Some days, a man just can't catch a break. [Open, tagging Clint and Verity]

[smartass_captain]

New York circa 2013 isn't such a bad place, Jim has decided. There's so much to take in and watch that he's certain he could be kept busy for months on end just trying to learn everything he could. Clint had explained currency to him today--Jim knew what it was, just not how it all divvied up. He'd done a bit of research on a clunky old machine Clint had told him the name of and Jim had subsequently forgotten. Some kind of ancient PADD device on an obsolete web browser.

Some girl had shown up hassling Clint about something or another a while ago, and the archer had assured Jim he wouldn't be gone long and left. She was too young for Jim to pay much attention to, and Clint didn't need Jim tagging along for every babysitting job he ended up getting drug off to. Or it was a neighbor asking him about a leak in their ceiling, in which case Jim was just a jerk.

Wooden stairs creaked in protest when Jim finally left the apartment building, being careful to lock up with the spare key he'd gotten from Clint that was stowed safely in the pocket of his purple sweatshirt he was borrowing. Eggs again for the third day in a row didn't seem appealing, and Clint had given him a bit of money, so Jim is heading down to the corner to grab a bite of whatever awesome smelling food was being sold by the vendor he'd been watching from the window for three days now.

"Bro, look! At the corner by the falafel stand bro!"

There, at the corner, was a scruffy short haired blond in a purple sweatshirt and sweatpants, fumbling in his pocket for the correct change to pay for his order. Truly, an easier target would never happen. He didn't even look like he'd had his morning coffee yet. (Jim hadn't). The next thing Jim knows, his delicious smelling food is strewn on the street as a couple thugs in tracksuits drag Jim off into an alley trying to beat the shit out of him.

"What the hell?!" That was his breakfast, assholes!

Comments

[brave_heart_verity]

"What's Iowa got to do with anything?" She looks between them curiously before remembering, "Wait, no. I just came to bring you guys food. Katsuya made pastries and thought you'd like some."

Her nerves are still too raw from confession time with Katsuya to deal with Jim's eyes and smile at the same time, so she's going to look down at the tracksuit idiots. "This is what you get for villains around here? Geez, that's sad. In Manhattan, they wear properly idiotic costumes like real criminals."

Sarcasm is an excellent defense mechanism.

[aw_hawkguy]

"Aw, c'mon," Clint protests, "Manhattan's got mobsters, I've seen 'em. Kingpin, even." But hey, pastries. "Thanks. You wanna come upstairs? I could get some coffee going, pretty quick."

She asked a question, Barton. "Oh, yeah, Iowa. We're both from Iowa, turns out. But seriously, coffee? I got the good stuff." He's not lyin'.

[smartass_captain]

"Who?" Not for the first time today, Jim suddenly feels like he's walked in on the middle of a conversation he has no business being in. Or maybe he's just bad with names.

The promise of pastries and coffee is too much to resist, so Jim sidles up next to Verity and nudges her slightly with his hip. Clint really does have the best coffee and upstairs would be closer to resting than he is now. Plus he can change out the bandage on his arm because seriously, it kinda hurts.

"We're fine, Verity. Come up with us and have some coffee. As a thank you for bringing us food, if nothing else." He thinks Verity's just shy. But he does want to talk to her now that he isn't half conscious and bleeding all over himself.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Well, yeah, mobsters." Life in this city has really skewed her perception of what's dangerous. "The Kingpin's a mob boss or something. Big bald guy in a suit."

And then wait was that... oh. Yes it was. Boy, she turns interesting colors when she blushes. She'll just be taking a little step away from Jim now.

"Coffee would be nice." But if Jim keeps that up one or both of them is going to end up wearing it.

[aw_hawkguy]

Clint tries to catch Jim's eye and give him a little negative head-shake, to urge him not to do stuff like that. Maybe he's counting on corn-based telepathy to get the message across. "I'll, uh, zip these guys to the sign there, and be right up."

And given the way Jim's being around Verity, he thinks, he'd better hurry.

[smartass_captain]

Lady and gentleman, James Tiberius Kirk. Now that he wasn't a) blown up, b)knocked silly, and c) not on duty there was very little to stop Jim from at least kind of flirting with everyone under the sun. Not Clint because Jim thinks it's just a little bit weird how they sort of look alike and he's not that narcissistic. But definitely Verity.

