load while she was cooking, and really it's Verity. We know she's the height of practicality. She's thought of everything else to make today special.

"Dear god, I think I"m actually enjoying myself." Jim mutters under his breath in disbelief as he heads back downstairs, arms laden with warmth and light-giving.

"Okay, Clint I grabbed a coat for ya. Should more or less fit. Got some gloves for you Ver if ya need 'em, and lights. You guys ready?"

From:

aw_hawkguy

Previews are wonderful thi-oh, wow, that is apples. "Wow. I didn't even know I wanted that, but now I always did."

But Jim's coming back, and he's got a coat and flashlights. "Thanks! Don't wanna get frost on anything. 'S like playin' poker with Iceman." He shrugs his way into the coat, trying the fit, before he takes a flashlight. "Ready to go."

((The Voyage Homepage.))

From:

brave_heart_verity

"Pretty impressive, huh?" She's proud of it. It had better taste as good as it looks. "It's not even hard to make once you're good at peeling apples." Verity's a clean-as-you-go kinda girl, so the kitchen wasn't too messy to begin with. One final good scrubbing down after dessert while the guys are vegging and bonding over Dog Cops is all they'll need.

Jim is greeted with a smile. "Good thinking, captain. Thanks. I'll be ready in a minute." She'll take a flashlight and goes to put on her shoes and coat. "The plate for the raccoon is waiting if you want to take that." Raccoon's getting a few bites of everything. He should be a happy fella.

From:

smartass_captain

"Holy fuck is that a tower of apples?" Someone found the dessert counter. He doesn't need to be told not to touch, he couldn't eat more if he wanted to for the moment. But he's tempted. So tempted anyway.

Jim pulls on his own coat, shoving one hand into the pocket and the other snatching up Raccoon's supper. He has no doubt the little guy will be hiding after his sordid adventure earlier, but the food oughta do him some good once they leave.

For a planet of the future it's eerily empty and lacking in artificial light outside. The sun is already just beginning to set, giving an orange glow to the Iowa landscape. Jim steps outside the house and for a second everything feels strange. He's back home, in his coat, looking out at the big expanse of farmland that has been most of his life. This is all he was, four years ago.

But far off, nearly impossible to pick out unless you were listening for it, is the distant thrum of the shipyard, working round the clock on the fleet. It makes Jim smile and stare up at the stars while he waits for the others.

From:

aw_hawkguy

"I know, right?" Clint grins. They're going to tear that tower of apples down, later. It's going to be beautiful.

While Verity's getting ready, he joins Jim in taking out the raccoon's dinner. "Hey, little guy, wherever you are. Sorry about earlier, but hey, it's Thanksgiving." Yes, he'll talk to critters he can't see or find.

"Ahh... it's beautiful out here. I don't remember it ever bein' this clear--humid summers and the glow from town, I could never see this many stars at night."

From:

brave_heart_verity

"Yes, it is." Not even trying to hide how proud she is of it.

Did they just--yes. They did. Really, boys?

She's out in the yard when they come back from the barn, blinking to adjust her eyes and looking around with a smile. "Okay, I'll give the midwest this: you've got a much more impressive starscape." Getting her to admit that anything anywhere is better than New York is a win, so run with it.

From:

smartass_captain

There's a lot less farm equipment in the barn and more just random storage. Looks like they used to keep a couple of horses for a while though, judging by the empty stalls.

"You think this is impressive, just wait until the sun goes down entirely." He gives Clint a grin as they head back towards the house.

"It gets better soon, Ver." Jim is grinning your way too sister.

From:

aw_hawkguy

Clint was gonna go back for her, once they'd spread holiday cheer to the critter he'd agitated, honest. Clint offers her an apologetic grin in the dusk.

"So, which way do we wanna go?"

From:

brave_heart_verity

"Better than this? I dunno..." Ver will fall into step with the boys once they're out of the barn again. "Jim's our tour guide. I just want to see the best view."

From:

smartass_captain

"The barn's pretty much empty. It's more for storage of junk than anything useful." Jim jerks his thumb back the way he and Clint had come. I'll show you around the property a bit though. Rosa's place is about a mile that way." Jim waves his flashlight down the empty road a ways.

