[SOL! Verse - Just a Dance]
It was Jim's third weekend as the diner's regular musician. There hadn't been any real trouble since that first night, though Nyota's father had insisted that if anyone harassed Jim again that she come get him immediately. Nyota just hoped it never became an issue. She and her father were both thrilled to have a musician whose music really meant
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"I'm very glad I met you, too," he admitted softly and brushed his thumb over her knuckles again. It was true, even if it was difficult at times like this to remember why it was a bad idea to touch her the way he really wanted to, why he'd always have to settle for innocent little touches and mask his desire to keep touching her by teaching her how to dance. He couldn't help feeling like the worst asshole in existence for taking something from her she didn't know she was giving, but he couldn't seem to help himself when she was close. She was smart, she was stubborn and probably stronger than any other woman he'd met, and she matched his every challenge with one of her own.
He fell silent because if he spoke right at that moment, he was going to say things he shouldn't and wouldn't be able to take back. So he just kept caressing her hand idly and looked at the movements of his thumb over her skin, all the differences between them standing out in sharp contrast, reminding him of their places in the world.
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The soft admission made her heart flutter slightly, and she couldn't keep the wide smile off her face that he felt as she did. She looked forward most to the days when he would be at the diner, and now she'd be able to see him on other days as well, to talk with him, to dance with him. He makes life a little more bearable, she thought, and then instantly felt guilty. Working in the diner wasn't so bad, and she got to spend every day with her family. Her father did the best he could, and she loved the diner, but the idea that her life would never be bigger than that broke her heart a little. And Jim... He made her want to not only speak her dreams aloud but chase after them with everything she had.
They'd descended into silence that was a little too comfortable, and though she didn't quite know what to make of him stroking her hand she didn't want him to stop. The sound of the front door opening broke the silence, and she pulled her hand away sharply. Her eyes flashed to Jim's, full of apology. There was no reason for her to react like that when they weren't doing anything wrong.
She turned to see Kamau walk into the kitchen, and gasped at the sight of him. His eye was black, there was a trickle of blood on his cheek, and his nose looked like it might be broken. “What happened?!” she breathed out, walking towards him to examine his injuries.
Kamau's eyes flickered to Jim, then back to her. “Don't make a fuss, Nyota.”
“Don't make a fuss?! What do you expect me to do when you walk in here looking like this?!” Anger and worry were plain in her voice. “I'll get ice,” she added, grabbing a washcloth to wrap the ice in and walking towards the freezer.
Kamau's face darkened, but he didn't protest. “I take it you're out new musician?” Kamau said to Jim, and then without giving him a chance to respond said to Nyota, “What is he still doing here?”
“Being a gentleman,” Nyota responded angrily. “Which is more than I can say for you."
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And then he finally got to meet Kamau. A bloodied Kamau too, and Jim didn't need to ask any questions to know why he'd been late. Uhura did, but her brother unsurprisingly didn't answer. It grated a little to hear him speak to his sister the way he did, and the dark glare he sent her when she went to get ice made Jim's hackles rise some.
Kamau shifted his attention to Jim then, and to give him the benefit of the doubt, Jim chose to interpret his attitude as concern for his sister and having gone several rounds with something obviously stronger than him. "Yep," Jim smiled sweetly and pushed off the counter to search for a couple of spoons as Uhura got the ice.
Whistling until he found what he was looking for, he drummed a little rhythm on the countertop and moved over to Kamau, studying his face with a discerning eye. "Hrmm... Broken. I'll bet your ribs aren't feeling too good either. Any loose teeth? Cracked knuckles?" Jim smirked and tilted his head to look at Kamau's nose from a different angle. "Gotta admit, that is one beauty of a hit you've taken there. Headbutt, right? It's a little to clean to be a punch."
He twirled one of the spoons with his fingers and called absently to Uhura over his shoulder. "Miss Uhura, I'll need some ice, a couple of clean towels, some antiseptic and some cotton swabs if you have them. And if you've got a couple of shots of something strong back there, I'm sure your brother here will appreciate it."
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It felt as if the tension could be cut with a knife, and though Nyota was angry and worried about her brother's injuries, she could easily sense the growing animosity between Kamau and Jim. It didn't surprise her, but it still made her sad. “You should be grateful he's going to help you,” she called over her shoulder as she collected the materials Jim had asked her to. She found some whiskey to help dull the pain, and walked over to where the two men were standing. “Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?” she asked, examining his face with open concern.
Kamau looked slightly exasperated. “It isn't a big deal. And father doesn't hear about this.”
“It is a big deal, and I don't think there's much chance he won't notice the condition your face is in,” Nyota replied, frustrated and incredulous.
Kamau's eyes flickered back and forth between her and Jim for a moment. “What have you been doing since the diner closed?” he asked, switching to Swahili.
“Talking,” she hissed. “Not that you have any right to interrogate me.” She looked back at Jim, eyes apologetic. “Thank you,” she said to him, and she could practically feel Kamau bristle beside her.
Kamau sneered and said to Jim, “Well, I suppose I should say thank you for helping me out, and for being so kind to my sister."
