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]

"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."

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"You shining my boots doesn't mean you can't still take me down."

Kirk is well aware of the risks in having Khan on board, but he's chosen to deal with it--he doesn't like the idea that he might be dealing with it by trampling on Khan's dignity.

[full_of_wrath]

"Yes, but you'll look at your boots every morning and remember where you had me."

Reminding him,.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"You're still not thinking about it in modern terms."

Kirk grouses, and doesn't allow himself to contemplate what Khan just said.

[full_of_wrath]

"I think your terms are wrong. I think it's something primal."

Sliding a little to adjust his stance, getting off sore knees.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"You think that because in your time this was sexual. In my time, it's a show of solidarity, of unity with the crew."

[full_of_wrath]

"Then your crew need to stop fucking one another."

He says, posh absent and lips twisting obscenely around the profanity.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

That obscenity is rarely used anymore, and Kirk tilts his head.

"I don't get why you're pointing out how much it bothers you, when you clearly don't want me to do anything to change it."

[full_of_wrath]

"I'll stop pointing it out."

He compromises, settling back down. Because the truth is, he doesn't know what he wanted either.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"How widespread was this boot fetish?"

History books, naturally, say nothing about it.

[full_of_wrath]

"It's more complicated than that."

Is all he'll say.

"It was part of a subculture that I'd imagine is long gone."

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"Or changed. People still have sex."

Kirk says, a little indignant.

[full_of_wrath]

"Well, I'm hardly going to search 'bootblacking' on your ships computer. I presume my access will be monitored, so you'll have to do your browsing on your own."

Encouraging him, with a shrug.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"Anything else I should look up while I'm at it?"

If something as simple as this could get under Khan's skin, Kirk has to wonder what else might.

[full_of_wrath]

"Service."

Would be a good place to start.

"Look up old service."

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"I knew 'service' was an old euphemism, I just didn't realize it meant real service."

But Khan will still have to do it, he realizes. He doesn't want the humiliation aspect, so he's really hoping that swabbing decks and other little tasks weren't remotely sexual.

[full_of_wrath]

"It doesn't mean service, exactly. It was part of what was considered consensual power exchange."

He murmurs, focusing for a moment on lace-holes.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

"What, like between Captain and crew?"

Or what he'd observed in street gangs, maybe, though that had been more tumultuous than this.

[full_of_wrath]

"No. Not like that."

He murmurs, and then takes a gamble. He slips over to kneel in front of Kirk.

[kobayashiwhatnow]

He looks down at him, brow furrowed a little in confusion. Whatever Khan is doing, though, Kirk lets himself go along with.