"The other way heads into town eventually. There's a dive bar I always hung out at, scamming truckers and getting to know the new fleet recruits every now and again when they'd be at the shipyard for deployment. See all those lights out that way? It's the town, sure, but more importantly, the shipyard's out there, keeping the fleet up and running. Just one of 20 some odd facilities across the country. Most of the rural land that's left is either old property handed down or government owned these days. Folks tend to live in the cities or out on colonies. Way cheaper than staying planetside nowadays. We rent most of our land out to Rosa's family. They do some ranching and raise horses. Least they did a few years ago."

There's not much of a garden around the edge of the house--Frank was never one for upkeeping anything. Family or otherwise, so anything that used to be there has long since died. It's a bit overgrown, but not so bad you'd assume the place is abandoned. The road is actually gravel, typical of even 2010s in rural areas, but maybe weird to them for being so far into the future. Considering most vehicles don't touch the roadside anymore, it's more for city planning and road laws than for traction and actual use.

From:

aw_hawkguy

"Horse ranching? That sounds pretty great," Clint muses as they walk. "Are they friendly? The neighbors, not the horses. Well, the horses too."

From:

brave_heart_verity

"I'm more interested in the horses." She's got standards, and people still don't always meet them. "Oh, I'd love to redo the garden beds someday... not that I know anything about gardening. But it'd be so pretty."

She has no idea how much work she's volunteering herself for.

From:

smartass_captain

"The what?" Jim looks over toward the house and swallows thickly. God the place looks like a wreck. Just like he remembers it. "Sure, you're welcome to do whatever you'd like. I'm sure Rosa would weep in joy to see someone taking care of the place other than her." It's not that Jim doesn't care, but..yeah. Work, baggage. Lots of things.

"The neighbors are good people/ Family friends from a long time ago. I used to go horseback riding all the time when I was younger."

From:

aw_hawkguy

"Got a project for the spring, huh?" Clint gives Verity a smile in the gloom. "You'll love it. The dirt's moist and black, all the time. It's like a whole state made'a potting soil."

"Think we could meet 'em, sometime? I mean, prob'ly not now, 'cause you're supposed to be in space, but..."

From:

brave_heart_verity

"Looks like I do. Thanks, Jim." Ver links arms with Jim and rests her head on his shoulder for a minute while they walk. Clint's welcome to get in on this too; she's got a free arm.

"Am I the only one in the family that doesn't know how to ride a horse?"

From:

smartass_captain

"There's no one there to hit on, FYI." Stop assuming everyone's like you, Jim. He's smiling though, so maybe he was teasing. "Yeah we can meet 'em sometime. I told her you guys would be staying here and to treat you like family. So." Shrug.

Verity gets a glance and then a chaste kiss on top of her head.

"Yup. Sucks to be you, city girl."

From:

aw_hawkguy

Yeah, Clint will get in on that, linking his arm in on the chain. "Nah, it doesn't suck. It means you get to learn, if you want."

From:

brave_heart_verity

She hums happily at the kiss because signs of affection are always nice. "Maybe. I'd need a teacher... or two." Clint gets pulled closer. There's no reason not to enjoy some time with her family.

"She's been doing you a nice favor for a while. Should I invite her over for dinner sometime? Clint and I can manage that while you're off exploring the galaxy."

From:

smartass_captain

"She has." Jim agrees, content for the conversation that keeps him away from his thoughts. "You guys are welcome to. Maybe come up with your story as to how you guys met me beforehand though. She's awfully nosy." Jim chuckles lightly as they walk around the house.

"...Welcome home." He says finally, voice so quiet he's not sure either of them will hear him.

From:

aw_hawkguy

"We're, what, second cousins, got on the wrong side of our landlord, needed a place to crash, and you said we could couch-surf if we wrangled the yard a little?" he suggests.

From:

brave_heart_verity

It's going to be a minute before she weighs in on the cover story. She heard that, Jim. She thinks she heard that. Either way, his arm is getting a squeeze.

"Distant relatives," she offers, "because it's true in a way. Thank you for not making us circus tramps who won the keys in a high-stakes poker game in Monte Carlo or something."