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Backing Kamau up a little, Jim shrugged casually and took a swig of the whiskey Uhura had brought with his free hand. "Naahh, he'll be fine. It's just a scratch, really. A quick little pop and he'll be right as rain. No need to thank me."
The suspicion with which Kamau looked between the two of them wasn't entirely unexpected and Jim gave him his most innocent smile as he put the backs of the cold spoons on either side of his nose, making him wince a little. The two sibling switched to a language Jim didn't understand, but he didn't really need to comprehend the words to pick up on what was said.
"I'll count to three and if you punch me, I'm going to be very annoyed with you. Ready? One..." Not bothering to count further, he used the element of surprise to keep Kamau from tensing up, and set the nose in a practiced move. A wet crack later and Jim removed the spoons, handing Kamau the bottle after taking another sip himself, and hoping Uhura wasn't too offended by the muttered cursing her brother did.
Whistling again, he put some ice in one of the towels and okay, maybe he could have been more gentle when he put it on Kamau's face and told him to hold it there, but he didn't really have any reason to coddle him.
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“Stop it,” she said, switching back to Swahili. “There's no reason for you to talk like this.”
“There's no reason for you to defend him,” he brother countered, raising an eyebrow when Jim confirmed that he was fine. “See? Nothing to worry about, Nyota.” His lips curled in an expression that was more sneer than smile.
“Don't ask me not to worry about you when you're hurt,” she said, watching as Jim set the nose. Kamau cursed under his breath, and her heart constricted a little. Annoyed as she was, she hated seeing Kamau hurt. She didn't exactly know what he did when he went out, but lately he's started hanging out with a new group of friends, and whenever he came back he was angrier, more sullen. She was terrified of the decisions he was making, but didn't know any way to stop it.
Nyota wrapped some more ice and held it against his black eye as Kamau held the ice against his nose. She flashed Jim another grateful, apologetic look. "Thanks," she said again, not sure what else to say. She wanted to apologize to him for the way of Kamau was acting, but saying something now would just upset her brother more.
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Nyota... It was the first time he'd heard her first name mentioned and it echoed in his mind. It fit her somehow, beautiful and probably trickled off the tongue like molasses, heady, rich and sweet. He barely resisted the temptation to speak it aloud, but filed it away in his mind. She turned to look at him, and his eyes softened for her - only for her right now. "Don't mention it," he whispered with a small wink.
Kamau hissed a little more emphatically and Jim returned his attention to his hand, feeling around the joint of his thumb. "Who the hell taught you to throw a punch? You've dislocated your thumb." He threw in the hint of an eyeroll and let go of his hand. "Hold on..." He exited the kitchen, only to come back a moment later with his bag.
"You'll have to do with duct tape, I didn't come here straight from my day job," he muttered and made a triumphant little sound when he found the tape in his bag, then moved back to Kamau and felt around the joint again. "You're right though, it's an interesting part of town. Then again, I play some -- deep breath -" There was a pop and a pained grunt as Jim snapped the joint back into place. "Pretty interesting music," he finished his sentence and ripped off a length of tape with his teeth, then secured the thumb to Kamau's hand, giving him another cheerful smile. "There. All set to play dinosaurs with the rest of the kids."
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Kamau made a low hissing noise and her eyes flashed back to him. The next words startled her slightly; she had guessed that Kamau was in a fight, but it was still a little hard to hear aloud. Kamau ignored the questions, but when Jim walked out of the kitchen for a moment, Nyota asked in a low voice, “Who were you fighting with?”
Kamau sighed again. “It really isn't any of your business. What was it you said, about me having no right to interrogate you?”
“Thats completely different. You didn't show up here to find me with bloody hands and a broken nose.”
Jim reappeared a moment later, and Nyota watched him pop her brother's thumb back into place. At his last comment, she almost laughed even as a flash of worry went through her. Kamau simply glared daggers. It was a look she'd seen before, but only a few times, and it didn't bode well. She didn't want to let the matter go, but it was probably better to separate the two of them. “It's getting late. We should go home,” she said. Her brother didn't stop looking at Jim, but nodded in affirmation.
“Maybe I'll come back and listen to you interesting music sometime,” he said, and then without even a word of thanks turned on his heel. "Let's go."
She flashed Jim another look but had no idea what to say. Not while Kamau was within earshot, anyway. Monday? she mouthed when her brother's back was turned.
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A flash of carefully controlled anger flickered like summer lightning deep within Jim's gaze at Kamau's thinly veiled insult to his music. And that seemed to be enough for Kamau to withdraw, flitting his eyes away quickly and turning to leave. Jim couldn't help feeling a certain amount of satisfaction. Judging by his injuries, Kamau was way beyond his depth when it came to anything other than petty street brawls. A part of Jim wished he could stay that way forever, but it was unlikely.
He packed up his bag again and followed the two siblings as they made to leave, catching Nyota's silent question and answering with a smile and a surreptitious thumbs up. All he needed was to pick up his guitar and tug on his jacket, and he was ready to go. He even went as far as to hold open the door for the two Uhuras as they exited the diner, smiling sweetly at Kamau and somewhat more softly and genuinely at Nyota before he turned to vanish into the night.
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