His eyebrow quirks up at her retreat and, okay huh. Must be shyer than he thought, or taken. That happens sometimes too. Bummer. Whatever, he can still be friendly! Jim'll lead Verity back up the stairs to Clint's place--last door on the left past the sideways '8' infinity door that goes back to the Nexus.


Once inside, Jim has the common sense to set aside the boxes of treats and move a pile of clothes off of the couch so there's room for everyone to sit once Clint gets back. Then he'll meander on into the kitchen and try to work this antique coffee machine.

"How d'you like your coffee Verity?" Hiss, whistle. Okay, maybe he shouldn't press random buttons like that.

[brave_heart_verity]

She doesn't need a chaperone Clint, geez. She just needs her personal space respected right now. His announcement is met with a little shrug; he's the professional good guy, she's not going to argue with what he decides to do with the jerks.

There's something charming about being so blithely indiscriminate like that. Making a game of making people feel good is kind of sweet. She's just having a day, so her arms are folded and she's stimming while they walk upstairs.

The apartment is. Well. Exactly what she expected. She went to college and she's seen worse, but still. Not impressed. Watching Jim trying to use the coffee machine is amusing though.

"Not on fire. Want me to do that?"

[smartass_captain]

Man she should have seen Bones and Jim's dorm at Starfleet if she thinks this--well, okay. She probably wouldn't have wanted to see it. He listened to classical hip hop from the 1990s and had the curtains drawn all the time when he wasn't studying.

He got top scores in xenoanatomy classes. Thorough study, that Jim. None of which is relevant right now! Right now Jim is staring at the coffee machine like he's hoping it will know what he wants. Because Clint showed him how this worked yesterday and he can't for the life of him remember.

"Nah I got this." No, no you don't Jim. And Verity knows it. Fuck. "I mean..uh...Okay, I forgot how it works. Don't tell Clint." Pause. "I didn't break it did I?" Shit thats probably grounds for eviction if he did. Coffee is serious business.

[brave_heart_verity]

She didn't like 90s hip hop when it was new and relevant. No, she wouldn't really want to see it.

"It'll be fine," she promises, and there's that gentler tone of voice he might remember. "Find a towel to wipe the water up with okay? We can fix this." She figures it'll mostly be her fixing it since this stuff is hopelessly antiquated to him, but that's okay. She knows what she's doing and if she doesn't she has--Wait no, Clint has her phone.

Okay so it might take slightly longer than anticipated.

"How are you feeling? Did you hurt anything in the fight?" She's pretty sure he did.

[smartass_captain]

He's like a reverse Steve Rogers that way. Fumbling around in an alternate past like a kid, really. Jim will obediently grab a towel to clean up the water and point out where Clint keeps his coffee. That way when Clint makes it upstairs there's drinks and food for everyone. Which is what everyone deserves after dealing with those tracksuit guys down at street level.

Maybe falafel would have been Jim's favorite thing and now he will never know.

"Chest hurts, but that's the bruised ribs." No more concussions, luckily. "I'll need someone to help me check the back of my arm. Think I popped one of the blisters from my burns. Otherwise, I'm fine." Really, all things considered this was a good fight for Jim.

[brave_heart_verity]

There will be falafel tomorrow, Jim. It's one of the great things about New York. There's always falafel tomorrow.

She nods, moving carefully around him to make the coffee. She starts by picking the whole machine up and shaking it over the sink, in case water got somewhere it shouldn't be. And of course, she's going to wash the coffee pot. "I can do that once this is going."

Verity's coffee may turn out even better than Clint's because she has a secret ingredient: a pinch of salt. It makes the coffee less bitter and the water tastes fresher.

"So... I hope that fight didn't ruin your opinion of the city."

Totally thought you were gonna say 'cuz she cleans the pot'

[smartass_captain]

Really Jim just busies himself with picking up a little bit around the apartment. Making sure there aren't arrowheads on the floor or dirty socks lying around. The things that tend to kinda gross out women.

