universal_charm | Reboot Complete

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Reboot Complete

[ Taking your first conscious lungful of air after what seems forever is an entirely all to painful experience. Not surreal. Not relieving. Painful. His brain felt like it had been jolted by a car battery and his throat couldn’t decide if it wanted to close up or open so he could exhale and take in another breath.

Finally, that primal part of his brain, the part that worked to keep him alive when he wasn't paying attention, said stop being stupid and he took his second breath. Third. Fourth. Fifth. They kept coming, the pain easing at the same time that his vision went from blurry blobs to fuzzy shapes and finally to something resembling… trees?

Trees? He was in the woods?

He was dead and all he got was being shoved into some forest - albeit one for dead people? He was a hero! He seriously needed to go haunt somebody and let them know that dying sucked, there were no pearly gates, and he demanded an immediate refund.

That was when the rest of his body decided it needed to make its immediate aches and pains fully noted. Everything hurt, aching in a bone deep way that said he needed to both move and that he needed to sleep for another week. He couldn’t particularly decide which, so instead he chose to lay there, debating if the pain meant he was not, in fact, dead.

But… he had to be, didn’t he? The radiation he had absorbed when he kicked the reactor back into place should have killed him, and he had… Spock had been there, and he had…

He gulped, pushing the memory away, shifting to try and get his arm under him, his wings fluttering lightly as if -

Wait. Wings? WINGS?!

His head jerked around, for a moment making him see white stars and he stared in absolute horror at the canary yellow and black edged wings that peeked from behind his back, disturbingly bright on a dead man. Well, he thought he was dead… But he had only ever been to one place where he had sported wings, and angel wings were white (right?). So... was this... was this Luceti? Was he being punished by being sent to the hell version of Luceti, the place he thought he had somehow managed to escape (but never find again despite his efforts - and, in fairness, he had been a bit distracted). Or worse- this was real. He was alive, and he was back in Luceti.

And in a hospital gown. Awesome.

To weak to move himself much more, he collapsed back down, sweating for his effort and he wondered if he would stink of radiation now… did radiation have a scent? He guessed he’d find out. His eyes drifted, coming back from the pain induced haze they’d glazed through, dropping on the journal. Of course it was right beside him, like a faithful dog that didn’t know when it wasn’t wanted.

Well, this time he actually needed it. He reached out, bringing it closer, that effort alone making his head spin as he worked it open to speak - ]

Hey everyone. You miss me?

[ Of course, that's base on the idea there's anyone he knows still here to miss him. Did they remember him, a year and more later? ]

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_{[ He swallowed, trying to get a grip on things. It hadn't been a year? But that was a lie. It had been a year, to him. And suddenly, he wasn't sure of anything. he looked down at his hands, felt the aches in his body, and there was no way that that was a lie. None of what he had seen and done had been a lie. His own mind wasn't that twisted, was it?

He looked back at her, now looking lost and afraid. ]}

Maybe you just age really well. A year doesn't sit heavy on most people...

[She moves her hand from his cheek to his forehead, trying to get a sense of his temperature. He doesn't look good. He doesn't look good at all. They shouldn't be sitting out here arguing. She should be getting him to the medical center.

What kind of friend, what kind of person would she be if she didn't?

Quietly,] I wouldn't lie to you, Jim.

_{[ And he knew she wouldn't. That was the thing of it. She wouldn't. But.. hadn't others done this too? He thought he remembered people coming back - months passing for them when only days had passed here. It was a theory, in some communities, that traveling to far in space resulted in a time fracture. He had never really believed it, but maybe that's what was happening... ]}

Christ... Katniss... it's been a year for me. It's been a whole damn year.

[She didn't like seeing him like this. It made her feel uncomfortable and awkward. She shifted to her knees and, very slowly, wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

He was sick and she probably couldn't move him unless he wanted to be moved. And he had been gone a year. Just like Zevran. If Peeta ever returned, how long would it be for him? Would he have any memories of this place, of what they shared?]

