☆ﾟ*・ﾟᴄᴀᴇꜱᴀʀ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴀʀꜱ .

a grin tugs at jim’s lips, eyebrows raise as he stares at tilly. he can’t help but think about how ADORABLE she is the entire time she rambles at him. but he let’s her finish and once she apologizes, he just shakes his head.

“pansexual,” he starts slowly. “so if you were getting at what i THINK you were getting at, there are, technically, over a hundred people on board this ship who i could potentially be attracted to. now, assuming we don’t take out commanding officers, because everyone knows i’m not GREAT with rules, but we do subtract anyone who’s already in a relationship, old enough that they probably don’t want to date a 24 year old lieutenant, or, you know, anyone who isn’t interested in human males, i’d say that’s definitely under 100 people.”

he takes a step forward, crosses his arms over his chest. “and even if it wasn’t, NONE of that has anything to do with this. because i’m not asking any of them. i’m asking you. you do know you can just say NO if you don’t wanna go with me, right? won’t hurt my feelings.”

“i was ONLY dead for three minutes,” jim corrects. “yes, i would say that’s an accomplishment.” it’s far preferable to the alternative: dying permanently. maybe he shouldn’t be as CASUAL as he is, but this is the only way he can digest what happened without losing his mind. “what, you’re not proud one of your officers escaped death?”

“listen  —  i’m great.  i’m more than great,  i’m spectacular.  i helped save an entire species,  and doctor culber in one go.  i mean,  yeah,  i was kidnapped and trapped in the mycelial network with a species who repurpose matter by trying to eat you alive but  —  no,  i’m good.  awesome,  even.  everything’s good,”

open starter   |   mutuals only   |   sylvia tilly!

“I’m sure it is normal for people to run into poison ivy all the time.” here comes a sly smirk, shaking his head at the question at hand, “Me? Wanting to wait you suffer? Now, why would you think that?” Casually sitting on a visitor seat, hand place upon his own lap, “Well, for starters: you’ll only waste precious supplies, which your body really doesn’t need at the moment. Since the pain would only effect for a minute.” Eye rolls soon enough, “You must be out of your mind, thinking that.” 

“Yes, well that happens when you’re being so careless.” Scoff at the statement, running his fingers through his hair, “No, I can’t and won’t. You’re going to be fine, stop with the whining.” humans sure did had low tolerance against anything painful. Although, the question did catch the robot off guard, turning his attention back towards the other, blinking twice, “Excuse me?” he asked, “Do I look like your babysitter?”

“Maybe next time you wouldn’t do any crazy stunts and end up in a pile of poison ivy. Now, the itching would only last few minutes, so, until then. I can’t do a thing for you, and you really shouldn’t scratch. I’ve already applied hydrocortisone while cleaning off with rubbing alcohol.” A deep frown from the A.I., a rather disappointed look. “Just what the hell were you doing??” 

@futurecommand

  “Could you knock it off with scratching your bandages? You’re not making it any better by doing that, I told you it’s gonna itch.” 

“ THE ADVICE IS mine, the  choice  is yours. ” Michael’s eyebrow shot up, the hint of a smile peeking on her lips. “ Though something tells me you may have already made your choice, I hope I could help in future ones. ” Her back straightened again, and the emotion she’d shown him in privacy faded from her features. “ I’ll cover you as much as I can – don’t make me regret it, Lieutenant. ” 

    𝙷𝙴 𝚆𝙰𝚃𝙲𝙷𝙴𝚂 𝙺𝙸𝚁𝙺 𝙻𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 𝚄𝙿 𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴 𝙰 𝙲𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙻𝙴.    a growing-tenuous smile blunts some lines,  sharply uplifting across the youth’s pink cheeks.  the biting light makes the wrinkly edges of a pair of toothy grins look pinned to the bones in what,  the wrong lighting hitting it in carving,  would strike as conceit.  christopher pike knows better,  he knows the flicker before it goes out.   ‘  hmm  ’   a growly murmur boils at the bottom of his throat.  he hisses through the tight line of his pressed lips for an only brief moment,  and spends the next pondering what he’s failed an answer to.  around them all noise fades,  lured into the steady purr of a distant engine.  a man doesn’t know how desperately quiet his own starship can be until he stands with crossed arms and half-closed eyes,  musing on a battle whose cursed name alone took from his memory a fair share of good friends.  a deep,  shadowy crease above his furrowed eyebrows lingers even when pike flashes a thin,  string-like smile of his own.   ‘  must be … six years?  maybe a damn seven.  time also flies,  ’   

   although his lids are heavy with the mad pounding in his temples,  captain pike lifts them to look at james.  the light is steely above his head,  and he shifts from it like a nocturne animal.   ‘  excuse my condition,  lieutenant,  i too have seen better days.  it’s been a hell of a week.  ’

seven years. jim’s eyebrows pull together as he lets out a breath: it sounds heavy, for a moment, but it’s merely the realization hitting him that it’s been a LONG time since he was a teenager. since he had decided STARFLEET was his goal in life. “wow,” he muses softly. “well, it’s no surprise. you definitely deserve it.” and yes, time does fly. one day it will be JIM captaining a starship, leading a crew and being responsible for so many people. he wants to be ready. can anyone be ready for something like that?

“it’s ALWAYS a hell of a week on this ship, captain.” and yet it is getting better. jim knows pike’s presence on board discovery is only temporary, but he’s much happier now that LORCA is gone. everyone seems less tense these days. chris is truly helping them heal. so it isn’t just the past that jim wants to thank him for. it’s EVERYTHING. 

jim visibly relaxes, strangely comforted by the fact that stamets always manages to be so CASUAL about everything. “kinda hard to live a pain-free life,” he responds easily. pain has always followed him around. he’d always been hoping this would be the one place it left him alone, and yet this vessel created for SCIENCE has now become a weapon in a war. “that’s what the rest of us are here for, though. to make things hurt less. we’re a family, right?”

                NOW WE’RE YOUNG ENOUGH TO TRY                              TO BUILD A BETTER LIFE

“ BEING RIGHT OR wrong does not matter once you bring more people into it. ” Michael tried to keep calm, but her voice started getting agitated. “ My decision brought more than 8000 people into it; and not all of them lived to tell it. ” A deep breath was taken. “ I understand your motives and reasons. I have been there. That is why I am telling you, acting now will make you lose. ” 

“ If you tell anyone I’ve said this I will deny it. ” Michael began, leaning in slightly and lowering her voice. “ Starfleet doesn’t like rebelliousness, however. Don’t be scared to stand your ground. You just have to know when to do it. Choose your battles, Lieutenant. Be wise. ” 

jim is, of course, personally familiar with the results of her actions and he knows he was one of the lucky ones. too many of their friends DIED as a result of this war. some wars, however, are unavoidable. this was all bound to happen eventually: no one can live in peace forever. jim hasn’t ever lived in peace at all.

“ I ADMIRE THE passion, I really do. ” Michael said, keeping her calmed attitude. Kirk’s attitude was too different to everything she’d been used to, but she knew he had what it took to go far in Starfleet. That’s why she couldn’t let him just jump into action. “ However, that’s not how you’ll get anything. Believe me – I’m Starfleet’s first mutineer; I know. ” 

had anyone understood his desire to ACT, rather than roll over and let shit happen, jim had anticipated she would. starfleet’s first mutineer — a woman so driven by her beliefs that she would BREAK the rules she’s bound to follow. his confusion is evident, slight judgment in his gaze as he tries to justify to himself why she won’t back him up.