It's the least he can do as 'temporary bum who lives in someone else's home'. Yeah let's not think about that too hard right now, Jim. Holy mother of--that shoe has either been on the business end of a seasick Gorn or it is way way too ripe to be in the same room as company. He will chuck it up somewhere far away from the living room.

"Yeah, no. He warned me about those guys beforehand. It was my fault for wandering out by myself." Not gonna throw Clint under the bus for this. Not cool. "Besides, I got to see him in action, and apparently he's not kidding about the whole superhero thing." Snrk. That's gonna take some getting used to.

That probably helps too.

[brave_heart_verity]

She'll pretend she doesn't know what he's doing. Really, it's her own fault for not calling and letting Clint know she was coming by. They might have frantically company-cleaned in peace. Next time, boys. Next time.

"It's not your fault, it's their faults for being jerks." Once the coffee's going, she washes her hands. "No, he's really not kidding about that. He's a member of the most famous team of heroes in the world. They've saved the world, well, more often than I can count. Probably more often than I know."

That's a far more respectful tone in her voice than when she was talking to Clint. But it doesn't last. "He show you the Hawk skirt yet?"

She's... really not sure she wants to brave the bathroom to look for Clint's first aid kit. "Where's the bandages?"

If this is a thing Jim will wear it. No shame.

[smartass_captain]

"The what now?" Oh this Jim has got to see. "He doesn't have the legs for a skirt. I call bullshit." Really who goes around saving the world in a skirt. Well, Jim supposes ladies could, since it's their fashion thing and all. It'd make for a great street-view if they did. Best not to say any of that out loud.

Blink.

"It was..." Jim wants to say it was by the chair he'd been camped out in for the last couple of days while he was resting, but it's nowhere to be found. Jim pauses. "Hmm."

Probably just best to wait for Clint.

Aw, history...

[aw_hawkguy]

While Jim and Verity are exploring the Nest of the Hawk, Clint is giving a statement to the nice officer, and handing over the suspects. With that done, he makes his way upstairs just in time to hear the question about bandages on his way in the door.

"Kitchen first aid kit's in the island, left cupboard, bottom shelf. There's also one under the sofa, and in the bottom-left cabinet of the entertainment center." He's Hawkguy, of course there's several first-aid kits. All fairly fresh, too.

It's not so much the skirt as the deep-v-neck.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Oh I will show you the pictures just as soon as Clint brings back my phone," she promises. "He wore a headband back then too. But it was the seventies." Clint really should be a lot older than Verity. Like a lot older. Being dead a half-dozen times has done wonderful things for his complexion.

"Thanks." She'll check the kitchen one since she's in the kitchen. Yes, she's checking the dates on things before using any of it. "Everything settled with the cops? And do you have any clean dishes or should I assume everything needs washing?"

Let's be honest, she's assuming everything needs washing anyway.

Jim would make that look good and you both know it.

[smartass_captain]

"You have pictures?" Oh hell yes. Yes a thousand times. Sorry, Clint. It's really nothing against you because you are the coolest guy but Jim needs to see this. What's a little embarrassment between friends right?

"The suits didn't give you a hard time did they?" You haven't even met this world and time's cops, Jim. Stop acting like they're horrible jerks. Jim pulls up the sleeve on his left arm, hisses and lets it fall again. Hm.

"Hey...Verity? You're not gonna like toss me out a window if I take this off so you can get at my arm without wrecking his clothes, are you?" Is he going to have to hold a towel over his chest, too, Verity? He doesn't want her to run off or get mad though. Definitely not when she's about to be prodding at sore areas.

It *would* help cover his contractual prerogative to rip his shirt once an episode.

[aw_hawkguy]

"Aw, you're tellin' him about the Hawkskirt? Man, I'm never gonna live that down," Clint sighs. "The, uh, the police might call you sometime in the next few days, Verity, ask you for a statement. I didn't tell 'em Jim was there, because, well, Nexus? But these guys have pretty long rap sheets, assault's not hard to believe. Stuff's clean, by the way."

At the rate he goes through bandages, does Verity think they have time to get old? She probably doesn't want to think about why they're all in low cabinets, either.

Remembering, Clint digs out Verity's phone to hand it back. "Right, this's yours. I think you got a text while I was holding it, I almost checked."