_{[ He wanted to say that he didn't need the hug, that he was stronger than that. But he was alive, and it was more than he had expected. The last he remembered, he had been begging Spock to make him feel no fear in the face of it, had been feeling his organs begin to shut down. You don't think you can feel that, but you can. Or maybe he made it up in his head, but it didn't matter, it had been real to him.

He wrapped his arms around her and the emotions overwhelmed him. He was alive. He was okay. But how? And he was here, in Luceti, he wasn't at home. Was his crew okay? What about Khan? Why was he even here again?

He pressed his face into her shoulder, and despite himself, tears slipped down his cheeks. It was simply to much. ]}

[She didn't like seeing him cry. She wasn't good at this part. At comforting anyone that wasn't Prim. It'd be better if he could stay strong. Strong like Zevran had been upon finding himself back here. But Zevran hadn't come in looking like this. This bedraggled, this sick.

Not knowing what else to do, she just tightens her grip around him and holds him close.]

I'm sorry you're back here.

_{[ He got control of himself quickly, leaning back and wiping at his face, however weakly. ]}

Yeah, well... guess I'm lucky to be alive, so I can't complain, right?

[She nodded, unable to keep herself from frowning at the words. Lucky to be alive?

What had happened in those moments prior to his arrival here? Did she ever want to know? Probably not. There were too many other things to worry about. Like whether Jim could make it back to the village.]

Yeah.

_{[ He licked his lips, looking around and took a few stabilizing breaths. ]}

So... got anything I can wear, cause I'm not digging my butt hanging out the back of this thing.

Edited 2013-11-18 02:37 (UTC)

[Oh.

Oh.

As soon as he speaks, she falls back on her hands and tries to take a scurry an inch or two away. There's no mistaking the blush on her face. It doesn't matter that she's seen him naked. That they've... they've had sex, had been completely at ease with that intimacy. They're no longer those people. She hasn't been that girl for months. And it's been even longer for him.

She never should have hugged him. Never should have gotten this close.]

I... I don't.

Edited 2013-11-18 02:46 (UTC)

Okay, well... think you can... help me to somewhere softer? I just want to lie down and sleep.

_{[ That was a good thing, wasn't it? Sleep. Tell him it was a good thing, because oh how he wanted it. He wanted it like nothing else and to know it was really just sleep.

Maybe.... maybe if he slept he'd wake back up somewhere else. Anything was possible right now. ]}

[Sleep. He looks like he needs it. But if he's so ready to collapse here in the forest, here where any man or beast could easily harm him, he can't be doing well. Because that's not the thought of a rational man. At least, she doesn't think it is.

Embarrassment quickly fades as concern takes over. She needs to do something, something more than just sitting here and chatting. So, slowly, she rises and offers Kirk a hand.]

We're not that far from the village.

Good. Okay. Just... go slow, okay? I felt like I haven't walked in a long time.

_{[ And that could be true. He was unsure of how long he had been out,
though it was obviously long enough for any radiation burns to not be
visible on his skin. A plus. Didn't need to make an entrance with the
equivalent of a really bad sunburn did you?}

He took the hand and got to his feed in obvious pain, grasping Katniss' firm bicep and steadying himself. It felt odd, being up right again and his head spun for a second. It passed quickly, and he counted it to a blood rush, but he kept hold of her anyways. ]

Yeah, let's just go real slow. And no sneaking peeks.

_{[ You know what he means. ]}

[She grips tightly, slowly and carefully helping him to her feet. She's had practice at this. At getting Peeta through the first arena when he was so sick and injured. At helping Gale back to her home after the whipping he took in the square. Long ago, both events. But never ever far from her mind.

She passes him her bow quietly, placing it in his free hand in indicating he use it as a cane. It's a good bow, study. But if it breaks under this use, she'll survive. There's no sentimental value attached to it.

Not like there is to making certain Jim gets back in one piece.

Her arm is wrapped around his waist and she does her best to ignore the feel of skin until he jokes. And she automatically blushes, suddenly all too aware of how little he's wearing once again.]

