browngirl

Title: Never Lost His Head
Rating: As it is: PG-13 maybe? As it was intended to be: The same.
Pairing: Kirk/Pike
Content Advisory: Wildly inappropriate mentor-student flirtation; reference to past hooking up.
Summary: Kirk turned down an internship Pike set up for him. Now he faces the consequences.
Notes: A brief sequel to "Never Once" written for

kayliemalinza, long long ago. References an adorable TFLN.

"So your evil twin failed you, I see," is Jim's first and only warning. He spins around and finds his nemesis and mentor Captain Pike behind him, but it's too late to escape, he's already caught by that searing tractor-beam glare. "Or perhaps your good twin."

"Sir?" Two can use these weapons. Jim widens his eyes to innocence and refuses to flinch as Pike bears down on him. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"My office, Kirk." Pike clearly wants to grab Jim by the scruff of the neck and drag him there. Jim wouldn't mind, actually, it's not like it would be a bad touch, but arcane rules of propriety forbid, or so Pike seems to think. As he sweeps past Jim he uses his voice instead, growling a, "Now," that Jim wouldn't be able to disobey if he wanted to.

So Jim follows, because sometimes the most outre option is to do as he's told, and watches Pike's long measured stride, because he might as well enjoy the vantage point. Pike ignores him the whole way until the office door hisses shut behind Jim's back, then says as he turns and sits, "You neglected to register for the Minor Planet Center internship this summer."

Oh, that. A Pike-facilitated chance to fix a mistake from his past or some such bullshit, Jim thinks as his back stiffens against the empty air. "And miss the chance to get my hands nice and dirty with a terraforming crew?"

Pike swivels to face him, smile wide and sharp. "Do you actually have a reason for turning this down besides sheer stubbornness?"

"Been, done, got fired already," Jim counters. Admittedly his time on Triton was five years ago, but now he's three cm taller, a Starfleet cadet, and in even less need of their officious bullshit up at the MPC. Pike narrows his eyes like he didn't know all of this when he set it up, the paternal bastard, so Jim adds mostly for bitchery's sake, "I guess I could always see if old Kosari's hotel needs any staff; some skills don't fade."

The way the muscle in Pike's jaw twitches is sublimely satisfying, since after all, he brought it up. "Terraforming won't teach you anything you don't already know, Kirk," he rumbles tightly, as if they didn't meet in that hotel once upon a fun nighttime. "Next time I line up an opportunity for you you'll take it."

"Or what, Sir?" It's not hard to remember the enticing lilt he used to use while working at Kosari's; it is hard to keep from grinning when Pike's eyebrows lift above widened eyes, but Jim scores that point too. "You'll rub my nose in it like a bad puppy?"

Pike shuts his eyes -- and laughs handsomely, damn him. "No, Cadet, I'll paint you green and stand you in the corner. I could use a potted plant."

Jim grins now, and it feels a little brittle but it works. "Well, Ziresh and Gaila both say I'm an honorary Orion."

"I wouldn't slander them by agreeing," Pike tosses back at him. "And I've already spoken to Xhao -- you'll be in charge of Lambda Team."

Jim sucks in a breath. He'll be responsible for the team's progress, they'll probably resent him as a raw cadet stuck in over them, but if his team gets the best results... His belly does a flip of rising excitement and sinking apprehension, as he watches Pike's eyes glitter and swallows hard. "And you said this wouldn't teach me anything, Sir."

As he talks Jim lifts his chin, and watching Pike's gaze flicker to his Adam's-apple bobbing above his collar is a little victory of its own even though he's losing this game. "Next time I'll leave you to suffer the consequences of your decisions," Pike answers, not quite as dismissively as he's trying for, point for Jim, even though it's a near thing, point for Pike. Maybe they're tied. "Now go study for your summer, Kirk. Dismissed."

"Yes, Sir," Jim says, already turning over plans for gaining leadership experience and for reminding his mentor that they met before Pike scraped him off the floor of that Iowa bar, and if he sashays a bit on his way out the door it's to help set up the rematch.

Maybe post to igrockspock here:
http://igrockspock.livejournal.com/173793.html?thread=1932513#t1932513

Pike narrows his eyes and says, "no, instead" and makes the green painted threat, Jim says, "Ziresh and Gaila already say I'm an honorary Orion," Pike says, "I wouldn't slander them by saying that. And"Yes sir."]

http://kayliemalinza.livejournal.com/280539.html

> Courtesy of TFLN:

> He
> still lectured me about forgetting shit. Than he said he's gonna paint me
> green so I can stand in a corner and be a plant.

> It would make me so happy. ;.;

Reference: http://kayliemalinza.livejournal.com/279048.html

http://re-white.livejournal.com/294352.html

kinda sorta sequel to Never, Once: http://rubynye.livejournal.com/494625.html