Therapy

Rating: T

Pike saw the lights come on in the dimly lit apartment. He knew who it was. Kirk appeared, in jeans and his academy t shirt with a pair of sandals on. The hot Jue sun was already persistent even though it was 4 AM.

"Hey," Kirk whispered, as not to startle him awake. Pike tried to smile. The Acting Captain gently checked the fluid levels, and expertly took in the condition of the bruises on his mentor.

"Better today," he whispered, trying to stay positive. He noted it on the chart Bones had left for him.

"You OK," he asked worriedly, he was so fragile from everything that he knew Pike must be too. He hadn't been tortured. He sat down, and gently began manipulating the muscles to avoid spasms. He put hot rags on them to help also.

"Tired Jimmy just tired…" even in this state he was not going to scare his only God son. The one that had been everything to him, and the bond they had shared over food, classes, and extra training. Kirk put cream on the oozing sours, and checked the swelling on the incisions Bones had done in surgery.

"You are above and beyond," Pike whispered, Jim just grinned widely, and continued rubbing the cream on before covering the wounds to keep them clean.

"OK… here we go…" Pike had never had someone in the Fleet so dedicated to him before. Jim took a deep breath as he gently removed the Captain's shirt and grabbed a sponge by the bed. He knew if the role were reversed, he'd want the same done for him.

"No bedside manner classes here, should be though…" Pike smiled. Jim just grinned back, and sponged him off, careful not to get the cuts wet.

"I like being home in between missions, time to think…"

"Really you?"

"I thought I'd be bored and hate it, but then again… I never spend time with anybody when I'm here…" he gently continued the sponge bath, lost in what he was doing. He certainly did not see this as work, or anything else. He loved Pike, like a father.

"I could order you not to do this…" Pike said with a straight face. Jim looked don, in a way sdisappointed by that though.

"Jim," Kirk looked up, and tears brimmed in his eyes. Chris grinned at his sudden fear.

"Lighten up, son." He laughed, Kirk grinned in spite o himself, and just got lost again in his task that h never would have considered a task.

"Who needs nursing when I've got my God son," Pike smiled, shaking his head. He also grinned at the thought of Kirk breaking and entering should someone say he couldn't take care of his beloved Captain.

"I'm protective,"

"Yeah I get that one… More than Bones- wait what is that name you call McCoy?" he gives him a weird look, and grins.

"Yeah that's it, Bones." He affirms, grinning. He is multi tasking, watching the wounds to make sure they are dry.

"You're a too good" Pike grins, he feels a little cocky after all he has made him into what he is.

"I have you, there is no other option here." He dries the free flesh, not covered by bandages, and pulls the t shirt back on gently.

"OKKK…" he runs though the mental checklist in his head again, and sees the sun come up over the Golden gate.

"We all good, Captain." Jim put a gentle hand on his forehead, and just stared. Everything was catching up with him, he pushed it away.

"You're quiet… whats the matter?"

"Taking a breather,"

"You don't know how, cadet." He nodded, but he fooled himself the same anyway. He never knew when to stop moving.

"Come over here," Jim smiled, and climbed into bed with him, Pike's arms around him securely.

"How long did that take, ten seconds…" he knew Jim thrived on touch, and security.

"Hhhmmm…" he was about to fall asleep, he was so comfortable and safe. Pike just savored having him in his arms, and not worrying about where eh was and what he was getting into.

"You're not giving me grey hair this time around, nice change," he squeezd him tightly . Jim laughed and smiled, nestling into his trainer's arms.

"Feel good?" he whispered, a hand rubbing his back softly. Pike knew every soft spot, like any dad would.

"Not fair, you're the injured one.." Jim felt horrible, but he knew this was what he needed now.

"No matter how talented you get, how many medals you achieve, you'll always be my boy," the warmth came back into Kirk like a wave, it was what he always felt around the one that had recruited him.

"Remember when I fell out the shuttle during training?" he grinned at the memory.

"Yup, and McCoy hadda go after you, I thought you were both dead…" they laughed and then it hit Kirk what had happened that day.

"I knew I could do this," Pike grinned, and continued rubbing his back soothingly. He knew once you had a cadet hyped up, it was harder to get them to calm down.

"We don't do this enough," Pike realized, Jim smiled, and nodded. It was as if the added duty of having what he wanted made it harder to appreciate the little things.

"We did it all the time, when I was a first year,"

"Yeah after I found you sleeping outside on a bench, instead of the dorm because you overdid it on the weapons training… You couldn't even make it to the room…" Jim moved and rested against Pike's shoulder, his nose buried in his collar bone.

"I woke up with you chilling by the bed, reading the paper…" he remembered, he'd been grateful but it wasn't something he ever expected Pike to do. In addition to feeding him dinner every week, throwing lasers at him till neither of them could see, and hearing all the old stories from when he was Jims age.

"That was the first time you told me you loved me," Jim remembered, staring off into space.

"I know, cadet. And you were so sleepy you said-"

"Love you more…" Kirk grinned widely, and he remembered the sleepy warmth he had when he realized Pike had taken him in.

"Mmmmmhhhhmmmm," a sleepy first year Jim woke up in a different room. He saw a form of his weapons instructor and mentor Chris Pike in the chair reading the paper.

"Morning Sleepy Head, don't fall asleep outside ever again, you'll get sick from it being so cold at night," Pike came over and sat down on the bed.

"You…" Kirk realized what had happened. Pike brushed his blond hair with a free hand.

"Love you," he whispered into his ear. The feeling was so paternal it made Kirk's eyes brim with tears.

"Love you more," a sleepy Kirk whispered back, Pike brushed a few tears from his cheek. The captain leaned down and put his arms around the young cadet. Kirk breathed in his scent, it felt so good, so safe.

"If you wanted to… I could be there for you, like any father… If you wanted, I'm not pushing you, it's completely up to you." Pike had finally caved in on his urge and put everything on the table.

"Really?" Kirk looked at him suspiciously, it's not like anyone ever did this for him in his life.

"You think about it. Let me know, OK." He felt Jim squeeze his arm, in an affectionate movment after he said that. Pike grinned as the early morning light creaked in over the California mountains.

"Jim… Jimmy… earth to Jim Kirk…" Bones was standing over the pair, Kirk in his jeans with shoes off, curled up next to his mentor.

"You two looked so peaceful I didn't want out disturb…" Bones checked Pike's readings. Jim blinked sleepily, and just grinned.

"Oh and Jim," his God son turned and smiled back. Pike wasn't smiling this time.

"Mind telling me why you never told me that the blond called back? The one from the mission two years ago?" Jim just ignored him, and looked away. This could not be happening, not now of all times.

"I'll… I'll go check it out…" he slipped away before the other two could say anything.

"You're dating, and the baby can't deal…" Pike sighed, he knew this would happen and it's not like they could avoid it.

"I dote on him, feed him, and now he's so protective… When did that start?" Bones shook his head and grinned.

"Well.. You save the planet, become Captain, and pretty much get a whole bunch of friends to love you and be there for you… Oh, and find your God father after years of not having him," Pike nods, this is why they were in therapy in the first place and he knew they both needed it.

Jim sipped out the side door, and tried to run away,literally. He got ten feet before a voice behind him made him stop.

"He's dating again, isn't he?" Jim rolled his eyes and turned around.