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

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"Yeah."

His voice is quiet, far away, and he rests his hand on Khan's shoulder.

"Keep up the good work."

[full_of_wrath]

He arches up into the touch, quite perceptibly. No one but Kirk has put their hands on him in anything other than violence in a very long time.

"I'm glad I could show you. Read more, and I'll answer any questions you have."

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"Tell me where to look next."

Something Khan would have known as intimately as he seems to know bootblacking.

[full_of_wrath]

He shivers, and decides;

"Impact play."

Since they've done that too, in their own way."

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"Impact play?"

He's not sure he heard that right, at first.

"Okay. Okay, you finish the boots, I need to..."

[full_of_wrath]

"Your duties."

He agrees, setting back to work.

Just eight hours to go, after all.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

He wrenches himself off the chair, and steps over Khan's supplies. The first thing he does when he goes back to his cabin is start his research.

[full_of_wrath]

Kneeling at someone's feet and having your face hit? Also apparently has some context to it. Perhaps it makes it more understandable why Khan's mind has gone there.

Welcome to BDSM, Kirk, there's a lot to learn. He finishes his tasks with a few hours to spare, and waits where he's been left, kneeling patiently.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

When Kirk comes back he has more questions than before. He's dressed in his off-duty clothes, which are all black and comfortable.

"So...tell me something."

But he pauses when he sees Khan is kneeling.

[full_of_wrath]

He realizes the mistake, when he sees him, and slips immediately to his feet.

"Captain?"

[kobayashiwhatnow]

There's a little pang of regret when Khan gets up. Kirk chalks it up to having read too many stories.

"When you just held your hands behind your back and let me hit you...was that- was that impact play?"

[full_of_wrath]

"No. Because you weren't aware of it. I'll confess, however, I was using certain... tools, I'd earned in that position before to overcome the desire to flee or flinch."

Explaining, helpfully.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"Like what?"

Right now, Kirk doesn't know what to think of himself, of what he had done. He doesn't regret it, but the undertones are a new dimension.

[full_of_wrath]

"Patience. Stoicism."

He admits, and then.

"Recontextualization. It's easy, now, to do something terrible for another cause."

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"I don't think I'm hearing this right, impact play taught you to recontextualize everything else?"

[full_of_wrath]

"No. Yes."

He says, then rubs a hand over his eyes.

"I'd like to rest before we discuss this."

[kobayashiwhatnow]

Kirk nods, and steps aside, inviting Khan to walk with him.

"You've been up since yesterday?"

[full_of_wrath]

"There was a different day cycle on the planet. I'm... more than a little disoriented."

He could do with some food as well.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"We operate on a twenty-four hour schedule, like the one on earth. I'll fit you with something to keep the time for you."

He'll need it for his shifts anyway.

[full_of_wrath]

"Of course. With the shift complete, it's back to quarters?"

Checking now, with mild relief.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"Right. You'll have about twelve hours before your next shift--time to eat and sleep and eat again."

He's leading the way, in case Khan is too disoriented to remember.

[full_of_wrath]

He follows after him, comfortably.

"I presume I shouldn't go to the mess by myself?"

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"You can. No one's going to bother you."

And if they do, Kirk will deal with it, but by now everyone knows how dangerous Khan can be.

[full_of_wrath]

"But I can take food and leave?"

Wanting permission for that, badly.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"Yes."

Kirk decides, after a second of thought. There's no reason to make Khan feel as if he's in danger while he eats. Over time he'll work on integrating him.