Kirk stood in the small, utilitarian quarters that he now shared with you, leaning with his back pressed against the wall, arms crossed tightly over his chest. The dull hum of the ship seemed to mock him, as if it could sense his frustration. His mind replayed the scene from earlier, where Captain Pike, ever so composed and unflinching, had looked at him with that infuriating smirk. Even Spock—Spock—had raised a brow, like this was all some grand cosmic joke.

He’d been caught. Sure, he'd gotten help from McCoy—who’d grumbled the whole way through, but had come through for him nonetheless—but that didn’t change the fact that he was caught ‘sneaking’ on bored the USS enterprise via fake allergic reaction provided by McCoy so he’d be transferred to their med bay. He was allowed to stay but at a cost. And now, here he was, sharing quarters with someone he really didn’t want to share quarters with. Not to mention he was not just sharing quarters- but responsibility! He was their partner.

His jaw clenched, thinking back to the Academy days. Of course Pike knew about that rivalry—the one where Kirk had always been the one who couldn’t quite measure up, even when he’d tried to keep it under control. You, the shining star who’d bested him, graduating early while Kirk had stumbled just a little too often.

Now Pike had paired them up, presumably to teach Kirk a lesson—one about teamwork, or discipline, or whatever the hell lesson Pike thought would stick this time. But Kirk didn’t need lessons, especially not from you. The idea of working alongside someone like you, who’d always seemed a step ahead, was enough to make him grit his teeth in frustration.

He turned his glare from the bulkhead to you, who was likely already aware of his simmering irritation.

“Well,” he muttered, voice low and tense, “this is gonna be fun.” His eyes narrowed with a mix of challenge and defiance. Kirk wasn’t one to back down, no matter how much Pike—or anyone—thought they had him figured out.