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

What the ever loving fff-

[smartass_captain]

"Couldn't they like shape shift out?! Before the slaughterhouse?!" No Jim there aren't skrulls in the cake and muffin you ate probably. Apples are probably still fine. They better be, as Jim's second favorite food. But burgers were no longer safe. Not in this world. Goodbye, number one food.

Jim is suddenly glad he hasn't asked Clint to go out and try real food that is not replicated. If he'd eaten a burger since he got here, he might just vomit right now. The idea of eating another humanoid race is pretty horrific to him.

"...At least the coffee isn't aliens." Mutter, worry, sip.

[aw_hawkguy]

"Yyyyyeah, I gotta make a call, 'scuse me." There's a phone on the wall in the kitchen, but he's going to go get his cell phone from upstairs, because speed-dial. Also so that it's maybe a little muffled while he does battle with the Fantastic Fone-Tree and maybe chews out the smartest man on the planet for hypnotizing alien invaders into the food supply and not telling anyone about it.

[brave_heart_verity]

Verity nods in acknowledgement when Clint leaves then turns her attention to Jim. Specifically, trying to get him to focus on her instead of freaking out. "Jim. Look to me."

Does he remember this from before? The touch of her hand, the steady insistence of her gaze? "Jim. Listen to me. I promise I won't let any of that near you. I promise. It's going to be okay."

[smartass_captain]

It isn't the same, Jim. There's no cannibalism here. Probably. And even if there was, he didn't take part in it, even by accident. Verity's right. Everything is okay.

"Just...shocked me, that's all." Yeah, brush it off, laugh, smile. You're Jim Kirk, nothing gets at you. Except she's Verity Willis and even if you can bullshit yourself, you can't bullshit her.

"It's happened, before. Is all." It's his way of an apology, sort of. It's at least an explanation. For the lie. Jim lies a lot but it's usually to cover his own weaknesses.And suddenly it's becoming very real just how far into him Verity can see. He shakes slightly, gulps in a deep breath. He'll beg Verity if he has to. "Don't make me talk about Tarsus. Please."

Not today. He doesn't want Clint to know how broken he is, to see him like this. There's no helping it with Verity. She's nice though, so Jim figures he'll let her know a bit more than most others. Until she gets sick of him and leaves. They always do.

[aw_hawkguy]

From upstairs comes a muffled, "Reed, you got some 'splainin' to do!" Beat. "Explaining. It's a--dammit, Reed," before it gets too quiet to make out individual words.

[brave_heart_verity]

The lie doesn't upset her. Not this time. There's a little flicker in her expression, a look like she's anticipating pain, but no anger. She'd lie to herself about this sort of thing too if she could.

"You never have to tell me anything you don't want to," she assures him quietly. "I'm sorry I upset you. I should have been more careful. I'm sorry."

Will he accept a hug from her? Because she has this hug she wants to give him. It's a little awkward, but it's genuine, and maybe they both need it right now.

[smartass_captain]

It occurs to Jim suddenly that since he'd arrived in the nexus all he'd done was show weakness. He jerks his head in a nod and grips at her shoulders when she hugs him.

"This isn't me. I'm not like this." The self loathing drips from his voice. This is you, Jim. This has always been you. Abuse, abandonment, death. Jim doesn't want to be here, suddenly. He wants to go home, where he's in control and no one knows what's in his head.

"It's not."

[aw_hawkguy]

"In the food, Reed, that's where. No, I didn't see one myself." It doesn't sound like it's going well.

[brave_heart_verity]

Okay, maybe she just needs to stop trying to hug people.

"Of course not. You're hurt and you've been through a lot the last few days. Nobody expects you to be at your best." She understands, really she does. There's no judgment or loathing in her voice. "You should see me when I'm sick, I am the whiniest baby. I put the entire concept of 'manflu' to shame."

And yes Clint she can hear you. This is not inspiring confidence.

[smartass_captain]

She can try to stop hugging Jim, but he's clinging to her shoulders pretty tight right this second. He just needs a minute. She's not demanding answers out of him or even judging him. Jim doesn't want to. Doesn't want to be this. So he doesn't.