It's... [She stutters the word. Lighten the mood. It could help, right?] I've seen it before.

_{[ Oh, that was right, she had, hadn't she? In sweet nights spent in
laughter and warmth and he shook his head. He couldn't think like that
right now. They were friends, not romantically involved, even if a romantic
aspect simmered between them through false memories. He had remembered them
some nights, alone in his room on the Enterprise. He had remembered a lot
of things...}

He clung to Katniss, not afraid to show weakness before her. She had seen more of him than many - maybe not from his own consent, but she had seen and he found himself leaning on her naturally despite the gap he had experience. And wasn't that a kicker still? A year for him, three days for year. Like it wasn't awkward enough. ]

Well, just so you know, it's still in great shape. Just like you remember. Maybe tighter.

[She nearly stumbled over a stray branch at his words, losing her normal easy balance. Her hand brushes against the bottom of his wings until she moves it back in place. Idiot. She's taken trails like this most of her life. It's second nature to walk forest grounds. And yet? The images that appear in her head make her blush furiously. She shouldn't be thinking those things.

She shouldn't. What had happened between them hadn't been their choice. They had no control over the shift. She had no right, no reason to think about his...

His...

She can't finish the thought. And she keeps walking, making certain to keep her hand firmly planted on the middle of his back. Not too far down and not too close to his wings.

So much for trying to be lighthearted.]

That's... that's good. It's good for you to be in shape.

It's all the running.

_{[ He grinned at her, some of his usual brightness showing through and
he gave what he thought was a comforting squeeze to her as they fumbled
their way through the woods. They worked their way slowly, doing his best
not to stumble and unbalance her. ]}

Thanks for coming out here, you know. Or, stumbling on me anyways.

_{[ It had been someone he knew, which was small relief. ]}

[She spent a good most of her time in the woods, Maybe it was surprising, in a way, that she hadn't come across more people in the woods. Something she was grateful for. Katniss never was, never would be much of a people person.

But she turns and smiles at him, doing her best to return the affectionate gesture while they walked. Safely away from any talk of innuendo, it was easier now to keep her balance. To keep walking straight.]

You're welcome.

_{[ When they paused for a breath he much needed, he looked at her. She
hadn't changed, but then, it had only been three days for her. But still,
it was comforting to him, to come back with a year's worth of memory and
have someone solid and who hadn't changed. It made him more... secure, he
thought.}

He leaned in, kissing her cheek gently, a chaste thing, and then rested his forehead against her, shivering in her grasp. ]

I'm glad I get to see you again.

[She smiled a little when he kissed her cheek. She had been free with her kisses once when it came to this man. It hadn't been her choice. It had been that of the Malnosso's, of their Gamemakers. But this kiss, however chaste, reminds her of that. It makes her miss the life she had lived in that hijacking.

It made her also miss Peeta. The way he used to kiss her like that.

She smiles a little fondly, a little awkwardly.]

I'm glad you're back, too.

I'll be even more glad when I get in bed.

_{[ He took in a deep breath, hoping more oxygen would keep him going
just a bit further to said bed. ]}

I'll give you a proper hello when I get up from my nap, promise.

We're not that far now.

[Hopefully, they'll find someone by the edge of the village. Someone that can help take them the rest of the way to the hospital ward within the Battle Dome. She can support him if necessary. She's done this too many times in the past. Too many times.

Each time, it doesn't get any easier.]

Do you think you'll be okay?

Don't worry. I'll be fine. I don't give up that easy. I figured if I made it this far, I can't give up now, right?

_{[ He gave her a tired smile, but it had it's usual confidence too it,
albeit paled. ]}

[She smiles a little at the reassurance. It makes her think of Peeta, of something he would say. Some stupid little joke just to cheer her up. To reassure her that he's still there with her.

Would they get along? Peeta and Jim? She'd like to think so. She'd like to think that everyone would get along with Peeta. He's just... Peeta.]

Good. Because I'm not carrying you.

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Reboot Complete

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