captivity

[full_of_wrath]

Kirk gets called in. Mostly because Khan has made two duty officers guarding his cell ask to be relieved, one of them in tears.

He creates a lot of wear and tear, in general.

Comments

[full_of_wrath]

"They started funding the resistance movement."

He answers, simply.

"And the world tore itself apart."

[kobayashiwhatnow]

He can't help an expression of disgust. It's not appropriate to show that to Khan, he knows, but things were so backward then.

"Why didn't you win? From your point of view."

[full_of_wrath]

"Because there were so few of us, that the cost of winning would have been greater than the good it would do. We would have had to kill everyone, to enslave everyone. We gathered those of us left alive, and we sent ourselves into the night sky."

Picking absently at grease under his nails, before convincing himself there's no sense trying until the nine hours are up.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"I wish they'd adopted your ideas."

He can admit that much.

"Our universe would be very different if we hadn't been set back so many centuries by greed."

[full_of_wrath]

"This is my third time being a prisoner of war. It, and the last, had nothing on the first."

He admits, very seriously.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"That's the point."

Kirk reminds him.

"We're not about putting you through hell."

[full_of_wrath]

"Just altering my mind."

He agrees, with a shaken sort of smile. He's felt himself change so much already.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"Yeah, well, even in the 24th century I don't think they'll embrace wanton violence. They'll have some other way to deal with it, maybe, but this is what we have now."

[full_of_wrath]

"This, I told you, has a lot of context in my time. I don't think it's translated."

He tries to tell him again, though it's awkward.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"I can tell it's not."

Kirk says honestly.

"I'm trying to tailor things so you'll get some meaning out of them, but I'm not going to resort to all the methods you grew up with. No executions, no life in prison, no torture or cruel punishments."

[full_of_wrath]

"I trust you."

He says, weakly. His mind just keeps insisting it can't be true.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

That answer surprises him into a moment of quiet.

"Do you?"

[full_of_wrath]

"I do."

He says again, breathing.

"But I don't want to be your slave."

[kobayashiwhatnow]

Kirk starts to bark out that he's not, and that's not what this is.

"I don't know what you think this is supposed to be like, so why don't you tell me?"

[full_of_wrath]

"This, in my world? This is specifically coded that way. Usually with overtones of intense sexuality."

He finally snaps, as blunt as can be.

"I don't know what it's supposed to be like, but I can be forgiven for finding it a little hair raising that it's something the whole staff is participating in?"

[kobayashiwhatnow]

He laughs, at first, because he thinks Khan is joking. And then he shakes his head.

"Are you kidding? It's a military thing. It's been a military thing since at least the sixteenth century. For the whole staff."

[full_of_wrath]

"It being a military thing precludes it being a sexual thing?"

How naive can Kirk possibly be?

[kobayashiwhatnow]

Kirk's sexual exploits have mostly been decidedly vanilla. The risque things never involved anything militant.

"It never has been for me! And it's not going to be for you, unless this kind of thing gets you going. And given how stiff you are about it, I really doubt you're getting aroused shining our boots."

[full_of_wrath]

"Don't be obscene. I'm trying to explain to you why I'm experiencing this with- a level of humiliation that might be hard for you to grasp."

Chiding him, seriously.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"And I'm telling you, the point of this isn't to humiliate you, so we're going to come up with something else. Now."

Kirk has never thought of this as remotely sexual, and he hopes Khan isn't lying just to get out of it. But he'd rather take a chance and believe him, than risk humiliating him as punishment.

[full_of_wrath]

He leans over and grabs his knee. He already explained why that's a bad idea.

"Captain."

Now this highlights the vulnerability and sexuality of the position. His hand is filthy, he's still on his knees in front of him, boot in one hand, touching his leg for his attention.

"It's fine. I mean it."

[kobayashiwhatnow]

Kirk looks at him, unwavering, feeling a sense of control he never has with Khan before. He's not sure he likes it, and worse, he's not sure he doesn't like it.

"It's not fine. And if I have you doing something else, my crew will trust me. They don't need to know why I moved you, and they won't ask."

Well, Bones might. But Bones will understand.

[full_of_wrath]

"It's about you, as much as it is about them. I think you need to know you had me like this."

Promising him, as he sinks back down again, picking up the rag.

"I want to continue."

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"Why would I need to know I had you this way?"

Kirk asks quietly, watching him.

[full_of_wrath]

"Because I may be on your ship for years to come, and it won't always be easy."

Reminding him.

"You know your psychology as well as I do. This is safer."