I was meant to update last week but it was my birthday and my parents surprised me with a trip to England and yesterday I went to a friend's 18th and didn't get home till 3am so... yea.
Here's the update! (And a long one too!)
Rachel :)
Chapter 26
Saturday afternoon saw the trio aimlessly walking the surprisingly large gardens of the Starfleet Academy. Everyone was outside, sunbathing in the heat or just reading under the shade of a large oak, and Jim immediately found himself calming down in the warm breeze and yellow sun.
"We should have a picnic" He declared suddenly, spinning around the face the pair trailing behind him.
McCoy frowned, "A picnic? You're just after breakfast".
"And yet I still find myself hungry" He replied, "I'm a growing boy, Bones, I need my nutrition".
"Your nutrition composes of cholesterol and heart disease".
"Hey! At least I'm eating! Pointy over there only ever consumes is rabbit food!"
"Lettuce is still a hell of a lot healthier than your bacon and pancakes!"
"You made me the pancakes!"
"For a treat! You're not meant to eat them every day!"
Jim crossed his arms over his chest and glared, but Bones stood his ground, narrowing his eyes and scowling right back.
Eventually, Spock sighed, "... The canteen should have lunch ready by now. They shouldn't disagree to us bringing it outside".
"See! Spock's on my side!"
"And by lunch, I do, of course, mean healthy sandwiches and salad".
Bones smirked.
Jim glared, "Traitor!"
Yet he couldn't hold back a small smile as the doctor threw his arm over the blonde's shoulders to lead him back inside.
That smile abruptly fell when they were met with a fake smile and an even faker greeting as they stepped inside the canteen.
"Jim! Where have you been? I've been looking for you all morning!"
He froze, his breath quickening, hands already sparking.
"Kid, calm down" Bones whispered, speeding up his pace, "You do not want murder on your hands".
And wasn't that ironic?
"Hey! Hey, Jim! Jim!" Mitchell continued to call, standing up from his collection of adoring followers and jogging over.
The blonde kept his gaze forward and his feet moving, ever so grateful for Bones's arm around his shoulders and Spock's intimidating presence on his opposite side.
"Oy! Jim! Hey, Jim, I'm talking to you!"
His two safety nets were abruptly snatched away from him as Mitchell grabbed his arm and spun him around to face him.
He snarled and took a step forwards, but Bones seized his wrist and gave him a pointed look.
He isn't worth it, kid.
"What's wrong?" Gary asked, painfully oblivious to the destruction he had just caused, "Why are you looking at me like that? Why have you..."
He trailed off when he saw Spock half hidden behind the doctor.
Mitchell's grin abruptly dropped, and his eyes turned furious, "What have they been telling you?!"
He tore the blonde's arm from Bones's hold, "Jim? Jim! What have they told you?!"
"The truth" McCoy replied coolly, and the younger mutant's face darkened, "What truth?! I've always told him the truth! Jim, don't listen to them".
"You mean you told the truth when you brainwashed him?!" the Doctor snapped, "When you used your power to put him down?! To force him to submit to you?! Just because you get off on a power play?! I've known a lot of twisted bastards in my time, Mitchell, but I've never met one as sick as you".
The man's expression turned dangerous, his eyes toxic, and the air around him bitter with poison.
He took a step forwards, oblivious to everyone in the canteen staring at him, and made a move to hit the doctor.
What he wasn't expecting, was for a smaller tanned fist to land a solid blow to the centre of his face, breaking his nose and sending him spiralling to the tiled floor below.
Silence.
Everyone stared in shock at the young blonde who had shoved himself between McCoy and Mitchell.
Bones grabbed the Jim's wrist, and the younger mutant spun around in anger.
The doctor studied him for a few seconds, taking in the positively lethal expression on the boy's face, the sparks leaping off of not only his hands but his arms, his chest, his legs, and his stance.
The stance of a fighter.
He slowly let go of the teen's wrist, "Alright... Alright, kid, just... just don't kill him".
The feral grin he got in response formed knots in his stomach.
And not the fearful kind either.
Spinning around, Jim grinned down at the dazed mutant sprawled on the floor below him, blood pouring from his nose and eyes wide as they stared up at him.
Sighing, the blonde crouched down in front of him, "... Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to kill you today-"
He was cut off by a choked laugh, and Mitchell gave him a bloody smile, "You? Kill me?! I'd like to see you try, bitch".
And damn, did those words hurt.
Staring at him for a minute, painfully aware of all eyes on him, Jim finally spoke, "... Let's have a little history lesson, shall we? Do you know where they found me?"
"I don't give a fuck, you stupid little-"
"Las Vegas" He interrupted, unable to hear the rest of that sentence, "And do you know how I survived there? How I made money?"
"Prostitution?"
Jim placed a foot on the mutant's ankle and pressed down, hard.
The sickening crack and resulting cry resounded around the room.
"Guess again" He replied darkly, as Mitchell writhed helplessly on the floor.
