sindicate | second child, restless child

[ jim never asked for any of the shit he got and/or gets in life. didn't ask to be a prince, didn't ask for any of the responsibility, didn't ask to be told to marry someone from another planet in a bid to get him to 'settle down,' like arranged marriages ever fucking work and he and whoever he ends up having to marry aren't going to just end up coming to some kind of agreement and just carry on as they were before marriage on the down low.

and jim knows what it is. it'll look good to have a tie with the vulcans and strengthen the power humans have; things have been precarious since his dad died when he was born, so yeah. it tracks. do what they can to keep their shit together.

but why the fuck can't it be sam? he's older, more marriageable, whatever. jim doesn't care. this kind of shit isn't him. sure, he's handsome. sure, he's charming. sure, he's great at diplomacy when he's not too busy doing other things. sure, sure, sure.

if he doesn't even want to settle down with someone he picks himself, what the hell makes them think he wants to marry a stranger?

but see, jim gets through the preliminary stages just fine. they meet—the guy's fine, real serious but that's what he figures from a vulcan anyway, jim likes how smart he is—get to know each other a little over the span of approximately three days, and now they have one more night of single life before they're inexorably tied together for the rest of their lives.

jim's life. vulcans live a lot longer than humans do.

anyway.

the whole shebang is gonna be on vulcan since vulcans care more about ceremony than humans do, and now it's after the final "engagement" dinner with their families. they're not expected to consummate marriage or whatever before the ceremony (or after, even?) he's pretty sure, but they have been sort of sequestered in a suite of rooms to spend time together. or fuck. he's really not sure at this point. he's almost certain it's not the second one.

spock hasn't seemed particularly enthused about the whole thing either, so jim doesn't feel too bad about slouching in a chair in the room they're in and flicking open an old multitool before snapping it shut again, the motion habitual and unconscious. ]

So, what life plans are the arranged marriage thing ruining for you?

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Indeed, it is an impressive ship.

[ He's allowed to say this because it's true. Kirk is not yet aware of all the reasons this ship is so impressive. Spock can only hope they will not have need for Kirk to learn them.

As it is, the shine of the newly-constructed ship and its state of the art equipment is enough to quality it for impressive. Unlike the other Vulcan ships, its warp ring is not currently visible. For all intents and purposes, the ship appears more like a pleasure cruiser than the warship Spock designed it as. A hallway leads towards the bridge and off towards other necessary areas: the mess, the medical bay, and lifts to the other decks. Everything shines. Spock himself did the final evaluation. There is no ship in the Vulcan fleet, or likely in known space, that can match his prototype.

It is, he thinks with a faint twist of sardonocism, uniquely suited for a pirate vessel, even if that was not the purpose for which it was designed.

Spock turns for the bridge. ]

Ideally, we will have at least an Earth-week before its absence is noted.

[ jim takes stock of each thing they pass, memorizing the layout of the ship so he has the proper lay of the land, so to speak. if anything does happen, it's stupid as hell to get lost in the ship you're traveling on yourself.

he shadows spock to the bridge, moving to gaze over the controls but not touch anything just yet, though he looks over his shoulder at spock after a moment's consideration of what he'd said in the corridor. ]

Our absence is going to be noted immediately. Do not enough people know about the ship to consider it your choice for leaving? Unless they assume someone else kidnapped us, I guess.

[ fair enough considerations: he barks out a laugh after a moment, shaking his head. ]

A little funny that it'd have given us even more wiggle room if we'd gone missing from our honeymoon, but then we wouldn't have had access to the ship. I'd say six in one hand, half a dozen in the other, but I'll be honest, I prefer the ship.

It is customary for Vulcan bondmates to engage in a period of seclusion following the initial act of bonding. The same will be expected of us, particularly as you would require greater acclimatization to the bond.

[ Unlike Kirk, Spock seats himself at the navigation controls and begins a standard pre-flight check. Everything lights up green, the ship coming alive around them with a soft hum. ]

While I am doubtful it will be assumed that we have been kidnapped, this ship is highly classified. [ A beat. ] Additionally, those others who are aware of it may have a mistaken impression as to its flight capability.

Okay, so, for all the talking up of our bond they were doing to convince me of this thing that everyone was aware I had no choice in, [ until now, of course, with their escape, ] nobody told me about that part. Maybe they didn't want to scare me off into running away.

[ wry.

jim settles in next to spock to watch every procedure he goes through for the check: what every toggle does, which readings get the green light at what levels, everything. he cocks a brow at spock's last admission though, gaze flicking from the controls up to his face. ]

Oh yeah? What's the impression they have versus the reality?

[ he's getting a much clearer picture of the things spock isn't saying with each new snippet. ]

Most likely, they assumed that being informed the bond involved a psychic element would be adequate to prepare you for what was required.

[ Equally wry; Spock is under no illusions regarding the way Vulcans hoard such delicate information. That Kirk was even told the bond involved a physiological element at all is more than Spock had expected. No, more than that; he is surprised that the bond was even spoken of in a positive manner. Typically, that much would be considered a reveal of too much information.

Kirk's interest in the pre-flight process is gratifying, and Spock leans in toward the human slightly to ensure he receives an unobstructed view of what he's doing. It would be optimal if they are both able to fly the ship, as they are now, at least for the foreseeable future, partners.

To that end, he levels his voice, allows it to slip to the casual deadpan that serves as a Vulcan's amused tone as he answers. ]

They may mistakenly believe that the ship requires at the least another month of work before it will be flight capable.

I feel like knowing of something is nowhere near the same as knowing anything about what it actually entails, so it's a pretty shitty assumption to make.

[ apparently they really, really wanted to make sure jim kirk's squirrelly ass didn't run off before getting hitched by allowing any positivity about it to exist. joke's on them, probably, because neither of them are coming back now.

jim does appreciate the way spock leans so he can take in how everything works properly, and he commits it to memory, thoughtfully going over it a couple times in his head to really cement what action has what effect.

he outright snorts at that last part, though. ]

And what a mistake to make. Nothing like having a backup plan.

That is an accurate summation of your situation. Additionally, you should know it was done intentionally.

[ They are partners now, after all, and Spock can hardly scare Kirk off a marriage from which they are both fleeing more than he already has been. It is ironic in a manner Spock can appreciate as humorous. That Kirk also seems to appreciate the irony in his situation is gratifying.

He can hardly complain about the person he is currently partnered with, but it is preferable to have a partner who is not disagreeable.

The ship lifts off with barely any internal momentum; it handles as beautifully as Spock has designed it to. He waits a moment more to ensure the cloaking device remains active even in flight, then begins plotting a course out of the system.

Absently, he informs Kirk: ]

This was not my backup plan.

[ It was his primary plan, even if he had not fully allowed himself to admit that. ]

Oh, I have no illusions that it was accidental. Most Vulcans I've met haven't struck me as the 'does anything accidentally' type.

[ it is nice to note they both find this whole thing ironic, yeah. he likes spock so far, he's found, and he doesn't know what to do with that other than appreciate that he's not completely insufferable or anything.

he settles in as spock sets their course, then blinks over at him after that commentary. the way he's sitting looks easy enough, relaxed enough, arms loose over his chest, but his fingers tapping on his forearms are a little sign of the unavoidable anxiety he's been feeling recently, aftershocks now even though the actual stressor is gone. he shifts in his seat, angling more toward spock. ]

Really glad to fit in the primary plan, but now I feel like I need to know the backup, because I doubt you only had one plan to get out of this.

second child, restless child

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