Bonds Know No Distance

[mirroredcommand]

The night was dark and deep and long in space, never ending, without a dawn to break the line between waking and sleep, day and night, beginning and end. It made existence endless, broken only by the silent running of the clocks on the wall, the movements of work, food, and sleep. Without these things, without the sureness of a schedule, time became meaningless. Even the stars could not keep him company.

So after Kirk came and 'visited', time resumed its endless patterns, moving on and on without pause or break or concept. For a man used to near-constant action, it was a form of torture more exquisite then any bit of pain or distress. More then anything, it was a torture that gave him nothing to focus his mind on anything but the swelling pain of the broken bond. It was swiftly becoming over whelming, completely and utterly. There was nothing left to keep the pain away, and with his shields designed only to block out Spock's light intrusions instead of a full on force, they were failing after being buffeted for so long. In short, he was going mad.

His expression showed little of the internal war except for the strong brow being furrowed and the age-lines at the edges of the eyes and corners of the mouth looking thicker. It was his hands that gave him away, gripping fiercely into the fabric of the bed he was reclining on. A headache was throbbing behind his eyes in time with his heart, a thick red-hot band of light that was searing like a knife into his mind. Deeper, deeper with every beat of his heart.

Every part of him was focused on maintaining the failing shields, rebuilding them as Spock had taught him those years ago. He had survived torture from Vulcans who knew precisely what to do in the mind, but could not stop this. This bond that had been forced onto him but in the end welcomed, this bond that had saved his life many times in the past, that had saved the life of his first officer and friend, this bond that had been a respite from a world where one could never relax... this bond was killing him. It would destroy him as surely as any blade to the heart.

SPOCK!

Never screamed aloud, never aloud. Instead, strong white teeth bit firmly into his lip, hard enough to send a trickle of crimson along his chin, down to his jawline. The pain, the strain, had been steadily increasing since James Kirk's visit to his cell, as if the reminder of the bond and speaking of it had started a chain reaction. He had long since started to keep his eyes closed [was it hours? minutes? weeks? centuries?] because at least this way the room would not spin. He was starting to feel that same spinning in his mind, making his world wobble like a child's toy.

It seemed hours passed this way. A day? Perhaps. He vaguely heard someone calling him, but did not dare respond. Still trapped in the arms of the enemy, he could not let a weakness be seen. The smell of food made his stomach swell and gurgle, but not from hunger. It felt like his entire body needed one thing it could not have. [a universe away]

He did not feel when he stood, instead he felt the world sway, go sideways. Could not feel the floor beneath his feet, the slap of his hand against the wall in an instinctual attempt to keep himself upright. Did not feel when the world tuned him out, blew him out like a light bulb, did not feel when the pain consumed him and his shields finally fell, did not feel when he hit the ground.

The darkness had claimed him instead.

Comments

[mirroredspock.livejournal.com]

Spock had completed his visual scan of the room - when the door closed, he withdrew a very small tricorder-like device from one of his pockets.

"No one bothered to search me."

He scanned the room, confirmation of what he suspected - there was nothing here.

The tricorder went back in his pocket and Spock eased his arms around Christopher. Christopher was his home.

[iron-command.livejournal.com]

"This ship is full of children playing Starfleet." Pike mirrored his mate, placing his forehead against Spock's temple. "Fools, though a few are respectable. A small few." That smell was one he could never have forgotten but had gone too long without. Something he had not thought about in some time, but as the very old saying went...

...something about the heart growing fond or something like that.

[mirroredspock.livejournal.com]

In private now, with a locked door - even one locked from the outside - Spock leaned into Christopher, finally touching him, finally - the meld had been a balm, a cool drink, but there was nothing to compare to this. Unless it was this accompanied by the intimacy of a meld.

He rubbed his temple against Christopher's forehead. His mate was tired and in pain.

"You should rest. Are you hungry?"

[iron-command.livejournal.com]

"Starving, but it can wait." Pike's voice was low, but now it was thick and strained. He was allowing some of the barriers of his training to fall in Spock's presence.

[mirroredspock.livejournal.com]

Spock took some more of Christopher's weight, subtly propping his lover up.

As Christopher dropped his shields, Spock flowed in, a calm and steady presence in Christopher's mind for all of his violence, for all of his anger.

"I will take care of your needs. All of them."

[iron-command.livejournal.com]

They were a product of their training, of their lives, of their universe, but in the end, they were still only men, not robots nor monsters. "As I have always taken care of yours."

[mirroredspock.livejournal.com]

"Christopher." There is the vaguest sense of chastisement. "The time for these promises is after you are fed and rested."

The words thrill Spock, they do, but he is worried by the human's pallor.

Still, it is impossible to resist a kiss.

[iron-command.livejournal.com]

"Not a promise anymore." Pike spoke quietly, accepting and returning the kiss. "It is fact."

[mirroredspock.livejournal.com]

Spock used the kiss as distraction while he manuevered Christopher over to the bed.

He stroked his hand down the uniform shirt Christopher had been wearing for nearly a month and delicately wrinkled his nose.

"Shower, food, sleep, or sex? Which would you have first?"

[iron-command.livejournal.com]

There was only a moment of a pause before, "Switch the last two. That order." He gave a smirk and divested himself of his shirt, eyes tracing over the unfamiliar material for a moment before tossing it aside. "Such strange uniforms."

His gaze lifted and traced over Spock again, and he gave a cool smirk. His beautiful Vulcan, his and no one else's, tamed by his hand alone and responsive to the same. It seemed that no matter the circumstances, they would find each other.

[mirroredspock.livejournal.com]

Spock nodded but there was a different light in his eyes now at the sight of Christopher's smirk.