"I don't know! Fuck! You've broken my fucking- Someone get this psycho off of me!"
For once, his followers had abandoned him.
"Fighting" Jim continued, unperturbed, and no that careless attitude to breaking bones did not cause Bones's jeans to tighten thank you very much.
"That's how I made my money" the Blonde explained, "By fighting. Illegally, perhaps, but... still fighting, all the same".
"You fucking cunt! Wait until I get up and I'll-"
"You'll what?" He interrupted, "Attack me? Oh, no, wait... You've already done that, haven't you?"
"I'll fucking kill you!" He snarled, "I'm older, taller, heavier-"
"-and more stupid" Jim finished, "Weren't you listening? I just told you I fought people for money".
"I don't care!"
"No? Alright then, you're obviously missing the point... I made money by fighting people. I made quite a lot of money. What does that tell you?" He continued, before holding up his hand when Mitchell opened his mouth, "Actually, let me answer... That tells you I was good".
"So, yes, Gary" He continued, "I may be younger, I may be shorter, scrawnier, I may even be weaker... But I'm the three-year defending champion of the Las Vegas underground boxing ring".
He leant forwards until their noses were practically touching, eyes thunderous and face unforgiving.
"So you don't stand a chance".
Bones and Spock watched in part-horror part-awe as this tiny, scrawny, adorable kid beat the absolute shit out of Mitchell.
It was all over in mere seconds, Jim thoroughly destroying the once charismatic leader of the pack while he writhed on the ground in agony, unable to even curl up from the onslaught of cleverly placed kicks and blows, designed to cause the most pain in the least amount of time, the blonde's face retaining an indifferent yet satisfied look of nonchalance as he all-but beat Mitchell to death.
And holy fuck did that turn them on.
It was only three minutes later when the boy finished, and he sighed, not having even broken a sweat, and once again crouched down next to the mutant on the floor, staining the tiles with his bloody hand prints.
Jim admired his handiwork, wondering if Mitchell would even be able to move for the foreseeable few days.
"Well then" He started, voice echoing in the silent room, "That was rather disappointing, now, wasn't it? I was expecting you to get at least one blow in... Shows just how weak a person you are, huh?"
"Go to hell!" He spat, blood staining the spit that flew from his mouth.
"I've already been there" He replied calmly, "Wasn't a very nice place, so I decided to burn it down. Hence, how I ended up in Las Vegas".
Jim's gaze left the bloody and bruised face to scan the shocked and slightly fearful crowd.
"Isn't it ironic?"
"Fuck off" Mitchell groaned, trying to curl into himself with broken ribs and a fractured arm.
"No, seriously, it's quite funny, actually... You act like this arrogant king, surrounded by loyal followers willingly to do anything to save you... Only that's not how the story goes, is it? Because you may be arrogant, but you're not a king. And you sure as hell have no followers. Everyone's terrified of you... They won't be, anymore".
Jim leant back on his heels, looking thoughtful, "You see, people were too worried about what you'd do to them, if they didn't follow you. And it's only now, when they've seen how weak you actually are, that they leave you alone... Didn't you wonder why no one came to your rescue?"
"Someone's told Pike... They had to have".
He sounded more desperate than confident.
"No, Mitchell, they haven't" Jim replied, almost sadly, "Because I'm willing to bet that for every ten people in this room, you made at least one of their lives hell... So that's why I did this. That's why I enjoyed beating you to a pulp... This is revenge, Mitchell. For me, for Spock, and for everyone else you've ever hurt... Karma really is a bitch, isn't she?"
Standing up, he wiped his hands on his jeans, seeming uncaring of the blood he streaked there, "So perhaps you've finally your lesson. Perhaps not. But if I ever, ever, hear that you've hurt someone else again? I won't hesitate in reminding you".
He took a sick sort of satisfaction from the resulting flinch.
"Bones?"
"... Yea kid?" He replied, voice choked from arousa-
No, dammit!
"You're a doctor".
"I am" He agreed, "... Unfortunately, however, Saturday is my day off".
"Oh, how unfortunate indeed" Jim repeated, turning to him with a fire dancing so brightly in his eyes that McCoy had to swallow thickly.
"Is anyone else here qualified?"
He nodded to a blonde woman standing in the back of the room, "Just Nurse Chapel over there".
The boy turned to her, "You on duty?"
"Yes" She replied, a wolfish grin spreading across her face, "However, this is my lunch break. And I believe I'm due an extended one, doctor?"
"Well, I suppose you have been working rather hard lately, so... sure" Bones said, "In fact, you know what? Take the rest of the day off too. You deserve it, after all".
"Well, that's that sorted then" Jim finished, clapping his hands together, "And it's such a shame, really, considering this man could most certainly do with medical attention... Ah well, you can wait a few hours, can't you Gary?"
He prodded the man with his foot, and the mutant groaned in response.
"I'll take that as a yes" the Blonde said, turning back to face the quick-breathing wide-eyed dry-mouthed pair standing behind him, "Now so, about that picnic?"