Impromptu Family Meetups

[smartass_captain]

It's that time of year. Holidays around every corner, family and friends dropping in unannounced, needing to be entertained and fed and plied with stories of how you've been, how is work, and all sorts of things. The thing is, for most of Jim Kirk's life he's never known any of that. It's hard to have sudden family visits when you don't have much in the way of family and aren't speaking to damn near all of them.

Which makes this day exceptionally stressful.

No Starfleet uniform today--even if Jim wanted to he's not allowed to wear any of his own clothes for where he's about to be headed. Instead he's dressed in a soft wool tunic in his preferred golden color and simple linen pants beneath the fur lined cloak he's got pulled over his clothes. Gloved hands fidget with the ties on all of this, a nervous habit he can't quite stop himself from making.

He stops his pacing when he nearly stumbles over a passer-by with how lost in thought he is and it's only then that the captain looks up at whomever he's nearly trodden upon.

"What's the best way to impress your in-laws? What's the etiquette for meeting someone's family for the first time?"

Comments

[slayers_desire]

They didn't jump into it either. But that is where they are now.

"I can see why that would create some concern. Are you at least familiar with his world?" April smiled.

[smartass_captain]

"I mean, enough. Yeah." He's been studying history books and alchemy and everything he can get his hands on for reading material for months now but it doesn't feel like it's enough. Like it will ever be enough. And maybe that's fine but it doesn't ease Jim's nerves any.

"I've spent a lot of time there. Picked up some of the local hobbies. Learned the language, more or less."

[slayers_desire]

"That is good that you spent time there."

"Is there anyone from his world that knows you are from somewhere else, someone who can help with the cover story?" April asks, softly.

[smartass_captain]

Jim nods and that seems to help him calm down quite a bit. They're not going to be doing this alone. Stratos will be there and he's very good at this sort of thing. Secrets and the like.

"His older brother is going with us. He's...a good man. I know him too."

[slayers_desire]

"There you go. I am sure with your fiancé and his brother, you will be able to get through any cultural differences."

"A challenge for myself... when I went into Clark's world to stay with him, was to create a identity for myself for legal reasons. And when you need to do that, it is always important to remember your made-up backstory."

[smartass_captain]

"Oh, we've got that too. But Felix is going to be the one living with me. I've spent the better part of two years now crafting a legal identity for him and getting all the paperwork in order. Luckily, I kept as much og his actual background the same as I could so it's really just a matter of where and when as opposed to trying to make up an entirely new history for him."

I mean he's definitely fudged some of the details but Felix has so much more to remember about Jim's world. The captain didn't want him to have to fret about his Made Up life story as well.

[slayers_desire]

"I am curious. Why did you both decide on your world?" April asks. Part of the reason she stayed in Clark's world was because of his role of protecting the innocents there.

[smartass_captain]

Why did they both...?

Jim swallows. Stares at April for several long seconds. The truth is, he never considered staying in Felix's world. And how selfish does that make him feel right now? He blinks a few times before letting his gaze wander somewhere over her shoulder.

"He likes an adventure as much as I do." What if this is a mistake? What about Felix's wants? What if? What if what if what if-- "Seemed like an obvious choice."

He feels nauseous.

[slayers_desire]

One disadvantage to being an exceptionally strong psychic is that when someone near by is having exceptionally strong emotions -- April can sense them. She frowns slightly, taking a moment to create some barriers in her mind. To protect herself from accidentally eavesdropping on thoughts that are not her own.

"Marriage can be an adventure. A lot of people don't realise that."

[smartass_captain]

Really, for as 'vaguely a smidgen uncomfortable' as Jim looks, his thoughts are tantamount to internal screaming. He's gotten quite used to hiding those emotions behind a very tightly controlled mask. No matter how reassuring Jim's smile is, April now knows better.

He's scared senseless.

"That's the hope. Though honestly getting married was more of a means to an end for both of us. It's one of the few ways I can have him aboard the ship, provided I get the right documents forged."

[slayers_desire]

April wishes for a moment that she could ask Clark to be here. It was Clark who made more drastic changes in his life, since it was his world that she integrated into. But when your husband is a busy superhero journalist, one has to adapt.

"Do you need help with that? I had to forge plenty of documents myself, to integrate into Clark's world."

[smartass_captain]

"The documents I have pretty well handled. I've spent two years working on getting them all in order. Started working on it way before I asked Felix to marry me. I didn't want ask before I knew if I could make it work."

Jim offers a slight shrug of his shoulders.

"It's a lot more work than you think it's going to be though."

[slayers_desire]

"It is a lot of work. But you found a way to work through it. And get things in order."

"Perhaps you should draw upon that same determination when you are meeting his father. Be yourself. And show him how much Felix means to you."

[smartass_captain]

"Within reason, obviously. I don't think an audience needs or would want to be around if I'm proving how much Felix means to me." Jim waggles his eyebrows good naturedly but the joke helps ease some of the tension in his shoulders.

Be himself? That's not something he's great at in these kind of situations but he can try.

[slayers_desire]

"I am sure that Felix is all the audience you need." April grins in return. She can sense some of his tension lifting away.

"May I suggest a little toy or trinket that helps you focus your nervous energy on? My son enjoys those little fidget spinners, when he feels anxious around other people."

[smartass_captain]

"That's not a bad idea, actually."

So long as he can get something that would be appropriate for Felix's world. Something to harness some of his boundless nervous energy into. It's a pity Jim Kirk is so ill equipped for magic because he's got excess mental energy for days.

[slayers_desire]

"A cross-Nexus relationship can work. Clark and I have been married for nearly 10 year now." April smiles.