Jim chokes back everything until there's just a comforting numb. Pretend it matters. Pretend you're on duty.

"So." And he even sounds conversational. Though talking directly into Verity's ear is probably a bad idea. He pulls away. "You guys know the guy that did this? That's weird."

[aw_hawkguy]

"No, it's not 'an interesting example of genetic diffusion,' Reed, it's people in the meat. Somebody wrote a book about that, it's why we have an FDA!" Somebody browsed Wikipedia on his last hospital stay. Pause. "I don't care what he meant it to be about, that's not the point."

[brave_heart_verity]

No, he can cling if that's what he needs, it's fine. She'll even pet his hair a little. The talking directly in her ear is a smidge loud, and the pretending gets a raised eyebrow.

"I don't. I'm guessing Reed Richards, but I could be wrong. He's a very famous scientist around here, likes to claim he's the smartest person in the world. He certainly believes it." Not that she does. "It doesn't make you a bad person to be sad sometimes. It's not a weakness to be human."

[smartass_captain]

"Clint has the smartest guy in the world's phone number?" Jim snorts and gives a reasonably convincing smile. It's buried deep again. Where it should be. He can't believe he's let these strangers see this. Bones hasn't seen this. No one has.

"I'll be alright, Verity. I haven't been at my best since you meet me, that's all." The smile is pained, but it's honest. "I feel like that's all I've been doing since I got here."

[aw_hawkguy]

"Willis. Verity." Pause. "Yes, she's regist-don't give me that, I wasn't alive for that mess." Pause. "No, her power's not useless." Pause. "No." Pause. "'Had to invent a--' Reed, I'm going to bring you a Skrull steak, and I'm going to hit you in the face with it, and you can tell me if it's hypothetical then."

A few moments later, Clint emerges, coming down the stairs with a groan of, "arrogant son of a--..." Glancing sheepishly to Verity and Jim, he asks, "so... how much of that did you guys hear?"

[brave_heart_verity]

"He's an Avenger. He probably has all kinds of people's phone numbers."

Gee, that sounds a lot like what she'd just said to him. "Hey, you survived a lot more than I could have. If you get much more impressive I won't be able to handle it."

The joking would go better if she hadn't just heard that. Again. Her gaze drops when she hears Clint trying to defend her, which is sweet, and doesn't quite lift again when he comes back.

"I take it Dr. Richards won't be investigating?"

[smartass_captain]

"Heard enough to know that guy's a total asshole." Jim folds his arms over his chest and leans back in his seat slightly. Talking shit about his friends, even new friends, is not okay. Especially considering the one being talked about was the one who kept helping Jim out. Clint too, but it didn't sound like Clint was being badmouthed as much as Verity was.

Jim tries to catch Verity's eye all the same and mouths 'thanks' to her. He appreciate her trying to help.

"I take it this guy's too important to pay a beating to though." Looking to Clint for answers, and to make sure he was okay too. He really likes Clint and Verity both, despite his short time knowing them.

[aw_hawkguy]

"Oh, he'll be investigating, all right," Clint vows darkly, "he just doesn't know it yet. So, um, wanna come grocery shopping with me, sometime?"

Jim's question earns a sigh. "Yeah, no, we can't beat 'im up. His wife would kill us. I should explain: the first time Reed caught Skrulls trying to infiltrate Earth, he got them to agree to take a nonviolent shape and then hypnotized them to make them forget they were ever anything else. Apparently, he did it again during a time travel thing, back in the past somewhere. Anyway, they turned into cows, and he didn't really keep track of where they ended up, so now there's hybrid Skrullcows out there. But he'd rather plan his next field trip to the Negative Zone, so I'm gonna have to do the legwork on this one." Beat. "And yeah, he's kinda an insufferable jerk."

[brave_heart_verity]

Jim gets a little smile, and so does Clint. It's a small consolation, but she's got skills. It's nice to be respected for them.

"I'd be happy to help you find evidence of his little oversight," she offers. "Although I'm sure I wouldn't dream of telling the great Reed Richards he made a mistake."

