(no subject)

[chasedthestars]

It shouldn't matter.

He's seen the holo a thousand times, maybe even tens of thousands. It's burned into his brain - he could close his eyes and see each individual lock of hair, each dimple in their happy faces. He knows exactly what it looks like without looking at it at all, but it's not here, and Jim's punched a jagged hole in his bedroom door before he even realizes that he's angry.

He leaves the house with an aching hand and a crunch of boots over dry, red earth, fingers clutched tight around a single faded photograph. He has one holo, one, of he and Sam and their mother. One holo of them smiling like a family, Jim's face small and round with youth and no trace of George but for his eyes, Winona Kirk's arms around him and a smile like he can't remember seeing anywhere but this holo, and now it's...

Looking down at it, Jim fights the urge to spit into the dirt. Now that holo has been ripped from his PADD, replaced instead by a wrinkled piece of paper, the colors about as vibrant as a piss stain, and their clothes - even their clothes have been altered from army brat red to gingham and leather, and Jim's had enough.

This place has taken his ship, his friend Ishiah, and now his fucking family photo, and he is done with sobriety for a while. Pushing through the doors of the closest saloon, he figures he might just be done with consciousness, too.

[ooc: one of those public privates? if your pup feels up to dealing with an angry captain in a dangerous mood, feel free!]

Comments

[leftwithmybones]

He adjusts slightly, mostly to make sure that he can keep Jim up, but he spends a brief moment passing his palm over Jim's hair to settle stray pieces in place before giving the nape of his neck one warm, gentle, firm squeeze and then he's got him supported again. "You sure? Because I can put my best CMO face on. Nobody stands a chance with that face."

[chasedthestars]

Jim's always been stubborn, and he wants to cling to his ill temper like a child, but Bones' hand on him is warm and reassuring, and his words put an incredulous smile on Jim's face.

"That's true," he says. "That's true, but you can't terrorize people in the name of medicine, Bones. Not even in my honor."

[leftwithmybones]

"Yeah?" McCoy smirks and he nudges Jim at the shoulder for a second, throwing him off-kilter only long enough that he can haul him back to rights. "Try me."

[chasedthestars]

"No," Jim laughs, just drunk enough for a little gasp as he reels, and then Bones is pulling him in again. "I'll decide I like it, and then I'll abuse my power. It'll be like that time I tried to reprogram my personal replicator for Romulan Ale just in case I ever had to entertain one in my quarters."

[leftwithmybones]

"You realize I was really hoping that'd work out, right?" he points out with the softest of amused snorts. "Then, I wouldn't have to worry about socializing with your damned ensigns. The last thing I needed while I was eating dinner was to hear about some rash they think is ready to kill 'em dead."