Longer chapter as promised!
Rachel :D
Chapter 13
Jim was pissed off.
In fact, he was more than pissed off.
Because instead of enjoying his Sunday afternoon in peace and solitude in order to psyche himself up for the dreadful week of school ahead, what he was he doing?
He was getting up at half eight in the bloody morning to go see some half brain dead 'student counsellor' in order to 'assess' his 'anger'.
He scowled and knocked on the door Pike had told him to go to.
He was pissed off and angry and angsty and annoyed and- holy shit that's a fine-looking Vulcan.
Jim blinked in surprise at the man standing at the door.
The Vulcan raised a single eyebrow.
"Jim".
"... Spock" He finally replied, half-confused half-in-awe-of-this-magnificent-leather-clad-creature, "You're...?"
"Student counsellor" He nodded, "And you're...?"
"Supposedly in need of anger management class" He replied, his irritation overclouding his urge to ramble, "A statement which I do not agree with, by the way".
The corner of Spock's mouth twitched, "I'm afraid, Jim, that that's for me to decide".
He gestured into the brightly-lit office behind him, "Shall we?"
Stepping into the room, Jim looked around at the steel and glass furnishings. One wall was made entirely of glass, revealing the Golden Gate Bridge behind it, and a desk shoved up against it. The other three were comprised of bookshelves, and in the middle of the room, there were two couches with a small coffee table in between them.
"Please, have a seat" Spock said, walking past, and Jim shivered as their arms brushed.
Slowly following him to the centre of the room, the blonde cautiously took a seat on the couch opposite him.
"Am I meant to lie down or something?"
The Vulcan smirked, "If it makes you more comfortable, then you may".
"Nah, I'm good" He replied, not wanting to be in the vulnerable position even if it was just Spock in the room.
"Shall we commence?"
"Sure".
"Professor Pike mentioned you had a... troubled childhood".
"Professor Pike can go and kiss my ass".
Spock gave a small disapproving frown, and Jim couldn't help but revel in the thrill it gave him.
"It is to my understanding that your father died when you were very young".
"If by 'very young' you mean 'a few minutes old' then sure".
The Vulcan paused, "... He died saving your life. Do you feel regret over that?"
Jim swallowed and stared at the man's hand, clasped together lightly on his lap, long fingers eloped in an almost sensual manner-
"Shouldn't you be writing this shit down or something?"
"I have an eidetic memory".
"Of course you do".
The boy sighed and collapsed back against the couch, wishing he could go back to babbling incoherently in the Vulcan's presence as opposed to in avertedly telling him how fucked up his life was.
He'd never give him a second glance once he found out what he'd done, after all.
"Jim?"
"What?"
"Do you feel regret?"
"Would you?"
"That's not what we're trying to distinguish here-"
"Then what are we trying to distinguish here?" He interrupted, "Cause as far as I know, regret has nothing to do with anger".
"Regret can be a motive for anger".
He gave a humourless laugh, eyes drifting back up to the man's face, "You're kidding me, right? You honestly think that I have all these- these bent up emotions because my dad died saving me? Saving my mother? Saving eight hundred people?! I didn't even know the man".
"Then you are angry at never having he chance to know him".
"... We really need to talk about your bedside manner".
"Reverting to avoidance insinuates you agree".
Jim stared at him, annoyed at how easy the man could read him, annoyed at how easy the man could get under his skin, annoyed at how much he wanted the man to get under his skin.
"So what if I'm pissed? I never knew my dad, I'll never get to know him. Wouldn't you be a little angry if you were in my situation?"
Spock slowly nodded, "I would be... irritated, yes".
"Then that doesn't make me some unstable kid with anger issues".
"No... But it does contribute to it".
He scowled, "Oh, fight me!"
"That would be illogical".
"You're illogical!"
Spock tilted his head to the side, frowning, "... That statement is illogical".
"Just- Just shut it, pointy".
"Pointy? Is that a derogatory reference?"
Jim turned to him in exasperation, only to find the impassive Vulcan almost smiling at him, the air surrounding him shaking with amusement.
He narrowed his eyes at him, "You're enjoying this!"
"I am unaware at what 'this' entails-"
"This!" He exclaimed, gesturing between them, "This- This bickering! The arguing! Whatever the hell you want to call it!"
"A counselling session to discuss your anger management".
"I don't need anger management!"
Spock raised an eyebrow and glanced down.
Jim felt the sleeves of his shirt burn off.
Abruptly standing up, he marched to the window and began pacing, trying to calm down.
He really wasn't doing himself any favours getting worked up like this, because that smug bastard was now actually smiling at him and for fucks sake he didn't need anger management!
He felt sparks leap from his fingertips, and the amusement suddenly developed into curiosity.
"You have... Pyrokinesis?"
Jim stilled.
"... What's it to you?"
"It is an... emotion-fuelled power".
"What, my father's death wasn't good enough for you? Now you're blaming it on what I can do?!"
"Is that what you do?"
He paused, the heat in his hands slowly fading.
"... Why?"
"Why?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"Because powers are linked to the personality of the mutant, Jim" He replied calmly, "If you can control fire, then by default, you are 'fiery' by nature".
"Was that a pun?"
"That was the explanation you asked for" Spock finished, "So is that what you can do?"
The blonde swallowed, "... One of the things".
"You have multiple powers?"
"Yea, you could say that".
"... You do not wish me to know".
Jim smirked and turned to face him, back to the window, "I don't want anyone to know. Don't take it personally".
"May I ask why?"
"Because they'll treat me differently!" He snapped, "Like I'm some... some time bomb, just waiting to go off! And that's if they don't just freak out and fangirl right there".
Spock frowned, confused, "Fan girl-?"
"Forget about it" He said, "It doesn't matter".
The Vulcan stared at him for a minute before abruptly standing up, "I think that's enough for today?"
Jim turned to him, surprised, "Wait, what? Seriously? But we were only here for... like... half an hour".
"Yes, and I have gained much of which I wanted to know" He replied, opening the door, "Same time next week?"
Jim scowled as he walked past, "Do I even have a choice?"
Spock bit back a smile, "No... Goodbye Jim".
"Yea, yea, see you next week, or whatever".