Do you guys want Jim to know Spock and Bones are dating from the start, or have him crush on both and then figure it out after a few weeks?
Rachel :$
Chapter 6
It took 8 hours to drive to Presidio, San Francisco where this Starfleet Academy was supposedly based. Jim spent the entire ride asleep, or, at least, pretending to be, and for a number of good reasons too.
Number one, so they couldn't ask him any questions about himself because even though he agreed to check this place out, that didn't mean he'd get all best-friend-sy with them.
Reason Number two, was so he could listen to their little hushed conversation up front, not that it was a very interesting or informing conversation, leading him to distantly wonder if this whole sensing-emotions-thing could tell if people were genuinely sleeping or not.
And finally, Number three, was because he was just so fucking tired but didn't trust them enough to willingly lose conscious in front of them.
They arrived at the Academy 9am the next morning, and Jim took his time in studying the oddly-modern glass building, the twin peaks of the Golden Gate Bridge just about visible over the tall building.
He had been expecting old red brick and ivy and silent students in uniforms studying by bird baths or some shit, not this.
Swinging his bag over his shoulder, he eyed the laughing happy plain-clothed students distrustfully as he passed, trailing after his recruiters into the contemporary brightly-lit Academy.
Uhura watched Jim closely, picking up the waves of unease and anticipation radiating off of the boy. She wasn't sure what he reaction would be the place, but so far, it didn't seem good.
She studied him, confused, as they made their way through the glass halls. He gave off a charismatic air, as well as a winning smile, but was careful not to make eye contact with anyone they passed, and even more careful not to actually brush against them.
She frowned.
It helped prove her theory of him sensing other people's abilities, but why was he so careful about it? It wouldn't cause him any harm... would it? And just where did the whole teleporting thing come in?
Shaking the thoughts from her head, she came to a stop and knocked on the office door.
"Come in".
Turning to face Jim, she gestured for him to go inside, "This is Christopher Pike's office. He'll explain what you're going to do here, what the layout of the place is, and if you have any questions, you can ask him. I'll meet you back out here when you're done, okay?"
The blonde slowly nodded, and took the final step to open the door and step in.
Shutting the door behind him, he turned to find a dark-haired man sitting behind a large desk, beaming at him.
Jim could immediately sense his excitement, and frowned, the face somewhat familiar but-
Pike gave a sad smile, "I don't suppose you remember me, huh?"
-that voice.
That voice was the same voice that had spoken to him at his father's memorial service when he was two years old, before he knew he was different, before he knew he was a mutant, before Frank came into his life.
Jim stared at him, "... You knew my dad".
Pike smiled once more, "I did indeed... Your dad was a mutant".
"I figured".
He inclined his head in a silent question.
The blonde slowly took a seat in front of the desk, his bag falling to his feet.
"It's hereditary, isn't it? Maybe not from parent to child, but certainly no more than three generations apart".
"And you assumed your father passed it on to you?"
His face darkened, "Well it sure as hell wasn't from my mother's side".
Pike winced, knowing all too well that the only thing George and Winona Kirk ever fought about, was her disgust of mutants and his ability to manipulate ice.
"So I gathered it had to be him. She always did say we were too alike".
He slowly nodded, "Your dad could control ice. Create it, destroy it, manipulate it... However, despite it being a hereditary gene, it's the ability to have powers that's inherited, not the power itself. It's highly unlikely that you can do the same as him".
It was a blatant follow up question.
So what power do you have?
Jim didn't answer.
Pike coughed and sought out the familiar mind just outside the door.
'He's still not telling?'
'No sir' Uhura responded, and he quickly left her head, instead, gently reaching out for the unknown mind in his own room.
What he was met with, was a mental wall over a hundred feet high and made of two-foot solid steel.
His eyes widened.
Jim's eyes narrowed.
"I would prefer if you asked before invading my mind, Pike".
And while he may not be able to control ice like his father, his voice sure as hell was just as cold.
"... I apologise" Chris finally replied, "It was not my intention to breach your privacy. I merely wished to..."
"To find out what I can do" He finished, arms folded across his chest.
"We can't help you if we don't know what you're capable of".
He laughed, humourless and harsh, "Oh believe me, you don't want to know what I'm capable of".
He sat back in his chair, frowning, "James... I have trained people who have telekinesis, people who can teleport, and people who are emotional emphathics... Whatever you can do, whatever ability you have, we can deal with it".
Jim smirked and placed both hands on the table, leaning forwards, "How about all three?"
He couldn't hide his shock.
Or how his eyes widened.
Or how he accidentally dropped the file in his hands.
It made a resounding *thud* on the old wooden floors, and Jim leant back once more, seeming proud of himself.
"... What do you mean by all three?"
"I mean, I can do all three" He repeated, "Plus a few more, if your counting".
"But that's... that's not possible. Not with such varying powers. They'd have to be closely related for you have more than one and even then, you'd only have two or three at most".
"Not if you're not born with them".
Pike stared at him, beyond confused, "... So just how did you acquire them?"
He smirked, "Well that'd be telling, now, wouldn't it?"
"James".
"Jim".
"What?"
"My name. It's Jim. James is what my step father used to call me. It doesn't exactly bring back fond memories".
"Why not?"
He considered the man in front of him for a few minutes, "... Just how, exactly, do you think my old house burnt down?"
Because if they were searching for him for two years, then this guy had to know what happened.
"A leaky gas pipe".
"Try again".
Pike frowned, taking in the predatory smirk and the dangerous gleam in the boy's eye, "... You did it?"
He held up one hand, and the captain jumped back in shock as it suddenly caught fire.
"I did it" He answered, staring at the flame, "Purely by accident, of course. I didn't intend on causing such a large explosion... But hey, these things happen, I guess".
"... That explosion killed Frank" Chris said slowly.
"I know. That bastard was the reason for it".
He stared at the boy in thinly veiled horror. Jim's new ability to sense emotions, however, told him exactly what the man thought about him.
He quenched the flame and tilted his head to the side, confused, "You don't believe me".
"He was your step-father".
"That doesn't define what type of man he was".
"He seemed... pleasant the time that I met him".
"First appearances can lie" Jim shot back.
Pike sighed, "... You didn't like him".
"I hated him... And the only thing I feel guilty about, is that the barn cat got burnt to a crisp just like he did".
He studied the man's reaction carefully.
Chris was clearly uneasy at the admission, scared, even. But he didn't seem... Judging, for some reason.
"You're not going to turn me in?" Jim asked curiously.
The professor sighed, "Even if I wanted to, kid, they couldn't prove it... A lot of mutants here came from troubled pasts. And the one thing I've realised after all these years? It's that all of them were fully justified in what they did".
"Even murdering a man?"
"... Yes, Jim, even murdering a man".