Hey, I'm not saying either of them would look bad in it.

[brave_heart_verity]

She's seen the state of his apartment. She's taking nothing for granted. But she is taking her phone back and pocketing it without even checking the message. It can wait. "Thanks. I'm not saying it was a bad look. It was... daring. Very forward-thinking. Guys in skirts is a thing now."

Jim gets a confused look. "Why would I get upset if you take your shirt off? It's not like I've never seen a human body before." Seen yes. Touched not so much.

Hey, guess what there is now? There's coffee! Everybody can rejoice. Clint can pour. Verity's going to have her hands full.

The mask is a bit much though.

[smartass_captain]

"Because earlier I nudged you to get your attention and you nearly took off?" At..at least Jim is honest here? He's just as confused as she is. He's not sure what the 'right answer' is around Verity. But since he has permission, he'll carefully shimmy out of the sweatshirt he'd borrowed from Clint.

Ow, ow. Elbow caught on the fabric. Yeah, one of the bandages on the back of his arm is suspiciously wet, it's not gonna be pretty. But it will be even less pretty if it gets infected. At least only one of them burst?

Jim glances back at Verity, and this time his casual demeanor is just the tiniest bits forced. "What's the damage, doc?"

Coffee would be a godsend. And pastries, once Jim is cleaned up a bit.

Clint did just fine with the mask (that's what he tells himself).

[aw_hawkguy]

If Verity's sure she wants to be the one handling bandages and stuff, then sure, Clint can pour. Coffee for everybody. "Eh, I wasn't really thinking forward, mostly I was just thinking movement. It was breezy and didn't bind up when I needed to move. Reed wasn't just handing out the unstable molecules yet."

Masks are a necessary evil. That Goliath shoulders-only shirt... just evil.

[brave_heart_verity]

She's sure. It's not pleasant, but she can do this.

"You surprised me. And I wasn't that bad." The 'right' answer? She's not sure there is one. But for right now, the right answer is for him to sit down and keep still. She sits next to him, resting a hand on his shoulder and turning him a bit so the light is better before she peels off the bandage.

"Well, it's not pretty, but I think you'll be fine. But be more careful, they'll get infected if you keep popping them open like this." Cleaning first, then antibiotic spray. "And if you're really good, maybe Clint will tell you about when he was Goliath."

Two of her favorite things are sassing Clint and story time.

[smartass_captain]

A light might not be a bad idea. It was already windy out that morning (hence the need for sweatshirts) but now it's a right downpour outside. A shame really, because it means less people watching for Jim. Also a shame because the cops had fetched the tracksuit goons already.

Jim can be a good patient when he wants to be. And right now he so wants to be done with this so he can have coffee and food. So he is sitting quite still, gritting his teeth at the sharp sting of the disinfectant spray on his raw burned skin. "Yeah, well. wasn't exactly trying to do it."

Clint gets a short glance and a questioning look. See, the thing is, Jim is as clueless about superhero stuff as they are about Starfleet. And, you know, without that context...
"That sounds suspiciously like your stripper name." Not that that's a bad thing if it is. Just...not what Jim was expecting from his Iowa brother.

[aw_hawkguy]

Aw, Verity. You're getting a look of reproach, now. "Not a stripper name. Although I did wreck some clothes with it." Wait. That sounds even worse, give him a moment to facepalm and get some coffee in him.

Okay. "Goliath was a name another Avenger went by. He had this gas that could make him grow, like, giant-sized, and he'd get all strong and tough, proportionally speaking. And then he got out of it for a while, and during a fight my bow broke, and I thought I'd try a new thing. Have an actual power instead of just bein' the 'trick arrows' guy." There, that explains it.

Oh, wait, costume, crap. "In my defense, it was the late sixties, nobody knew how to dress. Some people couldn't even get naked right."

[brave_heart_verity]

In her defense, she didn't even bring up that costume. The look gets a scrunched-nosed one in return.

She's almost done, just a bandage now, taped carefully and well away from the blisters. "There you go," she murmurs, not wanting to interrupt story time. "Do you need help putting the shirt back on?" It wouldn't be good if he got cold.

"There are right and wrong ways to be naked?" This is news to her. She's never thought about it much.