Title: Shady Articulation

Fandom: Star Trek 2009

Pairing: Eventual Spock/Kirk

Summary: AU. Jim has been raised by his father, changing everything and yet nothing at all. Psychologists' only worries, however, is that his father has been dead since his birth. Eventual K/S.

Warnings: Rated M, like most of my things for eventual violence, language, and other things not yet thought of. You've been warned, but you can take it right? Beware of my twisting of everything, thank you.

A/N: Please excuse this rapid update, it will by no means become common occurrence. I'm just eager to get this out of my system before I lose it. :) On another note, I particular love this weird take on the dynamics between Frank and everyone else. I don't think it'll be a regular thing in my works, Frank is just too easy of a target to be a douchebag to Jim. Here they're more...Passive-Aggressive I guess.

oOo

When Jim is ten his mother rents Sam's old room out to her semi-not-boyfriend, semi-companion; who after seven months later becomes his official stepfather. Frank's relationship with both of them is weird in the most awkward way possible. His wife had died when he came to live in their house and Winona helped him through the grief. Point A led to point C and at age ten Jim's kind of not as dumb as he could be, not with two Starfleet officers as parents who are more than willing to make up for lost time (Winona) and who would do anything to help him live his life as he wished (George). And although he could see the sense in the two lonely people coming together, Jim fervently hopes that there is no physical aspect to the relationship because not only would it kind of scar him, there was still the issue of his father living (figuratively) with them still.

The relationship between Frank and Jim is best summed up with the phrase, "Passive-Aggressive Fisticuffs" which Jim came up with himself, much to his father's amusement. When Winona was dirtside, as she had finally returned to active duty, they were fairly passive in her presence since they both had no doubt that she would wipe the floor with both of them and George and Sam (who was also 'George' in a twist of irony) would only laugh at their bruised asses. But when the mother was away for months at a time, it was a free for all.

At first it was only verbal, pointed spears that made Sam feel like he was grades behind his younger brother in terms of vocabulary and wit; and all the while George seemed to be talking to other ghosts who could do nothing with their time but speculate of the future, he decided to teach his son self defense earlier than he had anticipated. And so, Jim and Frank snarked at each other, trying to one up on another every time. It was fun and harrowing and it made Jim feel like he was walking the edge; both his parents and stepfather clearly saw how he thrived in that situation, much to their dismay.

When his mother learned of his self defense lessons, she practiced with him over video feed as she was also brushing up on mandatory classes considering her time off duty. It was pretty much the sum of their entire relationship. Not exactly mother to son, but more like bosom buddies. A word which Jim used whenever humanly possible. There was a space separating them, but a bridge was there in place. They could cross it at any point they wished, but they were comfortable like this. Jim stopped trying to earn more of his mother's love as he had it already, and Winona brought in Sam and told them both stories of her past, their father, and Starfleet.

Pretty soon after a year of Frank becoming his stepfather, they'd been snapping insults at each other like usual, just to fill the silence that seemed deafening as Sam was gone for eleven months to some boarding school and Winona was in space. For every "Touché." the other uttered, they took a shot of liquor. After what seemed to be the twentieth shot (his father would later tell him it was the 25th ), Jim said something about his mother; which would just prompt a scowl sober but after so much alcohol it only resulted in his chest having a spectacular bruise that completely blindsided him.

For a second Frank kept his hand outstretched with a blank look on his face; and then he exploded into action.

"Shit! Jim, Jimmy! Damn it, are you okay?" He picked the stunned preteen up lightly and set off for the bathroom where their medkit was located. Jim felt anger, spurred on by the vaguely murderous look his father had sported as the man's fists had connected with his chest; but when Frank seemed to sober up completely without the use of a hypo he let it go as best he could, seeing it wasn't intentional.

It helped that the very real fear in Frank's eyes as he stared at the receding bruise after he had applied a hypo. Also the right hook that caught him right in the arm. That was probably therapeutic or something, since Jim found himself smiling at Frank's stunned face and applied a similar hypo to the man.

oOo

After that Frank bought them both a pair of boxing gloves and padded gear, Jim drew a box in the dirt of their backyard and every other day they would both prep the medkit and take it outside like real men. At first, Frank had held back, mainly blocking and lowering his strength considerably. Three days into their little fights, he found himself awake and in the sofa, with a vaguely worried Jim looking up at him and nodding to something only he could hear, administering hypos and waving his finger around until Frank could follow it.

Jim was small, but vicious and it took all of Frank's skill in brawling to keep up with the brat. He wasn't as strong as he could be for his age, but he wore him down with dogged determination. It became worse as Jim entered middle school, fury and anger being poured into every punch and kick and even a headbutt on a memorable occasion. Sam and Winona, when they were there at the same time, which Winona tried her hardest to be (which would be like amazing on a scale to one to ten for regular people); cheered and made sympathetic sounds on the sidelines. Jim thought it to be kind of awesome, seeing as if they were a normal family they would be worried about the adolescent younger son effectively brawling with the much older stepfather.

But that was it, they weren't a normal family. They were more like people who happened to live under the same roof; friends. And as friends they had limits and things they could get away with or wouldn't touch under any circumstance. Their need for family had been fulfilled in other ways. Jim had his father, who tried to offer advice but began to let Jim do his thing more and more, make his own mistakes and choices (which Jim steadfastly did not feel warm and fuzzy over), Sam was effectively a mama's boy who was growing into a sort of fondness only seen in single men over their greatly aged mother and/or grandma. Winona once had George and Sam and Jim in the same moment until George sacrificed himself, she'd tasted that and had been man (woman) enough to walk away and let go of the weeping widow; devoting herself to kick ass 'fleet officer to stay strong for her surviving children. Frank had his dearly departed wife and now all he needed was to kill time until he died an old man and followed her.

