.057 - lol actual back :c

[captain_jtkirk]

[Kirk could honestly say that he'd never returned in the middle of a breach or flood or whatever before. So that was weird. And it was even weirder to not realize he was back until after it all ended, and he was in his quarters, feeling like someone had punched his heart out and then hit him in the head with a hammer at the same time. He knew it wasn't Enterprise. He couldn't hear the hum of her engines and that always gave it away.

He was back on the Barge. And he couldn't say that he fully remembered why.

Jim forced himself to his feet, fighting against the wave of nausea and dizziness that came with it and left his room, wandering for a bit before he found himself in front of Dick's door. Not Bones because he'd worry and yell and it'd be weird with Shego and well. Here he was.

He reached up and knocked lightly, not even sure if Dick was there.]



[Video--several hours post flood and chat with Dick]

I'm back.

Comments

[captain-jtkirk.livejournal.com]

Jim was back. And maybe avoiding him and his room a little bit. So the best way to do that... was to wander around the hallways, Aristotle trailing behind. Fucking Barge. And fucking Bones being right about him dying.

[imaythrowuponyou]

Which meant it was really only a matter of time before they crossed paths, because the Barge wasn't really that big.

Still. When McCoy finally caught up to him, he stopped, staring, because if he'd learned one thing about the Barge, it was that it loved dicking people over. If this was just some stupid flood where for some reason, Dick had swapped places with Jim for a few days, he was going to throttle the Admiral.

"Jim?"

[captain-jtkirk.livejournal.com]

Jim stopped walking immediately, staring at the ground and Aristotle for a moment before looking up at Bones. A second later, all he had to offer was a shrug, as though to say, I'm back, don't rub it in and don't ask me why.

[imaythrowuponyou]

Bones just stared at him for a long moment before walking over and carefully putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He really wanted to yell at him, but that stupid kicked puppy expression made him swallow any concerned screaming back. It had been a stupid thing, to hope everything would just be fine. Shows what you get for trying to be optimistic.

And it wasn't like he hadn't yelled at him a lot already. And hit him. Twice. "I'm sorry."

[captain-jtkirk.livejournal.com]

Jim inhaled sharply when Bones touched him. It still felt like it was making things too real, too... goddamn his head hurt. Everything hurt really, if he was being honest about it.

"It's not your fault."

[imaythrowuponyou]

McCoy glared at him, because really, it felt like his fault. Yeah, maybe it was Jim being a fucking reckless idiot, too, but it was his job to make sure he got out of it alive. And this time, that hadn't been enough.

He barely hesitated before hugging him tightly, because god fucking damn it, he really didn't want this to be happening. And if he wanted to blame himself, that was his own goddamn business. "Shut up, you stupid fucking asshole."

[captain-jtkirk.livejournal.com]

Jim didn't really know how to react to being pulled into a hug and then being called a name. The name he could deal with but he didn't really want to be touched right now or let McCoy know that he was feeling awful. He refused to call it death tolling alright.

"Sorry. I'll try to be less of an ass."

[imaythrowuponyou]

"You'd better be." Although let's be serious, if you were less of an ass, you wouldn't be the Jim Kirk we all know and love, so. Don't feel like you have to change that much.

Bones will just settle for you staying alive.

He pulled back after a minute, still glaring at him, but this time more out of concern than misdirected anger. "What's wrong?" And yes, he means physically.

[captain-jtkirk.livejournal.com]

Jim gave him the picture of a blank face in response to that question. "What do you mean?"

[imaythrowuponyou]

"Don't give me that shit," he said shortly, although maybe not as aggressively as he would have had the situation been different. "Come on, you shouldn't be standing up. Infirmary or one of our cabins?"

[captain_jtkirk]

"Yours," Jim said, maybe a little too quickly but he really didn't want a reminder of the Enterprise right now. Actually... "The infirmary," he corrected, looking anywhere not at Bones.

[imaythrowuponyou]

Bones just stared at him for several seconds before nodding. "Okay. Come on." He carefully moved to put a supportive arm around his back, half expecting Jim to shrug him off or shy away.

[captain_jtkirk]

Jim did shy away a little because damnit, he really didn't want to be touched and that didn't have anything to do with Bones, he was just... it was weird to know you were dying somewhere.

[imaythrowuponyou]

He stopped, frowning in concern. "It's okay, Jim." It's just me, everything's going to be fine. He'd even let you bring Aristotle into the infirmary.

[captain_jtkirk]

Shit whatever, Kirk had forgotten all about the dog, even though it had only been like two seconds since he last looked at him.

"It really isn't, Bones."

[imaythrowuponyou]

"It will be." Not that you were going to believe him anyway, but he hadn't given up on trying to make you understand what was going on here. "I promise."

[captain_jtkirk]

Jim ran a hand over his head, tugging on his hair sharply, just to distract himself from feeling like his chest was being broken open. "I just.. hate it here."

[imaythrowuponyou]

You didn't have to be dead to feel that way. "I know, kid. Come on, let's get out of the hallway."

The Admiral may or may not have dropped off some Christmas booze in the infirmary instead of his cabin. He can maybe be talked into sharing it with you.

[captain_jtkirk]

Jim nodded a little bit, and followed after him. "You got any booze stashed in there?"

[imaythrowuponyou]

"I might. Could probably be talked into sharing it, too."

[captain_jtkirk]

"Could be? I just died, Bones."

[imaythrowuponyou]

"I was kidding." He stepped into the infirmary and headed into his office, closing the door behind the two of them and the dog, gesturing towards the couch. "Sit. And don't tell anyone about this, I was gonna move it anyway."

[captain_jtkirk]

About a half second after Jim sat down on the couch, Aristotle jumped up next to him and pretty much made himself at home in Jim's lap. "I figured you had a stash on Enterprise too."

[imaythrowuponyou]

"You know full well I do," he said, trying to make it sound like a joke and sort of failing, because seriously, fuck everything, why are you back here. He grabbed a bottle of bourbon and two glasses, came over to sit next to Jim and poured them both a glass, handing one over to his friend.

[captain_jtkirk]

Jim knocked the entire thing back in one swallow because really seriously fuck everything. He sighed and put it off to the side, not really feeling any better but maybe now a little bit like he wanted to go to sleep and not wake up for a year.

"Do you even have an Inmate?"