Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of the characters.
Perspectives
Most people would have been at least a little miffed that they would have to serve a new, inexperienced captain and one that so quickly rose in ranks. But then again, the crew of the Enterprise aren't most people.
Uhura had a grudging sort of respect towards him, not quite hate, not quite approval. Which Kirk was good with. An Uhura who could look at him in the eye and take him seriously rather than roll her eyes and press her lips into a scornful frown was considered a victory for him.
Sulu was among the first to accept his new captain. Plummenting thousands of feet down to the ground, without nothing stopping them from falling to their deaths, holding each other like a couple of scared children was presumably a good way to become friendly towards each other.
Chekov certainly adopted well with Kirk. Not that he didn't have a problem with Captain Pike. He liked Pike fine, but sometimes it could be hard to talk to a man of that magnitude and age. With Kirk on the other hand, it was almost like talking to an older brother. Or a younger brother, sometimes, with the way Kirk is.
Despite Scotty and Kirk not having much in common, they did share one thing. Their love for the Enterprise. They could sit for hours in the dining hall and simply talk about the ship, her parts, her beauty. There was no mistaking the enthusiasm and rapture glittering in their eyes as they spoke of their one and only girl who changed their lives for the better.
McCoy hasn't changed too much since they had met during those three years ago. He's still cranky, brisk and grouchy as the doctor could be. He kept Kirk on his toes and his head in the right place. And Kirk couldn't ask for a better friend.
Pike would say with a general fondness that he knew from the start that Kirk was destined for greatness, if anyone would ask the previous captain - now Admiral. He would grin, remarking how George Kirk would have been proud of his son. Even if he wasn't, Pike would be proud for him.
And somehow, in the midst of all this, Kirk and Spock had became friends, or at least, something that resembled fellowship and camaraderie. They aren't really sure when it started or if they even had to say anything about it. (perhaps Spock Prime had a hand in that) Neither of them really minded.
It may had something to do with James Kirk's strange ability to make friends and drag them along with him for the ride, whether they wanted to or not. Or perhaps it was something as illogical and unexplainable as James Kirk simply being James Kirk, who happened to be a wild, reckless force by his own might.
Kirk had once remarked that this eccentric relationship of theirs was like a rollar coaster. It went fast, too quick for them to understand and comprehend it, diving, spiraling and spinning out of their slipping control. It unquestionably did have its ups and downs, much to their annoyance. There was quite a few times when they felt that their hearts had stopped, that they couldn't breath and that their lives were over as it was. Only for Kirk to oppose this interference and sweep them all away with his defiance and willpower for another chaotic loop.
But there was a growing thrill and delirium within this relationship with Kirk and it was something that none of them wanted to end.
