Mirror: James T Kirk
"Just pick Bones." Jim smiled as if this was a simple question and not a test for the doctor.
"Fine! Kill Burns then." In the shadows Spock raised an eyebrow at the seemingly illogical choice, if it was a test the Vulcan would have assumed that the doctor had failed.
"He's the most pathetic excuse for an officer I've ever seen. At least Puri has the possibility to be useful to you."
Jim looked pleased with the explanation and nodded slowly.
That was why out of everyone that Kirk owned, Bones was his favorite.
…
There were many truths in the world that Jim had discovered among them the facts that all things and all people were breakable, that all things and all people could be a weakness, and that if you depraved yourself of everything that could be turned into a weakness you would be left with nothing.
The trick to it was to defend what was yours, but in a way that didn't make you come across as weak. There was a fine line between caring about something and being possessive. One was acceptable and one was not and the difference was that a possessive man would destroy what was his before he would let anyone else have it and a caring man would not.
Jim was a possessive man, had been a possessive boy when he was younger. He had after all driven his father's old car off a cliff instead of let his shithead of a stepfather sell it and that should be all the evidence anyone would need to conclude that Jim would rather break his toys then let anyone else play with them.
There was luxury in being a possessive man. He allowed himself real smiles, real warmth, and real pleasure in the things/people he collected and this was perfectly all right because he knew that if he needed too he could and he would destroy them himself, before anyone else could.
There were some thing that were more useful, interesting, and enjoyable then others and Kirk would try harder to defend those things before he gave them up as a lost case.
(Of course Jim didn't believe in no win scenarios and if the only thing he had ever really broken before it was lost to him was a car that had belonged to his father and not him, well that just meant he had to be strong enough to keep the things that mattered to him didn't he?)
Jim took great enjoyment out of collecting people. Gaila was his, Cupcake was his, and Leonard McCoy was completely unquestionably his is a way that no one else had been before. Jim had even named his newest pet when they first met and unlike everyone else he had meet Bones had grumbled and complained, but gave no real resistant to anything that Jim had wanted.
Perhaps when they met the man was already broken? Perhaps he needed to be wanted, desired a purpose, or just didn't give a shit? In the end it didn't matter because years pasted as Jim needled, manipulated, pushed McCoy where he wanted him, and the assassination attempt never came.
It took awhile for Jim to realize that Bones was comfortable with this. With Jim leaning too close to him, a possessive hand on the man's neck telling him in no uncertain terms that, 'We're going out tonight Bones, and your going to enjoy yourself if it kills you!' Bones liked that, he needed to have that, a master, an ally, hell a friend? Is that what he was now? Was Jim Kirk a friend to Lenard McCoy? It didn't seem right, too ignorant a term, too equal.
But then, perhaps not, because while Jim would never be trusting enough to have a friend himself, that didn't mean that he couldn't be someone's friend. If that was what was needed to keep an ally close and his, then there were many things that he was willing to do, to be. Jim was very good at giving what belonged to him what they needed so they would stay and think they had a choice in the matter.
When you looked at the world though Jim Kirk's eyes everything belonged to him and everything was important, but such things must be prioritized and they're importance was based solely on Jim's mood at the time so in the larger scheme of things it didn't mean much that Bones was Jim's favorite. Jim wasn't comprised, he wasn't weak, in a month Bones may not matter all.
Of course in a months time wasn't now, and right now Bones deiced to kill someone useless because he knew that Jim was seeking those that would be useful. It said a lot that Bones was allowing a doctor that was on the same level skill wise as he was to live when Jim had given him no reassurances about his future.
Of course Bones was the only doctor that Jim would allow anywhere near him, but he was certain Bones didn't know that.
As graduation got closer Jim could tell that Bones was more unsure about his position, his uncalled fore fear over the lunchroom fight was a clear sign. Bones should have been clinging to his place of power next to Jim all the harder, not allowing someone that could replace him to be allowed to continue living.
Bones proved his worth so much more by thinking of what was best for Jim first. It was smart, but the way he at least seemed to not realize just how well he had already proved himself that was almost…sweet in a way.
Uhura had potential as did some others; however Bones was Jim's absolute favorite possession.