His first day back at work in Atlantis. Not that he was bored, but...he wanted coffee, and he didn’t want to drink it alone. He knew exactly who deserved a cup of coffee this morning, too, and if she had some time he wanted dirt. His efforts had apparently paid off and if he couldn’t gloat that it was all his doing that she and Bucky were together, because it wasn’t, he could at least give his fellow caffeine addict a fix in exchange for how the last date he set them up on had gone.
He was surprised he still remembered Sharon’s usual from the times they’d had coffee in the past, and he hoped it hadn’t changed much in the time that had passed. He knocked on her office door with the hand that held her coffee, managing to take a sip of his while he waited for a response. “If you aren’t busy, I come bearing coffee,” he said to the closed door.
“Come on in,” Sharon called though the door with a smile. Even without the coffee, she would have been glad to see the man who had once been her roommate and had also become a good friend. She hadn’t had a lot of chances to really check in with him since her arrival in Atlantis, but it would be good to talk and she couldn’t help hoping he stuck around this time. Atlantis just wasn’t the same without Jim Kirk around.
He managed to open the door and stepped inside. Personally, while he had enjoyed the position she now had, he was kind of glad he didn’t have it anymore. And he’d heard she did a magnificent job so he was satisfied the right person had been picked to replace him.
But then, he had known that when they’d been roommates. Anyone who would tolerate him when his PTSD had been at the worst and didn’t mind a permanent third roommate was a remarkable woman. He was glad Bucky had realized that, too They had been well-suited for each other even with his issues when he’d first arrived.
He handed her the cup, the largest the coffee shop had had on hand and loaded with enough espresso shots to make an Excaliban run like an Olympic marathoner, and those guys were silicone based life forms who looked like huge sentient rock piles. “Your coffee, Captain,” he said with a grin.
“That’s General to you,” she said with a grin, accepting the cup gratefully and gesturing for him to have a seat. It was good to have him back in Atlantis. Jim had become a good friend while they’d been roommates and she’d missed him when he’d left. Even the fact that she enjoyed her new position didn’t mean she didn’t miss having him around.
“You settling back in okay?” she asked after a moment of companionable silence.
“Well enough,” he said with a nod. “General.” He grinned and had a sip of his coffee. “At least here in my role as diplomat I’m not getting attacked by foot tall aliens who have this urge to fulfill what I’m told is standard operating wear for Captain Kirk.” He lowered his drink. “A ripped top is not really all that fun to wear, to be honest. Not when there’s scratches to go with each tear in the uniform. I still have them. Again.”
“So far, anyway,” Sharon laughed. “You never know when Atlantis might be invaded by shirt-ripping aliens.” Truthfully, she wished he was in the field with his strengths in leadership and combat, but she was happy to have him back as her friend even if she couldn’t have him as a field agent. She knew there were plenty of others who felt the same way.
“Well, if they show up, you know who to call,” he replied with a chuckle. He made his way to the seat directly across from her. “So. Anything interesting happen in my absence?” He wasn't about to outright demand the dirt on her and Bucky because honestly, he really did want to catch up. He missed his friend and was glad she was still here, fighting the good fight.
Sharon shrugged. “Pretty much the same old stuff,” she said. Life in Atlantis always came with plenty of weirdness. It was probably the one constant in this place with the way that everything else kept changing. Some of those changes were good, so she didn’t have much cause for complaint. Life here wasn’t that predictable, but it could be good.
“It’s good to know some things don’t change despite the yo-yo effect,” he said with a chuckle. “I heard there was some fun stuff going on with Disneyfication around here. I think I caught the tail end of all that, or at least the teasing aftermath.”
Nodding, Sharon happily fell into comfortable conversation with him, helping to catch him up on everything else he’d missed this time.