He eyed Christopher - the human seemed stable enough for a moment so Spock moved to the small bathroom, considered the options, then returned to his side.

"They have a water option in the shower. It seems wasteful."

Their own ship... they would not waste such luxury on prisoners or enemies.

He caught Christopher's still-gloved hands in his own. He bowed his head to kiss the fingertips of Christopher's left hand.

[iron-command.livejournal.com]

Hell, they hardly wasted it on the lowest ranking crew members, either.

Pike let out a soft breath at the kiss, as if he could feel it through the leather. Instead, he felt the faintest electrical tingle from the nanoprobes as they reacted to touch. "Then we should make use of their wastefulness." He slid his thumb across Spock's lower lip, the rest of his fingers curving under the sharp edge of the Vulcan's jaw.

[mirroredspock.livejournal.com]

A month. Of pain, of no contact, of no release from the constant tension.

His need heated his eyes as he savored the hand on his face.

But a shower was the first item of business. Spock moved to unfasten Christopher's pants, to strip the rest of his clothes. For the shower. If his hands lingered, it was simply to prove his care.

[iron-command.livejournal.com]

Eleven years of their lives had been spent together, first as captain and cadet-turned-ensign, then later as captain and first officer, which was rapidly tinged by Christopher and Spock. Only for each other could they allow their barriers to fall, mental and physical, and be the people with weaknesses and needs and desires beneath.

Pike brought up his hands and mirrored his bond mate, tucking his palms beneath the wrapped blue material and finding the hidden fastening, fingers moving to pull free the familiar gold sash. He brought his eyes to study Spock's face, and mused within that if his own Spock was to shave, he would great resemble the Spock of this universe. Vulcans always did age slowly, though their hard life style did had a certain amount of years to even a Vulcan's face.

(OOC - Kirktastic made me an icon!)

[mirroredspock.livejournal.com]

Spock slipped out of his shirt and moved to empty his pockets. Tiny tricorder, a small prototype agonizer, and other objects that would not be readily recognized in this universe.

He stripped off his pants and the small sheaths in which he kept a variety of knives.

"The shower, Christopher."

He did not go so far as to steer Christopher to the bathroom but he encouraged the human to move with him. Spock turned on the water, tested it, adjusted it to a near-scalding temperature that was Christopher's favorite.

[iron-command.livejournal.com]

Pike walked slowly across the small room, easy in his almost-nudity (minus the gloves). It exposed the scars across a body that had seen war and twenty five years of protecting his own life, defending others, defending the empire, and so much more. Spock knew every last one of those scars and their stories intimately, as Pike knew of Spock's own.

Only once inside the bathroom did Pike finally divest himself of his gloves, laying them on a counter near to where the shower was so they were within easy reach. He trusted the temperature without thought and stepped under the water, giving Spock a long look. "Join me?" Complete with a smirk.

[mirroredspock.livejournal.com]

Of course Spock would join him. Any significant distance between them was, at this moment, unacceptable.

He would never adjust to so much water, used in such a frivolous fashion. But it was not unpleasant.

[iron-command.livejournal.com]

Pike immediately let his hands communicate his desire to relearn his bond mate's body as he spoke in a much calmer fashion, "My ship. What's happening over there?" His eyes glittered, water trickling along his cheeks.

[mirroredspock.livejournal.com]

If he concentrated on Christopher's touch, he would not be able to efficiently communicate ship's business. He found a bar of old fashioned soap and lathered it, used it to wash Christopher's chest.

"The nanoprobes were successfully used to bond the ship to your direction. They will also respond to my command."

That was the most significant advance; even Spock could not control Christopher's gloves.

"Kirk is still in the brig. He is in... perfect health, for the moment. The psychological impact of torturing others in his hearing has been satisfying. Sulu has positioned himself, in your abesnce, to make an attempt at taking over. Rather than kill him preemptively, I have left him with the conn to see what he puts in motion. I do not fear him."

He moved on to wash Christopher's shoulders and arms.

"The console in transporter bay 3 must be completely replaced."

[iron-command.livejournal.com]

The rest did not surprise him, but the last did. It made him smirk, allowing Spock to wash him. Spock had his own ways of showing his affection. "Did you have a bit of a temper?" Amusement filtered through almost a patronizing tone, but he did not blame Spock in the least. He would have done something similar, probably to one of the crew.

[mirroredspock.livejournal.com]

The slight green flush spread from his collarbones to the tips of his ears. It had been a regrettable lapse.

Spock knelt to continue the bathing.

"Your absence was exceedingly unpleasant. I believe the crew will be... relieved upon your return."

[iron-command.livejournal.com]

"You've been keeping them in line, then?" Pike reached up so that he could slowly finger each of those green-tinted ears. "I'm pleased to hear it." The smirk stayed on his lips.

[mirroredspock.livejournal.com]

Spock finished washing Christopher's legs and stayed where he was, to keep Christopher's hands there on his sensitive ears.

"There were a few incidents immediately after your disappearance. I believe, however, that they each possess a healthy instinct for self-preservation."

He looked up through spiky wet lashes.

[iron-command.livejournal.com]

"If they didn't, they wouldn't be alive to be on my ship." Pike murmured, but one of his hands slid back into Spock's hair, gripping the slick strands. Without needing to utter a word, he urged Spock's mouth up just in front of his thighs, raising a single brow. A command, a demand, a question all rolled into one.

[mirroredspock.livejournal.com]

Spock closed his eyes and moved closer, content to rely on touch, to revel in touch for this task.

"A month is too long without you."

It was a whisper against Christopher's thigh and then Spock moved to reacquaint himself with his lover's cock, the water hot around them, almost as hot as the Vulcan's mouth as he sucked the head of Christopher's burgeoning erection into his mouth.