She is, in fact, looking forward to calling him an idiot.

"Want me to start with your fridge?"

[smartass_captain]

"If there's alien cows in the fridge we're gonna shove this asshole's face in it, pissed off wife or no." Jim, sweetheart, you have no idea what you're talking about or what superheroes even are. Your dedication to your friends--even new ones--is endearing, but you're going to get yourself killed. Again.

The whole shebang that ended up with him in the Nexus and now in New York has been crazy on Jim's nerves. He feels raw and exposed. Not a great combo for making him patient or civil. Jim stares down at his borrowed sweatshirt and clenches his jaw. There has to be something he can do.

"Let us help, Clint. Verity and I can head to a store or something, leave you to go question whoever or beat this fucker senseless. Whichever. Just get it on record when you do. I'd pay to see it." He doesn't even realize he's doing that Captain thing. Habits are hard to break.

[aw_hawkguy]

Clint's eyebrows climb toward his hairline. "Okay, time for decaf. Let's start with the fridge--I'd like a clean conscience before I go talk to Reed. If I've got Skrull meat in there, it saves us a trip, and if not, I can breathe easy. And seriously, we're not beating the Fantastic Four up."

[brave_heart_verity]

Okay, this is not good. Poor Jim must be going stir-crazy.

"If we beat them up, they can't fix it. So let's let them fix it, okay?" Verity gives Jim's shoulder a little pat before she gets up to go check the fridge. She'll do her best to be discreet about anything that's been opened. She grabs a couple trash bags, one for anything going to Richards and one for anything that just needs throwing away.

"A trip to the store sounds like a good idea. It's good to know where our food comes from." Says the city girl who's never been to a farm. "And if you're really good, Jim, I'll take you to the farmer's market and you can see food with dirt on it."

[smartass_captain]

"What kind of a name is that even." Fantastic Four? Sounds like a cleaning agent. Or an Andorian stripper troupe. No time for that now, whatever it is.

"You do realize I'm from a farm in Iowa, right?" Jim knows what dirt is. He's been made to eat it in more than several bar fights. They should have seen the other guys though (No they shouldn't, if Jim's eating dirt they totally won those fights).

But hey, they're getting up and doing things and that's at least something. Jim hangs back when Clint and Verity go to check out the fridge, quietly heading over to a pile of his stuff and making sure his phaser is tucked safely into his oversized hoodie front pocket next to his spare key.

For self defense, of course. After this morning, Jim's not taking any chances.

[aw_hawkguy]

Clint approaches the whole fridge-cleaning with mental fingers crossed, hoping Verity will just find general guy-fridge grossness, and not outer space cannibal grossness. Admittedly, most of his groceries are new, as he tends to neglect himself vis-a-vis meals, but having a guest prompted him to go shopping.

"It's the name of their team. Reed's, uh, not great with naming stuff."

[brave_heart_verity]

Technically it's not cannibalism because none of them are Skrulls, unless Clint is secretly a Super-Skrull soldier infiltrating the Avengers, in which case there are bigger problems than what's in the fridge. (But that's another storyline nevermind.)

And let's all be grateful he hasn't made those steaks yet.

"He wanted people to trust him and his family. For a guy who's 'not great with naming stuff' he pulled off an impressive feat of manipulating public perception." That Chinese food is definitely getting thrown out. "Everything is stories. The person who controls the story controls the world."

She's quiet for a moment after that, methodically working while she thinks about something else.

"So future farms aren't all robots and hydroponics? That's a legitimate disappointment. Still. There's comfort in the familiar, right?"

[smartass_captain]

Jim hangs back in the kitchenette area, not really sure he wants to see what a space-cannibal steak looks like. He's content just leaning in the doorway and observing this, thanks.

"This guy sounds like a total dick." Even if Jim didn't have a problem with authority figures this would still be true. He snorts at Verity's comment though. "Some of the big operations do. But th'family farm's been ours for generations. We don't have crops or the like anymore. Just a few animals--well. We used to."

"So how can you tell what's what anyway. You guys have a scanner or something that can act like a spectrometer or what?"