Which was how they could have dinner and after Jim stated conversationally over his steak for Frank to "go fuck himself" to which Frank replied, "You'd probably beat me to it." When Sam asked how the business was for Frank and managed to not laugh as Frank began to recall the old lady who kept coming in with her car, stating that there was a noise in it. For the fifth time this week, and it was only Wednesday for God's sake!

Winona on the other hand began to regale Jim with the latest news on Chris' captaincy and how Admiral Archer seemed to be only talking to his dogs until Pike returned from halfway across the galaxy. Jim scrunched his nose and commented on how difficult and confusing seemingly unrequited old man love could be. His father choked on nothing (seriously, he could hold his non-existent breath forever much to Jim's envy) at that and Jim sent him a worried glance, much to Winona's amusement.

Jim related to her how his ghost father had almost died again, while Sam and Frank politely ignored it. The one time Jim had tried to explain to Sam he had barely gotten five words together before his elder brother told him to stop. Normal people can't take this kind of stuff in stride okay Jim? Oh and say hi to dad for me will you?

Then he boarded his shuttle for his first day of boarding school. His brother was the best, Jim boasted to George.

He had to agree.

Everything was great, he found a (semi)healthy outlet to express his love to Frank while giving the man a black eye and vice-versa. His mother sent pictures of recent planets and species they visited and his brother sent a lengthy message every two weeks mostly asking about homework without any speck of shame for exploiting his genius younger sibling. Jim was okay with that, they really had nothing to talk about at length unless they lived together anyway.

He played chess with his father every every evening after dinner. Ever since he'd woken up with his father's chess board next to him in bed and Winona's approval, he'd played. The antique chess board had real glass pieces of both chess and checkers. Jim was almost afraid to touch them for long and twice every month wiped all the clear and clouded pieces almost obsessively. He'd started with checkers and ended playing chess against everyone in the family, Frank decided on checkers though, semi-joking he was normal enough to not have several strategies memorized chess for just such an occasion. Unless he was playing his father, Jim never used the chessboard. Instead, he'd use a 3D chessboard instead.

Everything should be great, except...

School. Jim would have begged off public school if he had known by the age of 6 that he could be home-schooled. Too late now, he started it, and by his father's chess set he was going to finish it! No matter that kid's hated him for being too smart, the teacher's both hated and loved him for being a smartass and 'George Kirk's boy'.

Everywhere, he was praised for being George Kirk's kid. He was fucking("don't look at me like that dad.") sick of it. Every time he almost skipped a grade, (and the one time he did) all the adult's commented on how just like George he was! It prompted him to hack into his father's school records only to see that he did average. Pretty high compared to others, but just average when put next to his own son's scores.

His father, at first tried to calm him down with platitudes like "They're just trying to make you feel closer to me, Jimmy."

"George," It fascinated the ghost how easily Jim slid from 'Dad' to 'George' and back, "I've had your leg go through my head once, I don't see how we could be any closer if we tried!"

Winona, who he had been venting to over video feed cackled at that. Damn her.

Although by the time Jim was 12, even George was scowling at the random people who expressed their dismay at how his now deviant behavior would surely shame his father. Jim tried his hardest to do everything George hadn't done, from vandalism to brawls with other kids. George knew that Jim needed to stretch out of the all encompassing shadow that his death put upon his youngest son. It was the first time he ever regretted his decision, if only for a moment. He found it ironic though. None but his son could see him, and everyone could only see George when they looked at Jim. Jim had laughed at that while bandaging his ribs and knuckles from a brawl with the local school yard bully.

It all came to a head one morning when Jim took his father's old Corvette for a joy ride. Halfway through it, Frank called and ranted at him for a few minutes until Jim laughed and cut off the connection. The man was too prone to worrying, and where Winona would laugh and offer advice on next time, Frank would be the one already anticipating the lawsuits and ramifications. Jim swore he'd get gray hair because of it.

Miles later, with one cop on his tail his father began to worry as something tickled his memory. He had only time for a rushed, "Wait! Jim-" before the gorge was upon them and Jim's eyes widened almost comically and he tried to jump for it, so unbelievably glad that he didn't put a seat belt on. He scrabbled for purchase even as the horrid screeching of metal crumpling into the rock wall assaulted his ears.

Feeling his nails tear he had only time to wonder if he'd become a ghost as well before something gripped the back of his shirt and kept him there for a minute, so that his momentum stopped trying to throw him over the edge. Looking up he saw his father straining (which was weird with the whole dead can't get tired thing) and trying to keep a solid grip on him. Literally. He had only time wriggle his upper body up on the edge before huffing a laugh at the cop mere feet in front of him.

"What is your name citizen?"

It was for classification purposes, Jim knew, a mark on his record showing how he was so different than his father, and proud.

"James Tiberius Kirk."

And as they filed him into the holding cell, dusty and tired, his father had regenerated his "ghost energy" and wore a proud smile which made Jim think that maybe they were similar in some daredevil way. But that was a whole can of worms he wouldn't be the one to open.

"You are so grounded young man."

None of the police officers could fathom why the Kirk kid began laughing like crazy.