Star Trek Imagines

[AOS] James T. Kirk - Unlikely Places

There weren't many people who didn't know James T. Kirk. All throughout the academy, he made his presence known to as many people as he could, and usually people had a story about Jim that wasn't painting him in a positive light. Words such as 'reckless' and 'irritating' came to mind for most. You'd gotten through the academy without a single face-to-face interaction with the kid, thankful for the most part.

It wasn't until the end of your academy days that your first assignment came about, and you were beyond excited for it. You were to be stationed aboard the USS Enterprise, a ship that boasted many new modern updates. Little did you know just who was going to be on this ship with you.

It had been a year since the Enterprise set off on its mission, and the infamous Jim Kirk had become your Captain, by unbelievable circumstances. Was he fit to sit in the Captains chair? Probably not. Was he there anyway? Yes, because Jim doesn't take no for an answer. Luck followed him around like a shadow. A stowaway to begin with, and now a Captain. Such events wouldn't even be dreamt of by anyone else.

"Ahh, good morning, Y/N" came an overly joyous voice, far too joyous for the time of the morning at least. Turning, though you didn't need to, your eyes met a smiling (smirking) Jim. Every morning this happened, every morning he'd greet you before you'd had your coffee, something Scotty labelled as 'a very brave move'.

"Captain" was your reply, monotone and bored, your work having kept you up the night before and your patience having worn thin already. Smile not faltering, he clamped a hand down on your shoulder, expertly dodged by yourself as you walked away, taking a seat by Chekov. He watched you walk off,  feeling annoyed you'd choose Chekov over his company.

Jim wasn't sure why he felt that way, he pondered it as he walked to the bridge. It wasn't as though the two of you were anything more than captain and lieutenant. But seeing you sit by Chekov and smile and laugh, he felt something else. Jealousy? No, Jim Kirk doesn't get jealous. Deep down, Jim knew it was jealousy, though his overwhelming pride and arrogance would not let him believe it. That, in part, is why he acted the way he did, why he was so sarcastic and forward at you. He couldn't deal with the fact that he liked you, and the fear of rejection from admitting this to you only made him act more confrontational towards you.

This went on for a good month, at a very minimum, and the crew grew far tired of the two of you constantly bickering and having pissing contests at each other. Spock would consistently have to stop the two of you before there was a medical emergency. Though it didn't start out this way, it was the point it had gotten to. Jokes no longer existed, and there was no harmless teasing, it was now full on fights and arguments. Quite how it had escalated to this was a mystery to everybody, including both you and Jim.

The crew had unanimously decided that something had to be done.

"Lieutenant Y/N, please report to Deck Twelve." Spock's voice rang through your quarters. You sighed, narrowed your eyes, and replied telling him you were on your way. Getting dressed, you cleared your papers off the desk and left your quarters.

'If Scotty kills me because I haven't finished the write up he wanted, I'll have that pointy eared bastard' you thought, trudging tiredly and slowly towards the turbolift. You chuckled, you didn't even hate Spock. Quite the opposite really. You got on very well with him. He was intellectual and you could have deep conversations about philosophy and what not with him, not to mention he played a killer game of chess. Bones couldn't stand him, but you didn't get why. He was polite and friendly towards you, someone you hadn't expected to end up calling a friend. Though you did like Spock, right now, you could strange him.

Reaching the turbolift, you pressed the button and waited for it to open, and when it did, you internally cringed. In there stood Jim, looking just as tired and confused as you did. He offered his usual smile, though it had an awkward  hue to it, easily picked up on in the small space. Saying nothing but returning a small smile, you stepped in and faced the doors.

"Spock got you up as well, then?" He asked with the hope you'd talk to him, and not just for an argument. He missed just talking to you, deep down he didn't like the arguments, but once they started neither of you were ever willing to back down. Receiving no response, he gave up, resorting to the uncomfortable silence around you. You felt it to, but fearing there would be an argument, you chose to remain silent.

There came a bang, and the turbolift stopped rather suddenly, and you flew straight into Jim, who caught you before you hit the floor. The emergency light came on, and he checked to see if you were alright, which you responded with a nod, the whole conversation said with actions and not words.

"Spock what's going on?" he asked the bridge, in the most exasperated tone you'd ever heard him use. You chuckled to yourself, making sure he couldn't hear it. There was nobody to stop you from killing each other.

"Apologies, Captain, we are experiencing some technical issues on the bridge, we should have the lift up and running shortly" Spock replied, his voice as curt and controlled as ever. Jim sighed and slid down the wall. "Guess we should make ourselves comfortable."

You hesitantly sat down with your back against the same wall, but a fair distance away from Jim, so you weren't immediately beside him. Silence, a tense silence, filled the lift and hung around like a bad smell. Finally, Jim spoke up, the first to break from the tension.

"Why do you hate me, Y/N?" Jim's voice had never been so hesitant, so shy, so small. It threw you off and your head snapped up to look at him, only to find he wasn't looking at you, rather his hands as he fidgeted with the sleeves of his shirt. You looked a while longer at him before voicing your reply.

"If you must know, I don't. I never hated you. Sure, you did irritate me in the beginning, but most people do. I assumed you hated me because you've never done anything but try to get on my nerves, regardless of the time or place. It got to the point where I had to ask Bones what I'd done wrong, and if there's one thing you just don't do, it's go to Bones with an emotional issue." You tried to lighten the mood somewhat, earning a smirk and an airy chuckle from Jim.

"Then why do we act like this?" He asked,  now looking at you with a spark of sadness in his eyes. "I never wanted it to get to this point, the last thing I want to do is make enemies on my own ship. I only ever wanted to be friends, I don't know when the teasing stopped and the fighting, but I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. You're not the only one to blame here."

You scooted round so you were sat next to him, the two of you sat in what was now a comfortable silence. The emergency light flickered above you. He shifted, trying to make himself comfortable on the floor, and bumped your knee accidentally in the process. Smirking, you banged your knee into his in retaliation. Before long, the two of you had engaged into an all out war, though it was most definitely a playful one and not one that required medical and referee interventions. Laughing and smiling, the two of you calmed down.

Jim looked at you like he never had before. The twinkle in his eye wasn't sad anymore, nor was it mischievous. It was honest. It was happy. When you looked at him now, you didn't see the childish and loud kid you were told about. You didn't see the contemptuous brat you'd been in constant battle with  for the best part of the whole journey. You saw a man, the real Jim Kirk, and it was a refreshing change.

Slowly, you scooted closer and laid your head on his shoulder, and you'd felt him lightly press a kiss to your hair. The air was no longer tense, and the rivalry shattered, the two of you sat and thought about the prospects of what was to come from this. The lift jolted, and the two of you shot up, forgetting the situation you had been in for almost 2 hours.

"Apologies, Captain, our technical issues have now been resolved, all thanks to Mr. Scott. Your presence is no longer needed on Deck Twelve, neither is yours, Lieutenant Y/N." Spocks voice was as stoic and clear as ever, though this time you could feel the smugness in his tone, if he could feel such a thing.

"Are you lying to me Spock?" Jim asked, a daft smirk on his face as he looked at you. You laughed, realising what the crew had done. No longer were you mad at Spock, it would be illogical, as he'd call it.

"Vulcans never lie, Captain. I merely exaggerated." The comm went off and the doors opened, both you and Jim spending the evening in the mess hall, refusing to sleep as you caught up on the missed conversations and endless stories you had to tell each other. You'd finally found company you enjoyed, and in the least likely of places, too.

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A/N: Thanks for reading! It was very late when I wrote this, apologies for any mistakes :')
Feedback is always welcomed, as are requests, thank you again! X